Yhwach took an involuntary step back, his body going into overdrive and acting without conscious thought.
He refused to call this feeling fear.
He could admit to feeling some disconcertment at seeing a revitalized Yamamoto Shigekuni, something that should have been impossible.
But, it was most definitely not fear.
Then the Captain Commander of Gotei 13 swung his flaming Zanpakuto offhandedly, and the entire section of the walkway that had been behind the Emperor of the Wandenreich was blown away, leaving no traces behind.
Yhwach twitched.
That had been a warning shot, meant to intimidate rather than actually hit him.
It was more effective than he cared to admit.
Okay, maybe he was just a little afraid.
This was, after all, the same man who had singlehandedly ended his ambitions in one fell swoop a millennium ago.
A man who held power far beyond what a mere Shinigami had any business possessing.
Rather than a mortal, the Yamamoto Shigekuni of 1000 years ago was like a force of nature that merely possessed the likeness of a human, a massive, uncontrollable wildfire that engulfed and incinerated anything it touched to ashes.
Over time, that fire had died down to mere embers, and when Yhwach had awakened from his long slumber and used the Wandenreich's extremely advantageous position inside of the shadows of Seireitei to spy on the one who had forced him into his deep sleep in the first place, it was to see a decrepit old man who had grown soft not just physically, but also mentally, not even possessing a flicker of the raging flame that once burned in him.
To call him a shadow of his former self was a massive understatement.
And while Yamamoto Shigekuni being reduced to such a pathetic state all but ensured that his ambitions would come to fruition this time around, Yhwach could not help but feel disappointed at his former nemesis's degradation.
His disappointment only increased even further when they previously fought.
Yamamoto Shigekuni hadn't even been able to tell that the Yhwach he had been fighting was nothing more than a fake that one of his Sternritters had disguised himself as.
One of his weaker Sternritters, no less.
And while Royd Lloid's ability to mimic others was skillful, he could only replicate memories and personalities.
He could not replicate Yhwach's unfathomable power, and thus could only rely on his own to do battle with the Captain Commander.
The fact that Yamamoto had to use his Bankai to even wound Royd was more than enough proof for Yhwach to know that his true nemesis was long gone.
He had been right to not bother including him in the list of Special War Potentials.
If Kurosaki Ichigo hadn't interfered back then, Yamamoto Shigekuni would be dust in the wind right now.
Even when he learned that Yamamoto had been taken up here to the Soul King's Palace for treatment, he hadn't been expecting anything.
After all, even if Yamamoto was fully healed, his current self would still not be able to do anything against him.
And then he actually invaded the Soul King's Palace, and was greeted by him, now bearing the same appearance he did 1000 years ago, along with the experience he had gathered up until the present day.
It was safe to say that Yamamoto Shigekuni right now was stronger than he had ever been.
That wasn't possible.
It should not be possible to restore someone to a past state like this.
At the very least, Gotei 13 should not possess any gimmick capable of doing this.
…Gotei 13 didn't, but the Royal Guard on the other hand…
That's right. If it was Tenjiro Kirinji, inventor and master of almost all of Gotei 13's healing techniques, something like this was not outside the realm of possibility.
And the only one who could authorize a member of the Royal Guard to do this was…!
"Soul King…! So you predicted my invasion to this extent…!"
Yhwach inwardly seethed.
There wasn't anyone else who could think of resurrecting Yhwach's worst nightmare like this.
The Quincy King calmed himself down.
There was no need to panic.
He had already come all the way here.
Though the Royal Guard had carried off his Schutzstaffel, Haschwalth and Uryu, they had gone off to the furthest reaches of the Royal Realm, and he had faith that his own Royal Guard, his second-in-command and his heir apparent were capable of stalling the vaunted members of the Zero Division.
The only thing standing between him and his goal now was Yamamoto Shigekuni.
In other words, all he had to do was defeat Yamamoto Shigekuni, and his ambition would finally come to fruition.
His defeat 1000 years ago at the Captain Commander's hands was certainly in part due to Yamamoto's own absurd power.
However, in reality, it had only been one of the contributing factors.
The main factor had been Yhwach's own arrogance.
He had been so certain that mere Shinigami would not pose a threat to him that he hadn't bothered using his full power against the original Gotei 13.
That had been a horrible mistake, and Yhwach paid the price when Yamamoto used his obscenely overpowered Bankai, which he had not even mastered back then, and dealt Yhwach a single, fatal blow, necessitating his millennium long slumber to recover from his wounds.
Most of his original army was completely wiped out by the monsters that made up the ranks of the first generation of Captains, requiring him to spend the years between the Auswahlen that restored most of his lost power and the initial invasion just a few days ago to recruit more soldiers to replace the ranks.
But now, now was different.
This time, he knew just how much of a monster Yamamoto Shigekuni was.
He could not steal Zanka no Tachi again, not when Urahara Kisuke had figured out the mechanics behind the medallions and created a countermeasure for them. That would just create an unnecessary weakness for Gotei 13 to exploit.
He also could not access his original ability just yet. He required 900 years to recover from his wound, 90 more years to regain awareness after his long slumber, and 9 final years to fully regain his true power.
The last 9 years had yet to fully elapse. His power was still in an extremely unstable state, coming and going as it pleased without conscious effort on his part.
If he attempted to consciously use his ability before then, it would only result in it going berserk and drain his army of their powers.
He still had some use for them after all.
It wouldn't be long until that last deadline was met. In fact, he only had an hour to go.
If he could hold out against Yamamoto for just that one hour…his victory was assured.
Yhwach reached into his pocket and pulled something out.
A black glove with the Wandenreich symbol engraved on it.
The modified Leiden Hant, known more colloquially as the Sanrei Glove, that the Sternritters used to activate Vollstandig.
Originally, Yhwach had no intention of using it himself.
In the first place, the Vollstandig was a technique that the Sternritters had developed during his slumber as one of the two answers to opposing a Shinigami's Bankai, the other being the aforementioned medallions that Urahara Kisuke had rendered useless, trying to overcome the terrible price that had to be paid in order to use its predecessor, the Letzt Stil.
The power of the Letzt Stil was indeed great, so much that it was capable of allowing Uryu, who possessed arguably Lieutenant-class power back then, to fire a single Heilig Pfeil that easily tore a mastered Bankai in half and went on to destroy more of Seireitei's infrastructure.
However, the burden that kind of power placed on the Quincies' body was just too great, and after a short period of time, their bodies automatically sealed away all of their reiryoku to forcefully end the state before they broke down.
The Vollstandig traded a good deal of the Letzt Stil's power output in return for lowering the burden it placed on the body, but even so, no other members of the Wandenreich outside of the Sternritters could use it without killing themselves in the process.
Lowering the output meant that they could stay in the form for extended periods of time, but that was not its only boon.
It retained the Letzt Stil's ability to completely dominate reishi, allowing them to break down reishi structures and absorb them for use.
That being said, even that level of dominance was not enough to break down structures as complicated as actual souls, but that was why another technique was devised to do just that.
Sklaverei. It was a technique that dominated reishi in the most basic way, by enslaving them. With it, even souls could be broken down, something even the original Letzt Stil could not do, and souls were by far a greater source of reishi than anything else in existence.
But the Vollstandig's greatest advantage was its ability to increase the power of the Sternritters' Schrifts, the unique powers that Yhwach had bestowed upon them by sharing parts of his own soul with them through having them drink his blood and then engraving a letter signifying the ability into their souls, allowing him to share the shards of his soul with them more effectively.
Bambietta Basterbines's 'The Explode' became capable of wide range firing, As Nodt's 'The Fear' could infect targets through their optic nerves, Quilge Opie's 'The Jail' became capable of completely imprisoning anyone who wasn't a pure Quincy in an isolated pocket dimension, the results varied, but the Schrifts were empowered in some way.
That was the main reason Yhwach had no inclination to use Vollstandig.
He may possess an Epithet like the Sternritters, but his own original ability could not be empowered by Vollstandig in the same way the Sternitters' Schrifts could.
