Chapter 336: The Gamer

The aura emanating from the Gate of Hell sent a shiver down Kyoraku Shunsui's spine. He had always been skeptical of Yamamoto's decision to placate H'el, but now he finally understood.

H'el truly had the power to bring the Gate of Hell into the Soul Society.

Any attempt at pacification towards him now seemed more than justified.

Even when H'el simply wanted to read in the Great Spirit Book Gallery, Shunsui felt that the Tsunayashiro Clan was being inconsiderate.

Compared to the manifestation of the Gate of Hell, H'el's desire to read was actually a sign of his kindness.

But now that they've angered him, there was no turning back.

"This isn't good," Shunsui muttered, his expression grave as he held his zanpakuto, Katen Kyōkotsu, in both hands. His pink haori flapped loudly in the air as he turned to face H'el. "It seems I have no choice but to fight you, H'el."

"Your spiritual pressure is so low, yet you've created such a terrifying scene. It truly frightens me."

"The higher ground wins."

With these final words, Shunsui launched his attack. His declaration of "the higher ground wins" was barely audible as he flash-stepped to H'el's side, bringing his sword down on his shoulder from above.

Shunsui's shikai had the ability to turn children's games into reality. Once someone stepped into Katen Kyōkotsu's spiritual pressure range, they were forced to participate in the game. The rules were set by Katen Kyōkotsu.

Win, and you live. Lose, and you must die. Even Shunsui himself was not exempt from this rule.

But the game was not entirely fair. Since the wielder of the sword knew the rules better than their opponent and had the power to change the type of game at any time, they held an advantage.

H'el's low spiritual pressure was an unchangeable fact. Anyone standing before him and enveloping him with their spiritual pressure would force him into the game.

However, once in the game, H'el could use his shikai to understand the interactions of spirit particles and unravel any skill, learning and countering it in return.

After all, every skill was ultimately based on spirit particles.

Shunsui's spiritual pressure was higher than H'el's, and with H'el enveloped by Katen Kyōkotsu's spiritual pressure, he was caught in the ability 'the higher ground wins.'

The game's rule was simple: if you stood higher than your opponent, your strike's power would increase, potentially becoming fatal. If your opponent stood higher, their strike would gain lethal power.

"You cannot stop my advance," H'el said calmly, continuing to walk forward on spirit particles. When Shunsui's strike fell, H'el slightly raised his hand, blocking the blow with his zanpakuto.

The clash of their blades created a deafening sound, sending waves of spirit particles rippling through the air. The power behind Shunsui's strike felt as heavy as a mountain.

*Boom—*

Behind H'el, a dark sphere appeared, like a black balloon. A crack burst open, and a powerful wind howled out, absorbing the force of Shunsui's strike through H'el's sword and releasing it through the dark sphere.

"Quite a powerful strike," H'el remarked in a calm voice. It was indeed powerful, but ultimately, it was of no use.

Within moments, the dark sphere behind H'el had returned to its original state.

Shunsui's brows furrowed. He had no time for words. Both of his swords transformed into a blur of slashes as he unleashed an onslaught on H'el, using the rules of "the higher ground wins" to their fullest extent.

But H'el continued his advance, his arm a blur of motion as he swung his zanpakuto, deflecting countless strikes from Katen Kyōkotsu.

Behind him, his Three Thousand Worlds continued to unleash forceful bursts, only to immediately recover again.

After exchanging blows for a while, Shunsui realized that even with the rules of "the higher ground wins," he couldn't keep up with H'el's ability to dissipate and recover the force behind his attacks using the dark spheres.

He paused momentarily, whispering almost inaudibly, "Shadow-Stepping Loses."

Katen Kyōkotsu changed the game to "Shadow-Stepping Loses." The rules were that either opponent could step into the other's shadow, allowing them to attack from virtually zero distance.

In an instant, Shunsui seemed to vanish from in front of H'el, leaving only his wide pink haori, casting a shadow.

H'el casually swung his sword, slicing the haori into two pieces.

From the shadow beneath—

*Shhhk—*

A sword tip pierced H'el's chest. Shunsui had used his haori to block the sunlight, creating a shadow from which he could emerge, thrusting Katen Kyōkotsu into H'el's chest.

His figure slowly emerged from H'el's shadow, a smile on his lips as his sliced haori fell to the ground.

"Careful, young man. My zanpakuto's abilities are a bit tricky," Shunsui warned with a smile, only to see H'el's footsteps never falter as he continued forward. The gaping wound on his chest didn't even bleed; instead, it glowed with spirit particles, healing automatically.

Shunsui drew in a sharp breath, stunned.

Was his body… made of healing kido?

It had healed just like that?

"A world of shadows, is it?" H'el's expression remained calm, his eyes nearly devoid of emotion as he immersed himself in the endless calculations of battle. In his shikai world, the intricate interactions of spirit particles were constantly analyzed and learned, assimilating any useful technique.

The foundation of this world was spirit particles.

"You're using it too crudely." H'el continued to walk, ignoring Shunsui. "The foundation of this world is spirit particles. A shadow world constructed of spirit particles is unimpeded."

"It's over, Kyoraku Shunsui."

H'el's face remained serene as he walked forward, casually flicking his zanpakuto. "Every piece of clothing you wear has a shadow. Every strand of hair has a shadow. Every cell has a shadow. Even at the microscopic level, spirit particles cast shadows. Matter and space are closely connected, and spirit particles are even more tightly interlinked."

"Unfortunately, when you pierced my chest, you connected with my spirit particles."

A chilling sense of doom spread from deep within Shunsui's heart as he unleashed his full spiritual pressure, chanting:

"Bankai—Katen Kyōkotsu: Karamatsu Shinjū…"

Before he could complete his bankai, H'el continued in his calm tone:

"Sorry, I'm not interested in your bankai. Perish in the shadows."

*Shh-shh-shh-shh-shh-shh-shh—*

Shunsui's body froze in place as black shadowy spikes burst from within him, piercing through every pore on his body, more densely packed and terrifying than the spines of a porcupine.

Katen Kyōkotsu slipped from his hands, and with a look of shock and terror frozen on his face, Shunsui was immobilized by the shadow spikes, unable to stay aloft, plummeting from the sky.

°°°

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