Flowers on the Cliff

Pitch black, an endless expanse of darkness...

Where is this...?

Birds wander in the endless darkness and nothingness, trying to distinguish up from down, left from right, and east from west.

Was I dreaming again? But I wasn't on a mission, so how could I fall asleep?

Curious, he crouched down and touched the dark ground.

So cold, a cold that penetrates to the soul.

"Such a realistic feel... It's different from my usual dreams..." Asuka murmured.

He found that both his five senses and spiritual pressure fluctuations were normal; he neither felt dazed nor exhausted.

What exactly happened...?

Just then, the darkness ahead began to creep without warning.

A figure, as if emerging from a traditional Chinese ink painting, gradually becomes clear.

Her dark green kendo uniform was covered with sword marks, and she had a high ponytail. The black and green Nichirin Blade in her hand could emit a dazzling cold light even in the dark space.

This was the first time Asuka had seen this man, but she recognized him almost instantly.

Arashizaki Tesshin.

No matter how much his appearance has changed, Asuka can still instantly tell from the soul aura emanating from the other person that this is Arashi-sensei.

At this time, he had not yet lost his arm, and he looked to be in his early thirties, with a strong physique and imposing presence.

"Teacher?" Asuka asked tentatively.

The only response he received was the flash of a sword.

The speed of this front wind pillar was like a whirlwind, and he arrived in front of Asuka in the blink of an eye!

Swish! !

The Nichirin Blade swept past with a whoosh, and Asuka dodged it by sidestepping, but the wind blades it generated were enough to tear Asuka's skin apart!

Asuka's eyes sharpened; she sensed that this matter was not simple.

This was the first time he had ever encountered a battle in a dream, and the first time he had ever felt such real pain in a dream!

"I'm sorry, teacher."

With a flash of gray light, the bird drew its blade with lightning speed, instantly unleashing its serrated edge!

Clang—!

The raccoon was drawn from its sheath, the blade humming.

Arashizaki Tesshin swung his sword, the Breath of the Wind sword in his hand was like a blue dragon breaking through the sky, stirring up the sea of ​​clouds, every move was a killing move!

However, Asuka is not to be outdone. Even without using spiritual pressure slashes, with just a pair of sharp eyes that can see through Arashizaki Tesshin's moves, plus her increasingly refined swordsmanship, she can easily block every attack from her opponent!

At this moment, Asuka felt that this might be because of the swordsmanship training he had been honing during this period, which made him dream about Arashi-saki-sensei's prime years.

Therefore, he did not rush to end the battle, but instead used the opponent's genuine killing intent to further hone and refine his swordsmanship.

clang!clang!clang!

The two fought fiercely, and the sparks from the intense clash between the Nichirin Blade and the monstrous blade could almost illuminate the dark space.

After a huge opening, Asuka thought it was almost time to end it.

"Fourth Form: Rising Sandstorm!"

The raccoon swung its blade fiercely upwards! The explosive wind of the blade howled upwards, like the wailing of ten thousand ghosts!

scoff-

The dark gray blade light and the invisible wind pressure merged perfectly, forming a spiral shockwave that distorted space and tore apart Arashizaki Teshin's figure.

As the bird had predicted, the figure vanished into the dark space within a few breaths after being shattered, leaving no trace of crimson.

It was all just a dream.

He slowly calmed the raging storm in his chest, savoring the swordsmanship of his teacher Arashizaki in his youth.

However, even after he had been meditating and waiting for a long time, the dream showed no signs of ending.

Still endless darkness, still incomprehensible.

Snap... Snap... Snap...

A clear and steady round of applause, seemingly long prepared, suddenly rang out from the depths of darkness.

The bird frowned, searching for the source of the sound, but felt that the sound came from all directions and was everywhere.

He gripped the thief's claws again, awaiting the next possible attack in his dreams.

Tap, tap, tap

The footsteps were neither hurried nor slow, coming from directly in front of the bird.

The bird perked up, its gaze fixed on the front, and then it stopped.

soon.

His pupils contracted.

My teeth are chattering.

Anger began to surge.

The curtain of darkness seemed to be lifted by an invisible hand, and a figure gracefully stepped out.

The other person had a tall and slender figure, wore a black kimono, and had a pair of very ordinary black-rimmed glasses under his slightly curly brown short hair.

However, the eyes behind those lenses were as deep as an abyss, as if they could see through all the secrets of the world, and also seemed to carry a condescending, almost compassionate gaze.

"Well done, but is this all you wanted, Number 78? Your obsession with escaping me is so strong... it's even enough to tear a rift in the world..."

"Indigo dye!!!"

The bird's calm and composed expression was completely shattered; arcs of rage and hatred flickered across his face, and swollen veins writhed menacingly on his forehead like earthworms.

The voice roared from between his teeth, as if he wanted to tear the refined man in front of him to shreds!

"I'm really shocked... I never thought we'd actually meet again, number seventy-eight."

The man known as Aizen adjusted his glasses, a gentle smile spreading across his face, as if he were simply greeting a long-lost junior.

"Drink it—!!!"

With a roar, the bird leaped high into the air, its muscles pounding as it unleashed its full power!

"Wind Breathing - Ninth Form: Idaten Typhoon!!!"

As the bird exerted all its strength, the raccoon began to stir up a destructive storm!

The dark, gleaming blades roared incessantly, forming a massive, high-speed spinning tornado-like wind blade! It hurtled straight towards Aizen!

This is the strongest sword technique that Asuka can use! Combined with his surging, tearing spiritual pressure, it caused the very space to tremble and groan!

The darkness plundered by the blade's wind was torn into a void of chaos, broken and twisted!

The dreamscape began to change rapidly, sometimes becoming a turbulent sea, sometimes entering a misty forest, constantly reassembling and collapsing.

Seeing this terrifying scene, Aizen raised an eyebrow, a playful curiosity flickering in his eyes behind his glasses:

"...Is this the power of this world? It's just swordsmanship from humans in this world, yet it can stir up spiritual particles..."

He didn't move an inch, not even a single strand of his brown hair was ruffled by the strong wind.

Faced with this slash that could instantly kill a Lower Moon demon, Aizen's gentle smile remained unchanged.

Just as Asuka's serrated longsword whistled through the air, its blade about to touch Aizen's collar.

"The Eighth Method of Binding: Repulsion"

A completely calm voice rang out.

Instantly, a pale blue spiritual energy shield formed in front of Aizen.

clang--!!

A crisp impact resounded in the void!

The violent slash of the typhoon from the Heavenly Veda struck the shield and shattered instantly.

Because of the reaction force from this attack, Asuka's arms were in excruciating pain, and his tiger's mouth immediately split open, staining the hilt of his sword red!

The next second, the shattered light shield emitted an irresistible repulsive force, violently throwing him away, where he crashed awkwardly onto the cold, dark ground!

puff! !

He felt a sweet taste in his throat and spat out a mouthful of scarlet blood!

"The power of anger only makes one lose their mind, become crude and unpredictable, Number Seventy-Eight."

Aizen calmly commented on Asuka's slash.

But the next second he realized something, and his eyebrows twitched slightly.

He turned his head and focused his gaze on his shoulder.

That was the remnant of Asuka's spiritual pressure slash, which had clung to him during the storm slash, tearing a corner of his Shinigami armor.

This spiritual energy was like an unquenchable wildfire, constantly gnawing at his clothes.

Aizen tried touching the seemingly alive flame, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Oh? That's interesting..."