At this moment, Tokinada no longer held a sword, but his right arm had sharpened into a terrifying blade. A black line ran from the tip of that blade all the way to his shoulder, and as Tsunayashiro Tokinada shifted his stance, the two ends of the line shimmered with a sinister light.
His spiritual pressure erupted again. The heavens and earth changed color as dark clouds of despair devoured the sky above.
Facing him were Yoshio and Hitsugaya, both standing ready. The strength of these two captains was already comparable to that of veteran captains.
Before Tokinada could even move, Yoshio shouted deeply:
"Flame Storm!"
Boom—
In an instant, a raging inferno burst forth around Tsunayashiro Tokinada, the scorching flames engulfing his body. However, the outer shell formed by his Resurrección form boasted astonishing defensive power. Even if someone broke through that armor, his hierro beneath was among the hardest even by Espada standards.
The power Tsunayashiro Tokinada was unleashing at this moment was truly terrifying—and in all aspects.
With a flick of his right arm, Tokinada sent a razor-sharp slash sweeping toward the two captains.
"The chosen of heaven, the iron wall, the dragon's flight, the lion's roar, the tiger's howl, the wolf's charge—sever sky and earth before their collapse. Bakudō #81: Danku!"
Yoshio hastily completed the full chant of Dankū, but even a defense on the level of Danku couldn't withstand Tsunayashiro Tokinada's slash.
Crack—
In the blink of an eye, the barrier was split open; it couldn't even withstand a single second of impact. Hitsugaya and Yoshio both quickly dodged, and the slash carved a deep, clean line into the ground behind them, as if slicing off a thin layer of the earth.
As Tsunayashiro Tokinada reveled in the near-limitless power within his body, his heart swelled with arrogance.
This is amazing. With power like this, destroying the Three Realms would be as easy as flipping his hand.
Yoshio Kamado who had sealed him inside the Prison of Solitude was now nothing more than an ant he could crush at any time.
Tokinada laughed wildly. The black Ceros once again gathered in his hands and quickly fused into a massive sphere, which then blasted straight toward Yoshio.
Yoshio's response was instantaneous.
Flame Storm.
Snowstorm.
Dust Storm.
Chain Lightning.
In addition to these abilities he had acquired long ago, he also began using a new soul techniques he'd obtained from the 10th Division seated officers after becoming the division's captain. As captain, his favorability with his own officers naturally reached 60 or even 80, but their soul abilities were relatively basic and somewhat homogeneous with what he already had.
For example, one seated officer's soul ability was "Master of Zanjutsu," which allowed them to bring their swordsmanship to the highest level. But Yoshio already possessed Angra Mainyu's "Basic Mastery" and Iba Tetsuzaemon's "All-Rounder." With these two combined, his Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kido had long since reached Aizen's level.
Even so, this was a time to unleash everything he had. When trading blows with someone like Tsunayashiro Tokinada, mastery in swordsmanship and fundamentals would still prove useful. Just now, for example, he had been leveraging that very mastery to clash in close combat with Tokinada.
Aside from sword mastery, he also drew upon offensive soul skills such as "Thunderous Flames," "Falling Stars," "Forked Lightning," and "Shockwave."
All of these had power roughly equivalent to a high-level Hadō in the 90s—and could all be fired instantly.
Hitsugaya was not surprised that Yoshio could use so many special Kidō. Everyone knew Yoshio's ability was to transform his own soul into various items, each with strange powers. It was not difficult to explain his arsenal of bizarre techniques through those items. Custom kido spells were not unusual in the Soul Society—especially for a Kidō master like Yoshio, whose mastery rivaled that of the Kidō Corps Chief himself.
Now, in the blink of an eye, Yoshio had already unleashed millions of Hadō.
Millions of elemental forces slammed into Tsunayashiro Tokinada. Fire and ice, wind and thunder interwove, turning the world before them into a purgatory.
Even Tokinada had to get serious.
He had expected Yoshio to be strong, but he hadn't expected him to grow this powerful in just a few short decades since becoming a Shinigami. Even though Tokinada had stepped into an incredible realm, the sheer onslaught still chewed away at his armor and flesh.
