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Chapter 77 - CHAPTER 77

Here's a revised and proofread version of your Vassal Clothing

Witnessing the changes before him, Xu Fan finally began to grasp the true nature of his Zanpakutō.

Back when he made contact with Asakusa, he had instinctively infused his chakra into the blade.

It must have been in that moment that his incomplete Asauchi awakened into a true Zanpakutō, absorbing the five elemental chakra natures—fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water—and manifesting distinct consciousnesses based on those elements.

Yet now, as Xu Fan roared skyward, only two of these elemental avatars—Thunder Dragon and the Earth Giant—had appeared.

The Thunder Dragon still soared downward, its massive form crackling with violent arcs of lightning, as if it intended to tear him apart.

CRACK!

Xu Fan fell silent as he observed the scene. The Earth Giant was already sealed by his Deep Forest Emergence, tangled in massive roots, immobilized.

The other elemental avatars hadn't revealed themselves, which meant he only needed to focus on one threat: the Thunder Dragon.

"So this is the difficulty?" Xu Fan scoffed under his breath. "Too easy."

Clapping his hands together, he formed a series of seals with practiced speed.

"Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!"

With a thunderous roar from the earth, massive wooden roots and tree trunks surged upward, intertwining and forming a colossal wooden warrior at his feet.

Because this was Xu Fan's inner world, there was no need for chakra suppression.

Empowered by his overwhelming reserves, the wooden construct grew with astonishing speed—within moments, it towered nearly a kilometer tall.

Even the mighty Thunder Dragon faltered for a moment at the sight. It twisted in the air, summoning an enormous thundercloud above. The sky darkened into a storm of black and purple, swirling violently as a vortex formed. Lightning, ten times more concentrated than before, burst from the heavens.

Xu Fan, however, only smiled.

After all, this was not an enemy he faced—but his own Zanpakutō spirit.

Whether it was the Thunder Dragon or the Earth Giant, the stronger they were, the more powerful his blade would become once he conquered them.

Just imagining it made Xu Fan's blood boil. He couldn't help but want to grab that overconfident Thunder Dragon and grind its smug face into the dirt.

"RAAAHH!!"

The Wood Human roared, mimicking Xu Fan's fighting spirit, and hurled its massive arm toward the descending Thunder Dragon.

Standing on the giant's shoulder, Xu Fan watched as his avatar clashed with the beast.

"ROAR!!"

The Thunder Dragon retaliated with a fierce dive, opening its gaping jaws to unleash a lightning cannon straight at the wooden titan's palm.

But the wooden construct stood unscathed. Its durability far exceeded the dragon's expectations.

Then, in one powerful motion, the wooden giant bent its knees and launched upward, its gigantic hand locking tightly around the Thunder Dragon's neck.

With a sharp pivot, the giant hurled the dragon downward, slamming it against the ground and dragging it through the forest floor, toppling trees like matchsticks.

The dragon twisted and thrashed, trying to break free. But it was futile—the wooden giant's grip was unrelenting, imbued with natural sealing power.

Upon contact, the wooden giant had already begun suppressing the thunder chakra within the dragon.

"You dare treat me so rudely, mortal?!" the Thunder Dragon snarled, locking eyes with Xu Fan.

Even now, it regarded itself as the master of this inner domain, and Xu Fan as an intruder.

That only made Xu Fan laugh harder.

If he hadn't already seen the battered state the dragon was in, he might've actually taken the insult seriously.

"You've got power," Xu Fan said mockingly, "but right now, you can't even stand, can you?"

The Thunder Dragon fell silent. Despite its pride, it knew the truth—this mortal had bested it with a single strike.

"Quiet now?" Xu Fan chuckled. "Are you starting to understand your place?"

With that, he commanded the Wood Human to release its grip.

The dragon instantly withdrew a hundred meters, glaring at Xu Fan as if facing a sworn enemy.

Though it tried to maintain a facade of dignity, Xu Fan could see the hesitation behind its eyes.

Then, unexpectedly, the Thunder Dragon twisted again, diving into the Deep Forest below.

In a flash of lightning, it obliterated a massive portion of the forest, freeing the Earth Giant from its wooden bindings.

"So… a coordinated attack," Xu Fan muttered, watching as the Thunder Dragon coiled around the Earth Giant.

The move resembled a fusion of the Wood Human Technique and the Wood Dragon Technique—an interesting development.

"I see," Xu Fan realized aloud. "A Zanpakutō is shaped by the wielder's soul… which means…"

"This sword… is just another expression of my own power."

"But then, why haven't the other three elemental avatars appeared yet?"

"Could it be… related to Shikai and Bankai?"

That thought stopped him cold.

In the Soul Society, every Zanpakutō had two stages of release. And the leap in power between them was immense.

Perhaps he hadn't yet met the conditions to unlock the rest. For now, only Thunder Dragon and Earth Giant had appeared in his inner world.

As if on cue, the freed Earth Giant charged forward alongside the Thunder Dragon.

"Enough of this."

This time, Xu Fan didn't command the Wood Human to engage.

The truth was, Xu Fan hadn't used Deep Forest Emergence and the Wood Human Technique because he needed them to defeat these two.

Rather, he had been testing something.

He simply wanted to see what would happen if, within his own soul—where there was no chakra suppression—he cast those jutsu at full scale.

But to deal with Thunder Dragon and Earth Giant?

He didn't need any jutsu.

After all, in his analysis, chakra and reiatsu were essentially the same—just called different things in different worlds.

And by manipulating chakra directly, he could recreate the same effects.

Xu Fan took a deep breath—and released a surge of pure, unrestrained chakra.

A purple chakra shroud erupted around him, more intense than any tailed beast cloak, crackling with power.

At the same time, an overwhelming force surged outward—intangible, but irresistible.

BOOM!

The Earth Giant collapsed where it stood.

The Thunder Dragon followed, forced to the ground, unable to resist.

One man, one aura.

And now, one dragon and one giant—kneeling before him.

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