Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero

Suddenly, Hyōrinmaru's gaze, as if drawn by an invisible thread, abruptly turned to a spot not far away.

There, lying quietly, was the "Hyourinmaru" that belonged to Kusakabe Sojiro, which had been tested by Yanagawa and then carelessly abandoned on the frozen ground.

His right hand, covered in icy dragon claws, reached out and grabbed at the knife in mid-air.

Om-!

As if summoned by an irresistible force, the Zanpakuto trembled violently, emitting a mournful hum, and then broke free from the frozen earth on its own, transforming into a streak of dark blue light that flew into Hyōrinmaru's palm like lightning!

"What?!" Shiba Isshin's pupils contracted, and alarm bells rang in his mind. He vaguely guessed what was going on, and a terrifying thought surfaced in his mind.

Hyōrinmaru was seen holding a Hyōrinmaru in each hand, one being the sword that was formed from his own physical form, and the other being the sword that Kusakabe Sōjirō possessed.

The next second, Kusakabe Sojiro's "Hyōrinmaru" blade burst forth with a dazzling, eerie blue light!

A powerful, tangible ice-type spiritual pressure, visible to the naked eye and like a real cold current, surged wildly from Kusakabe Sojiro's sword, flowing like a hundred rivers into the sea, and was greedily absorbed and devoured by Hyōrinmaru's body!

Kusakabe Sojiro's sword lost its luster at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Hyōrinmaru, having absorbed this power of the same origin, underwent an incredible transformation!

"roar--!!!"

A deafening dragon's roar echoed across the wasteland! The spiritual pressure erupting from Hyōrinmaru's body surged instantly, as if the last shackle had been released!

Its strength, its density, and the profound and majestic nature of the ice rules it contains are far more powerful than before!

The frozen soil beneath his feet cracked and sank, forming a huge icy crater.

The blizzard in the sky suddenly stopped, not because its power had weakened, but because all the cold air and ice seemed to have submitted to this newfound power.

It solidified and compressed, transforming into an icy blue aura of spiritual pressure surrounding him.

The knife scars on his face seemed clearer and deeper, and the chaos in his violet eyes lessened, but the coldness and majesty intensified.

The only Hyōrinmaru in his hand had an even more crystal-clear blade, radiating an eternal chill.

"This is..." Shiba Isshin felt the terrifying spiritual pressure rushing towards him, his expression changed drastically, and his eyes were filled with disbelief and shock.

"He regained his power? This is Hyōrinmaru's original, true power?!"

The intensity and texture of this spiritual pressure instantly reminded him of what he had felt with Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's "Ryujin Jakka".

It possesses a terrifying power that seems capable of incinerating the world, representing the pinnacle of fire magic!

Although their attributes are completely opposite, one being extreme fire and the other extreme cold, the oppressive feeling that can be described as "the strongest" is so similar!

"The strongest ice-type Zanpakuto... truly lives up to its name!"

Shiba gritted his teeth and gripped the Blade of Light tightly in his hand. He could feel that Hyōrinmaru at this moment was on a completely different level from before!

If he could still use his formidable strength to maneuver around or even suppress the Ice King just now, then now, facing this Ice King who seems to have returned to his "complete form".

On his own, I'm afraid...

"Yanagawa!" Shiba Isshin suddenly turned his head and shouted at Yanagawa, who was still standing at the edge of the battlefield.

"How long are you going to keep watching?! Shouldn't you make your move?! If this one-man fight continues, I'm afraid I'll really have to use my Bankai!"

His tone was urgent, even tinged with helplessness.

Bankai is his ultimate trump card, but as he said, it comes at a great cost, and he would never use it lightly unless absolutely necessary.

Moreover, facing Hyōrinmaru, whose current state is strange and whose power has surged, even if Bankai is used, the outcome is still uncertain, but the cost will inevitably be heavy.

Yanagawa stepped forward and stood beside him, their pure white haori fluttering violently in the whirlwind stirred up by Hyōrinmaru's terrifying spiritual pressure.

However, there was no seriousness or tension on his face. Instead, a playful smile curved his lips as he turned to look at Shiba Isshin, who was standing guard beside him, and teased him in a relaxed tone:

"Oh? Captain Isshin, you're already done with it? Weren't you so confident just now, saying you were going to burn it?"

"..."

Shiba Isshin almost couldn't catch his breath. He suddenly turned his head and glared at Yanagawa, his expression incredibly interesting.

He took a deep breath and complained:

"Liu Chuan! Stop spouting nonsense! Do you think the title of 'Strongest Ice-type' was given to you for nothing?"

His tone was excited, but the flames of the Blade of Light in his hand burned even more fiercely.

Upon hearing this, Liu Chuan's smile faded slightly, but his eyes remained calm.

He said no more: "Then, let's all come at him together, Captain Isshin."

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Chuan moved first! But he didn't rush directly towards Hyōrinmaru; instead, spiritual light flowed in his hands, and he chanted a concise and efficient incantation:

"Binding Spell Number Sixty-One: The Six-Staff Light Prison!"

"The Sixty-Second Binding Path: The Hundred-Step Barrier!"

"The sixty-third method of binding: chains and bonds!"

Swish!Swish!Swish!

Several beams of light, each with a different shape and structure distinct from standard Kido, shot out from Yanagawa's hand almost simultaneously.