Under the alternating extremes of heat and cold and the bombardment of lightning, his armored exoskeleton exploded outward under the strain, and a colossal blast of force flung him out of the chaos of elemental attacks.
Now's the chance.
Seeing Tokinada temporarily helpless, Hitsugaya knew this was their perfect opening. He instantly froze the entire space in front of him.
"Shikai Hyōketsu!"
This was a power that could freeze not only life, but everything in existence: earth, fire, water, wind. Even the elemental blasts Yoshio had just unleashed were frozen at this moment. The deepest layer of freezing even extended toward concepts and laws.
The so-called "earth, fire, water, and wind" are not merely four elements; they are a generalized label, a metaphor for all phenomena.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada's ability allowed him to erode all external forces acting upon him. So long as he assimilated those forces into himself, they could no longer harm him and could even be turned to his own use.
But in this moment, everything in the world was frozen in time and space.
In an instant, Tsunayashiro Tokinada and the world around him were sealed within an enormous block of crystalized ice, unable to move even a millimeter.
No matter how powerful Tokinada might be, he was still different from the Soul King's heart. Gerard Valkyrie, as the Soul King's heart, possessed literal "divine power" and was immune to the elements of the Three Realms. Whether it was Hitsugaya's Shikai Hyōketsu, Rukia's absolute zero, or Yamamoto's solar flames, most of the damage would be eliminated the moment it reached his body.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada, however, for all his newfound might, was still just a mortal in essence.
Seeing that Tokinada was frozen solid, both Hitsugaya and Yoshio let out a shared breath of relief. Yoshio raised his hands to the sky, and thunderheads began to swirl thickly overhead.
"Lightning Storm!"
With a low shout, Yoshio called down towering torrents of lightning. The arcs widened until they were as thick as old-growth trees, then came crashing down with deafening roars.
Dozens of lightning bolts pierced the sky, shredding everything frozen in the air, bombarding the area in a wide-area strike.
Rumble—
The power of that lightning was immense enough that, if allowed to expand unchecked, it could easily level an entire city. Things frozen by Hitsugaya's Bankai became extremely fragile—no matter how tough Tsunayashiro Tokinada's defenses were, under that universal freeze they turned brittle and breakable.
Bolts of lightning slammed into him, blasting that frozen giant to pieces in an instant.
Even the previously frozen elemental blasts from Yoshio were shattered by the thunder at the same time.
The battlefield that had just been a hellscape, then a frozen wasteland of ice and snow, was obliterated yet again—this time by a thunderstorm.
"Ha…"
Looking somewhat drained, Hitsugaya floated to Yoshio's side and gave a small nod. "Your attack really was something."
"Would've been useless without you freezing him," Yoshio replied.
As the two exchanged a rare moment of lightness, Tsunayashiro Tokinada's body lay before them in a scatter of ice fragments. By all appearances, they should have won.
However—
Just as they were relaxing, their expressions suddenly changed.
They could still feel Tsunayashiro Tokinada's spiritual pressure.
The shattered fragments that had been Tsunayashiro's body began to slowly gather back together.
Most of his flesh had been shredded by the thunderstorm; only two-thirds of his skull and less than half of his torso could be reassembled. But after they fused, his body began to regenerate at an astonishing pace.
"No way. This guy is still alive?" Hitsugaya was truly shocked. He had not expected anyone to survive in such a state.
"What are you spacing out for? Finish him before he recovers!"
Yoshio shouted sharply and immediately began a full incantation for another Hadō.
"Seeping crest of turbidity. Arrogant vessel of lunacy. Boil forth and deny. Grow numb and flicker. Disrupt sleep. Crawling queen of iron. Eternally self-destructing doll of mud. Unite. Repulse. Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness! Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi!"
As darkness swirled into Yoshio's hands, it quickly expanded outward, forming a massive black coffin that swallowed Tsunayashiro Tokinada whole.
After the black coffin collapsed, Tsunayashiro Tokinada, who had only just begun to regenerate, was once again brutally shredded. His entire body became a mangled mess; he glared at Yoshio Kamado with eyes full of hatred.
