The three looked at each other in surprise, once again realizing the insurmountable barrier of strength between themselves and Shiroha.
In the face of such vast power, all their efforts and resistance were in vain.
Under the influence of Shiroha's powerful Reiatsu, the golden light before them began to transform. Every ray turned into a solid, sharp, and keen laser. These lasers lingered in the air like golden rapiers, cutting through everything in their path.
Thousands of golden lights formed a rain of laser swords falling from the sky, as fast as lightning and extremely sharp! Under Shiroha's precise control, these golden rapiers condensed around the three Shinigami like silk threads.
This was a show of skill!
It was a display of ability that ordinary Shinigami couldn't even imagine or comprehend!
The criss-crossing golden rapiers plunged into the earth and condensed into a formation. The entire sword formation shone with golden light and magnificence, looking more gorgeous and dazzling than any work of art.
This sword formation was definitely not just a flashy, superficial display. Anyone could understand this point just by feeling the stern and cold momentum it revealed.
Within the formation, the sword light challenged the enemy's courage, the sword energy cut through everything, and the sword will created miracles, breaking all laws and crushing all anger and resistance between heaven and earth.
This was the true power of God! It was also the embodiment of Shiroha's sword art—a fusion of the Five Elements Barrier and the thousand-year captain-level slashing technique.
One sword light cold enough to freeze ninety states—this was his pursuit of sword art.
In comparison, whether it was four-blade Ulquiorra's Reiatsu or one-blade Starrk's infinite virtual flash, they seemed ridiculous. Compared to the other Espadas, the strength of the top three was on another level entirely. But even their tricks and strength would appear small and powerless before this sword formation.
The two sides weren't even in the same dimension. This was an absolute crushing of the great realm.
Faced with this terrifying sword formation, Rukia, Momo, and Rangiku didn't dare hold back. They burst out their Reiatsu with all their strength.
However, against the coercion of sword intent and sword energy, they could do too little. Their so-called resistance was nothing more than a symbolic struggle.
"Too slow! Too weak! You're not good enough yet!" Shiroha was very satisfied with the gorgeousness of his sword formation. Being strong was a matter of time, but being handsome was a matter of a lifetime.
Rangiku looked at the dazzling and sharp golden sword formation in front of her and said angrily, "You're bullying us!"
Just with this sword formation, let alone the three "weak women"—even a beast of Captain Zaraki's level would be skinned alive. Each of these sword lights had the power to kill them instantly. The Bankai of ordinary captains might not be so strong.
Facing such an unparalleled sword formation, they certainly appeared powerless and weak.
Just when Rukia and the others were in trouble, Shiroha suddenly waved his right hand. Thousands of golden rapiers in the Five Elements Barrier suddenly flew toward them.
This move of thousands of swords fired simultaneously directly stunned the three women. Although they knew Shiroha wouldn't hurt them no matter what, the scene before them was too horrifying. Countless golden rapiers shot down like a rain of swords, full of oppression.
Under this powerful deterrence, they seemed to see their bodies torn to pieces by the terrifying sword rain in an instant. This was, of course, an illusion.
In reality, those golden rapiers disappeared the moment they touched the women's bodies. The tragic scenes that followed were just their imaginations.
But those illusions were too real. The pain made them fall into the visions, unable to extricate themselves. After falling into the illusion, their bodies didn't suffer much damage, but their minds took a huge impact. The violent shock to their spirits attracted the power of their souls, and even the Zanpakutō in their hands were affected. It seemed that a more powerful force was brewing within.
This was an instinctive reaction to the crisis of annihilation.
In fact, the power and mystery of this illusion were beyond the comprehension of ordinary Shinigami captains.
It wasn't until Shiroha reminded them again that Rukia, Momo, and Rangiku woke up. In an instant, they were sweating profusely and terrified.
Although their bodies weren't hurt, they had a premonition that if they continued to be trapped in that vivid illusion, their souls would be annihilated. For spirits like them, attacks on the soul were natural enemies.
Of course, if they carefully felt the changes within themselves, they would find that the benefits they had just gained weren't small—even greater than their increase in Reiatsu.
When the three women calmed down a little, Shiroha continued, "Your foundation is very solid, but that's all. Next, all you have to do is complete the final liberation of your Zanpakutō—Bankai!"
Rukia, Momo, and Rangiku, these three female Shinigami, although they couldn't be called geniuses, could be regarded as hardworking and talented. There was nothing special about their Zanpakutō, but they were much stronger than ordinary Shinigami and even seated officers.
