"[Bakudō #31・Scattered Shadows (Original Kidō)]!"
Kōe understood perfectly well that he couldn't face Ishida Uryū head-on while the boy was in this state. As long as he dragged out the clock, his opponent would collapse on his own without Kōe even needing to lift a finger.
Therefore, all his current tactics had to revolve around the goal of stalling for time. Of course, begging for mercy wasn't exactly an option...
Ishida instinctively tried to step back, but the scattered silhouettes didn't seem to possess any mobility. One or two of them were less than ten meters away from Kōe's original position, freezing mid-stride in a rather comical manner.
*Which one is the real one?* This bizarre technique seemed designed for escaping, but was this man truly the type to retreat? It didn't seem like it, yet Ishida couldn't entirely rule out the possibility.
"[Bakudō #62・Hyapporankan]!"
The silhouette furthest from Ishida suddenly moved. A bright white rod spun in his hand before being hurled forward.
"[Bakudō #63・Sajō Sabaku]!"
Ishida raised his hand and fired an arrow. The long rod in the air split from one into two, then two into four, raining down in a barrage. Chains with no discernible origin trailed from the ends of the rods, weaving together to form a massive, chaotic net.
"Hirenkyaku may be agile, but in an environment like this, your speed will drop significantly, won't it?"
Although a Shinigami's Shunpo and a Quincy's Hirenkyaku both achieved effects similar to teleportation, the movements themselves still followed a trajectory. While the chains surrounding Ishida weren't difficult to deal with, clearing them took time, and bypassing them took even longer. The chance to press an arrow directly against his opponent's head like before was unlikely to present itself again.
However, closing the distance wasn't his only option!
Ishida fired an arrow, only to see Kōe dodge it with a slight tilt of his body. It was no surprise that an attack launched from this distance would be evaded, but Kōe wasn't his target anyway. His true target was the heavy barricade of chains blocking their path—which had now completely vanished.
"[Ao's Hadō・Line of Gunfire]!"
As Kōe turned his body, he pointed his left index finger. A pillar of fire instantly pierced through Ishida's left arm. It had originally been aimed at his heart, but it had veered slightly off course.
It didn't matter. He hadn't expected to finish off his opponent in a single strike anyway. Since he had decided to stall for time, he needed to be patient!
"[Bakudō #62・Hyapporankan]!"
"[Bakudō #63・Sajō Sabaku]!"
The path he had just opened was sealed shut once more, and the situation was even worse than before. Ishida clutched his freshly wounded shoulder. His area of movement had grown even narrower. If his opponent used that same technique again, he wasn't sure he would be able to dodge it.
"You either have to approach me from the air, or carve out a new path. But no matter which you choose, the directions from which you can appear have been firmly restricted."
Kōe stood with his hands behind his back, analyzing the predicament Ishida faced. "Your current speed might be a bit faster than mine, but that gap isn't insurmountable. As long as my attacks are fast enough to land, and you can only approach me from limited angles, your previous threats are completely useless."
"Speaking of threats, you were bluffing, weren't you? Perhaps you really can fire faster and stronger arrows, but there's a limit to everything. Judging by your reaction just now, that limit doesn't reach the speed of my Line of Gunfire. You can't back up your words anymore, kid."
He was entirely right. Ishida felt as though he had strength but nowhere to apply it. Looking back, seizing that earlier opportunity to kill Kōe might have been the best choice. Unfortunately, it was too late for that now.
"Regretting it? Regretting that you didn't listen to me?" Kōe's words plunged into Ishida's heart like a vicious knife, twisting deeper without mercy. "Come to think of it, you haven't been able to achieve a single thing you claimed. You clearly can't guarantee anything, yet you spend all day making promises using every excuse in the book. Even if you want to insult your enemy, you should know your own limits, kid!"
He had no words to retort, nor the strength to do so. Even though he had laid his identity as a Quincy on the line, it seemed he couldn't prove a single thing he had said.
"Give up your resistance and obediently admit your mistakes. Let those dreamers of yours wake up too. Sometimes, admitting you're wrong is its own kind of courage."
*Sometimes, admitting you're wrong is its own kind of courage...*
"You're right..." Ishida kept his head lowered, as if in confession. "I really did say too many things that were beyond my capabilities, which is why none of them came true."
Perhaps none of it had been proven, but there was one thing he absolutely had to prove!
"I indeed lack the ability to make you repent. From the very beginning, I never treated you as an opponent, nor did I give you the respect an opponent deserves." Ishida spoke, suddenly raising his head. "But I can kill you. Even if I have to wager everything, I will kill you!"
The wings of light behind his back suddenly grew restless, continuously converging into Ishida's hand to form an arrow that looked as though it were forged from solid silver. Covered in beautiful, intricate patterns, it was as noble as a work of art—so exquisite that one would be reluctant to nock it on a bowstring.
At this moment, Ishida no longer emanated the terrifying Reiatsu from before. He felt even more ordinary than the wandering souls living in the Rukongai.
Yet, Kōe displayed a rare look of vigilance. His opponent—or more accurately, the arrow in his opponent's hand—was far too dangerous.
To condense all the absorbed Reishi into a single arrow without leaking even a fraction of Reiatsu... The unknown was never something one could control, let alone when that unknown was currently pointed right at him.
"We will absolutely save Rukia. That is a matter of our collective resolve and our goal. On this matter alone, I cannot admit defeat!"
"But you still don't understand. Since you've admitted your mistake, don't make the same one again!" Kōe said, taking the initiative by stomping his right foot heavily onto the ground. "[Hadō #67・Thunderclap Scatter (Original Kidō)]!"
Ishida watched the arcs of electricity surge from the ground, seemingly completely unbothered. He released his left hand, and the art-like arrow transformed into a shooting star, shattering through the heavy layers of chains as it hurtled toward the man at the end of the path.
"It doesn't matter. I will definitely kill you first..."
Kira had been moving continuously toward the location of Kōe's Reiatsu. Teacher Chōzuka had never lost, not even when facing Zaraki Kenpachi.
However, Renji's severe injuries seemed to have affected him. What if...
Even though the other person's Reiatsu had suddenly vanished, the ominous premonition in his heart didn't diminish in the slightest. Teacher Chōzuka's Reiatsu hadn't weakened at all, which didn't feel like he had already finished off his opponent.
If Teacher Chōzuka was defeated, or even...
Kira shook his head. How could such a terrible thing happen? No, such a thing would absolutely never happen, nor could it be allowed to!
*BOOOOOOM!!*
A massive roar instantly echoed throughout the entire Seireitei. Kira felt the ground trembling beneath his feet, but his attention was completely captivated by the towering shockwave of the explosion.
"T-Teacher Chōzuka."
He had suddenly lost all trace of Kōe's Reiatsu. To not be able to sense it even from such a close distance... could it be...