"Hah...hah..."
Iba Tetsuzaemon collapsed on one knee, his right hand still gripping onto his sword. A crescent-shaped bloody wound was present near Iba's right eye. Iba was part of Squad 7. Since their Captain, Komamura, turned into a normal wolf (the price he paid for using the Human Metamorphosis Technique) they resolved to fighting off the Quincies in the Seireitei. As such, they were the only squad, to still have their main forces.
Unfortunately, the number of Soldats entering the Seireitei increased and increased. Squad 7 was getting overwhelmed. Currently, Iba was in front of at least fifty Soldats. He had fought off hundreds - thousands of them, none of them even being part of the elite Sternritter yet they didn't seem to stop. Despite Iba's pledge to carry on the fight for Komamura's sake, it seemed like this was the end. Not only that, but black matter riddled with yellow eyes have been appearing here and there, absorbing the collapsed structures.
The Soldats cautiously moved forward. Bit by bit. Iba closed his eyes. Forgive me...Captain Komamura. I wasn't able to help you get revenge for the Head Captain...and it looks like I will lose my life here...I am truly sorry...
Suddenly, the Soldats were interrupted and distracted by something. Iba looked up to see a tear in the sky. The tear widened and opened up. Iba's eyes were widened as he recognised it to be a Garganta, a pathway that Hollows use to travel. Iba feared that Hollows would attack at this moment, and to his surprise, what came out were not just Hollows...but Arrancars.
There were at least 25 Arrancars. In the middle of them all, was the woman known as the Tres Espada, Tia Harribel. She fought against Toshiro Hitsugaya in the fake Karakura Town and was mercilessly cut down by Aizen when he had no more need of her, despite her being the only Espada out of the three left to fight. The Arrancars all dropped down and went to attack the Soldats, who began fleeing.
Harribel landed next to Iba. "Have you guys come to lay waste to the Seireitei too?" he cautiously asked, gripping tighter onto his Zanpakuto. He knew from her reiatsu alone that he wouldn't be able to best her but Iba couldn't allow both the Quincies and the Arrancars to raze Seireitei to the ground, even if he had no energy left.
Harribel noticed him gripping tighter onto his blade. "Relax. We came to help you Shinigami out. We have a grudge to settle against these invaders anyway. Even if Shinigami continue to exterminate our kind...even I know it's bad news if you were to disappear entirely. Also...this way, I can at least repay a favour."
Iba held his breath. Before sighing, in relief. He was frustrated that they had to resort to this but even he knew the Shinigami needed all the help they could get. "Where's their boss?" Harribel asked.
"Who? Yhwach? Well, he's over there." Iba pointed east. "You can feel it, right?"
Harribel nodded. "There are multiple people engaging him." I can even faintly feel Aizen's reiatsu...so he broke out to help the Shinigami? Hmph. Doubt it. He's probably doing this so that he isn't forced to submit to Yhwach.
"But what's with this other reiatsu? I can feel multiple Captain-level presences...but there's one in particular that I can feel is pushing Yhwach back."
"Yeah. I'm pretty sure that's Ichigo."
Chapter 686: THE END OF YOUR WORLD
Uryu activated his 'Antithesis', reversing the event of his wound made by the arrow. The arrow and the wound on Uryu disappeared and the arrow appeared through Yhwach's chest, where he had fired the arrow into Uryu. "What is...?" Yhwach looked down at the arrow which disintegrated. A blue vein pattern appeared all over Yhwach's body and the darkness created by absorbing the Soul King's Right Arm that covered his entire body...vanished.
Ichigo paused as Yhwach started falling back, his swords of darkness disappearing. "What just happened?!" Ichigo exclaimed, confused.
"ICHIGO!!" Uryu shouted out. "NOW'S YOUR CHANCE!! HIS POWERS HAVE BEEN DISABLED FOR A FEW MINUTES!! YOU HAVE TO KILL HIM NOW!!"
Yhwach landed on the ground and touched over his chest, where the arrow was pierced through him. Could that have been an arrow crafted from the silver of stillness...? Then my powers have been...!!
Ichigo charged at Yhwach from the air. He raised his sword...and Yhwach countered with a blade made of reishi. Ichigo looked at his eyes...and saw that he had two pupils. "That's...!!"
"The Almighty!!" Yhwach grinned, pushing Ichigo back with a stroke of his sword.
"Damnit!! So only his Soul King powers were suppressed?!" Uryu clenched his fist.
Unbeknownst to them, Yhwach's Almighty powers were not fully intact. I can already feel the powers of the Right Arm trying to manifest...I can only really see spots of the future. But even that is enough...in a few more minutes...my powers will be back and...
"Raaaaaahhhh!!!" Black reiatsu burst forth from Ichigo's body as he charged at Yhwach. First he'll make a feint attack...though he's charging in front of me, he'll use his Sonido to get behind me...
Yhwach turned around and countered Ichigo's strike. Then after backing off, he'll use his 'Getsuga Jigokusho'...
White reiatsu gathered around Ichigo's blade. But only as a ruse. In truth, he'll fire it at the ground just in front of me to act a smokescreen then he'll go up and unleash the twin 'Getsuga' to-
"Getsuga...JIGOKUSHO!!!" Ichigo fired off the white 'Getsuga' and it went straight for Yhwach. Surprised, he summoned another reishi blade and crossed them together, the white stream of energy pushing him back. "Gah!!" Damn!! The Almighty can only see a future right now rather than all futures?! This power that can subvert even what my eyes can see...