If they completed Bankai, even if they couldn't beat six carts of Kenshi, they could still beat three and a half. This level was only slightly better than an ordinary vice-captain, but not captain level.
Although Shiroha didn't think highly of them, at least they weren't so easily knocked offline. This level was already much stronger than they were in the original plot, and it was enough for the time being.
"Teacher Uehara, I will work hard!" Rukia and Momo said in unison.
Rangiku looked embarrassed. "My Zanpakutō and I don't get along. I'm afraid it won't be that easy to complete Bankai."
She knew how difficult Bankai was. Don't be fooled—geniuses like Shiroha and Hitsugaya could easily complete Bankai without much time. But in fact, this was just an illusion.
For the Shinigami, mastering Bankai took hundreds or even thousands of years to complete. Of course, this was based on talent.
For ordinary Shinigami, spending a hundred years just to unlock the first release was considered good. And any Shinigami who achieved Bankai had the opportunity to become a captain. Their name would even be remembered by the Great Spirit Book Corridor and become a part of Soul Society's history.
This showed how difficult Bankai truly was.
In addition, her situation was special, so she really had no confidence in completing Bankai in a short time.
"Your hearts aren't strong enough, so you naturally cannot control your Zanpakutō," Shiroha knew the shortcomings of the three and said bluntly, "You've done well and have basically reached your own limits. But this is far from enough! Simply put, your purity isn't enough! However, it doesn't matter—feel carefully, your Zanpakutō should have changed."
Momo was relatively balanced in all aspects, with decent talent, but not a strong fighting spirit. Rukia was similar; because of her previous experiences, her mind had flaws. Rangiku was a pure slacker, the type who had a conscience but not much of one, and didn't want to work hard at all.
When they were in Soul Society, the spiritual defects of the three weren't a big deal. But once they were released, problems arose. Therefore, Shiroha deliberately used the illusion created by the Mind Gem to put the three through some training.
The power of the Mind Gem was certainly not that simple. In fact, just now, he had already implanted the seeds of growth in the souls of the three. And Rukia and the others didn't even notice this.
At this moment, after being reminded by Shiroha, Rukia and the others were surprised to find that the Zanpakutō in their hands had become different. They heard the cry of the Zanpakutō spirit very clearly.
Before, they could naturally hear the sound of the Zanpakutō after completing Shikai. But it was definitely not as clear and distinct as it was now.
Obviously, the illusion had stimulated the potential of the Zanpakutō, making the image of Bankai more solid and concrete. At the same time, the sword spirits had become much more docile.
Even Haineko, who had always been at odds with Rangiku, had become easier to talk to. Obviously, without their knowledge, Shiroha had already educated the sword spirits for them. This would be of great benefit to them in completing their Bankai.
The Shinigami's Bankai was the process of conquering the sword spirits and materializing their Bankai. Improving Reiatsu was the prerequisite for the materialization of Bankai. The training in the Five Elements Barrier just now had improved their Reiatsu.
In terms of Reiatsu alone, they barely reached the standard for completing Bankai. Originally, the most difficult thing was to conquer the sword spirits.
In fact, this conquest wasn't just a literal conquest, but also involved something deeper. This involved the fusion and perfection of two souls.
If the heart's spiritual strength wasn't enough, even if the Bankai submitted to the master, it would be impossible to activate it immediately. This was what Shiroha meant by "lack of purity."
And just one experience in the illusion had greatly improved the spiritual strength of Rukia and the others. Therefore, they were surprised to find that after such special training, they had actually found the door to Bankai.
This astonished them, and they found it incredible.
First of all, when it came to mastering Bankai, even Shinigami captains could only make suggestions or conduct targeted special training. No matter how well they mastered Bankai, they couldn't help other Shinigami complete it.
Because Bankai was a very personal thing.
The spirit of a Zanpakutō varied from person to person. Even with the same sword, the derived spirits were different. For example, Suzumushi of Kaname Tōsen—his Shikai came from the Zanpakutō that reverted to its Shikai form after the death of his friend. But the two had completely different abilities.
Each Shinigami's Bankai had a different personality, soul, and ability. Therefore, even as pioneers, the Shinigami captains had no way to help those who came later master Bankai. Even the strongest Shinigami, Captain-Commander Yamamoto, was no exception to this.
However, Shiroha created a miracle so easily that they didn't even notice. As Shinigami, they should have been extremely sensitive to their souls and Zanpakutō. Yet it wasn't until Shiroha reminded them that they discovered their Zanpakutō had changed.
