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Chapter - 14: Endless Potential
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I launched my attack, allowing the cloud of dust to slowly dissipate, revealing Urahara, who was bowing to pick up his hat that had fallen to the ground.
As he calmly dusted it off, my gaze slid over the numerous tears in his kimono. Some were little more than superficial rips in the fabric, while others revealed minor gouges scattered across his body.
Yet, he didn't seem the slightest bit bothered by the damage; in fact, he almost appeared pleased with how the fight was going. Or rather, the stronger I was, the better it was for him.
But I had finally forced him to use Flash Step to dodge. My attack was definitely not something to take lightly, and the fact that he had to resort to pure speed to avoid it was proof that the battle was reaching a new level.
I took a deep breath, letting the flow of Reishi around my wings stabilize, but ready to begin again with the utmost efficiency that I could currently produce.
"Well...!" Urahara began, whistling as he looked at me with an expression that was hard to describe in simple words. "I must admit," he commented, adjusting his collar, "It's not often that someone manages to put me in such a difficult spot."
"Save the compliments," I replied flatly. "I know perfectly well you're still not fighting seriously."
Urahara tilted his head slightly, his smile widening. "Oh? And what makes you think that?"
"The fact that you've limited yourself to countering my attacks without ever taking the initiative. And, above all, I haven't felt any real offensive intent from you." I didn't hold back, feeling a bit of pride as I saw genuine surprise in him.
Then, a light and amused laugh echoed through the air. "Really, Kisuke? You let yourself be read so easily?" I barely turned my gaze to see Yoruichi, sitting comfortably not far away, the usual mocking grin painted on her face.
She had one hand on her hip, and with the other, she pointed at Urahara with an almost amused gesture. "I knew you were good at hiding your intentions, but apparently, he managed to see right through you like an open book," she continued, chuckling. "Looks like time in the human world has softened you up, Kisuke—"
Urahara sighed, shaking his head. "Oh, please, Yoruichi… it's not that simple." Then he gave me a look, his smile enigmatic. "In fact, I'd say he's the one who's very perceptive, don't you think?"
I couldn't help but smile too. "If you're trying to turn this in your favor, it's not going to work. The point is, you still haven't stopped holding back."
Urahara raised his hat, theatrically scratching his neck. "How cruel... two against one is hardly fair."
"If you were really in trouble, you'd manage just fine," Yoruichi retorted, leaning slightly forward. "Give him what he wants and at most, I'll call Tessai to give him some medical assistance."
"Well...!" Urahara began, whistling. "If that's what you both want..." He threw me a curious look, or rather, he looked at my wings, shortening the distance between us to observe them more closely.
"But I must admit, I'm very curious about the manifestation of your power..." he murmured, tilting his head slightly as he stared at the pulsating Reishi construct behind me. "It's not just a couple of Reishi constructs, is it? It's something much more malleable… much more versatile."
I didn't answer right away, letting him speculate. After all, Urahara was the type of man who found more satisfaction in discovering things on his own than having them handed to him.
He shifted slightly to the side, studying their changing shape with palpable interest. "Hmmm… they're a direct extension of your will. Not only do they allow you to fly, but you can modify them at will to attack or defend. Constructs of your own power so refined are difficult to make… And yet, you do it with impressive naturalness."
But I didn't respond right away, merely observing his relaxed demeanor, as though the last barrage of attacks hadn't had any effect on him.
"You caught on quickly," I admitted, shifting my wings slightly behind me as I carefully observed their shape. "Each transformation requires a certain amount of Reishi, but the feeling is different each time. It's as if they adapt on their own, becoming more efficient without a significant increase in energy consumption."
Urahara made a thoughtful gesture. "Hmm... so your very instinct fights by your side, optimizing every change in the construct. In practice, it's not just you evolving, but your very power shaping itself around you in real-time."
I couldn't deny it since I didn't fully understand this new power of mine either, but since it had originated from my desire to show all my strength, it couldn't possibly be that simple.
I smiled with a hint of challenge. "You're not trying to find a way to use this information against me, are you?"
Urahara laughed, waving a hand theatrically. "Me? What do you take me for?" Then his smile became sharper. "Let's just say that knowing your enemy is the first step to certain victory." His light tone didn't fool me for a second.
