novelraw Chapter 479 479: Your Power, I Accept!
Chapter 479 479: Your Power, I Accept!
Boom!
A fiery explosion over ten meters high erupted, causing considerable damage to the surrounding alley walls and nearby rooms.
When the smoke cleared, a pale yellow triangular barrier was the first thing to appear, revealing Orihime Inoue and Yasutora Sado sheltering behind it.
Meanwhile, Ichigo Kurosaki, fighting Kugo Ginjo, naturally noticed Orihime and Yasutora's arrival.
This caused a slight lapse in his concentration during the battle with Ginjo.
Knowing that Orihime and Yasutora harbored suspicions towards him due to Shukuro Tsukishima's Fullbring, and realizing Ginjo and Tsukishima were allies, Ichigo felt utter disgust towards Ginjo and his group.
Seeing that Teacher Ailin's attack hadn't directly targeted Orihime and Yasutora, Ichigo didn't dwell on it further.
Since Teacher Ailin clearly had no intention of killing them, eliminating Tsukishima would restore Orihime and Yasutora's memories, freeing them from his Fullbring's influence.
"Where are you looking!"
Noticing Ichigo's distraction during their fight, Kugo Ginjo became furious.
Red spiritual pressure condensed at the tip of his Cross of Scaffold sword.
This was a technique possessed only by Gillian-class Menos Grande or higher—the Cero!
As a Fullbringer who had been attacked by a Hollow and possessed Hollow powers within him, it wasn't surprising that Kugo Ginjo, after activating Bankai and Hollowfication, could use such a move.
"Cero!"
Boom!
A torrent of red spiritual pressure erupted, surging towards Ichigo Kurosaki.
Facing Kugo Ginjo's attack, Ichigo calmly drew his second Zanpakutō.
"Getsuga—Jūjishō!" (Cross-shaped Moon Fang)
Boom!
...
"Ah..."
The battle between Kugo Ginjo and Ichigo Kurosaki was simply too intense.
Riruka Dokugamine's Fullbring wasn't suited for direct combat.
Caught in the shockwaves of their clash, she let out a cry and was blasted away, tracing an arc through the air before crashing to the ground.
Compared to Riruka Dokugamine, Shukuro Tsukishima fared much better.
His strength had always far surpassed Riruka's. While the shockwaves sent Riruka flying, they merely caused Tsukishima's clothes to flutter.
Swoosh!
Using the cover provided by Orihime Inoue, Yasutora Sado, and the ongoing fight between Ginjo and Ichigo, Shukuro Tsukishima's figure flashed, appearing instantly behind Toshiro Hitsugaya. The long sword transformed from his Book of the End slashed towards Hitsugaya.
As a member of Xcution, Shukuro Tsukishima knew that those wearing the white haori were the strongest captains of the Gotei Thirteen.
Since all four—Ailin, Byakuya, Hitsugaya, and Rukia—wore captain's haori, Tsukishima could only judge their strength based on age.
Captain Ailin was out of the question; Tsukishima couldn't possibly use his Fullbring on Ailin again.
To escape, his only option was to insert his existence into the memories of the remaining three captains, turning them into his friends who would shield him from Captain Ailin's attacks.
To maximize his chances, Shukuro Tsukishima chose Toshiro Hitsugaya, who appeared the youngest.
But unfortunately, while Toshiro Hitsugaya was indeed the youngest, it didn't mean he was the weakest!
"Reign over the frosted heavens—Hyōrinmaru!"
Toshiro Hitsugaya murmured softly. An ice dragon coiled around his body and charged towards Shukuro Tsukishima.
"Zzzzzzzz..."
The ice dragon's body was blocked by Shukuro Tsukishima's long sword, but its immense force still sent Tsukishima flying backward.
By the time the ice dragon's tail shattered against Tsukishima's sword, dispersing into shards of ice, Tsukishima had been pushed back over ten meters.
Not only that, but blue ice spread upwards from Tsukishima's sword, freezing both his hands solid.
Bang!
Flaring his spiritual pressure, Shukuro Tsukishima shattered the ice on his hands and sword, then charged towards Ailin and the others once more.
However, this time Shukuro Tsukishima changed his target.
Rukia!
After Byakuya Kuchiki had severely injured Jackie Tristan, Yukio Hans Vorarlberna, and Giriko Kutsuzawa with a single strike, Shukuro Tsukishima knew Byakuya was a powerhouse he couldn't hit quickly.
