A trace of approval flashed through Yamamoto's eyes.
He could naturally tell that the thorned armor covering Tsunayoshi was modeled after his own technique.
"Not bad. It seems you still have the strength to continue," Yamamoto said.
"This? We're just getting started," Tsunayoshi replied, steadying himself behind the insulation of the thorn armor. "You've only shown East and West. What about South and North?"
The armor continuously propagated and regenerated, layer after layer. Each time the outer layer was scorched away, the Cloud Attribute Dying Will Flame regenerated a fresh layer of protection.
With this thermal buffer, Tsunayoshi could temporarily withstand Yamamoto's sun-like heat.
"Tsunayoshi… South and North are not techniques to be used lightly," Yamamoto warned. Those were true killing moves—far harder to control than Kyokujitsujin or Zanjitsu Gokui.
"Time's not on our side," Tsunayoshi said, tilting his chin toward the barrier. "If you won't use them, I'll take the initiative."
The barrier was already deteriorating again due to Zanjitsu Gokui. Ukitake was forced to redirect excess heat into the sky.
But that came with a cost—
The overall temperature of Soul Society was slowly rising.
In other words, whether it was the barrier's stability or the safety of Soul Society itself, neither could endure a prolonged battle. A drawn-out fight lasting days was simply impossible.
The world itself couldn't withstand this level of power.
Yamamoto quickly grasped the situation.
If that was the case…
Then he would test Tsunayoshi with one of his true trump cards.
He reversed his grip on Zanka no Tachi and thrust it downward.
There was no real ground left within the barrier—the blade was planted into a platform formed purely from his Reiatsu.
It was done purely for ritual.
A strange, ominous Reiatsu spread outward from the blade. From its center, a field of dark crimson earth expanded, cracked and littered with rubble.
Bathed in eerie red light, it resembled hell itself.
"Corpses… I grant you a fleeting moment of battle…"
As Yamamoto's voice echoed, the sound of bones colliding began to ring out.
A skeletal hand burst from the ground.
Then another.
One by one, dark red skeletons clawed their way up from the earth.
Tsunayoshi swallowed instinctively.
Even knowing what this technique was, witnessing it firsthand was deeply unsettling.
Soon, the battlefield was filled with skeletons, their hollow arms reaching toward him—as if seeking his life.
"Zanka no Tachi: South — Kaka Jūmanokushi Daisōjin!"
At Yamamoto's command, the skeletons rose fully to their feet.
Some held blades. Others carried bows.
They staggered forward, trembling, yet relentless—marching toward Tsunayoshi.
"These are all those slain by my blade," Yamamoto said coldly. "I grant the heat of my blade to their ashes, reviving them. The dead will pursue my enemies until they are reduced to ash."
"Tsunayoshi—how will you deal with my army of the dead?"
"…It's definitely intimidating," Tsunayoshi admitted, casually spinning the black-and-white handcuffs at his waist with his tonfa.
"But that doesn't mean you're the only one who can summon an army."
In a blink—
The single pair of handcuffs had become three pairs in each hand.
"…This is bad. Ukitake—hold on!" Urahara suddenly felt a surge of dread and began pouring even more Kidō into the barrier.
"I'll help too… what a troublesome kid…" Hirako added, following Urahara's method and injecting his own spiritual power into the barrier.
Tsunayoshi, however, paid them no mind.
The moment the skeleton army advanced halfway, he hurled the spinning handcuffs forward.
The instant they left his hands—
They began to multiply.
One became two.
Two became four.
Four became eight—
Exponentially increasing.
By the time they collided with the skeleton army, the sky above was already filled with black-and-white forms—equal in number to the undead legion.
This was the Cloud Attribute Beyond Bankai—
A tree-like chain propagation, exponential growth in numbers.
In sheer coverage, it even surpassed the Storm Attribute.
Just before impact—
Purple flames ignited across the handcuffs.
Within those flames, they reshaped into their true forms.
