บท 178: Baishin vs. Sōya Azashiro
"Sōya Azashiro, where are you?" Baishin's voice boomed through the dark corridors of the underground prison. "Come out and face me! Hahahaha!"
He rampaged through the prison, searching for the cell where Sōya Azashiro, the previous Kenpachi, was held.
After interrogating several prisoners, Baishin finally learned of Azashiro's location – the deepest level of the underground prison, known as the Muken, a place reserved for Soul Society's most dangerous criminals.
With a newfound purpose, Baishin abandoned his aimless search and descended towards the Muken. He threw open the massive doors, his voice booming through the darkness.
"Sōya Azashiro!"
Footsteps echoed from the depths of the Muken as Sōya Azashiro, with his aristocratic features and calm demeanor, emerged from the shadows.
"It's been a long time, Baishin," Azashiro greeted his former subordinate.
"Hahaha, Captain Azashiro, I've come to challenge you again!" Baishin was blazing with fighting spirit.
His reiatsu surged, and with a flick of his wrist, he launched a volley of blades towards Azashiro.
However, the blades dissolved into white spiritual particles before reaching their target.
This was the power of Azashiro's Zanpakutō, Urozakuro.
Azashiro could fuse his spiritual energy with any substance, granting him control over its form and properties. He had seamlessly integrated his reiatsu with Baishin's blades, disintegrating them before they could harm him.
Baishin was unfazed by the failure of his attack. He had attempted the same tactic over two centuries ago, and it had met the same fate.
This was merely a greeting.
With a battle cry, Baishin charged towards Azashiro, his fist radiating with concentrated reiatsu.
Azashiro didn't even bother to acknowledge the attack, allowing Baishin's fist to connect with his body.
The impact created a powerful shockwave, but Baishin felt as if he had struck an illusion. Azashiro remained unharmed.
"Don't waste your energy, Baishin," Azashiro said, shaking his head. "Your attacks pose no threat to me. You cannot touch me in this state."
Azashiro had fused his reiatsu with the surrounding air, rendering himself impervious to any attack that couldn't shatter the very fabric of space.
He extended his right hand, and a long sword materialized from the condensed spiritual energy. With a swift motion, he swung the blade down towards Baishin.
The attack released a wave of reiatsu that slammed into Baishin. However, to Azashiro's surprise, Baishin remained unharmed.
Not only that, but his spiritual pressure seemed to have increased slightly after absorbing the impact.
"What?"
Before Azashiro could recover from his astonishment, he noticed the remnants of his attack fading, as if the reiatsu within had been absorbed by Baishin.
And indeed, it had.
Baishin, empowered by Azashiro's attack, closed the distance between them and launched a punch.
The space around Azashiro distorted and shattered under the impact.
"Cough... Cough..."
A few coughs echoed from the dust cloud, accompanied by the sound of blood dripping onto the ground.
As the dust settled, Azashiro wiped the blood from his lips and stared at Baishin with a newfound seriousness. "Baishin, you can absorb my reiatsu?"
Azashiro's Zanpakutō was undeniably powerful, but it was not without its weaknesses. His ability relied on infusing his reiatsu into other substances to control them. However, if an opponent could absorb his reiatsu, he would lose control over the infused material.
Baishin had absorbed the reiatsu Azashiro had infused into the surrounding air, rendering his defenses useless.
"Hahaha, that's right, Sōya Azashiro!" Baishin laughed triumphantly. "This time, I will not be defeated!"
"Over two hundred years ago, you used underhanded tactics to defeat Captain Kuruyashiki. If not for his compassion, you would not be alive today."
Azashiro fell silent at Baishin's words.
His battle with Kenpachi Kuruyashiki had been the most difficult of his life. He had fought in his Bankai state against Kuruyashiki, who hadn't even released his Zanpakutō.
Despite this advantage, Azashiro had struggled to gain the upper hand.
To secure victory, he had resorted to using his own soul, merging it with Kuruyashiki's body and forcing him to suppress his reiatsu. Then, he had manipulated the air to form a blade, which he used to eviscerate Kuruyashiki.
His victory had been dishonorable. In fact, it could hardly be called a victory at all.
Kuruyashiki had retained the ability to fight back. If he had released his Zanpakutō, Azashiro would have been killed.
However, Kuruyashiki, fearing that his Zanpakutō's immense power would harm his own division members, had chosen to concede defeat, relinquishing the title of "Kenpachi" to Azashiro.
The outcome of the battle had been unacceptable to the members of the Eleventh Division who had witnessed it.
Baishin was among them.
He had served under Azashiro and risen to the rank of Vice-Captain. After achieving Bankai, he challenged Azashiro, believing him unworthy of the title "Kenpachi."