In other words, the only things that Vollstandig could afford him were a boost in power that was rather insignificant for someone already as powerful as he was and increased reishi dominance.
However, against Yamamoto Shigekuni, he would need every advantage he could gain.
He slipped the glove onto his left hand.
The Wandenreich emblem glowed, and a massive pillar of reishi engulfed him.
Yhwach felt the change almost immediately as the ambient reishi began to bend to his will and gather around him.
The pillar dissipated, and Yhwach allowed his four new wings of highly compressed reishi to unfold and spread out behind him.
That, along with the star-shaped halo above his head, the Heiligenschien, was about the only change that could be seen.
Yamamoto showed no outward reaction to Yhwach's new form, and simply brandished his Zanpakuto.
"Bankai. Zanka no Tachi."
The flames engulfing Ryujin Jakka faded away as the Zanpakuto shifted from its Shikai to its Bankai, leaving behind only a charred blade.
It certainly didn't look like much, but Yhwach knew from firsthand experience just how much power was hidden behind its rather unflattering appearance.
The surrounding temperature had already risen by several hundred degrees, and it was only with his Blut Vene that Yhwach had yet to be burnt to a crisp.
One careless misstep, and just like a millennium ago, he would receive fatal wounds and have to retreat to heal from them, grinding his ambition to a halt once again.
Not even his own Blue Vene was capable of taking on a blow from the strongest Bankai in Gotei 13.
Now then, how to approach this?
While he was in his Bankai, Yhwach could not carelessly approach Yamamoto.
While he had not borne witness to the techniques that Yamamoto could use while in Bankai, since his only personal experience with Zanka no Tachi was when it was still incomplete and barely possessing anything other than raw power, Haschwalth, who had observed the battle between Yamamoto and Royd, informed him of them.
Each of them was very dangerous, and one of them was the reason he could not let Yamamoto get close to him.
Zanka no Tachi: Nishi – Zanjitsu Gokui. A passive ability that activated at the moment of release, it coated the Captain Commander in invisible flames that could reach temperatures rivalling that of the sun's core.
Forget getting Yhwach, if that kind of heat was released, not even Yamamoto himself would be able to survive.
The fact that its power was capable of killing its own wielder was a testament to how powerful Zanka no Tachi really was.
Yamamoto pointed the blade downwards at the platform beneath them, and tapped the tip of his Zanpakuto against it.
Yhwach immediately veered his body violently to the side as a great force tore the platform in half.
Zanka no Tachi: Higashi – Kyokujitsujin. By concentrating all of the flames of Zanka no Tachi only at the sharp edge of the blade, the sword became capable of annihilating anything it touched out of existence.
This was likely the true form of that incomplete technique that Yamamoto had used to critically wound him 1000 years ago.
Yhwach had no intention of getting hit by that again.
In fact, he didn't plan on being hit by any of Yamamoto's attacks.
With Yamamoto's current level of power, not even Yhwach with both Vollstandig and Blut Vene would survive a blow.
All he had to do was stall for an hour, and he would be able to take care of Yamamoto in an instant.
It may be cowardly, doing nothing but running away from his opponent, but wars were not won by the reckless.
They were won by the cunning.
Now then, would Yamamoto be able to kill him in time, or would the venerable Captain Commander be killed instead?
Ichigo swung the two Zangetsu around him as he turned, stopping the incoming attacks in their tracks before they could reach his body.
"Hold still, you little shit!" Buzz-B roared as he flew around Ichigo and shot beam after beam of compressed flames at him.
Ichigo simply swung both of his Zanpakuto again and again and dispersed them before they could get near him.
Seeing that his attacks were being rendered useless, the Sternritter slowed down and glared furiously at him.
"Kurosaki Ichigo…the number 1Special War Potential…! His Majesty warned us about you, but I never imagined you were this much of a monster! Exactly how much physical strength do you have that you can dissipate my flames so easily!?"
"Don't sell yourself short. Those flames of yours are pretty strong. I just happen to be stronger."
"Confident little shit, aren't you!? In that case, how about you try taking this!?"
The fire-wielding Sternritter raised his right hand, his fingers, with the exception of his thumb, straightened into a chopping gesture.
"Burner Finger 4!"
White hot flames compressed around his hand in the form of a great flaming blade with a long crossguard.
Ichigo whistled.
That was some seriously impressive heat coming from it.
It was actually making him sweat.
"Try taking this on for size!" The Sternritter roared as he leapt at Ichigo.
"Don't mind if I do."
Ichigo pointed the shorter, pure white Zangetsu at the incoming blade of flames, and shifted it sideways slightly.
A line of pure white appeared in the air where the tip of the blade had passed through.
"Getsuga Tensho."
A wave of white reiatsu shot out from the line, enveloping Buzz-B before it exploded with incredible force, shaking the citadel.
The smoke born from the explosion cleared quickly, and Buzz-B's injured form was revealed, his Sternritter uniform burned and tattered from the blast, and severely bleeding wounds all over his body.
The worst of them was doubtlessly his right arm, which had taken the full brunt of Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho.
It was completely blackened and honestly looked like it would detach and fall off at any moment.
However, Buzz-B's expression showed no sign of pain.
He just looked unbelievably pissed.
"Now you're asking for it! I won't hold back anymore!"
The Sternritter raised both hands, holding them together at the wrists and opening up his palms with all of his fingers pointed forward at Ichigo.
"Two Hands: Burning Full Fingers – White Conflagration!"
Torrential white flames immediately erupted from the tips of all ten fingers, spiraling together into a massive blazing cone that tore its way towards him.
Ichigo smiled.
If his opponent was using both hands, then he would respond in kind.
He brandished both of his swords, and swung, swinging the larger blade vertically and the shorter blade horizontally.
Each blade left a line in the air, a vertical line of pitch black and a horizontal line of pure white, forming a cross.
"Getsuga Jujisho."
A cross-shaped wave of absurdly condensed black and white reiatsu blasted out of the cross and crashed into Buzz-B's attack, dissipating it completely on impact and carrying on towards the utterly stunned Sternritter completely undiminished.
If the shockwave from before had been ground-shaking, this one could only be described as earth-shattering.
For that was exactly what had happened.
The ground beneath them was completely annihilated and flattened almost as far as his eyes could see, and the technique hadn't even touched it directly.
Well, flat ground would make it easier to rebuild afterwards, so maybe it wasn't such a bad thing.
That was how much power had been behind his new technique.
Getsuga Jujisho. It was basically two Getsuga Tensho, one fired from the larger Zangetsu, the representation of Ichigo's Inner Hollow, his Shinigami and Hollow powers, and the other from the smaller Zangetsu, the manifestation of his Quincy powers, fused into a single massive attack.
Quincy and Hollow reiatsu were anathema to each other, but in the end, both of them were a part of Ichigo himself.
Thus, they were at complete harmony with each other.
That was why that technique was so very powerful.
If that much damage could be caused without direct contact, what had become of Buzz-B, who had received the full brunt of the attack?
The answer was soon revealed, for the smoke cleared, and Ichigo spotted Buzz-B, covered almost completely head to toe in burns.
At the very least, he wasn't feeling the pain, having slipped into unconsciousness.
Ichigo relaxed now that his fight was over.
He surveyed the surroundings, searching with more than just his eyes.
He, along with everyone else at ground zero, had been blown away to by the force of that technique that Yhwach and his entourage had used to invade the Soul King's Palace.
He and Buzz-B had landed near what used to be the 1st Division Barracks until Yhwach replaced Seireitei with the Wandenreich's own citadel, not too far from the main palace where they were just at.
Everyone else was blown away to other locations.
Judging by the reiatsu signatures, all of them were still fairly close by, and while not all of them appeared to be finished with their own fights yet, the ones that presumably had were heading back to the palace.
He supposed he should be doing the same.
If everything went exactly how the Soul King predicted, it shouldn't be long now.
He barely took one step before he heard the distant sound of something opening, and an absolutely gargantuan reiatsu poured into the area.
"Oh right, almost forgot about him."
"That was quite the performance, Kurosaki Ichigo."