His previous attack on Toshiro Hitsugaya had also failed; Tsukishima didn't think he could land a blow on Hitsugaya either.
The next logical target was Rukia, who had yet to display her power.
However, a sliver of unease now crept into Shukuro Tsukishima's heart.
Could a captain standing alongside powerful individuals like Byakuya Kuchiki and Toshiro Hitsugaya possibly be weak?
"Dance—Sode no Shirayuki!"
Indeed, Shukuro Tsukishima's premonition proved correct.
Drawing the Zanpakutō from her waist, Rukia thrust it downwards before her. Five shattered ice blades transformed into swirling white shards dancing in front of Rukia's sword edge.
"Next Dance—White Lotus!"
Boom!
A torrent of white cold surged forth, freezing the moisture in front of Rukia into lotus-shaped ice, roaring towards Shukuro Tsukishima.
White spiritual pressure gathered on Shukuro Tsukishima's long sword as he unleashed a white, crescent-moon-shaped slash.
But unfortunately, the ice formed by the low temperature of Rukia's Sode no Shirayuki was a level higher in both coldness and hardness compared to the ice formed by Toshiro Hitsugaya's Hyōrinmaru freezing water.
Boom!
Shukuro Tsukishima's attack only managed to carve a notch in the White Lotus before the slash was rapidly frozen by the cold air and shattered by the subsequent ice surge.
Bang!
Shukuro Tsukishima's spiritual pressure flared again, shattering the ice covering his body.
However, unlike shattering Hyōrinmaru's ice, shattering Sode no Shirayuki's ice this time caused parts of Shukuro Tsukishima's own body to break apart as well, dispersing into red ice shards.
Sode no Shirayuki's primary attack method was "cold air."
Once your body was frozen solid by Sode no Shirayuki's attack, it meant your body had already been struck.
Shattering the ice encasing your body at that point was tantamount to destroying parts of yourself.
Feeling the pain radiating from all over his body, Shukuro Tsukishima had to admit that this time, he and his group were likely doomed.
Boom!
A flash of lightning and fire streaked past. Shukuro Tsukishima spat out a mouthful of blood and plummeted from the sky.
Boss!
A boy with a punk hairstyle ran out from an alleyway, his face paling drastically upon seeing the heavily injured Shukuro Tsukishima.
"Jackpot Knuckle!"
The punk-haired boy shouted, punching the ground before him with the '999' knuckle duster on his right hand.
Boom!
The boy's punch cratered the ground.
Coincidentally, directly in front of the crater stood a utility pole.
Perhaps due to some error by the workers who originally installed it, the concrete around the base of this pole, facing the boy, wasn't properly compacted.
Within the crater created by the punch, the weakened concrete below collapsed, causing the pole to tilt towards him, pulling the attached electrical wires taut.
Many wires snapped, sparking violently.
Even more wires, however, pulled taut by the falling pole, dragged down other poles with them, seemingly determined to take others down in their fall.
A chain reaction of falling poles ensued. One of them struck the corner of a building. Under the combined pull of the other falling poles, this wall collapsed, revealing a large pink bed inside.
Coincidentally, Shukuro Tsukishima, pierced by Ailin's sword, traced an arc through the air and landed directly onto this bed, saving him from further injury upon impact.
Boss!
The punk-haired boy leaped several times, rushing into the room. Seeing Shukuro Tsukishima lying on the bed, he immediately sighed in relief.
This punk-haired boy was a Fullbringer Shukuro Tsukishima had found after leaving Xcution during his charade. After Tsukishima inserted his existence into the boy's past, the boy had come to recognize Tsukishima as his boss.
Shishigawara Moe!
That was the punk-haired boy's name.
His Fullbring, named "Jackpot Knuckle," was an ability that could maximize his "luck" to an extreme degree.
For example, if Shishigawara wanted to destroy a building, a random punch he threw might just happen to hit a crucial structural node.
Destroying this node would trigger a series of chain reactions throughout the building, ultimately causing the entire structure to collapse.
Previously, Shishigawara had thrown that punch with the sole intention of saving his boss, Shukuro Tsukishima. His result didn't disappoint; thanks to his incredible luck, his boss landed safely.
It was precisely because he knew the power of Shishigawara's "luck" ability that Shukuro Tsukishima had no intention of absorbing him into Xcution.
