I'm really not the number one slacker in Soul Society.

He used the unknown token to greatly increase his spiritual pressure and taint himself with the aura of hellish miasma. Then, with a clang, he drew his Zanpakuto from his waist, bent his knees slightly, and spread his arms wide, striking a pose that was almost wide open but extremely arrogant. Then he shouted.

"Infect, ghostly flames!"

Then came the usual procedure of releasing the Zanpakuto: spiritual pressure increased, the sword shape changed, and Shindou Ryuga even began to emit a ghostly blue light, like will-o'-the-wisp. After a gust of wind swept through, he took a step forward with a heavy iron hammer in one hand and flames on his shoulders, and his killing intent roared forth.

The forward motion is so long...

This whole sequence of actions took five or six seconds, leaving him wide open. Apart from the spiritual pressure storm, he had no other effective defensive measures. If it weren't for the need to spare his life, those five or six seconds would have been enough for Mima to kill him dozens of times over...

As for Shindou Ryuga after his liberation... well, at least in terms of his aura, he was quite impressive. His spiritual pressure was just barely on the edge of captain level, and the weapon in his hand (a short-handled iron hammer with spikes similar to a wolf's fang) also looked quite intimidating.

Based on the above performance, their strength should not be too bad.

That should be right, right...?

Mima was still a little unsure...

Maybe it's because I've been playing too many high-level games lately, and suddenly going back to the low-level games feels a bit strange.

But none of that matters. He just needs to fight a couple of times with the strength befitting his position, and that's enough to earn the salary from the old man. If he messes things up, there's always Soi Fon watching outside. Ryuga Shindou's outfit clearly indicates that he's a brute force type of fighter, and Suzumebachi's two-hit kill is the perfect counter to this kind of big, clumsy guy.

"Oh? You've trained your stolen Zanpakuto to the point of Shikai? That must have been tough."

Mi Zhen yawned, his face revealing unmistakable contempt: "But a thief is a thief, no matter how skilled he is."

Of course, this high-sounding rhetoric is just for fun. After all, Kenpachi in the past is a standard example of how as long as you have great skills, you can still achieve great things even if you kill or set fires. If Shindou Ryuga had a little more ambition, he would not have been provoked by such elementary-level provocation.

But it's obvious he's petty!

"Hmph, sharp-tongued brat."

Two veins bulged on Shindou Ryuga's forehead, and his grip on the hammer tightened. But soon, he burst into a loud, hoarse laugh, his eyes turning icy cold: "You'll pay for these arrogant words with your life!"

Just as Mima had predicted, he found himself surrounded by the Gotei 13 early on. Although he didn't know what had happened, he could at least tell that the Shinigami outside were obviously not there to make peace with him. Although he had some strength, it was impossible for him to escape unscathed from being surrounded by a large group of Shinigami. If the Shinigami swarmed him, even with the blessing bestowed by the "Lord," he would only face certain death.

But the Grim Reapers foolishly sent in a vice-captain to "scout ahead".

In Shindou Ryuga's view, this was simply a once-in-a-century opportunity!

If we capture this vice-captain and take him hostage, he still has a chance to escape.

Of course, you can't blame him for having such a strange idea. After all, although he was nominally an unofficial member of the Tsunayo family, the noble lords actually used him as a doormat. Sending someone to tell him to run away when something happened was already the limit. Letting him know the abilities and appearances of the major figures in the Seireitei... was absolutely impossible.

So he had absolutely no idea who Mi Zhen was...

Of course, when faced with such a once-in-a-century upheaval, the Tsunayo family was not so loyal as to spare any manpower to tell the scoundrels of Rukongai to run away when they were too busy taking care of themselves. So Shindou Ryuga didn't even know why he was being besieged so early in the morning.

This truly reveals the helplessness of the temporary worker class...

According to Shindou Ryuga's opinion, the vice-captain in front of him was of average build, walked with a weak gait, and had shallow spiritual pressure. He was obviously a typical office worker who was a complete novice and probably had very little combat experience. With my ability to roam Rukongai for more than four hundred years, wouldn't it be easy for me to take him down?

