The battle began, and then…
It ended?
At this moment, everyone in the entire Soul Society had their attention focused on the battlefield between Yhwach and Ishikawa.
Because both the Sternritter and the Gotei 13 knew very well that the outcome of their battles could not affect the final result.
Only two people could conclude this decisive battle—
The commanders of both sides—
Yhwach, Emperor of the Wandenreich;
Ishikawa, Provisional Captain Commander of the Gotei 13;
In everyone's eyes, the battle between the two would undoubtedly be a prolonged and difficult one, with no clear winner.
However…
It ended!!!
The entire Seireitei fell into complete silence at that instant.
How is that possible?
No matter where they were in the Seireitei, whether they saw the battlefield or not, they could all feel Ishikawa's strength surge at that moment, and the existence of… Yhwach… being instantly erased!
Is he really still a Shinigami?
At this moment, this question couldn't help but surface in the minds of the few remaining members of the Sternritter.
The aura Ishikawa displayed had completely exceeded their comprehension.
"This is impossible!?"
In the western part of Seireitei, Lille Barro's opened left eye stared intently into the distance, his dark face filled with horror.
Facing him was a figure with two wings, looking quite disheveled—it was none other than Cirucci.
Although shocked by the current situation, upon hearing Lille Barro's words, a captivating smile appeared on Cirucci's blood-stained face:
"Why is it impossible?"
Her words were filled with joy and pride; the tension from the start of the battle completely dissipated, and her mind was flooded with all the experiences she had since meeting Ishikawa.
Ishikawa was the strongest in her heart; this had never changed!
(I can make your Arrancarization more perfect!)
These were the first words Ishikawa said to her.
And it was precisely these words that allowed her to grow little by little to her current level, even becoming the strongest in Hueco Mundo, second only to Starrk!
Although being completely surpassed by Starrk, who underwent the transformation last, made Cirucci feel a bit unwilling, she…
Was already satisfied.
Because from the very beginning, she was already far behind the other Espada; her only advantage was having met Ishikawa earlier.
Soon, more and more people would surpass her.
Precisely because she was well aware of this, when Cirucci was with the other Espada, even if she was stronger than them, she couldn't help but feel a bit inferior, and even thought about how wonderful it would be if she were the only one to receive Ishikawa's transformation.
But this thought only appeared for an instant before Cirucci abandoned it.
Because she felt that comparing herself to the other Espada was inherently arrogant; the other Espada, even without Ishikawa or Aizen, would still be powerhouses in Hueco Mundo.
As for herself…
If she hadn't met Aizen or Ishikawa, she would just be a weak Adjuchas in Hueco Mundo!
The current situation already explained everything: as the enemies grew stronger, the help she could offer Ishikawa had become increasingly minimal.
Although it was a short battle, Cirucci already knew that she was no match for this Quincy.
Fortunately, there were stronger people than her, so it didn't matter if she lost.
"No!!"
Just then, Lille Barro's incredibly firm voice interrupted Cirucci's thoughts.
Looking up.
Lille Barro, who had originally looked horrified, had now regained his composure, and his crosshair-like left eye had closed again, as he said firmly, "Lord Yhwach will absolutely not lose!"
"Heh heh~"
Cirucci chuckled at his words, casually wiping away the blood from the corner of her mouth.
In her opinion, Lille Barro was simply unwilling to accept reality.
"It seems you still don't understand…"
"You're the one who doesn't understand!"
Lille Barro interrupted Cirucci, saying sternly, "I admit, for a moment just now, I was indeed shaken, but His Majesty can absolutely not be defeated, and certainly not die!"
Cirucci frowned, about to say something, however…
"I am different from a guy like you!"
Lille Barro's face showed a hint of scorn: "Even if I was shaken, I would never feel nervous because His Majesty had to face battle, nor would I ever think that His Majesty could lose to an enemy, not even for an instant."
"But you are different."
Lille Barro paused, the mockery in his tone growing stronger: "Your strength is not weak, but you are so vulnerable right now. This is precisely because, after several wars, your understanding of His Majesty has deepened, and you even feel fear towards His Majesty."
"Thus, subconsciously, you believed that guy named Ishikawa couldn't defeat His Majesty, and consequently, you were distracted in battle, and were severely wounded by me upon first contact."
"You must be thinking that as long as that guy named Ishikawa wins, even if you lose, there will be someone stronger than you to stop me, right?"
"Ridiculous!!"