"You…you bastard…"
He was now truly grateful he hadn't fought Yoshio from the very beginning—and grateful, too, that he'd devoured that fragment of the Ōken. Although it was only a third of the full key, it still gave him certain transcendent traits, one of which was—
Death-type powers were no longer as effective on him.
It didn't completely nullify them, but even a small weakening could be extremely important at a critical moment.
Just now, Hitsugaya's Shikai Hyōketsu had completely immobilized him—not only his body, but even his consciousness and abilities. However, because of the Ōken's transcendent traits, he retained a tiny bit of functionality. He quickly started corroding the boundary between the ice and his body, attempting to erode the ice itself. As long as Hitsugaya and Yoshio thought he was fully frozen, he would be able to break free in one burst.
But Yoshio was far too cautious.
In theory, the battle should have been over the moment Hitsugaya froze him—and yet Yoshio still felt uneasy and followed up with a thunderstorm.
That blow had nearly finished Tsunayashiro Tokinada, leaving him with less than half of his original body. If it weren't for the condensed core of power inside him, gifted by the god he served, he would already be dead.
So naturally, his hate for Yoshio burned hottest of all.
At the same time, Yoshio felt a flicker of satisfaction. Previously, Tsunayashiro Tokinada and the evil node had reached 99% fusion but had been unable to take the final step.
But because of this death and rebirth, the evil node finally completed an absolute fusion with Tsunayashiro Tokinada.
Did this last step require passing through death?
No—or rather, it was exactly as Aizen once said: all evolution is accompanied by fear, especially the fear of being utterly annihilated at any moment.
First obliterate it completely, then reconstruct it around the core of the evil node. Only then can you achieve that 100% fusion.
Very good.
Through this fight with Tsunayashiro Tokinada, Yoshio had grasped the key: to reach perfect fusion with the evil node, you must first kill it, then reassemble it.
As for Tsunayashiro Tokinada at this moment…
Although gravely injured, he had completed full fusion with the evil node, and his strength remained terrifying.
Previously, the reason he'd been pushed back so badly had a lot to do with carelessness and overconfidence in his own invincibility. But now, things were different.
Seeing Yoshio and Hitsugaya coming at him again, Tokinada didn't dare act careless. He vanished in a blur of speed and reappeared beside Hitsugaya.
Hitsugaya's control-type abilities were too dangerous. The strongest ice-type Zanpakutō truly lived up to its reputation.
Tokinada's arm-blade swept out. The slash that should have cleaved Hitsugaya cleanly in half met something impossibly dense—the blow that should have bisected him only carved a bloody groove across his back.
The moment he touched Hitsugaya's body, an even more frightening chill burst forth, freezing Tsunayashiro Tokinada solid yet again.
"This is what you get if you touch me now," Hitsugaya muttered, wincing as his back wound throbbed. Stimulated by the pain, he turned and unleashed another attack. An ice dragon roared forward, about to devour the frozen Tokinada.
Yoshio reacted even faster, firing a Chain Lightning that pierced the ice first. Then the ice dragon slammed down on the figure inside.
Crack—
But in that instant, a violent spiritual force burst out from within the ice, blasting the lightning away and shattering the ice dragon.
Enraged, Tokinada let out a roar. A Cero formed in his mouth and blasted straight at Hitsugaya.
But Yoshio flashed in front of Hitsugaya again, deploying another Mirror Reflection to block the Cero.
The battlefield scene now resembled a clash between a Royal Guard-level captain and Yhwach's Schutzstaffel.
"We cannot let this guy recover." Hitsugaya's voice was grave. "If we do, we're dead."
Yoshio nodded. "Don't let up. Don't give him so much as half a breath."
He extended his finger again. A Destruction Ray condensed in the air, firing straight toward Tokinada. At the same time, Tsunayashiro Tokinada gathered another Cero and blasted it forward to meet it head-on.
Just as Tokinada was about to mock Yoshio's overestimation of himself, his laughter died in his throat. A hole had been torn straight through his chest.
"…How…is this possible?!"
He stared at Yoshio in disbelief. How could his beam possibly pierce through his own Cero?
