Chapter 284 - 284 Captain's Enemy Is My Enemy!
Having decided on a countermeasure, Toshiro immediately acted.
[Shunkuho!]
Toshiro fully utilized his Shunkuho. His figure flickered continuously, afterimages appearing and disappearing as he rapidly closed in on Gin.
Speed had always been Toshiro's forte. At full power, Gin couldn't even distinguish which shadow was the real Toshiro, let alone attack.
Although Gin's Zanpakuto could extend at dozens of times the speed of sound, it didn't mean Gin himself could move that fast.
Facing the countless approaching afterimages, Gin's grip on his Zanpakuto wavered, unsure where to aim.
"If I can't tell which is real, then destroy them all!" Gin said fiercely.
Swish swish swish!!
Gin's Zanpakuto extended and retracted countless times in an instant, piercing every afterimage.
However, every attack missed because none of the afterimages were the real Toshiro.
"What?!" Gin said incredulously.
At that moment, Gin suddenly felt a deadly sense of crisis from behind.
At the last moment, Gin quickly turned. He saw Toshiro swinging Hyorinmaru at him. Hyorinmaru was concentrated with high-density Reiatsu, crackling with energy that clearly indicated immense power.
Seeing this, Gin's heart chilled. He hastily gathered power into his Zanpakuto and met Toshiro's attack.
Clang!
Blades clashed. The immense force directly sent Gin flying.
Although Gin had used Bankai and his Reiatsu was Advanced Captain-level, caught off guard, he couldn't muster full power.
Toshiro's Ice Dragon Flash, condensed without release, concentrated power greatly, enhancing its slashing force while consuming little Reiatsu.
Swish!
While Gin was still mid-air, Toshiro's figure flashed, appearing beneath him. Then, with an upward slash, he attacked Gin again.
Mid-air, Gin could only hastily position his Zanpakuto in front to block.
Clang!
Unsurprisingly, Gin was sent flying again.
"Icicle Birds!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!
Ice pellets shot towards Gin like swift birds.
"Dance of a Thousand Blades!" Blade flashes flickered again. Kamishini no Yari extended and retracted repeatedly, stabbing at the incoming ice pellets like a storm.
However, mid-air and unable to maneuver easily, Gin was ultimately hit by the ice pellets.
Thud!
The powerful force of the ice pellets slammed Gin to the ground, his Zanpakuto flying from his grasp.
"Pfft!" Gin spat out a mouthful of blood, which froze into crimson ice crystals before hitting the ground.
Crack crack crack!!
Gin struggled to stand, but the intense cold energy within the ice pellets instantly erupted, freezing his legs solid, rendering him immobile. Even with his full strength, he couldn't break free.
"Cough cough..." Gin coughed up blood continuously.
"Yare yare, defeating me without even using Bankai... Should I say, 'as expected of Captain Hitsugaya'?" Gin said with a bitter smile.
"Hmph, my power is beyond your comprehension. Do you regret it now, Ichimaru Gin? But even if you do, it's too late." Toshiro said indifferently.
Truthfully, as an Advanced Captain-level expert, defeating Gin shouldn't have been so easy. Toshiro easily defeated Gin without using Bankai primarily due to his speed.
Generally, aside from Zanpakuto that specifically enhance speed, a Shinigami's speed doesn't increase much between Shikai and Bankai.
Because Shunpo is just a technique utilizing Reiatsu, its consumption isn't that terrifying. So, whether released or not, a Shinigami can generally sustain Shunpo's Reiatsu consumption during battle.
Thus, whether a Zanpakuto is released doesn't greatly affect a Shinigami's speed. With Shunkuho, Toshiro was likely the fastest Shinigami, and even Yoruichi wasn't his match.
So, even without Bankai, Toshiro's speed far surpassed Gin's.
As for Reiatsu, since Toshiro's overall strength far exceeded Gin's, even without Bankai, his Reiatsu wasn't much inferior.
With comparable Reiatsu and overwhelming speed, Toshiro could easily triumph.
If the opponent were Yoruichi, and Toshiro only used Shikai, he could still defeat her, but achieving such a quick, easy victory would be very difficult.
This wasn't to say Yoruichi was necessarily stronger than Gin. Although both were Advanced Captain-level, Yoruichi's speed surpassed Gin's. While Toshiro's speed also surpassed Yoruichi's, it wasn't an overwhelming advantage that left her unable to react.
Tap, tap, tap...
Toshiro walked step by step towards Gin, his Zanpakuto dragging on the ground, creating sparks.
"Ichimaru Gin, remember this. In your next life, don't oppose me again." Toshiro said.
Severely injured, Zanpakuto lost, legs frozen… even if Gin wanted to counterattack, he couldn't. Hearing Toshiro, Gin closed his eyes, appearing resigned to his fate.
'Mission failed... Aizen will surely be displeased... Well, whatever. I'm about to die anyway... Just didn't expect to die not in the fight to assassinate Aizen and avenge Rangiku, but at the hands of Rangiku's Captain... How ironic...'
Whoosh!
Just as Gin closed his eyes, a figure suddenly appeared on the scene.
Hearing the commotion, Gin instinctively opened his eyes.
"Rangiku!" "Rangiku!" Toshiro and Gin exclaimed simultaneously.
"Sorry, Captain! Although you told me not to come, I couldn't rest easy, so I hurried over." Rangiku said apologetically.
"No, it's fine. Since you're here, you're here..." Although saying this, Toshiro couldn't help but frown.
With Rangiku here, killing Gin in front of her would be problematic.
Seeing Toshiro's troubled expression, Rangiku shook her head. "Captain, you needn't be troubled! I already asked Momo. This matter is entirely Gin's… no, Captain Ichimaru's fault. So I completely understand your feelings. Even if you want to kill Captain Ichimaru, I have no complaints!"
"But Captain Ichimaru is still the Captain of the 3rd Division. If you kill him, explaining to the Captain-Commander would be difficult. So... let me do it!" Rangiku said, her voice trembling slightly.
"I am your Lieutenant. So the Captain's will is my will. The Captain's enemy is my enemy, even if it's Captain Ichimaru..."
"So, to prevent Captain Ichimaru's blood from staining your hands... let me end this!" Rangiku said, her voice sorrowful yet firm.