In the chat group, heated discussions began erupting intensely.
[Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez]: Poison is very powerful, right?! Hmph, don't forget that we Arrancar have poison that you Quincy fear too
[Ulquiorra Cifer]: Indeed, our Hollow nature is also toxic to your kind of Quincy. Your purification abilities are useless against us
[Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez]: I really want to finish you off quickly! Before that, my battle with you isn't over! I don't believe I went down so soon
[Coyote Starrk]: I also want to fight these Elite Guard members. Although I lost to these Shinigami before, I think I'm still capable of dealing with these guards
[Askin Nakk Le Vaar]: Hmph, Shinigami are just that level, not to mention these Hollows! This Oetsu guy thought he was powerful after taking down a few guards, right? Now it's quickly being reversed
[Lille Barro]: It's just an illusion. You don't understand how terrifying our true strength is. When the time comes, we'll be able to open your eyes
Countless Shinigami and Quincy began fierce quarreling!
The Shinigami were also discussing internally, thinking about how to deal with Askin's strange power.
This "Lethal Dose" ability was indeed not an easy technique to counter. Who knew what weird poison he'd come up with next time? It would truly be troublesome.
[Mayuri Kurotsuchi]: The biological manipulation is fascinating... but deeply troubling
[Retsu Unohana]: An ability that weaponizes the body's own functions... most insidious
[Byakuya Kuchiki]: How does one combat an enemy who can make your own blood lethal?
[Kenpachi Zaraki]: I don't care what kind of poison it is! I'll just cut him down before it matters!
[Shunsui Kyoraku]: If only it were that simple, Zaraki...
[In the following projection, Askin stood up while Oetsu collapsed.]
["You shouldn't have taken me so lightly!" Askin said with his characteristic lazy drawl. "It doesn't matter how you speak or the look on your face... you think I'm weak, right?"]
["It doesn't matter."]
["This also makes me seem even more harmless, so no one will easily notice my ability."]
[At this moment, Oetsu seemed unable to continue standing. Askin appeared to have secured victory.]
[However, at this moment, a strange situation developed in the projection.]
[Oetsu was suddenly able to stand up again, speaking very cheerfully:]
["Haha, thank you so much for the explanation! Now I know exactly what to do next," he said with renewed vigor.]
["Since you said I'm poisoned by my own blood, it's very simple—I just need to drain all this blood, right?"]
["That's a great solution!"]
["Since the more blood there is, the easier it is to be poisoned, shouldn't I just have less blood?"]
[This did sound like a reasonable way to counter the technique—reducing the poisonous substance as much as possible should prevent further toxicity.]
[But Askin shook his head at this suggestion.]
["Easy to say, but not easy to do," he replied matter-of-factly.]
["You have to understand that human blood is crucial! Depending on your weight, you should have about four liters of blood."]
["And your blood becomes lethal at 1.6 liters."]
["So you'd have to lose most of your blood to barely survive, but after losing most of your blood, you can't survive anyway. So no matter what, you're dead."]
[Askin Nakk Le Vaar]: No matter how you struggle, the math doesn't work out
[Oetsu Nimaiya]: Yo yo! You're forgetting something important about Squad Zero!
[Tenjiro Kirinji]: That's where my specialty comes in handy
[Ichigo Kurosaki]: Wait, how is he standing up? That poison should be fatal!
[Mayuri Kurotsuchi]: Impossible... the biological constraints should be absolute
[Askin was indeed full of confidence at the moment, believing it was impossible for Oetsu to survive his lethal dose.]
[Whether waiting for death or blood loss, there was no doubt that Oetsu was finished.]
[Unfortunately, he had miscalculated one crucial thing.]
[He didn't know that at this moment, there was still someone who could help Oetsu survive—demonstrating the true power of Squad Zero's teamwork.]
[Tenjiro Kirinji quickly took action.]
[A hot spring made of blood came rushing forward.]
[WHOOSH! SPLASH!]
[It surrounded Oetsu, creating a path for him to survive.]
[As Tenjiro had explained before, his hot springs were made of blood and spiritual pressure.]
[But that was just his white hot spring for healing.]
[His red hot spring, however, had a different ability—it could replace all lost blood with fresh, new blood.]
[So at this moment, within the sea of blood, Oetsu appeared again, completely revitalized with full health!]
[This was completely beyond Askin's imagination!]
[Oetsu quickly slashed at Askin once more.]
[SWISH!!!]
[A spray of blood erupted rapidly.]
[Askin widened his eyes and fell to the ground, deeply unwilling to accept his fate.]
[Squad Zero had finally managed to eliminate the entire Elite Guard!]
[Only Yhwach remained!]
[Tenjiro Kirinji]: My hot springs can cure any ailment—even lethal blood!
[Oetsu Nimaiya]: Yo! That's the power of Squad Zero teamwork right there!
[Askin Nakk Le Vaar]: Impossible... my calculations were perfect...
[Ichigo Kurosaki]: They did it! Squad Zero actually took down all the Elite Guard!
[Mayuri Kurotsuchi]: Fascinating! Complete blood replacement to circumvent biological toxicity...
[Kenpachi Zaraki]: Now THAT'S how you fight! No fancy tricks, just cut them down!
[Yhwach]: Amusing. You believe this changes anything?
[Aizen Sosuke]: The Royal Guard's coordination is indeed impressive... but will it be enough?
[Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez]: Ha! See that, Quincy? Your "elite" just got schooled!
[Lille Barro]: Don't celebrate yet... His Majesty hasn't even begun to fight seriously
[Gerard Valkyrie]: This isn't over! We Elite Guard don't die so easily!
[Rukia Kuchiki]: They actually defeated all of them... Squad Zero really is incredible
[Byakuya Kuchiki]: The coordination between Nimaiya and Kirinji was flawless
[Retsu Unohana]: Now we see why they are called the Royal Guard
[Shunsui Kyoraku]: But something tells me this victory may be short-lived...
[Jushiro Ukitake]: Yhwach hasn't shown his true power yet
[Ichibei Hyosube]: The real battle begins now, with His Majesty
The Shinigami celebrated this incredible display of Squad Zero's power and teamwork. The combination of Oetsu's incredible swordsmanship and Tenjiro's healing abilities had proven that even the most insidious of the Elite Guard's powers could be overcome.
However, experienced warriors knew that this was likely just the beginning. Yhwach had watched his Elite Guard fall with complete composure, showing no concern whatsoever.
The true test was about to begin.
As the blood from Tenjiro's healing springs slowly receded, Oetsu stood victorious among the fallen Elite Guard. But his eyes were already focused on the one enemy that truly mattered—the Quincy Emperor himself.
Yhwach stepped forward, his expression unchanged, as if the defeat of his most powerful subordinates was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
The fate of all three worlds would soon hang in the balance of what came next.