Even if this kid shows some unexpected and tenacious resistance, he still has the power bestowed by the "Lord".

How could you possibly lose when a dragon is charging in head-on? Impossible!

So he raised the dark hammer burning with eerie blue flames in his hand, and with a cold smile, smashed it down with the overwhelming force of Mount Tai!

Mima: "..."

He couldn't help but sigh...

Judging from his performance, Shindou Ryuga seems to be a little stronger than Ōmaeda, but only slightly. With that kind of speed and strength, Mima is fully capable of smashing Kurosaki Ichigo's Zanpakuto to pieces with his bare hands, just like he smashed the Five Elements Head with a single punch, and then delivering a physical blow to the heart.

But now someone is watching...

So let's go for a Ghost Path move.

"Binding Spell No. 39: Round Gate Fan".

He whispered.

In the next instant, a circular Kido shield with a diameter of about forty centimeters appeared out of thin air on the trajectory of Shindou Ryuga's hammer.

Then a loud boom rang out!

The round sluice gate was smashed and cracked in several places, but it managed to hold on.

Shindou Ryuga looked surprised, took a step back, and his brows furrowed with wariness.

However, it is worth noting that... the blue flames attached to the hammer actually started burning on the Ghost Shield, and within a few seconds, several small gaps were burned out.

"Is that all?" Mi Zhen sneered. "It seems your strength isn't enough to support your boasting."

"Hmph, so he's a guy who's skilled in demonic arts."

Having figured out what Mima was relying on, Shindou Ryuga quickly reverted to his arrogant demeanor, brandishing his hammer and shouting, "My 'Netherfire' doesn't discriminate between physical bodies and demonic paths; everything will be burned to ashes!"

So this is a beggar's version of Amaterasu...

Mi Zhen's lips twitched slightly.

He had always been curious about the purpose of explaining one's abilities to the enemy on the eve of battle, other than increasing the chance of being killed in return... Surely explaining something could increase the power of one's moves?

"Even the demonic path can be burned?"

Mizhen casually dispersed the round shutter that was still floating in the air, watching the faint blue sparks fall to the ground—and then quickly go out.

You said everything would be burned to ashes... Can't you at least use some facts when you're bragging?

I suppressed the urge to complain that was already rising in my throat.

With a casual wave of his hand, Mi Zhen caused one after another demonic energy to condense in mid-air, followed by a symbolic incantation.

"Round sluice gate - fourteen units".

In an instant, fourteen semi-transparent demonic shields were arranged in a hexagonal array around him, moving flexibly according to his command. After performing this operation in a very short time, he confidently beckoned to Shindou Ryuga.

"Come on, I want to see just how many layers of my defense you can burn through."

All kinds of martial arts skills, this is the art of layered armor, pass!

From the outside perspective, Watanabe Yama has never been known for his martial prowess.

An excellent clerical worker, an expert at slacking off, and most importantly, an expert at navigating minefields—these three labels represent how others perceive him.

The first two are self-evident. Handling documents can be learned through practice, and slacking off is a natural talent. But the last one is worth exploring in depth. After all, given the strength he has shown, navigating dangerous situations is actually a technical job. First, he can't bomb dozens of 90th-level shamans to flatten any potential dangers. Second, he can't just die on the spot whenever he encounters a problem. Third, he can't be even better at stealth than the Hidden Forces. Finding the right balance is really difficult. It was only after repeated exploration that Mima came up with the best solution.

That's armor stacking!

Dealing with strong opponents like Little Red Riding Hood or Saki is one thing, but in normal mine-clearing operations, his method is to release many defensive binding spells at the same time, putting himself in a turtle shell to ensure that the opponent cannot kill him in a short time!

Chapter 211: Amaterasu, but the Beggar's Edition

In this "battle" that is almost one-sided, a lot of intelligence, traps and the like will be exposed, and his job will be done.

Although his favorite binding technique is actually the Void Breaker, it's inconvenient for a seated officer to release it without chanting, even now that he's been promoted to vice-captain. So the more fragile and easier-to-release Round Gate naturally became his first choice.