"Hello, Aizen. Long time no see. You're certainly looking comfortable." Ichigo replied, eyeing the former Captain of the 5th Division as he was brought up, tied to a black chair, by an entourage of white-robed men, followed closely behind by Kyoraku Shunsui as they emerged from a large hatch in the ground that Ichigo had not even noticed.
"You don't seem very surprised to see me. Perhaps you were expecting this?"
"Pretty much. In fact, I would have been surprised if you hadn't turned up sooner or later."
"Hmm…It appears you have become quite a bit stronger than you were before, if you are still capable of sensing my reiatsu."
"Something like that."
"To think that you would enter the Soul King's Palace before I would…you truly are an infuriating man, Kurosaki Ichigo."
"Yes, I've been told that quite a number of times. This is a pretty bold move to make, Kyoraku-san. I can't imagine too many people will be happy to see Aizen again."
"Our interests happen to intersect in this case, so I chose the lesser of two evils. If they really want, I'll let them beat me up later. But, even you, or rather, especially you, can attest to just how strong our prisoner here is, right?" Kyoraku asked with a smile.
"I suppose, but personally, I'm not sure if his help will be necessary."
"I see. As I expected, the Soul King has already predicted Yhwach's actions to that degree?"
"Of course. That's why I'm down here instead of up there. The old man is dealing with him as we speak."
"Hm. I suppose we will see, won't we?"
Yes, they would.
In fact, Ichigo could already see it.
With his 'eye'.
"Not quite there yet."
Yhwach thought to himself as he avoided another swipe of Yamamoto's charred blade, the force of the swing surging past him.
The air around them had become unbearably hot, and he could feel the heat slowly but surely burning through his Vollstandig-enhanced Blut Vene, even without the blade coming into direct contact with him.
It was now so hot that any Heilig Pfeils that Yhwach shot at him were simply vaporized before they could even reach him, which pretty much shot his chances of defeating Yamamoto before his ability awakened from 'not bloody likely' to 'not a snowball's chance in hell'.
The flames surrounding Yamamoto in an invisible hellish cloak were getting hotter and hotter, and if this stalemate were to continue sooner or later, both he and Yamamoto would be reduced to ashes.
But, as of the moment, he couldn't do anything.
It had been around 55 minutes, so close to an hour, but not there yet.
Yhwach had another five minutes to go before he could put an end to the battle.
But, he couldn't help but feel that something was wrong.
Up until now, Yamamoto had yet to use any of his Bankai's other abilities aside from Kyokyjitsujin and Zanjitsu Gokui.
There were still two more techniques, Zanka no Tachi: Minami – Kaka Juumanokushi Daisoujin, and Zanka no Tachi: Kita – Tenchi Kaijin.
He could perhaps understand Yamamoto's rationale for not using the former.
Kaka Juumanokushi Daisoujin was a technique that reanimated the corpses of enemies that Yamamoto had slain with his flames.
It certainly sounded horrifying, but in the end, it was an almost purely psychological attack, considering that as far as he was aware, the reanimated corpses couldn't use any of the powers they had when they were alive.
Perhaps if Yhwach actually cherished his subordinates, this technique would have been absolutely devastating.
However, Yhwach had zero empathy for others.
To him, the only worth in everyone else in existence was nothing more than that of a pawn to be used. If they could not be used, they had no value to him.
Thus, Yhwach felt absolutely nothing at being confronted by a seemingly endless drove of his former subordinates, slain in the previous war against the original Gotei 13.
It was no different than facing an army of clay dolls.
He could just smash all of them.
Yamamoto was well aware of Yhwach's personality, which was likely why he did not use that technique.
However, Tenchi Kaijin was a different story.
It was monumentally powerful, even more so than Kyokujitsujin.
It was a technique that unleashed all of Zanka no Tachi's compressed flames in a single blow, utterly incinerating anything they touched to absolutely nothing.
Not even a microscopic speck would be left behind.
That was the power that had torn through Loyd and erased almost half of his entire body.
And that was when Yamamoto was a decrepit old man.
He couldn't even imagine how destructive it was now that Yamamoto had physically reverted to his prime.
Because it consumed all of Zanka no Tachi's flames, using Tenchi Kaijin would forcefully end the Bankai, which was perhaps why Yamamoto was abstaining from using it, since Yhwach was doing his utmost best to stay the hell away from him.
However, there had been several instances where Yamamoto had managed to get up close and personal with him.
If he had used Zanka no Tachi then, Yhwach had no doubt that he would be very, very dead.
But, he hadn't, and there was no way Yamamoto had not seen the opportunity.
Which only left one possibility.
Yhwach grinned widely.
"I see…! So, you can't fully control the power of your Bankai, can you, Yamamoto Shigekuni!?"
The minute faltering in Yamamoto's stance, though immediately corrected, was more than enough of an answer for Yhwach.
"Though you have returned to your prime, it's been centuries since you were last able to use your full power! As such, even you need more time to fully adjust to it again! If you were not careful, you would lose control of it immediately, isn't that right!? If you tried to use Tenchi Kaijin in that state, you might even accidently destroy the Soul King's Palace!"
"…What of it? Do you believe that I cannot kill you simply because I cannot use my full power?"
Of course not. Yhwach was fully aware that even without using his full power, Yamamoto was fully capable of killing him.
That was just how grossly overpowered the Captain Commander of Gotei 13 was.
However, if Yamamoto could not use Tenchi Kaijin, that worked in Yhwach's favor. He no longer had to fear it.
If it was only Kyokujitsujin and Zanjitsu Gokui he had to deal with, it would be a simple matter.
Especially now that he was down to one final minute.
Yhwach's grin grew even wider as he mentally began the final countdown to his victory.
59…58…57…56…55…
He deftly flew under Zanka no Tachi's blade, and lashed out with his reishi broadsword at Yamamoto's torso.
The blade was destroyed instantly upon contact with the invisible flames coating Yamamoto, which began to burn through his Blut Vene and his skin.
Yhwach internally guffawed.
What did injuries like this even mean to him anymore!?
With his power about to awaken, he could afford to be a little careless!
Extending his hand into the invisible flames, Yhwach placed a palm on Yamamoto's abdomen and proceeded to fire a salvo of Heilig Pfeils.
At point blank range, not even Yamamoto could shrug them off.
"Hm!?" Yamamoto grunted as the force of the arrows blasting him pushed him backwards.
Yhwach withdrew his blackened hand and raised the other.
Another rain of Heilig Pfeils assaulted the Captain Commander.
39…38…
Not a single one was capable of breaking through Zanjitsu Gokui, but that was perfectly fine.
Yhwach was not trying to kill him, but simply stalling for the last few seconds.
The concussive force behind the arrows would be enough to keep Yamamoto at bay.
21…20…19…
Yamamoto braced his stance and moved forward, pushing against the force of the arrows…and winning.
Yhwach's eyes narrowed.
Would he make it in time…?
Of course not. The distance between them was now too great for any of Yamamoto's attacks to reach him.
All except for…
Yhwach thought that he might be in trouble when Yamamoto raised his blade to the side in preparation for a massive, sweeping blow.
Had Yamamoto realized that Yhwach was up to something, and was trying to end it even if it meant destroying the palace, or had he regained control over his immense power?
He guessed he was about to find out.
9…8…7…6…
"Zanka no Tachi: Kita – Tenchi Kaijin."
A massive torrent of flames came surging towards the Quincy King, and nowhere else.
So, he had managed to regain control.
It was just too bad that…
3…2…1…0.
…It was too late.
Yhwach grinned as his ability finally activated after 1000 years of dormancy.
All of the wounds that he had sustained over the course of the past hour closed instantly.
It was over.
"Farewell, Yamamoto Shigekuni."
Yhwach held a hand out towards the torrent of obscenely compressed flames.
A massive force tore through the flames like they were nothing, and before Yamamoto even had time to register shock at his strongest technique being crushed so one-sidedly, the same force crashed into him, and smashing him right through what remained of the wooden platform and down towards the boundary between the Royal Realm and Soul Society.
That was his power, the Almighty.
He could see everything from the present to the distant future of all things that lay within his field of vision.
