The Elite Guard at this moment were slaughtering everything in their path!
However, before they could truly celebrate their dominance, there was a sudden distortion in the space around them.
It seemed they were trapped within an illusory dimension—not the real Soul King Palace at all!
[SHIMMER! WARP!]
Like the manifestation of some bizarre ability, Senjumaru suddenly reappeared, completely unharmed.
[She explained with casual indifference:]
["Huh, how naive," she said with a slight smile. "Did you really think you could eliminate us so easily?"]
["What you invaded wasn't the Soul King Palace at all."]
["The real Soul King Palace has been concealed by our monk using special methods. Everything you just witnessed was fake."]
[Subsequently, in the air above them, the kanji for "HIDDEN" (隠) written in black ink suddenly appeared in what had seemed like empty space.]
[And there—revealed at last—was the true Soul King Palace that had been concealed all along.]
[Ichibei Hyosube also appeared at this location, grinning wickedly at Yhwach and his forces.]
["Oops! How did you figure it out?" he said with mock surprise. "Well then, the cage is now complete."]
[Senjumaru Shutara]: Did you really think Squad Zero would fall that easily?
[Ichibei Hyosube]: The arrogance of youth! They walked right into our trap
[Yhwach]: Clever. But ultimately meaningless
[Gerard Valkyrie]: What the hell?! We were fighting illusions this whole time?!
[Lille Barro]: Impossible... my Diagramm should have seen through any deception
[Ichigo Kurosaki]: So that's why it seemed too easy! Squad Zero was just setting them up!
[Mayuri Kurotsuchi]: Fascinating spatial manipulation... creating an entire false reality
[Aizen Sosuke]: Ah, now this is more befitting of the Royal Guard's reputation
At this moment, countless strange trees suddenly sprouted around Lille Barro and the other Elite Guard members.
[Kirio Hikifune, another Squad Zero member, appeared with a cheerful grin.]
["It's finally complete! It's been so long since I've had to prepare such an elaborate feast—it's really exhausted me!" she said happily.]
[The bizarre cage formed by countless trees quickly surrounded the Elite Guard members.]
[RUSTLE! CREAK!]
[Gerard and the others desperately attacked these strange trees, but even attacking the same spot repeatedly proved useless—they seemed completely indestructible.]
[Even when aiming for gaps in the air, the trees would instantly block their path.]
[Kirio began explaining with a gentle smile:]
["Controlling food is controlling life, and I specialize in cooking to shape life itself," she said warmly.]
["The materials are also items created from my own spiritual pressure."]
["This tree feeds on my spiritual energy, allowing it to blossom and bear fruit."]
["Your bullets should be super-high concentrations of reishi, correct?"]
["This Tree of Life—how could it possibly miss such delicious food?"]
["Even if you can penetrate it, the tree will grow faster than your attacks can destroy it, so any breakthrough will be immediately repaired."]
["Just try it! Your power cannot escape from this cage of life."]
[Kirio Hikifune]: My cooking has always been popular, even with enemies!
[Gerard Valkyrie]: These damn trees! Get out of my way!
[Lille Barro]: No matter how many I destroy, they just keep growing back...
[Pernida Parnkgjas]: Kkkk... these plants... they consume everything...
[Ichigo Kurosaki]: Squad Zero's abilities are on a completely different level!
[Byakuya Kuchiki]: To think they could create such elaborate traps and illusions...
After this display, another Squad Zero member made his entrance.
Oetsu Nimaiya!
["Yo yo yo! I'm the creator of all Zanpakuto," he announced with an exaggerated pose.]
["Ten, nine..."]
["Oetsu Nimaiya!"]
[As soon as he appeared, he delivered an incredibly embarrassing rap performance that made the audience want to complain.]
[Oetsu Nimaiya]: Yo yo yo! Time to school these punks!
[Rangiku Matsumoto]: Is... is he seriously rapping right now?
[Ikkaku Madarame]: What the hell is with this guy's outfit?!
[Yumichika Ayasegawa]: So incredibly unfashionable... my eyes are burning
[Renji Abarai]: I don't know if I should laugh or cringe...
[Mayuri Kurotsuchi]: The eccentricity is... remarkable
Besides his bizarre attire, the most striking feature was the water tank strapped to his back. There was a blade floating above this tank, which left people confused.
Why would he keep his sword submerged in water? This was certainly a strange arrangement!