This was beyond their understanding. It made them surprised and happy—but of course, mostly happy.
Looking at Rukia, Momo, and Rangiku, who were both surprised and happy, Shiroha could understand their feelings. Because with their talents and strengths, they might not have been able to complete Bankai even after a hundred years.
Not to mention Rangiku—her situation was special. She was unwilling to work hard and couldn't bring herself to give in to her sword spirit. She wasn't very capable, but she had a big temper. She had no talent and was unwilling to work hard, but she still wanted to have it all. What good things was she thinking of?
For Rukia and Momo, it was partly because they lacked talent and accumulation, and partly because of their state of mind.
In the original plot, Rukia fought several times, experienced life and death crises many times, and went to the Soul King Palace to train before she figured out Bankai. The opportunity that originally required life and death struggles could be completed by Shiroha with just a raise of his hand.
The three of them naturally felt ecstatic and amazed.
"Teacher, you're so powerful! I can feel the spirit of the sword!"
"Yeah, me too, that's great, thank you teacher!"
"I didn't expect Haineko to be so honest. Thank you, Shiroha!"
Outside the Five Elements Barrier, listening to the three beauties' sincere thanks, Shiroha calmly reminded them:
"I have shown you the way! From now on, it is up to you. However, don't be too happy too soon. Your Bankai is not yet mature, and you need to practice well."
In their view, the Bankai of the Shinigami was the ultimate move and the strongest power of the Shinigami. Shiroha's move was equivalent to letting them directly reach the top. This method was superb and beyond imagination. This favor was equivalent to the favor of rebirth, which could never be repaid.
But in Shiroha's view, the Bankai of the Shinigami was not the end but only the starting point. For him, this level of power, he could solve it at will—it was no big deal. Therefore, he didn't take it to heart at all.
The other three women still had a long way to go in mastering the Bankai of the Shinigami. Although with Shiroha's help they had completed Bankai, it still took time to enhance their Reiatsu and become familiar with it. This time usually lasted for a hundred years, or even several hundred years.
Moreover, Rukia and the others had not fully awakened their Bankai after all, so they needed more time to practice. However, as a hidden killer, Bankai was still very necessary.
The body of the Shinigami determined that it couldn't withstand too strong a Reiatsu output. The wrist was the Reiatsu output port of the Shinigami, but they couldn't output Reiatsu unlimitedly.
Just like a normal ninja couldn't open the eight gates to maximize the output of chakra, because the body couldn't bear it. The reason why Guy was able to open the eighth gate and almost kicked Madara out was because of his usual training. Konoha's "Blue Beast" was not just talk.
As a famous beast in Soul Society, Kenpachi Zaraki's body was also known for its toughness. Any injuries, just take a good sleep and they would be fine. The Sternritter, codenamed "V" for Imagination, exploded and died just by imagining Kenpachi's power.
With such a body, not to mention ordinary Shinigami, even the transcendents of the Soul King Palace couldn't compare. In the special combat power list appointed by Yhwach, Kenpachi represented fighting spirit. This meant that no matter how serious the injury, Kenpachi's strength and fighting spirit would not decrease, and might even become stronger.
It was outrageous.
In fact, even Aizen, who had fused with the Hogyoku, had his body exploded by his own Reiatsu, not to mention ordinary Shinigami. This was why Shinigami needed Zanpakutō—to maximize the release of Reiatsu and increase the output multiplier.
And that was the meaning of Bankai.
In a battle of the same level, the party that could convert strength into combat power would naturally have more advantages, and even if the Reiatsu wasn't enough, it could be made up by output.
In the Thousand Year Blood War, if Aizen had a direct attack Zanpakutō, there would have been no need for Ichigo to finish off the enemy. Although Aizen had strong Reiatsu and strong output, his attack was still a bit weak against Yhwach.
Of course, except for a limited number of people, it was difficult for anyone to fight Yhwach without any damage. And if there was no Kyōka Suigetsu, no matter how strong the attack was, it would be useless. If you couldn't defeat Omniscience and Omnipotence, it would be meaningless even if you could destroy the world with one sword.
In short, for ordinary Shinigami like Rukia, Bankai was definitely the strongest weapon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Support me at p@treon.com/goldengaruda and check out more chapter of this or more early access chapter of my other fanfic translation.
New Fanfic
Marvel x Star Wars: Avengers in the Clone Wars
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~