Cirucci looked at Lille Barro with a grim expression. She completely failed to understand where Lille Barro's confidence came from at this moment, when her own commander was so vulnerable before Ishikawa.
However…
Lille Barro's words left Cirucci speechless.
Because what she thought was indeed true!
"Even if I cannot influence the final outcome, even if His Majesty truly loses, I will continue to win, clearing all obstacles for His Majesty, even that guy named Ishikawa!"
"Because…"
"I am the captain of His Majesty's Royal Guard, and the first Quincy to be granted a Schrift by His Majesty!"
"Even if many people after me were granted Schrifts by His Majesty, and some special beings already possessed immense power before being granted a Schrift, with His Majesty's Schrift merely complementing their existing power, still…"
"My position remains unshakable!"
"No matter how special they are, I am His Majesty's ultimate masterpiece, the man closest to God!"
As his words fell, Lille Barro's closed left eye opened once more.
"Although not by my will, the first time I opened my eye was when I first met you, because I understood your power. The recent wavering caused me to open my left eye a second time, and now, this is the third time."
Lille Barro's body surged with dazzling light, completely enveloping him.
"When I open both my eyes, my 'Omnidirectional' will be fully displayed, evolving into a judgment upon all enemies…
—God's Judgment!"
As the light dissipated, a greatly transformed Lille Barro appeared before Cirucci. His body was now covered in a cocoon-like substance, his head completely enveloped by his collar, his face bearing a pair of vertical yellow stripes, a giant halo above his head, and his arms replaced by eight white, hole-like wings extending from his back.
He looked entirely like a strangely shaped angel, as if a divine messenger had descended!
His aura, moreover, caused Cirucci's body to bend little by little.
But…
All these changes were ignored by Cirucci. From beginning to end, she kept her head raised, her pale purple eyes fixed on Lille Barro, her mind constantly replaying Lille Barro's words.
My position is unshakable!
No matter how special they are, I am His Majesty's ultimate masterpiece, and the man closest to God!
These two short sentences, like a bolt from the blue, made Cirucci, who had already planned to give up…
Suddenly feel an immense sense of unwillingness!
Because…
Wasn't she also one of the first to receive Ishikawa's transformation? Ishikawa had once told her that her evolution had far exceeded his expectations and that she was his most surprising creation.
But this unwillingness was not because she was no match for this person, but because…
As someone with a similar experience, she couldn't confidently say, like Lille Barro, "I am his most perfect creation." This made her unwilling;
As someone who was also among the first to undergo transformation, she couldn't, like Lille Barro, achieve an unshakable position. This made her unwilling;
Most importantly…
As the initial creation for someone most important to them, she was far inferior to Lille Barro, which subtly made Ishikawa, in some aspects, far weaker than the "His Majesty" Lille Barro spoke of.
The first two points were just unwillingness, but she was powerless to change them.
However, this last point…
Cirucci's unwillingness completely transformed into rage—rage towards the enemy, rage towards her comrades, and rage towards herself!
As her rage rapidly accumulated, Cirucci's dark spiritual pressure surged around her like a volcano on the verge of eruption, churning ceaselessly.
Ishikawa is the strongest—!
Not just in her heart, but for everyone else, he must also be the strongest!
In every aspect.
If this guy in front of her was the ultimate masterpiece of his so-called "His Majesty—" the man closest to God.
Then she too must become Ishikawa's ultimate masterpiece, the woman closest to Ishikawa!
The anger in her heart burned more and more fiercely, manifesting in Cirucci's spiritual pressure. Her dark wings expanded wildly, making Cirucci's beautiful face increasingly ferocious, her purple eyes stained with a deep, abyss-like black glow.
At the moment her anger burned to its extreme, its nature completely changed, finally evolving into…
A greed that seemed capable of devouring everything!
A greed Cirucci once possessed but had gradually forgotten.
No!
Not just the woman closest to Ishikawa!
The corner of Cirucci's mouth curved into a strange arc. Under this eerie smile, her ferocious face became seductive and dangerous, her purple tear marks turned pitch black, and her dark hair wildly fluttered.
Her wings behind her, at this instant, shattered like shards of glass, transforming into countless black petals that floated around her.
Making Cirucci within them even more alluring, yet not dazzling, but rather exuding a dangerous aura that threatened to devour everything!
She was not satisfied with just being the woman closest to Ishikawa; she wanted to become…
The woman who possessed Ishikawa!
