At the critical moment, Ashido used the Hollow mask he previously wore to block in front of himself.
Bang!
Ashido was once again repelled by Teres Holcan.
Crack!
A sudden shattering sound was heard.
Ashido's mask turned into fragments.
Ashido stared at the shattered mask, dumbfounded.
This mask was left by his comrades. It is very sturdy and is even capable of blocking Hollow Cero. He always wore it on his face, and during battle, it could also serve as a shield.
"Ashido, are you alright?" Toshiro asked with concern.
"I'm fine, Hitsugaya," Ashido said somewhat despondently.
Although Ashido himself wasn't injured, his mask had shattered.
For Ashido, this mask wasn't just a weapon for battle… it was the only thing left by his comrades after their deaths. It held extraordinary significance to him.
But now it had broken in his hands. Ashido couldn't help but feel a wave of loss and self-blame.
Toshiro comforted, "Ashido, although your mask..."
"Don't say anymore, Hitsugaya. It's good that it broke. Consider it a farewell to the past. From now on, I won't dwell on the past anymore. I'll return to the Soul Society with you and start a new life," Ashido interrupted Toshiro.
"That's good." Seeing Ashido wasn't too heartbroken, Toshiro also breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ashido, do you need me to intervene? This guy's strength seems decent. Relying on you alone to take him down might be a bit difficult," Toshiro inquired.
Judging from Ashido and Teres Holcan's earlier exchange, for Ashido to defeat his opponent alone wouldn't be easy.
"No need, Hitsugaya. Leave this guy to me. I still want to settle things with him. Moreover, he broke my mask… this matter can't just be left like this," Ashido insisted on dealing with Teres Holcan alone.
Although he said he would leave the past behind, after all, Teres Holcan destroyed the mask left by his comrades. Deep down, Ashido wanted to personally slay Teres Holcan to give his deceased comrades closure.
"Alright," Toshiro nodded helplessly.
However, although Toshiro superficially agreed with Ashido, if Ashido were truly in danger, Toshiro would definitely intervene.
"Hmph, you're really taking it easy, aren't you? Rushing to die one after another?" Teres Holcan said angrily.
Both Toshiro and Ashido were rushing to deal with him, as if he were some pushover.
But wasn't he clearly gaining the upper hand in the fight against Ashido?
Toshiro and Ashido's attitude truly infuriated him.
Toshiro completely ignored Teres Holcan. To him, Teres Holcan was a pushover, and crushing him wouldn't take much effort.
Ashido also didn't waste words with Teres Holcan, charging directly forward.
Seeing this, Teres Holcan's tail suddenly split into over a dozen tentacles, then stabbed towards Ashido like sharp swords.
Shunpo!
Ashido's figure flickered, directly disappearing from Teres Holcan's sight, causing his attack to miss.
Then, Ashido's figure suddenly reappeared, sharp sword light flashing.
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
After a flurry of blade flashes, the tentacles formed by Teres Holcan's tail were all severed by Ashido.
Then, Ashido's figure rapidly closed in on Teres Holcan and slashed at his vital points.
Seeing this, Teres Holcan hurriedly twisted his body and retreated.
Swish!
Ashido's blade light flashed like a shooting star.
Schlick!
A wound appeared on Teres Holcan's body.
Although Teres Holcan dodged fairly timely, avoiding vital spots, Ashido still left a not-so-shallow wound on him.
After being wounded by Ashido, Teres Holcan was enraged.
Cero!
Powerful Reiryoku converged at Teres Holcan's mouth, forming a red Cero that blasted towards Ashido.
Whoosh!
The red Reiatsu pillar attacked Ashido with thunderous force.
Seeing this, Ashido also gathered all his Reiryoku, then unleashed a wave of Kenatsu towards Teres Holcan's Cero.
Boom!
Ashido's Kenatsu was utterly shattered by Teres Holcan's Cero, which continued towards Ashido.
Although Ashido's overall combat power could rival Captain-level, his Reiatsu wasn't strong. In such Reiatsu clashes, he was completely no match for Teres Holcan.
As a Captain-level Adjuchas, Teres Holcan's Cero, while appearing similar to a Gillian's red Cero, was in no way comparable in power.
Seeing his Kenatsu easily destroyed by Teres Holcan's Cero, Ashido quickly flickered, using Shunpo to evade Teres Holcan's Cero.
Boom!
Wherever Teres Holcan's Cero passed, all trees and rocks vanished into nothingness.
This demonstrated Teres Holcan's considerable strength.
Seeing this, Ashido immediately changed his tactics. He stopped competing in Reiatsu with Teres Holcan and instead used his agile, rapid Shunpo and concise, fierce swordsmanship to engage Teres Holcan in hit-and-run tactics.
Schlick! Schlick! Schlick!
Faced with Ashido's swift, nimble Shunpo and fierce, effective swordsmanship, Teres Holcan had no good countermeasures. Thus, he continuously suffered wounds from Ashido's slashes.
These wounds weren't very deep, not immediately fatal, but accumulating continuously, Teres Holcan would eventually die under Ashido's blade.
At this point, Teres Holcan took advantage of a gap in Ashido's attack, hastily using Sonído to widen the distance from Ashido.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Teres Holcan panted heavily, blood flowing unceasingly from numerous wounds.
"Ashido, you despicable bastard! If you have the guts, fight me head-on! What's the point of running around like a rat!" Teres Holcan said furiously.
Ashido kept using his speed and swordsmanship advantages to entangle him, never engaging head-on, preventing Teres Holcan from utilizing his strength in reiatsu.
"Naive! This is a life-and-death battle. Why would I pit my weaknesses against your strengths?" The usually taciturn Ashido surprisingly mocked Teres Holcan.
"You're right. In battle, to win, even using all means possible isn't despicable. Hehehe..." Teres Holcan suddenly chuckled maliciously.
"Everyone, attack! Kill them!" Teres Holcan suddenly shouted to all the Hollows behind him.
The other Hollows, hearing Teres Holcan's order, swarmed towards Toshiro and Ashido.
"Hmph, this farce should end now," Toshiro, who had been observing from the sidelines, suddenly spoke.