Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero

"Captain Isshin, it's your time to shine, go for it!" Liu Chuan said in a relaxed tone, even with a hint of encouragement.

Upon hearing this, Shiba almost stumbled.

He turned his head briefly, glaring at Liu Chuan, who stood at the edge of the battlefield, arms crossed, watching the fight. His voice sounded particularly sullen in the howling wind:

"Huh?! Me? What about you?! Liu Chuan! Don't just stand there watching! This was your idea!"

Faced with Shiba Isshin's "accusation," Yanagawa remained unfazed and responded in a matter-of-fact tone with a hint of perfunctoriness: "Don't worry, I'll assist you as the situation allows."

"Assistance?" Shiba Isshin continued to shout.

"How can I help? By giving me encouragement with my eyes?!"

"Tactical observation is also a very important form of assistance."

"I'm analyzing this golden power. You just need to go all out, apply pressure, and force it to manifest more."

Shiba Isshin: "..."

He finally understood.

Liu Chuan, under the guise of observation and analysis, pushed this ready-made captain-level henchman to the front line.

With him taking the lead, Liu Chuan was naturally happy to relax and safely collect data and study his opponents from the back.

"You bastard...you're ruthless!" Shiba Isshin gritted his teeth and shattered another sneak attack ice spike, mentally cursing Yanagawa countless times.

But despite his complaints, he knew that Liu Chuan had a point.

Hyōrinmaru is currently in a chaotic and berserk state, only knowing how to attack wildly. Close combat is very risky, so someone definitely needs to be in front to restrain him and create opportunities to observe and find weaknesses.

"Fine! I'll be the laborer this time!" Shiba made up his mind, no longer expecting Yanagawa to join the fray immediately.

Hyōrinmaru's attack missed, and he seemed to be enraged, or perhaps he was forcibly urging out more power.

His feet, covered by icy dragon claws, sank slightly, and the blizzard around him intensified instantly, causing more sharp icicles to condense in the air.

"Tsk, looks like we have no choice but to fight!" Shiba Isshin spat, his usual cheerful smile disappearing, replaced by boiling fighting spirit.

He took a step forward, his right hand firmly resting on the hilt of his Zanpakuto at his waist.

Just as the next wave of ice shards was about to rain down, a sharp glint flashed in Shiba Isshin's eyes.

"Burn, burn!"

boom!

The intense spiritual pressure, like a long-suppressed volcano, erupted from Shiba Isshin's body!

This spiritual pressure was domineering and scorching, instantly dispelling the chill that approached his body, and even melting the frozen ground beneath his feet, leaving a charred mark.

A stark, intense, and irreconcilable clash occurred between Hyōrinmaru's icy spiritual pressure, which could freeze everything, and the air crackled with the explosive sounds of spiritual particles clashing violently.

"—Shanyue!"

As the release command was completed, the form of Shiba Isshin's Zanpakuto changed abruptly!

The blade was instantly enveloped and extended by a layer of condensed, liquid-like crimson flame.

It was not a chaotic burning, but rather a highly ordered entanglement and compression, forming a longer and more intense blade of flame!

Wherever the blade passed, the air distorted and heat waves rolled in, creating a spectacular contrast of ice and fire with the surrounding icy and snowy landscape.

The fire-type Zanpakuto, Satsuki! It is inherently incompatible with Hyōrinmaru's ice-type Zanpakuto, like fire and water!

"Drink!"

Facing the dense ice shards shooting towards him like a swarm of locusts, Shiba Isshin did not retreat but advanced, his burning sword, the Blazing Moon, drawing a blazing crescent-shaped trajectory as he fiercely slashed out!

"Flame Slash!"

The crimson flame blade aura roared out, not as scattered flames, but as a highly condensed strike, carrying a scorching will to burn everything, and collided head-on with the rain of icy shards.

*Sizzle!* *Sizzle sizzle sizzle!*

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only the ear-piercing sound of countless ice blocks being instantly vaporized by the high temperature.