With their spiritual pressures, the clash should have ended in his favor. Under ordinary circumstances, his Cero should not have lost to Yoshio's. Yet the Destruction Ray punched straight through, passed his Cero like it didn't exist, bored through his armor, then through his hierro, and finally blasted a clean hole through his body.
Too many incredible things had already happened in this battle.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada had thought that after acquiring such power, facing the entire Gotei 13, he would at the very least never be at a disadvantage in a frontal clash.
But he had never imagined that he would be in such a sorry state against just two captains.
Even if both captains were recognized geniuses in the Soul Society, it was still difficult for him to accept.
"Roooar!!"
Tokinada's mind teetered on the edge of collapse. He had to kill Yoshio Kamado.
That murderous desire madly stimulated the evil node within him, and suddenly, a pitch-black void opened in the center of his chest.
"?!"
Hitsugaya and Yoshio were both stunned. Tokinada's entire body began to tremble as if in seizure, and an extremely evil aura radiated from that void.
"W-What is that?" Hitsugaya threw up his arm, trying to block the malevolent aura even at a distance. Just from the haze of power leaking out, he could feel a murderous intent being planted within him.
This feeling was extremely reminiscent of the malice he had felt when fighting the Hollow King. Even captain-class Shinigami had been corrupted by that malice and turned into the king's pawns.
Now, the power emanating from Tokinada was similar to that, not exactly malice, but something equally vile.
Being touched by that energy was like having an evil seed planted in your soul.
"This guy…" Yoshio couldn't help but ask, "What on earth did you let into your body?"
"I see…"
At that moment, Tsunayashiro Tokinada, who was unleashing that terrifying spiritual pressure, did not look joyful at all—only full of grief and pain.
"So that's it. You're disappointed by my incompetence as well… In that case—let me destroy everything for you!"
Boom—
In an instant, Tokinada's body began mutating again, as if he were becoming a true Hollow. He looked like a demon, with a pair of massive fleshy wings on his back and a single demonic horn rising from his forehead. Previously, even in Resurrección, he had still retained a vaguely human silhouette. Now he had turned into a complete monster.
But after those scarlet eyes swept across Yoshio and Hitsugaya, he didn't attack either of them.
Instead, the sky above suddenly split open. A gigantic pillar of light descended, encasing Tsunayashiro Tokinada. In his new monstrous form, he was steadily drawn up into the pillar, ascending toward the rift.
In the cracked sky, an enormous pair of eyes appeared, and as if in the distance, some greater demon lurked, watching.
"Negación?!"
Seeing that beam of light, Hitsugaya cried out in alarm. "How could that be?!"
The Negación was a technique used by Hollows. It was a channel created to retrieve their own kind. Once someone entered that passageway, no one outside could interfere with them. Even Yamamoto Genryūsai had no way of breaking a Negación.
In other words, once the Negación appeared, Shinigami could only stand by and watch Hollows return to wherever their companions were.
"Wait, that's not Hueco Mundo." Yoshio's vision was sharper than Hitsugaya's. He immediately shook his head. "The place that opened this Negación… is in the Soul Society."
"?!"
Hitsugaya was frozen in shock. That monster was being brought to the Soul Society? And according to Tsunayashiro Tokinada earlier, there was another powerful existence in the Soul Society right now holding off the remaining captains.
If there were now two monsters on Tokinada's new level, the Soul Society would face true catastrophe.
"We have to return. Now!" Hitsugaya said anxiously.
"It's useless," Yoshio answered, his voice low. "The Senkaimon have already been sealed."
He had tried the moment he sensed something was wrong, moving even faster than Hitsugaya. But his Zanpakutō could no longer open the gates between worlds. Without a Senkaimon or similar channel, Shinigami simply had no way to travel freely between the Three Realms.
"What?! How…why?" Hitsugaya gasped.
"Tsunayashiro Tokinada understands Shinigami far too well. It's not surprising that he'd seal the Senkaimon." Yoshio looked up at the place where Tokinada had disappeared completely into the sky-rift. "It seems… you and I can only wait here in the Human World for news from the Soul Society."
"Damn it…"
Hitsugaya gritted his teeth. Having reached his limit, he could only let his true Bankai state collapse. His body rapidly shrank back to its usual child form. The moment he lost that state, he crumpled to the ground, panting heavily.
