Chapter 97: Blade Sealing Technique

Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Blade Sealing Technique A streak of Flowlight slashed across the sky above the Fuwai District, crashing deep into the mountains. Boom! The shockwave rumbled so fiercely that even the souls on Fuwai Street felt it in their bones. "Boss, let’s go check it out! Maybe a treasure just dropped!" "We’ve gotta hurry, or someone else will cash in first!" "Yeah, yeah!" But the lively chatter vanished in an instant. A suffocating wave of Reiatsu swept across the skies, silencing the entire street. Nanatsuki shoved off the rubble crushing him and hurried to heal himself with Kaido. Batsu’unsai’s attacks were too terrifying. He couldn’t block them at all. And the Katori-ryu Secret Art she mentioned? He had no clue what it was. As he healed, he mentally replayed and deconstructed her every move. He noticed that every time Batsu’unsai unleashed her blade, she would pinch the blade between her index and middle fingers. That had to be a key. But how could two fingers possibly compress Reiatsu and store up power? He gave it a shot, mimicking her grip—index and middle finger pinching the Zanpakutō’s flat edge. The moment he released them, the blade flicked up—and a streak of Flowlight burst forth. Boom! A tree not far away exploded into splinters. "No good... the power still scattered," Nanatsuki muttered, brow furrowed. Whoosh—Katori Batsu’unsai appeared beside him in a flash. "Finished resting?" "You can’t keep wasting Reiatsu like that. Come with me—we need to find Captain Unohana." "I took a secret pill to forcibly unlock my potential. Going to Unohana won’t help. If you don’t want me to die in vain... then keep going." Nanatsuki’s heart twisted, but all he could do was raise his Zanpakutō. Batsu’unsai lifted her own blade once more. With her left hand, she clamped the edge tightly between her index and middle fingers. "The Katori-ryu Secret Art is actually just one technique—Blade Sealing." "You use two fingers to seal off leaking Reiatsu. At the same time, your slashing speed must hit the limit—only then will the released Reiatsu stay intact." "You’ve already felt how powerful it is. From now on, I’ll only match your Reiatsu level... but I’ll still use my other techniques." "Try to grasp it well!" Nanatsuki’s eyes sharpened. Reiatsu burst from his shoulders and back in a storm of turbulence. "Shunko!" He couldn’t match her speed—only by entering Shunko could he barely withstand her blade. At that moment, Batsu’unsai let go of her grip. Her Zanpakutō surged. Another Flowlight flew straight at Nanatsuki. He lunged forward and thrust his blade at it. "Shun Strike!" CLANG!!! His feet sank into the earth, gouging two deep trenches behind him. Even with Batsu’unsai suppressing her Reiatsu to match his, her Flowlight still overpowered him! This was the true might of Blade Sealing—it amplified the power of Iaido beyond its limits! Suddenly, the Flowlight vanished, and the pressure on him eased. But Nanatsuki kept his nerves taut. He didn’t dare relax—not when her next strike could come at any moment. He reversed his grip with his left hand and drew Datenshinkotsu, raising the blade defensively at his waist. Batsu’unsai vanished. A moment later, she reappeared behind him. "Shunpo Iaido!" CLANG! The impact numbed his arm—he nearly dropped Datenshinkotsu. But instead, he let it fall smoothly back into its sheath. Raising Kagehime, he pinched the blade with two fingers to seal Reiatsu into it—then released. Twisting at the waist, he slashed backward. At the same time, Batsu’unsai unleashed another Flowlight. The two streaks collided—but her focused Flowlight shattered his scattered one. He could only raise his blade to block the impact. CLANG! He was blown back into the woods, crashing through several trees before finally stopping. Batsu’unsai lowered her Zanpakutō and stepped forward. A hint of disappointment flickered in her eyes. Her steps were unsteady. Time was almost up. But Nanatsuki still hadn’t mastered Blade Sealing. He had to hold on—just a little longer. Suddenly, a streak of thunder shot from the forest—crackling with lightning—and exploded in front of her. Batsu’unsai brightened and slashed at the thunderlight, testing its force with her blade. CLANG!!! She slid back several steps, laughing aloud. "Good! That’s the feeling!" In the forest, arcs of lightning still flickered between Nanatsuki’s fingers. He had finally done it—successfully releasing a focused Flowlight using only his fingers! A new skill appeared on his Status Interface: Thunder-Finger Blade Seal! He couldn’t replicate Batsu’unsai’s form of Blade Sealing—his slashing speed was still slower than hers. To fully stabilize a Flowlight, the slash had to be extremely fast. He hadn’t reached that point. So instead, he combined Raikiri with Finger Sword, applying their techniques while sealing Reiatsu— —and thus created Thunder-Finger Blade Seal! "Nanatsuki, take this!" Batsu’unsai released another Flowlight. "Bring it!" He responded with his own Thunder-Finger Blade Seal. Two wildly different Flowlights clashed. And the one charged with thunder... was even faster than hers. BOOM! The impact tore up a massive shockwave. When the dust finally cleared, Nanatsuki stared. A deep ravine now split the mountain in two. He had mastered Blade Sealing —but there wasn’t a trace of joy on his face. Batsu’unsai looked terrible—her fierce spirit was gone. Nanatsuki Shunpo’d to her side and caught her collapsing body. "Nanatsuki... looks like you’ve found your own path... I’m glad..." Batsu’unsai coughed lightly, her voice faint. "Katori-ryu... is yours now..." [Katori Batsu’unsai] [Talent: S+] [Reiatsu: |v90] [Reputation: Close] [Status: Spiritual Pressure Core shattered, spirit body collapsing...] Her Spiritual Pressure Core was completely destroyed—her Reishi body was falling apart. Nanatsuki’s mind raced, digging through all the Kaido and healing knowledge he had. There had to be a way to save her. That’s when two figures appeared beside him. Their appearances were unmistakable. Shutara Senjumaru. Tenjirō Kirinji. Kirinji crouched to examine Batsu’unsai, his pompadour nearly smacking Nanatsuki in the face. "Man... this is touching. Batsu’unsai willing to die for you, huh?" Nanatsuki remembered—Kirinji’s healing surpassed even Unohana’s. "Lord Kirinji! Can you save her?" "You know me?" Kirinji raised an eyebrow. "She told you that much?" "Eh, whatever. Doesn’t matter." "I could’ve saved her. But now? Nope." He shrugged. "Only way is to transplant your Spiritual Pressure Core into her. That’d save her." "But she refused." "So we have to respect her choice."