Chapter 80: The Strongest Fist Warming Up
Regarding the Zanka no Tachi painstakingly developed by Captain-Commander Yamamoto, Aizen had his research and insights, and Mo Yu had his own opinions and views.
Mo Yu focused more on the domain of "Fire," condensing a brilliant divinity through the sublimation of flames. He was not a bloody sun gathering the majesty of a death-purgatory, but a Sun God walking in the mortal realm.
The "sunrise" that suddenly appeared in Hueco Mundo at this moment fully manifested this point. Majestic divine power swept through, causing demons to flee and all evil to retreat! The surrounding Menos, and even the Espada, were not yet scorched by actual flames, but merely being shone upon by the light made them wail as if meeting a natural enemy. Their flesh and remaining spiritual power turned into black smoke, gradually disintegrating.
How could fallen evil spirits be qualified to face the supreme yang and unyielding majesty of the Sun God?
Yet, within that vast light of divine power, a figure wreathed in endless darkness still clearly existed, surging against the current toward the center of the boundless fire.
The spiritual power of Soul Reapers and Quincies is mostly white; even with other colors, they tend toward a bright palette. Hollow spiritual power comes in all sorts of colors, but as their strength grows, the colors shift toward dark tones—dark red, forest green, etc. Eventually, these colors unify, spreading toward a pure black.
What wreathed Aizen now was the deepest, most profound dark spiritual power, symbolizing the original essence of the Hollow: that endless desire that devours all things. The pitch-black energy surged, consuming even the divine light of the sun without hesitation.
But eating is one thing; digesting is another. Although Aizen relied on the black spiritual power to withstand the radiation of the divine light, he felt as if his insides were on fire. If this continued, he would likely be incinerated from the inside out.
Aizen perceived all of this but didn't care. He simply pushed his will and spirit to the absolute peak, preparing to unleash his full-power strike. He knew clearly that he might only have one chance. His Transcendental Power was not yet perfect, and the plundered strength was temporary. If the surrounding Espada and Menos couldn't hold on, his power would immediately plummet. More importantly, the special device buried underground was being used for the first time; Aizen had no idea how long it would function. To put it bluntly, the fact that the equipment started up without any hiccups made him feel his luck was already quite good.
In the Bleach world, there is a science to spiritual veins. The "Heavy Spirit Ground" required to forge a Royal Key is essentially a convergence point of spiritual veins. Hueco Mundo naturally had its own veins. By burying the device, Aizen forcibly plundered the power of Hueco Mundo's spiritual veins as a core component of his Transcendental Power. If the device crashed now, things would get very ugly.
To be honest, the old Aizen would have loathed this situation—using unreliable tools to cobble together imperfect power to fight an unpredictable enemy with zero information and slim odds. He would have considered it a disgrace to his career as a mastermind.
But now, Aizen's mindset was unexpectedly high-spirited. Discarding all restraint and calculation, only the most unrestrained arrogance remained.
When in my life, Sosuke Aizen, have I ever been weaker than anyone?
One strike. Only one was needed!
Within the boundless solar flames, the pitch-black Reiatsu suddenly expanded. Its majesty was so grand it momentarily completely suppressed the blooming sun. The key to all of this was merely the figure clenching his fist, about to throw the strongest punch of his life.
Aizen manically pushed his power to a peak beyond peaks:
"Absolute Realm 92.5%..."
Every digit above 90% in the Absolute Realm was a sublimation of the ultimate state. Even a 0.1% increase represented a world of difference in power. What was the "gold content" of this 2.5% increase over the 90% base? Put it this way: if time could be reversed, with this power, Aizen would need only one punch to reduce the Yamamoto who hadn't understood Purity or the War-Body, along with all the Captains and half the Seireitei, to... ASH! AND! DUST!!!
However, to the current Aizen, this was still not enough.
From the Espada to the Menos, even the power of the Soul Reapers Tosen and Gin were within the scope of his plunder. The vast sands of Hueco Mundo vibrated and hummed; the spiritual veins churned, transforming into power that melted into his fist.
When one's own power is pushed to the limit and can go no further, one seeks power from the external world. This was the Ultimate path Yamamoto had walked. Aizen took it a step further: not just the external world, but external living beings could become a part of his strength.
"Ultimacy 15%..."
In this era where the ceiling of combat power had just been broken, no one could yet perfectly define "Ultimacy." But the 15% Ultimacy in Aizen's hand could be viewed as 15% of the entire power of Hueco Mundo becoming his own at this moment.
Absolute Realm 92.5% + Ultimacy 15%!
On paper, this was a mere 107.5% power index. But in reality, Aizen had unleashed a peerless fist capable of downing the sun and devouring the heavens and earth. This punch had no flashy light or sound effects; there was only a darkness that swallowed everything. It was the condensed will of Aizen's arrogance, conceit, greed, and ambition.
