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The Final Sword!
A strike that could sever all of creation itself!
One swing, and the world went gray. Even the very images of the battlefield were shattered to pieces!
The transparent barrier quivered violently.
Thankfully, the display had already fractured like glass. Otherwise, even the faintest glint of that blade could have wiped out an entire squad with its terrifying, ultimate force.
Darkness blanketed the shattered light.
Silence followed, absolute and heavy.
Minutes passed, yet countless warriors remained frozen, unable to recover from the apocalyptic scene they had just witnessed.
"This… this is terrifying! Compared to that strike, every other attack we've seen on screen before feels like a child's toy!"
Within the Fourth Division, Kotetsu Isane gasped, her voice barely audible.
If it weren't for Retsu Unohana never leaving her side, Isane's courage—and spiritual power—would have faltered the instant the display shattered.
"Yeah…" Retsu Unohana's voice was calm but filled with acknowledgment. "Even my Eight-Thousand-Step Sword Style pales in comparison to the Blaze-Explosion Sword of the Zanka no Tachi."
"This… this is the power of the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years."
As the only one in the entire Gotei 13 who had witnessed Ryūjin Jakka's Bankai firsthand, Unohana's awe was no less than it had been a millennium ago—even if this time, she was only watching, not participating.
"This battle proves it," Unohana said, her eyes hardening, "time cannot weaken the Captain-Commander's strength. His treasured blade remains sharp, unmatched across the Soul Society!"
Her respect for the millennium's strongest Shinigami was genuine, unshakable.
Elsewhere.
The Wandenreich, Silberstadt.
Silence.
Time seemed to rewind to the very moment the battle report had begun. The pure-blood Quincy sanctuary was eerily still again, almost like a library.
Hollowed out of action, Haschwalth, his once-commanding Royal Guard, and the Sternritter present all shared the same expression—hesitation frozen in their faces.
Most opened their mouths, clearly wanting to speak, yet no words came.
The trembling barrier. The shattered images.
It all reflected the raw reality inside the hearts of the pure-blood Quincy:
No one had expected…
The great King of the Quincy…
to be reduced to a mere backdrop, a contrast against the overwhelming power of the Captain-Commander.
Seeing Yhwach's half-destroyed form and left arm vanish into the fiery blade on the shattered display sent shivers through every pure-blood's body.
Their eyes all turned toward the inner sanctuary, worry gnawing at their hearts.
"Your Majesty…"
"Please wake up! If you can't get back on your feet now…"
"That terrifying old man could sweep through the entire Wandenreich alone!"
Meanwhile, as the Gotei 13, the Hollow Realm, and the Wandenreich reeled from the Captain-Commander's overwhelming strength…
The battle in the human world had reached its breaking point.
"Rukia!"
In the heart of Karakura Town, both Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai shouted in alarm.
Above them hovered a small, fragile black silhouette.
Her hair was round and layered like an onion, her black Shihakusho pristine, a gleaming white zanpakutō in her right hand.
It was clear who she was—Byakuya's younger sister, Kuchiki Rukia, recently dispatched to Karakura Town under orders from the Central 46 to carry out a mission.
At the time of the Shinigami-Hollow clash, Rukia had sensed her brother's familiar spiritual pressure and rushed to the city without hesitation, bravely entering the fray.
The result? Even Renji had been gravely wounded by a single opening, not to mention the fact that, at this point, Rukia only possessed high-officer-level power.
"Hmm… so it's an old friend. I was wondering why a reckless Shinigami would come running straight into danger!" Yammy let out a cruel laugh, pressing his massive palm down on Rukia.
With Ulquiorra there, he didn't even need to lift a finger for most of the fight. The moment Rukia appeared, Yammy seized her without effort—setting up the current scene.
"Damn it… Espada! Let go of Rukia!"
Byakuya's face twisted with anxiety, his voice hoarse from desperation. His devotion to protecting his sister overrode all calm.
But the response came in the form of Ulquiorra's deadly strike:
BANG!
The blade of violence blasted Byakuya backward.
Ulquiorra stood with one hand in his pocket, his gaze cold, voice void of emotion:
"Byakuya Kuchiki… you should take care of yourself first. It's baffling how trash like you could ever grow into something of note."
His words dripped with disdain—for both Shinigami and Byakuya alike. After a few rounds of testing, Ulquiorra had fully assessed the two captains' strength.
True, the Kuchikis were skilled with their zanpakutō—but in Ulquiorra's eyes, their power was negligible, fit only for one-handed sparring.
Byakuya crawled through the rubble, wincing against the pain, attempting to continue the fight.
But Ulquiorra's next words crushed him completely:
"Yammy… I sense several presences approaching nearby. To avoid complications, we'll retreat for now."
He looked toward the eastern outskirts—home to the Arrancar base.
"Already leaving? Damn… I haven't even fully enjoyed slaughtering Shinigami yet!" Yammy gritted his fists, glaring.
"Then stay behind and die alone if you wish," Ulquiorra said, eyes still fixed coldly on the sky. "It's time for the Dimensional Barrier to descend!"
Below, the Shinigami felt an instant chill of dread.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya shouted, panic in his voice: "Dimensional Barrier? What does that mean? Even if it costs us our lives, we can't let them escape!"
"It's too late, Captain…" Rangiku Matsumoto sighed in despair.
Suddenly, the clouds above Karakura Town surged violently.
The blue sky and white clouds twisted into chaos as a dark, ominous presence descended.
"What's happening?!"
Through cracks in the dispersing clouds, two dim yellow beams of light shot down—like precise vertical barriers, locking onto Yammy and Ulquiorra.
The two Espada began to rise slowly into the air.
"Trash Shinigami…"
Yammy grabbed Rukia by her collar and pulled her into the Dimensional Barrier with him, sneering at Byakuya:
"If you want to save your little sister… come to Hueco Mundo!"
"I'll be waiting for you inside the palace of the night!"
"..."
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