Furthermore, he was even capable of modifying that future.
Thus, all powers were completely useless against him, because he could simply alter the future to stop them.
The Almighty's only real weakness was that it was unable to perceive higher beings than him.
However, because of the true nature of his existence, there were few beings in existence that were in a higher plane than he was.
The Soul King was one of them.
However, the Soul King was also completely immobile, and now that the last of the obstacles was out of the way, nothing could stop him.
Yhwach couldn't care less about whether or not his nemesis survived.
Even if he did, it would take him a while to get back up to the Soul King's Palace.
By which time, Yhwach would have already accomplished his goal.
Victory had never tasted sweeter than at this very moment.
Setting his sights on the Greater Palace, Yhwach advanced.
Towards the end of everything.
Perhaps it was because he had developed tunnel vision with the return of the his true power and his goal being so close at hand, but Yhwach never realized.
Even though Yamamoto had momentarily been within his line of sight, he had not been able to perceive the Captain Commander's future.
And because Yamamoto was now out of his physical field of vision, he did not see the Captain Commander recovering from the blow like it was nothing, and look straight up to where the Greater Palace hung.
"…Going exactly as planned."
The Quincy King, having reverted from his Vollstandig, stalked through the halls of the Greater Palace, his exultation growing with every step he took.
The bodies of the Soul King's various attendants lay bloody and broken in his wake.
By the time he reached the massive double doors on the top level, he was almost vibrating in place with sheer joy at what lay beyond them.
Unceremoniously blowing the doors off their hinges with a concussive blast, he strolled into the room and cast his gaze towards the other end.
Encased in the purple hexagonal crystal atop a curtained platform at the other end was the objective of this invasion.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it, Soul King? No, Father." Yhwach spoke to the being frozen in time as he strode towards him.
The limbless, seemingly human figure within the crystal did not respond, not even twitching.
With his eyes shut, it was almost like he was in a deep slumber.
Not that Yhwach was expecting a response.
"O imperfect god, unable to escape even at a time like this. Allow me to put an end to your long, disgraceful dynasty."
Yhwach manifested his Spirit Weapon and rammed it into the crystal.
The ornate blade cut right through the crystal like butter and pierced through the Soul King's sternum, the tip protruding out of the other side of the crystalline construct.
"Or perhaps you already foresaw this unavoidable conclusion? Clouded though you may be to my sight, the same does not apply to the ones who protect you. With you unable to move, it was only inevitable that I would reach you. I suppose it does not matter now. This is farewell, Father."
Yhwach smiled and pulled his blade out…or was about to.
However, before he could, purple veins began to appear from where it had pierced the Soul King and crawl along the blade towards him.
Before Yhwach could react, the veins reached his hand and stared to extend across his skin.
Immediately, he found himself paralyzed, rooted to the spot.
The broken doorway was sealed shut with a purple barrier that quickly extended to cover the entire room.
Yhwach was completely and utterly befuddled.
"What…is…this…!?"
"Oh ho! Looks like everything played out exactly as His Majesty predicted after all!"
"This voice…! Hyosubei Ichibei!? What is the meaning of this!?" Yhwach recognized the voice of the de facto leader of the Royal Guard ringing in his ears, reverberating throughout the sealed chamber.
"Exactly what it looks like. From the moment that the Soul King accidently created you, he predicted that this confrontation would eventually take place. Thus, he has been preparing for this day ever since."
"The Soul King…was prepared to this extent for me!? Impossible, even if the Soul King himself is immune to my Almighty, you lot certainly aren't! I would have seen this from observing the future of anyone who knew of this plan!"
"That's right. We are not immune to your visions, but the Soul King is. So, what if the Soul King shared a portion of himself with us?"
That was when Yhwach finally realized the implications of the bandages that had been wrapped around Kurosaki Ichigo's and Yamamoto Shigekuni's right and left eyes respectively.
And if those two were given portions of the Soul King's own self, then that meant that the same had been done with the Royal Guard.
"The Soul King…thought this far ahead!?"
"Of course. Even this Royal Realm itself was created just for you. Come now, Yhwach. Did you honestly believe that the True Progenitor himself would purposely make himself vulnerable by placing himself where you could reach him? Understand now? The Soul King was never here to begin with. What you're looking at is nothing more than a stand in that is tenuously connected to the Soul King's true self. And the very moment you entered the Royal Realm, he cut off the connection and left that little gift for you. Welcome, Yhwach. This is a trap." Ichibei's voice replied, his tone turning mocking at the end.
That was when Yhwach felt a horrible pain assault every part of his body.
Every muscle seized, leaving him unable to so much as choke as something invaded him to the very core.
It was only when that something pulled away from him that he was finally able to move, falling to his knees, shivering as cold seeped into his body.
The ambient temperature had not dropped, but it did not stop Yhwach from feeling like he had been thrown out buck naked into the middle of a blizzard.
He felt…less…than he was before.
"What have you done to me, Soul King!?" Yhwach demanded through chattering teeth.
"Oh, he just took back what was originally his in the first place. That ability you so lovingly dubbed 'The Almighty'. It was never meant to be yours anyway. So, how does it feel, Yhwach? To be a mere mortal?"
The King of Quincies roared in incandescent rage as he directed his palm at the purple barrier coating the interior of the chamber.
Nothing happened.
No great force lashed out against the barrier, certainly not shattering it into a million pieces, allowing him to escape.
Yhwach clenched his hand and repeated the gesture, but once again, nothing happened.
His Almighty had truly been taken from him.
And so soon after he had regained it too.
Yhwach switched strategies and fired off Heilig Pfeils instead.
A barrage of arrows immediately slammed into the barrier, verifying that while his Almighty was gone, the rest of his powers were still intact.
Had the Soul King neglected to factor them in, or did he simply not consider him a threat without his Almighty?
Either way, Yhwach was not completely helpless.
However, that being said, the barrier was not budging even an inch despite his assault on it.
He formed a reishi broadsword and slashed at the barrier, but the portion of the blade that made contact with the barrier promptly vanished.
"It's no use, Yhwach. That barrier was also created specially for you. Farewell, O great King of Quincies. I do hope you find your new palace comfortable. After all, you won't be leaving any time soon." Ichibei bid farewell, sounding entirely too mirthful.
Yhwach let out another cry of rage, this one even more feral than before.
How was this possible?
After waiting so long, after coming so far, how could his ambitions end like this!?
"You appear to be in a pinch, Your Majesty. Would you like my aid?"
Yhwach turned to where the broken doors of the chamber would be, to see Haschwalth pass through the barrier seamlessly, his Spirit Weapons, a cruciform sword and a bulky shield in hand.
The Sternritter Grandmaster was covered in scuffs and cuts, his uniform torn and tattered in several places.
However, considering that he had been presumably fighting with a member of the Royal Guard, he was looking good.
And his timing was impeccable. With the power of 'The Balance', it might be possible to break this barrier, no matter how slim the chances were.
"Ah, Haschwalth, my Firstborn and other half. Yes, with your power, perhaps…"
Yhwach paused.
Something was wrong.
The return of his Almighty had made him cocky, but now that it was gone, his paranoia had soared to new heights.
And it was telling him that something was up.
He had just been conversing with Hyosubei Ichibei, and judging from his jovial tone, he could presume that no one on their side had died, not even Yamamoto Shigekuni.
So, how was it that Haschwalth had managed to escape from them with only superficial wounds?
He got his answer when he felt several places on his skin split open.
"Gh!? Haschwalth, you…!?"
Yhwach glared heatedly at his second-in-command, which Haschwalth, now completely unharmed, returned with a cool gaze.
"This is probably one betrayal you never saw coming. After all, I am your other half. Much like an ordinary human cannot see themselves without an aid such as a mirror, your Almighty also cannot perceive me. Perhaps that was why you sought me out as a child and attempted to ingratiate yourself to me."
It was true.
The one person in existence that Yhwach feared more than even Yamamoto himself was Haschwalth, his other half, because his Almighty was not capable of perceiving him.
That was why when he noticed that his other half had been born, he immediately sought him out, took him in, acted as a father, made him the Grandmaster of the Sternitters.
