Chapter 342: Burning Dragon Cannon
A roar of draconic fury shook every living being throughout the Soul Society. Even those who had not witnessed the attack with their own eyes somehow found the image of a colossal dragon flashing through their minds.
The Sky Flame erupted brilliantly over the western side of the Seireitei. Every chunk of ice formed by Tsuna’s Dying Will Zero Point Breakthrough was shattered by the explosion, and an entire corner of the western Seireitei was left utterly devastated by the attack.
Under the impact of the Burning Dragon Cannon, this place had become yet another ruined corner of the Seireitei.
“Sawada Tsunayoshi, how did you people find this man?”
Perched on a large boulder closest to the western side, Senjumaru Shutara gazed listlessly at the devastation before her. Even she had no confidence that she could survive an explosion of such magnitude.
“He is a human from the World of the Living. We didn’t seek him out. He simply appeared before us on his own.”
Yamamoto’s voice trembled slightly as he spoke. Clearly, even he had been deeply shaken by the explosion before them.
“You trust him just like that? You are willing to oppose the Soul King Palace for his sake?”
Senjumaru was filled with doubt.
“And what of it? You have seen his strength yourself. Do we even have the right to resist him? It is no different from facing Squad Zero.”
Yamamoto’s rhetorical question left Senjumaru speechless. After a moment, she gave a bitter smile.
“You already possess the strength to oppose Squad Zero. Kisuke Urahara is the best proof of that. But you, former Captain-Commander… have you also acquired such power?”
Throughout Senjumaru’s Bankai, Yamamoto had remained seated cross-legged in the same spot. The only one who had actually fought Senjumaru was Kisuke Urahara.
Yamamoto’s calm demeanor had inevitably made Senjumaru wonder whether he possessed an equally formidable power.
Yamamoto did not directly answer her question. Instead, he continued addressing her previous point.
“This power was brought to us by Sawada Tsunayoshi.”
Senjumaru was somewhat taken aback.
Then she heard him continue.
“Since Sawada Tsunayoshi arrived, in a mere six months, the strength of the Gotei 13 has increased at a rate far beyond what could have been achieved through a century of accumulation. Tell me, should an old man like me not trust him?”
“Whether he harbors good intentions or carries malice, it was Sawada Tsunayoshi who set the windmill of the Seireitei moving again after nearly a thousand years of stagnation. Whether the road ahead leads to Heaven or Hell, this old man is willing to take the gamble. That is the choice of the entire Gotei 13!”
Senjumaru remained silent for a long time.
To be honest, the Soul King Palace could also rapidly increase the strength of the Gotei 13. But Senjumaru knew very well that the Soul King Palace—or rather, the Monk—would never bother with something so meaningless.
The stronger the Seireitei became, the harder it would be for them to control it.
“From this old man’s personal perspective, he could have remained comfortably in the World of the Living, yet instead he has devoted himself to the Soul Society day and night. He accomplished something even I, as Captain-Commander, was unable to accomplish. I am willing to believe that he is a good kid.”
Senjumaru’s pupils trembled.
A sudden possibility occurred to her.
“Could it be that, after Shunsui Kyōraku…”
“Shutara Senjumaru.”
Yamamoto interrupted her speculation.
“The skylight that Squad Zero kept shut has been opened today. In the future, more and more Shinigami will complete Zanpakutō fusion. When that time comes, what will Squad Zero do?”
Senjumaru fell silent.
Forget the future—even now, the five members of Squad Zero were already being watched closely. If even more Shinigami completed Zanpakutō fusion, Squad Zero would no longer be able to restrain the Gotei 13.
“Heh. There is no point telling me these things. Even I am merely a pawn of circumstances…”
Bitterness welled up inside Senjumaru.
If Sawada Tsunayoshi had appeared earlier, would she still have chosen to ascend to Squad Zero?
Perhaps not.
Developing her own abilities like Kisuke Urahara had—wouldn’t that be far more tempting than having the Monk promise her the Soul King’s power and create an Ōken-infused body?
