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The Captain Commander’s Reiatsu was a phenomenon that could only be described as a mountain or a sea—a mountain so high its peak pierced the heavens beyond sight, and a sea with depths that knew no end. This wasn't the kind of 'transcending boundaries' nonsense Urahara Kisuke or Sosuke Aizen prattled about; it was the absolute apex achievable by a Soul Reaper. Just pure, unadulterated strength at the pinnacle of his race.
Urahara and Aizen might have sought to tear down the wall between Soul Reaper and Hollow, but perhaps the 'limit' they sought to surpass was merely a standard they set for themselves. Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni’s full power had already surged past any rational metric of what a Soul Reaper should be. And yet... no matter how monstrously powerful he was alone, this war was destined to end in our victory. Why? Because the first of the casualties had finally appeared.
Splurt!
"Tatsuki..."
"It's over."
The herald of our first major victory was Yeriel. Facing off against Ichigo Kurosaki and Uryu Ishida seemed to have taken a bit longer than expected, but she signaled the win by driving Engetsu clean through both their hearts. Even in his final moment, Ichigo Kurosaki stared at Yeriel with mournful eyes, calling her by her human name. Was it because his childhood friend had become the monster that ended him? Or was it because he had failed to reach her heart? Regardless, Ichigo Kurosaki and Uryu Ishida were dead. Shortly after, Yeriel moved to support Lucifer.
"It is handled."
She approached him, more blood-spattered than actually wounded. Her appearance had shifted from her usual state; she now wore a bone-white mask with horns, and her limbs were covered in fur like a beast's mane. Her Reiatsu felt less like a Soul Reaper's and far closer to that of an Espada. This was Yeriel's Bankai, transformed through its fusion with her Hollow nature.
"You're calmer than I expected," Lucifer noted.
"I simply killed my enemies. There's no reason to regret that," Yeriel replied coldly.
Lucifer found her answer more than satisfactory. He had checked in, worried that killing her friends might shake her resolve, but this icy professionalism ensured she wouldn't be a liability in the battles ahead. Moreover, Yeriel’s victory was the first break in the tension. Like a taut thread snapping, winners and losers would now be decided in rapid succession across the Seireitei.
"Good. But don't stay here. Go support the others. The three of us are enough for this old man for now."
Lucifer declined her assistance. While her strength would certainly help pin Yamamoto down, he preferred she expedite the cleanup on other fronts while he maintained the stalemate.
"Understood."
"Our first victory has emerged, Captain Commander," Lucifer taunted as Yeriel departed to provide backup.
To be honest, it was a surprise the Modified Arrancars had held out this long against the old man. Perhaps their Hierro was tougher than calculated, or maybe the combined support of Lucifer and Orihime was actually working. For now, they were holding the line.
"So the Substitute Soul Reaper has fallen. Truly a tragedy," Yamamoto said. His voice carried the weight of sorrow, yet his expression and Reiatsu remained utterly unshakable.
"Let's get back to it then."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Wonderweiss launched the first assault. Being mindless, he attacked without telegraphing his movements, using sheer speed to seize the initiative. He wasn't aiming for a killing blow, but to harass. The Ice Emperor followed up with a combined sequence, weaving ice spears from the air to restrict the Captain Commander’s footing. Lucifer stepped in only when the Modified Arrancars were in mortal peril, disrupting Yamamoto's rhythm. Those brief one-to-three-second openings were enough to let the experiments survive another round.
Wonderweiss nearly got pulverized by a Sokotsu (Double Bone) strike early on, but he narrowly survived as the Ice Emperor’s wall and Lucifer’s power of Death sapped the blow's kinetic energy. Orihime’s Sōten Kisshun immediately healed him, and he was thrown back into the fray. It was a brutal cycle of combat, injury, and instant restoration.
Thud! CRACK!
But the pattern eventually broke. In an instant, Yamamoto’s fist smashed through Wonderweiss's mask. The power of Death had been used to shield him, and ice walls had risen, but Yamamoto had finally adjusted to their timing. He punched straight through the defenses and shattered the core weakness—the mask itself.
"That's one dealt with," the old man grunted.
