No one cared about Yamamoto's exit from the battle.
The problem that came next was the enraged Monk.
Tsunayoshi took the lead in activating Bankai.
Everyone unleashed their strongest attacks against the Monk, but their combined power was nothing more than an ant trying to shake a tree. They could not move him in the slightest.
The Monk went even further, using his overwhelming Reiatsu to seal off the surrounding area.
There was nowhere to run.
All they could do was face that enormous, divine-like palm.
Tsunayoshi gritted his teeth.
His Sky Flames continued pouring out.
With the Sky's Harmony continuously flowing through him, he was the only one who could still move.
Running was impossible.
Tsunayoshi charged straight toward the Monk's attack.
"Tsunayoshi!!!"
His friends' cries fell on deaf ears.
All he wanted was for his strength to block this attack for them.
In truth, he had no other choice.
Rather than thinking about what to do, his body had already moved on its own.
The Sky's Harmony continuously surged toward the Monk's body, yet there was not the slightest sign that it was stopping him.
Seeing Tsunayoshi charge forward of his own accord, the Monk changed his palm strike into a grasp.
He would grab these two private possessions first, then crush everyone else.
That way, he would not accidentally kill them by striking too hard.
Just as the Monk's enormous hand was about to grab Tsunayoshi once again, a black cloak suddenly shot out from Tsunayoshi's chest.
With a light flick, it sent the Monk's palm flying far away.
Tsunayoshi stared blankly at his chest.
This cloak was not his Fullbring.
Nor was it something he owned.
He had no ability to control it whatsoever.
After the cloak retracted, a tiny ring emerged from Tsunayoshi's collar.
The ring radiated a pure, steady Sky Flame.
Then the Vongola crest appeared before Tsunayoshi, once again blocking the Monk's palm.
The Monk threw several punches at Tsunayoshi in succession.
Yet the translucent Vongola crest before him was like a Wall of Sighs.
No matter what he did, he could not break through it.
The Monk's physical strength was now equivalent to that of the miniature Soul King.
How could Sawada Tsunayoshi possibly produce a power even greater than his?
"Sorry, little guy."
A gentle, mature male voice came from Tsunayoshi's ring.
"It took me a little while to establish a connection with this world."
Immediately afterward, a figure was projected from the ring, appearing behind the Vongola crest.
He had a gentle expression and handsome features.
His short hair was golden-orange, and he looked remarkably similar to Tsunayoshi—almost nine parts alike.
But he appeared more mature and composed.
He wore a vertically striped suit beneath a black cloak.
A large Sky Flame burned atop his head.
The gloves he wore as weapons bore a prominent 1.
"Vongola Primo?"
Tsunayoshi could hardly believe his eyes.
Why was the First Vongola Boss being projected from his ring?
"Are you the Tenth of this world?"
The First Vongola smiled.
"Little guy, it's a pleasure to meet you."
The Bankai surrounding Tsunayoshi dissolved.
The power of the flames condensed beside him into the form of the Tenth.
Even he looked more surprised than Tsunayoshi.
"Primo?"
"Tenth."
The First Vongola smiled warmly.
"Traveling alone through another world must have been hard on you."
"It hasn't exactly been hard."
"Byakuran and Enma are here, and Tsunayoshi has been working hard all this time..."
The normally mature Tenth suddenly became as flustered as a child standing before Primo.
"Wait, Primo."
"Why are you here?"
"Enough of this nonsense!"
"Primo, look out!"
Tsunayoshi hurriedly warned him.
Behind the First Vongola, the Monk had already launched a sneak attack.
"Too noisy."
The First Vongola did not even look behind him.
Sky Flames casually spread across his cloak, forming a barrier behind him that the Monk could not break through no matter how hard he tried.
"So strong..."
Tsunayoshi muttered.
Could the combat power of the KHR world really be higher than that of the Bleach world?
Judging from what he had seen, that did not make sense.
Tsunayoshi felt as though his brain were about to turn into a tangled mess.
The First Vongola saw through his thoughts at a glance and smiled.
"It's not that I'm stronger."
"I'm simply using power of the same level as him."
"The Soul King?"
Tsunayoshi immediately understood.
When had the Soul King put this power inside his ring?
And more importantly, this ring was obviously a counterfeit.
So why could it summon the genuine First Vongola?
"Is the Soul King the name of the person who contacted me?"
The First Vongola recalled suddenly being awakened from the Vongola Ring by a heterochromatic-eyed man.
That man had asked him to help one of his descendants.
The First Vongola had been completely baffled.
Through his eyes, the Soul King transmitted the entirety of Tsunayoshi's experiences in the Bleach world to him.
The process took some time.
After learning that the Tsunayoshi of this Bleach world was a descendant from another world who had inherited the power of the Vongola, the First Vongola agreed to the Soul King's request.
The First Vongola was also puzzled.
Why had this heterochromatic-eyed man traveled across worlds just to help Tsunayoshi?
His power was already so overwhelming.
Why not simply act himself?
The Soul King remained silent for a moment.
His answer to the First Vongola was that he had seen a new possibility in Tsunayoshi.
The source of Tsunayoshi's current power did not originate from the Shinigami.
If Tsunayoshi was to truly awaken the power that belonged to him, he needed the help of people from the KHR world.
When the Soul King's power entered the ring from that other world within Tsunayoshi's chest, the first person it encountered was the First Vongola.
That was why the Soul King invited him to help.
He wanted the Sawada Tsunayoshi of the Bleach world to receive the power of the KHR world.
"That's the situation."
"After the Soul King brought me to this world, I didn't immediately come out."
