Chapter 81: The Preliminary Round of the King of Fighters Tournament Officially Ends
A single strike was enough to redefine the landscape, fully showcasing the power of a top-tier martial artist.
Yet this was merely the beginning. For a true fighter, once the battle starts, there is no room for holding back or warming up; the intensity climbed to its absolute zenith in an instant.
Ichigo Kurosaki's movement and attack speeds were both at a god-speed multiple times faster than sound. Heaven and earth were his highways. Any other powerhouse—even Captain-Commander Yamamoto—would find it difficult to track Ichigo's speed and would be forced to rely on combat experience to predict his trajectory.
If someone with insufficient experience like Aizen were here, they would likely suffer a repeat of the original plot: zero room to react, face grabbed by Ichigo in an instant, and then carried like a parcel on a supersonic flight for dozens of kilometers before being hammered into the dirt.
It's not that Aizen wouldn't try; it's just that Ichigo is a total "bug." A single step is at least Mach 5—who can withstand that initial acceleration at short range?
But for Mo Yu, this speed was still reactable. After all, the Soul King's vessel was no simple thing.
As both combatants entered the supersonic realm of divine combat, they moved several kilometers every second. The battle zone expanded rapidly. With Ichigo's pursuit and every strike stabilized at 99% Absolute Realm output, the range and devastation of the clash spiked manically.
A step forward, and rock was vaporized, leaving a winding canyon in its wake. A punch thrown, and underground aquifers were blasted open, turning plains into marshlands in the blink of an eye. In terms of terraforming efficiency, this was faster than a computer game; at least in a game, the player has to pause to conceptualize the effect.
Here, the shape of the world depended entirely on the collision of fists. Fortunately, there are no geography classes in Hueco Mundo or the Soul Society; otherwise, students would be crying storms and shredding their textbooks along with their teachers.
Combat is the best way to test technique. At first, Mo Yu replicated Aizen's Kido Fists, only to be pummeled until he was black and blue in seconds.
Shifting between void and reality? Ichigo didn't buy it for a second; his gaze never left Mo Yu's true body. Fists with various spell effects? Ichigo's punch generated a wind-pressure strong enough to shatter most spells before they even connected.
Approaching his "Final Form," Ichigo's power and technique were becoming increasingly pure, making him the ultimate counter to "Flashy Technical Styles." Mo Yu felt a bit bad for Aizen—if he couldn't sublimate his Kido Fists to a higher realm, Ichigo would literally make him kneel and beg not to die within three moves.
Mo Yu then switched to Yamamoto's Remnant Flame force. The results weren't much better. Whether it was Divine Fire or Purgatory Fire, they specialized in incineration and annihilation rather than direct impact. Against Ichigo's simple, extreme fist—a perfect fusion of speed and power—the only difference was how hard the beating felt.
He tried others: Byakuya's Senbonzakura Punch, Komamura's Beast War-Method... none had much effect, even with Mo Yu pushing them to their "Ultimate" versions.
Only two techniques worked. The first was Rukia's Absolute Zero force; a punch could effectively slow Ichigo's god-speed, though Mo Yu himself was caught in the freeze, making its practical value dubious. The second was the Reishi Blasting Fist.
Realizing this, Mo Yu discarded all flowery tricks. He met Ichigo head-on with pure, extreme Reishi strikes.
As Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society collided, all things wailed. Reishi—the foundation of the world—was shaking, which played right into Mo Yu's hands. The Reishi of both realms responded to the Soul King's will, swirling toward Him like a torrent of light.
Heaven and earth were filled with a magnificent ocean of light. Within it, energy wings hundreds of meters long extended from Mo Yu's shoulders, flickering with surging Reishi flames.
"TAKE MY ULTIMATE REISHI BLASTING FIST—30% ULTIMACY OUTPUT!!!"
Mo Yu's version was stronger and more refined than Uryu's, but he had to admit it lacked that "vicious rhythm" that swallowed the eight desolations. This wasn't Mo Yu's fault; Uryu's fist contained a unique malice born from his own sublimation combined with 3D-audience interference. Mo Yu couldn't replicate that, nor did he need to.
Mo Yu's version focused on "Heavenly Might"—like divine punishment or a natural disaster. Every punch was a judgment handed down by the world itself.
Yet, even this didn't suppress Ichigo. In every collision of fists, Mo Yu was the one slightly losing ground. The most extreme speed, the most majestic power, and an indescribable absolute will made the current Ichigo more than just "invincible"—it was as if Invincibility itself had grown a face!