At this thought, the curve of Cirucci's mouth grew even more wonderful, even more greedy.
He is the strongest, the strongest in every aspect!
And he…
Is mine!!!
…
"Hmm?"
In the eastern part of Seireitei, Ishikawa, who was waiting for Yhwach to reform, suddenly changed his expression and instinctively looked towards the west.
For some reason, he suddenly felt an inexplicable chill surge from the depths of his soul.
Immediately…
[Cirucci Love Value +1, gained 620,000 experience points, current Love Value: 61]
[… ]
[… ]
[Cirucci Love Value +1, gained 620,000 experience points, current Love Value: 100]
The system notifications frantically refreshing in his mind left Ishikawa standing frozen in place.
Setting aside the experience points, which were infinitely close to what Retsu Unohana provided, that maxed-out… and even transformed "Love Value" of 100 was simply too eye-catching.
It inexplicably gave Ishikawa a chilling sensation, as if some monster was looking at him with an incredibly pathological, incredibly greedy gaze, intending to swallow him whole and possess him completely.
What on earth happened?
After a while, Ishikawa's eyelid twitched. What exactly happened with Cirucci?
100 points?
And it was "Love"?
Because compared to "Love Value—" the word "Love" gave him a feeling of being in a passive position.
More importantly…
Could this really go down again?
"You can't kill…"
Just then, Yhwach's incredibly cold and murderous voice emerged from the black mist.
But before he could finish speaking, a purple light flashed in Ishikawa's eyes, and he raised his hand, slapping directly at the black mist above his head.
"Shut up!"
Boom~!
At that instant, the entire Seireitei trembled. The black mist, which had just formed into a human shape, instantly vanished, dissolving into countless particles invisible to the naked eye.
Looking out, a giant palm shot straight into the void.
Immediately…
Rumble~!!
A deafening roar echoed throughout the Soul Society, causing everyone to involuntarily look up.
The sight that greeted them left everyone stunned.
Because…
The sky had fallen!
A giant collapse appeared in the azure sky, forming layer upon layer of overlapping palm prints.
Although the palm prints overlapped, those with good eyesight could instantly discern how many layers there were…
Seventy-two layers!
"This madman!!"
Outside Muken, Shunsui looked up at the seventy-two layers of palm prints, feeling both shock and an urge to grab Ishikawa by the collar and scold him.
Because…
There were exactly seventy-two barriers between the Soul King Palace and the Seireitei. These seventy-two barriers were also the final defense protecting the Soul King Palace and the very foundation of this world.
And now, these barriers were not breached by the enemy, but rather slapped through by their own side!
With his mind shaken, Ishikawa's slap showed no restraint. The aura it carried even gave everyone a vague feeling of facing a surging torrent of the Soul King's power.
In other words…
To some extent, Ishikawa's strength had now infinitely approached that of the legendary Soul King.
In fact, it was true!
Ishikawa's various attributes had already reached their peak, and he was only a final step away from the Soul King.
But taking that step would be extremely difficult.
Even if Cirucci provided him with…
24,800,000 experience points, it was still the same!
Because to take that final step, Ishikawa could only rely on Kido to push through, and twenty-four million experience points, for the bottomless pit that is Kido, could only bring just over 20 types of Kido to their peak. This was far from enough to support Ishikawa in breaking through this final, and strongest, barrier.
However, Ishikawa had never intended to become an existence like the Soul King; what he had now was already enough for him.
"Hmm…"
Ishikawa looked at the opening above his head, frowning slightly, but then his brow relaxed.
That's fine!
He had originally intended for Yhwach to go to the Soul King Palace anyway.
It wasn't that he wanted this world to collapse, but simply wanted to give the Squad Zero a gift, and most importantly…
Ishikawa wanted to fight the Soul King!
Or rather, to fight Yhwach after he had absorbed the Soul King.
As for the temporary effects caused by the Soul King's demise, Ishikawa was already prepared; during that time, he would temporarily take on the Soul King's role.
Although he had never done so, he just had a feeling that he could also achieve this!
This was Ishikawa's initial goal…
But now, Yhwach, the Soul King, breaking through barriers… all of it was completely thrown to the back of Ishikawa's mind.
An unprecedented sense of crisis arose!
Kotetsu Isane, Soi Fon, Retsu Unohana… and so on, these troubles hadn't even been resolved yet, and now Cirucci had suddenly given him a huge scare, making Ishikawa's face subtly pale.