"Hah...is this all you have?!" Yhwach destroyed the white 'Getsuga' with his swords and perked up. "I've seen that...Renji Abarai." Yhwach whipped around and cut off Renji's left arm along with the giant left arm of his Bankai. "When will you learn that your Bankai is useless in the face of me?! I suppose...I'll personally crush you so you will understand."
Just as Yhwach raised his sword at Renji, Aizen appeared between the two of them, causing Yhwach to laugh. "Aizen!! You, acting as a shield for Renji Abarai?! Hah!! Now I have seen it all!!!" Aizen countered Yhwach's blade and raised his left hand. "Hado 99: Goryuu Tenmetsu*." The ground began shaking and suddenly, five enormous light purple dragons appeared from the ground, along with five giant rings behind them each. "Hado 99, eh?!" Yhwach couldn't tell what they could do since his Almighty powers were flickering on and off.
Aizen smiled as one of the dragons disappeared. "What happened-" Suddenly, it felt like Yhwach was struck by lightning instantaneously as injuries appeared on his body. He spat out blood as he realised what just happened. "So those dragons attack their target at speeds close to light. Not only that, but they draw power from the reishi in the atmosphere?"
"Correct." Aizen appeared behind and struck Yhwach in the back. Yhwach's Almighty worked again and this time, he saw two more dragons attack. Two dragons vanished and he stepped to the side as quickly as possible. As a result, only his right arm got injured. "I saw that as well..."
"Licht Regen!!"
"Getsuga Tensho!!"
Yhwach jumped up to dodge a joint attack by both Ryuken who had only one hand and a heavily injured Isshin. He winced in pain as his head began to throb and he couldn't see the future. Ichigo jumped up above Yhwach, both black and white reiatsu gathering around his blade. Soon, they began to spin around his blade as if it was a mini tornado. "Soseiji Getsuga, Tentojigokusho!!!" Ichigo swung and let loose many crescent-shaped black and white slashes of energy.
A few hit Yhwach but he managed to land safely. His Almighty came back and he dove forward as the remaining three dragons disappeared, striking the ground that Yhwach just got off. Aizen appeared behind and anticipating, Yhwach immediately stretched his left leg behind him and kicked Aizen in the stomach, sending him back. "Gran Rey Cero!!" Yhwach dodged the white 'Cero' that Ichigo just fired.
With both his blades, Yhwach ran to Ichigo, who had landed. They clashed swords, blue, black and white streaks filling the air. Suddenly, Ichigo's mask broke and taking the opportunity now that his Almighty was off again, Yhwach sent Ichigo back. He stepped back too when the ground began getting shaky. An earthquake?!
He looked behind him to see Rukia, who had lowered her temperature to fifty below zero, freezing the moisture of the ground and causing a ice quake.
Before he could attack her, Ichigo appeared again with a 'Getsuga Tensho' wrapped around his blade. Yhwach clashed with it as his Almighty powers began to turn off again. He struck Ichigo in the air and then stabbed both swords into the ground. "Sankt Altar!!" Five orbs of light appeared and all connected to Ichigo, creating a pattern of the Quincy Cross. "Be torn asunder!!" Yhwach smiled as Ichigo's power slowly began getting sucked out of him.
"I see...so you think I'm Ichigo Kurosaki? Fascinating." Yhwach gasped as he saw that the one he got in his attack was Aizen, not Ichigo. Ichigo was currently charging right at him.
Ichigo took out the mask once again, though the mask immediately gained a crack. Ichigo launched himself at Yhwach who clashed swords with him again. The blade he held in his left hand disappeared and Yhwach grabbed Ichigo's throat, intent on crushing it. However, a blue vein pattern appeared on both Ichigo and him. Shit!! His Quincy powers are...!!
Yhwach let go as Ichigo got back a minuscule amount of his Quincy powers back. Ichigo was about to strike again when black matter burst out of Yhwach's body. "No, his Soul King powers are returning!!" Uryu exclaimed. Ichigo struggled against the wave of black matter that was pushing him back. The entire left side of his mask broke off as he was pushed back.
Wasting no time, he immediately began charging again. "Futile!!" Yhwach outstretched his arm and created a bullet of wind which knocked Ichigo's sword out of his hand. He went back for it as Uryu closed his eyes in frustration. He won't make it in time!!
Suddenly, Yhwach began spewing blood and a wound appeared on his back. No...his Quincy powers that I absorbed are...
Ichigo grabbed his blade and turned around to face Yhwach. With the last of his strength, he used Sonido to get behind Yhwach. The Quincy King turned around as Ichigo's swung his sword. The scene felt nostalgic to Yhwach...before he realised that he saw this in a dream.
Oh, I see...So what I saw then was a scene of the future? I thought it was only a dream you were showing me...Haschwalth.
Before the Soul King's powers could fully return, with the last of his might, Ichigo swung his sword and cut Yhwach in half.
Cut down!! The danger has passed as Ichigo delivers the final blow!!!
To Be Continued in Chapter 687: The Unwinding Hero