So cold...The ultimate kind of cold—A chill that could freeze even time itself!
In just a few seconds, the intense frost released from Rukia Kuchiki spread across the battlefield, covering everything nearby in ice.
Even Hitsugaya Tōshirō had to take a few steps back, shocked by the sudden drop in temperature."This cold… it's insane," he muttered. "Her body temperature's fallen so low…"
He stared at Rukia in disbelief.
As the wielder of Hyōrinmaru, the strongest ice-type Zanpakutō, he was used to the freezing power of Bankai. Every time he used it, his own body temperature would drop.
But Rukia's cold was on a completely different level.
Her body felt like it had turned into ancient, jet-black ice. The cold she gave off… was even more intense than Hyōrinmaru's.
"That's because her Zanpakutō… is one of the most troublesome types."
When her body temperature hit -100°C, Rukia glanced down at the sword in her hand—Sode no Shirayuki—and sighed quietly.
Her Zanpakutō wasn't without risks. In fact, its Bankai came at a dangerous cost.
If her body temperature dropped all the way to absolute zero—-273.15°C—and stayed that way for more than four seconds, even she would be seriously injured, possibly even killed.
One small mistake could mean death.
But that's the price of power.
In exchange, her Bankai: Hakka no Togame delivered incredible destructive strength.
Rukia turned her gaze to Grimmjow, who stood in the distance. She took a step forward and her figure shimmered like icy light, releasing a wave of freezing energy.
"Daaahhh!"
Grimmjow let out a wild laugh and charged forward, claws glowing with blue energy. He had no plans to dodge.
In an instant, Rukia's icy light collided with Grimmjow's panther-blue slash. A massive burst of cold energy exploded outward, freezing the very air. Moisture in the atmosphere turned into ice immediately.
"So cold…" Grimmjow's eyes widened. "This cold... it's in my body now... Even colder than that kid's..."
He hadn't taken Rukia seriously—and now he regretted it.
The freezing air rushed at him like a tidal wave. Every breath he took seemed to coat his lungs and organs in frost. His blood felt like it was turning to slush, and his bones and joints locked up.
The woman standing before him had become like an ice goddess. Even though she had just learned to use Bankai, her power was terrifying.
He wanted to fall back—but it was already too late. The deep cold had slowed his every movement.
"It's over."
With her body now at absolute zero, Rukia's face showed no emotion. She raised her sword and slashed downward.
Grimmjow saw it—but couldn't move.
Slice!
A flash of white light.
A tiny wound appeared on his chest.
Just a small cut—but instantly, his entire body went numb, like he had been dropped into the deepest, coldest ocean.
He could only watch as the blood leaking from the wound froze into crimson ice crystals. A sheet of frost spread from the wound, creeping across his entire body.
In just one second—
He turned into a statue of ice, floating in the sky.
"Haaah…"
Rukia let out a slow breath, ending her Absolute Zero state. She quietly said:
"Two seconds... That's all it took to finish him, and without causing real physical damage."
She glanced at the frozen Grimmjow.
"Not bad. If I remember right... Nanaya still has one more fight to go."
Down below, the Shinigami watching took a deep breath, stunned.
The Arrancar who had just been holding his own against Hitsugaya was now frozen solid by Rukia's single move.
"This is insane…" Rangiku Matsumoto whispered.
"That's her first time using Bankai?"
"She's so strong... Grimmjow even managed to injure Captain Hitsugaya before, remember?"
"How can her ice be stronger than Hyōrinmaru? Isn't that supposed to be the most powerful ice Zanpakutō?"
Kira, Ikkaku, Tetsuzaemon, and several other lieutenants stood in shock.
Even Hitsugaya himself was shaken. He looked down at his sword and murmured:
"Is… that the real strongest ice-type Zanpakutō?"
Nanaya, watching from a distance, smiled slightly and called out:
"Don't let it get to you, kid. Your Hyōrinmaru is called the strongest not just because of raw cold—it can control the weather itself."
Rukia's Bankai brings cold to its limit—absolute zero.
But Hitsugaya's Bankai goes beyond ice. It influences the sky, the atmosphere—the very forces of nature.
