Bleach: No cheat codes, he joined Aizen's side.

Chapter 17. The Burial Captain (Part 17)

The air is burning, and the ground is evaporating.

This Kido, developed by Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni based on his Zanpakuto's abilities, displayed its full power at this moment.

"I told you, it's useless! Swift Dragon's Roar!"

However, this is a move that any other captain would have to be careful about. Faced with Sengoku Ryu's Zanpakuto ability, which is like a nemesis to him, they could only be defeated.

But how could Higashino Shuichi not know this?
All the demonic arts were just an illusion; his true purpose was to hide and wait for an opportunity to approach Higashino Shuichi himself.

Apparently, he succeeded.

When Higashino Shuichi's spiritual pressure appeared within Sengoku Ryu's perception, Higashino Shuichi had already closed to within ten meters of the latter.

For Shuichi Higashino, who is skilled in both hand-to-hand combat and the instant step technique, this distance is no different from close combat.

"Bone shattering."

Higashino Shuichi clenched his fist and slammed it into Sengoku Ryu's chest.

This is a technique he developed by drawing inspiration from Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's "One Bone," which differs from the Inch Finger technique, which focuses on piercing the opponent's body to unleash power at a single point.

Bone Shatterer focuses more on shattering the enemy's overall defense, so his power spreads outwards.

Higashino Shuichi's goal was clear: to use this easiest strike to remove as much of Sengoku Ryu's defenses as possible.

He never expected that a captain-level figure would be so easily rendered unable to resist because of his sneak attack.

As it turned out, his judgment was correct. Even though Higashino Shuichi had made such meticulous arrangements beforehand, Sengoku Ryu still reacted in time at the moment when Higashino Shuichi's punch was about to hit Sengoku Ryu's body. His left hand almost instinctively held the Bakuya sword in front of him.

boom!
A loud, muffled thud followed.

A mouthful of blood spurted from Sengoku Ryu's mouth. Although the force was deflected by the Baku Yao Dao, it was still a punch from Higashino Shuichi who had shown no mercy, causing his body to be violently thrown back hundreds of meters in the air.

And coincidentally, this direction was exactly the direction from which Stark was pursuing them.

This time, with Higashino Shuichi officially joining the battlefield, Stark was unable to once again display his inhumanly extravagant Cero arsenal.

After all, he wasn't Barragan. Stark couldn't bring himself to kill Higashino Shuichi, one of Aizen's top Shinigami generals (in fact, Higashino Shuichi was Aizen's only Shinigami at the moment, as Tosen Kaname hadn't graduated yet).

However, the inability to use Cero does not mean that Stark cannot join the battle.

Two wolf-shaped swords, transformed from magazines, reappeared in his hands.

With the start of the whirlwind, Stark instantly appeared behind Thousand Stone Flow.

Several streaks of cold light flashed rapidly through the air.

Despite his injuries, Sengoku Ryu narrowly blocked Stark's attack.

However, what made him feel somewhat suffocated was that the Grim Reaper, whose origins were unknown, followed up with remarkable tacit understanding. The Grim Reaper and the Hollow seemed to have planned it in advance, taking turns to attack, giving him no chance to catch his breath.

Why did you betray Soul Society?!

Sengoku Ryu angrily questioned Higashino Shuichi.

He was trying to distract Higashino Shuichi in this way.

Unfortunately, Shuichi Higashino's will was unwavering. Sengoku Ryu's question not only failed to evoke any pangs of conscience in him, but instead prompted Higashino to sneer and retort, "Are you loyal to Soul Society?"

Sengoku Ryu was instantly stunned. Was he loyal?

The answer is obviously no. After that nobleman handed him the Baku sword, he didn't report it to the Gotei 13. He knew he had actually been betrayed by the Gotei 13, so he chose to join the expedition team in a form of self-exile.

But how did this Grim Reaper know that?
Was he sent by Soul Society specifically to purge them?
But why is he able to coordinate so well with that Hollow?

Countless questions arose in Sengoku Ryu's mind.

He hadn't expected that his attempt to raise a question to relieve his own pressure would end up diverting his attention from the other person.

