Looking at Soi Fon before him—her neat short hair, sharp eyes, and her Zanpakutō transformed into a magnificent golden gauntlet.
Hmm... very cool.
Soi Fon instantly appeared in front of Shin, and the golden gauntlet grew larger and larger in his vision.
Swish!
Shin dodged.
After its Shikai, Suzumebachi possessed the ability of Nigeki Kessatsu, but it would be ineffective if the opponent's Reiatsu was too high.
Shin didn't know if he was immune to this ability, but he had no Reiatsu and didn't want to test it.
What if testing it meant death?
Bang... Bang...
Their fists and feet met, creating shockwaves.
Close-quarters combat was not Shin's forte, and engaging in hand-to-hand combat with an assassin was clearly not a wise choice. He only wanted to create distance from Soi Fon, but Soi Fon was equally fast, following him like a shadow.
Shin immediately drew out Nietono no Shana, and a crimson flame exploded from him, forcing Soi Fon to temporarily retreat. The flames did not dissipate. Instead, they formed a giant hand that reached out to crush Soi Fon.
He could now transform the crimson flames into any shape to attack.
Soi Fon dodged with Shunpo, and the giant fiery hand crushed a large tree, burning it to ashes.
"Can't get close?"
"Hadō #33: Sōkatsui!"
White-blue explosive flames flew towards Shin.
Boom!
A black barrier appeared in front of him—this was Yogasaya.
"Captain Soi Fon, this kind of instant low-level Kidō is useless."
"Is that so? Then try this."
With that, Soi Fon's Reiatsu erupted, tearing her clothes at the shoulders and back, and a large amount of Reiatsu swirled around her body like a whirlwind.
Shunko!
After her last encounter with Yoruichi, Soi Fon had gradually perfected this technique.
Soi Fon made no movement, yet the intense wind pressure destroyed the surrounding trees.
The next second, the ground beneath Soi Fon's feet shattered as she swiftly moved in front of Shin, dispelling the crimson flames that surrounded him.
Boom!
The incredibly powerful impact exploded instantly, blasting a large crater in the ground and destroying all the surrounding trees.
Shin hovered in mid-air, using his Wings of Crimson.
A massive flaming katana slashed towards Soi Fon. She met it directly, punching the fiery blade.
The crimson flames spread rapidly under the force of the fierce wind.
Shin looked at the violent girl in her berserk state.
Hmm... it seems a bit difficult to take her down without injuring her.
Therefore, Shin decided to force Soi Fon to use her Bankai. Ulsing Bankai would consume a lot of her stamina, making her easier to deal with.
Tenth Form: Beneficent Radiance!
Shin swung a spinning slash from top to bottom, the blade scorching hot, its dazzling firelight particularly striking in the night forest.
Soi Fon blocked the attack with her Zanpakutō, her right hand trembling uncontrollably.
'Damn it! Even with Shunko, I can't hurt this guy at all?!'
What Soi Fon didn't know was that Shin had been holding back significantly. With his current strength, he could easily kill the current Soi Fon.
"Captain Soi Fon, if you don't unleash your strongest power, I'm leaving."
Shin looked at Soi Fon teasingly. "I have important matters to attend to."
"Don't you dare leave! Where is Yoruichi-sama now?" Soi Fon finally asked the question she most wanted to ask.
Others might not know who that black cat was, but she knew perfectly well. She wanted to ask Yoruichi face-to-face what she intended to do by breaking into Soul Society this time.
She had clearly said last time that she had unavoidable reasons and was not betraying Soul Society.
"Yoruichi? If you can stop me, I'll tell you."
With that, Shin made a move as if to leave.
"Bankai! Suzumebachi Raikōben!"
Soi Fon disregarded everything else and immediately released Suzumebachi's Bankai.
The petite Soi Fon contrasted sharply with the towering golden missile.
The golden missile launched, flying rapidly towards Shin. And Soi Fon herself was propelled backward by the recoil of the missile's launch.
Shin summoned a large amount of crimson flames, forming a massive fiery barrier, and enveloped his body with the Yogasaya. The missile exploded violently the moment it touched the fiery barrier.
A white orb of light expanded continuously, leaving desolation in its wake.
In an instant, the ground shook, a mushroom cloud rose in the forest, and the shockwave destroyed everything around it, spreading throughout Seireitei.
[Mission complete: Defeat Soi Fon, +800 Points]
[Points: 1200]
At this moment, the Shinigami within Seireitei all involuntarily looked towards that forest.
"What was that?!"
"What a terrifying explosion!"
"That's Captain Soi Fon's Reiatsu!"
A large number of Shinigami rushed to the scene, only to see that more than half of the forest had vanished, leaving a massive circular crater in the ground, everything scorched black.
"Captain Soi Fon's Reiatsu has disappeared!"
"Is it that Ryoka who killed Captain Aizen!?"
"Could Captain Soi Fon also be..."
In the distant sky, Shin held the unconscious Soi Fon, smiling bitterly.
Immediately after the explosion, he had taken Soi Fon away from the scene. But he had forgotten that Soi Fon's Bankai would have an enormous recoil. Now, not only was her stamina depleted, but she was also seriously injured.
'I can only take Soi Fon to Yoruichi for healing first.'
Just then, Soi Fon woke up.
Looking at the unharmed Shin, feeling the weakness and pain in her body and the fact that she was being held by him like this, she felt only endless humiliation and shame.
Soi Fon said with difficulty, "You... you quickly let go... of me."
"I can't do that. I'm taking you to see Yoruichi now."
Soi Fon could only silently turn her head away, but tears involuntarily welled up.
—
Yoruichi, in the underground space, felt the violent explosion and intended to go out to check the situation.
She hadn't gone far when she saw Shin and a battered Soi Fon.
Soi Fon grew increasingly angry the more she thought about it, and she fainted again on the way.
Yoruichi felt a headache coming on. "You two didn't fight, did you? How is Soi Fon?"
"Let's go to the underground space first."
In the underground space.
Orihime was already treating Soi Fon.
"Tell me. What exactly happened?"
Shinohara briefly described how he met Soi Fon and how she got injured.
"I didn't hit her hard. I just didn't expect her to be injured by her own Bankai."
Thinking of this, Shin was a bit speechless. He hadn't expected Soi Fon to completely disregard herself just to stop him.
Yoruichi, of course, knew that Shin hadn't seriously harmed Soi Fon, otherwise she wouldn't have been merely injured like this.
"When Soi Fon wakes up, explain things to her."
Shin continued, "Don't let Soi Fon leave during this time. Aizen can't hide for much longer anyway."