Now, the supreme leader of the Shinigami in Soul Society was finally going to officially face the leader of the opposing faction!
The audience was also greatly anticipating this confrontation.
Although the Shinigami in Soul Society understood very clearly that Yhwach would very likely defeat Ichibei Hyosube, the Squad Zero leader should still be able to force out Yhwach's strongest abilities, right?
Then they could observe what special powers this Yhwach possessed and gather as much intelligence about him as possible.
That would still benefit the entire Soul Society greatly.
When facing unknown enemies, every piece of intelligence was extremely important and couldn't be ignored.
Only by being most cautious with one's enemy could victory be achieved later.
[In the projection, Ichibei drew a line on the ground, then walked to a distance of tens of meters and drew another line.]
["The distance between here and here—within this space, I will defeat you," he declared with absolute confidence.]
[When Yhwach saw the space between these two lines, he only smiled contemptuously.]
["It's a bit long!" he responded dismissively.]
["I only need to take three more steps and you'll die."]
["Ichibei Hyosube, meet your death."]
[Ichibei turned around, wielding his brush and ink, drawing the kanji for "seal" (封) in the air.]
[Then he shouted coldly:]
["Didn't I already tell you? Don't just call out my name so casually!"]
[As soon as the words fell, within this formation, an enormous hand suddenly materialized.]
[BOOM—]
[It thrust forward with tremendous force, striking Yhwach's body at lightning speed.]
[This was Ichibei's "Thousand-Ri Tenjusho"—a technique that would undoubtedly knock its target a thousand ri away.]
[It could truly be called a rule-based ability!]
[Forcibly sending Yhwach back a thousand ri!]
[During the process of Yhwach being sent flying, Ichibei also appeared above Yhwach's head, continuing his assault.]
[A thousand ri away!!]
[Yhwach attempted to counterattack, preparing to chant holy words.]
[However, at this moment, Yhwach was surprised to discover that his throat was burning rapidly during the high-speed movement, rendering him unable to speak.]
[After all, this palm strike had genuinely sent him flying a thousand ri—it was indeed terrifying.]
If he couldn't speak, he might not be able to use abilities in this voice-activated world!
[Afterward—]
[BOOM—]
[Ichibei once again used a move from above, employing another Tenjusho to slam Yhwach toward the ground.]
[The powerful attack even distorted space itself.]
[When Yhwach was struck, he had no way to continue blocking.]
[Without doubt, he would definitely be sent flying a thousand ri!]
[He would crash directly into the Seireitei below and would no longer be able to reach the Soul King Palace!!]
[However, facing this second palm strike, Yhwach actually managed to shout again:]
["I grant myself a voice."]
[Using the power of creation, he forcibly repaired his burned throat and spoke once more.]
[Then, facing Ichibei, he quickly manifested a great holy bow.]
[A bow and arrow appeared beneath him.]
[A direct arrow pierced through Yhwach himself, resisting the powerful thrust of Ichibei's palm strike!]
[At the same time, he continued shooting toward the Soul King Palace's location.]
[He was essentially using his own body as both bow and arrow, returning to the heights above.]
[SWISH!!!]
[Countering Ichibei's Tenjusho technique!]
[He wasn't beaten a thousand ri away and successfully returned to the Soul King Palace.]
Being able to use archery to such an extent could indeed be called extremely clever.
[Seeing this scene, Ichibei could only dodge the arrow, return to the Soul King Palace, and pat his head helplessly.]
[The expression on his face became increasingly grim.]
["There's no helping it! It seems I can only kill you properly," he said with growing irritation.]
["Let you reflect on your actions."]
["But you refuse to reflect."]
["It really annoys me!"]
["You're obviously so ancient, yet you still act like a mischievous child, loving to cause trouble."]
[After speaking, Ichibei turned around. His eyes seemed to become completely white, with no visible pupils within them.]
[A terrifying glare!]
[Intimidating!]
His killing intent at this moment was obviously growing deeper and deeper.
[Rukia Kuchiki]: Oh my god! Is this a battle between two top powerhouses? It's truly frightening. The action is flashing by too quickly—I can barely see it!