Faced with this, Mo Yu—especially watching that all-consuming darkness approach—had a strange hallucination that he was fighting Final Getsuga Tensho Ichigo.
But the hallucination didn't affect him. This Ultimate version of the Remnant Flame, which surpassed its creator Yamamoto, was not just a simple "Sunrise" followed by sunshine.
Centered on Mo Yu, the divine, peerlessly masculine solar fire moved from "Rising Sun" to "High Noon Zenith," then rapidly shifted toward "Twilight Fall" and "Midnight Collapse"!
Where there is life, there is death. Even the vast, eternal sun has a day where it falls and is annihilated. But that is not decay; it is the sun's strongest moment. Boundless divine sunlight, after infinite expansion and ascension, rapidly turned toward collapse and internalization.
A deep, chaotic void covered everything. All sound, light, and color were swallowed.
Aizen let out a silent roar, carrying everything he possessed as a defiant, majestic darkness, punching forward with all his might. But he was met only by the fist slowly emerging from the very center of the void.
The collision of Darkness and Void occurred in an instant!
The greatest impact was not the aftershock of energy, but the silent wail that filled heaven and earth. Space shattered like glass; there was no longer any barrier or isolation between Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society.
This collision of worlds was naturally not peaceful. The ground of both realms shook violently. Under the intense squeezing and crashing, the earth tore into bottomless trenches. Subsequently, the endless sands of Hueco Mundo poured into the Soul Society, covering the prosperous land with desolation, while the wind, rain, and thunder of the Soul Society fell into Hueco Mundo for the first time.
And this was not the end, but merely the beginning. At this juncture of collision, the erosion of Hell extended into the rift. The destruction of the Three Worlds was no longer talk, but a scene manifesting in reality. In the distance, the Monk looked on with a helpless expression.
The collapse of the Three Worlds was expected, but that didn't matter—as long as he could stuff the Soul King's body back into the palace, everything could be salvaged. It would just mean re-dividing the worlds. What truly made the Monk feel helpless was that the powerhouses qualified to help him pin the King down were falling one by one.
Yamamoto was gone. And now... Aizen as well!
The Monk shook his head and could only turn to leave, waiting for an opportunity.
The aftershocks of the collision faded. Aizen had vanished into thin air. And that was not the final result: Tosen, Gin, the Espada, and even the Menos acting as the "hype squad" were all blasted to dust by the shockwave, leaving not even a scrap behind.
Mo Yu, returning to his original form, stood indifferently. After watching for a long time, he gently touched his heart. A fist-print was branded onto his chest; a bizarre, pitch-black spiritual power continued to gnaw at the Soul King's body.
Because of this fist-print, certain "injuries" Mo Yu had been suppressing exploded. Threads of remnant-flame force, like fire-snakes, emerged from the King's skin, charring his flesh.
"Very well done!"
Mo Yu praised sincerely. Being able to leave an indelible "scar" on the Soul King's body—the symbol of the world—held special meaning. In a sense, both Yamamoto and Aizen had used their fists to leave an unerasable mark of existence on the world. And these marks were the true tickets to the Ark of the New Era. But these matters were for later.
By all rights, Mo Yu should have headed to the Living World to complete the final cleansing. But he did not hurry. He stood upon the Hueco Mundo earth that was violently colliding with the Soul Society, gazing at the eerie moon in the sky.
After a long time, Mo Yu muttered to himself:
"There are several candidates qualified to be your vessel, but you only have one chance to choose. Think carefully before you decide. Don't embarrass existences of our level..."
The eerie moon gave no response, but its flickering became increasingly bizarre.
Mo Yu still didn't leave. He continued to wait. After a long while, he suddenly turned his head:
"Protagonist... you're quite late this time. I've been waiting for you."
In the distance, Ichigo Kurosaki, hands in his pockets, strolled forward leisurely. Upon approaching, he locked eyes with Mo Yu—eyes containing infinite, resolute will.
"Spectator... we finally meet!"
Looking through a computer screen versus looking through the Soul King's senses were two completely different feelings. Mo Yu observed the current Ichigo with genuine interest.
Strong!
That was Mo Yu's first and total impression. There was no deliberate activation of power or explosion of majesty. A weaker person might mistake Ichigo for an ordinary human. But to Mo Yu, Ichigo's presence now filled the sky and covered the earth; his mere existence suppressed the myriad phenomena of nature.
This was not an exaggeration. In fact, as Ichigo walked over, the vibration of the colliding worlds slowed by at least 30%!
Mo Yu smiled faintly. "I once promised you, as the Chief Protagonist of Heaven Media, that I would grant you a wish once I descended. Do you have a prayer in your heart now?"