"Bone Crusher!" Seizing the moment when Sengoku Ryu was distracted, Higashino Shuichi struck him in the sternum with another Bone Crusher.

This time, Sengoku Ryu was not so lucky. He fell straight to the ground from mid-air, leaving a long, narrow, blood-red trail in the air.

Shuichi Higashino wanted to press his advantage, but Stark was faster than him.

Two wolf-shaped blades were raised high, about to plunge into the disheveled figure.

Suddenly, Higashino Shuichi sensed a powerful spiritual pressure rising up.

"Are there any moves?"

Without any hesitation, Higashino Shuichi turned around and used Shunpo to create distance, narrowly avoiding Sengoku Ryu's counterattack.

However, Stark below wasn't as lucky as Shuichi Higashino.

Although he sensed the attack from Sengoku Ryu, he had already made his sword swing and had no time to stop. As a result, he was directly blasted into the sky by the explosive Flame Dragon Fang. His white spiritual outer garment was burned away by the terrifying temperature, revealing his charred body underneath.

"No, he wants to escape!"

Stark, having been hit, had no time to heal his injuries; instead, he fixed his gaze on the figure that was fleeing at breakneck speed.

No one expected that even under such adversity, the expedition leader could unleash such power.

In this situation, under normal circumstances, Sengoku Ryu might have actually survived.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs." Having spent so many years under Aizen's command, as Aizen's only Shinigami subordinate, Higashino Shuichi had long been trained by Aizen to be proficient in all aspects of swordsmanship and martial arts. It's just that his talent wasn't particularly high; otherwise, any of the Shinigami listed in the story, having been personally taught by Aizen for decades, would at least be able to easily kill a mid-to-high-level captain by now. Perhaps even surpassing them, he could have challenged the cunning Unohana Retsu and Kyoraku Shunsui.

Instead of like Higashino Shuichi now, who, together with Stark, has spent so much time and still hasn't managed to take down Sengoku-ryu.

However, the battle has gone on for so long, it's time to bring it to a close.

Higashino Shuichi had already sensed that Sengoku Ryu's spiritual pressure was rapidly declining, which meant that the Baku-yō-tō in his hand had begun to backfire on him.

"Ultimately, it wasn't your own power. You should have been prepared for this outcome, right?"

Higashino Shuichi's expression hardened, and he drew his Zanpakuto, pointing it at Sengoku Ryu.

"A skilled strategist employs unconventional tactics! The Seventy-Nine Binding Techniques: Thunder - Nine Luminaries Binding!"

A bolt of lightning flashed and landed beside Qian Shiliu, instantly splitting into nine jet-black zero-pressure beams crackling with electric arcs, completely sealing off the area around him.

Unlike the "Ingenious Scheme: Ice" buff, which adds ice attributes and slows down and to some extent disables enemy movements.

The "Special Scheme: Thunder" ability grants Higashino Shuichi a lightning attribute boost and applies a speed boost, enabling him to provide support and strikes across vast battlefields. It also significantly reduces the enemy's reaction time in close-quarters combat.

Previously, due to the suppression of Sengoku-ryu's Baku-yōdō ability, even if Higashino Shuichi used these abilities, the effect would not be better than close combat. However, now that Sengoku-ryu's spiritual pressure has been greatly reduced, and the Baku-yōdō in his hand is also backfiring on his body, it is no longer possible to defeat Higashino Shuichi's Kidō before it takes effect, as before.

"Break it for me!"

Sengoku Ryu's eyes were bloodshot, and the hand holding the sword had long since lost all feeling.

Higashino Shuichi's Nine Luminaries Binding Technique collapsed instantly.

But in that short period of time when he broke free from control, it was enough for Shuichi Higashino and Stark to get close.

This time, it was Higashino Shuichi who moved faster.

May you be reborn into a better family in your next life.

As Higashino Shuichi and Sengoku Ryu passed each other, the former whispered something in Sengoku Ryu's ear.

At the same time, Higashino Shuichi's Zanpakuto pierced through the latter's defenseless body.

The soldier's ability is activated.

In Stark's gaze, Thousand Stone Flow gradually transformed into spirit particles, while the Devouring Talisman Blade, having lost its target, fell to the ground.

(End of this chapter)