He had felt for certain that he had guaranteed Haschwalth's loyalty, but…
"…If you were planning to betray me from the beginning, why not kill me while I was recovering? In that state, I wouldn't have been able to fight back at all, and you would have surely been able to emerge victorious against the rest of the Wandenreich should they attempt to seek vengeance."
"Because it would not have been satisfying in the least. I want to look you in the eye as I cut you down. I want you to know that you are about to meet your end at my hands, and there was nothing you could do about it. And so I waited, and waited, and waited. Do you have any idea…how long I have been waiting for this? Acting as your loyal dog, waiting for you to finally become vulnerable? Now that you have lost your greatest power…do you honestly believe I will let this chance slip by?"
"Haschwalth…! You traitorous dog…!" Yhwach roared as he formed a reishi broadsword, preparing to face off with his other half.
Haschwalth, not bothering to dignify his outburst with a response, held his weapons in a stance and braced for his former liege's attack.
As the battle between the two pinnacles of the Quincy race raged, the Greater Palace trembled, but remained in the air, hanging impassively and imposingly over the rest of the Royal Realm.
Ichigo stared skywards, waiting for the Captain Commander and the Royal Guard to descend from the Royal Realm.
Everyone else was doing the same, but were a bit busy splitting their focus between the sky and one among them.
The Shinigami outright glared at Aizen while the members of the Three Factions present directed suspicious gazes at the smirking prisoner strapped tightly to the chair.
'Aizen!?', followed immediately by the sound of multiple Zanpakuto being drawn at once, had been the general response when Ichigo, Kyoraku and Aizen arrived at the Wandenreich palace, where the main fighters from Gotei 13 and the Biblical Factions had regathered.
And of course, true to form, Aizen didn't exactly help to ameliorate the situation by taunting and mocking them.
Just as expected, the Shinigami were pretty damn pissed at Kyoraku for letting one of their worst criminals out of prison.
Chief among them were Toshiro, whose glare was so heated that it could have melted the ice of his Bankai, and Shinji, who looked like he wanted nothing more than to go medieval on both on the interim Captain Commander's and his former Lieutenant's asses, Kensei and Rose not looking too far behind him.
Kyoraku, being the eloquent speaker that he was, talked them down, admonishing them for letting pride get in the way of the best solution for their current crisis, and thus, they couldn't exactly say anything against him.
At least, not until Yhwach was dealt with.
Which shouldn't be too far off now, if things went well.
"Ah, there they are now." Ichigo commented.
Everyone's attention was completely focused upwards when they heard his words.
They didn't have to wait long before the Tenchuren crashed right into the palace, annihilating the frozen structure instantly.
Many idly wondered if that had been on purpose.
The pillar opened up, and seven individuals stepped out of it.
The five members of the Royal Guard, Ishida Uryu and Yamamoto Genryuusai.
Everyone just stared at the Captain Commander, utterly stunned into silence by the drastic change in his appearance.
Especially Ukitake and Kyoraku, who hadn't seen him like that since their early childhood, when they had been students in the then recently founded Shinno Academy, when Yamamoto had been the headmaster and main instructor.
"Genryuusai-sensei, is that you?" Ukitake asked, his voice tinged with obvious disbelief.
"Of course it is. Do you need me to teach you another lesson to prove it?" Genryuusai asked with a snort, brandishing his gnarled wooden cane which served as the sheath of his Zanpakuto.
Ukitake turned paler than usual and shook his frantically.
"N-No, I believe you."
"And Shunsui, I do hope you have not been making a mess of Gotei 13 in my absence."
Kyoraku stiffened, and his gaze, of course, went straight towards Aizen.
Suddenly, he didn't seem too sure about his decision to let the traitor out of Muken anymore.
"Hello there, Yamamoto-soutaicho, and esteemed members of the Royal Guard. By your presence here, can I assume that either the Soul King is dead, or Yhwach has been dealt with?" Aizen asked, seeming completely unconcerned by the fact that he was stuck in that chair with nowhere to go.
He was rendered immortal by the Hogyoku, so perhaps his concern, or lack thereof, was warranted.
"You look remarkably spry for someone who's been sentenced to 20 millennia of imprisonment, Aizen Sosuke. But yes, Yhwach had been dealt with, though I cannot say how long that prison will hold him now that his other half is there as well. And for your information, the Soul King was never there to begin with." The Monk who Declares the True Name replied.
Aizen's smile immediately faltered when he heard that last piece of information that Ichibei had added so glibly at the end.
Evidently, even the seemingly all-knowing Aizen had not been aware of that particular detail.
"The Soul King isn't…I fear that you may have to explain from the beginning, Hyosubei-dono, It appears that there is a lot we do not know." Sirzechs beseeched the de facto leader of the Royal Guard, a decidedly confused expression on his face.
One of many such expressions that the gathered crowd bore.
"Yes, of course. Hm…for you to fully understand, I suppose I will have to start by explaining the Soul King himself."
The monk cleared his throat and began solemnly.
"The Soul King…is the progenitor of all of existence. At the dawn of time, in order to jumpstart the event, he created the Gods that would be known to mankind as the progenitors of the universe. Among those Gods were the Shinto Amenominakanushi, the Greco-Roman Chaos, the Norse Ginnugargap, the Hindu Triumvirate, and of course, your own Biblical YHWH. Together, the Progenitor Gods created the universe that we inhabit even today."
A murmur ran through the crowd, and if Ichigo hadn't already been aware of the truth, he probably would have joined in.
"However, during YHWH's creation, something went wrong. Even by the standards of the Progenitor Gods, YHWH was exceptionally powerful. He was the strongest in terms of raw power, and probably only Shiva, whose powers were heavily specialized in destruction, could defeat him. Perhaps the Soul King miscalculated just how much power was to be used in YHWH's creation, but the excess power overflowed and formed another being separate from the Biblical God. The Soul King was about to destroy it, but it escaped into the universe that the Progenitor Gods had created. The sheer immensity of the Soul King's true power is such that even if he were to enter the universe, it would be destroyed by the force of his presence immediately. Instead, he left the task of hunting that being down to the Progenitors. It took a few centuries for them to track it down, but they eventually found it, and YHWH personally dealt the finishing blow against it. I believe that would have been around the time when the Progenitors got around to creating humanity."
The loudness of the murmurs grew greater as the secrets of the universe's origins were revealed.
But there appeared to be a common accord amongst them.
This was fascinating and all, but what did it have to do with Yhwach?
"However, that alone was not enough to completely destroy it, only damage and disperse it temporarily. Over time, most of that power slowly regathered and recoalesced into a new being. An infant, who was born from his mother blind, deaf, voiceless and limbless. However, he possessed the instinctual awareness of the Soul King's existence, as well as an incredibly immense soul, which enabled him to split off portions of it to gift to others who were also lacking in some way, making up for their deficiencies. Deeming him a miracle child, they gave him a bastardized version of their God's name: Yhwach."
Shock ran through the crowd as Yhwach's origins and connection to the Biblical God were finally revealed.
In hindsight, it should have been somewhat obvious.
There was a whole list of similarities between the Quincy King and the Biblical God, including the fact that the Sternritters' Vollstandig looked a lot like Angels, and the way Yhwach and YHWH were pronounced were pretty similar.
"By the time Yhwach had been born, YHWH had already perished, most of the Progenitors, including Ginnugargap, Chaos and Amenominakanushi, had fallen into a long slumber, and the few who remained, such as the Hindu Triumvirate, had distanced themselves from the affairs of the universe. And thus, in order to deal with Yhwach once and for all, the Soul King devised a trap for him. To that end, he created Soul Society and the Royal Realm, placing a conduit through which he could safely interact with the universe in the Greater Palace. Then, he granted power to 13 human souls who would go on to become the First Generation of Captains. He chose four among the 13 to share his plans with, and to become the Zero Division in order to maintain the façade, eventually adding a fifth, Kirio, and finally spread the false information that the Soul King was nothing more than a puppet, acting as a lynchpin to keep the soul cycle in balance. It worked out pretty good, considering even Yhwach and the illustrious Aizen Sosuke were completely fooled by it."
