Chapter 143: Time vs. Space

Yamabuki Haruto collapsed, blood soaking his body.

What happened? His mind reeled. The Bankai spirit, Scarlet Angel, hadn’t visibly attacked, yet dozens of penetrating wounds riddled him. She must have moved at imperceptible speed, stabbing him repeatedly before returning to her spot—unseen, unfelt.

Impossible! If facing Yhwach’s The Almighty, with its future-altering attacks, he’d accept defeat. But this? Scarlet Angel was part of him, not an omnipotent god.

“Super Regeneration!” Haruto’s unique physique, bolstered by the Soul King fragment, healed his wounds in seconds. Scarlet Angel had avoided vital points, confirming she wouldn’t kill him. As a Zanpakutō spirit, her existence depended on his. If he died, so would she.

“Just give up. Your sword is too slow to fight me,” Scarlet Angel sighed, crimson short blade in hand, like a parent scolding a child.

“Hahahaha!” Haruto laughed. “I know your true ability. The same attack can’t hurt me twice. From now on, you won’t touch a single hair on me!”

He wasn’t boasting. The silent attack suggested a wormhole, opened inside his body. One stab, extended through a wormhole into the infinite future, pierced him dozens of times. It was the only explanation.

“Oh my, oh my! That’s what you think?” Scarlet Angel smiled at Haruto.

“Sword Control Technique!” Five reishi-condensed blades materialized around Haruto. Wormholes were unstable outside, but this was his inner world—here, he was a god. He opened five stable wormholes, and the blades shot toward Scarlet Angel.

She shook her head, a mix of helplessness and disappointment. With a gentle lift of her hand, the blades halted, hovering before her. “Such petty tricks won’t defeat me! I can play with wormholes too!” Her crimson blade slashed, tearing space. She stepped through a wormhole, emerging before Haruto.

“Look!” Scarlet Angel grinned.

Haruto seized the chance. “Space Removal!” But she vanished instantly.

Frowning, he felt a sting. The crimson blade pierced his neck from behind. “Actually, that white girl didn’t lie,” Scarlet Angel whispered, her lips near his ear. “You haven’t mastered Shikai. Bankai’s too early.”

Haruto clutched his neck, regeneration sealing the wound. How does she move without a trace? Not spatial—spatial movement left faint ripples, like Sonido’s tearing sound. This was different.

As he analyzed, Scarlet Angel appeared without warning, her blade piercing his right chest. “Give up. I’m losing patience. Next time, it’s your heart. Your regeneration’s strong, but an instant kill ends it,” she said, strolling forward, blade loose, seemingly defenseless.

Haruto stayed on guard. Where will she strike next?

“Are you guessing my angle? I’ll walk slowly and pierce your heart to end this. I’m done playing,” Scarlet Angel said, closing the twenty-meter gap. In an instant, she stood before him, smiling, her blade stabbing his heart.

“Game over!” she laughed.

But Haruto grabbed her wrist. “I caught you! Spatial Severance!” He slashed fiercely.

Scarlet Angel shook her head, catching the mountain-splitting strike between her index finger and thumb. Silence gripped the inner world.

“That’s not your last move, is it? So weak!” she mocked, her face darkening. “End this farce. Show your true power.” With a flick, she flung Haruto away.

He clutched his chest, heart-piercing pain searing. In the real world, he’d be dead. But here, he survived, and it revealed Scarlet Angel’s true ability.

“It’s… time, isn’t it? You control time,” Haruto coughed, blood spilling.

It was the only answer. Her traceless movements weren’t spatial. She stopped time, walked to him, and struck. Simple, devastating.