[Hitsugaya Toshiro: Aizen, you bastard! You just don't have the guts to face our Captain-Commander head-on. It's shameful that you don't even have the courage to fight Yamamoto-soutaicho properly!]
[Aizen Sosuke: It's simply strategy, Hitsugaya-kun. Sometimes, it's unnecessary to use brute force when facing an enemy. Surely our previous battles proved this principle?]
[His tone remained maddeningly calm and condescending.]
[Aizen Sosuke: Even I suspect that Yhwach himself may not resort to conventional frontal combat against Captain-Commander Yamamoto. Over the past thousand years, in addition to his significant growth in power, he must have devised an optimal method for dealing with the Captain-Commander. He certainly won't be foolish enough to charge forward and rely on brute force alone.]
From various subtle clues, Aizen had detected Yhwach's calculating nature. Though Yhwach always appeared overwhelmingly powerful, he was fundamentally a cautious strategist.
Otherwise, he wouldn't constantly evade direct confrontation with Kurosaki Ichigo, Aizen mused. Always playing this cat-and-mouse game... One reaches the Soul King Palace, the other immediately descends. It's almost amusing in its predictability.
[Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni: Aizen Sosuke, your analysis is quite thorough. Have you deduced something specific?]
[Aizen Sosuke: After all, in the scenes we witnessed earlier, he avoided using brute force when dealing with Kurosaki Ichigo as well. This is the quality a supreme leader should possess—when full strength isn't necessary, there's no need to reveal it. Otherwise, one is merely a reckless brute.]
[Yhwach: Hmph! Truly worthy of Aizen's analytical mind. You understand me well. Let's see if the next scene matches what my eyes have foreseen! Observe whether I employ my specialized methods to deal with this Yamamoto Shigekuni.]
In the Wandenreich at that moment, Yhwach sat upon his throne, his normally squinting eyes suddenly blazing with murderous intent.
Though he didn't know what methods his future self would employ, the current Yhwach—preparing to invade Soul Society—had already rehearsed countless scenarios in his mind, including specific strategies for neutralizing Captain-Commander Yamamoto.
The Battle Intensifies
[In the projection, the confrontation between Yhwach and Captain-Commander Yamamoto resumed with devastating intensity.]
[After activating his Bankai, Yamamoto moved without hesitation, launching himself forward with explosive speed.]
SWOOSH!
[He brought Zanka no Tachi down in a devastating arc aimed directly at the false Yhwach.]
[Royd Lloyd, still maintaining his impersonation, appeared genuinely surprised by the attack's speed and precision.]
Even at his advanced age, this Captain-Commander's strength remains at its peak! His speed hasn't diminished at all!
[The false Yhwach barely managed to dodge the first strike, but immediately noticed something disturbing.]
This Bankai... it's different from what I was told to expect. I clearly saw him swing his sword, but there were no flames. Wasn't this supposed to be the same technique from a thousand years ago?
[Confusion clouded his features.]
Could Captain-Commander Yamamoto have evolved his abilities so significantly over the years that even his Bankai has transformed? This is more troublesome than anticipated. I need to observe his movements carefully, or I might find myself overwhelmed.
[The false Yhwach began analyzing desperately.]
What method will Captain-Commander Yamamoto use to attack? There's no way his flames have simply disappeared—his entire power is based on fire. So where are these flames hiding?
[Before he could formulate a complete theory, Captain-Commander Yamamoto moved again, gripping Zanka no Tachi firmly and swinging it in a massive overhead strike.]
[The false Yhwach dodged once more, allowing the blade to strike the ground beside him.]
CRACK!
[A slash capable of cleaving through the entire Soul Society erupted with tremendous destructive force. A bottomless ravine instantly appeared in the earth where the sword had struck—a chasm so deep it seemed to pierce through dimensions.]
If I hadn't avoided that attack and been directly hit by Zanka no Tachi, I would have suffered fatal damage, the imposter realized with growing alarm.
[His wariness deepened significantly.]
This Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni is indeed incredibly powerful! He's definitely not as easy to deal with as I was led to believe. I absolutely cannot allow myself to be struck by his Bankai.
[At that moment, Captain-Commander Yamamoto spoke with calm authority, explaining his technique.]
[Yamamoto: "I can concentrate all the heat energy of my flames within the sword itself, without burning or creating explosions."]
[His voice carried the weight of absolute certainty.]
[Yamamoto: "As long as anything touches this blade, regardless of what that object might be, it will instantly be reduced to ash."]
[He fixed the false Yhwach with a penetrating stare.]
[Yamamoto: "Even your Quincy defensive technique, Blut Vene, is completely useless against this power. The skills you take such pride in are unlikely to provide any protection against me."]
[The false Yhwach forced a dismissive smile, attempting to regain psychological advantage.]
[Royd Lloyd: "How tedious. No matter how powerful your attack might be, as long as I don't touch your sword, there's no problem whatsoever, correct?"]
[He raised his own weapon with false confidence.]
[Royd Lloyd: "Trust me, I have methods to deal with you. I'll simply kill you before touching your blade becomes an issue."]
SHING!
[He instantly swung his sword in a heavy strike aimed at Captain-Commander Yamamoto.]
[But in that moment, he discovered something that filled him with shock and horror.]
The blade in his hand... it's been severed.
[The realization hit like a physical blow.]
During our previous exchange, my Heilig Pfeil sword was unknowingly melted by Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni?! How is this Captain-Commander's Bankai temperature so impossibly extreme?
The audience watching through the Three Realms Projection erupted in excitement:
[Ukitake Jushiro: Incredible! Yhwach appears to be completely overwhelmed! He doesn't even seem capable of posing a threat to the Captain-Commander!]
[Kyoraku Shunsui: The old man's really showing off now. That temperature control is absolutely terrifying.]
[Soi Fon: To melt a Quincy's weapon without direct contact... the heat radiating from Zanka no Tachi must be beyond comprehension.]
[Zaraki Kenpachi: Ha! Now this is what I call a real fight! The Captain-Commander isn't holding back at all!]
[Renji Abarai: Yhwach looks completely outmatched! Maybe this won't be as one-sided as we feared!]
[Captain-Commander Yamamoto smiled with cold satisfaction.]
[Yamamoto: "Were you surprised by that?"]
[His tone carried the authority of absolute superiority.]
[Yamamoto: "When I was explaining my technique just now, you should have listened more carefully. I mentioned this was 'Zanka no Tachi, Higashi'—and if there's an East, naturally there must be a West."]
[The false Yhwach's eyes widened with growing dread.]
[Yamamoto: "Allow me to show you what those flames truly look like!"]
[His spiritual pressure began climbing to even more apocalyptic levels.]
[Yamamoto: "Zanka no Tachi, Nishi: Zanjitsu Gokui!"]
[Suddenly, the Captain-Commander's entire form became wreathed in an aura of incredible heat—not visible flames, but something far more terrifying. The very air around him began to distort and shimmer.]
[The technique manifested as an invisible cloak of heat reaching temperatures equivalent to the sun's core—fifteen million degrees Celsius concentrated around his body.]
[Anyone who came too close would be incinerated instantly, while the sheer heat radiation made the surrounding area uninhabitable for any living being.]
[The false Yhwach stared in absolute horror as he realized the magnitude of power he was facing.]
This... this is beyond anything I was prepared for. How can anyone possess such overwhelming destructive capability?