Blood was trickling from Yamamoto’s own arm. It seemed the combination of the Ice Emperor's frost and Lucifer's rot hadn't been entirely negligible. However, at the cost of a minor wound, he had removed Wonderweiss. The scales immediately tipped in the Captain Commander's favor. With Wonderweiss dead, the seal on Ryujin Jakka was gone. The flames were coming back.
Fwoooosh!
"The seal is gone, yet I still feel the momentum is on my side," Lucifer remarked.
While the unsealing of Ryujin Jakka was a massive threat, the wider war was already being won. Two more signatures of Reiatsu had just vanished. The first belonged to Soi Fon. Her duel against Yoruichi, fought with Shunko from the start, had finally reached its conclusion. Yoruichi looked battered, but with Orihime’s help, her wounds would be considered minor enough for her to rejoin the front lines soon.
The second result came from the clash involving Byakuya, Rukia, Rangiku, and Gin. Despite facing three opponents, Byakuya had used every ounce of his skill to immobilize Rukia and press Rangiku. But before he could land a decisive blow on Rangiku, Gin had stepped in, shielding her with his own body. Byakuya's blade tore open Gin's chest, but it left him exposed. In the next heartbeat, Rangiku and Rukia’s swords impaled him. They had won, but Gin was in critical condition. Blood poured from a massive diagonal slash across his torso. Orihime, having already spent massive reserves healing other Espada, was struggling. Her mental fatigue was slowing the recovery process, making it difficult to seal a wound that hit the heart so directly.
"With that, the number of Captains remaining is seven."
"Then I must finish you quickly and assist my remaining subordinates," Yamamoto declared.
ROAR!
The flames of Ryujin Jakka surged with a terrifying intensity. Faced with a momentum far more lethal than when the old man fought bare-handed, Lucifer calmly manifested a greatsword to defend. The Ice Emperor likewise created a blade of ice to offset the heat. If Wonderweiss was the seal, the Ice Emperor was the counter-measure, designed to neutralize the sheer thermal output of the flames.
Clang! Shing! Clack!
A 2-on-1 sword fight erupted, but it was Lucifer who was being pushed back. The mindless, erratic swinging of the Ice Emperor combined with Lucifer's own unpolished Zanjutsu paled in comparison to the Captain Commander's mastery. Eventually, both Lucifer's and the Ice Emperor's blades were bypassed in a single sweeping motion.
"Gah!"
Lucifer let out a grunt as Yamamoto’s blade carved an upward arc toward him.
Squelch!
The strike meant for Lucifer was intercepted by the Ice Emperor. The construct threw itself into the path of the blade, its body being bisected so Lucifer wouldn't be. Seizing the opportunity, Lucifer grabbed the failing Ice Emperor with one hand and used Sonído to retreat and gain distance.
"Now only you remain," Yamamoto said.
The 3-on-1 had dwindled to a duel in seconds. Rukia and Rangiku were currently tied up supporting the Lieutenants, and Yoruichi and Gin were incapacitated. No one else could move to help. Furthermore, Squad 4 was taking longer than Lucifer had anticipated. He hadn't expected the previous and current Kenpachis to hold out so long even when being jumped by both the former and current 3rd Tier Espada.
"Life Absorption."
As he faced Yamamoto, Lucifer slowly began to assimilate the Ice Emperor he held. Since the construct was beyond repair, he opted to consume its Reiatsu. Once the Ice Emperor had been absorbed until not even a corpse remained, Lucifer manifested a new weapon. This time, instead of the shapeless greatsword he had used until now, he held a refined blade of translucent blue, emitting a frost so cold it seemed to freeze the very air.
"This sword, crafted from the Ice Emperor's essence, is named Frostmourne. It won't shatter as easily as the others. Prepare yourself, Captain Commander."
By using Life Absorption, Lucifer hadn't just taken the Ice Emperor's energy into his own pool; he had focused that spiritual matter into a catalyst capable of standing against Ryujin Jakka. Combining the Ice Emperor's absolute zero Reiatsu with his own power of True Death, he had forged the ultimate counter to the old man’s sun-like heat.
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