Chapter 29: provocation

Late at night, while seriously considering whether to go to the Hollow side.

Multiple spiritual pressures appeared in the sky above the town, and everyone began to move.

Naturally, Ichigo also moves due to the sudden powerful spiritual pressures.

And the first place Ichigo arrived was where Chad was. There, he saw Chad fighting with someone who appeared to be an Arrancar, and Ichigo shouted.

“Chad!”

“I’ll take this guy.”

Ichigo looked at Chad and the opposing Arrancar, and then nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll leave it to you.”

Chad silently raised his right thumb. Honestly, even from a man’s perspective, he looks cool.

But didn’t Chad originally get beaten here? But I decided to let it go. Ikkaku openly used Bankai in Seireitei, and Ulquiorra released and tried to kill him right away.

It’s partly due to my intervention, but I think it’s fundamentally different from the world I know.

Apart from the fact that I trained Chad a little faster, it doesn’t make sense logically for Chad, who is at lieutenant level, to be beaten without being able to do anything against an unreleased Arrancar, let alone Yammy.

“!”

“?!”

The opposing Arrancar and Chad reacted to the spiritual pressure that was felt.

A clearly heterogeneous and high-quality spiritual pressure among the spiritual pressures that had appeared a little while ago.

Ichigo’s gaze immediately went up at that creepy spiritual pressure, and he saw a blue-haired man with a ferocious smile.

At the appearance of the man, the Arrancar who was facing Chad shouted.

“Grimmjow!”

“It’s not good to be greedy on your own. You play with that guy, D-Roy.”

“Yeah, I’ll take care of you.”

Ichigo and Grimmjow faced each other in the air, and Grimmjow, with a ferocious smile, immediately kicked.

Ichigo avoided it, regripped Zangetsu, and immediately moved at ultra-high speed to charge at Grimmjow.

It’s not difficult to use this footwork, which is not Shunpo, Sonido, Hirenkyaku, or Bringer Light, even if it’s not Tensa Zangetsu.

Maybe it’s because he’s already hard to find a match in terms of speed.

Grimmjow immediately took out the Zanpakuto at his waist and narrowly blocked the attack.

“I felt it when I saw Ulquiorra’s report, but you’re damn fast. You’re much faster than that number 7 guy.”

“Oh, is that so?”

They pushed each other away with a power struggle, and both of them were pushed back, and Ichigo frowned.

“Why did you come to town?!”

“Why did I come, you ask a strange question. Is there a reason needed for a fight?”

“Huh? Are you a Kenpachi type too?!”

“Who’s that?”

Grimmjow makes an absurd expression for a moment.

But soon he smiled ferociously and charged at Ichigo.

“Let’s fight, Shinigami! I’m Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, the Sexta Espada!”

“Sexta? Number 6? Are you saying you’re the 6th strongest among the Arrancars?”

“Well, why don’t you find out for yourself.”

“…Let me ask you one thing properly. Are you stronger than Ulquiorra?”

Grimmjow was silent at those words.

But it wasn’t difficult to guess what the blatant frown on his face meant, and it was the same for Ichigo, who muttered quietly.

“I see.”

“Why are you asking that, Shinigami.”

“I just thought that in order to defeat Ulquiorra, I shouldn’t lose to you.”

“This b*stard….”

As if his reverse scale had been touched, Grimmjow rushed at Ichigo fiercely.

I muttered at that.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but Ichigo is surprisingly good at provoking, isn’t he?”

“I agree.”

“It’s like he’s pinpointing the words that will make the opponent explode with anger.”

“Wouldn’t it be his usual habit?”

Before becoming a Shinigami, Ichigo was famous as an orange-haired punk.

Perhaps the provocation against the opponent is ingrained in his subconscious.

Or maybe he has surprisingly good insight? Come to think of it, Ichigo is smart. It’s just that he doesn’t use that good brain much.

“Getsugatensho!”

“Cero!”

Getsugatensho and Cero collide in the air. Originally, I know that he couldn’t easily deal with it even with Bankai, but here, he’s dealing with it just fine in Shikai state.

No, maybe this is correct. The current Ichigo is clearly a captain-level powerhouse, and other captain-level powerhouses dealt with unreleased Espadas just fine in Shikai state, so it can be said that this is correct.

But he was slightly pushed back by the power, and Getsugatensho was shattered by Cero, and Ichigo was slightly pushed back.

“What’s wrong, Shinigami! Aren’t you going to use Bankai?!”

“You Arrancar, aren’t you going to release like Ulquiorra?”

“Haha, you’ve got a big mouth! Fine!”

Grimmjow said that and assumed a stance.

“You deserve to see my release, Shinigami!”

“!”

“Grind, Pantera!”

The blue spiritual pressure fluctuates, and Grimmjow’s appearance changes.

If the release of a Shinigami’s Zanpakuto is the appearance of the true sword, the release of an Arrancar, Resurrección, can be said to be the release of their true power and appearance.

He already looked like a beast, but when he released, that appearance was literally a beast.

Incomparable spiritual pressure from before.

In terms of Shinigami, Resurrección corresponds to Bankai, so it’s only natural.

Compared to Ulquiorra’s release, it’s somewhat inferior, but it’s a level that can be said to be a strong enemy enough for the current Ichigo. Ichigo also knows that, so he hardened his expression, grabbed Zangetsu with both hands, held it forward, and exploded his spiritual pressure.

“Ban! Kai!”

The explosion of spiritual pressure subsided, and what appeared was Ichigo wearing a black Shihakusho.

“Tensa Zangetsu.”

The appearance of the best power that each other can currently show.

“Is that Bankai? But it’s not enough.”

“What do you mean.”

“You used a mask when you fought Ulquiorra, didn’t you?”

“……”

“I don’t know how you, a Shinigami, can use a Hollow’s mask, but you were much stronger when you used it.”

Grimmjow frowned and said.

“Wear the mask, Shinigami. Are you going to say such nonsense as to fight me while holding back?”

“Well, it’s not like I can use it easily as I please.”

Ichigo said, putting Tensa Zangetsu on his shoulder.

“If you’re an opponent I have to use it against, I’ll use it, Grimmjow.”

“This b*stard?”

White and I were impressed by that.

“That Ichigo is really good at provoking, isn’t he?”

“Isn’t that level a talent, but a passive? He’s provoking so naturally, like breathing.”