You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

"I don't know what I am like in another world, but this layer of flame, in terms of defensive power alone, can even surpass the invisible empire's ruler and can turn any enemy into ashes."

Is it an isotope of Yhwach?

"I didn't expect you to have mastered this kind of technique in your prime... I was worried that I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself to the fullest, but now it seems that I was worrying for nothing."

Iori's tone was full of amusement.

When they first met, Iori struggled even with his teacher's Shikai, and the difference between the old and the young was obvious. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him "weak" in front of Shikisai at that time.

Of course, the entire Soul Society was fragile in Shizusai's eyes; he was like a Hulk living in a glass house.

Now, Iori has already reached the theoretical limit of the Shinigami, and her combat power is perfect. After completing her research on Hollowfication, her level has surpassed that of Shiki-sai—and this is only within the "Shinigami system".

If they were to use the powers they gained in the other world as well, the two would be no match for each other at all, and the balance of power would be easily reversed... This is truly astonishing.

Although it's not the same as Shizusai, their strength is about the same, so it doesn't pose a threat to Iori.

but……

"It would be too disappointing to use any other power in this duel."

Iori's lips moved slightly, and the true name of her Zanpakuto was chanted: "I should defeat you as a Shinigami—"

"Unite, like a clear mirror and still water!"

drop~

A powerful spiritual pressure swept across the mountains and fields, instantly suppressing the raging flames. The flames, which had been devouring life like demons, seemed to come alive and bowed down, giving all their majesty to Iori at the center!

In a daze, Shizizhai seemed to hear the sound of dripping water and see the ripples on the water's surface. The next moment, the rolling lava became as smooth and still as marble, transforming into a stone mirror that resembled postmodern art.

"A domain-type Zanpakuto?"

Shizizhai narrowed his eyes, his heart sinking.

"The very beginning of my understanding... robbed me of my control over my surroundings."

When spiritual pressure becomes strong enough, various phenomena can occur naturally even without the aid of Kido or Zanpakuto. For example, when Shizusai activates Bankai, he can turn a large area around him into a sea of ​​fire simply by releasing his aura.

This is not the Ghost Path, but even a vice-captain level grim reaper cannot survive in it!

But now... it was easily covered by Iori's domain, which made his evaluation of Iori rise again.

However, this doesn't mean he's powerless; at least his flame armor offers reliable defense. This is Shikisai transforming his spiritual pressure into raging flames (tens of millions of degrees), covering his body and blades as if he were draped in the blazing sun.

Let alone breaking through it, even making contact with it is like throwing one's body into the Earth's core or the sun; it can indeed turn all enemies into ashes.

Moreover, the katana in his hand possesses the ultimate attack power capable of destroying all things in the universe!

After failing to recruit him, the princess in military uniform actually regretted it somewhat, having impulsively created someone she herself found quite troublesome...

"An unavoidable area-of-effect attack?"

"It is indeed impossible to dodge, but it is just the simplest sword and blade strike."

Iori swung her Zanpakuto, and a dazzling blade of light flashed on the bizarre stone mirror.

"It's been a long time since I used this trick—"

Che!

Zheng!

"Don't think about it!"

Crimson Armor, clad in flames, melted the ground, leaving behind a distorted atmospheric tunnel that hurtled towards Iori.

A flash of light, and the thick flame armor was sliced ​​open diagonally, along with scalding blood, which instantly vaporized in the high temperature.

This strike, which could almost ignore any defense, failed to completely sever Shikisai's body, only breaking his sternum!

Iori wasn't surprised. She raised her longsword, and the extremely dense spiritual pressure emitted a hazy blue light, like a ray of dawn directly confronting the strongest impermanence—

boom! ! !

The explosive flames that shook the entire mountain left a gaping hole in the ground that could never be healed. Amidst the raging fire, Shizi Zhai was sent flying backward, his feet leaving charred marks on the ground as he slid hundreds of meters before finally coming to a stop. The mirrored domain that reflected everything shattered as well, and the escaping shockwaves burned all the vegetation within sight.