Only those familiar with him understood the reason: he did this because his unsheathed blade was simply too sharp.
There was no scabbard in existence that could contain its edge, so it could only be stored in water. Otherwise, even if placed on the ground, it would be sharp enough to slice straight through the floor.
This was the terrifying power of Oetsu Nimaiya—the Sword God.
[He spoke coldly to the Elite Guard trapped before him:]
["Alright, the main event is about to begin, you little brats. There's no way you're getting past this point," he declared with absolute confidence. "Accept your death!"]
[He believed that once he drew his weapon, these opponents would have only one fate—death.]
[Seeing Oetsu's appearance, the other Elite Guard members were momentarily speechless, unsure how to evaluate this unconventional figure.]
[Then Gerard quickly rushed forward, ready to strike him down with a fierce sword attack.]
[Oetsu didn't seem to regard Gerard as a threat at all, still paying attention to his floating blade:]
["Ouch, hasn't been used in a while—feels a little wobbly, doesn't it?" he muttered casually.]
[Just after effortlessly dodging Gerard's attack, he drew his blade in one fluid motion.]
[SWISH!!!]
[A single, elegant slash!]
[The strike directly cut Gerard down, sending him crashing to the ground.]
[Such a clean and decisive battle shocked the rest of the audience watching.]
[Was it really that terrifying? Did one knife strike bring down Gerard?]
[Toshiro Hitsugaya]: One strike?! He took down Gerard with just one attack?!
[Kenpachi Zaraki]: Now THAT'S what I'm talking about! A real swordsman!
[Ichigo Kurosaki]: The speed of that draw... I could barely see it
[Byakuya Kuchiki]: The technique was flawless. A master swordsman indeed
[Oetsu Nimaiya]: Yo! That's what happens when you mess with the original!
[Gerard Valkyrie]: Impossible... how could a single blade...
[Yhwach]: Interesting. So this is the power of the Sword God
[Aizen Sosuke]: Finally, a display worthy of the Royal Guard's reputation
Meanwhile, in Hueco Mundo, Aizen observed with genuine interest.
It seemed this man's blade was indeed noteworthy, and his strength was considerable. Compared to the other Squad Zero members, he was significantly more impressive. If they were all too pathetic, they really wouldn't be qualified to call themselves Squad Zero.
At last, they were showing some truly impressive strength! This allowed Aizen to see what Squad Zero truly represented.
Aizen had always been deeply interested in Squad Zero. The Soul King Palace was the place he had always wanted to reach.
For so long, he had waited for this opportunity. Finally being able to witness the true strength of Squad Zero was something Aizen had long anticipated!
Although it seemed they would ultimately be defeated by Yhwach, at the very least they needed to demonstrate an appropriate level of power—not complete garbage.
Otherwise, they would truly be unworthy of the Soul King Palace they protected, and unworthy of his long-standing desire to reach that place.
If the King Key he had worked so hard to create—if Squad Zero turned out to be nothing but trash—then they might as well hurry up and be wiped out by these Quincy!
[Aizen Sosuke]: Much better. This one at least possesses genuine skill
[Gin Ichimaru]: That sword technique was quite something, wasn't it?
[Kaname Tosen]: The precision was remarkable... a true master of the blade
In the projection, after witnessing Oetsu's attack, Lille Barro remained largely unconcerned and began analyzing carefully.
["You're using some kind of trick, aren't you?" he said coldly.]
["This has to be an illusion of some sort."]
["I can see clearly at a glance—how can a blade that's been submerged in liquid like jelly, with a handle that still shakes, possibly kill Gerard?"]
[He raised his massive sniper rifle, preparing to attack Oetsu directly.]
[He still couldn't believe that Oetsu possessed such overwhelming power—defeating Gerard in a single move seemed impossible.]
[Lille Barro]: There's no way that decrepit blade could have such power
[Oetsu Nimaiya]: Yo yo! You're about to learn why I'm called the Sword God!
[Ichigo Kurosaki]: Don't underestimate him! That guy's the real deal!
[Uryu Ishida]: Lille's X-Axis should be able to penetrate anything...
[Mayuri Kurotsuchi]: The collision between absolute penetration and perfect cutting... fascinating
[Yhwach]: We shall see which absolute proves more absolute
The stage was set for an epic confrontation between two masters of their respective arts—the Quincy marksman with his ability to pierce through anything, and the Sword God whose blade could cut through all creation.