"Zanka no Tachi: Minami!"
"Flames of the Ten Trillion Deaths – Great Burial Formation!"
Standing in the middle of the scorched battlefield, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni spoke slowly, his deep voice resonating like a death sentence. The air around him shook as the earth cracked open.
From the charred ground, countless skeletons began to emerge. Their bones glowed a blood-red color, as though fire and blood had soaked into them for centuries. They crawled out one after another, dragging their twisted forms across the blackened soil.
Each skeleton released a shocking spiritual pressure. Their reiatsu was so heavy that even one of them was no weaker than an average seated officer of the Gotei 13. Some were even stronger—radiating power close to the level of a captain.
And there weren't just a few of them. There weren't only tens of thousands. The skeletons poured out endlessly, like an army of vengeful spirits rising straight from hell.
"W–What…?"
In the crowd, Sarugaki Hiyori's eyes went wide. She looked at her right hand and saw the faint marks of a burn.
"It was just a touch…" she whispered in disbelief.
Her arm had brushed against the skull of one of the skeletons, and even that slight contact had scorched her skin. The bones themselves were burning hot, like living embers.
"Don't touch them," Hirako Shinji said, his voice tense as cold sweat ran down his face. "These skeletons… they're connected to the captain. Every single one of them is strong, and each one is burning with terrifying heat."
Around them, the other captains shifted uneasily, their faces dark with shock.
The skeletal figures crawling across the battlefield were hideous, their glowing bones twisting and cracking as flames licked their frames. Seeing just one of them wouldn't have been anything special. But now?
Tens of thousands of blazing skeletons, all moving at once.
Even a captain-level Shinigami would be crushed if they were swarmed by so many of these burning monsters.
"Oi, oi, oi…" Muguruma Kensei muttered, scratching at his head with disbelief. "What the hell are these things? Not only do they have insane reiatsu, their entire bodies are like furnaces!"
The answer came from someone who already knew.
Ukitake Jūshirō's eyes narrowed as he stared at Yamamoto, his voice heavy with realization. "This… this is the true form of Ryūjin Jakka's Bankai."
Yamamoto stood tall on the scorched earth, flames coiling around him like a mantle of death. His gaze was cold, his tone steady as he explained:
"Zanka no Tachi, Minami—Flames of the Ten Trillion Deaths: Great Burial Formation. When I release this power, Ryūjin Jakka's ultimate flames awaken the ashes of every soul that has fallen beneath my sword. The skeletons you see are those countless dead. Their remains burn and rise again, turned into an army that fights for me. Every enemy who falls will join them, endlessly killing, endlessly burning."
The words fell like thunder.
Gasps echoed through the battlefield. Both Shinigami and Hollows felt their hearts tremble. The sheer cruelty of this ability was beyond anything they had imagined.
All around, the glowing red skeletons stretched across the blackened land, filling the horizon. The sight alone made their spines run cold. Instinctively, many of them stepped back, horror painted on their faces.
Grimmjow's voice broke the silence. "Wait—so many skeletons… Just how many people has this old man killed!?"
Harribel's eyes narrowed, her expression grim. "This… this old man is a monster. Even among Hollows, we've never slaughtered this many souls."
Nearby, Soi-Fon's lips trembled as she swallowed nervously. "As expected of the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years… but this… this is far too cruel. Killing the enemy is one thing. But to bind their ashes and souls into his blade, forcing them to fight as puppets for eternity… This is nothing like the purpose of a Shinigami. No wonder the captain avoids using his Bankai."
Her words hung heavy in the air.
Meanwhile, the burning skeletons began to converge on Qiye. One after another, they clawed forward, their fiery hands reaching for him. They did not care if they trampled each other. They climbed over the broken bones of their comrades, stacking their own bodies, crawling across one another's shoulders, all just to get closer.
The endless tide of burning corpses made everyone's skin crawl.
Crack!
With a single step, Qiye crushed one of the skeletons underfoot. The shattered remains scattered across the ground like brittle glass.
From its appearance, that skeleton must have once been a powerful Quincy—maybe even one who had fought at captain-level. But now, under Qiye's heel, it was reduced to dust instantly.
Qiye frowned slightly, licking his lips. "These undead skeletons born from flames… they're troublesome."
He lifted his right hand and thrust it forward.
"Boom!"
A wave of invisible repulsive force burst out from his palm, exploding across the charred ground. Hundreds of flaming skeletons were blown apart instantly, crushed under the sheer pressure of the technique.
But it was useless. For every skeleton destroyed, more rose from the ashes. The horde pressed forward without hesitation, stepping over their shattered comrades to continue the assault.
Yamamoto's voice cut through the chaos, calm but commanding.
"Well, boy? What will you do now? Are you ready to admit defeat?"
He stood proudly, his hand gripping the hilt of Ryūjin Jakka as he pulled the blazing blade free from the earth. Flames burst out around him once again, his spiritual pressure shaking the battlefield.
Even while maintaining the burial formation, Yamamoto still had more than enough strength to fight directly.
Qiye grinned, his eyes burning with excitement. Slamming his palm against the ground, he shouted back with defiance:
"Stinky old man, this is just the beginning!"
"Summoning Jutsu: Six Paths of Pain!"
"Summoning Jutsu: The Ten Tails!"
Twin clouds of white smoke exploded outward. When the haze cleared, new figures had appeared—Six Paths of Pain, standing coldly at Qiye's command. Their emotionless eyes scanned the battlefield before moving forward, ready to begin the slaughter.
