Chapter 368: BSUS - 371: The Tables Turn

Rather than saying what clashed with Ryūmon Hōzukimaru was a living creature like a python, or a weapon like a chain whip, it would be more accurate to describe it as a streak of white sleeve.

Yet, it was precisely this seemingly delicate and beautiful object that not only erupted with astonishing momentum upon colliding with Ryūmon Hōzukimaru, but also maintained its overwhelming power, actually forcing the massive crescent-moon blade to fly backward!

Ikkaku hastily raised the guandao in his other hand to block, but the opponent’s strength far exceeded his expectations, sending his entire body flying backward uncontrollably.

"Hey, you damn baldy!"

Before Yumichika could get a response from Ikkaku, an identical white sleeve flew toward him. It arrived in front of him in the blink of an eye, leaving him no time to defend himself.

Left with no choice, Yumichika quickly spun around in hopes of dodging the terrifying strike. Fortunately, his reflexes were sharp; the white sleeve aimed at his chest only managed to graze him.

But even so, the horrifying force still knocked him off balance, sending him hurtling diagonally downward.

And that white sleeve didn’t seem to intend on letting him go. It spun in the air, turned around, and continued to swat at him!

If that hit landed, Yumichika figured that even if he could still move, he’d lose eighty percent of his combat capability. However, what he was thinking about right now wasn’t how much danger he was in, but rather that his freshly ironed clothes would probably be torn to shreds. If his newly washed hair got dirty, that would be an absolute disaster.

"Damn it!"

Just as Yumichika was preparing to accept reality, a sudden dark silhouette carrying a rolling wave of heat surged in front of him. The somewhat glaring head indicated the person was bald, and shining even brighter than that head was the chillingly sharp weapon in his hands.

"Hah!" Ikkaku roared, the crescent-moon blade in his right hand smashing heavily against the incoming white sleeve. Although he solved Yumichika’s immediate crisis, his entire body tilted backward, his back pressing against Yumichika.

A fierce expression crossed his face. The temples on both sides of his head bulged slightly, and the veins on his neck stood out thickly as if they might burst at any moment. He swung his arm in a wide arc, cleaving down with the guandao in his other hand!

For the first time, the snow-white sleeve was stained with a vibrant red—blood. It was clear that, much like a pair of arms, these appendages were an inseparable part of the Espada’s body.

"Ikkaku!"

"Don’t worry, there’s no way I’m letting it go!" Ikkaku said through gritted teeth, though it seemed he had somewhat misunderstood Yumichika’s intention.

Of course, now wasn’t the time to consider what Yumichika was thinking. The blood spurting before his eyes seemed to spur Ikkaku on. His wealth of experience told him he didn’t have enough strength left to completely sever the opponent’s arm, but at the same time, his beast-like instincts told him exactly what he needed to do!

If his hands weren’t enough, his feet would make up for it. Ikkaku violently raised his foot and stomped on the back of his blade, throwing his entire body forward as if trying to pour every last ounce of strength from his body into the strike.

The crescent-moon blade, which had only cut halfway through, was pushed forward once more. It seemed slow, but in less than the blink of an eye, it smashed through the resistance and forcefully cleaved the unknown, sleeve-like appendage in two!

"I’ll sever one of your arms first, then take my time playing with you!"

Ikkaku stood up with a smug look on his face. Hearing his tone, Yumichika couldn’t even be bothered to complain about his face getting dirty anymore.

"Then you still have quite a few arms left to cut."

"Huh?" Ikkaku didn’t understand what Yumichika was talking about. He turned around, but his companion didn’t say a word, merely pointing toward the sky with a dust-covered face and a helpless expression.

Following his gaze, Ikkaku looked up. To his surprise, there were four identical white sleeves floating in the air simultaneously, exactly like the one he had just severed. They undoubtedly belonged to that petite Espada as well.

*If these are hands, isn’t this way too many? What is he, an octopus?!*

"Who cares how many hands he has! Even if there are a thousand, I’ll chop them all off right now!"

However, just as this grand ambition was voiced, a perfectly intact white sleeve swept over and lashed against Ikkaku’s abdomen. Taking Yumichika behind him along for the ride, the two were sent flying backward at high speed, scraping across the ground into the distance.

In the split second before he was swatted away, Ikkaku finally saw Luppi’s true form after his Resurrección.

The mask that originally looked like a hair accessory had transformed into something resembling a helmet. Luppi still maintained his petite humanoid appearance, but a massive, compass-like disk had appeared on his back. Exactly eight sleeve-like tentacles extended from it.

*He really is an octopus! Me and my big mouth!!*

No one could hear Ikkaku cursing his own jinx, but even if they could, Kaien and the others really didn’t have the time to blame him right now.

Because of the distance, the threat Luppi’s sudden Resurrección posed to Kaien, Rukia, and Matsumoto was far less than the danger it brought to Ikkaku and Yumichika.

The three of them had immediately gone on guard the moment they sensed danger. The three tentacles that attacked them individually didn’t cause any substantial damage; they merely separated the trio in an instant.

But that was likely the Espada’s goal. Just as they had separated the two Espada to defeat them individually, the enemy was using this bizarre ability to separate them, allowing his enraged comrade to break free.

Their original tactics had been shattered. Worse yet, facing such an ability, Kaien really had no way to turn the situation around. This was not good news.

Just as Kaien thought, Luppi’s goal was to force Yammy to regain his composure—or rather, it was fine if Yammy lost control, as long as he didn’t do it right next to him!

Three tentacles were used to separate Kaien’s trio, while the fourth was aimed at Yammy. The attack that had shown such destructive power against Ikkaku earlier seemed somewhat gentle when applied to Yammy. It deftly coiled around Yammy’s arm, finally putting a temporary halt to his indiscriminate rampage.

"Don’t bother me, Luppi!"

But Yammy didn’t look the least bit appreciative. He turned his head and threatened Luppi, "Or I’ll kill you too!"

Facing Yammy in this state, Luppi showed no fear whatsoever. In a rare display of sternness, he scolded, "Have you forgotten Aizen-sama’s mission?!"

Bringing up Aizen-sama worked like a charm. Although madness still lingered in Yammy’s eyes, his tone became much more subdued. "But I can’t stand it! Soon... I’ll be able to tear them..."

"Think about Grimmjow!" Luppi interrupted Yammy bluntly. "Think about what happened to him. Do you want to delay Aizen-sama’s grand plans too?"

Yammy gritted his teeth. Rather than fear, it was more accurate to say he respected Aizen and was unwilling to betray the trust and expectations Aizen had placed in him.

But swallowing his anger wasn’t in his nature either. His gaze quickly swept over Kaien and the others before he finally made a decision. "Leave those three brats breathing for me, Luppi! I’ll be back soon, and when I am, I’m going to smash their skulls in one by one!"

Luppi naturally knew which three Yammy was talking about. To be honest, five Shinigami were far from enough to satisfy his appetite.

But since they were the prey Yammy had specifically called dibs on, he had no choice. Thinking of this, his gaze shifted back to Ikkaku and Yumichika—or more accurately, only Ikkaku caught his interest.

A Shinigami capable of Bankai shouldn’t be a simple character. He would barely suffice as a trophy of war.

"Then you’d better hurry up, Yammy. Otherwise, I might get too bored and accidentally kill them all."

The tables had turned.