The power of his true Bankai was terrifying, but the toll it took on his body and spiritual core was equally severe. Like pulling seedlings up by their roots to help them grow, it might indeed make them taller in the moment, but the damage was enormous.
"This time was an exception. Don't take risks like that again." Yoshio walked over, bathing him in a golden healing light. "Until you fully master Hyōrinmaru's power, don't use that state again."
"Heh…" Hitsugaya managed a weak laugh. "Isn't it fine when you're here?"
"I…"
Looking at Tōshirō Hitsugaya lying on the ground, wrapped in golden medical light, Yoshio spoke softly. "I won't always be by your side. So… don't rely on me too much."
At that moment, Hitsugaya's soul ability finally changed.
The "Child of Kirin" ability that had long been trembling and about to transform on his soul interface finally shifted. After so many years, it was replaced by a new soul ability.
From today on, Tōshirō Hitsugaya's soul ability was True Bankai.
True Bankai: Allows one to push a chosen ability beyond its original limit and further complete it.
Of course, despite the name, it doesn't refer exclusively to a Zanpakutō's Bankai. It applies to all of one's abilities—in other words, even soul abilities could be included.
An ability to evolve all one's powers.
Of course, this wasn't some instant mega-buff. It needed to be applied to an ability, slowly nurturing it over time before it finally upgraded. Moreover, only one ability could be nurtured at a time.
Even so, it was still an insanely powerful soul skill.
He hadn't expected that just by fighting alongside Hitsugaya Tōshirō, he'd gain something so valuable.
Because Hitsugaya's affection toward him had already reached 90%, he essentially obtained this soul ability permanently.
Naturally, the first ability Yoshio applied True Bankai to was his own Spirit Split.
He was very curious—just how far could Spirit Split go after being evolved?
…
Meanwhile, in the Soul Society…
As agreed with Tsunayashiro Tokinada, the Hollow King was locked in a fierce battle with the Gotei 13.
This time, however, the battle was not happening in the Soul Society proper, but in some wasteland far outside Rukongai. If they were to fight directly above Seireitei again, it would be troublesome if the Royal Guard descended once more. If they fought in a more remote area, and a monk like Ichibē appeared, he could always retreat at once.
Because this time it was only the Hollow King's left hand—without Angra Mainyu fused—the power displayed was far inferior to the last invasion. He was already having a hard time handling the gathered Shinigami captains.
Of course, Yamamoto Shigekuni was not present. If he were, the Hollow King's left hand alone wouldn't be able to hold out for long.
Without Angra Mainyu, the Hollow King's left hand's power was only about equal to the Soul King's left arm in the Royal Guard. Against so many Gotei 13 captains at once, he was clearly at a disadvantage.
Yamamoto stayed firmly in the First Division's barracks, worried that this was another diversion, especially after the previous theft of the Ōken.
Even though the Ōken had already been stolen, it wasn't the only important thing housed in the First Division. Just below the First Division's barracks was Mugen, the endless hell where countless vicious criminals were imprisoned.
If someone were to release all the inmates of Mugen, it would be a mortal blow to the Soul Society.
Just as he had anticipated, while fierce battles blazed in both the Human World and the outer districts of Rukongai, the sky above Seireitei suddenly shattered.
The monstrous Tsunayashiro Tokinada, wholly transformed, descended from the tear in the sky. He opened his maw, gathering a Cero.
Boom—
The instant the Negación vanished, he appeared in the Soul Society and immediately fired a Cero like a living Godzilla. This Cero did not dissipate upon striking the ground. Instead, it continued to burrow deeper, annihilating everything in its path.
"!"
Yamamoto flashed up in front of the monster. Feeling the creature's immense spiritual pressure, he frowned, then instantly released Ryūjin Jakka.
Whoosh—
An explosion of fire erupted. With a single slash, the raging flames engulfed the monster.
However, the creature's hide was extraordinarily tough, and even Ryūjin Jakka's all-consuming flames couldn't easily burn straight through. Yamamoto's brows drew together imperceptibly.
The monster had clearly noticed him now. It swung its massive arm down like a hammer.