The wind stirred the dust around us as the tension hung in the air. My breath was still heavy, but the adrenaline rushing through my veins made all the talking seem secondary.
I didn't respond with words.
I moved.
In the blink of an eye, I was already on him, my wing shaped like an energy greatsword directed at his chest with such speed it seemed to cleave the very air itself.
But once again, he proved to be one step ahead.
His sword rose at the last moment, deflecting the blow with precision that befitted a master of Zanjutsu. The metal rang in a sharp clang as sparks briefly lit up his penetrating eyes.
But I didn't stop.
With a strike from my second wing, I spun in the air, my blade already poised for a second attack, faster and more precise than the first. But before it could hit its mark, Urahara had already vanished, reappearing behind me.
The fight, as intense as it was, began to feel repetitive. A simple game of chase and counterattack. Me trying to catch him off guard with wide-range attacks, him limiting himself to defending and dodging every strike with almost irritating grace.
After a particularly violent clash, we both pulled back, propelled by the force of the collision. For a moment, the battlefield fell silent as the dust slowly settled in the air thick with spiritual energy.
"..."
I paused for a moment to catch my breath, noticing that I didn't look my best. My body was marked with bruises and scratches, and I could taste the metallic tang of blood in my mouth.
I pinched one nostril and, blowing forcefully, expelled the blood that had accumulated, clearing my breath. It had become clear that my Blut Vene couldn't fully protect me in a battle of this level.
But Urahara was in worse shape. His kimono was torn in several places, cuts decorated the fabric, and his breathing was more labored than mine, a sign that he too was out of practice.
I studied him for a moment before slightly tilting my head. "Are we going to finish this battle with the next attack?" I asked, my voice firm.
Urahara raised an eyebrow, the usual enigmatic smile on his lips. "Oh? Are you so sure of your victory, Kurosaki-san?"
"It's not about certainty," I replied calmly. "By now, you should have figured it out too. You can't defeat me just by limiting yourself to defense." I let my words hang in the air before casting a sidelong glance at Yoruichi. "And I imagine that if we pushed too far, she'd stop us immediately."
Yoruichi, who had been observing the fight with her arms crossed, smiled with an expression that betrayed amusement and a hint of warning since, with her speed, she could have intervened before we even realized it.
"..."
Urahara remained silent for a few seconds, his gaze studying every move I made. He wasn't foolish enough to push a simple training battle any further, especially considering who I was.
"I bet you're thinking that..." I observed, catching the thread of his thoughts with extreme ease. "So tell me, do you have something like a hidden card? Because if not... the next strike will decide everything."
Urahara burst into a light laugh, but there was a hint of tension behind his usual playful tone. "Ah! You talk as if you could win at any moment, Kurosaki-san."
I shrugged, a cocky smile appearing on my face. "In this condition? Pretty much. Let me show you." And in that instant, I let go of every limitation.
The air around me vibrated violently as a wave of pure spiritual pressure flooded the battlefield. The ground beneath my feet cracked with a sinister creaking sound, deep fissures rapidly spreading across the earth as my aura intensified.
It wasn't that I hadn't been giving my all in the fight before, but there was a difference in intent. Until that moment, I had fought with the purpose of keeping up with Urahara's abilities, all the while exercising my senses, my control, and my manipulation of my wings.
But now? Now, my sole goal was to end the fight as quickly and efficiently as possible.
And everyone felt it.
The invisible pressure of my power was almost suffocating. It wasn't just my Reiatsu, but combined with my Haki and my intent, amplifying the effect until it became unbearable.
My Dragon Factor fully awakened. My mere presence turned into a domain, an intimidation that imposed both fear and reverence simultaneously.
Every living being within range felt the crushing weight of my power, the choice between bowing out of fear or out of veneration etched into their most primal instincts.
An Apex Predator facing its prey.
I watched as Kisuke and Yoruichi took a step back, sweat beginning to bead on their foreheads, as if they were reliving a PTSD flashback. Despite having lived for hundreds of years, they couldn't help but stiffen in front of me, a 14-year-old boy.
It was as if, for a brief moment, the certainty of victory had been ripped away from them. As if the very idea of defeating me had evaporated into nothing.
And the best part? I hadn't even finished showing my potential in this Quincy Fullbring form.
