Chapter 96: Mashiro Kuna

Mashiro Kuna's strength is formidable, having served as the vice-captain who surpassed Kaname Tōsen seventy-one years ago. Although Kaname Tōsen concealed his true strength at that time, Mashiro Kuna is no slouch. After Hollowfication, her combat capabilities are greatly enhanced.

She can effortlessly defeat Adjuchas-level Menos Grande, and she's capable of kicking to death Wonderweiss's companion, Hooleer, a massive one-eyed creature that aided Aizen's escape from the Soul Society. Even the toenails on its limbs are equivalent to the masks of Gillians.

[Hooleer - img]

[Hooleer appears in the Garganta behind the Gillians rescuing Sōsuke Aizen. - img]

Hooleer can extinguish the flames of Yamamoto's Jōkaku Enjō with a single breat(Regüeldo)h, and it can release a large number of Adjuchas-level Menos Grande. Its size is unmatched among the Hollows.

[Hooleer extinguishes Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's Jōkaku Enjō with Regüeldo. - img]

But being kicked to death by Mashiro Kuna is enough to prove her strength.

[Mashiro uses Mashiro Super Kick on Hooleer. - img]

In today's fight, Mashiro Kuna refrained from using her Zanpakuto, and Yamahiko also abstained from using his. He didn't employ Shunko or Kido either.

Despite this, he found himself nearly kicked to death by Mashiro Kuna, a testament to her strength.

After standing up, he took a step, his figure crossed the space between the two, and in an instant, he appeared behind Mashiro Kuna, delivering a punch.

Mashiro Kuna immediately leaned forward to avoid this blow, while lifting her right foot to deliver a direct kick.

"Too fast."

Boom.

Yamahiko could only block with his arms as Mashiro kicked him, the tremendous force sending him flying backward.

"This strength is overwhelming."

Yamahiko climbed up from the ground, rubbing his slightly sore arms. Before he could fully stand, a figure descended from above, and a long leg came down like a battle axe.

Yamahiko recognized the move as the one used to kill Hooleer, called the Mashiro Super Kick—a powerful technique. He quickly tried to dodge, leaping to the side.

[Mashiro destroys Hooleer with Mashiro Super Kick. - img]

However, while still in mid-air, a tremendous shockwave hit, sending Yamahiko flying.

After landing, Yamahiko turned around and observed a deep trench on the ground, splitting open in both directions and reaching a depth of more than a meter.

"The power of this kick is scary!" 

Yamahiko felt a twinge of fear. Mashiro Kuna's Hakuda was impressive. She didn't rely on Zanpakuto, using only Hollowfication and Hakuda. She proved to be even stronger than Hiyori Sarugaki's utilization of Hollowfication, although slightly weaker than Hanataro's Shikai state.

With only Hollowfication, defeating her was out of the question. Should he resort to using Shunko?

No, if his Hollowfication couldn't reach this level, his combat power wouldn't improve.

As Mashiro Kuna, both feet firmly planted on the ground, shot towards him, Yamahiko pondered for a solution, anticipating the incoming punch.

Yamahiko threw a punch, and with a loud bang, their fists collided. The tremendous force caused him to stagger backward, but he didn't sustain any injuries.

With his skin and muscles supported by the reishi provided by his hollowfication state, Yamahiko had become increasingly resilient. However, in the next moment, after landing, Mashiro Kuna launched a flying kick directly at him.

Unable to block, Mashiro Kuna's legs already possessed substantial power. Hollowfication significantly enhanced both her speed and strength, presenting a challenge for Yamahiko to resist.

Yamahiko swiftly lowered his body, allowing Mashiro Kuna to soar over him. Seizing the opportunity, he reached out and grabbed one of Mashiro Kuna's coiled legs. Leveraging the momentum of a somersault, he slammed her forcefully toward the ground.

boom!

With a resounding boom, Mashiro Kuna slammed heavily into the ground, creating an instant, large crater with dust billowing.

However, Yamahiko was sent flying, crashing directly into the barrier, experiencing an intense pain in his chest.

Initially, when Yamahiko lifted Mashiro Kuna's leg and slammed her toward the ground, she braced herself with both hands against the ground. Leveraging the reactive force from the ground, she forcefully kicked with her other leg, striking Yamahiko in the chest and sending him flying.