Yamamoto tried to block with his left arm, but the sheer force still swatted him from the sky, smashing him into the city below.
Boom—
Entire sectors of Seireitei were leveled in an instant. The Shinigami below were stunned to see even Yamamoto thrown down like that.
But the old man soon rose from the ruins, brushing off dust. He undid his uniform, letting the outer robe fall away and revealing his scar-covered, steel-like muscles.
"Judging from your Reiatsu, you don't seem to be a Hollow. What are you?"
Although Tsunayashiro Tokinada's body now resembled a Hollow, his current Reiatsu was completely different. It was the opposite of before. Previously, his appearance had been Shinigami while his Reiatsu was Hollow; now his body was Hollow, but his Reiatsu was neither Hollow nor Shinigami.
It was something completely new—completely evil—more twisted even than the madness, chaos, and despair unique to Hollows.
Just feeling this Reiatsu was enough to send a chill through the soul.
Even Yamamoto, with his breadth of knowledge, could not categorize this monster.
"I…represent God's decree to sweep you ants away."
The monster's bellow was like a proclamation. "Let me start with you, Yamamoto Genryusai!"
Hum—
A Cero once again condensed between its jaws. A moment later, it blasted downward.
If Yamamoto had dodged, that Cero would have left an enormous scar through Seireitei. The explosion alone might have destroyed several entire districts.
Instead, Yamamoto gripped his sword with both hands, channeling terrifying flames into Ryūjin Jakka.
Boom—
Sword and Cero met in mid-air.
The blast was like a nuclear detonation, uprooting and blowing away everything below, while the clouds above vanished as if burned away.
"…Whatever you are, having done this much, you cannot be allowed to live," Yamamoto said quietly.
This monster, whatever its nature, clearly existed outside the balance of the Three Realms. Killing it would not upset the cosmic equilibrium.
Which meant he could fight without restraint.
"Bankai—
Zanka no Tachi."
Once again—
For the first time since his battle with the Hollow King, Yamamoto drew his Blazing Blade.
Against a monster like this, Shikai was no longer enough.
The monster, unaware of the full power of Zanka no Tachi, extended its enormous arm and swatted at Yamamoto again.
In the next second, the arm was split open.
"?!"
The monster's pupils shrank. Its severed flesh writhed violently, and in an instant, a brand new arm grew back. But Yamamoto had already landed on the freshly regenerated limb.
He lightly touched it with his blade. The terrifying spiritual heat tore open a burning fissure where he stepped—and as he walked up the monster's arm, the tear grew wider and longer, spreading across the entire limb.
The arm was already beginning to melt.
Even with such powerful defenses, it could not withstand 15,000,000 degrees.
The monster howled in agony. As it regenerated, twin beams of light shot from its enormous eyes.
Yamamoto swung his sword twice, cutting both beams apart, then flickered next to the creature's neck.
Slash—
The monster's head, as big as a house, was instantly separated from its body.
The massive head began to dissolve rapidly as soon as it detached, ashes wafting on the hot wind.
However, before Yamamoto could even exhale, tiny motes of black light appeared on the monster's severed neck.
"?!"
Even Yamamoto's experienced eyes widened. He hadn't expected the monster to survive decapitation.
This level of regeneration had gone beyond mere "super-speed regeneration." Even Vasto Lordes at their peak could at best regrow limbs or heal damage. A destroyed head, or certain internal organs, might never fully regenerate.
The brief moment of shock gave the monster its opportunity. A purple beam of light began to gather at its regrown mouth, far more powerful than any Cero it had used earlier—soaked in decay, ruin, and destruction.
Boom—
The purple beam blasted toward Yamamoto.
Wreathed in his cloak of sunfire, Yamamoto did not dodge. He simply met it head-on, clashing with the attack using his own solar flames. The blast still punched him out of the sky, slamming him into the devastated city below.
The purple beam did not stop. After driving Yamamoto down, its force continued to grow, as if intent on drilling a hole several kilometers deep into the ground.
"Fool."
Yamamoto's voice came from another direction. Cloaked in his Nishi: Zanjitsu Gokui, he had slipped through molten earth, drilled upward from underground, and reappeared behind the monster.
