With just one blow, Izumi Saeki's powerful move was dismantled in an instant.
The seemingly terrifying giant snake was nothing more than a facade, lacking any real threat.
"Although I don't quite understand what you mean," Tokikaze calmly spoke, "before boasting, it's better to consider your own strength. Otherwise, you might easily become a laughingstock."
Gulp!
Izumi Saeki swallowed hard. Under the overwhelming Reiatsu that permeated in the air and sweat was dripping from his face.
The situation had changed!
The gap in strength between the two was too vast. Let alone bringing Tokikaze down with him, he would surely offer sincere prayers to the Soul King if he managed to escape.
"Hado Number 31: Shakkahō!"
Izumi Saeki raised his hand, launching a fireball that instantly ignited the wooden debris falling from above.
In an instant, a sea of fire engulfed Tokikaze!
Without hesitation, Izumi Saeki tried to escape!
Someone that could dismantle his technique with just one compressed air blade was too much for him. It would be wiser to challenge him another day.
"Unlike your men, you seem to be a little afraid of dying, aren't you?"
A familiar yet unfamiliar voice sounded from behind, causing Izumi Saeki to momentarily stop breathing as he could sense the imminent Reiatsu was so close.
He felt his scalp tingle, and chill swept over his body, nearly erroding his sanity.
A monster, an absolute monster!
Izumi Saeki swung his Zanpakuto that was covered in sharp thorns. Countless thorny vines flew from the Zanpakuto and swarmed his back.
Even though he didn't expect this move to injure his opponent, he hoped it would at least slow Tokikaze down for a moment.
However, these thorny vines couldn't even approach within three meters of Tokikaze; they were torn apart by the raging wind.
They were on a completely different level.
Once again, the barrage of thorns weaved into a massive net, attempting to stop Tokikaze.
But the outcome was no different from previous attempts.
Once again, the thorns were torn apart in a blink of an eye.
Realizing that they had made some distance from where they first fought, Tokikaze increased the speed of his Shunpo, instantly approaching Izumi Saeki from behind.
"Alright, you've fulfilled your role. Now you can go to hell and repent for your sins."
Zankū!
Tokikaze raised his Zanpakuto and slashed. A violent gust of wind swept through the mountains and forests, turning into a terrifying phenomenon that tore Izumi Saeki apart.
Boom!
Izumi Saeki was completely erased, leaving not even his bones behind.
As the wind subsided, only a ravaged land remained.
Izumi Saeki, the former Vice-Captain of the Fourth Division, was dead!
Tokikaze sheathed his Zanpakuto, standing amidst the wreckage as he looked at the battlefield and sensed Tokinada's Reiatsu. It was still as ominous as always, and he seemed to be in his prime.
For him, a fight of this level was nothing.
Tokikaze pondered for a moment and then took out something he obtained from Yamada Seinosuke.
It was a vial filled with a black liquid with a piece of flesh inside.
It was a drug developed by Yamada Seinosuke in his research of body alteration.
Inspired by Tenjiro Kirinji's Blood Pond Hell, it could be used to replenish a person's blood.
The effects and side effects were no different from the Blood Pond Hell. If it's used on someone that had no problem with their blood, it would excessively regenerate their blood, which led to blood loss."
"Killing the heir of a branch family in the open is not a wise choice."
Tokikaze manipulated the wind to tear through his chest and then inserted a small amount of the black liquid into the wound.
Immediately, a large amount of blood oozed out from his skind, instantly staining his clothes.
"I've ridiculed that guy too many times. He should've held a grudge against me by now."
Tokikaze's face turned pale. Despite how strong he was, the loss of blood still affected him somewhat. "With such a good opportunity, what will Tokinada choose?"
To prevent any unexpected circumstances, he once again used the remaining black liquid to replenish the lost blood.
On top of this, he made himself look slightly disheveled on the surface.
Tokikaze manipulated his Reiatsu, trying to make himself look severely injured.
Shortly after Tokikaze and Izumi Saeki left the area, Tokinada and Tokieda quickly turned the tide of the battle.
By the time Tokikaze returned, the battle was reaching its conclusion.
Tokinada swung his sword, cutting the throat of the rebels. The opponent widened their eyes, instinctively covering their neck with their hands as they collapsed.
"Tokikaze-sama!?"
Noticing Tokikaze's condition, Tokinada instantly rushed to him with a worried expression. "Your injuries..."
Tokikaze instinctively dodged but couldn't avoid Tokinada's hands.
Using the wind, Tokikaze brushed off Tokinada and said expressionlessly, "Just a minor injury, it won't delay the battle."
"Gather the remaining people and prepare to proceed to the next battlefield."
The battlefield was brutal, especially the fights between nobles and rebels.
Although they achieved victory here, only a few survived.
"Same strategy, stick in a three-man team as we assist the other battlefields."
Tokikaze didn't have much talent in devising tactics, but luckily, battles among the Soul Reapers didn't require much tactics.
Being able to coordinate with each other was more than enough.
The remaining men that Tokikaze brought were quickly divided into teams of three, and coincidentally, Tokikaze's group remained the same.
Tokieda silently stood behind Tokikaze, not saying a word.
Observing this, Tokikaze narrowed his eyes. He initially thought of sending her away to create an opportunity for Tokinada, but he realized that doing so might make his intention too obvious, potentially alerting Tokinada.
Hence, he chose to let Tokieda accompany them.
As the teams dispersed to support different battlefields, Tokikaze also allocated some Spirit-Severing Ropes.
These items weren't particularly useful for him but it would help his men change the outcomes of the battles.
"We continue north; there is only one battlefield left in that direction," Tokikaze commanded.
He still walked at the frontmost. He used Shunpo as if his injuries had no effect on him.
Tokinada looked at Tokikaze's distant back, and the smile on his face becoming more sinister. His gaze inadvertently met with Tokieda's.
"Whether it's true or not doesn't matter now."
A nearly imperceptible whisper faded into the wind, "This is a rare opportunity..."
Heading twenty kilometers further north, Tokikaze's complexion became even paler, devoid of any trace of blood, and his breathing was slightly erratic.
He was about to speak when an intense Reiatsu erupted in front of him.
A compressed air blade was blasted, aiming at Tokikaze's arm, and blood gushed out!