When the others were plundering and absorbing Ichigo Kurosaki's Fullbring power, Shukuro Tsukishima had excluded Shishigawara.
Tsukishima feared that after absorbing Ichigo's Fullbring power, Shishigawara's ability might grow beyond his control, potentially reversing their roles.
However, clearly, Shukuro Tsukishima had underestimated his own importance in Shishigawara's heart.
Even though Shishigawara could guess Tsukishima's motives, he had never held any resentment towards him.
For Shishigawara, the Shukuro Tsukishima who had inserted himself into his past, accompanying him, caring for him, teaching him, was irreplaceable.
Even though Tsukishima ostracized and feared his ability, Shishigawara still served him wholeheartedly.
Could Shishigawara, hiding nearby, not have seen how powerful Ailin and the others were?
But when Shukuro Tsukishima was in danger, he still ran out.
"Oh?"
Seeing Shishigawara, Ailin's eyes lit up.
He had almost forgotten about this fellow.
Shishigawara's ability, in a way, was also bug-level.
It was just that Shishigawara's spiritual pressure was too weak, and he hadn't absorbed the Fullbring powers of numerous other Fullbringers like the rest of Xcution, boosting his strength to a level comparable to the Gotei Thirteen's vice-captains or even captains.
He was just a wild Fullbringer discovered by chance by Shukuro Tsukishima. Only after Tsukishima inserted his existence into Shishigawara's past did he receive guidance in the "past," gaining a better understanding of his own Fullbring.
Under these circumstances, Shishigawara being able to break Ikkaku Madarame's Zanpakutō with a single punch and trade blows with Ikkaku was undeniably impressive.
Ailin was certain that if Shishigawara hadn't been feared and excluded by Shukuro Tsukishima, and had obtained Ichigo Kurosaki's Fullbring power along with the others in Xcution, his strength would have seen a massive increase.
Ichigo Kurosaki's Fullbring allowed one to "externalize" their abilities.
After absorbing Ichigo's Fullbring, the abilities of all the Fullbringers were greatly enhanced. Particularly, Ichigo's Fullbring characteristic allowed them to release their powers remotely.
If Shishigawara had obtained Ichigo Kurosaki's Fullbring characteristic, disregarding the accompanying boost in spiritual pressure, just the ability to attack enemies from a distance would have been terrifying enough.
Ailin took a step, his figure instantly appeared inside the dilapidated room.
"Hah!"
Seeing Ailin appear, a flash of fear crossed Shishigawara's eyes. But seeing the heavily injured Shukuro Tsukishima lying on the bed, Shishigawara still let out a loud yell, swinging his fist towards Ailin.
"Jackpot Knuckle!"
Slap!
Ailin caught Shishigawara's fist with one hand. His immense spiritual pressure clamped down directly on Shishigawara's wrist, preventing the punch from hitting him.
Although Ailin's spiritual pressure far surpassed Shishigawara's—compared to Ailin, Shishigawara's spiritual pressure was less than dust—Ailin wouldn't attribute something like "luck" solely to "spiritual pressure."
Just as he caught Shishigawara's fist, a gust of wind blew outside the house. An advertising billboard on the building opposite suddenly detached and fell from above.
Its trajectory was aimed precisely at Ailin's position.
If things went as expected, Ailin would retreat to avoid the falling billboard, allowing Shishigawara to seize the opportunity to escape with the heavily injured Shukuro Tsukishima.
Unfortunately...
Boom!
Several streaks of lightning flashed consecutively, shattering the rapidly descending billboard.
These came from the spatial ripples connecting to his Unlimited Blade Works that Ailin had opened earlier. Only one Zanpakutō from those ripples had been used to intercept Yasutora Sado's attack; the others had remained waiting.
"Synchronization—Begin!"
Golden patterns emanated from Ailin's hand, rapidly spreading across the knuckle duster on Shishigawara's hand.
In less than an instant, Shishigawara's "Jackpot Knuckle" had been completely analyzed by Ailin.
"Your ability is quite good. Now, I gratefully accept it."
Smiling faintly at Shishigawara, Ailin extended his left hand.
"Projection—Start!"
Golden light bloomed in Ailin's hand. This golden light, like a lump of soft clay, transformed from the shape of a knuckle duster, stretched by Ailin into the form of a Zanpakutō.