The aforementioned mastermind twitched in his chair, and Ichigo could tell that he was about a step away from snapping and attacking, if he wasn't tied down.
He could certainly dish out deception, but he sure couldn't take it himself.
"However, Yhwach's power, stolen from the Soul King, had awakened as a form of limited omnipotence. And as an 'offshoot' of YHWH, the strongest of the Progenitors, there were very few beings in all of existence immune to that power. There's the Soul King, of course, along with the Infinite Dragon God, Ophis, and the Red Dragon God Emperor, Great Red, two more absolute existences that lie on the same level as the Soul King, and the Progenitors. However, outside of those few, Yhwach is capable of predicting and altering the future of all who fall within his gaze. In other words, he would see right through our plans if he were to so much as glimpse one of us. His ability was destabilized when Genryuusai defeated 1000 years ago, but he could regain control at any moment after he had awoken, so to counter that, the Soul King gave a piece of himself to those who were directly involved in the plan."
Ichibei pulled his robes apart to reveal a starburst-shaped scar over his heart.
The rest of the Royal Guard too lifted parts of their attire off to reveal bandages wrapped around their limbs, Kirinji Tenjiro's right arm, Nimaiya Oetsu's left arm, Shutara Senjumaru's left leg and Hikifune Kirio's right leg.
Ichigo and Genryuusai removed the bandages covering their right and left eyes respectively, revealing their strange, hypnotic four-pupiled appearance.
"To me, he granted his 'heart'. To my fellow Zero Division members, his 'limbs'. And to Ichigo and Genryuusai, his own 'eyes'. To be honest, since these are the body parts that belonged to the conduit, they only possess a miniscule portion of the Soul King's true power, However, they were enough to render us completely immune to Yhwach's prided 'Almighty', and thus able to flawlessly execute this plan. Yhwach has been imprisoned in the Greater Palace and the Almighty returned to its rightful owner."
The crowd seemed to become satisfied with the explanation.
At least until Azazel frowned and pointed out something that Ichibei had said earlier.
"Wait, if the plan was executed perfectly, what did you mean earlier when you said you had no idea how long the prison could hold him?"
The Viceroy of the Grigori's words began yet another commotion in the crowd.
The battle wasn't over yet?
"Ah, sharp. True, I did say that. It would have been nice if this war could end with Yhwach's eternal imprisonment, and originally, that was the plan. However, the appearance of 'Yhwach's other half' derailed it quite effectively. Jugram Haschwalth, the Grandmaster of the Sternritters, Yhwach's second-in-command, and the one who possesses the remainder of YHWH's excess power that hadn't coalesced into Yhwach. At this moment, he has infiltrated the prison and is currently locked in combat with Yhwach."
Shock was the predominant reaction among those gathered.
Yhwach's own second-in-command was trying to kill him?
That wasn't something they could have expected.
However, one person among them was more shocked than the rest.
"Jugo is attacking His Majesty!? Why!?"
The sole enemy combatant amongst them, Buzz-B, cried out, his face twisted into an expression of horror.
Ichigo had brought him along, requesting Unohana to heal him, because he needed to make an important decision.
"Ah, Buzzard Black, there you are. You of all people should already know the answer to your own question. Jugram Haschwalth has never once held any loyalty to Yhwach. For the past millenium, he has been waiting and searching for a chink in his invincible armor, and now that Yhwach has been bereft of his greatest power, he has finally taken action. In order to fulfill the promise he made to his only friend 1000 years ago."
Buzz-B gained a look of understanding as he gazed skywards.
"Jugo…you fucking idiot…We promised we would kill that bastard together…!"
"And perhaps you still can. We are offering you a chance, Buzzard Black. Despite the seeming advantages your friend has, it is Yhwach who holds the upper hand. While his Almighty has been stripped from him, Yhwach still retains a tremendous amount of power, harvested from the countless souls he has augmented over the years. Among others, this also includes Auswahlen, though I doubt he will get the opening to use it, as well as the nocturnal power swapping between him and Jugram Haschwalth. Currently, it is only a few scant minutes before the sun goes down. Once night falls, your friend's power will go to Yhwach, but with the Almighty reclaimed by the Soul King, Jugram Haschwalth will be a sitting duck. And I am sad to say, the chances of him defeating Yhwach before sunset are slim at best."
Buzz-B's face hardened.
"And? What's this chance you're offering me?"
"We've connected a temporary gateway to the Greater Palace's throne room, where Yhwach and Jugram Haschwalth are currently fighting. If you accept, we will send you there to aid your friend. However, know this. There is no guarantee, even with your presence, that Yhwach will be defeated. If you are unable to defeat him before sunset, both of you will-"
"I don't give a shit about that. Send me there already." Buzz-B interrupted and demanded of Ichibei.
"You sure about that? For all you know, you might be walking straight to your death."
"Are you kidding me? I'm not gonna turn tail and run when Jugo's fighting that bastard by himself. He's my subordinate, and I don't intend to let him die by himself. If that means I die too, then so be it. I'd rather give it my all and fail than never try and regret it for the rest of my life!"
The Monk who Declares the True Name's eyes softened.
"…I see. In that case, we will open the path for you. May fortune be in your favor, Buzzard Black."
Ichibei clapped his hands once, and a black portal appeared and swallowed the Sternritter.
Ichigo refocused his gaze skywards, intent on seeing this through to the end.
No matter what that end may be.
The first sign that the tide of the battle was about to change was when a wave of flames washed over Yhwach, completely catching the Quincy King off guard as he hastily moved to stop it from turning him to ashes.
Not one to waste an opportunity freely given to him, Haschwalth dashed forward and slashed at Yhwach's unguarded neck.
The blade was quickly stopped by the Quincy King's Blut Vene, literally a hair's width away from decapitating him.
Haschwalth immediately activated 'The Balance' and tore through the defensive technique, but the momentary pause in the attack had been more than enough time for Yhwach to shift, causing Haschwalth's blade to lose its leverage, causing its wielder to lurch forward.
Without missing a beat, Haschwalth quickly recovered and leapt backwards, just in time to avoid the reishi broadsword, which sailed through the air uncomfortably close to his face.
He took another leap back, placing some distance between him and the Quincy King, and turned to face the newcomer.
"Buzz-B, why are you here? No, firstly, how did you even get here?"
The fire-wielding Sternritter smirked at him in his usual arrogant manner.
"The Shinigami opened a gate for me. And I came up here because I heard you were being a dumbass as usual and fighting this bastard by yourself. I knew you would probably just get yourself killed, so I decided to lend a hand."
Anyone else would have taken offense at his words, but Haschwalth knew Buzz-B well enough to read between the lines.
'I got concerned because I heard you were trying to fight Yhwach on your own, so I came to help'.
That was the gist of the message.
"I appreciate your assistance. However, I must decline. Please leave. The barrier around us was only designed to keep Yhwach confined in here. You should have no trouble exiting."
Haschwalth knew better than anyone else how dangerous Yhwach was.
He was an exceptional fighter, with battle instincts that were, though rusty from neglect through his overdependence on his Almighty, exceptionally sharp.
That was the reason why he hadn't defeated Yhwach yet, despite possessing the almost unfair ability known as 'The Balance'.
Lightning fast attacks in just as quick succession were all deftly avoided while Yhwach refrained from attacking unnecessarily.
The nature of 'The Balance' was such that any wounds that Haschwalth received that didn't outright kill him would be inflicted onto Yhwach as well, and with the Freund Schild in his left hand, he could absorb the damage he had taken and inflict them on Yhwach, essentially doubling the damage.
Yhwach knew that very well, and thus aimed only for immediately lethal blows, mostly to his neck.
They had been at a stalemate until Buzz-B showed up and distracted Yhwach, and even then, Haschwalth was unable to land a proper blow in time.
If the two of them were to work together against Yhwach, there certainly was a chance that they would prevail, but Haschwalth was not a risky gambler.
Especially when all of the odds were stacked against him.
The sun would set in just a few minutes, and when that happened, he was finished.
And if Buzz-B was still here when that happened, he would be dead too.
Haschwalth knew that he could, in fact, just leave right now, and Yhwach would never be able to break out of this prison no matter how hard he tried.
But, that wasn't enough.
He would simply rot away here, quite literally and rapidly, as the powers sustaining his body were all drained, leaving him dead by sunrise tomorrow.
But, that wasn't enough.
That would not be anywhere near enough penance for what he had done, the atrocities he had committed over the centuries.
Haschwalth believed in the concept of karma. That was the reason he had chosen 'The Balance' as his Schrift over any other, possibly stronger, abilities.
And he intended to make sure that Yhwach suffered equally for every bit of pain he had caused to others.
And if that meant that he would die in the process, so be it.
But that didn't mean that Buzz-B had to die too.
However, the fire-wielding Sternritter seemed to be having none of it.
"Enough of your crap, Jugo. We swore that we would do this together. I'm sure as hell not backing out of this now. Now, get your ass in gear already. Don't worry about it. I'm your boss. If you're too weak as always, I'll pick up the slack for you." Buzz-B said with an easygoing grin, but his tone made it clear that he would not accept any arguments.
Haschwalth's eye twitched.
Their positions didn't mean much anymore now that they had both betrayed Yhwach, but he had been Buzz-B's superior for more than 1000 years.
He would have appreciated it if Buzz-B would treat him with the respect he was due.
Then again, the hothead had never done so even once since he had joined the Sternritters, so why would he start now?
Haschwalth smiled wryly.
He supposed that was what had drawn him to Buzz-B in the first place.
He wouldn't have it any other way.
"…The days when I was your subordinate have long past. Do try to keep up with me…Buzz." Haschwalth said, addressing Buzz-B by the nickname he had given him so long ago, but had never been used since their teenage years.
Buzz-B's grin grew to enormous proportions.
"Alright! This is the fight of our lives! Let's make a good show of it!"
Flames burst into life around the redheaded Sternritter as Haschwalth brandished his sword and shield.
"It doesn't matter whether there's one or two of you! One way or another, you will die, and I will break out of this damnable prison!" Yhwach growled.
"The one who's gonna die is you, shit stain! Burner Finger 2!"
Two arcs of compressed white hot flames appeared from the tips of Buzz-B's index and middle finger.
Yhwach raised his swords to defend against them, but the blow never came.
Because Buzz-B was not aiming for him in the first place.
Being prepared for it did not make two bars of white hot flames tearing through his Blut Vene like wet paper and carving into his body any less painful, as Haschwalth found out, gritting his teeth as he desperately fought off the urge to just break out into agonized spasms.
Directing his mental faculties away from the pain, he activated his Schrift and directed its power towards Yhwach, who was stunned in place at the unexpected turn of events.
The Emperor of the soon to be defunct Wandenreich howled as the wounds that had just been inflicted on Haschwalth appeared on his body as well.
Haschwalth, his own wounds vanishing as his Freund Schild absorbed his misfortune, followed up by turning that misfortune onto Yhwach, eliciting another roar as his injuries essentially doubled.
"You…!"
"Why do you seem so surprised? Having an ally inflict injuries onto me so that I can use my Schrift to redirect all of those wounds onto our opponent. That is a basic strategy when using The Balance. In fact, I recall that it was you who taught me this strategy, though I suppose you never expected it to be used on you."
"You're wide open! Burner Finger 4!"
Not letting up on the opening that Yhwach had shown, Buzz-B leapt forward, his right hand encased in a broad blade of white hot flames.
On pure reflex, Yhwach raised his blade to block it, but that was a mistake.
Buzz-B's techniques had too much firepower to be taken head on.
They had to be countered with an attack of equal or greater firepower, or they had to be avoided completely.
Trying to endure it would only result in…
A thunderous sound reverberated throughout the enclosed chamber as the broadsword of flames around Buzz-B's hand ignited into a massive explosion that engulfed the Quincy King.
Yhwach emerged from the smoke, covered in even more burns than before, the explosion having easily destroyed his reishi weapons and ripped his Blut Vene apart, right into the path of Haschwalth's own blade as his other half pounced on him and swung his sword down on the King's head.
Yhwach barely created a new broadsword in time, raising it to stop his decapitation, but subsequently left his front wide open.
Bazz-B burst through the dispersing smoke cloud after him with a wide grin on his face, his right hand once again encased in a broadsword of flames that was Burner Finger 4.
Having already learned his lesson, Yhwach immediately attempted to avoid it, but trapped in a blade lock with Haschwalth, there was little room for him to move.
The first blow, he was able to avoid, but Bazz-B easily turned the blade in midair and chased after him.
Another explosion rang out, engulfing both Yhwach and Haschwalth.
Two roars of pain erupted from the fireball, but one was cut off while the second increased in volume as Haschwalth activated 'The Balance' again, transferring his wounds to Yhwach.
This was their course of action. Continuous attacks to keep Yhwach off balance by inflicting more and more wounds on him.
Truth be told, Yhwach could easily take both of them on at the same time and win.
That was how much power the Quincy King still retained even after having the Almighty taken from him.
Thus, rather than attacking him at once, allowing him to focus on both of them at the same time, they attacked in rapid succession, with little to no interval in between.
The first blow that hit Haschwalth instead of Yhwach was to throw the Quincy King off guard and plant a seed of confusion in his mind.
A seed that sprouted when Haschwalth used 'The Balance' to transfer the wounds to him instead.
With that, Yhwach was momentarily conflicted on which one of them to take out first.
Haschwalth, who possessed 'The Balance', or Buzz-B, who supplied Haschwalth with wounds to transfer.
Without giving him time to decide, they pressed the assault and forced him to continuously switch his focus between them again and again, never allowing him an opening to adjust.
This was the only way for them to win in time.
And even then, Haschwalth was not sure if they would make it in time.
Centuries of continuously switching powers with Yhwach had made him rather intuitive as to the moment when the sun would set, and he could tell that he had about 2 minutes to wrap this up.
Maybe less.
"Buzz, let's go with that."
"Got it!"
Haschwalth swung his sword, keeping Yhwach on his toes, while Buzz-B put on the Sternritters' modified Leiden Hant and activated his Vollstandig.
The entire palace rocked as the pillar of condensed reishi slammed into the barrier, passing through it seamlessly with no signs of damage to its structure.
Buzz-B burst out of the column, a spiked Heiligenschein over his head and rod-shaped wings behind his back.
"Two Hands – Burner Finger 2: Flaming Cross!"
Swinging his arms in a cross-shaped pattern, two pairs of two arcs of condensed flames shot towards Yhwach, forcing the Quincy King to focus on him, allowing Haschwalth to back away and do the same.
A second pillar of reishi burst into existence, shaking the palace once more.
Haschwalth swung his sword and dispersed it, revealing the Quincy Cross-shaped halo above his head and two pairs of feathered wings.
As Yhwach used a barrage of Heiling Pfeils to deal with Bazz-B's attack, Haschwalth raised his shield and activated 'The Balance'.
Yhwach let out a strangled cry when an assortment of wounds began to appear on his body, even though Haschwalth was perfectly unharmed at the moment.
This was the power of 'The Balance' when it was enhanced by Vollstandig.
Rather than only redirecting misfortune that Haschwalth experienced currently, it was capable of making use of all of the misfortune he had suffered in his life.
With such a massive arsenal, there was no longer a need for Buzz-B to directly attack him for Haschwalth to attack.
More and more wounds began to open up on the Quincy King's body, and with each one that appeared, Yhwach's state of mind became more and more erratic.
Finally, the Quincy King was backed into a corner, both literally and figuratively, and slumped to the ground, gaze cast downwards.
"Don't you make for a sorry sight now, O King of Quincies. What happened to all of your bravado?" Buzz-B mocked his former emperor.
Under any other circumstances, Haschwalth might have deigned to join in, his well-hidden enmity for the Quincy King knowing no bounds.
However, they were on a time limit.
One that was rapidly approaching.
"Buzz, there's no time left. We have to finish him off."