The once vibrant forest has now become a scorched wasteland, just like the word "purgatory".

There was a gap on the side of the swordsman's abdomen and on the front of his chest armor. Blood flowed out and evaporated instantly, and then the gaps quickly closed up again. Apart from his face becoming even paler, the swordsman showed no signs of pain.

"Admirable."

Iori raised her left hand, her palm was charred black, but the burns emitted a faint blue light and disappeared in an instant.

"The spiritual pressure density is so high that it even inhibits the rate of spiritual particle decomposition. The spiritual particle structure is as solid as a solid... As expected... Heh."

"I have never seen an individual as powerful as you before, this spiritual pressure..."

Seeing this, Shizizhai took a deep breath and then exhaled, causing the surrounding flames to sway as if they were being moved.

He had previously struck Iori with a knife, but only caused minor burns... Clearly, the technique of covering the body with high-density spiritual pressure was not unique to Shizusai, and Iori's spiritual pressure far exceeded his.

Putting that aside, Iori's physique is also extraordinary; she can swim naked in lava as if it were a sauna.

Even without activating defensive abilities, he was able to break through Iori's defense with a simple slash. The destructive power of Shikisai's slashes was already at the level of easily destroying most of a city.

"Be careful, Captain-Commander."

Iori smiled confidently, "If you can't kill me in one blow, this battle will be your defeat!"

"...How utterly despairing!"

As Shizizhai spoke these words, the flames covering his body suddenly surged, the scorching heat turning the surrounding ground into scorched earth. He then stomped his foot down—

But at that very moment!

Before the strongest swordsman could fully unleash his power, Iori had already taken the lead. His physique, which was no different from that of an ordinary person, burst forth with unimaginable strength. His Zanpakuto released a spiritual pressure impact like the aurora, sweeping across the field and sending Jushisai flying.

Bah——!

From the moment Iori swung his sword to the moment he was knocked away, it took no more than the blink of an eye. But in that brief instant, the surrounding flames surged up, enveloping him like a crimson lotus.

But Iori didn't stop there. The next moment, the red lotus bloomed, and Iori flicked her trench coat to dispel the remaining fire, and quickly chased after it.

hum!

Without any additional abilities, it was just a pure slash. The sharpness of the extended spiritual pressure cleaved the ground hundreds of meters apart, and the most concentrated point pierced the chest of Shikisai, knocking him into the abyss. A series of blood droplets turned into black smoke in the raging fire.

"That's it? Is this the end?"

"Shuzi!"

A dark red light shone from the abyss, followed by streams of magma shooting into the sky. Shiki, shirtless, rode the magma and charged again, wielding a blazing sword that seemed poised to destroy the entire nation of Japan!

“This is just the beginning!”

Despite being in danger, Iori seemed somewhat dazed as she witnessed this immense power.

Once, in my eyes, "he" was so powerful...

But even if he unleashed his full power now, Hitani Jussai couldn't get him excited... It's so lonely.

So that's how it is. Without realizing it, I had already crossed the high walls and arrived at such a distant place—

I've never felt so strongly about how much stronger I've become!

"Five dragons are destroyed!"

A flash of azure light mixed with the airflow, fueling the massive dragon-shaped demonic path, which head-on met the earth-shattering, devastating flames—

boom! ! ! !

A pillar of crimson fire, hundreds of meters thick, shot into the sky with overwhelming force, and with a loud explosion, it turned the entire sky into a blood-red apocalypse!

But amidst this chaos that tore the heavens and earth apart, Iori calmly stepped forward, her sword slicing through the surging aftershocks, her gaze immediately locking onto the figure that stood firm.

"It's not as refined as it was in old age... The power is sufficient, but this move poses no threat to me."

Did we not get the chance to witness "the world turning to ashes"?

