The Tactic to Outlast the Old Man
"To get beaten up—oh, no, of course I'm here to challenge you, the absolute pinnacle."
Naraku Sora grinned, his tone as relaxed as if he were discussing what to have for dinner.
Not far away, Kyōraku Shunsui, who had been letting out embarrassing wails, suddenly stopped feeling the pain upon hearing this. He performed a kip-up and got to his feet.
He hurried back into the dojo in a few quick strides.
"Sora, you must be joking, right?"
Kyōraku wiped the footprint off his face, looking at his junior martial brother in astonishment.
Sora widened his eyes and said with a straight face, "When my senior brother gets beaten up, how can I, as his junior, just sit by and watch? Even if I have to draw my sword today, I'll make this bald old man pay the price!"
Hearing this, Kyōraku raised a hand to wipe away non-existent tears, looking deeply moved. "Junior brother, I'm already gratified that you have such a thoughtful heart."
"Our teacher is beyond the reach of ordinary men. Please don't bring ruin upon yourself."
Watching the two of them act like fools, Yamamoto couldn't help but coldly snort. "I have no time to play along with your antics."
"Boy, have you finished your Hollowfication mission?"
"Don't forget, there is still one straggler right here."
A bitter smile appeared on Kyōraku's face.
He had specifically sought out Shihōin Yoruichi earlier to ask about the exact process, learning that during Hollowfication, one would completely lose their reason and fight purely on instinct.
Considering that his Bankai possessed a certain level of danger, Kyōraku planned to be the last one to undergo Hollowfication.
Sora nodded. "It's mostly done."
"As for Senior Brother Kyōraku's Hollowfication, that can be put off until later."
"I came to find you today, Teacher, because I want to test the results of my recent training."
Seeing that Sora didn't seem to be joking, Yamamoto furrowed his brows. After pondering for a moment, he slowly nodded. "Since you've put it that way, I shall grant your request."
"However, the Soul Society is not a suitable place for us to fight. Let's go to Hueco Mundo instead. Preferably somewhere far away from Las Noches."
Sora nodded, readily agreeing.
Watching the two of them act so seriously, Kyōraku stroked his chin, a thoughtful look flashing through his eyes.
A crescent moon hung high in the pitch-black night sky, dotted with scattered stars that accentuated the profound darkness.
On the boundless desert far away from Las Noches, two figures stood facing each other from a distance.
Atop a sand dune even further away, several figures stood, watching with curious expressions.
Although they couldn't see the figures very clearly, they couldn't get any closer.
Given the scale of the battle between that master and disciple, the slightest carelessness could result in them getting caught in the crossfire, at which point they would likely be instantly reduced to ashes.
Watching the two confronting each other, Aizen furrowed his brows, seemingly realizing something.
He had previously speculated that the reason Sora's strength grew so rapidly might be related to escorting sinners to the prison.
In several subsequent observations, this hypothesis of his had been further confirmed.
So now, had this guy set his sights on Yamamoto?
Recalling Sora's question from not long ago, Aizen's mood suddenly became somewhat complicated.
Perhaps, he should have agreed to the guy's request earlier...
Ukitake Jūshirō and Kyōraku Shunsui's expressions, however, were rather solemn.
Based on their understanding of Yamamoto, the upcoming battle would very likely be fought in earnest.
Although their junior brother was also very strong, having even saved the Soul Society from dire peril multiple times.
But to be in such a rush to challenge Yamamoto at his age, vainly attempting to reach the summit as the strongest Soul Reaper—wasn't he being a bit too hasty?
With his growth rate, wouldn't it be much easier if he just waited another hundred years?
Unohana Retsu wore a gentle smile on her lips, her gaze firmly fixed on Sora, as if he were the only person in her eyes.
As expected of the man she had set her sights on.
Just this sheer audacity to challenge the Demon of the Sword, Yamamoto Shigekuni, was beyond the reach of anyone else.
Looking at the serious-faced Yamamoto, the corners of Sora's mouth curled up. Arcs of lightning and sparks seemed to flash in his pupils; his fighting spirit was soaring, and he was in peak condition.
"Teacher, I won't be holding back this time."
Yamamoto coldly snorted. "That is my line."
The moment his words fell, the moisture in the atmosphere rapidly evaporated, and a scorching aura spread outward like ripples.
Since they were preparing to fight for real, they could skip the warm-up phase.
Although he had always been the one beating up his rebellious disciple, at a time like this, Yamamoto would absolutely not underestimate Sora.
After all, this kid was capable of suppressing him even in his Hollowfied state.
"Bankai—"
"Zanka no Tachi!"
A sun slowly rose in Hueco Mundo, instantly sweeping away the night. The former coldness was no more, replaced by a terrifying heatwave that made it difficult to breathe.
Seeing this scene, the expressions of the spectating crowd became extremely grave.
They never expected that Yamamoto would completely skip his Shikai and bring out his strongest state right from the start.
The terrifying scale of this battle would likely far exceed their imaginations.
Yamamoto tightly gripped the charcoal-like longsword. Black ash fell from the blade, and a thick wisp of white smoke slowly rose.
Gazing at the now-serious Yamamoto, Sora's expression was equally solemn.
Although this wasn't the first time he had seen it, every time he faced it, the permeating high temperatures gave him the illusion of being in close contact with the sun.
