Chapter 354: Futile Efforts

"You're almost out of reishi, aren't you?" Kisuke Urahara appeared at the edge of the barrier, squinting cautiously at H'el.

He was extremely cautious, and it wasn't without reason.

As the captain of the 12th Division, who had witnessed the entire battle between H'el and Yamamoto, H'el's combat prowess and his use of spirit energy, creation, and innovation were both astonishing and terrifying to Kisuke.

The way H'el could instantly grasp the inner workings of Yamamoto's flames, and then restructure them to create something even stronger, was something that struck fear into Kisuke.

Because H'el was simply too powerful, too fast.

He was a researcher who fought not through physical prowess, but through innovative techniques, treating battles as experiments in new abilities.

He had been using the techniques of other captains, from Shunsui Kyōraku's Shadow in its Shikai form to Shinji Hirako's Red Flame Cannon and Kensei Muguruma's Wind Technique. Each time, he would use a more powerful version to defeat them.

Finally, in the most earth-shattering battle with Captain Yamamoto, he fully comprehended the nature of Yamamoto's flames and defeated the strongest Shinigami of the Soul Society.

It wasn't that H'el lacked his own techniques; rather, he simply didn't need them.

Facing such a formidable foe, how could Kisuke afford to be careless? He had to be cautious.

H'el ignored the grip Yamamoto had on his ankle. Even though Yamamoto's grasp had dented the skin down to the bone, H'el was unbothered.

Turning his head to Kisuke, the flame-like pattern on the blade of H'el's Zanpakutō began to recede. The tip of the blade pointed at Yamamoto, who was still clutching his ankle. H'el spoke indifferently:

"It's true that I expended a lot of spirit energy to understand his flames, to grasp the essence of their heat and the nature of the spirit particle movement, which allowed me to develop a more powerful fire ability with greater impact than his.

But... sorry, he's the only one."

"With your power, you won't be able to drain the rest of my reishi. Even within this barrier that isolates external spirit energy and continuously expels it to prevent me from replenishing, you won't defeat me."

H'el wasn't underestimating Kisuke; he simply stated that Kisuke's abilities weren't enough to defeat him.

Every Shinigami who faced H'el saw a being with low spiritual pressure, but every one of them, from the ordinary Shinigami to vice-captains, captains, and even the strongest Yamamoto, fell before him.

Relying solely on spiritual pressure against H'el was simply too naïve.

Spiritual pressure was indeed his weak point, but his strengths were so overwhelming that even an obvious weakness couldn't be exploited by anyone.

'Such arrogance... What a cocky little brat...' Kisuke thought to himself, his heart pounding. The fact that H'el could say all this so nonchalantly was what made him truly dangerous.

This confidence bordering on arrogance, this belief that no one could defeat him within his own domain—it was terrifyingly justified.

And he had proven it.

"I'm just one? No, you're too strong. I'm sorry, but since even the Captain-Commander was defeated, the only way to deal with you is to gang up on you," Kisuke said, squinting his eyes into a smile.

If it were just him and Yoruichi, he might as well just go to sleep.

But, fortunately, they had help.

"Oh? Then bring it on," H'el responded calmly.

"Show me how you plan to defeat me this time. Don't disappoint me."

As H'el's words fell, a figure holding a sword appeared from the west side of the blue barrier, as if walking out of the horizon itself.

It was Retsu Unohana, holding her Zanpakutō. She carried an air of desolation and loneliness, walking through the ruins with a cold, emotionless face. Her usual gentle and kind demeanor had transformed into one of seriousness and ruthlessness.

"Master Yamamoto."

From the east, Jūshirō Ukitake, his handsome face grim and somber, looked into the barrier, eyes blazing with anger.

There, inside the barrier, Yamamoto lay on the ground, clutching H'el's ankle, with H'el's Zanpakutō poised to strike him. It was clear that Yamamoto was preparing for a final struggle.

As the battle reached this point, Ukitake deeply regretted not releasing his seal earlier.

H'el wasn't something the Shinigami could handle.

With the power of the Soul King's right arm, 'Stillness,' within him, Ukitake believed that if he had unsealed it earlier, Yamamoto wouldn't have had to risk his life.

But he also knew that Yamamoto would never have allowed him to break the seal.

From the south of the barrier, Ginrei Kuchiki, the captain of the 6th Division and the overseer of the Nobles District, appeared, solemnly drawing his Zanpakutō.

He had watched the battle between Yamamoto and H'el and knew he couldn't win.

But that wasn't the issue anymore.

He had to fight, no matter what.

Yoruichi Shihōin appeared in the north, wearing a simple outfit that left much of her skin exposed. She was equipped with the Tenshintai, cracking her knuckles and eagerly preparing for battle.

"Even though you're among the stronger captains...," H'el shook his head, not believing that these captains would be able to deplete his remaining spirit energy.

Though these captains were among the strongest in the Gotei 13, they truly stood no chance against him.

H'el hadn't even finished speaking when Yamamoto interrupted him with a loud roar.

"Fall back!"

Yamamoto, still on the ground, clenching H'el's ankle, raised his disheveled face, eyes blazing with fierce determination.

The four captains advancing from all directions stopped in their tracks, turning to look at Yamamoto.

"Hmm?"

H'el looked down in confusion at Yamamoto.

The gravely serious Yamamoto spoke in a calm tone:

"If you had avoided my attacks instead of choosing to face them head-on, you wouldn't have exhausted so much spirit energy and wouldn't be facing the consequences now."

H'el smiled, "You've misunderstood something. I don't fear death. To experience and record the various operations and changes in spirit energy is more important than death."

"Is that so? Then face your fate boldly," came a deep, unfamiliar voice from behind H'el.

A sudden and unprecedented sense of danger surged into H'el's heart from his back.

"Cut the name, not the flesh."

°°°

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