The temperature was rising.
In just an instant, the entirety of Seireitei seemed to have transformed into a blazing purgatory.
Among all those present, the ones who felt it most intensely were the wielders of ice-attribute Zanpakutō.
Especially Hitsugaya Toshiro.
He had already activated Bankai in order to deal with the enemy before him, but at this very moment, he suddenly realized that he could no longer sustain it.
The power of Daiguren Hyōrinmaru rapidly dissipated and his Bankai collapsed.
"This is…!"
The sensation of that overwhelming and scorching heat was far too familiar.
In that instant, Toshiro immediately understood the reason.
'The Captain-Commander… has unleashed his Bankai.'
Back in Hueco Mundo, he had witnessed it once before.
That was the first time any of them had ever seen Yamamoto Genryusai unleash his Bankai, and its overwhelming might had been beyond description.
Even though he had ultimately been defeated, it did nothing to diminish the terror of that power.
"Is this… your Bankai?"
"It feels different from a thousand years ago."
Yhwach's gaze fell upon Yamamoto, who now stood holding a scorched, thin, charred blade.
His tone remained calm.
"A thousand years ago, your Bankai was a blazing inferno — a 'Flame Sword' that incinerated everything it touched in explosive fire of hell. It was brilliant, and overwhelming."
"But now… it has changed."
Yamamoto's voice was steady.
"Even Bankai can evolve through continued honing."
"Yhwach… let us end this."
As his words fell, he swung his blade.
"Zanka no Tachi — Higashi: Kyokujitsujin!"
All flames condensed into the edge of the sword.
There were no longer wild infernos, no blazing waves of fire, only absolute, concentrated destruction.
Anything touched by the blade was erased, reduced to nothingness in an instant.
Even Yhwach, reacting at full speed, could not completely evade it.
In the first exchange, his clothing was almost completely annihilated.
"What a terrifying blade…"
Yhwach commented calmly.
At the same time, he raised his hand.
Without forming a bow, without any need for one, he condensed reishi directly and unleashed a massive Heilig Pfeil.
The attack surged forward, but before it could even reach Yamamoto, it was erased.
It was burned away without a trace.
This was—
"Zanka no Tachi — Nishi: Zanjitsu Gokui!"
Flames, with a temperature comparable to the core of the sun, enveloped Yamamoto's body.
This was not ordinary fire.
It was heat so absolute that it erased all phenomena.
Any attack that approached him was instantly disintegrated.
Even Mazuru had once been forced to expend tremendous effort to break through this defense.
Only by relying on Baraggan's power of aging had he managed to temporarily disrupt it and land a decisive blow.
But now, with the Zanjitsu Gokui active, none of Yhwach's attacks could reach Yamamoto.
Everything was burned away before contact.
Yhwach immediately recognized this.
While maintaining composure, he began calculating methods to break through Yamamoto's defense.
At the same time, his perception spread across Seireitei.
The Sternritters were powerful, but uneven.
The stronger ones were indeed formidable.
The weaker ones were merely at the level of ordinary captains.
Originally, with the star medallions capable of stealing Bankai, even the weaker members could easily suppress shinigami captains.
But now, everything had changed.
The shinigami had produced an unexpected countermeasure.
A pill capable of reclaiming stolen Bankai.
The balance of the battlefield began to shift.
Although the quincy had spent a thousand years observing and analyzing the shinigami and possessed detailed knowledge of many captains' Bankai, knowledge alone did not guarantee victory.
In just a short span of time, while the shinigami had suffered heavy casualties, the quincy had also begun to fall.
Members of the Sternritters were dying.
Yamamoto's voice cut through the battlefield.
"At a time like this… you still allow your mind to wander elsewhere?"
"Yhwach… you have grown arrogant."
Yhwach ignored him.
But inwardly, he was furious.
Even with his omniscience, the current situation had deviated from his expectations.
The shinigami had not only prepared for war, but they had also revealed trump cards he had not anticipated.
His thoughts shifted rapidly.
He was analyzing and calculating.
Searching for a way to break Yamamoto's Zanjitsu Gokui.
At that moment, Yamamoto attacked again.
"Zanka no Tachi — Minami: Kaka Jūman'okushi Daisōjin!"
The ground trembled.
Then, it surged.
Countless skeletal figures began to rise.
The dead, those who had fallen to Yamamoto's blade over the ages, were summoned once more.
They surrounded Yhwach, cutting off all paths of retreat.
Yhwach activated Hirenkyaku, shifting position instantly.
His voice was filled with disdain.
"Yamamoto Shigekuni… do you believe that a bunch of corpses can defeat me?"
"Their purpose…"
Yamamoto's voice echoed—
"is to sever your escape."
And then, he moved.
No one saw it.
No one perceived it.
And just like that, the final strike was unleashed.
"Zanka no Tachi — Kita: Tenchi Kaijin!"
In an instant, Yhwach was cut in half.
There was no resistance.
No defense.
No reaction.
The strike erased everything it touched.
"...It's over."
Anything struck by this attack, ceased to exist.
Even Yhwach, the progenitor of the quincies, the emperor of Wandenreich, the Invisible Empire, should not have been an exception.
But as his body fell, Yamamoto's expression changed.
Because the figure before him, was no longer Yhwach.
It had transformed into someone else.
"…What…?"
Shock flickered across Yamamoto's face.
And then, from the direction of the First Division—
BOOM—!!
A massive explosion erupted.
A terrifying spiritual pressure surged.
Yamamoto's expression changed instantly.
"The First Division—!"
The first thought that crossed his mind, was Genshiro Okikiba.
With Chojiro gravely injured and recovering, Okikiba had been temporarily managing First Division affairs.
Yamamoto had entrusted him with everything before stepping onto the battlefield.
And now, their base had been breached.
The First Division was not merely the command center of the Gotei 13.
Beneath it, lay the most dangerous prison in Soul Society.
The Central Underground Prison, and its lowest level, Muken.
Their responsibility was not only leadership, but containment.
Earlier, when the quincy launched their full-scale invasion, Yhwach had appeared briefly… and then vanished.
That was never the real battle.
The real Yhwach had already moved.
He had infiltrated the First Division.
He had descended into Muken.
Because there was someone there—
he needed to meet.
Aizen Sosuke.
*****
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✓ Killed For 100 Years in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Invited Me To Soul Society!
✓ Naruto: Senmei Asahi
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✓ Naruto: The Fifth Hokage Is Naruto's Uncle
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