The moment the battlefield began to shift under the intervention of Kurotsuki Renya's forces, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto returned to the Soul Society.
He hovered high above Seireitei, his ancient gaze sweeping across the devastation below.
The First Division Headquarters reduced to ruin.
Flames, rubble, and shattered spiritual structures told a single story: the enemy had already reached the core.
Yamamoto's expression darkened.
"…So this was your objective, Yhwach."
The realization struck instantly. This was never merely an invasion it was a calculated maneuver.
Aizen Sōsuke.
Without wasting another moment, Yamamoto descended.
As he approached the remains of the headquarters, three figures emerged from within the smoke-filled ruins.
At the center stood Yhwach, calm and sovereign as ever.
To one side Sōsuke Aizen, bound yet smiling, his presence alone distorting the tension in the air.
And behind them…
A man with a rifle resting casually at his side.
Lille Barro.
Yamamoto's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So… you've released him."
Yhwach smiled faintly.
"Not merely released. He has chosen to stand with me for now."
Aizen's lips curled upward.
"How crude, Yamamoto. To think you'd still cling to the illusion of control."
Yamamoto said nothing more.
Instead
He raised his Zanpakutō.
"Bankai… Zanka no Tachi."
The air itself seemed to collapse inward.
All flames vanished compressed into the blade.
Absolute heat. Absolute destruction.
Before Yamamoto could advance
A shot rang out.
Bang.
The instant Lille Barro's rifle aligned
Yamamoto moved.
Not after the shot.
Before it.
His body vanished from the line of fire, appearing beside Lille in a flash-step beyond perception.
His blade descended.
"Zanka no Tachi: Higashi Kyokujitsujin."
The strike did not burn.
It erased.
Lille Barro's body split apart incinerated at a level beyond ash, reduced to nothingness by overwhelming heat.
Silence followed.
But Yhwach did not react.
Instead, he smiled.
"Still as formidable as ever."
Yamamoto's gaze sharpened.
"…Then you're next."
"Am I?" Yhwach replied calmly.
"Or… have you misunderstood something again?"
A presence emerged behind Yamamoto.
He turned
Too late.
Bang.
A shot had already been fired.
A hole opened in Yamamoto's abdomen, blood spilling as his body jerked from the impact.
His eyes widened slightly.
Behind him stood Lille Barro unharmed.
"…Impossible."
Aizen's voice drifted through the battlefield, smooth and composed.
"The one you destroyed… was never him."
Yamamoto's expression hardened.
"Kyōka Suigetsu…"
Aizen smiled faintly.
"Even now, you still fail to grasp the depth of illusion."
Lille raised his rifle again, his left eye slowly opening.
"The X-Axis."
At that moment, his ability evolved.
No projectile.
No travel time.
The moment the trigger is pulled
Everything between the muzzle and target is pierced.
Inevitable.
Absolute.
Yamamoto understood instantly.
This was not an attack one could evade after activation.
Only before.
He vanished again his speed surpassing perception.
But Lille did not move.
"I do not need to see you."
His finger tightened on the trigger.
Spiritual perception replaced sight.
He fired.
But once again
He hit nothing.
Yhwach's voice echoed calmly:
"You missed."
Yamamoto appeared behind Lille.
His blade descended without hesitation.
"Zanka no Tachi: Kita Tenchi Kaijin."
The strike cleaved through Lille Barro
A perfect, annihilating cut.
This time, the flames consumed him entirely.
Nothing remained.
Yamamoto exhaled slowly, his body steady despite the wound.
His gaze returned to the two remaining figures.
"Now… it's just the two of you."
Yhwach chuckled softly.
"A battle of attrition, deception, and inevitability… how fitting."
Yamamoto's grip tightened on his Zanpakutō.
"Tricks will not save you."
Aizen stepped forward slightly.
"Perhaps not."
His eyes gleamed with quiet amusement.
"But I have waited a long time… for this moment."
The air shifted.
Even Yhwach did not interrupt.
Aizen faced Yamamoto directly.
"There is a debt between us, Captain-Commander."
His voice lowered.
"And I intend to settle it."
Far in the distance
Unseen by them
Kurotsuki Renya watched.
Evolving.
Calculating.
Waiting.
The board was nearing its endgame.
And soon
Even kings would fall.