Chapter 136: Bankai, Yōdokuga

“Bankai!” Gyokotsu Saiin’s low, hoarse voice echoed.

His reiatsu surged several times over, a suffocating wave that warped the air. Yamabuki Haruto felt a dizzying sweetness in the air after one breath, quickly using Shunpo to retreat from the area.

Gyokotsu released the hilt of his Zanpakutō, and Yōdokuga soared into the sky, undergoing a massive transformation. Its body, once arm-thick, swelled to the size of a water vat, stretching over fifty meters. Six dragonfly-like wings sprouted from its back, its black scales turning crimson and translucent, revealing faintly visible organs—an eerie, terrifying sight.

“Yōdokuga!” Gyokotsu called.

A slit opened on the giant snake’s belly, unveiling a massive eyeball that scanned the surroundings with a resentful, icy gaze.

Gyokotsu stood atop the snake’s head, chuckling. “Young man, if you can use Bankai, hurry up and unleash it!”

If I could use Bankai, you’d be dead already, Haruto thought, his face grim. He hadn’t mastered it yet, a fact that gnawed at him. Gyokotsu Saiin, the first captain of the Thirteenth Division—a legend from the Gotei 13’s founding. How is he still alive?

“From your expression, I can tell you can’t use Bankai yet! That’s a pity. A Shinigami with Bankai and one without are worlds apart! Don’t blame this old man for bullying you! Poison Flame!” At Gyokotsu’s command, Yōdokuga spewed black-purple flames. Haruto, wary of Gyokotsu’s true strength, didn’t dare clash head-on and retreated with Shunpo. The flames hit the ground, withering vegetation instantly. Even stones melted, the residue vaporizing into a poisonous mist that spread, turning the valley into a toxic domain in seconds.

“Spatial Severance!” Haruto slashed fiercely with Gin’ei Tenshi, but Yōdokuga moved like lightning, dodging the strike’s angle with uncanny foresight.

Haruto’s Zanpakutō consumed immense reiatsu, and the prolonged battle had drained him. Normally, he could absorb ambient reishi, but the valley’s air was now laced with venom. Absorbing it risked poisoning himself. Continuing this fight was a losing game.

“Young man! Want to surrender? Stay and be my experiment? Don’t worry, this old man is friendly to youngsters and won’t easily take your life,” Gyokotsu laughed, controlling Yōdokuga to spew more flames. Wherever they landed, the area vaporized into poisonous mist, an endless cycle.

“It seems you haven’t despaired yet, so this old man will make you despair more,” Gyokotsu said, directing Yōdokuga to open its mouth. Instead of flames, it condensed a giant reiatsu egg.

Haruto, unsure of the trick, raised a Bakudō #81: Dankū, bracing for a sneak attack. Yōdokuga spat the egg into the air. It exploded, releasing countless foot-long winged snakes, each red with two wings, swarming toward enemies.

Haruto’s skin crawled. He wasn’t afraid, but these slippery creatures were revolting. Chiyo, pinned to a tree nearby, screamed in fright, her noble-born instincts recoiling at the sight.

“These little darlings of mine are very poisonous; just one bite, and your skin and flesh will fester!” Gyokotsu chuckled.

Haruto’s eyes glinted. Gyokotsu’s reiatsu wasn’t overwhelming, but his methods were deadly. Yōdokuga’s versatility would be a nightmare in war. “Since you don’t care for the young, I won’t respect the old!” Haruto took a deep breath, done holding back.

“Vollständig!” Eight deep blue light wings burst from his body, a Quincy technique amplified by the Soul King fragment he’d consumed, increasing his wings from six to eight and boosting his strength.

A terrifying reiatsu surged, and Gyokotsu’s triumphant grin faltered. This kid’s no ordinary Shinigami.

Facing the swarm of snakes, Haruto raised his hand. A black sphere formed, which he crushed, summoning a massive black wall. “Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi!” The black coffin swallowed the snakes, obliterating them in one go.

A giant reishi bow appeared above his head, but instead of a Reiryoku Arrow, it charged a Cero. “Boom!” The silver light of the Cero pierced the heavens, its power ten times stronger than before.

Gyokotsu felt the pressure, sensing Haruto’s extraordinary nature. “Poison Flame!” he ordered, Yōdokuga spewing flames to counter.

Haruto’s speed surpassed Gyokotsu’s senses. Using Sonído, he appeared like a ghost at Yōdokuga’s abdomen, targeting its giant eyeball. “Shunkō!” His punch erupted with explosive reiatsu, the shockwave shattering the valley like an atomic blast.

Gyokotsu and Yōdokuga were sent flying, but Haruto’s fist corroded from the snake’s venomous blood and scales. Everything about this thing is poison! He severed his left arm with a swing, regenerating it instantly.

Gyokotsu stabilized himself, shock in his eyes. Without his peculiar abilities, that punch would’ve killed him. “Hmph, don’t think this old man will admit defeat just like that! I still have one more move!” He commanded Yōdokuga to devour the surrounding poisonous gas. In seconds, the gas condensed into reiatsu, gathering in the snake’s abdominal eyeball.

Black-purple light flickered ominously.

“You can boast after you block this move of mine! Poison Dragon Cannon!” The eyeball unleashed a purple beam. Its reiatsu alone withered all life nearby.

Haruto didn’t dodge, choosing to meet it head-on. Shinigami, Hollow, Quincy—three powers in one. “Dimensional Severance!”