Chapter 282 - 282 Gin's Bankai
Boom!
A pillar of Reiatsu shot into the sky. Dark clouds gathered, blotting out the moon hanging at the horizon. The Seireitei, which had been fairly bright under the moonlight, seemed swallowed by an ancient beast, plunged into boundless darkness.
Simultaneously, Toshiro's immense Reiatsu formed a violent storm sweeping outwards.
Gin's tattered Captain's Haori flapped wildly in the gale.
"Ara ara, has it really reached this level? I'll probably regret this so much I won't sleep for ten nights..."
"But... just a little longer... just a little longer is enough..." Gin muttered with a grave expression.
At that moment, Kira, who had withdrawn from the battlefield and stood on the roof of a distant building, also watched the earth-shattering scene with awe.
"What a spectacular sight... and even altering the weather... This is the second time I've seen it..."
"This is what Toshiro possesses... the Strongest Ice-type Zanpakuto… Hyorinmaru!" Kira murmured.
Seeing this grand yet familiar scene, Kira couldn't help but recall their training mission in the Living World.
To this day, Kira clearly remembered when he, Momo, Renji, and the others were in danger, on the brink of despair. It was Toshiro who saved them. And to protect them and the other students, Toshiro, then only Lieutenant-level, fought a bloody battle against a Captain-level Adjuchas.
The key was Toshiro won. That time, Kira first witnessed Hyorinmaru's Shikai. That time, Kira began to admire Toshiro.
…
1st Division.
"This Reiatsu is... Toshiro, and... Ichimaru Gin?" Yamamoto said, startled and puzzled.
"What happened? Why are Toshiro and Ichimaru Gin fighting?" Yamamoto wondered, confused.
Two Captains of the Gotei 13 fighting, one of them the Vice-Captain-Commander, and during this sensitive period with a Captain murdered and intruders invading… this was no small matter!
"But right now, the most important thing is to stop them!" Although as Captain-Commander, he usually stayed at the 1st Division overseeing everything, with this happening, Yamamoto couldn't remain seated.
Then, Yamamoto immediately used Shunpo, his figure vanishing from the spot.
Simultaneously, the Captain of the 2nd Division, the Captain of the 4th Division, the Captain of the 6th Division... etc., upon detecting Toshiro and Gin's Reiatsu, also rushed towards the battlefield.
"It's over! Ichimaru Gin!!" Toshiro shouted.
Then, an ice dragon dozens of meters long, formed from Toshiro's Reiatsu, charged fiercely at Gin.
Seeing the oncoming dragon, Gin instinctively tightened his grip on his Zanpakuto.
"Shoot to Kill, Shinso!!"
Whoosh!
Gin's Zanpakuto extended again, stabbing at the charging ice dragon.
Clang!
Gin's extended blade struck the ice dragon, producing a clear sound.
But aside from some ice shards falling off, the dragon was unaffected. The immense impact force transmitted through Gin's Zanpakuto to his body, forcing him back continuously, his feet grinding shallow grooves into the ground.
Crackle crackle...!!
Gin was horrified to find his Zanpakuto covered in a thick layer of ice crystals, which were spreading along the blade towards him.
"Damn!" Gin's pupils contracted. Unless he abandoned his Zanpakuto immediately, he'd be frozen. And once frozen by Toshiro's ice, Gin had no confidence of breaking free.
But even with his Zanpakuto, he was no match for Toshiro. Abandoning it would be like surrendering to death.
"No choice!" In an instant, Gin made his decision.
"Bankai! Kamishini no Yari!" Gin decisively used Bankai.
Boom! A powerful Reiatsu erupted from Gin's body, his strength instantly increasing more than tenfold.
The powerful Reiatsu directly shattered the ice freezing his Zanpakuto.
"Hah!" Gin shouted, stamping his right foot hard on the ground, finally halting his retreat.
Then, his Zanpakuto retracted. His body instantly twisted right, sidestepping to avoid the ice dragon.
Boom! The ice dragon crashed into a building behind Gin, but the powerful freezing force directly turned it into a massive iceberg.
Although the dragon hit the building, it didn't vanish. Under Toshiro's control, it attacked Gin again.
"Dance of a Thousand Blades!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...!!
Countless blade flashes flickered. In just an instant, Gin's Zanpakuto extended and retracted countless times.
Clatter clatter clatter...!! Layers of ice fell from the dragon until it was completely pierced and shattered.
"Huff... huff... huff..." Gin panted heavily, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.
'To think... just an ice dragon formed from Reiatsu... is already this powerful... I can't imagine how strong he'd be after using Bankai...' Gin thought bitterly.
Although he destroyed the ice dragon, Gin felt no pride.
Because he only shattered it after using Bankai, and not with one strike, but after countless thrusts.
'I must find a way to delay. If Hitsugaya Toshiro goes all out, I definitely won't last more than a few moves...' Gin thought to himself.
"Say, Captain Hitsugaya, do you know how far my Zanpakuto 'Shinso' can extend?" Gin suddenly spoke.
"Hmph, that's irrelevant. No matter how far it extends, it won't change your fate of defeat and death today!" Toshiro said coldly.
"In Shikai, it's about the length of one hundred swords. So, long ago, I was called Hundred Sword Style." Gin didn't mind Toshiro's attitude and explained on his own.
"And after Bankai, how far can it extend? In human units, it's… 13 kilometers!" Gin answered his own question.
Then, Gin suddenly swung his Zanpakuto.
Swish!
Gin's Zanpakuto instantly extended, slicing a tall building a kilometer away in half.
"How about it? Is my Bankai worthy of Captain Hitsugaya's attention?" Gin asked, as if showing off.
Seeing this strike, Toshiro's pupils also contracted slightly, showing a hint of shock.
"Truly impressive extension speed." Toshiro praised.
"Oh? You immediately grasped the most crucial aspect of my Bankai?" Gin said, surprised.
"As expected of Captain Hitsugaya. As you guessed, my Bankai's greatest strength isn't its length or destructive power, but its speed!"
Clap! Gin suddenly clapped his hands once, making a crisp sound.
"Hear that? After Bankai, my Zanpakuto's extension and retraction speed is five hundred times the speed of sound!" Gin declared proudly.