Cold torrential rain fell.
Rainwater slid down—along Yhwach's black hair, along his brown skin, along the blade he gripped.
Crystal raindrops slid across that charred kodachi's spine, finally flowing to Shigure's palm center, slowly disappearing.
This moment, Yhwach gripping Zanka no Tachi had completely frozen.
His gaze stared blankly at blade tip and palm center, mouth unconsciously open.
This was the first fact he realized.
He truly couldn't sense anything anymore.
Whether Segawa Shigure's Reiatsu, his Bankai, or even...
Zanka no Tachi.
This moment, that charred kodachi had already begun becoming transparent.
However, Yhwach fundamentally couldn't sense any Reiatsu changes. Neither observing nor stopping.
He could only be a bystander, witnessing this blade's disappearance.
This Bankai he'd stolen—after contacting Shigure's palm—actually... no longer belonged to him!
When the final hilt also became transparent, in Yhwach's hand remained only that dim, lightless Sternritter medallion.
He rapidly lowered his head, looking at the medallion in hand, trying to discover the trick.
However, after a moment's sensing, the feedback obtained was still void.
No trace of Bankai's aura.
As if within this medallion, Bankai had never existed.
"No... impossible..."
Yhwach's pupils constricted tightly, unconscious murmurs emerging from his mouth:
"Impossible... the Bankai I stole... how could it... vanish...?!"
"Absolutely... absolutely impossible!!"
Yhwach violently raised his head, looking toward Shigure, his gaze actually carrying a trace of terror.
However, Shigure's pupils remained cold. Storm and lightning intermingled, like a deity, carrying no emotional color.
Next moment, just as Yhwach prepared to speak, suddenly—he felt his throat instantly transmit intense sharp pain!
"Pffft!!!"
Yhwach's pupils violently constricted. Before reacting, blood instantly sprayed from his mouth.
Blood splattered out, immediately washed by torrential rain.
Yhwach's face pale, he stiffly lowered his head, looking disbelievingly.
At some point, his throat and heart had simultaneously been pierced by two purple lightning arrows. Upon those arrows—white wind currents coiled.
Where wind and lightning touched, all organs rapidly destroyed.
Centered on Yhwach's heart, all surrounding bones and flesh rapidly became Reishi, then turned void.
Yhwach's thoughts forcibly interrupted. Mind completely blank.
However, with throat completely destroyed, he couldn't make a sound.
Everything proceeded in silence.
Noisy torrential rain. Silent blood flow.
But even so, Shigure showed no pause or delay. He simply calmly rapidly raised his hand, fingertip directly against Yhwach's brow.
Without a word.
However, extremely compressed Annihilation Reiatsu instantly surged from that fingertip!
BOOM!!
Under Bankai's enhancement, that vast Reiatsu—like formless sword intent—instantly engulfed Yhwach!
Yhwach didn't even have time to react before being completely covered by Shigure's powerful Reiatsu!
BANG!!
That terrifying tearing sensation directly spread through every nerve in his body, crushing every inch of his bones!
From Yhwach's entire body, countless blood streams instantly surged, flowing against the rain!
That intense pain even made him feel numb.
This moment, Yhwach's breathing stopped.
He finally began realizing the existence of the word "death."
This was fundamentally power impossible to resist!
Segawa Shigure's Bankai... its power had completely surpassed Yamamoto Genryusai's Zanka no Tachi!
Yhwach finally realized this.
However, his body's left half had already begun becoming Reishi!
Just this instant, his originally terrified expression suddenly became ferocious, then violently raised his head—
"Guh... AAAAAHHHHH!!!!"
That furious, unwilling roar actually emerged from his destroyed throat, resounding throughout this entire area.
As death approached, he subconsciously re-granted himself "voice."
The instant sound transmitted, Yhwach's figure also directly vanished from his position, appearing in the distance.
The moment he left, his body escaped wind-lightning restraints, instantly beginning ultra-speed recovery.
Even so, Yhwach still gasped roughly, chest constantly heaving.
Seeing this, Shigure's gaze remained calm, only faintly muttering:
"Self-granting... as expected..."
For powerful existences like Yhwach, even post-Bankai Shigure wanting to instantly use pure power to destroy his soul along with consciousness—fundamentally impossible.
As long as he retained a trace of consciousness, he could perform "self-granting"—
Re-granting himself body, power, even... life.
This also made Yhwach, almost like Aizen fused with the Hogyoku, become an absolutely immortal existence.
Torrential rain still fell.
In the rain, Yhwach and Shigure—facing each other from afar.
After a moment, Yhwach suddenly spoke, breaking this silence.
Eyes slightly lowered, he said heavily:
"I truly... didn't expect this, Segawa Shigure."
"After resurrection, I easily resolved that greatest trouble from a thousand years ago... Yamamoto Genryusai, and his Bankai..."
"But I didn't expect I would still... nearly be defeated by your hand..."
"Your methods... endless..."
"However, if your Bankai cannot be stolen, then perhaps... only The Almighty can kill you..."
Speaking, Yhwach slowly raised his eyes.
Within that expression—no longer any fear or panic. Only blade-like resolve remained.
His pupils locked onto Shigure. Heavy gray light slowly swirled.
Simultaneously, upon his hands, thick black-red light began slowly manifesting.
Under torrential rain, that black-red light repelled all raindrops.
As light flickered, within Yhwach's pupils, crazed expression slowly appeared.
Finally, Yhwach opened his mouth, without any hesitation, saying gravely:
"Then, let it begin here early—soul collection..."
"Auswählen!"
"!"
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