Wherever the fiery blade energy passed, the sharp ice shards that were strong enough to pierce steel plates melted and evaporated like spring snow meeting the blazing sun.

It turned into huge plumes of scalding white steam, instantly engulfing half the battlefield and temporarily obstructing visibility.

But the fiery blade's momentum did not diminish, and it slashed straight at Hyōrinmaru behind the ice shards!

Hyōrinmaru seemed to have a strong aversion to this scorching power, and he let out a low roar.

Crackle!

Centered on Hyōrinmaru, the ground beneath her feet, the surrounding air, and even the drifting steam instantly condensed into countless enormous and magnificent ice petals.

These petals were not mere decorations; each one contained terrifying freezing energy and sharpness, layer upon layer, instantly forming an incredibly thick, crystal-clear wall of ice flowers in front of him.

boom!!!

The crimson flame blade struck the wall of ice flowers with devastating force!

Scorching heat and extreme cold, flames and ice crystals—two diametrically opposed and mutually restraining forces clashed and annihilated each other!

The ice wall shook violently, and large areas of ice flowers exploded and vaporized, but subsequent ice flowers continued to grow and fill the gaps.

The light of the fiery blade aura quickly dimmed, and finally, after penetrating nearly half of the ice wall, it exhausted its power and dissipated into countless sparks.

A draw! No, perhaps the fact that Shiba Isshin's Flame Slash could break through Hyōrinmaru's defense, given the elemental advantage, already demonstrates its power.

"Goodness! That's impressive!" Shiba Isshin laughed loudly, showing no fear, but instead his fighting spirit soared even higher.

With a flash, Yan Yue, trailing a blazing tail of flames, charged towards Hyōrinmaru!

As the captain of the 10th Division, Isshin Shiba's strength is definitely among the top of all the captains of the Gotei 13. His fighting style is open and aggressive, and he is brave and progressive. The flames of the moon give him unparalleled offensive and explosive power.

"Flame Fang - Thrust!"

While suspended in mid-air, Shiba Isshin gripped the Zanpakuto tightly with both hands, the tip of the blade pointing forward. His entire being seemed to merge with the Zanpakuto, transforming into a crimson fire meteor that crashed straight into the still incompletely repaired wall of ice flowers!

This time, it's an ultimate breakthrough in a specific area!

"Birds forming icicles!"

The remaining wall of ice flowers exploded with a roar, spontaneously scattering into countless sharp ice pillars as agile as a swarm of bees, covering Shiba Isshin, who had transformed into a fiery meteor!

The tip of each ice pillar gleamed with a cold light powerful enough to freeze spiritual particles.

Attack against attack!

"Well done!" Shiba Isshin roared, his sprinting speed not slowing down at all. The flames on the Blade of Light in his hand suddenly contracted inward, the color changing from crimson to a bright blue that was almost incandescent, and the temperature soared again!

He brandished the Moon Blade, which danced into a blazing white halo.

The blazing white halo, like a miniature sun, collided violently with the dense cluster of icicles!

The hissing sound continued incessantly as the icicles were constantly evaporated and vaporized, but there were simply too many of them, one after another.

The rotation speed of the incandescent white light wheel began to slow down, and its light began to dim.

Finally, after most of the ice pillars evaporated, the halo dissipated, and Shiba Isshin emerged from the billowing steam, looking somewhat disheveled. He slid back a few steps after landing before regaining his balance, his body covered in frost, but his eyes remained sharp as fire.

The icicles were also completely destroyed. In the first direct confrontation, neither side gained a significant advantage.

"Phew... This guy is still so troublesome even when he's lost his mind." Shiba Isshin shook his slightly numb arm, and the flames on the moon stabilized at a crimson red again.

He could sense that Hyōrinmaru's power level was extremely high, and his control over ice was superb. If he hadn't been so strong, he would have suffered a loss in that exchange of blows.

Moreover, the opponent seemed to have no idea how to conserve spiritual pressure or find a tactical approach, and was simply attacking wildly based on instinct.