Yamamoto glared at Yhwach in a fury, gripping the Shikai form of Ryujin Jakka (Flowing Blade Like Fire) so tightly his knuckles whitened.
That "Yhwach" just now had been completely unable to resist under his attacks.
But even so, Yamamoto had to admit it—this "Yhwach" truly was loyal to the bone. Even facing death, he didn't retreat a single step. He had even shown an excited, almost fanatical expression at the very end just because Yhwach had praised him once.
Calling it unwavering loyalty wouldn't be an exaggeration.
And yet?
That subordinate didn't die to Yamamoto's zanpakuto.
He died under Yhwach's own hand.
Seeing that scene, both the Shinigami and the Quincy present fell silent.
On the Shinigami side, they were stunned by Yhwach's cold cruelty—toward a man like that, a meritorious subordinate like that, he still killed without hesitation.
Cold-blooded like some reptile.
On the Quincy side, it was a bleak sense of "the rabbit is dead, the fox grieves"—a sorrow that could easily be their own tomorrow.
They had thought that after a thousand years, Yhwach's temperament would have improved.
But now…
He was still that violent, tyrannical king.
In that instant, countless Quincy thought of Cole, and regret inevitably rose in their hearts—why hadn't they chosen to join the Military Police earlier?
After all, while they were here fighting for their lives, the Military Police members had been living steadily and safely.
But regret came too late.
Because they could no longer feel the existence of the Wandenreich at all—like stray dogs, they could only fight desperately within Soul Society.
"Yhwach!!!"
Yamamoto roared, swinging Ryujin Jakka (Flowing Blade Like Fire) in Shikai and chopping down viciously at Yhwach.
"Yhwach!!!"
Yamamoto roared again, and that Shikai blade came down once more.
"Taimatsu (Torch)!!!"
Flames of extreme heat erupted, forming yet another sea of fire that covered the skies.
But in terms of scale, it wasn't even a tenth of his Bankai's might—there was no real oppressive force behind it at all.
Faced with an attack of this level, Yhwach merely waved his hand indifferently.
A shapeless blue shockwave swept out, crushing the blazing firestorm. The flames died rapidly, leaving only scattered sparks still burning.
Yamamoto's face darkened to the absolute extreme, cursing his own failure—why hadn't he discovered that false Yhwach earlier?
Before this, even he had felt that the "Yhwach" just now was different from the one a thousand years ago.
But his arrogance had made him think it was normal—after a thousand years, change was only natural.
However… there was still a chance…
Yamamoto glanced at his own arm, determination flashing in his eyes.
Because Cole had forced him to let Orihime heal him earlier, both of his arms were now the same as before.
If he used the forbidden kido technique Ittō Kasō (Single Blade Funeral Pyre) twice, maybe he could heavily injure Yhwach.
But at that moment
From within Yhwach's Bankai-stealing medallion, strands of flame gradually seeped out.
With icy indifference, Yhwach said, "So this is how one uses the power of this Bankai."
Then he looked at Yamamoto and said blandly, "Now I can awaken the corpses of your subordinates as well. A thousand years have passed—surely you've missed them."
After obtaining Yamamoto's Bankai, he finally realized just how terrifying the power within it truly was.
It wasn't merely turning the slain into skeletons writhing in torment within flame.
It was awakening those who had been slain in the flames—forcing them to continue fighting for him in the form of white-boned skeletons.
Just as Yamamoto had slaughtered countless Quincy a thousand years ago
In that same era, he had also killed countless Shinigami.
And now, Yhwach could awaken those Shinigami too, turning them into corpses that fought on.
Hearing this, Yamamoto's body jolted as the images of his former comrades resurfaced in his mind.
Those had been like-minded companions—unable to tolerate the chaos of Seireitei, they had built Seireitei together.
Back then, Seireitei had been nothing more than a killer organization in service of a ruling class.
It was only through long years through gradual change of heart, that the assassin organization had become Seireitei, the guardian of peace.
And later, to resist the Wandenreich, nearly all of those comrades had died in that war.
Now…
Those figures who had long since died and returned to eternal rest…
Were going to be awakened again—turned into skeletons.
That was suffering comparable to hell itself—burned by fire without cease.
And he…
Was he to kill them with his own hands?
Countless thoughts flooded Yamamoto's mind at once, and he charged at Yhwach in furious rage.
"You bastard!!!"
Facing the onrushing Yamamoto, Yhwach only raised a hand coldly.
In an instant, the sky above Seireitei seemed to split open into a massive rift, and an azure longsword slowly descended.
Yhwach grasped it in his hand.
Seeing this, Yamamoto halted, momentarily dazed.
His comrades from a thousand years ago.
Yhwach before his eyes.
All of it echoed in his mind.
Yhwach seemed to sense something as well. He swung the blue blade down with chilling calm and said lightly:
"Farewell."
"Yamamoto."
In that moment, the Shinigami present had their pupils shrink to the limit. Without hesitation, they roared and rushed toward the battlefield.
"Captain-Commander-sama!!!"
Gin, the one said to possess the fastest zanpakuto, narrowed his eyes at Yhwach and spoke without the slightest hesitation:
"Bankai!"
"Kamishini no Yari (God-Killing Spear)!"
"Ah!"
The extended blade shot out like a silver streak, flying toward Yhwach's heart like a meteor.
Its speed was so great the Quincy around them couldn't even react—there wasn't even time to use their medallions.
All Shinigami eyes locked onto that silver-white brilliance.
Could it make it in time?
Could they save Captain-Commander-sama?
Under countless gazes, a white figure flashed forward to meet that silver streak, smiling gently as he spoke.
