บท 176: The Second Swordsman
Ikkaku Madarame's attacks were like a swarm of gnats before Baishin – irritating, but ultimately harmless. His every strike seemed to meet an impenetrable wall, as if Baishin's very flesh was forged from the same steel as his Zanpakutō.
Baishin felt... wrong. Not like a Shinigami, but more like a living, breathing Zanpakutō himself.
With a clang, Ikkaku's spear, Hōzukimaru, connected with Baishin's fist. But instead of meeting resistance, the spearhead detached, transforming the weapon into a chained nunchaku. The detached segment, propelled by momentum, continued its trajectory towards Baishin, who casually caught it with his left hand.
Yet, another click echoed as the final segment of the spear detached, striking Baishin's head with a resounding clang. Despite the direct hit, not even a single hair was dislodged.
Baishin, however, was furious. He had been outmaneuvered by a mere child. The physical damage was negligible, but the insult was monumental.
"Flashy tricks," Baishin growled, his fury escalating. "But you've angered me, brat!"
With a deafening roar, hundreds of bladeless swords materialized around Baishin, forming a deadly storm of steel. The projectiles rained down upon the surrounding Shinigami, piercing their bodies with ruthless precision. Ikkaku, standing at the forefront of the assault, was riddled with over a dozen blades.
A chorus of screams filled the air, snapping Kiganjō out of his horrified daze. Witnessing the carnage inflicted upon his comrades, he roared, "Baishin, stop this madness!"
"Bankai – Hachiryō Tetsuryūsei!"
Kiganjō's reiatsu exploded outwards, forming a visible pillar of spiritual pressure. His Zanpakutō, in its final released form, had transformed into a colossal hammer. The chain from his Shikai now formed the handle, while the head, shaped like a water tank with eight protruding spikes, emanated an aura of overwhelming power.
With a mighty roar, Kiganjō swung the Hachiryō Tetsuryūsei down upon Baishin, burying half his body into the ground. The impact sent tremors through the Eleventh Division's barracks, causing the earth to rise several meters into the air.
As the dust settled, the Shinigami who had retreated to a safe distance watched in astonishment. Despite the devastating blow, Baishin appeared relatively unscathed.
"Pathetic," Baishin scoffed. "You call that a Bankai?"
A dozen white blades materialized around Baishin, then shot forward with blinding speed.
Kiganjō's body was pierced in six places before he could even react. As Baishin released his grip, the critically injured Third Seat collapsed to the ground.
"Bankai – Ryūmon Hōzukimaru!"
Following Kiganjō, Ikkaku unleashed his own Bankai.
…
By the time Ailin reached the Eleventh Division, the battle had concluded. He sensed Baishin's reiatsu moving rapidly towards the underground prison beneath the Central 46 chambers.
Intercepting Baishin before he reached the prison was well within Ailin's capabilities. However, seeing the wounded members of his division lying helpless on the ground, he couldn't simply abandon them.
A Shinigami, his face contorted in pain, offered a weak smile as he saw Ailin approach. "Captain Ailin... I apologize. We couldn't stop him..." Blood trickled from his lips with every word.
"No, you all did well," Ailin reassured him. "I'm here now. Leave everything to me."
A golden ripple of spatial distortion appeared before Ailin, revealing the hilt of a Zanpakutō. He grasped the handle and drew the blade, raising it high as he called out its name.
"Fall in love – Void Bandage!"
A surge of reiatsu erupted from Ailin, infusing the Zanpakutō. The blade elongated and widened, stretching towards the sky until it transformed into a massive bandage, over a meter wide and ten thousand meters long, completely enveloping the Eleventh Division's barracks.
Countless protrusions, each the size of a basin, emitted a green glow. Within the enveloped space, time seemed to rewind. Broken walls mended, wounds healed, and even the bodies of fallen Shinigami were restored.
However, while their physical forms were brought back to life, their souls remained lost. The thirty-two Shinigami who had perished in the attack did not rise again.