And then, with a single gesture, one of them raised its hand.
"Heavenly Path… Shinra Tensei!"
The ground shook violently as the overwhelming force surged outward, ready to clash with the burning legions.
"Hell Path – Aging!"
"Human Path – Bankai: Suzumushi Hyakushiki, Crazy Cricket!"
"Shura Path – Flash of the Hollow King!"
"Hungry Path – Kidō Art: Furious Kangshō!"
"Animal Path – Sip: Evil Concubine!"
The newly summoned Six Paths of Pain unleashed their terrifying powers all at once.
Bankai… Resurrección… Hollow techniques…
Within seconds, the battlefield erupted with destruction. The blazing red skeletons, radiating terrifying heat from Yamamoto's formation, were shattered into fragments as the Six Paths struck in unison. The sky trembled, and the scorched earth split under the overwhelming clash of powers.
As the smoke cleared, a second surge of energy erupted from the ground. Out of the swirling haze emerged hideous wooden monsters—twisted creations of the Animal Path's summoning. Some had grotesque human shapes, while others took the forms of wolf-like beasts, their fangs bared and claws gleaming. Each one radiated a malevolent aura.
Without hesitation, these monstrous summons charged headlong into the army of burning skeletons. The two forces met in a brutal collision, claw against bone, fire against wood. The battlefield became a nightmarish vision of chaos—cracking bones, burning heat, and splintering wood filled the air with deafening roars.
Neither side held the advantage. The skeletal legions of Yamamoto's Zanka no Tachi clashed evenly with the summoned horrors of the Six Paths. Each strike was answered with another, every fall of one soldier replaced by the rise of another. The fight raged in a deadlock, shaking the ground beneath their feet.
For the onlookers—Shinigami and Hollows alike—the sight was overwhelming.
Silence fell over them. None dared to speak immediately.
At last, Sui-Feng broke the silence, her tone heavy with unease. "Qiye… and the Captain-Commander… These two aren't just warriors. Each one commands an entire army on their own."
Her words hung in the air like a curse.
The other captains had nothing to add. They simply watched, silent, their expressions twisted into grimaces.
They knew the truth. Either of these two combatants, on their own, had the strength to flatten the entire Seireitei. They weren't just captains—they were calamities.
And now, here they were, clashing in front of their eyes.
"Clang!"
The sound of steel rang out sharply.
Qiye appeared before Yamamoto in a blur, moving so fast that the air itself cracked. The Tennuma Spear was in his hands, its tip glowing as it stabbed down toward the old man. A grin played at Qiye's lips as he sneered:
"Old man… your time is past. You're no longer my opponent."
The corners of his mouth curled higher, mocking yet triumphant. "Still… I should thank you. It's because of this battle that I've finally learned to master the power in my body."
"Arrogant brat!" Yamamoto roared, his eyes blazing with fury.
The Captain-Commander, who had lived for over a thousand years as the strongest Shinigami in history, was being pushed back by a boy not yet eighteen. The humiliation was unbearable, and the anger inside him ignited hotter than his flames.
He swung Ryūjin Jakka in wide arcs, fire exploding with each strike. At the same time, the ground split again as two blazing skeletons burst upward. They clamped tightly onto Qiye's ankles, holding him fast.
Yamamoto seized the chance. He brought his flaming blade down with all his might, intending to cut Qiye in two.
But Qiye did not falter. He met the strike with the Tennuma Spear, steel clashing violently against steel. Sparks and embers scattered into the air as the two weapons locked.
Qiye's eyes glowed as his Rinnegan and Sharingan spun together. His voice was calm, yet heavy with power.
"Reincarnation… Innate Technique!"
In that instant, Yamamoto's confidence shattered.
The endless skeletal army—souls bound in flame and forced to serve him—suddenly stopped obeying. Instead, the bones began to shift. Flesh grew over them. Muscles formed. The hollow eye sockets glimmered as signs of life returned.
The countless dead, who had once been Yamamoto's enemies, were rising again—not as puppets of his sword, but as if truly resurrected.
Yamamoto's face paled. Horror flickered in his eyes.
"No…!"
He immediately cut off his technique, dispelling the "Flames of Ten Trillion Deaths – Great Burial Formation." The thought of his countless enemies returning with their lives restored was a nightmare even he dared not face.
But his moment of fear had already given Qiye the opening he needed.
With a smirk, Qiye raised his right hand. He pointed a single glowing finger at Yamamoto's chest, aiming directly for the old man's heart.
"Stinky old man," he said with cold satisfaction, "this battle is over. I've won."
Energy began to swell at his fingertip, gathering into a deadly mass.
"Tailed Beast Cannon—"
Then he froze.
A sudden vision pierced through his Rinnegan's gaze. The purple eyes, spinning in eerie patterns, pierced through the battlefield itself. They glimpsed a space beyond—a shimmering world faintly emerging beside Yamamoto.
Qiye's expression shifted, his grin replaced by sharp interest. His voice dropped, but the word he spoke shook those who overheard.
"…The Spirit King's Palace!?"
His finger turned. Instead of Yamamoto, he aimed at the grand structure now revealed through his vision.
His lips curled once more, excitement burning in his eyes.
"Ten Tails—Tailed Beast Cannon!"
The battlefield trembled as the destructive energy surged, its devastating light aimed not at Yamamoto, but at the distant palace that had suddenly appeared in his sight.
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