[Seeing Tenjiro Kirinji step forward, Yhwach regarded him with absolute disdain.]
["You think you can stop me?" Yhwach asked, his voice dripping with contempt.]
[Without hesitation, Tenjiro quickly summoned a massive hot spring that surged forward like a tsunami, engulfing Yhwach's Quincy soldiers.]
[WHOOSH! SPLASH!]
[Facing such scalding waters, the holy soldiers cried out in agony as the heat overwhelmed them.]
[Tenjiro laughed maniacally at their suffering.]
["Hahaha! How do you like it, guests? My hot spring should be quite refreshing, shouldn't it?" he taunted. "This isn't any ordinary hot spring, you know."]
["This is a hot spring made from blood and spiritual pressure itself. Even if it's scalding hot, don't come crying to me about it!"]
[Subsequently, Tenjiro released his Zanpakuto!]
[It turned out that his weapon—which resembled a large paddle or oar—was indeed his blade.]
["Kinpika!" he declared, brandishing the unusual Zanpakuto.]
[He swung the strange cutting implement toward Yhwach with tremendous force.]
[SWISH! CLANG!]
[However, after his strike descended, Tenjiro was shocked to discover something impossible.]
[He simply couldn't attack the enemy before him at all.]
[It wasn't that Yhwach had blocked the attack—rather, something inexplicable prevented the blade from making contact, as if some invisible force was deflecting every strike.]
[CLANG! CLANG! SWISH!]
[He slashed and thrust repeatedly, but still couldn't get close to Yhwach. There was no way to even approach within ten meters of him.]
[Tenjiro could only mutter to himself in bewilderment.]
["What the hell is going on here?" he wondered aloud. "He's not dodging at all."]
["My vision isn't being obstructed either, is it? But no matter how I attack, I just can't cut him! What is this phenomenon?"]
[Tenjiro Kirinji]: What the hell?! My attacks aren't even reaching him!
[Kirio Hikifune]: Tenjiro, what's happening? Are you holding back?
[Tenjiro Kirinji]: I'm not holding back anything! There's some kind of barrier around him!
[Oetsu Nimaiya]: Ha! That's weird. Never seen anything like that before
[Ichibei Hyosube]: Curious... this is not a power I recognize
[Yhwach]: How amusing. Even the Royal Guard fails to comprehend such simple phenomena
[Jugram Haschwalth]: Your Majesty's power is beyond their comprehension
Tenjiro stood there in frustration, unable to understand what force was preventing his attacks from landing.
[Shortly after, another Squad Zero member appeared on the scene.]
[Senjumaru Shutara emerged, taking responsibility for blocking Yhwach's advance.]
[Countless sacred weapons of the Soul King Palace materialized behind her, floating ominously in the air.]
["Long time no see, Yhwach," she said coolly. "Entering the Soul King Palace without receiving an invitation..."]
["It seems that after killing Yamamoto Genryusai, you've become quite arrogant and proud, haven't you?"]
[But upon hearing Senjumaru's words, Yhwach paid no attention whatsoever, continuing to walk toward the stairs without even acknowledging her presence.]
[He simply walked past Senjumaru as if she were nothing more than empty air.]
[Senjumaru was deeply offended by this dismissive treatment.]
["How rude! You'll regret becoming a ghost beneath the Soul King's blade!" she declared angrily.]
[All the soldiers of the Soul King Palace quickly rushed forward to attack Yhwach.]
[But Yhwach continued to treat them with supreme contempt, not taking them seriously in the slightest.]
[Incredibly, these soldiers were also mysteriously unable to attack Yhwach—their weapons seemed to pass right through him or be deflected by some unseen force.]
[Senjumaru Shutara]: This is impossible! What kind of technique is this?
[Rukia Kuchiki]: The Royal Guard can't even touch him... how can this be?
[Renji Abarai]: What the hell is that ability? It's like he's completely untouchable!
[Uryu Ishida]: His Majesty's power transcends your understanding of combat
[Ichigo Kurosaki]: There has to be some kind of trick to this! No one's completely untouchable!
[Mayuri Kurotsuchi]: Fascinating... a defensive ability that operates without visible manifestation
[Byakuya Kuchiki]: This Yhwach... his power is more troublesome than we anticipated
The Shinigami watching from Soul Society were stunned. They couldn't comprehend what was happening on screen through the projection.
Was this another peculiar rule-based ability of Yhwach's? Or perhaps an illusion similar to Kyoka Suigetsu?
It seemed that this Quincy Emperor's power was truly bizarre beyond measure. When fighting him previously, Ichigo hadn't seemed to encounter a similar technique.
So was this perhaps the ability of one of Yhwach's subordinates? It appeared his strange followers were indeed endless in their variety.
At this moment, Yhwach truly didn't regard Senjumaru and the others as worthy opponents—perhaps he didn't even consider them worth fighting seriously.
After all, their strength was indeed very weak compared to Yhwach—mere insects in comparison.
So there was no need for Yhwach to take them seriously. He didn't even need to act personally; he could simply leave it to his subordinates to handle.
When this realization sank in, both the Gotei 13 and Squad Zero felt somewhat discouraged.
[Kenpachi Zaraki]: Tch... if I can't even touch the bastard, how am I supposed to fight him?
[Retsu Unohana]: This ability... it's unlike anything in our records
[Jushiro Ukitake]: How troubling. If physical attacks cannot reach him...
[Shunsui Kyoraku]: There must be some weakness to this technique. No ability is truly absolute
[At this moment in the projection, strange fluctuations finally revealed the nature of this invisible defensive technique.]
[A bizarre figure with a forked tongue appeared, mockingly addressing Senjumaru and the others.]
["Hehe, your attacks are really too weak and pathetic—you can't even hit us," the strange Quincy taunted. "It's truly laughable!"]
["This is the extent of your abilities? How disappointing!"]
[This Sternritter was the very person who had been interfering with Senjumaru and Tenjiro's attacks.]
[His Holy Letter was W—"The Wind"]
[Nianzol Weizol!]
[Facing the attacks of Senjumaru and the ordinary soldiers, his defensive ability could truly be called absolute defense—complete nullification of all incoming strikes.]
[Nianzol Weizol]: You Royal Guard are even weaker than I expected! Pathetic!
[Senjumaru Shutara]: You cowardly wretch! Face me directly instead of hiding behind tricks!
[Nianzol Weizol]: Hiding? This is simply the natural superiority of His Majesty's elite!
[Tenjiro Kirinji]: So that's what was blocking our attacks... some kind of deflection ability
[Oetsu Nimaiya]: Interesting technique, but every defense has a weakness
[Ichigo Kurosaki]: A Sternritter who can deflect attacks... we need to find a way around that
[Uryu Ishida]: Nianzol's power is not mere deflection—it's complete negation through spatial manipulation
[Chad Sado]: No wonder their attacks couldn't connect. It's like fighting the wind itself
[Orihime Inoue]: There has to be some way to get through that defense...
[Aizen Sosuke]: How fascinating... an ability that renders conventional attacks meaningless
[Mayuri Kurotsuchi]: The spatial distortion patterns... I must analyze this phenomenon
The revelation of Nianzol's power sent shockwaves through both the Royal Guard and the observers below. An enemy who could completely negate physical attacks represented a fundamentally different kind of threat.
Yhwach continued his advance toward the upper levels of the Soul King Palace, seemingly unconcerned with the chaos erupting around him. To him, this was merely a minor obstacle—a brief inconvenience before reaching his true objective.
The Royal Guard, who had long prided themselves on their supreme power, now found themselves facing an enemy whose abilities operated on principles they had never encountered before.