"call……"

Shizizhai emerged from the flames, and the fiery armor on his body gradually subsided until it disappeared completely.

"Nothing has changed at all... It's infuriating..."

but!

Kid, my anger isn't about being less skilled, it's about not making you take this fight seriously!

"No, I'm very serious, about this Zanpakuto..."

"But your eyes aren't looking at me!"

Shizusai stared into Iori's eyes, his calm face concealing a lion-like rage.

"You're just using my body to chase after someone else's shadow!"

"..."

"I don't know what kind of person the other me is in your world, that you would value me so much... It has nothing to do with me!"

The important thing is that the one standing here fighting you now is me—no one but myself, Bhikkhu Shizai!

--call!

Suddenly, the flames vanished, and the katana in the hands of the broken-body, middle-aged swordsman was no longer wreathed in fire. It was like a piece of charred charcoal or an unquenched blade, transforming from a fearsome object of destruction into an ordinary katana that could be described as "small".

His tall stature made him appear somewhat ridiculous in comparison.

However, at this very moment, Iori experienced something for the first time since the start of the battle—

A dangerous omen!

Shikisai instantly moved in front of Iori and delivered a simple, long downward slash!

Iori's pupils shrank sharply, and he actually chose to retreat in the face of this seemingly ordinary slash!

It's worth noting that even when Iori took the full force of the Blazing Sword head-on, he didn't flinch at all!

Almost the instant Iori left, the tip of the Ember Blade touched the ground—

Clang——!!!

There was no loud noise, no towering pillar of fire, and no dazzling flash; it was as if nothing had happened.

However, starting with the tip of the knife hitting the ground, a rift valley, hundreds of meters long and about ten meters wide, appeared out of thin air on the ground.

It truly appeared "out of thin air," not from the impact of spiritual pressure or physical destruction, but by causing the ground and the surrounding air to disappear completely!

Not even a single fragment or remnant can be seen; the vanished matter seems to have been thrown into another dimension…

However, Iori's perception was extremely sharp. He sensed the truth from the extremely faint spiritual particle fluctuations in the air. It was that in an instant, unimaginable high temperature completely shattered the spiritual particles that make up matter. They were neither burned into charcoal nor turned into ashes, but directly turned into particles that were countless times smaller than dust!

While the extent of the damage may not seem as great as before, it has actually reached an extremely terrifying level.

call!

He used Shunpo to create distance, and Shiki-sai did not chase after him. He seemed somewhat surprised by the power of his sword strike.

"My Bankai..."

"This is... such a change is actually happening..."

Iori pursed her lips, her expression turning serious. She gripped the mirror of the water with both hands, assuming the starting stance of kendo, and looked respectfully at Jussai.

A breakthrough in the face of battle... no, a change in mindset, awakened the potential that Shizizhai had always possessed.

However, Yamamoto Shigekuni's "Zanka Tachi" was forged over a thousand years by gradually tempering the sword's wildness with self-control and emotion.

Shizizhai, on the other hand, realized and acknowledged his own weakness, but then reaffirmed his beliefs, just like breaking a sword and reforging it, blunting its sharpness but making it even more resilient!

"I'm sorry about before."

"Aizen Iori, a disciple of Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, has received the complete teachings of the Genryu school. I've learned a lot from him!"

"This is exactly how it should be... Thanks to you, I was able to break through and complete this move... Come on!!"

Shizizai raised his weapon, a simple movement that seemed to "cut" the space he passed through, leaving translucent ripples in the atmosphere.

"Ember Blade!"

A huge arc-shaped chasm appeared, and the ground seemed to have been ripped open by the rubber of a god, with all matter in the path of the katana disappearing.

A piece of Iori's clothing was torn off and vanished into basic particles in the blink of an eye, but he remained calm and raised his hand, then pointed at Jujisai: "Hado #88 Flying Dragon Strike Thief Thunder Cannon!"

A massive amount of spiritual pressure gathered in his palm, releasing a dazzling light—