One slash severed both its legs.
The monster's balance failed; its immense body began to topple. But Yamamoto refused to let it crush the city with its fall.
"Higashi: Kyokujitsujin!"
With a solemn shout, Yamamoto unleashed Zanka no Tachi's strongest attack. The slash bisected the monster, everything along the line of the blade dissolving to nothing.
But he understood: merely splitting it in half was not enough. With such terrifying regeneration, the real attack had to come after.
The blade of Zanka no Tachi turned a fierce crimson, and the flames he had been holding inside it burst outward at last.
Yamamoto had already compressed all his flames into the sword, a method of sealing his flames inside the blade to avoid unnecessary collateral damage. But now, he had no choice. If he did not release the flames, he could not thoroughly destroy this monster.
Against such an enemy, the sealed Zanka no Tachi could not kill. So once again, the sword transformed back into the doomsday sunflame that had burned even Yhwach's army a thousand years ago.
A pillar of fire, like a second sun, erupted from Yamamoto's sword, instantly engulfing the monster's entire body. Buildings in the vicinity melted like wax, a small artificial sun blazing in the heart of Seireitei.
In merely a second, large swathes of the city were reduced to scorched slag. Yamamoto quickly recalled the flames back into his blade, minimizing collateral destruction.
The monster's roars and wails echoed within the pillar of fire. Yamamoto's expression betrayed no pity.
The battle… was over.
As the flames cloaking his body slowly receded, Zanka no Tachi reverted to Ryūjin Jakka. He sheathed the sword. The titanic pillar of fire dissipated.
As he expected, the monster's body had completely vanished with the flames.
The fact that it had forced him to use Bankai at all was enough proof of its power. Forcing him to unleash such large-scale flames that nearly destroyed Seireitei… that alone was enough to be proud of as an opponent.
However—
Although he had defeated it, Yamamoto felt no joy. Only one new question sank heavy in his mind.
What exactly was that monster?
Who was the "god" it spoke of?
…
Once the battle over Seireitei ended, the Hollow King's left hand withdrew from his own battlefield and returned to Hueco Mundo.
On an expanse of endless spiritual sand, the Hollow King's left hand saw Tsunayashiro Tokinada lying scorched and broken in the distance.
Tokinada had returned to his human form, only barely recognizable. His entire body was charred black, still smoldering with embers.
The Hollow King's left hand silently approached.
"Save me," Tokinada rasped weakly, "and I'll tell you where Hikone is."
But the Hollow King's left hand did not move.
"You…"
Looking at the Hollow King's left hand, Tokinada's eyes were full of disbelief and confusion. "Don't forget our agreement!"
"Hehe…"
The Hollow King chuckled. "You overestimated yourself. When did I ever say that I wanted to devour Hikone Ubuginu now?"
"Admittedly, he's an excellent experimental subject. But it's not yet time to eat him."
"?"
Tokinada frowned deeply. "Without my command, you'll never find him. I also planted an order in him—if I die, he'll die with me. If you don't save me, he'll commit suicide later."
"That's why I said you overestimated yourself."
The Hollow King's voice dripped with mockery. "Who told you that my target is Hikone Ubuginu? And who told you that Hikone Ubuginu would believe you're dead?"
"!"
Tokinada's pupils contracted sharply. In the next instant, a black tentacle pierced straight into his chest, stabbing into his Hollow hole.
As though his heart were being torn out, Tsunayashiro Tokinada let out a final, bone-rattling scream. His body convulsed wildly, then gradually went limp.
When at last he stilled, dead, a black pearl was pulled out from his body on the end of the tentacle.
And then, as things often do when they reach their extreme, the black pearl began to radiate light. Its inky color faded; the evil aura within seemed to be stripped away by some predetermined ritual.
In the very beginning, a purification spell had been placed within the evil node itself, and now that latent binding finally triggered at full force.
By the end, the black pearl had turned into a pure, luminous divine particle.
…
In the distance, Aizen Sōsuke stood before Hikone Ubuginu, watching him quietly.
"Let's go, Hikone," he said softly.
Seeing Aizen in front of him, Hikone's eyes lit up. "Yes, Lord Tokinada!"