Fierce winds blew, torrential rain poured down, and gigantic tremors shook the land, coming and going. Endless thunder boomed, and the world was enveloped in the sound of destruction, falling into a strange silence.
So silent… one could even hear the crawling of insects on the ground.
But here, the battle had reached its feverish peak.
"Soi Fon!"
Yoruichi suddenly grabbed the battered body of Soi Fon, pulling her out of the deathly miasma. Had she been a step slower, the breath of death would have stained and corroded her body!
"Lady Yoruichi!"
Soi Fon gritted her teeth, cold sweat beading her brow. "I can't even approach that deathly breath, let alone touch it!"
"If I get close, my body slows down!"
"It's just... not that simple."
Yoruichi was sweating too, watching the miasma surge toward her, forcing her to dash away once more.
Damn it, this man is truly invincible! His speed is unimaginable; that alone is enough. But the worst part is even the deathly breath he emits—no ordinary person could ever hide from it!
The black and purple aura of death was even faster than the two captains of the Second Division. Was he the commander of the Espada army?
At that moment, Yoruichi felt only relief that the other captains hadn't come to face Barragan... though, unfortunately, they would've been reduced to bones by now!
Even she and Soi Fon barely managed to evade it; what would have happened to the others? She didn't dare think.
"Are you two done running?"
Barragan sounded bored. "Pathetic... are Shinigami captains really this weak? Disgraceful... And Starrk was defeated by men like you?!"
For a long time, Barragan had felt oppressed by Starrk. Now, unable to suppress his anger, he roared.
"Rot, Arrogante!"
At that instant, Barragan finally unleashed his Resurrección! As he called out the release, his aged body rapidly decayed, transforming from old flesh into a white skeletal frame! He now appeared as a monstrous humanoid—his true Hollow form.
For the Shinigamis, this was his most desperate form—he had become even stronger!
Yoruichi and Soi Fon could not help but feel a sense of despair deep within.
After unleashing his power, Barragan no longer wished to play. With a wave of his hand, an enormous breath of death surged toward the two of them!
The speed of the deathly breath matched theirs, but now it was even faster!
"This is bad, Lady Yoruichi—run!"
Soi Fon shoved Yoruichi aside. In the next instant, the breath crashed toward her. Yoruichi barely dodged it, but as Soi Fon tried to escape, the deathly power brushed her ankle.
The effect was swift: her shoes and socks corroded, and then her flesh and blood turned to bone in a flash.
Soi Fon's face twisted in pain, but even as she suffered, the breath of death bore down on her faster!
Soon, she would be completely engulfed. If nothing changed, not just her leg, but her entire body would end up as nothing more than bones!
"Soi Fon!"
Yoruichi cried out, and her powerful spiritual pressure suddenly erupted, increasing her speed severalfold. In a flash, she pulled Soi Fon away from that spot!
Instantaneous movement!
But using such high-level Shunko put a tremendous strain on her body and could not be maintained for long.
Using it to find Barragan's weakness was the only option. If she couldn't end the fight quickly, they were doomed!
But if she didn't use it now, both of them would die here!
Yoruichi unleashed an electric arc from her hand, directly cutting off Soi Fon's injured calf—a second cut would only allow the deathly breath to spread further.
The pain contorted Soi Fon's face; she couldn't even scream.
Barragan was truly invincible, not only attacking with the breath from afar, but also unstoppable within the deadly miasma.
How could anyone fight him head-on? To harm Barragan, one had to get close, but approaching meant being contaminated by the deathly power—a force so potent that just a touch would rot flesh to bone.
To defeat Barragan, you needed firepower greater than his, something like Ryūjin Jakka or an ability to attack from the sky.
But Yoruichi didn't have that.
So... what could they do?
Yoruichi glanced at the other battlefields. Every division was shrouded in anxiety, and the Shinigami side was clearly at a disadvantage.
Even switching opponents might not help.
"Bankai: Jakuhō Raikōben!"