Their target is Hyōrinmaru in his complete form, who has just finished integrating his power and reached the peak of his momentum!

The Hundred-Step Railing transformed into several beams of light, sealing off the area around Hyōrinmaru.

The Six-Staff Light Prison is no longer a simple six-slice light beam, but has split into dozens of finer beams with more complex spiritual particle structures.

The enormous serpentine chains formed by the binding bars, covered with a strange pale golden spiritual particle coating, whistled through the air as they bound Hyōrinmaru toward his neck and waist!

All of this happened in the blink of an eye! The speed, precision, and bold modifications and combinations of Yanagawa's Kido techniques caused Shiba Isshin's pupils to shrink in astonishment.

"This kid's understanding and control of the demonic path is simply unbelievable! These improvements are unheard of!"

Although Hyōrinmaru's power surged in its complete form, its movements seemed slightly sluggish due to the recent absorption of power.

In addition, Liuchuan's binding spell attack had a tricky angle and a special structure, and his movements were actually temporarily entangled by several spiritual chains and beams of light!

"Roar!" Hyōrinmaru let out an angry roar.

He struggled fiercely, his arms, covered by icy dragon claws, suddenly thrust outwards!

Click! Click-click!

Under the terrifying power of the fully-formed Hyōrinmaru, the tough, specialized binding chains and beams began to crack, and frost rapidly spread upwards!

Clearly, these modified binding spells alone cannot hold him captive for long.

But Yanagawa's purpose was not to imprison, but to disrupt and create opportunities!

"Now! Captain Isshin!" Yanagawa shouted.

"Received!" Shiba Isshin was already poised to strike, his Blade of Light trailing a long fiery tail as he lunged straight at the opening Hyōrinmaru had created in his struggle!

"Crescent Moon Anecho!"

A powerful fire-attribute slash, with unparalleled penetrating power, slashed fiercely towards Hyōrinmaru's chest!

Hyōrinmaru's anger intensified, and golden light flashed on his forehead.

Using this golden power, it forcefully broke through the restraints and blocked Shiba Isshin's slash.

Then he slammed his hands, which were covered by icy dragon claws, into the ground, uttering a low chant:

"A Thousand-Year-Old Ice Prison!"

Rumble, rumble, rumble—!!!

Centered on Hyōrinmaru, the earth trembled violently!

Countless enormous ice pillars, each over ten meters in diameter and hundreds of meters high, broke through the frozen ground and soared into the sky!

These icicles were not random; rather, they formed a perfect, ever-shrinking spherical cage that completely enveloped Isshin Shiba and the space in front of him!

The icicles exude a chilling aura that freezes everything for eternity! Once trapped inside, one will be instantly and eternally frozen, spiritual energy will cease to flow, and life will be completely extinguished!

"Not good!" Shiba Isshin's expression changed drastically. He could feel the absolute freezing power contained in that ice prison, far exceeding any previous attack!

The ice prison contracted at an astonishing speed, and it was too late for him to escape!

At this critical moment!

At some point, Yanagawa appeared not far behind Shiba Isshin.

The Zanpakuto he had always held in his hand but had never truly used—"Tenjhin"—was finally slowly raised and held horizontally in front of him.

His other hand gently stroked the simple, silver-white blade.

"Vibrate—"

A strange fluctuation quietly spread out from the center of Tianzhen in Liuchuan's hand.

"—Earthquake."

The moment the words of liberation were uttered.

The silver-white blade of Tianzhen suddenly burst forth with a powerful silver light!

The light wasn't dazzling, but it gave people a sense of "tremor" that went straight to the depths of their souls.

Liu Chuan's hand holding the sword was as steady as a rock. He simply and seemingly casually swung the Heavenly Tremor, which was covered in silver light, diagonally forward towards the closing Millennium Ice Prison.

Click.

At the very moment that soft sound rang out, starting from the direction in which Liu Chuan swung his sword, the space in front of him visibly distorted, folded, and then—

Cracked.

This space was forcibly "shaken" by some invisible force, resulting in spiderweb-like, ever-spreading white cracks!

These cracks spread silently, distorting light and silencing sound wherever they passed. Even Hyōrinmaru's eternally chilling aura seemed to be disturbed and repelled by this "crack" itself!

The next second, these spatial rifts touched the millennium-old ice prison.

*Sizzle!*

Those enormous icicles, when touched by the white crack, resembled glass artworks struck by an invisible giant hammer.

Almost half of the "Millennial Ice Prison" was destroyed by Liu Chuan's seemingly casual gesture, like a sandcastle on a beach encountering the rising tide.

It collapsed and shattered, turning into countless shimmering ice crystal powders!

Taking advantage of the situation, Shiba rolled awkwardly and landed, looking at the swirling ice crystal powder with a lingering sense of shock.

He then abruptly turned to look at Liu Chuan, who was still in a sword-wielding posture, the silver light on the blade slowly receding. His mouth was agape, wide enough to fit an egg, and his eyes were filled with unprecedented shock.

"Was space shattered?"

He muttered to himself, almost unable to believe his eyes. That was Hyōrinmaru's Thousand-Year Ice Prison! It had been shattered by Yanagawa's single strike?

Even Hyōrinmaru, whose momentum had slowed slightly after releasing the Thousand-Year Ice Prison, showed obvious astonishment in his violet eyes for the first time.

The golden light on his forehead began to flicker erratically.