The Broken Bee was truly worthy of being the Commander-in-Chief of the Hidden Mobile Unit. Her instantaneous speed was far superior to Makoto Ito's.
In a blink, she had already closed the distance, appearing directly before him. With fluid precision, she drew the small Asakusa blade from her waist and thrust it toward him.
Makoto Ito, however, was not one to back down. He raised his sword in response, blocking her attack head-on.
This time, Makoto Ito refrained from borrowing spiritual pressure from his inner reserves. He wanted to fight the Broken Bee using nothing but his raw power.
Against Kenpachi, he had been forced to rely on his spiritual pressure to even stand a chance. The power gap between them had been too vast—without borrowing that strength, he wouldn't have been able to fight at all.
But against an opponent like the Broken Bee, it was different. This battle was an opportunity—a rare chance to hone his instant step (Shunpo). He was determined to fight on his own, without relying on borrowed power.
Clang!
Their blades clashed, sending sparks flying in all directions.
"What's this? Why aren't you using that strange barrier of yours?" the Broken Bee taunted, her expression unreadable. "Are you trying to hide your weakness from me?"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Blow after blow, the Broken Bee's relentless assault forced Makoto Ito onto the defensive. Even with his skill, without spiritual pressure, keeping up with her was proving incredibly difficult.
Then—
She disappeared.
Before he could react, a sharp pain seared across his back.
Puchi!
Blood sprayed into the air.
The Broken Bee had teleported behind him, her blade leaving a crimson trail along his flesh.
"So fast… Captain Broken Bee," he muttered through clenched teeth, feeling the sting of the wound.
This was the power of the Broken Bee, the very warrior that Shiohin Yoruichi herself had personally trained. She might not be the strongest among the Gotei 13 captains in raw power, but when it came to speed, few could match her—aside from the legendary Yamamoto himself.
At this moment, even with 30% of his spiritual pressure, Makoto Ito found himself at a disadvantage.
The Broken Bee's movements were almost spectral, flickering in and out of his vision. If he couldn't keep up, this battle would end in an instant.
He exhaled sharply, gripping his sword.
"The evil spirits and monsters roam the world, and even gods and saints are reduced to dust—Annihilation God!"
"First Form—Shock!"
Makoto Ito twisted the hilt of his blade. A sudden, invisible force erupted from it, radiating outward like a pulse.
The Broken Bee, caught off guard, was struck by the shockwave. For a moment, she felt as if her very organs were being crushed by unseen hands.
"Ah!"
She gritted her teeth, channeling a surge of pure white spiritual pressure. The oppressive force shattered, dissipating into the air.
Makoto Ito narrowed his eyes.
So it really doesn't work against those with overwhelming spiritual pressure, huh…
The move was devastating against weaker opponents, but against someone like the Broken Bee, it barely had an effect. Without tapping into his deeper reserves, his technique was nearly useless against her level of power.
The Broken Bee smirked. "Is that all your Zanpakutō can do? Where's that barrier from before? Use it!"
Makoto Ito simply chuckled. "Captain Broken Bee, you're really something else… I didn't expect to be pushed this far so soon."
"Is that so?" Her golden eyes glowed with fierce intensity. "Then let me push you even further."
She lifted her weapon, her voice echoing with power.
"Sting all enemies—Suzumebachi!"
In an instant, the short blade in her hand transformed into a deadly, needle-like stinger wrapped around her middle finger. The black-and-gold weapon gleamed ominously.
Makoto Ito examined it with mild curiosity. "So this is your Shikai? Such a small, delicate thing. Kind of cute, actually."
The moment the words left his mouth, the Broken Bee's expression darkened.
Her patience snapped.
With a burst of speed, she lunged at him, aiming straight for his chest.
Just as her fingertip was about to touch him—
Whoosh!
Makoto Ito vanished.
He barely dodged the strike, moving at the last possible moment.
The Broken Bee's eyes widened in surprise.
"Are you… imitating my Shunpo?" she asked in disbelief.
She had noticed it.
At the start of their fight, he hadn't been able to keep up with her speed at all. But now—he was slowly closing the gap.
"You… you're treating me as a sparring partner?"
For the first time, a flicker of annoyance crossed her face. She wasn't just impressed by his talent—she was irritated by it.
Her spiritual pressure surged.
The Broken Bee blurred, her speed increasing dramatically.
