[Although Captain-Commander Yamamoto knew he should have crushed the Yhwach before him, reason told him there would definitely be a reversal coming.]
[This made his heart simultaneously joyful and uneasy—a truly torturous emotional state.]
After all, these Quincy... every single one of them possesses truly bizarre abilities.
[Some wielded rule-based powers, others had reflection capabilities—they were genuinely impossible to predict or counter completely.]
After all, Gerard who appeared before could easily resurrect and regenerate. If Yhwach possesses similar abilities, it wouldn't be surprising at all.
[At this moment in the Wandenreich, after witnessing Captain-Commander Yamamoto's Tenchi Kaijin technique, the other Sternritter were indeed stunned and extremely fearful of the Captain-Commander.]
[However, they maintained complete confidence in their Majesty, so they weren't overly concerned about his fate.]
[They were simply very curious about what method His Majesty would employ to defeat Captain-Commander Yamamoto.]
Would he use his Almighty power directly?
[As for Yhwach himself, he naturally wasn't worried, merely resting his chin on one hand with eyes half-open, half-closed, watching the Three Realms Projection while muttering:]
[Yhwach: "This level of power is indeed quite impressive. No wonder it's Captain-Commander Yamamoto who requires my serious attention."]
[His tone carried both respect and dismissal.]
[Yhwach: "But I must admit that at this moment, he's no longer as terrifying as the demon from the past. Although his attack power has become more formidable, his methods no longer inspire fear in me."]
[A cold smile crossed his features.]
[Yhwach: "The Yamamoto Shigekuni who would do anything to achieve victory—even sacrificing the lives of his own subordinates—that was the most terrifying version. I'm certain my future self will exploit his current weakness to target him effectively."]
[He spoke with the finality of prophecy.]
[Yhwach: "So farewell, Captain of the formerly strongest Gotei 13. Your era is completely finished."]
[Soon, the projection resumed its broadcast. That earth-shaking attack had significantly impacted the transmission, but the Three Realms Projection quickly restored itself and continued displaying the subsequent scene.]
[The false Yhwach had been bisected by Captain-Commander Yamamoto and lay collapsed on the ground.]
[At this moment, heavy rain began falling.]
Patter, patter, patter...
[The gentle sound of falling leaves, snow, and rain filled the air.]
This is probably because Captain-Commander Yamamoto's intense heat evaporated all moisture into the sky, causing this sudden downpour.
[This scene evoked powerful emotions, reminiscent of events from a thousand years ago when Captain-Commander Yamamoto's Bankai had similarly caused heavy rainfall.]
It could be said that heavenly justice operates in cycles, but this time, he was already doomed to failure—because he simply didn't have the ability to kill the real Yhwach.
[Although the "Yhwach" before him had been cut in half, he could barely make a sound. He raised his hand weakly, as if trying to grasp something, but was already powerless to complete any action.]
[He seemed deeply remorseful about his failure.]
[Royd Lloyd: "I'm so sorry! I didn't manage to complete the mission in the end..."]
[Upon hearing this, Captain-Commander Yamamoto felt something was fundamentally wrong.]
[Yamamoto: "Wait. As the one who provoked this war, you're supposedly the leader—who else would you need to apologize to? Who the hell are you, bastard?"]
[The false Yhwach spoke with profound sadness.]
[Royd Lloyd: "I'm so sorry, Lord Yhwach. I..."]
He wasn't really Yhwach at all.
[Even Captain-Commander Yamamoto, who had been kept completely in the dark, finally realized something was terribly wrong!]
[Just as Captain-Commander Yamamoto processed this shocking revelation, brilliant and colorful blue light suddenly erupted skyward from his squad barracks!]
BOOM!
[Witnessing this scene, Captain-Commander Yamamoto shouted angrily, calling out his subordinate's name.]
[Yamamoto: "Sasakibe!"]
[He realized something catastrophic must have happened to his division.]
[The next moment, a familiar figure materialized behind him.]
WHOOOM!
[Overwhelming oppressive force arrived instantaneously—like a demon god manifesting in reality!]