But at that moment, Soi Fon suddenly unleashed her Bankai! In an instant, the tiny Suzumebachi in her hand transformed into a massive missile launcher!
"Soi Fon...?"
Yoruichi was slightly surprised.
"Lady Yoruichi, let me go."
Soi Fon spoke weakly. "The only way now is to bomb him with Bankai. If it hits his body, it should be enough to defeat him!"
This was their only option now. But the problem was—how could the Jakuhō Raikōben get through that deathly barrier?
They had tried before, but the breath of death corroded everything. Any attack was tainted and dissolved before reaching Barragan.
But perhaps now... just maybe!
"Let's try it!"
Yoruichi gritted her teeth, placed Soi Fon gently on the ground, and looked for a chance to unleash her Bankai. Then she herself soared into the sky again.
Dark aura surged from all directions. Yoruichi's hands transformed into claws, her wrists joined, palms aimed at Barragan.
Horns formed on her head, seemingly made of thunder and lightning. Six circular magatama appeared behind her, as if thunder and lightning flowed through them!
"Shunkō: Raijin Senkei!" (Thunder God Battle Form)
Yoruichi shouted in a low voice. She'd only recently mastered this advanced Shunko; if it didn't work, it'd just increase the burden on her body.
Boom!
Lightning exploded from Yoruichi's body, spreading thickly. A tremendous roar burst forth. The deathly aura flowing toward her was somewhat affected.
Seeing this, Yoruichi was overjoyed.
It proved her power was working. Yes, the power of decay invaded everything—even reiryoku and Kido. But, at the same time, their spiritual pressure also occupied the corroded space!
Meaning: if their reiatsu output was strong enough, the breath of death would take time to erode it!
This was how Starrk managed to suppress Barragan; even if one Cero was corroded, if a hundred were fired at once, what then?
Quantity becomes quality. If the breath of death is the power of decay and authority, it's not so simple...
If you can suppress the deathly breath, then there's a way to deal with him!
Yoruichi actually had plenty of experience with this. This method was called "Hanki"—originally a way to use Kido of equal quality to destroy the enemy's Kido. Now, using it against the deathly breath proved effective!
As Thunder God's power spread, Yoruichi shouted, "Thunder God Cannon!"
With a snort, from the six magatama behind her, a powerful lightning force erupted. It formed a massive opening in front of her palms!
Boom!
Lightning burst forth, blowing open a direct path through the deathly breath!
Even Barragan couldn't help but be surprised at the force.
He quickly manipulated the breath of death to block the thunder's advance, instantly enveloping and dissolving it. The lightning was soon swallowed by darkness.
But Yoruichi used this opportunity to escape the domain.
Thunder God Battle Form gave her great power, but the burden was real. She had to create an opportunity for Soi Fon!
Yoruichi aimed her palm at Barragan, golden lightning raining down!
Thunder struck from the sky, hitting Barragan directly!
Barragan watched coldly as lightning flashed across his body and the structures behind him shook like Thunder God's drums. He snorted, and in the next moment, manipulated the breath of death to entangle Yoruichi.
Golden lightning formed a giant sharp axe in his hand. He swung it upward, the massive golden thunder splitting the gap, but not even a single hair of Barragan was harmed!
Even now, Yoruichi was surprised to see Barragan had such means. As the breath of death surged toward her, guilt filled her heart.
She used Thunder God Battle Form again, her speed rising. But the breath of death, under Barragan's control, seemed even faster!
Death surged at her, and Yoruichi had to temporarily give up her attack and focus on evasion.
She darted across the battlefield like thunder, the dark breath of death always at her back, rotting everything in her path.
Suddenly, Yoruichi turned and rushed toward Barragan!
"Looking for death!"
Barragan sneered as Yoruichi approached. The sharp axe in his hand swung suddenly.
A blade of black air burst forth, several times faster than the breath of death, slashing at Yoruichi!