"Gin… looks like you've been doing quite well in Seireitei. That makes me rather dissatisfied."
Clang!
Metal rang.
A single hand steadied the God-Killing Spear—holding the blade that had extended thousands of meters—preventing its tip from moving forward even one more centimeter.
Gin's pupils contracted as he blurted out, "Aizen?!"
It was Aizen, standing about ten meters beside Yhwach, one hand lightly gripping that blade.
In an instant, the Shinigami erupted in furious rage, their faces twisted as they roared:
"Aizen, you dare!!!"
Among them, Shunsui and Jushiro were the most agitated, wishing they could kill that mild-faced man on the spot.
But they had no time to focus on Aizen.
Because
Blood bloomed.
A blinding spray of blood burst from Yamamoto's body, surging like a fountain and dyeing that figure red.
All the Shinigami present went blank, staring dumbly at Yamamoto.
The man they had always viewed as the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years—omnipotent, the pillar that stabilized Seireitei
Had been cut down by Yhwach's blade.
For a heartbeat, everyone was dazed, unable to believe what they were seeing.
A massive wound ran from Yamamoto's neck all the way down to his abdomen, splitting him into two.
His upper body slowly slid, then fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Blood flowed, staining the earth.
And Yamamoto's spiritual pressure, in that instant, returned to zero—vanishing into nothingness.
Only his corpse remained.
And the hand gripping his blade… even in death… did not loosen Ryujin Jakka (Flowing Blade Like Fire).
"Old man Yamamoto!!!"
Shunsui roared in rage.
He tried to rush over, but the Quincy wouldn't miss an opportunity like this. They immediately intercepted the Shinigami captains.
War ignited again in an instant.
Yhwach turned away, but suddenly sensed something and looked down at the severed hand pressing his black cloak.
"How annoying, Yamamoto."
He raised a finger again.
Blue light burst.
Yamamoto's upper corpse was instantly blasted into powder.
Only the lower half of his body remained standing, refusing to fall.
Withdrawing his finger, Yhwach looked toward the Shinigami, expression indifferent, ready to finish them in one push.
But then Aizen released the tip of Kamishini no Yari (God-Killing Spear) and smiled.
"Yhwach, there's no need to deal with these people. If you go to the Soul King Palace, are you confident you can defeat those up there?"
Seizing the chance, Gin quickly retracted Kamishini no Yari (God-Killing Spear), staring at Aizen with uncertainty.
"What is going on…?"
In this world, if there was anyone who understood Aizen best, it was him.
Even Kyōka Suigetsu wouldn't work on him.
Yet he still felt something was off about the Aizen before him.
Someone as proud as Aizen—how could he possibly submit to Yhwach's power, let alone take the initiative to help him?
But no matter how puzzled he was, Gin couldn't discern the reason.
His intelligence was still too limited.
His information was too little.
"Oh?" Yhwach looked at Aizen, intrigued. "Do you have a method?"
He could force his way to the Reiōkyū (Soul King Palace), but it would definitely be troublesome. So he was curious what method Aizen meant.
Aizen lifted his gaze to the sky and smiled softly. "I went to the Soul King Palace before. While I was there… I left something behind."
As he spoke, Aizen raised his right hand toward the sky and began chanting for the first time:
"Faintly visible turbid crest, arrogant and unruly talent."
"Surging tide, denial, paralysis, a single moment—obstructing long slumber."
As he chanted, an astonishing blue spiritual pressure erupted from Aizen's body, making even Yhwach turn solemn.
He hadn't expected Aizen to be even stronger than he'd imagined.
"Crawling steel princess, self-mutilating mud doll—combine, rebound, extend to the ground; know your own powerlessness!"
With the final line falling, Aizen spoke the last words:
"Hadō no Kyūjū: Kurohitsugi (Way of Destruction #90: Black Coffin)!"
In an instant, pure black appeared in the heavens, spreading upward as though the end of the world itself had become a coffin.
A darkness meant to bury the entire world in death.
This pure black coffin was far more massive than any Kurohitsugi anyone had ever cast before—so vast it seemed to pierce the sky itself.
Under the stunned eyes of all present, the heavens were punched open into a hole.
It truly was a hole.
The space that represented the Soul King Palace had been forced open into a breach under Kurohitsugi (Black Coffin).
And under the crushing pressure of spiritual force, it continued descending.
Seeing this, Yhwach's eyes lit up. He couldn't help but praise:
"Aizen… indeed, making you my subordinate was a wise choice. You've saved me a great deal of trouble."
With the incomplete All-Seeing and All-Knowing he carried, he could already sense the Soul King's presence through that hole.
That was his father.
The king of the world.
The one who possessed all the authorities he lacked.
As long as he devoured him, he would complete his own missing parts—becoming a true god who ruled everything.
His lifelong dream was right before him—how could he still care about the Shinigami below?
He leapt upward, not even waiting for the Soul King Palace to be fully pulled down, and rushed eagerly toward the entrance.
Seeing this, the already frantic Shinigami grew even more furious.
Even Rukia, Yoruichi, and Soi fong couldn't hold back anymore. Rukia shouted at Aizen in fury:
"Aizen, you bastard! You helped Yhwach kill Captain-Commander-sama!"
"I knew you couldn't be trusted!"
"If I'd known back in the Wandenreich, I should've let Cole—"
But before Rukia could finish, a warm hand reached from behind and gently covered her mouth.
A gentle, soft laugh followed.
"Rukia-chan… you can't say any more, okay?"
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For 20+ Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!] [[email protected]/Draumel]
[Thank You For Your Support!]