[The spiritual pressure was so intense it shook all of Soul Society, causing souls to tremble from their very cores.]
This was the real Yhwach.
[Upon seeing the true Yhwach appear, Captain-Commander Yamamoto erupted with fury.]
[Yamamoto: "YHWACH?!"]
[Although he didn't know exactly what had transpired, he understood this had to be Yhwach's scheme.]
Could it be that I expended all that spiritual pressure and effort fighting merely a fake Yhwach? This... this is utterly devastating.
[Yhwach simply smiled with cold satisfaction.]
[Yhwach: "Excellent performance, Sternritter 'Y'—The Yourself, Royd Lloyd."]
[After hearing Yhwach's praise, the dying imposter was genuinely happy.]
[Royd Lloyd: "Really? I'm truly overjoyed to hear His Majesty's approval. I have no regrets or complaints anymore. To be able to serve you, I—"]
[Unfortunately, before he could finish expressing his gratitude, Yhwach obliterated him with a single gesture.]
BOOM!
[Yhwach didn't wait for the words of thanks—this was the cold, heartless nature of the true Yhwach. He simply wanted to quickly reclaim the power from his fake duplicate.]
[Simultaneously, the projection switched to provide background information, allowing viewers to understand who this so-called fake Yhwach truly was.]
[Within the Sternritter, there existed two individuals bearing the holy letter "Y"—twin brothers who were nearly identical.]
[When they were born, even their parents couldn't distinguish who was the older brother and who was younger.]
[The reason for their incredible similarity was that they unconsciously imitated each other before birth.]
[It was only after age five that they slowly became aware of this phenomenon.]
[By age twelve, they discovered they could imitate anyone other than each other.]
[The older brother, Lloyd R, could replicate all of another person's strength and techniques in addition to their appearance.]
[The younger brother, Royd Lloyd, could imitate all of another person's memories and personality in addition to their appearance.]
[So at this moment, this "Y" brother who had been impersonating Yhwach had successfully deceived Captain-Commander Yamamoto.]
After witnessing the complete truth behind these events, the audience erupted in surprise and heated discussion:
[Hitsugaya Toshiro: So that's how it is! This guy was specifically used to deceive Captain-Commander Yamamoto—this is completely outrageous! Yhwach is truly an old schemer, yet he has the audacity to criticize us!]
[Kyoraku Shunsui: He doesn't dare face our Captain-Commander directly, only using a fake duplicate to deceive him. This completely lacks martial honor!]
[Soi Fon: In that case, I do recall that previously, Yhwach went to Muken below to release Aizen—so this is what he was doing during that time?!]
[Shihouin Yoruichi: This makes us absolutely furious! Our Captain-Commander's all-out attack actually struck a fake Yhwach—this is completely unacceptable to us!]
[Ukitake Jushiro: The level of deception involved... to think someone could so perfectly imitate not just Yhwach's appearance, but his memories and personality as well...]
[Kuchiki Byakuya: Captain-Commander fought with everything he had against what he believed was his greatest enemy, only to discover it was an elaborate ruse. This is... deeply troubling.]
[Zaraki Kenpachi: That bastard! Making the old man waste all that power on a fake! When I get my hands on the real Yhwach...]
[Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni: To think I was so thoroughly deceived... My fury at being manipulated like this knows no bounds.]
[Aizen Sosuke: How fascinating. It seems Yhwach learned well from our previous encounters—avoiding direct confrontation when possible, using misdirection and subterfuge. A wise strategy against overwhelming force.]
[Yhwach: Strategy and tactics, Captain-Commander. Pure strength alone is insufficient when facing an intelligent opponent. You learned this lesson too late.]
[Everyone in Soul Society found this revelation completely unacceptable—their spirits were utterly crushed by the magnitude of the deception.]
The strongest Shinigami in a thousand years, fighting with absolute determination and unleashing his most devastating techniques... all against an imposter while the real enemy worked freely elsewhere.
[The true scope of Yhwach's strategic thinking was becoming terrifyingly clear.]