The black ones became Cloud Hedgehogs (Koyuki).
The white ones became Cloud Raptors.
In an instant, the battlefield was filled with massive spiked spheres and agile, ferocious raptors.
Just like that—
Tsunayoshi had assembled an army that rivaled Yamamoto's undead legion.
Under the relentless charge of the hedgehogs in Needle Sphere Form and the tearing assaults of the raptors, the skeleton army quickly collapsed.
After all, they were merely bones—their combat capability was limited.
But Yamamoto showed no surprise.
A skeletal body alone could not bring out the true strength of the dead.
If they were to wield blades and fire arrows properly—
They needed flesh.
Flames surged.
Each skeleton was enveloped in blazing energy.
And when they stepped out—
They were no longer skeletons.
They had become living beings once more.
Using the heat of Zanka no Tachi, Yamamoto had restored them to their forms before death.
There were Shinigami wielding Zanpakutō.
Quincy holding bows.
Even Hollows in their monstrous forms.
These revived dead possessed no will of their own—they simply obeyed Yamamoto's command.
But now, with bodies restored—
They could wield the full power they had in life.
This—
Was Yamamoto's true army.
Most striking of all—
The Shinigami standing directly before Yamamoto.
Each wore a Captain's haori.
Each exuded a terrifying presence.
Every single one—
A former Captain.
The Original Gotei 13.
Tsunayoshi immediately recognized them.
A thousand years ago, Yamamoto had been a man of ruthless resolve.
If necessary, he would burn both enemy and ally alike without hesitation.
No one knew what mindset drove him to summon them now—
But the observing Captains were shaken to their core.
"…Those are…?" Kyōraku began, unable to finish.
"The original Gotei 13," Unohana Retsu said calmly. "They died alongside the Quincy—burned down by the Head Captain himself."
Silence fell.
No matter how one framed it—
Yamamoto had once slain his own comrades.
Even knowing Yamamoto's character, the truth sent a chill through the current generation of Captains.
Kyōraku quickly understood.
This wasn't just a technique—
It was a message.
When the current Gotei 13 could no longer accept the ruthlessness of the past—
That would be the moment a new Head Captain would emerge.
With the resurrection complete, the battlefield shifted instantly.
The undead army's power skyrocketed.
The Cloud Hedgehogs and Raptors could no longer advance—they could only match the enemy through continuous propagation.
Not enough… I need reinforcements.
Tsunayoshi extended white, root-like tendrils from the Thorn Dragon patterns on his legs, driving them into the ground.
Moments later—
Massive serpent-like Thorn Dragons erupted from beneath the battlefield.
With their arrival, the balance began to stabilize.
The growth rate of Tsunayoshi's army matched the revival rate of Yamamoto's.
As if by unspoken agreement—
Both sides maintained equilibrium.
"Incredible… the power of both Head Captain Yamamoto and Tsunayoshi…" Komamura murmured. "It's like watching ants devour an elephant…"
"Heh… a one-man army…" Kyōraku muttered to himself. "No wonder the old man values him so highly."
Hitsugaya was already considering whether Hyōrinmaru could replicate such a combat style.
Kenpachi, meanwhile, had abandoned any thought of challenging them—he only wanted to grow stronger, so he could one day enjoy a battle like this.
As for Urahara, Hirako, and Ukitake—
They were far too busy maintaining the battlefield to comment.
In contrast to the chaos—
At the very center, Yamamoto and Tsunayoshi stood calmly.
Yamamoto was testing Tsunayoshi's army.
Tsunayoshi, meanwhile, was wary of the Original Gotei 13.
He knew—
The moment they joined the battle, the balance would collapse.
His army alone could not withstand those elites.
He would have no choice but to step in personally.
Yamamoto noticed the concern in Tsunayoshi's eyes.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on his lips.
So… you're worried.
Then let me see your limit.
At Yamamoto's command—
The Original Gotei 13 moved.
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