Try and Die

Reiatsu erupted, accompanied by a surge of light.

The standard Zanpakuto in Mayuri's hand underwent a drastic transformation.

It now had several spiky protrusions sticking out right below the blade, which appeared to resemble leaves with pink hilt, emitting a chilling aura.

At the tip of the blade, where the hilt should have been, was a baby's face, with its vague facial features making it extremely eerie.

"Ashisogi Jizo..."

Tokikaze nodded, finding it no different from what he remembered.

"The Zanpakuto modification technique."

Mayuri held Ashisogi Jizo and infused it with Reiatsu.

The mouth on the baby's face suddenly opened, and a large amount of purple mist gushed out, accompanied by the sound of corroding air.

"Ashisogi Jizo's original ability is to paralyze the opponent it hit. It can selectively sever the signals sent by the brain to 'move limbs'."

Mayuri's smile was maniacal. "But this also has certain requirements for the user, namely, myself."

"Things like Zanjutsu are not my forte."

Having been beaten to a pulp in seconds twice in a row, Mayuri, who originally had some confidence in himself, had completely lost faith in life.

"So, I made a trivial modification to Ashisogi Jizo."

Mayuri let out a crazed smile, waving the blade in his hand. The speed at which the poisonous mist spread instantly accelerated, rapidly spreading throughout the entire barrier.

"Once this mist is inhaled through the nose or mouth, it will similarly cut off the signals sent by the brain. How about it, isn't it powerful?"

Tokikaze crossed his arms and gave his assessment. "The speed at which the mist is released is too slow, not even as fast as the Shunpo of an average Seated Officer."

"If I stand outside the mist and use wide-range Kidō to attack you, what will you do then?"

Mayuri's smile instantly disappeared:

"Tsk, boring guy. I naturally have a second plan."

Under the gaze of the two, Mayuri gripped the hilt in a reverse grip, and Reiatsu surged around him, forming a substantial glare that mixed with the purple poisonous mist spreading in the barrier.

"Bankai—"

"Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo!"

A strange, baby-like cry echoed from the mist, and a vaguely colossal figure rubbed against the ground from within, as if nails were scratching forcefully on a blackboard, giving people a creepy sensation.

"Is he crazy?"

Soi-Fon pressed her hand on her Zanpakuto, while releasing her Reiatsu. "He hasn't asked the First Division's permission to use Bankai."

"Does he want to destroy the Research and Development Institute?"

Just then, Soi-Fon also released her Shikai, turning into a gauntlet with a stinger attached to her middle finger, perfectly matching her identity as a member of the assassination squad.

"Calm down." Tokikaze placed his hand on Soi-Fon's shoulder. "Although Mayuri is crazy, he knows what to do and what not to do."

"Releasing Bankai is just for us to assess his danger."

Upon hearing this, Soi-Fon's calmed down slightly, and her Reiatsu also subsided.

"As expected of Captain Tokikaze, you really understand me."

Mayuri's voice came from the mist, and accompanying it was a terrifying monster comparable to the size of a building.

On the huge baby head, the eyes were gray, devoid of any emotion.

Above it, a silver bell ringed like an angel's halo gently swayed, and the baby's cry echoed through the barrier, giving people a slight nauseous feeling.

The grotesque body was covered in a wide red robe, and countless flesh-like insect legs moved frantically underneath, rubbing against the ground.

Just looking at it gave people a chilling feeling.

One of the few "Living-type" Zanpakuto in the Soul Society, Ashisogi Jizo, contained countless toxins and poison blades within it, capable of crushing enemies with its massive size and injecting toxins into their bodies.

Soi-Fon's gaze became serious as she bit her lips lightly.

There was no doubt that in Soi-Fon's eyes, Mayuri's Bankai had a somewhat excessive level of danger.

But judging by Tokikaze's evaluation, it could only be said that the current Golden Ashisogi Jizo was just a facade.

He was quite adept at bullying the weak.

When faced with slightly stronger Captain-level opponents, it was a sure loss.

The strengths and weaknesses of Golden Ashisogi Jizo were quite evident.

Its advantages lied in its large attack range and the strong toxicity of the mist, but its movement speed was too slow, and it lacked versatile attack methods.

A little mistake, and it was just a freebie.

In fact, from Mayuri's Shikai and Bankai, it was easy to see that he had nothing to do with combat.

Assessing the danger level of his Bankai was not as important as evaluating his psychological state.

"A Bankai with quite unique features."

Tokikaze sincerely commented, "It's a pity it's too weak. Let's set the danger level provisionally at level five?"

He looked to his side at Soi-Fon, asking for her opinion.

"Hey hey, aren't you a bit too rude?"

Mayuri frowned. "This is my Bankai, after all!"

"A danger level of five? Who are you looking down on?"

Danger assessments range from level one to level ten, with level five at most posing some threat to the Soul Society, far from reaching the point of destruction.

"If you're not happy about it, how about giving it a try?"

Tokikaze was eager to try, his Reiatsu surged around him, and the crackling sound of lightning was even louder than the sound of Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo.

At the words, Mayuri was taken aback, and he grinned maniacally.

"Of course."

Before Soi-Fon could express her opinion, Mayuri waved his hand, and the toxic gas began to spread in the air.

The head of the Golden Ashisogi Jizo lifted high, emitting a baby-like cry, and a large amount of poison spewed from its mouth, raging like a tidal wave.

Soi-Fon used Shunpo, moving away from the original spot, her brows furrowed as she stared tightly at the changes in the field:

"These two are both crazy!"

"We must stop this fight."

On the other hand, Tokikaze remained standing still, showing no intention to dodge. However, as the Arashigane was unsheathed, a fierce wind swept through the laboratory.

The howling wind instantly reversed the tide of the terrifying poison, which was unable to approach even a little.

A deep blue lightning jolted from his pupils.

In an instant, a surge of deep blue thunder burst forth from the Zanpakuto, the sound overwhelmed everything, and the air was filled only with a burnt scent.

Tokikaze swung his Zanpakuto, all the lightning converged, forming a compressed air blade. Under the lament of the walls and the barrier, it thunderously descended upon the Golden Ashisogi Jizo!

Boom!!

In the astonished gaze of Mayuri, the huge baby head couldn't withstand such power at all.

In an instant, it was completely crushed by the surge of deep blue thunder, and the terrifying heat ravaged, spreading to the body behind.

The smell of burnt filled the dilapidated laboratory...