Makoto Ito barely had time to react before—
Thrust!
Her stinger struck him square in the chest.
A black butterfly-shaped pattern appeared over the impact point.
She smirked.
"Sniped."
Makoto Ito looked down at the mark on his chest, feigning shock.
But inside, he was unimpressed.
This is getting interesting…
"Is this the same ability that Aizen effortlessly crushed with his spiritual pressure? The one that failed to kill Suzumebachi?" Makoto Ito mused, tilting his head slightly.
The Broken Bee's eyes narrowed. "My Zanpakutō is called Suzumebachi—Snake Bee. Its ability is simple but absolute. If I sting the same spot twice, you die."
She pointed her golden-tipped stinger at him, her voice brimming with confidence. "Makoto Ito, try not to wet your pants in fear."
Makoto Ito, despite his slightly disheveled appearance, simply smirked. "Oh? Does that mean you'll be the one washing my underwear, Captain Broken Bee?"
The veins on the Broken Bee's forehead twitched violently.
"You—! How did someone with such a rotten personality even pass the screening for the Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy?! Do they only care about talent and completely ignore character?!" she snapped, her face flushed with anger.
Makoto Ito shrugged casually. "Well, you're not wrong."
The Broken Bee gritted her teeth. She knew there was no point in arguing with him—his shamelessness had no limits. Instead of wasting any more breath, she steeled herself and attacked at full strength.
With a flash of white light, she vanished.
Whoosh!
In an instant, she reappeared, striking at Makoto Ito once more.
Makoto Ito's eyes sharpened as he observed her movements.
So her Shuko isn't perfected yet…
He realized something crucial—her enhanced speed and power only lasted for an extremely short duration. Less than a second, in fact. After each burst, she had to reactivate it before attacking again.
Seeing this opening, Makoto Ito stepped forward and engaged her directly.
Clang!
Their blades met once again before both retreated.
Makoto Ito smirked. Just as I thought—her Shunko wears off immediately. Now's my chance!
"The Forbidden Art of the Annihilation God—Four-Eight Realms!"
With a sharp swing of his blade, a dark gray barrier materialized, enclosing both him and the Broken Bee in a ten-meter radius.
The moment she was caught inside, the Broken Bee felt it—her speed and strength were restricted.
Makoto Ito frowned slightly. Tch. My Vice-Captain level spiritual pressure can only weaken her speed by about 10%… That's not enough.
He exhaled. "As expected, in a battle between Soul Reapers, spiritual pressure is everything."
"Shock!"
Under the effects of the Four-Eight Realms, his attack doubled in power. Even though the Broken Bee's captain-level spiritual pressure mitigated most of the damage, she still felt the force shake her from the inside.
But then—
Whoosh!
To Makoto Ito's surprise, a familiar white light burst forth once more.
She activated Shunko again?!
Even under the suppression of the Four-Eight Realms and the lingering effects of the shockwave, she had reactivated her technique faster than before.
In an instant, she had closed the distance, pressing the tip of her stinger against his throat.
Makoto Ito blinked in mild surprise.
"Strange… Based on my calculations, you should have needed at least ten seconds to recover before using Shunko again. But this time, you activated it in less than four." He smirked. "Not only that… you're even faster than before."
His gaze sharpened. "Did you intentionally hide your limits to trick me, Captain Broken Bee?"
The Broken Bee scoffed, her voice laced with arrogance. "You secretly learned my Shunpo during our fight. Why can't I push my own Shunko to new heights mid-battle?"
She slowly withdrew her weapon from his throat, lowering her hand.
She hadn't expected it, but fighting Makoto Ito had broken through a wall she'd been stuck behind for ages. Shunko, which had always felt incomplete, had just evolved right before her eyes.
For a moment, she looked at Makoto Ito's face—and found it incredibly irritating.
Makoto Ito stood still, savoring the battle.
So that's the limit of fighting without borrowing my spiritual pressure… I couldn't beat her as I am now.
He chuckled inwardly.
No… even if I used my full power, I might not win.
After all, at this moment—he hadn't mastered Bankai yet.
"This girl is strong," he muttered to himself, stretching his arms with an amused expression.
Then, he looked at her and spoke casually.
"Captain Broken Bee, it seems we both gained something from this fight. I'm looking forward to our next exchange."
The Broken Bee said nothing.
She turned around and left without another word
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