The ink-black ice pillars melted rapidly, then burst into flames. In the next instant, the soaring pillar of black fire was forcibly drawn into Muten Natsu's body.
He didn't know how the Arrancar had done it, but since it had the ability to extinguish the Hell Flames, then he could no longer use Hell Flames to attack.
Layers upon layers of black bandages wrapped around his body, sealing the Hell Flames inside.
The Hell Flames turned into violent power coursing through his body. Muten Natsu twisted at the waist, and the arm gripping Myōki gradually faded and disappeared.
It was an afterimage left behind by a swing so fast it had reached the absolute limit.
The inward-curving blade was already closing in on Wonderweiss's neck.
Boom!
A golden Negación descended from the sky, enveloping several Arrancar and separating inside from outside into two different worlds.
"Damn it!!!" Grimmjow glared at Muten Natsu in furious frustration. "Next time... I'm definitely going to kill you!"
"That's what I should be saying!" Luppi pointed at Muten Natsu. "I'm absolutely going to twist your head right off... then crush it in my hand!"
Inside the largest curtain of light, Yammy looked like he wanted to say something, but all he managed was to spit out a huge mouthful of blood.
Ulquiorra silently returned his Zanpakutō to its sheath, his dark green eyes reflecting Muten Natsu's figure.
"We're all..." the mouth on Wonderweiss's forehead slowly closed, "waiting for you..."
The golden Negación narrowed and vanished, taking the Arrancar with it.
Muten Natsu released Raku Zetsu. Surging black flames burst out, then slowly dispersed, revealing his battered body.
"Sōten Kisshun!" Rukia Kuchiki caught Muten Natsu as he fell from the air, and Orihime Inoue immediately began healing him. "I reject!"
Muten Natsu's eyelids grew heavier and heavier, until at last they closed on their own.
He had already expended a great deal of energy during Hollowfication training before this.
Then he had used Bankai twice in a row, and the second time had drawn out power beyond what he could properly control.
On top of that, keeping the Hell Flames burning inside his own body had caused tremendous damage.
The fact that he had still managed to swing that final strike was already remarkable.
"Kisuke..." Yoruichi Shihōin came to Kisuke Urahara's side, her eyes falling on Muten Natsu inside the barrier. "Just now..."
Kisuke Urahara frowned. "Aizen can already interfere with the direction of Arrancar evolution."
That meant Sōsuke Aizen's control over the Hōgyoku had reached a terrifying level, and its awakening was progressing far faster than Soul Society had expected.
The Hōgyoku had the power to grant wishes. If someone wished for it to awaken faster, then it would awaken faster.
The more it awakened, the greater its power became, and the faster it could awaken still.
At the same time, if the person using the Hōgyoku wished to wield its power more effectively, then the Hōgyoku would in turn help that person use its power more effectively.
This time, Sōsuke Aizen had created an Arrancar specifically meant to counter Muten Natsu. If he were given more time, what kind of Arrancar would he create next?
Everything was accelerating toward the worst possible abyss at an utterly terrifying speed.
Tessai Tsukabishi treated the injured, then began repairing the spatial damage caused by the battle.
Ikkaku Madarame's injuries were too severe, so he had to be taken to Urahara Shop for further treatment, and Yumichika Ayasegawa naturally went with him.
Muten Natsu's injuries had also been serious, but with Orihime Inoue's treatment, most of the wounds on his body had already healed. What remained was the drain on his mind and spirit, and that could only be recovered through sleep.
By the time he woke, it was already the next morning.
Lying in bed, he slowly opened his eyes and saw Rukia Kuchiki and Orihime Inoue beside him.
"You're finally awake?" Ririn jumped down from the head of the bed. "How do you feel?"
Muten Natsu raised a hand and flexed his fingers, testing the power inside him. "Feels like I was never hurt at all."
"That's all because Orihime kept healing you. Even after your injuries were already better, she was still helping you recover your Reiatsu."
Muten Natsu had heard from Retsu Unohana before that Orihime Inoue's Sōten Kisshun was extremely effective when it came to healing injuries, but only average when it came to restoring Reiatsu.
Feeling the abundant Reiatsu inside his body, Muten Natsu realized Orihime Inoue must have worked hard for a long time last night.
He gently stroked the head of the sleeping Orihime Inoue and spoke softly. "You worked hard."
Orihime Inoue seemed to sense it. She mumbled vaguely, then rubbed against Muten Natsu a little in her sleep.
"That move of yours, Tsukishiro, really saved me in the fight earlier." Muten Natsu rubbed Rukia Kuchiki's head. "Since you're awake, stop pretending."
Rukia Kuchiki lifted her head and slapped his hand away with a displeased look.
Muten Natsu: "...?"
Why was she upset now?
Ririn's gaze flicked across Rukia Kuchiki's face. She had a feeling Rukia Kuchiki had just wanted to rub against Muten Natsu a bit too, the same way Orihime Inoue had.
But once Muten Natsu noticed she was awake, she couldn't very well keep pretending to do it unconsciously.
Of course she was annoyed.
Still, Muten Natsu most likely had no idea what Rukia Kuchiki was thinking.
Sometimes Ririn really had no idea how someone could be this dense.
He had been sleeping with two pretty girls beside him for ages now, so how could he still act like nothing at all had happened?
No matter how much of a gentleman he was, after that much physical closeness, he should have realized how Rukia Kuchiki and Orihime Inoue felt about him.
Call him a jerk... and he fought desperately to protect Rukia Kuchiki and Orihime Inoue, and had never gotten handsy with them... well... not done anything too excessive, anyway.
Say he wasn't a jerk... and he never pushed either of them away, treated them both equally well, and when he slept, he always had one on the left and one on the right, making a point of keeping everything perfectly even.
Who knew whether he understood perfectly well and was only pretending not to, or whether he was simply too clueless to have figured it out yet.
Rukia Kuchiki puffed out her cheeks slightly. "How did you know I was awake?"
"I've slept holding you even while you were all wrapped up in the blanket," Muten Natsu said with a helpless laugh. "How could I not know whether you were asleep or awake?"
The moment Muten Natsu woke up, he realized Rukia Kuchiki had woken up too.
Unlike the exhausted Orihime Inoue, Rukia Kuchiki had been keeping watch over Muten Natsu the whole time. Her sleep had been so light that the slightest movement from him woke her immediately.
Still unconvinced, Rukia Kuchiki pinched him. "Are you hungry? I'll go make you something to eat."
"Isn't there bread right here?" Muten Natsu looked toward the bread and milk on the bedside table and reached for them, only for Rukia Kuchiki to smack his hand.
"I'll make you some porridge." Rukia Kuchiki carefully got out of bed, trying not to wake Orihime Inoue, who was lying on Muten Natsu's other side.
Muten Natsu wanted to get up too, but Rukia Kuchiki shot him a glare.
"Behave and lie there with her."
"If I'd worked all night, then when I woke up, the first person I'd want to see..." Rukia Kuchiki pressed her lips together lightly, "would be the person I'd healed myself."