“This old man was merely speaking his thoughts after seeing the situation before him.”
Yamamoto stared unwaveringly at the vast cloud of smoke before them, hoping to learn what had happened to the Monk immediately after Tsunayoshi’s attack.
Yamamoto had even placed his hand on Ryūjin Jakka.
If Sawada Tsunayoshi could not finish the Monk even after using all his strength, Yamamoto had no qualms about revealing his own power before Senjumaru and becoming the one to deliver the finishing blow.
Unlike Yamamoto, who had to wait for the smoke to clear, Tsunayoshi had not stopped moving even though he was at the very heart of the explosion.
He activated Sonído, using its near-teleportation speed to rush toward the location indicated by his instincts. He raised his leg high and viciously brought it down in a powerful axe kick.
BAM!
The unmistakable sensation of striking something solid confirmed that Tsunayoshi’s instincts had been correct.
The Monk was not dead.
He had even managed to block Tsunayoshi’s kick.
The shockwave from the attack dispersed some of the smoke, allowing Tsunayoshi to see the Monk’s current condition.
His Zanpakutō had been broken in half. His Shihakushō had been reduced to little more than a fragment covering one shoulder. Severe burns covered his entire body, while a steady stream of water flowed over his wounds, restoring his injuries.
Too slow.
Compared to Tenjirō Kirinji’s recovery technique, which could restore injuries almost instantly by washing them with his waterfall-like healing waters, the Monk’s recovery was painfully slow.
There was nothing he could do about it.
He had brought this upon himself.
The Monk had used all of the hot springs to restrict Tsunayoshi’s movements, only for Tsunayoshi to freeze them and then obliterate them completely with the Burning Dragon Cannon.
The small amount of water available now was water the Monk had forcibly extracted using the remaining power of Kirinji.
Without those healing springs, he would not even have been able to defend himself against Tsunayoshi’s attacks.
“Sawada… Tsunayoshi…”
The Monk glared furiously at Tsunayoshi.
His speech was slightly slurred because half of his face had been burned away by the flames.
“What? Still going to look down on my power?”
Naturally, those words had not come from Tsunayoshi.
White-haired Byakuran controlled the White Dragon Armored Gauntlet, making it open its mouth and taunt the Monk.
Seeing the Monk in such a miserable state was even more satisfying to him than seeing the man dead. At least this way, he could watch the Monk become furious.
Sure enough, Byakuran’s taunt caused a fire to rise in the Monk’s chest, leaving him unable to vent his frustration.
Tsunayoshi had no time for Byakuran’s amusement.
His body twisted in midair, the Sky Flame once again surging around him as he launched into a relentless barrage of punches and kicks against the Monk.
He had to seize this opportunity and beat his weakened opponent while he could.
No one knew whether this thousands-of-years-old old fox still had another trump card.
The Monk, however, had no way to explain the bitter truth.
If he could read Tsunayoshi’s thoughts, he would have opened his mouth and told him:
There are no more trump cards!
The entirety of Squad Zero had been blasted away by a single attack. What trump card could he possibly have left?
But that wasn’t entirely true.
Even while being beaten senseless, the Monk’s mind continued working rapidly.
He truly was a Shinigami whom Yhwach had once recognized for his wisdom.
As the beating continued, the Monk could clearly sense that although his clothes had been destroyed and his muscles battered, the truly vital parts of his body had suffered surprisingly little damage.
That was the body reinforced by the Soul King’s power.
The Monk’s screams gradually faded.
In their place appeared a sharp glint hidden beneath his swollen eyes.
The Soul King’s power truly did stand above all else.
Even a tiny fragment of the Soul King’s internal organs was enough to stabilize his physical body.
If… if he could obtain more of that power, could he really kill Sawada Tsunayoshi?
As the Monk was sent flying backward, he looked up and saw a clear sky.
High above that sky stood the Seventy-Two Barriers.
