"Tch!"
Under Yamamoto's mocking gaze, Yhwach's expression turned extremely grim. He quickly retreated several steps, putting distance between himself and Yamamoto.
"You're still the same as you were nine hundred years ago, no progress at all!"
Yamamoto roared, swinging his blade down again.
With another loud bang, the earth was cleaved by Yamamoto, and a bottomless chasm opened at Yhwach's feet, as if to swallow him whole.
Facing Yamamoto, who held a black katana, a flicker of anger crossed Yhwach's eyes. He extended his hand, holding a metal disc:
"Medallion!"
However, to Yhwach's surprise, Yamamoto still held his sword, that unchanged, ancient, pitch-black katana.
Yamamoto's gaze sharpened. He lowered his head to look at the long sword in his hand, feeling a slight relief in his heart, while secretly marveling at how effective the Shadow-Stealing Drug was.
"Useless?"
Yhwach's eyes widened, unable to believe what was happening before him.
He had expected his Medallion ability to easily seize Yamamoto's weapon, but now it seemed it wasn't that simple.
Yhwach flung the broken blade away. As it approached Yamamoto, it was immediately incinerated by the flames.
He was both shocked and enraged, his body even beginning to tremble.
Seeing this, Yamamoto seized the opportunity to close in, striking a blow at Yhwach.
Wielding Zanka no Tachi and clad in his Prison Garb of the Sun, Yamamoto's offense and defense were unprecedentedly powerful.
Yhwach could only avoid his edge.
Yamamoto pursued his advantage, swinging his blade repeatedly.
"Don't think only you Quincy can come up with new tricks. It seems your trump card is gone. Today, this old man will thoroughly end you!"
"No!" Yhwach took a deep breath, trying to calm the anger surging within him.
Yamamoto then plunged Zanka no Tachi into the ground.
Instantly, countless pitch-black skeletons crawled up from the surroundings, surging towards Yhwach like a tide.
Zanka no Tachi, South: Great Burial of the Ten Trillion Dead!
Looking at the familiar skeletal faces, Yhwach stood frozen in place, unable to help but exclaim:
"Sadritz…"
"Argora…"
"Schubert…"
These were all comrades who had fought alongside him!
"As the head of the Shinigami, to actually command the dead, Yamamoto Genryusai, you scoundrel!"
Yhwach roared in fury.
However, before he finished speaking, the pitch-black skeletons had already clung to his body, gripping him tightly.
At the same time, Yamamoto's slash arrived again.
"Zanka no Tachi, North: Heaven and Earth End in Ashes!"
Separated by several meters, Yhwach was directly cut in half at the waist. His body arced through the air and fell heavily to the ground.
Yamamoto stood silently in place, his eyes cold, looking at Yhwach, whom he had cut in two.
But the next second, his pupils suddenly contracted.
Because he saw Yhwach's body begin to change.
"Po…power…not enough? Very…sorry…Lord Yhwach!"
"You bastard…who exactly are you?"
Yamamoto couldn't help but widen his eyes in shock, seeing Yhwach suddenly transform into an unfamiliar young man with three eyes.
He immediately realized that he might have fallen into a trap.
Yamamoto lifted his head, staring intently at the young man on the ground, his eyes fierce, and he gritted his teeth:
"So be it. No matter what schemes or tricks you have, this old man will cut them down!"
"The Sanctuary…has…already…opened…too late."
The three-eyed man lying on the ground spoke with difficulty.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yamamoto suddenly looked up, only to see a golden Reishi barrier rising around the distant castle.
"So that's it, you were stalling for time. You underestimate this old man too much!"
Yamamoto roared, raising his hand and delivering a slash. Heaven and Earth End in Ashes was unleashed through the air again.
A tall, blonde man leaped into mid-air, attempting to block Yamamoto's attack, but was instantly cut in half by the fierce slash.
However, surprisingly, the next moment, the blonde man returned to his original state, and his body became even larger than before.
"You useless Royce, you really are worthless! But this is as far as it goes, Yamamoto Genryusai!"
Gerard grinned hideously, his face full of mockery and derision.
His eyes were as fierce as a hungry wolf's, as if he wanted to tear his enemy apart.
Immediately after, he dashed forward, as fast as lightning.
Yamamoto Genryusai frowned upon seeing this, secretly wondering.
That previous slash had clearly cut the suddenly appearing blonde man, and should have continued to strike the golden barrier.
But it didn't, as if something had blocked it.
Yamamoto's mind raced, trying to find an answer, but his hands didn't stop, continuously unleashing sharp slashes.
Faced with such a powerful attack, Gerard was utterly unable to block it.
His body was cut to pieces in the air, and his scorched wounds couldn't even bleed.
But as time passed, his body began to rapidly recover, reassembling itself.
Moreover, his body also continuously grew larger with each death, reaching the size of a small mountain in just a few moments.
"Captain-Commander, leave this Quincy to me. You should go to Silbern now."
At this moment, Unohana's steady voice came from behind him, and Yamamoto Genryusai immediately nodded.
Just as Yamamoto was about to act, a figure had already leaped out from the crowd.
Everyone looked closely and saw that it was Zaraki.
He leaped into mid-air, carrying a massive Zanpakuto on his shoulder, exuding a powerful aura.
The fire of battle burned in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth turned slightly upwards, revealing a hint of a mad smile.
And in his hand was his Shikai—Nozarashi.
He swung Nozarashi, fiercely hacking at the golden barrier.
Each swing was accompanied by immense power and might, causing the entire space to tremble.
When Zaraki was in Rukongai, he had always suppressed his power.
Therefore, he couldn't hear the call of his Zanpakuto in the past, nor could he truly release his Zanpakuto. This sword had always been in a half-released state.
However, in order to catch up to Aozaki Reiji, Zaraki had long since stopped suppressing his power and had trained with Yamamoto for decades.
Although he hadn't experienced the life-and-death battle with Unohana, he had now successfully mastered Shikai.
This direct-attack type Zanpakuto named Nozarashi, after Shikai, could greatly enhance his attack power.
But even so, it couldn't shake the golden barrier, not even leaving a single scratch, which surprised Zaraki.
Then, Yamamoto also arrived and unleashed an Asahi Blade slash at the barrier.
When Zanka no Tachi can make contact with the target, this move is even more powerful than Heaven and Earth End in Ashes!
However, the anticipated scene of the barrier shattering did not occur!
Zanka no Tachi turned into an ordinary katana, unable to advance even a fraction of an inch against the barrier!
"What's going on?"
Yamamoto frowned, punching away the charging Quincy.
"Look up, Yamamoto Genryusai!"
Suddenly hearing this familiar voice, Yamamoto's heart trembled, and he quickly looked up.