Chapter 399: BSUS Chapter 402: Fair Duel, One-on-One

Chad clenched his fists. It was obvious that after learning the three-digit Arrancars were former Espada, his heart was far from calm.

It was hardly surprising. Even if one was prepared, the word “Espada” carried an immense weight of pressure. Not to mention, ever since Ulquiorra and Yammy’s initial invasion of the World of the Living, for someone like Chad, the Espada were simply synonymous with defeat.

Although Gantenbainne had been stripped of his rank, since he was once an Espada, he had to be one of the existences closest to them within Las Noches, right?

As Chad cautiously kept his guard up against any sudden attacks from the enemy, an inexplicable desire to challenge him welled up inside. Ever since entering Hueco Mundo, the innate combativeness in his bones—which had faded because of his grandfather’s teachings—seemed to have been awakened once more. It cheered and roared within him, urging him to defeat the man standing before him. It wasn’t about honor or life and death; it was simply a challenge.

Long ago, Chad had stopped fearing throwing punches. His heart was resolute enough that his fists would naturally never become tools that purely served violence to hurt others.

Yet, he disliked this feeling, even though it was quietly changing now. It was hard to say whether this shift was good or bad, but trying it out just this once wouldn’t hurt. At the very least, he needed to see the results of his own efforts and determine if he was finally capable of being a partner who could fight alongside Ichigo.

Chad slowly lowered his fists, but his gaze grew even firmer than before. It was a frank declaration of war, one that did not escape Gantenbainne’s eyes.

“You actually aren’t scared. You’ve got some guts, kid.”

Gantenbainne had barely finished his teasing remark, and before Chad could even reply, a burst of arrogant, slightly mocking laughter suddenly rang out.

“Hahaha, don’t underestimate us too much, afro.”

Ginjō chuckled as he pushed himself up from the wall. “If your strength was really what we thought it was—ranked outside the three digits in Las Noches—I might actually be scared. But now? If I beat you by your own rules, I’d be qualified to become an Espada too, wouldn’t I? Chad, you’re thinking the exact same thing, aren’t you?”

That wasn’t entirely correct, but it wasn’t wrong either. Chad nodded. If the Arrancars in Las Noches were all casually at this level, it would be a true disaster.

“I really don’t know if you’re optimistic or just plain stupid, but either way, you’re only deceiving yourselves.” Gantenbainne clearly disagreed with Ginjō’s logic. “Didn’t you hear what I just said? This is where it ends for you! Do you still think you can defeat—”

“Defeating you won’t be hard, which is exactly why I’m laughing, you idiot.”

Ginjō confidently cut Gantenbainne off, stepping up beside Chad to continue, “I know you want a piece of this guy too, Chad. But whether it’s an order or a request, leave him to me. How about it?”

“You want to take him alone?”

“Weren’t you planning to do the exact same thing? There will be plenty of opportunities, so leave this one to me.” Seeing Chad still hesitating, Ginjō’s tone grew increasingly displeased. “It might take a lot of time to rescue the others later. What if your schoolmates are in there?”

“Or maybe I’m just not that trustworthy. From your perspective, you shouldn’t feel at ease leaving that little Inoue girl to me and Giriko, right? Or leaving the humans behind to the two of us? No, you definitely can’t feel at ease.”

“Just find whatever excuse works for you, take the others, and obediently keep moving forward. Understood?!”

Ginjō snapped fiercely. Chad could sense that the man also had his own reasons for needing to defeat Gantenbainne, and those reasons were undoubtedly much clearer than his own.

“We’ll wait for you up ahead, Mr. Ginjō.”

Ginjō chuckled. “Just don’t be waiting for me to come solve your problems for you.”

Chad had no intention of saying anything more to Ginjō. He simply walked over to Inoue and Kutsuzawa Giriko in silence, and the three of them bypassed Gantenbainne, approaching the large doors behind him.

Such blatant evasion was far more humiliating than a swaggering display of ignorance. Gantenbainne’s gaze sharpened, locking onto Chad and the others. “Don’t just go making decisions on your own, brats!”

Suddenly, a massive cross-shaped sword blocked his path. Gantenbainne’s heart skipped a beat. He naturally knew who the owner of this greatsword was, but unexpectedly, the man was much faster than before.

“Since when do we need the approval of an enemy like you to make our decisions?”

Ginjō’s gruff voice carried a hint of mockery. With a flick of his wrist, the blade that had been slashing horizontally toward Gantenbainne turned flat, swatting the Arrancar away like a giant palm-leaf fan.

His power was stronger than before, too!

This time, it was Gantenbainne’s turn to be caught completely off guard. Though he wasn’t as battered as Ginjō had been earlier, his stumbling, retreating footsteps were far from dignified.

“Courtesy demands reciprocity. Consider this a little lesson, afro!”

“It seems I underestimated you. Not bad, kid.”

Ginjō rested the greatsword on his shoulder and sneered disdainfully, “You’re just as weak on the inside as I thought. What a shame, Chad and the others have already left.”

“Hmph, it doesn’t matter. I’ll catch up quickly and finish them off. As for you…”

Gantenbainne removed the horn-like objects—which could loosely be considered gauntlets—from his wrists. “Since you want to stay here alone, in the name of God, I will grant you a fair duel. Are you ready?”

“Oh? That’s exactly what I’ve been hoping for.”

The moment those words fell, both figures vanished from their spots simultaneously. A popping sound echoed through the air as the human and the Hollow clashed in the center of the room.

On one side, heavy punches struck like cannon fire; on the other, the greatsword swung with the crushing momentum of a waterfall. The instant they collided, a terrifying burst of Reiatsu exploded outward, swallowing them both.

Gantenbainne planted his right foot back to stop his body from tilting backward, then immediately pushed off with his left. He slipped around to the left side, gliding like a fish to close in on Ginjō’s back.

But just as he raised his fist, the greatsword followed like a shadow. A faint white halo condensed at the tip of the blade, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

Pale golden light gathered on the surface of Gantenbainne’s fist, channeled through the two thin horns. He didn’t flinch in the slightest. The concentrated beam of Reiatsu fired like a cannonball, accompanied by a rumbling roar that threatened to reduce everything to nothingness.

The white halo on Ginjō’s blade seemed to finally reach its limit, unwilling to remain contained any longer. Under Gantenbainne’s astonished gaze, it surged through the hall like a bursting dam.

Gantenbainne crossed his arms in front of him to block, but it wasn’t just his arms—his entire body felt as though it were being torn apart. Even the sturdiest of rocks wouldn’t be able to hold firm against such a torrent.

Ginjō Kūgo, a human! To think he was actually this strong!

Gantenbainne’s shock didn’t end there. More than anything, it was because this violent method of attack was far too similar to that of a Hollow. Condensing a massive amount of Reiatsu and firing it all in one concentrated blast—wasn’t this the signature technique of a Menos, a Cero?

Just what exactly was this human’s background?!