Beyond those barriers was the Soul King Palace, the Ōmaeda Palace…
[Tsunayoshi, something isn’t right.]The Tenth said.
[I noticed it too. Whether we attack his internal organs or his Chain of Fate, neither seems to have any effect on him.]
Tsunayoshi was worried as well.
Destroying the Monk’s less vital body parts did not make him feel safe. The ideal solution would be to preserve the Monk’s head and then seal him with the Sky Flame.
[There’s a strange power protecting his body. It’s the Soul King’s power.]Byakuran became serious as well.
At a time like this, they could not afford to let the Monk turn the tables.
[Then is there really nothing we can do against him?]Tsunayoshi asked.
[Didn’t he want to turn Little Tsuna into a cripple without limbs? Why don’t we do the same to him?]Byakuran suddenly had an idea.
[Keep his head and torso? The risk might be too great…]the Tenth said.
The fragment of the Soul King’s power inside the Monk’s body remained a hidden danger.
[Do you have a better idea?]Byakuran spread his hands.
[Then let’s do it!]
As the owner of the body, Tsunayoshi made the decision immediately.
There was no time for hesitation.
[Then leave it to you two, Vongola. I’ll provide support!]Byakuran said.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to steal the spotlight again. He simply needed some time to recover after unleashing the Burning Dragon Cannon.
[Understood. Tsunayoshi, Operation X!]
[Got it!]
The conflict taking place inside Tsunayoshi’s mind was something the Monk knew nothing about.
He gritted his teeth, raised the broken half of his Zanpakutō before himself and Tsunayoshi, and directly detonated Ōetsu Nimaiya’s remaining power.
BOOM!
The explosion itself was nowhere near powerful enough to injure Tsunayoshi, whose cloak provided ample protection.
However, the ink produced by the exploding Zanpakutō managed to obstruct Tsunayoshi’s movements for a brief moment.
With a sharp whoosh, the Monk shot upward like a bolt of lightning.
Without even looking back, he flew toward the sky.
He tore away the scraps of cloth hanging from his body, spat out a mouthful of ink, and then detonated the remaining power of Senjumaru Shutara and Kirio Hikifune in succession.
All of it was done to buy himself the slightest amount of time to escape.
“Damn it!”
Seeing the Monk flee, Yamamoto rose to his feet.
He was about to press Ryūjin Jakka against his body when he suddenly sensed a calm and harmonious Reiatsu.
Yamamoto stopped.
He recognized that Reiatsu as Tsunayoshi’s.
It did not feel particularly powerful, yet an inexplicable sense of dread stirred within Yamamoto’s heart.
Tsunayoshi stood with his legs spread apart, both hands raised high.
The Propulsion Boots on his feet fired two streams of even lighter, gentler Sky Flame.
Meanwhile, deep orange energy gathered within the Armored Gauntlets held above his head.
From a distance, Yamamoto saw Tsunayoshi using himself as the center of an X-shaped stance, his attack aimed directly at the Monk high in the sky.
Within the compressed Reiatsu contained in his Armored Gauntlets, Yamamoto could faintly hear the roars of lions.
If Yamamoto could sense it, then the Monk—whose perception was even sharper now that he had been empowered by the Soul King’s power—could naturally sense it as well.
His eyes widened until they nearly split at the corners.
The expression on his face was not anger.
It was terror.
The Monk could feel that Tsunayoshi’s next attack possessed power no weaker than the Burning Dragon Cannon.
Damn it!
Where does this kid get so many devastating attacks?!
The Monk had no time to think.
Fortunately, with Kirinji’s power supporting him, his movement speed was astonishingly fast.
He slammed headfirst into the first of the Seventy-Two Barriers.
A power that stood above all things was something even the barrier could not withstand.
The Monk smashed straight through the obstacle and continued ascending without losing momentum.
Meanwhile, far below the barriers, Tsunayoshi had completed charging his Reiatsu.
There was no need for further preparation.
This attack…
would hit its target without fail.
True X-Burner!