However, Baishin had been defeated.
Azashiro's tactics against Kuruyashiki may have been dishonorable, but his strength was undeniable.
After all, Kuruyashiki was a monstrously powerful Shinigami, capable of slaying Vasto Lorde-class Hollows with a single strike in his base form. He was a being who had reached the limits of a Shinigami's power.
The fact that Azashiro could contend with him in his base form was a testament to his own strength, which had already reached the level of a "hundred-year captain" at that time.
Baishin, who had just mastered Bankai, was simply not on the same level.
He hadn't even been able to land a blow on Azashiro.
Determined to surpass Azashiro, Baishin left the Eleventh Division and dedicated himself to training.
And finally, he had found a way to defeat him.
He merged with his Zanpakutō, becoming one with his blade and achieving a state of "I am the sword."
By doing so, he gained the ability to absorb the reiatsu of others, turning their power against them.
Of course, he couldn't retain the absorbed reiatsu indefinitely. He had to release it soon after absorbing it, and there was a limit to how much he could contain before his body would be overwhelmed.
But this was enough.
He only needed to absorb the reiatsu Azashiro had infused into other substances, rendering his abilities useless.
"Hahaha, Sōya Azashiro, come! Use the same technique you used to defeat Captain Kuruyashiki! Let's see if I will share his fate!" Baishin taunted.
His words revealed his respect for the previous two captains of the Eleventh Division.
He referred to Kuruyashiki as "Captain Kuruyashiki" while addressing Azashiro simply as "Sōya Azashiro," refusing to acknowledge him as a true "Kenpachi."
With a maniacal laugh, Baishin slammed his fists together.
"Bankai!"
A surge of purple lightning erupted within the Muken, illuminating the darkness with its brilliance. A pillar of concentrated reiatsu, a meter thick, shot towards the ceiling.
As the lightning subsided, Baishin's new form was revealed.
His entire body was now composed of countless purple Zanpakutō, transforming him into a being of living metal.
Four golden rings adorned each of his arms, and even his hair and beard had become metallic blades.
Even Azashiro couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as he beheld Baishin's Bankai.
Baishin could absorb the reiatsu of his attacks, rendering them useless.
And his attempts to control Baishin's body by merging his soul with it seemed futile. Even if he managed to infiltrate Baishin's body and force him to suppress his reiatsu, his air-blades were unlikely to inflict fatal damage on his metallic form.
Azashiro's Zanpakutō was powerful, but its limitations were becoming increasingly apparent.
He had always believed that his greatest weakness was the shared damage he would sustain if the individual he merged with was injured.
However, facing an opponent who could counter his abilities so effectively, Azashiro realized that Urozakuro's true limitation was its inability to enhance his physical body.
After achieving Bankai, he could no longer train his body to withstand the immense pressure of his own reiatsu.
"Let's fight, Sōya Azashiro. I will tear you apart and reclaim the title of 'Kenpachi'!"
"The title of 'Kenpachi'?" Azashiro questioned, shaking his head. "Baishin, even if you defeat me, you cannot inherit that title."
He spoke calmly, his expression unreadable.
Despite the disadvantage he faced against Baishin's Bankai, Azashiro refused to surrender.
A Kenpachi would rather die in battle than concede defeat.
However, there were some things he needed to make clear to Baishin beforehand.
"Why not?"
"Because before facing you, I engaged in another battle with all my strength," Azashiro explained. "And I lost. The title of 'Kenpachi' was taken from me."
"By whom?"
Baishin's fury erupted, unleashing a torrent of reiatsu that materialized into countless blades. He bombarded his surroundings with the projectiles, causing widespread destruction within the Muken.
The ground, ceiling, and pillars were riddled with craters and cracks.
However, the blades directed towards Azashiro dissolved into white spiritual particles, their attacks nullified by his Zanpakutō.
For Azashiro, Baishin's only threat was his ability to absorb reiatsu.
Apart from that, all his attacks were meaningless.
"By me!"
As Baishin raged, the doors of the Muken swung open once more.
Ailin stepped into the prison.
"You've arrived," Azashiro acknowledged, having already sensed Ailin's approach through the reishi within the Seireitei.
He had only revealed himself to Baishin due to his persistent challenges.
"Indeed."
Ailin nodded at Azashiro, then turned his attention to Baishin.
"So, you're the one who attacked my division, injuring hundreds and killing thirty-two of my subordinates?"
"Who are you?" Baishin frowned, scrutinizing the unfamiliar captain.
"Who am I?" Ailin chuckled. "Baishin, didn't you claim you wanted to challenge the Kenpachi and take that title for yourself?"
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