The Soul King, the world's avatar, was being pummeled by the Strongest Creature on Earth.
The Monk, who had just run back after sensing the shift, watched with trembling excitement. He saw an opening, but knew he couldn't intervene. A stray shockwave from these two would turn him into dust. Unlike the "Martial Arts Spectators" who were happy to die watching a legendary fight, the Monk wanted to live another million years.
"Spectator! Have you not eaten? Show me your full power! Are you trying to tell me the world I've dreamed of beating is only this strong and pure!?!?"
Ichigo roared violently. In that instant, his speed and power ticked up again.
Absolute Realm 99.1% Output!
This "insignificant" 0.1% increase meant Ichigo's god-speed was now a baseline Mach 15, with short bursts approaching Mach 20.
Every Ultimate Reishi Blasting Fist Mo Yu threw carried over 90% Absolute Realm power plus 30% Ultimacy from the world. Previously, they were trading blows with Mo Yu slightly behind. Now, Ichigo was thoroughly crushing him using nothing but his own internal power, without borrowing a single drop of strength from the world.
"Ichigo Kurosaki... you're the protagonist of this era. You can cheat without logic. But I'm the Soul King; power doesn't just appear because I shout. Even 'Cheating' requires technique and methodology!"
Mo Yu complained, but his eyes burned with a cold flame. He had uploaded the "Purity" setting to the entire world. Now, the world was Purity-brained—macho and aggressive. Ichigo's arrogant will to beat the world was provoking a massive reaction.
The world's rage poured into the Soul King's vessel, giving the Reishi Blasting Fist its "Divine Punishment" aura. As Ichigo mocked the world's strength, high-purity natural disasters erupted. Near the Monk, green-black tornadoes formed a storm zone covering a hundred kilometers, blowing the poor Monk away. These were the world's "veins popping" in fury.
As the avatar of the world, Mo Yu was infected by this battle intent, wanting to fight to the death. But as God, he remained calm. He had a reason.
Ichigo roared: "Then bring out your 'Cheating Techniques!' Don't hesitate! Before the Three Worlds are destroyed, fight me to the end!!!"
Mo Yu sensed it: the power in Ichigo's fist—the light that transcended Reishi—was changing. It was shifting from bright and expansive to deep and internalized.
Ichigo's power jumped again: 99.2% Output.
With no time to react, Mo Yu was blasted backward. His left shoulder collapsed. Had he not dodged slightly, his neck would have snapped. But Mo Yu ignored the injury, noticing instead that Ichigo was completing his final "Coronation."
The evidence was the power itself. Reishi is the baseline of Bleach, but above it exists a power that emerges when Reishi transcends its peak. Ichigo had used it once as "Mugetsu." In the TYBW arc, a Soul-King-fused Yhwach used it at will.
Its name: [Soul King Surge]. Its power? A casual flick could defeat a fourth-stage Hogyoku Aizen.
Thanks to Aizen, the old power-scaling unit "Shuhei Hisagi" was no longer enough. Aizen's various forms had become the new gold standard for power-scalers.
Ichigo was now unleashing a high-completion version of this Surge. It wasn't just raw destruction; it was beginning to touch metaphysical concepts. Under its drive, Ichigo was transcending the laws of the world. Air resistance no longer applied. At supersonic speeds, there was no sonic boom; the air actually assisted his acceleration.
The Messiah had weathered the mortal coil and was reclaiming His crown of miracles. Life, death, thorns, and shackles could not stop Him. He would win until He reached the Kingdom of Light to see the Lord... and then hammer the Lord into dust.
That was Fate. Severing the million-year karma that started with the King and ended with the Messiah. But one link was missing.
"Very well, Ichigo. Let me show you my 'Technical Cheating'!"
Mo Yu laughed, accelerating like a supersonic missile. Ichigo pursued. They fought across the sky until both dove into a massive spatial rift.
The scenery shifted. Karakura Town appeared.
As the God and Messiah of Fighting descended, the entire town was smothered by an ultimate Reiatsu. Ichigo instinctively pulled his punches, but it was too late. Every living thing in Karakura fainted instantly under the pressure. Soon, the pressure would crush them all to death.
Mo Yu said: "Ichigo... I told you Karakura Town would face a calamity. Now, it has arrived."