Sora took a deep breath, allowing the scorching air to rush into his internal organs, instantly invigorating his entire being.
"Bankai!!"
"Vajrayati, Co-arising Karmic Consciousness!"
A massive black-and-red pillar of light erupted with a boom, shooting straight into the sky.
An aura of destruction spread wantonly, obliterating the dust floating in the air.
The slender blade in his hand grew wildly, instantly transforming into a heavy, giant sword. Pitch-black branches extended outward, emitting a distorted light.
Without much hesitation, the moment Sora completed his Bankai, Yamamoto took the initiative, raising Zanka no Tachi and slashing forward without any flashy movements.
There was no massive sea of fire; it looked just like an ordinary, basic slash.
Sora let out a ferocious grin. Cloaked in blooming radiant light and lightning, he raised his right arm, pulling along explosive gales as he cleaved forward.
Boom!!
A muffled, thunderous boom erupted. The desert beneath their feet instantly vanished, revealing a massive, abyss-like canyon that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Countless grains of sand disappeared at this moment, as if they had been completely erased!
And this was merely the beginning of the battle.
Like the eruption of a volcano that had been dormant for a thousand years, the scorching, incinerating winds swept across Hueco Mundo. Almost all Hollows felt the terrifying heatwave of colliding suns.
Hurricanes erupted, and countless black-and-red arcs of lightning surged outward, instantly distorting space.
Explosive flames poured forth, and extreme crimson heat gushed from the charred blade.
Boom!!
A massive mushroom cloud soared into the sky, incinerating everything within it, while the shockwaves blanketed the earth.
Along with the spread of the impact, the ashes paused for a moment before countless dust particles boiled and burned, evaporating completely in the searing heat.
When the smoke and dust cleared, the two figures reappeared in everyone's line of sight.
Shockingly, new wounds had been added to Yamamoto's scar-riddled body. Dozens of crisscrossing bloody gashes made him look even more ferocious.
As for Sora opposite him, he appeared in an even more miserable state.
A deep, bone-revealing wound extended diagonally downward from his right shoulder all the way to his left waist, nearly cleaving his entire body in two.
One could even faintly see his continuously beating heart.
If it were a normal person, such a severe injury would have sent them to see the Spirit King long ago.
But for Sora, who had achieved one hundred percent Hollowfication, it was nothing more than a flesh wound.
In just the span of a single breath, the gruesome wound completely healed, leaving absolutely no trace of injury.
"Although it's a bit shameful,"
Sora grinned, "this is the only method I can think of right now to defeat you, Teacher. I call it..."
"The 'Outlast the Old Man' tactic."
Yamamoto revealed an equally ferocious smile, looking just like a villain. "Heh, did you think I wasn't guarding against this trick of yours?"
"Boy, you are still too young."
As his words fell, he suddenly plunged Zanka no Tachi beneath the surface of the sand, the charred blade melting the surrounding grains. "Corpses, the ashes of the dead scattered within my flames."
"Lend me your strength, and I shall temporarily grant you the pleasure of battle!"
"Zanka no Tachi, South: Kakajūmanokushi Daisōjin!"
Scorching flames burst forth from the shattered, obliterated sand. The boundless, barren earth let out a scalp-tingling shattering sound as countless fissures appeared, instantly covering the entire battlefield.
Ferocious and brutal skeletal remains crawled out from the fissures, transforming everything before their eyes into an Asura's hell in the blink of an eye.
"These are all the people I have slain."
"The intense heat of Zanka no Tachi has awakened the ashes of the dead, allowing them to reappear in this world."
Yamamoto stood tall, holding his sword with one hand. Ashes scattered from the charred blade, continuously melting the sand beneath his feet.
"Boy, if you want to outlast me, you're still a bit too young!"
Looking at the endless skeletons, Sora slowly exhaled a breath of hot air. Not only was he not the least bit discouraged, but the fiery passion in his eyes burned even brighter.
It was like an inextinguishable flame blazing fiercely.
His pupils suddenly turned golden yellow, and a heavy, oppressive aura abruptly permeated the air.
Ring-like, pitch-black patterns extended from his chest, climbing over his limbs and torso.
Hollowfication!
Since the old man had chosen the same tactic, they would just have to see whose endurance was stronger.
Feeling the boundless Reiatsu coursing through his limbs and bones, Sora truly touched that barrier above the soul.
As long as he broke through it, he could step into the realm of a Transcendent.
He was just one step away.
He slowly exhaled a breath of hot air. Sizzling black-and-red arcs of lightning wrapped around Vajrayati as he raised it and cleaved downward.
A hurricane erupted, and countless arcs of lightning surged from the blade, instantly extending to the edge of the battlefield and plowing a deep, abyss-like trench.
An endless slaughter unfolded at this moment. Wherever Sora passed, countless skeletons were reduced back to ashes, drifting amidst the scorching, incinerating winds.
Charging and killing his way through just like that, under the horrified gazes of the crowd, he forcefully obliterated more than half of the skeletons and stood before Yamamoto in peak condition.
Yamamoto looked quietly at Sora, an imperceptible trace of gratification flashing through his eyes as he opened his mouth. "Boy—"
Looking at the old man not far away, Sora lifted the increasingly heavy Zanpakutō in his hand. A deep purple light rippled amidst his black-and-red Reiatsu, and a faint roaring sound seemed to echo.