"Instead, I watched from inside the ring as you bravely protected your friends."
"We felt your resolve."
"Another world's Sawada Tsunayoshi..."
At the same time, figures wearing flame-covered masks appeared behind the First Vongola.
From the weapons they carried, Tsunayoshi immediately recognized them as the successive heads of the Vongola Family.
Ten heads stood in a circle.
The Flame of Resolve ignited from the First Vongola and then spread from one leader to the next.
The final one was the Tenth standing beside Tsunayoshi.
The Tenth returned Tsunayoshi's gaze with a gentle smile.
"We represent the Vongola Family."
"We acknowledge your power."
"Whether you use it to spread our legacy or destroy it, the choice is yours."
"The Vongola's legacy shall be inherited in another world!"
The Sky Gloves on Tsunayoshi's hands transformed back into a Zanpakutō.
The Zanpakutō appeared before him.
Aside from the First Vongola and the Tenth, the other leaders gradually transformed into Flames of Resolve and entered the Zanpakutō.
The Zanpakutō itself did not appear to change in the slightest.
Yet somehow, Tsunayoshi could feel that something within it had become clearer.
As the Zanpakutō returned to Tsunayoshi's waist, the First Vongola smiled.
"What the Vongola inherits is time."
"The Rings have our years engraved upon them."
"If anyone can understand what I mean, it would be you."
"Tenth of another world, go all out."
"Show that guy what you're made of!"
The First Vongola floated behind Tsunayoshi and put an arm around his shoulders as he spoke gently.
That warmth, belonging to the same Sky, made Tsunayoshi feel the warmth of an elder's affection.
"He's in your hands now, Tenth."
The First Vongola gave the Tenth a final nod.
Then he too transformed into flame and entered the Zanpakutō.
With the First Vongola no longer maintaining it, the Sky barrier silently disappeared.
The Monk's fist was no longer obstructed.
It came crashing down.
"What Vongola?"
"I've never even heard of it."
"I refuse to acknowledge this ridiculous nonsense!"
His anger was merely concealing the unease in his heart.
The moment he had heard the words "Soul King," the Monk had felt a trace of panic.
What was the Soul King doing?
Why wasn't he staying properly inside the Soul King Palace instead of constantly interfering with his plans?
As long as he acted quickly enough, there would be no unforeseen complications.
Killing intent poured forth together with the Monk's fist.
He no longer intended to preserve Tsunayoshi's life.
There was another Soul King candidate.
He could not allow Sawada Tsunayoshi to ruin his plans.
[Here it comes, Tsunayoshi!]
There was no need for words.
The Tenth and Tsunayoshi remained connected heart to heart.
The Zanpakutō released into the form of the Sky Gloves, appearing on Tsunayoshi's hands.
Tsunayoshi raised one hand slightly.
Without creating the slightest ripple or disturbance, he effortlessly caught the Monk's power.
The First Vongola had been projected into this world through the Soul King's power.
The First Vongola then entering the Zanpakutō likewise represented the Soul King's acknowledgment of Tsunayoshi.
Only then did Tsunayoshi understand.
The reason the Soul King had simply controlled himself and remained silent inside the Soul King Palace was because he had been observing Tsunayoshi with the power of The Almighty.
Tsunayoshi did not know what the Soul King had wagered on him.
He only knew that after receiving the Soul King's acknowledgment, the Monk's Soul King-enhanced body was no longer an invincible body.
With the balance between their levels of power restored, Tsunayoshi was fully confident that he could fight the Monk again.
Especially after receiving the Vongola's acknowledgment, he could finally see clearly the part of his Zanpakutō that had always been impossible to describe.
The Tenth's figure returned to Tsunayoshi's body.
The Sky Flames blazed fiercely.
Tsunayoshi darted left and right.
When the Monk's two hands crossed, Tsunayoshi used Dying Will Zero Point Breakthrough to freeze both of them in ice.
His attacks already failing had infuriated the Monk.
Now that both his hands were frozen together, he became even more furious.
He hammered the ground repeatedly, trying to break the ice as quickly as possible.
Tsunayoshi did not linger to fight the Monk.
He used Shunpo and appeared around Ichigo and the others.
The gentle Sky Flames harmonized the Reiatsu surrounding everyone.
The black cloak rapidly expanded, enveloping everyone at once.
Then came Sonído.
Tsunayoshi's Hollow Power had not completely collapsed.
It was merely temporarily unusable.
Advanced movement techniques were still within his capabilities.
Moving through space almost like teleportation, Tsunayoshi used the cloak to transport everyone to the center of the Seireitei.
He had not immediately engaged the Monk in a full-scale battle because he had been protecting his friends.
"Tsunayoshi!"
Seeing Tsunayoshi retract his cloak, Tatsuki knew that he was about to return to the battlefield.
Her heart tightened once again.
"Don't worry."
"I'm fine."
"I'll be back soon."
"Wait here for me."
Tsunayoshi gently stroked Tatsuki's head.
At this moment, those simplest words were the ones that best soothed the girl's heart.
He said nothing more.
After sweeping his gaze over everyone, Tsunayoshi gave them a firm nod.
Then he disappeared.
In that brief span of time, the Monk had already broken through the ice around his hands.
Seeing Tsunayoshi appear once again, he charged toward him with a furious battle cry.
For a moment, the entire Seireitei shook violently.
Tsunayoshi remained completely calm.
Instead, he raised the Sky Gloves before his eyes and muttered with a sigh:
"How come there are so many boomerangs today?"
"All those things I once said while lecturing other people have somehow come right back and hit me..."
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