It was even faster than her, but Yoruichi managed to dodge at the crucial moment!
But that wasn't enough. Barragan didn't stop; he appeared before Yoruichi, his ring in hand.
Barragan's speed was no less than Yoruichi's—if he'd been serious from the start, they'd never have lasted this long.
But, thankfully, he was too arrogant!
Arrogance—your greatest weakness!
Seeing Barragan appear before her, Yoruichi shouted without fear, "Divine Judgment!"
Boom!
Behind her, Thunder God's drums thundered, lightning gathering in the six golden thunder drums and shooting skyward!
A great cloud appeared, and in the fissures, what looked like an eye was revealed!
That eye was indifferent and high above, regarding all as ants.
From it, endless thunder and lightning burst forth!
Though it sounds long, this all happened in an instant. In a flash, fierce thunder shot from the eye!
The column of lightning was estimated to be a hundred meters wide, and all of Thunder God Battle Form's power exploded at once!
Yoruichi, as a mortal, seized the place of Thunder God and unleashed this mighty "Divine Judgment." Not only the enemy—even Yoruichi herself seemed to be obliterated by the terrifying lightning!
Boom!!!
"Soi Fon, now!"
Amid the thunder, Yoruichi shouted, trusting Soi Fon to seize the chance!
And indeed, just as she predicted, though Yoruichi herself was within the pillar of lightning, Soi Fon didn't miss her opportunity.
She believed in Yoruichi—this was their only chance. If she missed it now, there would be no second try for Bankai!
Yoruichi had seen it before—even if much of the breath of death was blown away, Barragan always kept a deathly aura around him.
That's why they needed to attack the surroundings, to clear away the deathly breath before it could truly harm Barragan!
"Jakuhō Raikōben!"
Soi Fon shouted!
Boom!
At last, Soi Fon unleashed her Bankai; the giant thunder wasp whip in her hand shot forward like a missile, flying into the land of divine judgment!
Boom!
The wasp's shikai could kill with two strikes to the same spot—now, in Bankai, all these traits were transformed into a terrifying missile!
Boom!
Where the thunder streaked, another deafening blast rang out. Though similar to the previous thunder, this blast erupted horizontally in an instant!
Almost immediately, a massive cross formed around Barragan, flames and lightning exploding both vertically and horizontally, engulfing the enemy!
In the midst of this cross-shaped explosion, a woman wreathed in thunder suddenly shot from the pillar of light, her body covered in burns and wounds.
Soi Fon had begun to retreat when Divine Judgment was invoked, so although she was caught in the edge of the Jakuhō Raikōben, she was not at the center of the blast. She managed to escape in time, suffering only minor injuries.
But Barragan, positioned at the very center of Divine Judgment and the Suzumebachi explosion, surely could not escape so easily.
Yoruichi dodged and landed beside Soi Fon.
"Lady Yoruichi!"
Soi Fon was exhausted after unleashing her attack. Bankai was powerful, but came with many restrictions—usually, this attack could only be released once every three days. Now that she'd used this miraculous strike—could they kill Barragan?
"Don't let your guard down,"
Yoruichi said, breathing heavily, having left her Thunder God state. "This man is incredible. Even with both of us at full power, we might not have killed him."
"...That can't be..."
Soi Fon was in disbelief. If this attack couldn't take down Barragan... what else could?
Yoruichi was still healthy, but the earlier Shunpo had taken a great toll. Both their fighting strengths were diminished; if Barragan wasn't killed by this move, at most he'd be heavily wounded and weakened.
But then... something terrifying happened!
The cross-shaped pillar finally faded, the light gradually dissipating.
But what appeared was not a gravely wounded Barragan!
He still wore his crown, his purple cloak a little tattered—but his body was almost unscathed!
"Wha—what?!"
"How is that possible?!"
The two below were on the verge of despair. How could this be? They'd attacked with full strength—yet hadn't even harmed a single hair on Barragan's head?!
....