Simultaneously manipulating a dozen or so round gates and making them move freely like frisbees is just one manifestation of this skill. If he wanted, he could also create "square gates," "hexagonal gates," or even "ball gates" that could envelop a person. Although it would be like a juggling act for high-level games, it would still be very convenient when blasting fish in the pond.

Such as now.

When Shindou Ryuga looked at the fourteen round shutters hovering around Mima, he almost turned green for a moment.

He had just tested it out. At a normal pace, he could completely shatter one of the opponent's defensive techniques with about two hammer blows. So, according to the expected pace, as long as he could exchange four or five blows and force the vice-captain into a position where he could no longer maintain his defensive stance, he could naturally take him down.

But fourteen of them came at once...

Unlike swinging a knife, swinging a hammer is very physically demanding.

If he maintains this intensity, he can probably swing about fifty times before feeling noticeably tired.

In other words, the vice-captain in front of him doesn't need to do anything. He just needs to release one or two more waves of defense as before, which will wear down his stamina.

How...how could there be such a disgusting way of playing?

"What? Aren't you going to make a move?"

Mi Zhen manipulated the fourteen circular gates with one hand, then used the other to gather lightning. Without even drawing his sword, he said dismissively, "Then I'm coming over."

On a side note, because he was very skilled at using the round sluice gate, Mima was almost once called "Watanabe of the Iron Wall." If he hadn't refused it so vehemently, he probably would have been stuck with this incredibly low-class nickname.

Using a shield to fire a gun is simple, but effective.

In short, I, Ryuga Shindou, certainly cannot tolerate this kind of provocation.

He'd already uttered some tough words, but his opponent hadn't shown much aggression, only releasing a few broken shields. If he backed down like this, he'd probably become a laughingstock overnight.

So he gritted his teeth, bent down and charged forward, and began a barrage of attacks with his hammer.

.............................................

The covert crew members outside were practically dumbfounded.

As one of the more introverted teams among the Gotei 13, they rarely ask other teams for outside help, so they had only heard of Yama's name but had never actually seen him.

Seeing it today... it is indeed extraordinary.

Is this how battles can be fought?

With almost numb eyes, they watched as Shindou Ryuga pounded on the round gate that Mima had released, like smashing rice cakes. It was a thankless task, and he would occasionally get hit by a few white lightning bolts or yellow fire flashes, and half of his body was almost blackened by the smoke.

It wasn't really an injury, just embarrassing.

Everyone can see that if we compare pure numbers, Shindou Ryuga is obviously stronger than Vice-Captain Watanabe, but when it comes to fighting, the former is exhausted.

On the contrary, the latter strolled leisurely, seemingly able to drink tea and read a book while defending against attacks.

In a one-on-one fight, the former would probably be the winner. After all, maintaining the round gate also requires a lot of spiritual pressure. As long as the defense is broken until it can no longer be sustained, it would be Shindou Ryuga's victory. But there are still dozens of brothers watching outside. As long as Vice Captain Watanabe thinks the situation is clear, he can call a truckload of bread men to gang up on him with a single gesture. It's as sure as it gets.

won.

Almost all the onlookers thought so.

Back in the courtyard.

It wasn't that I didn't want to bypass the defenses to attack; I even tried several times. But Mikoto's fourteen defenses were incredibly flexible. With a few adjustments, they could block my attack path. Hammers are not like swords. Although they are powerful, they lack agility and cannot change course. I could only smash each defense head-on like this.

However, Mima was able to release new ones to replenish the energy each time a round gate was destroyed. He remained calm and composed throughout this process, while Shindou Ryuga was starting to pant heavily.

"Huh? What do you mean by 'a villainous gang that has dominated Rukongai for hundreds of years'? Is that all?"

Mi Zhen stretched and sneered maliciously, "Even my two-thousand-year-old grandmother is stronger than you when she massages your back. If that's all you've got, you might as well go back to your mother and nurse. Maybe your mother won't despise you for being a good-for-nothing."

"You fucking...!"

Ryuga Shindou smashed two round gates with a single blow in a rage, but Mima quickly replaced them.