Ichigo laughed. "In the past, I might have had a wish. But now... as you know, the idea of having to pray to someone else... the Purity is just too low."
Perhaps to confirm further, Mo Yu said suddenly: "What if it were to reverse the river of time and resurrect your mother?"
Ichigo's expression and gaze didn't shift a millimeter. There was only steel-like resolve and flame-like heat:
"There is no need to pray to the outside. Now... I can do anything myself!"
Mo Yu didn't bother to judge if Ichigo was telling the truth. He knew that as the protagonist born with the world's blessing, even though his status was merely the Messiah, he wasn't necessarily inferior to the Soul King. Or rather, the "God" status symbolized by the Soul King in this world was, due to the original author's subtext, a Trinity system.
The Soul King was born at the beginning as the start of the million-year karma. Yhwach existed in the middle as the accumulation of that karma. Ichigo was born at the end to personally sever it. Father, Prophet, and Son—three points in a triangular cycle.
In the original story, Ichigo's blade, guided by Yhwach, shattered the Soul King's body. That was a highly symbolic, even theological scene. From that moment, the old karma was severed, new karma was born, and the Trinity shifted. After the King vanished, Yhwach became the new King (the Father), and Ichigo ascended to the Prophet. A new Son was born in the next generation.
This Trinity cycle hinted at Ichigo's future: he had the potential to become the new Soul King. And if he reached that stage, as long as he remained within this World Bubble, he truly could do anything.
"But your metamorphosis isn't quite complete, is it?"
Mo Yu scanned him with the World's Eye, sensing that Ichigo's world-shaking transformation wasn't yet finished. Ichigo was honest: "Because your slaughter of the Three Worlds was a bit too efficient. After sensing Aizen's fall, I was in a hurry to wake up, so I am indeed a bit short. But... no matter. A little warm-up will do!"
Mo Yu's tone grew hotter with anticipation. "And how do you plan to warm up?"
Ichigo gazed at Mo Yu and grinned. "Spectator... you once told me to beat the entire world. To the current me, you are as majestic as the whole world—no, a collection of multiple worlds. So... you know what I'm saying..."
Mo Yu felt a moment of sentiment. Though he was the one who gave Ichigo the idea to beat the world, he hadn't expected the boy to actually walk this path to the Strongest and create one brilliant result after another.
But it didn't matter. Mo Yu clenched his fists.
"If that is your wish as the Chief Protagonist of Heaven Media, I am willing to satisfy you. I am the Three Worlds. Use your fists to pummel me. If you defeat me, you will be the undisputed King of the Strongest. In the vastness of the Three Worlds, no one will ever be able to defy your will again!"
The status hierarchy of the original series no longer mattered. In this World Bubble where Purity reigned supreme, status could only be realized through one thing:
FIGHT!!!
Mo Yu could no longer suppress his battle intent. He struck first, enveloped in boundless dark spiritual power. He punched, unleashing a roaring dragon—Aizen's Kido War-Punch, shifting between void and reality with infinite arrogance.
The fist slammed into Ichigo's stomach. He spat a mouthful of blood, but his eyes suddenly turned ferocious!
"Spectator... get a bit more serious. If you plan to fight with this level of power, forget about slaughtering the Three Worlds—even using it as a warm-up for me is... A DELUSIONAL FANTASY, GODDAMMIT!!!"
The current Ichigo was qualified to say this. For when he clenched his fist, his opening move was...
ABSOLUTE REALM 99%!!!
Power beyond spiritual energy—a completely different level and style of force. Like light, like lightning, like a blooming sun, it erupted from Ichigo's fist!
The earth shattered endlessly. The shockwave rising from the ground pulverized the lightning in the sky. Mo Yu vanished from the spot, transformed into a human supersonic missile, hurtling toward the heavens.
It wasn't voluntary, but Mo Yu had to admit that being punched into a supersonic missile was a fresh experience. Simultaneously, he marveled: as expected of the protagonist. Even in the field of Purity, Ichigo was unreasonable. A 99% output, which existed only in theory, had actually been realized by him.
Mo Yu didn't intend to explore what the "Space" of the Bleach World Bubble looked like. Just as he prepared to steady himself and return for a counterattack, he realized Ichigo had already caught up at an even higher speed. And then...
An Absolute Realm 99% roundhouse kick!
Under the impact of that supreme power transcending spiritual energy, Mo Yu transformed into a human meteor, crashing back to earth at supersonic speeds.
The ground cracked and collapsed. A mushroom cloud like a nuclear explosion rose slowly. When the dust settled, a massive basin dozens of kilometers wide had formed. At the edges of the basin, mountains made of piled debris rose out of nowhere.
End of Chapter
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