"I'm sorry I was late," Ailin apologized, his voice heavy with remorse as he surveyed the lifeless bodies of his division members.
He hadn't anticipated such devastation in the short time it took him to travel from the First Division to the Eleventh.
"No, Captain Ailin. It was our weakness that failed us..."
Thanks to Ailin's Zanpakutō, Void Bandage, the Eleventh Division's barracks appeared untouched by the recent battle, aside from the thirty-two fallen Shinigami.
"Kiganjō, Ikkaku, please prepare a proper farewell for our fallen comrades. I will avenge them," Ailin instructed firmly.
The Void Bandage retracted, transforming back into a blue light that condensed into Ailin's Zanpakutō. A golden ripple opened beneath the falling blade, allowing the weapon to return to its realm within Unlimited Blade Works.
Ailin sheathed his Zanpakutō and with a flash of Shunpo, he set off towards the underground prison beneath the Central 46 chambers.
During the brief time he spent healing the Eleventh Division, Kiganjō had informed him of their attacker's identity.
Baishin, the former Vice-Captain of the Eleventh Division who had challenged Sōya Azashiro for the title of Kenpachi over two hundred years ago. After his defeat, Baishin had disappeared, only to return seeking a rematch.
Unfortunately, with both Ailin and Zaraki absent, the Eleventh Division lacked the strength to resist Baishin's assault, resulting in heavy casualties.
Ailin had a vague recollection of Baishin. He was a villain from decades in the future, one that Ichigo Kurosaki had defeated after mastering his Bankai.
Baishin was, in a way, a prodigy. He was the first Shinigami in Soul Society to successfully merge with his Zanpakutō, becoming a living embodiment of his blade.
Compared to Ailin, Baishin was perhaps more deserving of the title "Swordman."
Ailin didn't know the extent of Baishin's strength before his fusion with his Zanpakutō. However, after becoming one with his blade, his power had undoubtedly reached the level of a "hundred-year captain."
According to Shunsui Kyoraku and Jushiro Ukitake, Baishin's rebellion had resulted in the deaths of several captains within the Gotei 13.
Of course, judging by his eventual defeat at the hands of Ichigo Kurosaki, Ailin found it difficult to imagine how such a powerful being could be slain so easily.
After all, Baishin's fusion with his Zanpakutō granted him the durability of a blade. Yet, Ichigo Kurosaki had nearly cleaved him in two with a single strike.
Ailin could only attribute this to the nature of the story – powerful villains often fell before the protagonist, regardless of their strength, simply to showcase the hero's growth.
However, it seemed that the villain destined to bolster Ichigo Kurosaki's reputation decades later would meet his demise today.
Ailin would not allow Baishin to escape after slaughtering so many members of the Eleventh Division.
There was a difference between sealing an enemy and killing them.
Ailin had no doubt in his ability to end Baishin's life.
…
The Central 46 chambers had endured much hardship in recent years. They had been overturned by Koga, infiltrated by Yoruichi Shihōin, and now ravaged by a battle-crazed maniac.
And decades later, these same nobles would face the wrath of Sōsuke Aizen...
Ailin offered a silent prayer for their souls.
The guards of the Central 46 chambers stood no chance against Baishin, who had effortlessly overwhelmed two Bankai-wielding members of the Eleventh Division.
With a series of thunderous booms, Baishin tore through the Central 46 chambers, entering the underground prison.
"Sōya Azashiro, I'm here!" he bellowed. "Come out and face me! This time, the title of 'Kenpachi' is mine!"
Unable to locate Sōya Azashiro's cell, Baishin's voice reverberated through the prison, demanding a challenge.
…
When Ailin arrived at the Central 46 chambers, he found a group of disheveled prisoners emerging from the underground prison. These were individuals who had committed grave sins against Soul Society, sentenced to imprisonment for centuries, some even for millennia.
With the guards of the Central 46 chambers incapacitated by Baishin, these prisoners saw an opportunity for freedom and had escaped their confines.
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง