Chapter 60: Bankai: Zanka no Tachi! |
Yeruashi's arrival wasn't accompanied by a powerful surge of spiritual pressure.
In fact, the captains of the Gotei 13 could hardly sense any Reiatsu radiating from his figure at all.
It was as if he had suddenly become an ordinary soul, one utterly incapable of channeling spiritual energy.
The captains were stunned as they assessed his current state, yet the mere fact that the former Lieutenant of the Second Division had reappeared overshadowed everything else.
"Contacting a Hollow without the Captain-Commander's permission and attempting to obtain Hollow powers... these are grave crimes!" Yamamoto Genryusai declared.
Yamamoto cast a stern gaze at Yeruashi, his right hand gripping the hilt of Ryujin Jakka. "...And your sister’s attempt to hide this from the Gotei 13 leadership is a crime no less severe!"
'Rigid,' the former Lieutenant thought. He cast an indifferent look at the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13.
Yamamoto Genryusai was undeniably powerful.
Even members of the Zero Division, who wielded a portion of the Soul King's power, could not easily stand on equal footing with this old man.
While Ichibei Hyosube and Oetsu Nimaiya held the advantage of seniority, even Sosuke Aizen—before his fusion with the Hogyoku—was no match for the legendary Captain-Commander.
But with age, Yamamoto’s greatest flaws had become his inflexibility and pedantry.
A thousand years ago, the Captain-Commander had been a true demon, willing to use any means necessary to crush his enemies.
To that demon, rules and traditions were mere formalities. Had the opportunity arisen, that version of Yamamoto would have even relied on the power of Hollows if it meant ensuring victory for the Soul Society.
However, after a thousand years, that bloody and decisive demon had withered into a rigid, rule-bound old man. Under his leadership, the Gotei 13 had weakened along with him.
The modern Gotei 13 paled in comparison to the iteration from a thousand years ago.
"Rigid?" Yamamoto exclaimed coldly. "What right does a criminal consorting with Hollows have to judge this old man's actions?!"
"Why shouldn't I use Hollows as my subordinates?" Yeruashi asked nonchalantly. "After all, I am the lord of Hueco Mundo."
"Sophistry!" Yamamoto bellowed, dismissing his words.
The captains reacted with a mix of emotions as they listened to the exchange between Yeruashi and Genryusai.
Most agreed with the Captain-Commander, viewing Yeruashi's claims as nothing more than clever wordplay.
And yet, some among them found themselves agreeing with Yeruashi’s perspective.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Retsu Unohana were among those few.
The Captain of the Fifth Division, who naturally fell into the latter camp, carefully studied Yeruashi's condition, adjusting his glasses with his fingertips.
Now things were getting truly intriguing.
Based on several incidents since Yeruashi's arrival, Sosuke Aizen had already formed an incredible hypothesis regarding the man's identity.
Even Aizen couldn't predict exactly what Yeruashi would do next, but of one thing he was certain...
Yeruashi's next moves would shock everyone present, himself included.
Events were about to spiral far beyond even his most daring expectations!
"Yeruashi," Yoruichi called out hesitantly from a distance of about a hundred meters. "Was it you who caused the disturbance in the Soul King Palace today?"
Yeruashi nodded calmly. "It was."
Yoruichi clenched her fists tighter. "Then the Hollowfication incident..."
"I had nothing to do with that," Yeruashi replied, shaking his head.
Whoosh!
Yamamoto swung his Zanpakuto toward Yeruashi even as the young man spoke to Yoruichi, seemingly ignoring the old man’s presence entirely.
Yeruashi casually waved his right hand toward the approaching Ryujin Jakka, continuing his conversation with Yoruichi as if nothing had happened.
Fwoosh!
With that simple gesture, the torrent of flames from Ryujin Jakka instantly scattered and died out, unable to even touch Yeruashi’s clothes.
The captains were overcome with awe. Yeruashi had neutralized the Captain-Commander's attack with such exaggerated ease, and he hadn't even seemed to use his Reiatsu.
It seemed their initial assumption was correct—Yeruashi was indeed more powerful than Nelliel and Lilith!
"Do you really intend to start a fight in the middle of a perfectly good conversation?" Yeruashi asked calmly, having crushed the attack with a mere flick of his wrist. He didn't even bother to counter.
Yamamoto raised Ryujin Jakka before him, his eyes cold as he watched Yeruashi through the flickering embers. "There is nothing left to discuss."
Back when Yeruashi had joined the Gotei 13 on his own initiative, Yamamoto had allowed him to serve the Soul Society. At the time, the Captain-Commander had vowed to crush Yeruashi with his own hands should he ever dare to violate the laws and order of their world!
"Fall back!" Yamamoto roared, holding the blade of Ryujin Jakka horizontally.
The veteran commander needed only those two brief exchanges to realize that his Shikai posed no threat to this opponent.
Since Ryujin Jakka couldn't scratch Yeruashi, and the other captains were incapable of coordinating effectively against such a foe, he had to take more drastic measures.
"Good grief... the old man is going all out," Shunsui Kyoraku muttered. Having already kept a safe distance, he immediately retreated even further.
Jushiro Ukitake and Retsu Unohana lowered their weapons and fled after him without hesitation.
The other captains were initially taken aback by the reactions of the senior trio, as they lacked full knowledge of the Captain-Commander's true power. However, they soon recovered and followed their lead, fleeing as far as they could.
Dash! Dash!
Kyoraku didn't stop until he was more than a kilometer away from his mentor.
"Why are we running so far?!" Isshin exclaimed, struggling to keep up.
Kyoraku exhaled sharply, staring at Yamamoto’s scarred back in the distance. "Perhaps you should run even further," he whispered.
Cold sweat beaded on the Eighth Division Captain's forehead, as if he were reliving a nightmare. "Once he releases his Bankai, everything within a radius of several hundred meters... will instantly turn to ash."
Kaname Tosen frowned. "Aren't you exaggerating a bit much?"
"No," Jushiro Ukitake whispered tensely. "It is no exaggeration. Our teacher's Ryujin Jakka is indisputably the most powerful fire-type Zanpakuto in existence."
"If he so wished, that old man could reduce the entire Soul Society to cinders!"
Standing in the sky above the Seireitei, Yamamoto Genryusai began to move.
His hand, marked by both battle scars and the wrinkles of age, swept to the right. The massive pillars of flame surrounding him were instantly sucked into the blade of Ryujin Jakka, vanishing as if they had never existed.
Silence fell.
Now, the only thing visible was the faint wisps of smoke rising from the charred, blackened edge of the blade.
Yamamoto spoke quietly, his right palm gripping the hilt of a sword that looked like an unreleased Zanpakuto.
"Bankai."
"Zanka no Tachi."
The release of Zanka no Tachi wasn't marked by flashy effects, but instead by a sudden, terrifying evaporation of moisture throughout the Soul Society. From high above, one would see the atmosphere stripped of its humidity while river levels dropped with visible speed.
Even the captains who had fled over a kilometer away felt a wave of scorching heat wash over them.
Shunsui Kyoraku's lips dried and cracked instantly, but no blood followed; any fluid evaporated the moment it touched the air.
The Eighth Division Captain sighed helplessly, licking his parched lips. "Damn, even my lips are cracking... The heat is still as unbearable as ever. The old man hasn't weakened a bit!"
"Captain-Commander, please finish this quickly," Jushiro Ukitake said, his voice strained. "Otherwise, the Soul Society may not survive the sheer power of your Bankai."
"..."
Yoruichi watched the Captain-Commander with undisguised dread. She could feel the searing heat even at this distance. She felt as though she might burst into flames if she didn't shield herself with her Reiatsu.
If it was this bad for her, how terrifying must the heat be for Yeruashi, standing only a few dozen meters away?
'So this is Zanka no Tachi?'
Yeruashi raised a hand before him, feeling the incredible heat radiating from Yamamoto.
The rumors were true.
The temperature generated by the blade of Zanka no Tachi was indeed comparable to the core of a star!
Yeruashi smirked and spoke nonchalantly to the old man standing across from him in the sky. "Hmph. This heat is barely enough to light the candles on my daughter’s birthday cake."
"Insolent nonsense," Yamamoto snorted.
Then, he suddenly lunged at Yeruashi with blinding speed, delivering a swift strike with Zanka no Tachi.
He had no intention of giving Yeruashi the chance to release his own Bankai, being well aware of the man’s peculiar abilities.
Yamamoto believed that no ability was perfect or invincible, but he acknowledged that Yeruashi’s powers were problematic.
A time-based ability had to have a weakness.
How could an infinite time loop possibly exist without limits?
The Captain-Commander hypothesized that the loop could be broken by dealing sufficient damage to either the Bankai itself or the Zanpakuto. Regardless, the veteran Shinigami preferred to end the battle before the Bankai was even released to avoid such a troublesome power altogether!
But.
Yeruashi’s response left both the Captain-Commander and the watching captains speechless.
Yeruashi didn't even attempt to draw his sword.
Instead, he indifferently raised his right hand and extended his index finger, meeting the tip of the oncoming Zanka no Tachi.
Clang!
A high-pitched ring of metal hitting metal echoed through the air.
The tip of Yeruashi’s index finger firmly blocked the blade of Zanka no Tachi.
The blade, burning with an unimaginable heat of fifteen million degrees, was frozen mid-air, unable to pierce through Yeruashi’s seemingly ordinary finger! The captains of the Gotei 13 watched in absolute shock, their eyes fixed on every detail of the impossible collision.
The eyes of every captain, including Shunsui Kyoraku and Sosuke Aizen, widened in disbelief. Their breath hitched.
Silence.
Time itself seemed to stand still.
In the hollowed minds of every Shinigami present, only one thought remained: 'Impossible!'