Obviously not having experienced death before, Haschwalth could not use 'The Balance' to directly kill Yhwach.
Even the multitude of wounds he had already inflicted and was continuing to inflict would take time to kill him.
Time they did not have.
"Tch, killjoy. Whatever. Beating on him is starting to get a little old anyway."
Buzz-B raised both hands, all ten fingers pointed towards Yhwach.
"Well then, I guess this is farewell, 'Your Majesty'. It's been fun…"
"…Less trash-talking, more killing!" Haschwalth raised his voice in both volume and urgency.
They were literally seconds away from certain death.
"Alright already. Two Hands: Burning Full Fingers – White Conflagration!"
A white cone of flames began to erupt from Buzz-B's palms, temperature so high that anything struck by them would be completely disintegrated.
These were flames that burned hotter than even Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni's Ryujin Jakka, and while weaker than Zakka no Tachi, which could reach temperatures rivalling the sun's core, they were still far greater than anything that Yhwach's Blut Vene was capable of stopping.
The Quincy King's funeral pyre approached him, the white flames beginning to lick at him.
And then, Haschwalth knew it was over.
He almost collapsed to his knees when his Vollstandig was forcefully deactivated, and he was left with a painfully empty void in his soul.
"My dear other half…did you really think you would be rid of me that easily?"
The white flames vanished instantly as Yhwach rose to his feet, his wounds rapidly vanishing.
A cry of pain from beside him told Haschwalth that they had been transferred onto Buzz-B.
"Have you two already forgotten that you are nothing more than pawns to be used and discarded? Perhaps it's about time I reminded you of your place."
A white light enveloped Yhwach's hands and shot upwards, passing through the barrier seamlessly.
A pillar of light engulfed Haschwalth and Buzz-B.
This time, Haschwalth did collapse as what little power he had retained left him too and pain began to erupt from his chest.
More specifically, from the area where his heart was.
The metallic clot that was called Still Silver had formed in one of his heart's chambers, and would soon kill both him and Buzz-B.
And he did not think that Yhwach would stop at only absorbing their powers.
Most likely, all of the Sternritters who were still alive also had their powers taken.
He could do nothing but watch as Yhwach's power slowly began to climb back to what it once was.
After what seemed like an excruciatingly painful eternity, the light died down, and Yhwach stopped to examine himself.
"Hm…as expected, I wasn't able to regain 'The Almighty', but…well, that's fine. The Sternritters' Schrifts are more than enough for me to destroy Soul Society. And once I have absorbed every last one of them, I'll scour all of existence if I have to to find the Soul King."
The Quincy King looked down at them, and smirked at their fallen forms.
"Well then, I suppose this is farewell. Worry not, you will die knowing that you will be part of something much, much greater than yourself."
Yhwach slipped on his own Leiden Hant and was engulfed in a pillar of reishi.
Haschwalth watched in hazy horror as the Emperor of the defunct Wandenreich assumed his own Vollstandig.
Emerging from the pillar with a form not unlike Haschwalth's own Vollstandig, Yhwach smiled as the Heiligenschein above his head began to glow and revolve.
Haschwalth realized what it was that Yhwach was doing.
"Sklaverei…"
"Indeed. It doesn't matter what kind of barrier the Soul King set up to trap me. Everything in Soul Society and this Royal Realm is basically made out of reishi. As long as that holds true, I can use Sklaverei to enslave them and bend them to my will. Now then, let's begin, shall we? Destruction."
Yhwach strolled past their fallen forms and approached the sealed off door of the chamber.
Haschwalth could feel it.
The reishi that composed his body was beginning to submit to Yhwach's will.
The process was slow, probably because he was focusing the bulk of Sklaverei's power against the barrier to break it down.
He had to admit, the Soul King had done a fantastic job of creating that barrier.
Anything else that was subjected to Yhwach's Sklaverei would have broken down and submitted in an instant.
However, he knew that it would not be able to hold out forever.
It may have been the Soul King's creation, but it was really nothing more than reishi manipulated in a way that targeted and blocked Yhwach's reiatsu from getting through.
If the Soul King himself was maintaining the barrier, it would be a different story, but this barrier had been preset as a trap, automatically activating by itself when Yhwach stabbed the fake Soul King.
Without a strong enough will to overcome that power of Yhwach's Sklaverei, it would eventually break and submit.
As much as he hated Yhwach, he had to acknowledge his sheer power.
Now that he had failed, he could not think of anything short of the Soul King himself being able to stop Yhwach.
No one except…
"…Well then, I suppose the rest is in your hands now, Kurosaki Ichigo."
"Ah dammit, this really friggin' sucks. I can't believe we got our asses kicked like that…"
"Should I be the one to point out that we wouldn't be in this situation if you had held back the snark for the last few seconds?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm a dumbass, big whoop, stop the presses. What else is new? But, as far as deaths go, I guess this isn't too bad."
"…We fucked up big time. Yhwach is alive, in the pink of health, and in possession of all of the Sternritters' Schrifts. How is that 'not bad'?"
Buzz-B smiled brokenly.
"At least we finally fought together. That's what really mattered to me in the end. As for Yhwach…screw him. He's someone else's problem now. He'll get what's coming to him."
Haschwalth blinked at Buzz-B's uncharacteristically sentimental words.
But, he could see the logic in them.
Even if he had failed in the mission he had been undertaken for the past millennia, he had at least reconciled with his only friend.
A poor consolation, but one he was happy with, he supposed.
And he had a point.
Kurosaki Ichigo, Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni, the Royal Guard, the Captains of Gotei 13, and their mysterious allies.
With that many powerhouses, there was no way Yhwach was getting out unscathed without 'The Almighty'.
He was their problem now.
"…Buzz?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks. For everything."
"…Right back at you."
Closing his eyes as he felt himself fade away, Jugram Haschwalth died without a single regret.
Ichigo blinked as the sudden vision of Jugram Haschwalth and Buzzard Black's deaths faded from the forefront of his mind.
The sky was slowly turning to the shades of dusk as the sun set over the horizon.
"Looks like they failed after all." He noted, a small tinge of melancholy coloring his tone.
They may have been enemies, but those two were warriors worthy of respect.
If Yhwach hadn't absorbed them with his Sklaverei, he would have given them a proper burial.
Beside him, The Monk who Declares the True Name nodded as the crowd behind them tensed, obviously preparing for a battle.
"Yes, quite a pity. The task of defeating Yhwach falls back to us once more."
"He doesn't have a chance. Not against all of us. Not without that bullshit 'Almighty' of his."
"Perhaps. But, as the human saying goes, one should not count their eggs before they hatch."
Ichigo conceded the point.
Underestimating the opposition was what ultimately led Yhwach to losing his 'Almighty'.
It would be very, very stupid of them to make the same mistake.
Yhwach may have lost his fragment of the Soul King's power, but to make up for it, he now had the Schrifts of all of the Sternritters.
Most of them were fairly harmless, but some, like Jugram Haschwalth's 'Balance' and Gremmy Thoumeaux's 'Visionary' actually did pose a threat.
And Yhwach had all of them.
This was going to be rough.
"Balance Breaker."
With that single invocation, Ichigo was clad in the silver, angel-themed armor of his Sub-Species Balance Breaker, drawing his two Zanpakuto as he spied something glowing brightly rapidly descending from high above, vividly visible against the dark colored backdrop of the dusk sky.
That was the cue for everyone else to get ready as well.
The general reiatsu level of the area skyrocketed as the combatants released their full power, whether in general or in the form of a Bankai.
Just in time, for that something crashed landed right in front of them.
Yhwach turned towards them, his four wings of bluish-white reishi unfurling as he brandished his broadsword, grinning in a manic manner that told Ichigo that he might not be all there anymore.
"So, who wants to die first?"
Oh…my…god. I don't think I have encountered so much trouble in writing a chapter as I did this one.
Not so much because I had no idea what I wanted to write, but more because the right words just refused to come.
It didn't really help that I just started university.
But anyway, this arc will finally be finished in the next chapter, and we can go back to DxD events.
That's really all I have to say for now.
As always, please read and review.