Each Zanpakutō had its own strengths.
In terms of pure killing power...Rukia's might actually be stronger than Hitsugaya's.
Hearing Nanaya's attempt to comfort him, Hitsugaya Tōshirō's expression twitched.It felt like someone had just fed him garbage—and expected him to say thank you for it.
I'm supposed to have the strongest ice-type Zanpakutō… and yet...
"Damn it, you're still standing around chatting! What the hell is this ability!?"
Baraggan, who had just been kicked through the air like a ball, could no longer hold back his fury. Seeing Nanaya still looking relaxed only added fuel to his rage.
While flying backward, he violently swung his massive black double-edged axe, trying to hit something—anything.
But Nanaya, created by the combined powers of Wheel Tomb and Edge Prison, was like a ghost—untouchable, existing in an invisible realm.
Baraggan's strikes hit nothing.He couldn't touch Nanaya, couldn't age him… all his attacks were useless.
Nanaya calmly shifted his eyes back to him, rubbing his chin as he muttered with a playful smirk,"Not gonna lie… your power is pretty cool. Too bad I haven't figured out how I want to deal with you yet."
Before using his Resurrección, Baraggan had just looked like a grumpy, arrogant old man—ugly, annoying, and full of himself.
But after releasing his true form, he transformed completely. He now looked like a reaper straight out of European legend. Cold. Regal. Dangerous.
Even Nanaya had to admit:He looked pretty damn cool.
"With my current spiritual pressure, I can handle him even if he stays in his released form…" Nanaya said thoughtfully.
Then he added flatly,"As for the path of heaven—you're nowhere near worthy.Honestly, hell suits you better."
At this point, Nanaya was so powerful that regular Arrancars no longer mattered to him.
He had already chosen someone to inherit the path of heaven—but that plan had to wait for now.
But hell?Baraggan was perfect for it.
His appearance matched a classic image of death.Creepy, majestic, and terrifying.
Exactly the kind of soul who would fit as one of the Hell Path's guardians—especially the one who could summon the King of Hell itself.
With that, Nanaya's smile widened.
He stopped toying around and gave the command to his Chakram Benyu clone—"Kill him."
Meanwhile, Aizen Sōsuke had stopped fighting.
He just stood there quietly, watching Baraggan struggle.
A strange pale energy began spreading from Aizen's chest.
Then, a glint appeared in his eyes.
"A shadow…?" he whispered. "A figure hidden within the 45B body space?"
"How interesting… I guess keeping those useless minions around wasn't a total waste. At least they let me witness something curious."
"But," Aizen said coldly, "that's all it is."
He glanced down at his chest again, then shook his head with a sigh.
Looking up at Nanaya, he spoke:
"I thought this would be difficult… but I merged with the Hōgyoku so easily. It's almost disappointing."
"I can't even find a worthy opponent anymore..."
Hearing that, Nanaya turned away from Baraggan, smirking as he looked straight at Aizen.
"Really? Then have you ever wondered why the Hōgyoku merged with you so quickly?"
Aizen's eyes narrowed slightly.
Nanaya stared at Aizen's chest as if he could see through his body—As if the glowing blue orb hidden inside was already in his grasp.
"Hōgyoku has a will of its own," Nanaya said quietly."And it knows... if it didn't merge with you fast enough—I would have devoured it myself."
After saying that, Nanaya slowly licked his lips.
He was deeply interested in the complete Hōgyoku now.And more importantly—he was finally strong enough to take it by force.
Aizen chuckled.
"I'll admit, you've got some skills, human. But you have no idea what true power is."
"I'm on the verge of surpassing the boundary between Shinigami and Hollow…"
"I… am about to become a god."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Aizen gripped Kyōka Suigetsu, stepped forward—and in a blink, appeared right in front of Nanaya.
He raised his blade high, aiming to cut down the one human who had dared interfere with his divine plan.
But Nanaya just grinned.
His right hand moved to his chest—And from it, he pulled out something that hadn't been seen in a long time:
The fan-shaped crest of the Uchiha Clan.
"Uchiha Rebound!"
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