Chapter 400: BSUS Chapter 403: God, Please Forgive My Sins

“A Cero?”

“What’s wrong? With that look of complete shock and suspicion, are you wondering if I’m actually human?” Ginjō asked as he delivered another slash. Reiatsu erupted from the blade, mirroring his increasingly soaring excitement.

This time, Gantenbainne chose to temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack. Using the shockwave of the explosion, he moved like a fish caught in a rising tide—with just a flick of his tail, he launched himself into the sky, escaping the stormy seas below.

“Of course I’m human.”

Yet Ginjō followed closely like an inescapable shadow. He swung his sword, severing the stone pillar Gantenbainne had just landed on, and followed up with an upward slash.

Gantenbainne was starting to get a headache. In terms of speed, Ginjō wasn’t faster than him, but he wasn’t slower either. More importantly, the man’s reaction time was more than enough to keep up. As for explosive power, that should have been his advantage as an Arrancar, but Ginjō was currently overpowering him. What a troublesome guy.

Twisting his body mid-air as much as he could, Gantenbainne kicked the greatsword just as Ginjō tried to change his stance. He finally managed to put some distance between them again, and the two landed on opposite ends of the room.

“Rather than a human, you seem more like a Hollow than I do.”

Far from looking angry at the remark, Ginjō nodded in agreement. “I don’t blame you for feeling that way. Humans who possess the same power as me—Fullbring—all had parents who were attacked by Hollows. So, perhaps our powers were born from that.”

“That kid named Chad must have felt the same way, which is why he wanted to stay behind. The power inside his body is restless. Compared to a Shinigami or some Quincy, his power is probably much closer to a Hollow’s.”

*Humans who possess power due to a Hollow’s influence?* That would explain why the man before him, Ginjō Kūgo, could use a Cero.

An inexplicable sense of absurdity welled up in Gantenbainne’s heart. This formidable enemy standing before him was created by their own hands. What a bizarre irony. “And what about you? Why did you stay behind? Out of hatred for us?”

“No, no, no. I’m not some naive kid who thinks this power brings nothing but pain.” Ginjō shook his head and continued, “As for why I stayed here, let me ask you a question first. What does it feel like to be a discarded tool?”

“A tool?”

“Hey, hey, hey, have you still not realized it? How pathetic.”

Ginjō stabbed his sword into the ground and chuckled. “You’re a discarded Espada, right? Even if your strength doesn’t match the current Espada, you shouldn’t have been branded with such a humiliating three-digit number, should you? You should know very well that your Lord Aizen has completely abandoned you. Once he found better tools, he tossed you all into a filthy storage shed.”

“Shut up.”

“Oh? Unwilling to admit it? Or do you still genuinely believe—believe that one day you can become a handy tool again?” Ginjō clutched his head and burst into laughter. “You really are a naive and pitiful child, Gantenbainne.”

“I told you to shut up!”

With a furious roar, Gantenbainne charged forward and threw a punch.

“Struck a nerve?” Ginjō teased, dodging to the left. But just as he raised his sword, his opponent threw another lightning-fast punch.

Right now, Gantenbainne was like a beast whose scars had been ripped open, hammering punch after punch against the greatsword Ginjō held horizontally in front of him.

“Lord Aizen gave us power and guided our path! I will prove to him that I still have what it takes to reclaim my rightful status!”

“Hahaha, what a stubborn fool!”

Ginjō was getting a bit annoyed by the erratic, uncoordinated attacks, though it might have also been because of how utterly pathetic Gantenbainne looked to him. Because of this, even though he was laughing, there was no trace of actual joy in his laughter.

With a swift movement of his hands, he caught Gantenbainne’s incoming fist perfectly within the hollow space of his blade. Immediately after, he twisted the greatsword and pressed down hard, forcing his opponent to bow down along with it.

Gantenbainne was stunned for a moment. Just as he tried to counterattack, Ginjō’s elbow was already right in front of his eyes, slamming directly into the side of his face.

But a single elbow strike didn’t seem enough to vent Ginjō’s frustration. Quickly, he followed up with a lightning-fast kick to his opponent’s slightly reeling body.

Gantenbainne skidded across the floor, flying all the way to the wall before coming to a halt. However, an attack like that wasn’t enough to cause him any serious injury.

Flipping back up, his fists were already enveloped in a faint yellow halo while he was still in a half-crouch. But before he could retaliate, Ginjō had already brought his sword down. Even before the Reiatsu-formed slash from the blade reached him, it felt as though it would tear a person in half.

“Do you still not get it? This is just a game, for both you and me, Gantenbainne.”

Ginjō’s voice echoed through the hall, his tone even more desolate than the clatter of falling rubble. “You’re being used by that guy as a tool to test me, but I might not mean the same thing to you. You are no match for me. Your existence is merely a tool to push out my limits. Doesn’t that piss you off, Gantenbainne?”

The answer to this question did not come for a long time. Gantenbainne seemed to have vanished into the billowing dust—or perhaps he had become a part of it?

*No,* Ginjō believed that the last strike wasn’t enough to take his life. *Is he starting to hesitate? Or…?*

“Didn’t I tell you not to look down on people, kid?” Gantenbainne still didn’t answer Ginjō’s question. “Don’t forget, as a former Espada, I have yet to show you my true form.”

Gantenbainne’s figure gradually became clear. Half of his face was almost entirely dyed red with blood, but his body was clad in something resembling exceptionally bulky armor, completely covering his upper body and back.

His arms, which he treated as his swords, were also covered beneath the armor. Both fists were encased in dragon-head-styled gauntlets, with only the front of his knuckles slightly exposed.

“Oh? And what of it?”

“I will finish you with my true power. Whether this is a game or a test, I will not lose!”

As he spoke, Gantenbainne pulled down the star-shaped visor from his forehead. He clasped his hands together as if in repentance, his knuckles aimed directly at Ginjō.

A dazzling golden light gathered at the tips of his fists. From Ginjō’s perspective, the sphere of light looked like dragon fire building up in a giant dragon’s maw, ready to be unleashed. Just looking at it made one feel as though they were about to be reduced to ashes.

“I told you, you are no match for me.”

Gantenbainne acted as if he couldn’t hear Ginjō’s words. The golden light on his fists suddenly erupted. The torrent of Reiatsu surged forward with devastating force, turning everything in its path to dust.

This was Gantenbainne’s proudest technique—Dragon Fist! Even with the strength Ginjō had displayed earlier, it would be impossible for him to escape or block it. The only outcome left for him was death!

“God, please forgive my sins…”