Chapter 351: Once

Within the canyon that had been carved open, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto was enveloped in his "Zanjitsu Gokui," flames swirling around his body like a fiery battle robe. As he stepped into the canyon, the ground beneath his feet melted into lava, and the flames of his Remnant Sun Garb burned away the massive clouds of dust, making it seem as though the very air ignited without wind.

"A pathetic imitation," Yamamoto muttered coldly as he observed H'el, who was lying in the canyon, his body rapidly regenerating, and holding a Zanpakutō that closely resembled the Zanka no Tachi: Higashi: Kyokujitsujin. The technique was one of Yamamoto's Bankai moves, which focused all the heat of Ryūjin Jakka's flames into the blade, erasing anything it touched without a trace. It was not something that could be easily mimicked.

H'el, lacking Yamamoto's spiritual pressure and the ability to control flames like Ryūjin Jakka, could at best use spiritual energy to create fire. To Yamamoto, this was nothing more than a crude imitation, an insult to his power.

Before H'el could catch his breath or stand, Yamamoto used Shunpo, disappearing from the canyon and reappearing right in front of H'el, slashing down at him.

*Boom!*

The strike echoed like thunder across the Seireitei, a massive and terrifying sound wave exploding outward, scattering the dust and revealing H'el, who had raised his Zanpakutō to block Yamamoto's attack. H'el narrowed his eyes, and the muscles in his arm, with veins bulging, revealed a hidden, mysterious strength. With a powerful swing, he managed to push Yamamoto back.

Yamamoto retreated slightly using Shunpo, his calm eyes now showing a hint of surprise. He had initially thought H'el's imitation of the Zanka no Tachi: Higashi: Kyokujitsujin was crude, but now... H'el had actually managed to withstand its slash.

Yamamoto's expression grew stern.

"You're wrong. It's not imitation; it's learning and creation," H'el said as he stood up from his prone position, his Zanpakutō's blade resembling a charred log with embers smoldering inside. With a gentle swing, the blade seemed to cut through space itself, distorting the air and causing smoke to rise.

"You rely on spiritual pressure to forcibly concentrate the heat of Ryūjin Jakka's flames into the blade. But for me, your method is too crude."

H'el took a step out of the canyon, disappearing in an instant and reappearing before Yamamoto, slashing at him with his Zanpakutō, mirroring Yamamoto's previous attack. Yamamoto raised his own blade to block.

*Boom!*

Yamamoto's "Sun Garb" were shattered, the flames on his back extinguished by the immense force of H'el's strike. The shockwave tore through the surrounding environment, leaving a fan-shaped crater over a thousand meters wide, reducing all nearby buildings to ash.

Unable to fully block the attack, Yamamoto felt the overwhelming force transfer through H'el's blade, causing him to falter. His expression changed, and his heart quivered as he was sent flying like a cannonball, a streak of afterimage trailing behind him.

Adjusting his body mid-flight, Yamamoto dug his feet into the spiritual particles in the air, skidding to a halt after sliding several hundred meters, leaving a trail of smoke in his wake. When he finally stopped, he looked up, unable to suppress the shock in his eyes.

What he had dismissed as a crude imitation had just withstood his Zanka no Tachi: Higashi: Kyokujitsujin and even extinguished his "Sun Garb." The Garb were supposed to transform his spiritual pressure into fifteen million degrees of heat, wrapping his body and blade in an aura as hot as the sun, disintegrating anything that came too close.

Yet now, it had been extinguished with a single blow. The force of the impact alone should have been enough to destroy him.

No, that wasn't it. Yamamoto quickly realized it wasn't the force that extinguished his flames. If it had been, he would have been sliced in half.

"Stop guessing. I'll tell you. From observing you, I've discerned the structure of spiritual energy that creates fire. By understanding the microcosmic movements of spiritual energy, I can disrupt the flames you generate with your spiritual pressure. I can't neutralize your spiritual pressure, but I can dismantle the flames it creates."

H'el shook his head, explaining briefly before once again charging at the stunned Yamamoto with his Zanpakutō.

This microcosmic manipulation of spiritual energy was something H'el had experimented with countless times in his Shikai universe. He had recorded and analyzed the spiritual energy patterns of countless Zanpakutō abilities. Almost instantly, upon seeing a Shinigami use their Zanpakutō, his Shikai universe would instinctively calculate the amount of spiritual energy used, find patterns, and discern the movement of spiritual particles.

In the time it takes to blink, H'el could adapt and create a new technique that appeared superficially similar, but was fundamentally different, more efficient, and far more powerful.

To anyone facing H'el, it was despairing. It seemed like he could use a more powerful version of your own abilities against you, but in truth, it was H'el using a newly devised spiritual energy pattern.

*Boom!*

As he spoke, H'el once again caught up with Yamamoto, slashing his Zanpakutō down on Yamamoto's blade. Yamamoto, like a human cannonball, was sent flying once more. This time, without his "Sun Garb" to absorb part of the impact, Yamamoto felt the full force of the strike. He spat out a mouthful of blood, the crimson mist scattering as he was sent crashing through a noble's mansion, reducing it to ruins, and creating a massive, cracked crater.

"Do you have any more techniques? Remember, you only have one chance to use them," H'el said, walking through the sky from afar, looking down at the noble district.

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