"No," Ichigo replied. His senses were now so divine he could feel the threads of fate. "The calamity you spoke of was not this!"
Mo Yu laughed manically. "KE-KE-KE! That small-time calamity wasn't potent enough! A protagonist of your level should fight a World-Ending Catastrophe, goddammit!!!"
In the original, Aizen threatened Karakura. Here, it was upgraded to God's Apocalypse. Not quite canon, but very "Pure."
Why did Mo Yu come here? Because with His descent, Karakura's spatial barriers shattered. The World of the Living was thrown into the destructive vortex of the colliding Soul Society and Hueco Mundo.
The wail of the dying universe echoed. All things collapsed back into Chaos.
The Three Worlds were officially destroyed.
As the price of this destruction, the Soul King—no longer a linchpin—reclaimed His true power.
Absolute Realm 90%... 91%... 92%...
Before Ichigo's eyes, Mo Yu's aura surged manically. The invincible power that rampaged in the Chaos Era a million years ago returned to the mortal realm. High-purity Soul King Surge flowed through Him. Without the burden of the Three Worlds, the King was at His peak. Miracles were at His fingertips.
Suddenly, ink-black shadows emerged, freezing the crumbling space of Karakura. Within the shadows, the Wandenreich appeared. Yhwach looked up, his eyes now possessing "Double-Pupils"—deep shadows flowing within his gaze.
"Ichigo Kurosaki. The worst conclusion has entered my sight and is becoming reality. I am using my shadow to halt the collapse of the Living World, indirectly sustaining Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society. I can delay the end for thirty minutes. Resolve this now!"
Yhwach had a reason to act: he was precisely pinning Mo Yu's power at the 99% Absolute Realm threshold.
Mo Yu spoke flatly: "Yhwach... your Purity is still low. You trust your imperfect Almighty too much. You think restricting my Absolute Realm and the world's Ultimacy gives you a chance? Fine... let Father show you what true Destiny means to a martial artist. POWERS OF HELL, COME FORTH, GODDAMMIT!!!"
The destruction of the worlds had paused, but it was enough. Miasma thicker than shadow and deeper than darkness erupted from Mo Yu, covering all of existence. Before the worlds collapsed, Hell's reach was limited. Now, there was no barrier.
A power stronger and more potent than miasma—the Ultimate Hell Force—flowed from the Soul King. It was the antithesis of the world's power: dark, sinister, the essence of absolute malice and destruction. Its mere presence defined "Fate."
This was the dark destiny held in a powerhouse's hand, one that no living being could defy.
Yhwach felt it. In his Almighty vision, every possible future now held only one image: the fist of Ultimate Darkness destroying all phenomena. He tried to rewrite it, but every rewrite hit the wall of that Dark Force.
After countless attempts, Yhwach's body staggered. "The worst end—Hell swallowing the Three Worlds—is arriving. I can only hold for five more minutes..."
"It's our first meeting, but... Old Man Zangetsu's original self, thank you," Ichigo said. His gaze was unshakeable. "Five minutes is more than enough for me..."
Ichigo's battle fire turned into a blinding radiance. His body began to evolve again. Starting from his arms, his flesh became high-purity Soul King Surge. He was no longer just controlling power; he was Becoming Power. The Truth of Miracles.
His power jumped: 99.2%... 99.5%.
In that instant, Ichigo became Light!
The light filled the universe. Every flicker was an endless assault—a Getsuga Tensho Punch that illuminated existence. A thousand, ten thousand, a million strikes—the frequency was immeasurable! The finishing move from his first legendary battle was unleashed as an Ultimate version.
The entire onslaught poured into the Soul King's vessel. In a single second, the King's body was hammered into molecular dust by irresistible absolute power.
But even as His body disintegrated, Mo Yu's eyes did not waver. He slowly raised his crumbling hands, as if embracing the entire world.
"Ichigo... let me show you what 'Technical Cheating' looks like. Absolute Realm 99% + 50% Ultimacy + 50% Ultimate Hell Force. This is the power that ends the preliminary rounds..."
The King's power, the power of the dying worlds, and the power of Hell merged into a light that was both clear and muddy, righteous and evil. It didn't strike Ichigo or Yhwach. It covered everything.
The World of the Living, the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo—every thing, every existence, every living being was enveloped. Then, Mo Yu's hands slammed together.
He hammered the Three Worlds and everything within them... DOWN INTO HELL!!!
End of Chapter
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