This level of responsiveness reminded Yamahiko of his Hollowfied self, relying on instinct during combat. Despite Yamahiko's increased speed after Hollowfication, combined with his Shunpo, being faster than Mashiro Kuna, her astonishing reaction speed allowed her to respond promptly.

Yamahiko slowly descended, only to fall backward onto the ground. The intense pain in his chest revealed that his sternum had shattered.

"Hachi, heal him," Lisa Yadōmaru immediately shouted, jumping down from a nearby elevated area. Hachigen Ushōda followed and arrived next to Yamahiko to administer treatment.

[Correction here: Previously Hiyori Sarugaki, It was Lisa Yadōmaru who followed them to the combat ground.]

"Is this it? You didn't even last very long?" 

Mashiro Kuna came to Yamahiko's side, speaking disdainfully.

Yamahiko was nearly brought to tears by her words. Do you realize the sheer power behind your kicks? With just an ordinary kick, you can easily defeat even a Gillian-class Menos Grande.

[Mashiro attacks a Menos Grande with Mashiro kick. - img]

Thoughts raced through Yamahiko's mind, 'Taking a kick from you and only having broken bones would be considered not bad at all.'

Benefiting from Hachigen Ushōda's strong spatial restoration ability, it took merely a dozen seconds for Yamahiko to completely heal.

Naturally, Hachigen Ushōda's Time-Space Regression ability has a limited healing range. For example, when Hiyori Sarugaki was bisected, he could only maintain her in a stasis-like state and couldn't fully heal it, necessitating the assistance of Orihime Inoue.

Yamahiko slowly stood up and said, "Come again."

Now familiar with the opponent's fighting style, he would be more cautious.

Mashiro Kuna smiled and said, "Why not unleash those moves that flicker with blue light? Otherwise, you won't be able to beat me."

She was referring to Raijin Shunko. Now, his speed matches the opponent's, and his resistance to attacks is slightly stronger. However, his strength, instinct, and Hakuda technique lag behind the opponent's.

Using Shunko would boost his strength and speed, combined with the enhancement of Hollowfication. Relying solely on the advantage in attributes would be enough to defeat her.

Yet, Yamahiko shook his head and said, "That's not necessarily."

'My goal is self-improvement, not relying on powerful attributes to suppress myself. To become stronger, I must reach the level of Hollowification that Mashiro Kuna incorporates,' thought Yamahiko.

Mashiro Kuna flipped backward, landing at the center of the arena, and said, "Come on."

With a swift step, Yamahiko tapped his foot, and in an instant, he reappeared next to Mashiro Kuna. He threw a punch, but Mashiro Kuna reacted quickly, lifting her foot as if Yamahiko had intentionally collided with it.

With no other option, Yamahiko retreated. Yet, in the next moment, Mashiro Kuna took a rapid step forward, delivering a powerful punch.

boom!

A resounding boom echoed as Yamahiko kicked out, their fists clashing and barely withstanding the force of her attack.

Mashiro Kuna continued launching attacks, suppressing Yamahiko, who couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed.

Yamahiko felt a familiar sensation, much like when he battled his Hollow Self (White Yamahiko), where both possessed similar abilities, but the opponent's instincts were stronger. In terms of directly using abilities, it was challenging to surpass them.

Yamahiko defeated his Hollow Self by employing strategy, complemented by skillful control over lightning abilities. 

However, when faced with Mashiro Kuna, relying solely on physical strength proved insufficient to formulate a winning strategy.

How could victory be achieved?

"If you can't win, leave it to me," a voice echoed in Yamahiko's mind.

Not good.

Yamahiko swiftly dispersed the mask, revealing a slightly shaken expression. Had he not removed it in advance, his Hollow self would have taken over.

"Is that all? It's only been ten minutes," Mashiro Kuna's foot halted at Yamahiko's neck before being forcefully withdrawn.

Mashiro Kuna's mastery of power far surpassed Yamahiko's.

Yamahiko scratched his head; unexpectedly, his Hollow self was about to emerge sooner than anticipated. This was directly tied to the strength of his opponent and the injuries he had sustained.

"Yamahiko, you still have a lot to work on," advised Lisa Yadōmaru. "Take a rest, recover your spiritual power, and then continue."

~End of the chapter~

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