CH 148: FIGHTING UNOHANA (2)

'How long has it been now?'

Gojo wondered as his arm was sent flying by a cut of a sword before immediately regrowing.

The action had been so mechanical that he didn't even think deeply of it.

As for the question he was asking himself, the answer was something difficult to come by.

Has it been a year? A month? A day? Or only a few minutes?

He didn't know and was sure that he wouldn't be able to focus much longer on that question.

The fight between Unohana and Gojo had been without a doubt one of the most brutal in the history of Soul Society.

It was neither because of the great display of power nor because of the great display of skill.

However, it was something much more primal.

Be it Gojo or Unohana, the two of them were fighters who specialized in healing — self-healing to an incredible degree.

What would happen when two such fighters face each other?

The answer was the gruesome sight that would greet anyone witnessing this fight.

Flying limbs, crushed bones, melted skin, and ruptured organs.

The only word that could describe the current scene was Hell.

A hell of mad ashuras locked in a seemingly eternal fight.

Whenever Gojo suffered injuries, he would heal himself and the same went for Unohana.

Then…could they be said to be equal?

The answer was — of course not.

Two factors were currently at play.

One was the will to continue fighting, which obviously fell in Unohana's favor. For her, this moment was the best in the world. It was — far from hell — a paradise she could only dream of on a normal day.

Meanwhile, for Gojo who wasn't a battle junky, this was a truly troublesome situation.

The second factor was the energy reserves, that fell in Gojo's favor. Be it in this world or previous one, the one Gojo always lacked the least was energy.

Thanks to his eyes, his reserves of Reiryoku were nearly limitless. At the same time, since he could absorb Reishi, this would mean he had quite literally an infinite amount of energy in Soul Society.

Meanwhile, no matter how powerful Unohana was, keeping her Bankai active and constantly healing herself was not the kind of feat that could be easily done. Slowly but surely, even if her mental stats could still keep up, her body would fail her and he would win.

Unfortunately, Gojo felt no elation at this fact. Unohana had yet to use her trump card. Once she stopped focusing on the physical and created a battle of willpower, would he be able to win?

'Of course…Unohana isn't the only one who can attack the mind.'

Gojo was still holding a trump card, one that could potentially end this whole fight in an instant.

But would Unohana be satisfied if he used such a way?

This fight wasn't just about winning or losing. What really mattered was how they fought.

'I guess I have no choice.'

A lull fell amid the fight as Unohana reined in the power of her sword.

"What are you preparing?"

She knew about the skill Gojo used in his fight against Ikkaku. A skill that allowed him to completely render Ikkaku helpless.

Unlimited Void.

Would she be able to take it on? She didn't know.

As Unohana was running a simulation in her mind, Gojo's voice entered her ears.

"It's not what you are expecting. Let me show you the results of my research."

Over the long period he spent in Soul Society, Gojo had examined different special physiques.

He studied a part of Hogyuko.

He studied humans, hollows, and shinigami.

He studied a hollow with the power of a shinigami.

He studied the special bones of the members of Division 0.

Finally, Kogo even observed and recorded the data from Tosen's transformation into a hollow.

All that research, all that knowledge, culminated into something special.

"I originally prepared it for Aizen but there was no need to use it."

He could hear his heart beating loudly as a grin broke on his face.

The muscles on his body bulged slightly and his frame grew a few centimeters.

A deep darkness replaced the white of his eyes while his pupils turned into slits.

Mysterious patterns appeared over his skin that had whitened. Even the aura surrounding him began to give an ominous vibe.

*Wooooo*

The cave began to tremble faintly, despite the powerful curtain both Gojo and Unohana had placed here over the years.

All this while, Unohana stayed put as she observed the transformation. She could faintly feel her body tremble. The reason for the trembling was not fear, far from it, it was excitement — Her blood was curdling in excitement.

How long had it been since she felt pressured by someone else's Reiatsu?

How long had it been since she felt like her life was being threatened?

When the transformation finally ended, Gojo was hardly recognizable.

At that very moment, all excitement vanished from Unohana's mind, and her pupils constricted as if trying to take in more light to properly and accurately grasp the change.

If before he had a slightly effeminate form, now he was sporting a more powerful appearance that appeared wild.

However, that wasn't what astonished Unohana the most.

'Impossible…!'

The pressure she previously felt completely vanished like it was a lie all along.

Earlier, she was thrilled by the monstrous aura Gojo was emitting, but now that thrill was increasing even more as she could not feel even a hint of that scary aura.

All she could feel now was a mere fragment of the terrifying Reiatsu.

"How…?"

She asked in a hoarse voice.

There were only two situations where a Shinigami couldn't feel the Reiatsu of another one.

Either that Shinigami was far stronger than the one he was trying to sense.

Or the Shinigami in question was far weaker.

Unohana was a Shinigami whose power stood near the peak of what was possible for their race.

For her to only be able to barely sense his Reiatsu could only mean one thing–

—The current Gojo was at a completely different level of existence.

The large grin on Gojo's face was all the answer she needed.

"It's still somewhat incomplete and it's only temporary but…yeah. Let's call it–"

<>

*Whoosh*

Before Unohana could even answer, the air stirred and Gojo stood so close to her she could already feel his breath.

Acting on her instincts, she swung her blade in order to slash his chest but-

*Clang*

She felt her hand and her sword vibrate as if she had hit a block of metal with a normal sword.

'I can't hurt him?'

The only trace of her attack on his body was a faint sizzling, the effects of her acid.

This completely astounded Unohana. It was the first time she was put in a situation where her sword couldn't cut someone.

What followed was a complete one-sided beatdown.

Gojo's current stats had broken the theoretical limit of what was possible for a Shinigami.

Unohana could do nothing in face of such a difference of power.

She knew that Gojo's current state was only temporary but it wasn't as if she could hold on for much longer.

Her reserves of energy had already hit rock bottom and she could only barely heal herself.

At this rate, her loss was absolute.

Of course, all hope wasn't lost.

Eternal Battlefield.

Her trump card was something that was not fettered by a mere difference of power.

In the battlefield of willpower, spiritual and physical power held no meaning. No matter how much more powerful than her he had become, the outcome would be decided purely based on willpower.

In that zone, as long as someone had a weaker willpower than her, then death was the only outcome that awaited them. Even a god would be no exception.

And for all his power, Gojo was no god.

However…

'Should I really use it?'

In the end, as her eyes looked at his hand piercing her heart, a smile filled her face and she closed her eyes.

She would not use it.

This was already enough. Gojo had already surpassed all expectations she had.

She could now feel life slowly leaving her. She knew that she didn't have for long anymore.

Her life swiftly flashed in her eyes.

From a lady of a noble house to a criminal on the run, and to now a respected captain of the Gotei 13…

Her life over those 2000 years had been filled with many moments, both sad and joyful moments.

She had accomplished everything she ought to. She had no regrets.

When she thought so, the image of Gojo flashed in her mind.

'..Ah.'

Who would have thought that the slightly arrogant young man she had met ten years ago would grow so fast and reach such height?

'Fufufu~It seems like I do have one last regret.'

"Sadly, I will never see you at your peak."

It was her one and only regret.

But she could die happy with the thought that she did play her part in his growth

"Even at deathbed, you are still a battle junkie."

Gojo gazed at his dying mentor with a gentle smile that did not have a trace of madness from before.

"But you know…who said you could decide your life as you wish."

A sigh unknowingly escaped his mouth…this was going to be a long night.

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