But Yoh did not stop there. He gripped the Spirit Gathering Tablet with his right hand and held it beside the flaming bow. As he drew back the string, he positioned the heavy stone as if it were the arrow itself.
'I've only managed this once before at Urahara's by sheer luck, but with my current strength, I should be able to pull it off.'
"Kurosaki Masaki in Quincy Cross in Spirit Gathering Tablet!"
"Oversoul! Double Medium!"
Flowing text flickered across the surface of the massive flaming arrow. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the script was a sequence of names, each sharing a single distinct trait.
Every single one bore the surname Asakura.
The Asakura clan did not belong to this world. Even after death, they could not pass on to the resting place of souls in this realm—the Soul Society where Yoh currently stood.
While the rejection they faced in the World of the Living was less severe than in the Soul Society or Hueco Mundo, it was still lethal for the fragile souls of shamans to wander there.
Clearly, this world did not welcome the Shaman Clan.
Because of this, the Asakura ancestors had devised a method: they crafted the Spirit Gathering Tablet to house souls and Furyoku while shielding them from external Reishi.
However, 'housing' was more akin to sealing; the ancestors sealed within could not come and go as they pleased and remained in a perpetual state of slumber.
They would only wake when someone used Furyoku to call upon them.
"Soul-Burning Arrow!"
The spirits of past generations materialized behind Yoh. Among them were two figures he knew intimately. They looked down at Yoh's battered and broken body with a mixture of pity, pride, and an even more profound, complex emotion.
Using the Spirit Gathering Tablet for an Oversoul allowed one to utilize the souls and mental strength of the ancestors to empower an attack.
But the burden this placed on Yoh's body was immense. Furthermore, each time it was used, the souls within the Spirit Gathering Tablet would fall into a deep sleep for a period proportional to the power exerted.
The massive flaming arrow expanded rapidly, growing until everyone within the Seireitei could see its silhouette just by looking up. Only then did its expansion cease.
Then, it began to compress.
Beads of sweat soaked Yoh's forehead. Controlling such a vast amount of Furyoku was difficult enough, let alone further compressing it to increase its density.
The exhaustion of having both his body and spirit drained swept through him, yet Yoh had no intention of stopping.
In truth, he didn't need to go this far to deal with the current Zaraki Kenpachi, nor did he truly intend to kill the man. However, for the battles that might follow, he needed a thorough baptism.
As Yoh's momentum continued to climb, the Reiatsu radiating from Zaraki Kenpachi began to surge in response.
It was like a competition that had begun before the first blow was even struck; Kenpachi's Reiatsu had already far exceeded the limits he had shown before the fight started.
Under Yoh's influence, he was growing stronger at an incredible speed.
"The Captain... he seems to have suddenly become even stronger..." Madarame Ikkaku said, his voice hoarse and throat parched. However, a voice of dissent quickly rose from behind him.
"No, he isn't getting stronger. He is recovering..."
"?"
Ikkaku turned at the sound of the voice. One look was all it took for his legs to go weak with terror.
Of the thirteen Captains of the Gotei 13, nine had appeared at once. Among them was the Captain-Commander himself, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni. The person who had just spoken was the Captain of Squad 4, Unohana Retsu.
"Gr-Greetings, Captain-Commander!" Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika finally found their wits, dropping to one knee with their left hands on their legs and right fists against the ground, heads bowed low.
"At ease."
Yamamoto tapped his cane lightly against the roof, his eyes fixed intently on the ongoing battle between Zaraki Kenpachi and Asakura Yoh.
Only four Captains were currently absent: Ukitake Jushiro of Squad 13, Kurotsuchi Mayuri of Squad 12, Ichimaru Gin of Squad 3, and Aizen Sosuke of Squad 5.
"What is that Ryoka's name?" Yamamoto's usually squinted eyes were wide open. He felt a slight vibration in his cane, and his estimation of Yoh's threat level rose significantly.
"Yes!" Ikkaku answered immediately. "Asakura Yoh. He calls himself a Shaman."
"A Shaman..."
Even as a living fossil of the Soul Society, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni had never expected to encounter a power he knew absolutely nothing about.
Among the Captains present, excluding a certain blind man, Kuchiki Byakuya was the only one with even a modicum of knowledge regarding Shamans.
He had not reported Yoh's existence to the Soul Society upon his return. To him, such power was already heretical. Seeing the strength Yoh displayed now, it was incomparable to what he had seen that day in the World of the Living.
'If he is allowed to continue growing like this...'
A flicker of regret touched Byakuya's heart, but it was accompanied by a hint of expectation. 'Rukia...'
"Is someone with that level of power really just a mere human?" Hitsugaya Toshiro muttered, his small stature belied by his massive shock.
He had been preoccupied with Aizen's warning about Ichimaru Gin, but now his mind was completely diverted.
He could feel an overwhelming pressure from that flaming arrow, which had now been compressed to its limit.
He doubted whether even his Bankai could withstand such a technique head-on.
Yet, that madman Zaraki Kenpachi actually intended to meet it head-on. It proved, without a doubt, that he was truly insane.
"Captain-Commander, should we perhaps..."
Though he didn't particularly like the battle-crazed Kenpachi, they were still colleagues. Hitsugaya felt he should intervene before the man committed suicide.
Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni was also weighing the situation. However, he could feel Kenpachi's strength rising continuously, which was clearly not a bad thing for them.
Besides, would a dignified Captain of the Gotei 13 really stoop to ganging up on a mere human?
"There is no need. Captain Zaraki will find a way to deal with this Ryoka," Unohana Retsu spoke before the Captain-Commander could respond. She watched the battlefield, her gaze devoid of its usual gentle warmth.
"But!"
Hitsugaya tried to protest, but he was silenced by a single look from Unohana. It was a gaze that felt like it belonged to a demonic god.
"I said... Captain Zaraki does not need help. Please do not make me repeat myself, Captain Hitsugaya."
"..."
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