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"It's over…"
"Kyōraku Shunsui really had the worst luck imaginable, running into a straight-up monster."
"Watching this makes me glad I never showed up on screen. Otherwise I'd have been slaughtered by that twisted pure-blood Quincy too…"
"Yeah. Being a spectator isn't so bad. At least we don't have to fight these things."
…
The World of the Living.
Inside the Visoreds' abandoned warehouse.
As the light screen faded to black with the end of the ranking, everyone stood there in stunned silence, their hearts still pounding.
Rubbing his temples, Hirako Shinji spoke with a worried frown.
"But don't forget. The one tied with that bird freak at seventh place is also a pure-blood Quincy."
"If I'm guessing right, it's that giant guard."
"And if nothing unexpected happens, the next ranking should pick up right where that battle left off."
As he spoke,
an image flashed through Hirako's mind: Kenpachi Zaraki in Bankai, cleaving Gerard Valkyrie clean in two with a single swing.
His expression darkened.
"I think so too,"
Rōjūrō sighed and nodded. "Those four Royal Guards just don't die. One's tougher than the next. Even after that slash, Kenpachi will probably end up just like Kyōraku."
He could already picture it.
Kenpachi collapsing from exhaustion the moment his Bankai faded.
"If even their subordinates are this terrifying, how strong do you think the Quincy King really is?" Kuna Mashiro shuddered, shrinking back as Yhwach's brutal face came to mind.
And then—
"Whoosh!!"
Before the Visoreds could finish talking,
the transparent screen flared back to life, cutting to another battlefield.
———
Boom!!!
The sound of something massive hitting the ground exploded outward through the screen, amplified many times over.
"Damn it! What happened now?!"
Countless people gathered before the screen nearly blacked out from the shock.
Even those who reacted in time felt their heads throb as their eardrums screamed in protest.
"Look! It's that giant guard, just like we thought!"
When they turned back to the image, they saw Valkyrie, now thousands of times larger after activating "The Miracle."
His sheer size was so overwhelming that the camera could barely contain him.
And sharp-eyed viewers noticed a dense cluster of tiny figures beneath his feet.
"Those are…"
"They're the captains who barely survived all the fighting!"
Within the Gotei 13, every Soul Reaper held their breath, nervously scanning each figure on the battlefield.
Hinamori Momo, Hirako Shinji, Kuchiki Byakuya, Kuchiki Rukia, Abarai Renji…
Just like the viewers outside the screen,
when they looked up at Valkyrie towering almost level with the sun, shock spread across every face.
"Captain Kuchiki…"
"So it really is that battle again. I didn't expect myself to be there too," Renji muttered, smacking his lips in disbelief.
He could clearly feel it.
His future self was much stronger.
He couldn't measure it precisely, but the pressure alone didn't lose to Byakuya as he was now.
Seeing that, the redhead trembled with excitement.
So this is it… the day I finally turn things around.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Renji. Haven't you noticed? We're clearly at a disadvantage," Byakuya said gravely.
He had judged the situation at a glance.
The battlefield was in terrible shape.
Even ignoring the overwhelming spiritual pressure pouring off Valkyrie, that absurd size alone meant a single careless movement could crush them all.
"At a disadvantage? I don't know about that," Renji shot back. "We've got numbers on our side. And being huge doesn't always mean you're stronger."
Based on past experience, especially fighting Gillians,
he instinctively assumed that the giant pure-blood Quincy was just intimidating in appearance, not necessarily unbeatable.
In fact, he figured Valkyrie would probably end up as a punching bag for a group beatdown.
"…."
Byakuya didn't respond.
After witnessing the absurd, reality-defying feats of three Royal Guards in a row, even someone as proud as him wouldn't dare underestimate a pure-blood Quincy again.
Sure enough—what happened next slapped Renji's optimism straight out of him.
"Soul Reaper captains…"
"First, I should commend you. You actually managed to injure me this badly. This is also the first time I've ever relied on 'The Miracle' to grow this large."
He didn't raise his voice.
Yet even speaking normally,
Valkyrie's words boomed like rolling thunder.
The sound raining down from the sky made the entire Wahrwelt tremble.
And for the viewers outside the battlefield,
the impact was even more overwhelming.
"Th-This is way too exaggerated!"
"Just listening to him talk is about to shatter my eardrums!"
"That size… you're telling me it's because he's injured?"
"From what he just said, does that mean the more hurt he gets, the bigger he becomes? That's insane!"
"No, it's not just his size. His presence alone surpasses all the captains here. His strength increases with his injuries too!"
…
As Valkyrie openly revealed his power, fear spread like wildfire across the World of the Living, flooding the entire Soul Society.
However…
There was one exception.
Inside Las Noches, the atmosphere suddenly turned strange.
The Arrancar present all shifted their gazes toward a corner where the walls were cracked and shattered.Their eyes finally settled on Yammy.
"Yammy…"Ulquiorra spoke flatly, his expression unchanged."That giant Quincy's ability seems very similar to the power of your 'Anger Beast' form."
"Tch…"
Ulquiorra, you've got it wrong!
Yammy clenched his fists, a savage grin spreading across his face."He needs to get hurt to gain power. I just need to get angry, and I'll keep getting stronger without end!"
"Compared to injury, rage is clearly superior!"
"In other words, once I turn into my Anger Beast form, I stand far above those pure-blood Quincies!"
The more he talked, the more excited Yammy became.His voice echoed wildly through Las Noches.
"When the next ranking comes around…"
"I, Yammy Llargo, the Zero Espada of Hueco Mundo…"
"I'll definitely be ranked sixth!"
The tone completely flipped.
While the Gotei 13 were worrying themselves sick over the captains, Yammy was riding high on his own arrogance inside Las Noches.
Clearly, after getting beaten black and blue during the first ranking, Yammy had suddenly convinced himself that he was back on top.
"..."
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