Chapter 37: Monster
Golden spirit particle pulses spread outward, instantly shattering the buildings within the Soul King's Court, reducing them to their most basic spirit particle form.
The spirit particle pulse moved at incredible speed, expanding from the First Division's garrison with unstoppable force, soon reaching the nearby Fifth and Third Divisions.
As the spirit particle pulse swept through, the dozen or so Shinigami on the streets had no time to dodge. They were instantly engulfed, their bodies shattered and disintegrated by the pulse.
If viewed from above, one would see a golden ring rapidly expanding, leaving nothing but desolation in its wake.
Boom!
Flames shot into the sky, and within the fire stood an old man with bulging muscles. His Zanpakutō blazed with fierce flames.
These towering flames blocked part of the spirit particle pulse, but its range was too vast. Even someone as powerful as Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni couldn't fully contain it.
The orange flames and golden spirit particle pulse clashed, their internal spirit particles gradually neutralizing each other as they eroded one another.
Just as Yamamoto Genryūsai, Zanpakutō in hand, prepared to charge into the spirit particle pulse, a figure shot out from within it.
Yamamoto Genryūsai caught the figure flying out of the pulse, blood splattering onto him.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
The figure in Yamamoto Genryūsai's hands let out a few coughs, her body covered in fine, dense wounds.
"Bai Ye... he's in the central area. He did this."
Sōsuke Aizen spoke between coughs, spitting out several mouthfuls of blood. As an assassin-type Shinigami, her constitution wasn't strong. Surviving within the spirit particle pulse was only thanks to Hana-chan blocking in front of her.
"Is that so."
Yamamoto Genryūsai's aged face showed no anger, nor any surprise. He had already made his decision—reducing casualties now was the priority.
Yamamoto Genryūsai stepped forward, the spirit particle pulse surging from ahead. As the pulse met his flames, the collision produced a deafening explosion.
At the center of the spirit particle pulse, Su Xiao remained in a hands-clasped position, maintaining the energy pulse's outward expansion.
Five golden spirit particle orbs floated around Su Xiao—the remnants of those five high-purity spirit particle spheres after they shattered.
Close observation would reveal that the ground beneath Su Xiao's feet was covered in patterns of varying sizes. This was actually a large alchemical formation, with Su Xiao as its core. The five high-purity orbs provided the energy consumption for the formation's operation, while the spirit particle pulse was generated by thousands of low-purity spirit particle spheres.
To maintain this alchemical formation, Su Xiao had to remain at its core. When the five spirit particle orbs around him disappeared, the entire formation would fail.
Su Xiao naturally sensed Yamamoto Genryūsai and the others entering the spirit particle pulse. That old man was truly a monster. The Shinigami who had been blown away by the pulse were not only forced out but also severely injured, some even dying. Yet this old man had charged straight in.
"Woof!"
Bubu Wang barked loudly. This time, it couldn't stay calm like an old dog, because it had already seen Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni.
Cyan steel shadow energy surged from Su Xiao's body, quickly transforming into the Proud Song form, shaped and compressed into a bladeless sword.
The energy blade stabbed downward, eventually piercing Momo Hinamori's back. Since she was at the center of the spirit particle pulse, she hadn't been affected by it.
Not only Momo Hinamori, but one other person hadn't been affected by the spirit particle pulse—Rangiku Matsumoto. This was repaying a favor to Ichimaru Gin. When Su Xiao was setting up the spirit particle spheres in the Soul King's Court, Ichimaru Gin had given him full clearance.
"Mmm, mmm~"
Rangiku Matsumoto, bound tightly by spirit particle threads, tried to struggle, but once the spirit particle pulse spread, she lost all ability to resist. In this spirit particle storm, she couldn't even release her Shikai, and was easily defeated by Bubu Wang.
"For disobedient brats, this old man shows no mercy."
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni advanced within the spirit particle pulse, his Zanpakutō raised high. The blazing flames of Ryūjin Jakka roared, and as he swung it down, the flames converged into a massive pillar aimed at Su Xiao. This was his slash, but within the spirit particle storm, it was impossible to resist. However, Yamamoto Genryūsai had endured the spirit particle pulse to reach this point. The spirit particle storm and the spirit particle pulse were entirely different—the former was the chaotic flow at the formation's center, the latter a means of killing enemies.
Su Xiao naturally saw Yamamoto Genryūsai approaching. His left hand snapped, and a spirit particle orb shot toward his palm.
"Fission."
As Su Xiao's words fell, a golden beam shot from his palm, heading straight for Yamamoto Genryūsai.
For Yamamoto Genryūsai to move within the spirit particle pulse was already extremely difficult, let alone dodging the high-density spirit particle beam—it was fundamentally impossible.
If Yamamoto Genryūsai released his Bankai, Su Xiao would undoubtedly die here. But releasing Ryūjin Jakka's Bankai in this high-density spirit particle zone wouldn't just blow a few divisions' garrisons sky-high—it could level half of the Soul Society.
Boom!
Flames clashed with high-concentration spirit particles. Yamamoto Genryūsai didn't retreat a single step, the flames surging around him. Even from ten meters away, Su Xiao could feel the heat on his skin.
"I've been waiting for you."
Su Xiao waved his hand, and the remaining four spirit particle orbs around him floated toward Yamamoto Genryūsai. The old man, who had just been about to slash with his Zanpakutō to shatter these four orbs, immediately stopped.
Yamamoto Genryūsai didn't destroy these four spirit particle orbs. Instead, he used flames to envelop them, the orbs gradually being consumed by the fire. As the orbs were consumed, the spirit particle pulse spreading outward weakened by half.
These four spirit particle orbs were the energy supply points for the large alchemical formation. In principle, they were like "batteries." What would happen if one violently destroyed a "battery"? Even Su Xiao didn't know. But if he cut off the "battery" and continuously consumed its internal "charge," the spirit particle pulse formation would soon stop.
After tossing out the four spirit particle orbs, Su Xiao gave Bubu Wang a look, meaning: handle things here, and we'll meet in the forest of the Rukongai later.
Su Xiao pulled a massive object from the adventure group's storage space. Its volume was too large, making it inconvenient in personal storage.
Clack. Clack.
Su Xiao quickly adjusted this massive object, which was entirely made of alloy. In less than two seconds, he leaped into it.
"Mechanical M, if your creation isn't reliable, I'll skin you alive when we get back."
As Su Xiao spoke, a wave of flames surged toward him, causing slight burns on his skin. Before the flames arrived, he slapped the activation button.
Sss~
The activation button was already glowing red-hot.
Clang!
Like a hammer striking an iron plate, Su Xiao shot out with a whoosh, surrounded by a counter shield. The circular counter shield broke through layers of air resistance, disappearing into the sky in an instant.
Flames spread, and the alloy machinery melted into molten iron in moments.
The spirit particle pulse gradually subsided. Su Xiao was nowhere to be found, and Yamamoto Genryūsai didn't know where he had gone. Clearly, the old man who had been chasing him had lost his target.