Although more than a day had passed inside Phantasmagoria, only a few hours had elapsed in Soul Society.
Shin and Zaraki emerged from the barrier. Both of them appeared completely unharmed, but Yachiru knew from Zaraki's expression that he had enjoyed the fight immensely this time.
"Ken-chan!" Yachiru climbed onto Zaraki's shoulder.
"Huh, Ken-chan, your Zanpakutō?"
Yachiru noticed that the blade of Zaraki's Zanpakutō was missing, only the hilt remained.
"It shattered."
Zaraki opened his left hand, revealing the fragments of the blade.
Inside the barrier, he had vaguely heard the call of his Zanpakutō and was about to respond, but Shin interrupted him, even reducing the sword to dust.
What Zaraki didn't know was that Shin had deliberately interrupted him.
In Shin's view, it was fine for Zaraki to regain his strength, but mastering Bankai? That could wait.
In the original timeline, Zaraki's Bankai was essentially achieved at the cost of two "Yachirus," yet it didn't yield any particularly impressive battle results.
After activating Bankai, his body couldn't withstand the savage power. Zaraki in his Bankai state immediately lost his mind, retaining only the instinct to fight.
From this perspective, Zaraki had never truly mastered his Bankai.
Yachiru's existence was very unique, she was the manifestation of Zaraki's Zanpakutō's Bankai separating from the main body.
Unlike a materialized Zanpakutō, she possessed Shinigami powers and looked no different from a regular Shinigami. She constantly monitored Zaraki's emotional changes and secretly guided him in using his Zanpakutō.
However, when Zaraki learned the true name of his Zanpakutō, "Nozarashi," she felt sadness and reluctance.
Even if she returned to the Zanpakutō and could accompany Zaraki in his inner world, how could that compare to being in the outside world?
Shin hadn't considered all that deeply. Yachiru was so adorable, how could he let her disappear?
Shin said, "My bad, I didn't hold back enough. Captain Zaraki, you should probably have Captain Kurotsuchi repair your Zanpakutō."
Zaraki had planned to do just that, and he immediately headed towards the SRDI.
—
Ichigo, who had just returned from the Human World, was currently there.
He had already learned the truth about his mother. Masaki had not, in fact, died at the hands of a Hollow.
As a Quincy, how could an ordinary Hollow possibly kill Masaki?
Before encountering that Hollow, Masaki had lost her powers due to Yhwach's Auswählen, which was why she succumbed to the Hollow.
It was precisely because his mother was a Quincy that Ichigo possessed Quincy powers within him.
Having understood everything, Ichigo immediately returned to Soul Society, intending to repair the Zanpakutō that Haschwalth had broken.
One question remained unanswered in his mind: why did old man Zangetsu look exactly like Yhwach?
To figure out this problem, he first needed to restore his broken Zanpakutō.
"It can't be repaired? Why?"
After receiving a negative answer from Mayuri, Ichigo asked, confused.
"Didn't your own Zanpakutō break and then get fixed?"
Mayuri's Zanpakutō was frequently destroyed, but he always managed to restore it.
"Are you stupid? My Zanpakutō is completely different from yours, mine is modified." Mayuri glanced at Ichigo.
"If a Zanpakutō is damaged while in Bankai, it cannot be fully repaired."
"What? Then what should I do?"
Hearing that it couldn't be repaired, Ichigo began to panic slightly.
Just then, footsteps sounded.
"Hmm? Isn't that Captain Zaraki? What brings you here?"
Mayuri looked at Zaraki and Shin behind him.
"My Zanpakutō, fix it for me." Zaraki displayed the hilt and the blade fragments.
"I see."
It was the first time Mayuri had ever seen a Zanpakutō shattered into so many pieces.
Mayuri placed Zaraki's Zanpakutō into a device and began operating it.
Shin greeted Ichigo, "Yo, Ichigo, are you here to fix your Zanpakutō too?"
Ichigo managed a nod, looking distracted. He was still worrying about how to repair a Bankai Zanpakutō.
Before long, Mayuri gave his answer. "I can't fix your sword."
"Huh?"
The last time Zaraki's Zanpakutō broke, it was Mayuri who fixed it.
"Your Zanpakutō was already very special, but this time it was completely destroyed. Restoring it is practically a fantasy."
As he spoke, Mayuri glanced at Shin.
"Hello? Yes, it's me. Got it, I'll be right there." Mayuri received a communication.
"You guys come with me. The Zero Division has arrived. There is someone who might be able to help you solve this problem."
Ending the connection, Mayuri turned back and addressed the group.
...
They arrived before Sekkiseki, where the Captains were waiting for the Zero Division to descend.
Ichigo knew very little about the Zero Division and asked, "What kind of existence is the Zero Division? Why didn't they appear during the previous battles?"
Shinji explained, "The Zero Division is the Royal Guard, responsible for protecting the Soul King Palace. As for why they are only appearing now, I don't know either."
"They're here."
As soon as the words fell, a massive pillar descended from the sky.
"What is that?" Ichigo exclaimed.
Unohana slowly said, "That is the Tenchūren, the Zero Division's mode of transportation."
"The Zero Division only has five members, all of whom hold the rank of Captain. Their power is rumored to surpass the entire Gotei 13."
Five people with distinct appearances stepped out of the Tenchūren.
In the center was a tall, robust, bald monk with a thick beard—this was Hyōsube Ichibe, one of the Six Special War Powers.
To his right was Shutara Senjumaru, the creator of the Shinigami uniform. She wore complex golden hair ornaments and had six golden skeletal arms behind her, holding instruments like a taiko drum, a flute, and a shamisen.
To his left was Kirinji Tenjirō, Unohana's former Kidō teacher, sporting an exaggerated pompadour and holding the Zero Division's banner.
Flanking them were Hikifune Kirio, the former Captain of the 12th Division before Kisuke, with purple hair and a plump figure.
And Nimaiya Ōetsu, the creator of the Zanpakutō, who wore sunglasses and had curly punk hair.
"They're here! The great Zero Division has arrived!" Tenjirō announced the arrival of the Zero Division.
"Long time no see, Unohana. You actually became the Captain-Commander."
Unohana closed her eyes, concentrating, and remained silent.
Tenjirō continued, "But it looks like quite a few people died this time. What exactly happened?"
Ichibē stepped forward, hooking his arm around Tenjirō's shoulder, and said with a smile, "It's been a long time since we've all seen each other, and I'm sure there's lots to talk about, but let's save it for later. Business first."
Unohana opened her eyes and asked, "So, what is the purpose of the Zero Division's descent this time?"