232 Chapter 197 - Fight!
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If we reach top 2 I'll post 2 extra chapters today.
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[Third Person. POV.]
The charged atmosphere of Sokyoku Hill seemed to vibrate with anticipation. All eyes were trained on the two dominant figures who stood facing each other: Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the revered Captain-Commander, and Adam, the enigmatic and handicapped outsider whose sheer power had sent shockwaves through the Soul Society in just a few days since his arrival.
Between the two, there was no exchange of words, no anger, no banter.
Then, with an explosive surge of energy, they closed the distance, their blades colliding with a deafening crash that resonated across the hill. Sparks flew as Zanryuzuki met with Ryūjin Jakka. Despite his missing right arm and left leg, Adam's movements were fluid.
Yamamoto could agree that the brat had improved, however, he wasn't fazed by this, not one bit.
Every move the young shinigami made, was met with a calculated counter, their blades dancing in a deadly rhythm that echoed throughout the place. Flames enveloped the Captain-Commander, his reiatsu pulsating and heating the very air around them.
The ground beneath them cracked and split from the force of their strikes, while the air was thick with reiatsu, making it hard to breathe for the onlookers. Only the Captains around could withstand the sheer pressure.
Moving forward, Yamamoto swung his blade in a wide arc, releasing a towering wave of hellish flames. Adam grinned, using Zanryuzuki's power, distorting the space around the epicenter of Yamamoto's attack, redirecting the flames, forcing the onlookers to move away to avoid being hit.
Wasting no time, Adam lunged, his blade aiming for a direct strike, but Yamamoto parried, their faces inches apart. "You have skill, boy," Yamamoto growled, his voice filled with a mix of respect and annoyance.
Adam smirked, "I'm glad you noticed."
They broke apart, circling each other for a moment, when all of a sudden, a burst of energy emerged from another direction. A familiar spiritual pressure filled the air, drawing the attention away from both fighters.
A flash of black and orange descended rapidly from the sky, landing with precision in front of the restrained Rukia. The dust settled, revealing the cold and determined eyes of Ichigo Kurosaki. His zanpakuto drawn, his expression showed a clear intent to save his friend.
"Rukia!" he shouted, glancing quickly at her before turning his attention to the ongoing battle. The sheer magnitude of power between Adam and Yamamoto was palpable, even from a distance.
As Ichigo processed the scene, Adam, despite being engrossed in his duel, noticed him. Their eyes locked for a brief moment.
Ichigo yelled over the clamor, "Adam! Do you need help?"
Adam scoffed, evading another fiery strike from Yamamoto, "Help? From you? Don't make me laugh. You're too weak for this fight."
Ichigo's brow furrowed, a mix of anger, indignation and concern evident in his eyes. However, deep down, he knew that Adam wasn't necessarily wrong. The scale of power displayed between the two fighters was beyond anything he had faced before.
He had gotten stronger, sure. But not strong enough, not yet. But this wasn't the time for self-doubt. Ichigo's priority was clear – to save Rukia.
Swiftly moving towards Rukia's restraints, he readied his blade for a strike. However, a group of seated officers quickly surrounded him, their blades drawn, aiming to prevent him from freeing the captive. Their faces showed determination, but Ichigo could sense their underlying fear.
They were outmatched.
"Out of my way!" he roared, unleashing a vast wave of spiritual pressure, momentarily stunning the officers around him.
Meanwhile, the battle between Adam and Yamamoto intensified. Every strike, every move seemed to shake the very foundation of Soul Society.
"Burn," Yamamoto muttered, summoning a massive wall of flame that threatened to engulf Adam, and everyone around. However, the younger combatant countered, cutting through the flames, receiving only minor burns.
Faster than the eye could see, their blades locked, neither yielding an inch. Yamamoto's eyes bore into Adam's with unwavering intensity. "Why do you fight so fervently against us? What drives you?"
The old man had never questioned the motives of his opponents, because to him, they were obstacles he needed to destroy, to burn back into ashes. However, there was something in Adam that made him wonder.
Adam, his face inches from Yamamoto's, replied breathlessly, "Didn't I answer that already? The same reason you once fought in your youth, because it makes me feel alive."
The answer seemed to catch Yamamoto off guard, and he hesitated for a fraction of a second. But that was all the time Adam needed, delivering a deep cut on the old shinigami's chest.
Yamamoto's lips curved into a fleeting smile, and his fingers trembled slightly as he carefully touched the wound on his chest. Blood trickled through his fingers, staining his clothes. His expression was one of surprise, as if he hadn't expected to feel pain in such a long time.
"Tell me boy, have you achieved Bankai?" Yamamoto asked, ignoring the wound on his chest.
Adam's lips curled in a smirk. "Of course."
"And you think you can defeat me without it?" Yamamoto asked, the flames of his Zanpakuto dancing around him in a menacing display.
Adam's eyes sparkled with amusement at the question as he laughed and released a deep breath. He ran his hand through his hair before he shook his head and said, "No, I don't think so. To be honest, I don't think I could even if I used it, but that's neither here nor there, there's too many people around, I don't want to kill more than it's absolutely necessary."
As the tension between the two seemed about to reach its pinnacle, another surge of spiritual pressure made itself known, this time coming from a different direction, as two familiar reiatsu signatures approached the scene, both with their zanpakutos drawn out: Captain Shunsui Kyōraku and Captain Jūshirō Ukitake.
Both captains walked with a deliberate pace, neither rushing nor dragging their feet.
Captain Kyōraku, his straw hat casting a shadow over his face, spoke up first. "Sorry for being late to the party, Adam. Did we miss anything?"
"Don't Adam me, we don't know each other," Adam replied with a deadpan expression.
"So mean, and after I visited you in your cage," Shunsui sighed, pretending to be hurt by Adam's reply.
Ukitake, his white hair contrasting against the chaos around them, simply smiled, his gentle demeanor unchanged despite what was to come. "It seems there's no need for us to help in Rukia's rescue, since Ichigo has arrived, meaning we can lend you a hand, kid."
Adam frowned, the logical part of him knew it was best if he accepted the help, however, he still wanted to fight the captain alone. "Fine…" he begrudgingly accepted.
Shunsui tilted his hat, revealing a playful smirk. "Well, it's not every day you see the Captain-Commander in a duel of this magnitude. Figured we'd have a front-row seat. And if we can lend a hand, why not?"
Ukitake nodded. "We might be loyal to Soul Society, but we also believe in doing what's right. This current path... it's not the Soul Society we pledged our loyalty to."
Yamamoto's gaze shifted between Adam and the two captains. "Shunsui, Jushiro, you would side with this outsider against your own?"
Shunsui responded, twirling his blade effortlessly, "It's not about sides, Yama-ji. It's about what feels right."
Yamamoto's brow furrowed, his grip tightening on Ryūjin Jakka. "Then you leave me no choice."
The air grew even more charged, the spiritual pressure climbing to almost unbearable levels. Ichigo, sensing the scale of the upcoming clash, quickly grabbed Rukia and started to make his way to a safer distance, with Captain Kuchiki following close behind.
As Yamamoto readied himself, surrounded by a wall of flames, Adam, Kyōraku, and Ukitake stood side by side, in an unlikely alliance, ready for whatever was coming next.
Kyōraku whispered to Adam, "Remember, kid, in battles like these, it's not just about strength, but strategy."