My wings, already mutated multiple times during this battle, began to twist once again, absorbing the Reishi in the air with a hunger far greater than before.
As I let my imagination run wild, thinking about a certain character and their Over Soul form, with their Spirit of Fire surely powerful enough to surpass Urahara, the light surrounding my wings intensified, the edges becoming sharper and more aggressive, like blades ready to tear through the sky.
With one last burst of energy, the transformation was complete.
My wings were no longer mere appendages; they had become a reactionary armor, massive and lethal, covered in a metallic structure infused with Reishi.
Not only that, this new form granted me devastating offensive capabilities. The "arms" on the upper part extended from my shoulders like additional limbs, perfectly reactive to my movements, capable of striking with a mere mental command.
And then there were the cannons. Two enormous gun barrels were mounted on the back of my armor, pulsating with unstable energy. I could feel them charging, ready to incinerate anything they targeted within seconds.
But it only took a moment for me to realize that this wasn't a form I could afford to maintain for long, especially due to the limited Reishi in the surrounding environment if I were in the Soul Society or Hueco Mundo.
However, the advantages were undeniable. My flight had become incredibly faster, and my mobility far surpassed any other transformation I had undergone up to that point.
The mere thought made me smile.
It wasn't a true Second Evolution of my Fullbring form, but for now, it was more than enough. My growth showed no signs of slowing down, in fact, it seemed to be accelerating continuously.
I looked up at Urahara, who was watching me with a mix of curiosity and calculating attention. His ever-present smile had significantly diminished.
Perfect.
But was I done? Not even close!
Up until that moment, I had been holding back, restraining the powers granted by my Templates, testing my limits without resorting to what truly made me a monster on the battlefield.
A wave of heat enveloped my body as I activated Mana Burst. The power of my Dragon Factor boiled within me, ready to explode.
The air around me trembled violently, distorted by the pure energy I was releasing. The cracks in the ground beneath me widened, while a scorching wind raged around my body, lifting shards of rock and dust as if I were the epicenter of a natural disaster.
Without wasting any more time, I spread my new wings wide and launched myself forward, faster and faster, to the point that a cone of air began to form around my body.
Then—BOOM!
The air exploded behind me as I shattered the sound barrier, leaving a devastating shockwave in my wake. Another BOOM! rang out as I pushed my body beyond every limit, becoming a bolt of pure energy.
Urahara? He hadn't even had time to react.
His figure blurred in my sight for a moment, then my fist crashed into him, and his body was torn from its position, hurled backward with a ridiculous speed.
But I didn't give him even a second to recover.
I hit him again. And again. And again.
I dragged him across the entire training area like a living bullet, slamming him into the rocky walls, making him bounce like a marionette with no weight.
Each impact made the ground tremble, every crash digging craters into the surfaces I threw him against. Dust and debris rose in a chaotic storm behind us, making it almost impossible to distinguish what was happening.
But I knew. I could feel it.
Urahara was still conscious, still able to think of a strategy. But I wouldn't give him the time.
Now it was time to go down.
With a violent flap of my wings, I veered downward, tightening my grip on him and accelerating even more. The ground was approaching at a terrifying speed, and I had no intention of slowing down.
And then—CRASH!
I struck the ground like a meteor, triggering an explosion that made the entire area shake. The roar was deafening, the dust lifted was so thick that it obscured the view for several seconds.
I slowly rose from the crater I had just created, letting the dust settle into the air as I observed the scene before me.
Urahara was kneeling, his breath uneven, as he spat blood onto the ground. His red barrier, which just moments ago seemed impenetrable, was now completely shattered, reduced to useless shards of energy dissipating into the air.
In the end, this training session had proven to be quite productive for me.
I sighed, rolling my shoulders to release the tension. "I'd say you've passed the test, Urahara. You're officially promoted to punching bag," I said jokingly, while the two Shinigami gave me looks as if they were watching a monster in human skin.
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Marvel: I'm Spider-Man in this Damn Reincarnation: 1 advanced chapters
Hybrid Man (Ichigo Si/WC Fic) 1 advanced chapters
Son of Li Qiye?: 3 advanced chapters
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Chapter- 16: Shocker - Chapter- 17 (Incoming)
Chapter - 15: Slice of life
Chapter - 7: Hobby - Chapter - 8: New Hunt - Chapter - 9: Past unknown
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