Chapter 239: Recognition from Ishihara!
Just as Ishihara was about to leave, an unexpected turn of events occurred!
For some unknown reason, the Zanpakutō suddenly sensed Ishihara's presence!
"Wait a minute, he's not a caterpillar! Kill him! Kill him now!"
The Zanpakutō suddenly shouted, while the man holding it looked at it with utter confusion.
He had no idea what this thing was trying to say.
If he wasn't a caterpillar, then what was he?
Could he actually be… a person?
Ishihara, on the other hand, understood. The Zanpakutō had probably noticed something was off because of his earlier reaction.
Since that was the case, there was no need for him to keep hiding. This was a perfect opportunity to test this man's strength.
Cough, cough. "Yeah, I'm definitely not a caterpillar."
"What?!"
The moment Ishihara dispelled his Transformation Jutsu, the man was completely stunned.
A caterpillar turning into a human? This was straight out of science fiction!
Then, a thought crossed his mind—ninjas… and the Transformation Jutsu!
"You're a ninja?"
The man asked, and Ishihara simply nodded before saying,
"The Zanpakutō was created by me. If you want to take it—"
"You're the 'master' it keeps talking about?"
The man interrupted Ishihara, his eyes burning with fighting spirit.
Even though he had just obtained such immense power, he wasn't intimidated in the slightest!
Especially since this guy seemed like he wanted to take his power away.
From the looks of it, this guy was an enemy. And if that was the case, there was no need for politeness!
With that thought, the man slowly drew the Zanpakutō at his waist and stared seriously at Ishihara.
"Yes! That's it! Fight him! Kill him! This guy isn't my master! My real master is way stronger than him!"
The Zanpakutō shouted excitedly, acting like a cowardly dog emboldened by its owner.
Ishihara, however, remained calm and said,
"If the seal on the Afterworld is broken, I will have to reclaim your Zanpakutō.
After all, Zanpakutōs were originally created to give everyone the power to fight against spirits.
If the Afterworld is unsealed, spirits will disappear."
With that, Ishihara raised his right hand, gripping the air, and a Zanpakutō instantly appeared in his palm.
"Well then, let's see what you've got."
"I was just about to say the same thing!"
The man dashed forward in an instant, and Ishihara didn't take advantage of him.
This guy clearly didn't know any ninjutsu or taijutsu.
So, Ishihara decided to keep things simple—just a contest of raw strength and speed!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sounds of metal clashing rang out as the two engaged in a fierce battle.
"Hey! You idiot, move back! How are you still fighting him like this?!
Dodge left! No, right! Damn it, you moron! Have you ever even been in a fight before?!
Damn it! Why can't you dodge that?!
Shit! If it weren't for me, you'd be dead ten thousand times over!"
As the man fought, the Zanpakutō was also fighting—yelling in frustration as it tried to coach him through the battle.
Ishihara, watching the scene, didn't interfere.
He could feel the man's combat skills improving rapidly!
Now this was getting interesting!
However, everyone had their limits.
It wasn't long before the man reached his breaking point.
The intensity of the battle was wearing him down.
Several times, he nearly lost his grip on the Zanpakutō.
Clang!
Finally, with a single strike, Ishihara sent the man's Zanpakutō flying.
The man's heart clenched at the sight—he had lost!
This guy was truly powerful.
Without that sword… would he go back to being a weak, powerless man?
"Hahaha! I'm finally free!"
The Zanpakutō shouted in excitement as it flew through the air, ready to escape.
It didn't care if Ishihara chased after it or not—anything was better than being held in that guy's hands forever!
But to its shock, its flight speed suddenly slowed down?
The Zanpakutō was completely baffled.
It checked its own power—only to feel like it was… constipated.
Its strength had weakened—by several orders of magnitude!
Most of its power had been drained!
"Who did this?! Who stole my power?!"
The Zanpakutō roared furiously, turning to glare at the man.
As expected, the man was no longer an ordinary person.
He now possessed Kage-level spiritual energy!
That's right—spiritual energy, not chakra!
In terms of energy systems, spiritual energy was superior to chakra.
Given the same amount, spiritual energy would always be stronger than chakra.
After all, spiritual energy was a fusion of various forces.
Ishihara was momentarily stunned by this development, but he quickly regained his composure.
"So, it looks like you have the ability to absorb a Zanpakutō's power and make it your own."
Ishihara's voice was calm, but a flicker of killing intent flashed in his eyes.
It seemed like he would have to kill this guy eventually.
There was no way he was going to let someone else reap the benefits of the Zanpakutōs he had painstakingly created.
That would be completely unacceptable.
However, for now, he decided to let the man live.
After all, rather than killing him outright, wouldn't it be better to turn him into a worker instead?