[Sui-Feng]: He won't really fly a thousand kilometers, will he? That's horrible
[Shunsui Kyoraku]: It seems this is our last hope. It's indeed worthy of Ichibei—he can be said to be the leader of us Shinigami internally
[Jushiro Ukitake]: Indeed! Ichibei's ability is still very powerful. Although it's not terrifyingly destructive, it has the power to restrain all of us Shinigami
[Orihime Inoue]: And to some extent, he's a terrifying Shinigami who masters rule-based powers. I believe the battle between him and Yhwach must be evenly matched
[Yhwach]: Good! Is it finally time for the ultimate battle? Ichibei, let me see what strength you possess! This preliminary testing alone isn't enough to make me take you seriously
[Yhwach]: At the very least, make me use the power of "The Almighty"!
[Yhwach]: If you're defeated while I'm in my normal state, then you're truly pathetic!
[Ichigo Kurosaki]: Come on, Ichibei! You're our last hope!
[Aizen Sosuke]: Fascinating... the monk's conceptual abilities versus the Quincy Emperor's creation powers
[Kenpachi Zaraki]: This is what I call a real fight! No holding back!
[Mayuri Kurotsuchi]: Rule-based abilities... truly the pinnacle of spiritual evolution
[Byakuya Kuchiki]: The fate of the Soul King Palace rests on this battle
[Retsu Unohana]: Ichibei... show him the true power of Squad Zero's leader
At this moment, this battle could be said to captivate the hearts of countless people, with leaders from all factions eagerly anticipating the outcome.
The leader of the Shinigami's side—Ichibei—was finally able to fully display his strength.
Although they had previously seen him eliminated by Yhwach and reduced to a lump of flesh, only to be resurrected after Ichigo's appearance, in a sense, his ability to constantly resurrect made him genuinely difficult to kill completely.
Therefore, it would be challenging for Yhwach to completely defeat Ichibei Hyosube!
Aizen in Hueco Mundo was becoming increasingly expectant, beginning to speak to himself:
"Then let me see how strong this so-called leader of the Shinigami—Ichibei Hyosube—truly is! I've heard his power is capable of restraining all Shinigami?"
"As long as one belongs to the Shinigami system of Soul Society, it's impossible to escape his power."
"This is truly what I'm anticipating, so I must work hard to improve my strength in other areas."
"Like Kisuke Urahara, attempting to use powers beyond the Zanpakuto—this might be the way to defeat Ichibei Hyosube."
Of course, Aizen was also aware that although Ichibei was very powerful against Shinigami, this wasn't an internal Shinigami battle.
This was about facing another species—the Quincy.
So Yhwach probably wasn't as passive as one might imagine.
There should still be opportunities for swift counterattacks!
Resolving Ichibei shouldn't pose much of a problem.
Now, with the goal of obtaining intelligence, Aizen watched the next battle very seriously.
After all, if his own strength proved insufficient and he couldn't escape the influence of Zanpakuto, Ichibei would likely still pose a considerable threat to him.
So he wanted to observe carefully what kind of strength this Ichibei—who had mastered the power of Zanpakuto and controlled the power of names—would demonstrate!
[Aizen Sosuke]: The monk's authority over names and concepts... quite fascinating indeed
[Gin Ichimaru]: Captain Aizen seems quite interested in this battle
[Kaname Tosen]: Understanding one's potential enemies is always wise
Meanwhile, on the side of the Wandenreich, the Quincy were also amazed.
Although they still remembered Yhwach's previous ruthlessness—how he never treated them as people—at this moment, they still had to watch their Majesty's battle seriously.
They realized once again how terrifying Yhwach's power truly was.
However, at this moment, there were far fewer people praising their Majesty.
Only the truly powerful Elite Guard felt comfortable speaking up.
The other Quincy had very mixed feelings toward Yhwach.
It was no longer mere worship.
It was more resentment and fear.
Especially compared to Captain Yamamoto...
He had fought so desperately for his subordinates, even sacrificing his own life—truly great and selfless.
That Yhwach was simply far inferior!
[Bazz-B]: Even after what he did to us... we still have to watch and hope he wins
[Candice Catnipp]: It's complicated... wanting him to succeed but hating what he represents
[Liltotto Lamperd]: At least if he wins, our sacrifices won't have been meaningless
[As Nodt]: Fear... this battle will determine everything
[Bambietta Basterbine]: The monk's power looks terrifying... even His Majesty is being pushed back
The stage was set for the ultimate confrontation—a battle that would determine not just the fate of the Soul King Palace, but potentially the balance of all three worlds.
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