Disclaimer : I do not own anything from Bleach.

Main Pairing IchigoXGiselle, IchigoXMulti

The Embers of an Era

Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni was an old man, even in soul standards. While souls aged differently from humans, they still grew old over time. Despite how much he had honed his Bankai over the years ever since the first war against the Quincy, his body wasn't what it used to be. But that didn't mean that he expected himself to have a hard time fighting against this upstart. Kurosaki Ichigo hadn't even reached the age of twenty, while he was well over two thousand. If it was any other, he would've crushed his opponent with his reiatsu alone.

He could only grunt as he parried the reishi arrows of the young Quincy with his Zanpakutō, quite surprised at the power behind each of them. He had plenty of experience fighting against Quincy from the first war. The power behind the arrows of the Quincy tended to be weak, and mediocre at best when they were trying to overwhelm their enemies with the quantity of the arrows. But the arrows of this child held both quality and quantity, which was a trait he had seen from only the very vest of Yhwach's subordinates, and Yhwach himself.

"It seems that you have lost the little amount of dignity you had, if you have abandoned your Zanpakutō for this mockery."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at this, and chuckled, while continuing to fire more arrows. "Dignity? I am a Quincy, old man. I was born as one, and I am proud to be one. As for abandoning my Zanpakutō, you can accuse me all you want. But Zangetsu is always with me... even at this moment."

"Blasphemy!" roared Yamamoto as he stomped his foot to the ground. Flames erupted from the fissures that had opened up from the act and engulfed the reishi arrows, dissolving them into nothingness.

"Licht Regen," Ichigo muttered, and bombarded the Head-Captain with hundreds of vapory reishi arrows. The process of gathering enough reishi for this did not take long, thanks to his Vollständig. He then used a combination of Sonido and Flugbildschritt, and fired a concentrated blast of reishi from the opposite direction. "Let's see how you deal with this, old man."

Yamamoto wasn't impressed. He swung his Zanpakutō with narrowed eyes, and split the reishi blast in half with ease. The following explosion completely destroyed everything to the old Shinigami's both sides, but it didn't affect Yamamoto in any way. Ichigo's eyebrows quirked when he noticed that the Head-Captain didn't seem to care about his Heilig Pfeils, which would have been more than enough to seriously injure a Captain-level Shinigami if they were to ignore it like him.

Of course, the Head-Captain knew that fully well, and he wasn't a fool. Ichigo watched the scene with fascination, as his Heilig Pfeils were incinerated instantly when they came into a certain vicinity of the ancient Shinigami. There wasn't anything that could be seen in his vision, but he could easily take a guess. With the drastic rise in the temperature of the whole Seireitei, the fact that Yamamoto's Bankai was the cause of the intense heat surrounding him was quite obvious. The temperature of a flame was highest at its center, so it wasn't surprising that his Heilig Pfeils weren't enough to reach the Head-Captain.

'So a low-powered Licht Regen won't be enough to overpower his defensive ability, but my Heilig Pfeil at its full power probably could. There must be a reason he did parry my Heilig Pfeils at first, so I just need to find out its limit.'

That was good, because it meant that if he poured more power into his attacks, Yamamoto's defensive abilities wouldn't be capable of negating them. Well it could, if Yamamoto was actually trying to lure him into believing that he needed to block some of his more powerful moves, for the purpose of catching him off-guard. However, he could deal with that as long as he stayed aware of the possibility.

The scorching heat was growing more intense with every passing second. Ichigo wondered if the Head-Captain's Bankai could actually burn the whole Soul Society to ashes at this rate, but he waved the thought away. It wasn't his problem, really... but then again, he did find the thought to be amusing. The Head-Captain of the Gotei 13, bringing the end of Soul Society with his own Bankai. Amusing, and somewhat terrifying at the same time.

"Do you think I would be doing you guys a favor, if I stopped you from wielding your Bankai?" asked Ichigo, as he poured more power into each reishi arrow to test the limit of Yamamoto's defense. "I mean, how long would it take for your Bankai to set the whole Seireitei on flames?"

"Your concern is unwarranted, child. It wouldn't take that long for me to give you a proper beating," said Yamamoto. He lowered his stance and dashed towards Ichigo at an alarming speed, not even using his Shunpo. Chips of stone flew into the air from the small crater that had formed, due to the sheer power of Yamamoto when he launched himself. "Now, I shall see if you can back your earlier words of arrogance!"

The heat that radiated from the Zanpakutō left a burnt open trail on Ichigo's cloak when the tip of the blade caught it, causing Ichigo to frown at the expense of his favorite cloak. He noted that he should be careful to avoid any direct contact with the tip of the blade, since it was obvious that it wouldn't be a pleasant experience for him.

Ichigo effortlessly weaved through the aggressive slashes of Zanka no Tachi, and fired a few reiatsu blasts of his own while gradually increasing the power in his Heilig Pfeils to keep on testing the limits of Yamamoto's defense. It was holding its own fairly well so far, but Ichigo knew that he could get through it eventually.

"When will you draw your blade, boy?" asked Yamamoto, his blade adding another scorch line on the ground. "I hope that you are not under the impression that you'll be able to defeat me with those arrows of yours. You would end up disappointed."

Ichigo shrugged, and threw a punch at the old man's face. Yamamoto sent a pitying look at Ichigo, fully expecting his arm to burn into nothingness from making direct contact with his Zanjitsu Gokui. His eyes widened when Ichigo's fist actually connected with his jaw, causing him to stagger a few steps backwards. Ichigo couldn't hold back a smirk from forming when he saw the expression on the Head-Captain's face.

"Did you earn your spot as the Head-Captain with your words? You keep bringing up my arrogance, but how about yours? If you keep up with that attitude you'll end up regretting it, I can assure you that."

"...How is it that you were not affected by my Zanjitsu Gokui? Once my Bankai is released, both my body and blade bear the heat of the sun itself. Your arm should not have left anything, not even a pile of ash... And yet..." Yamamoto trailed off, visibly shaken when he saw that Ichigo was able to negate another part of his Bankai.

"Well, that's just bullshit. If it actually held the heat of the sun, your precious Soul Society would become an inferno in an instant, not over time. Besides, that's for me to know and you to find out," Ichigo replied nonchalantly, and then formed a reishi sword with a frown. It was a solid construct, and yet had the vapor-like appearance which was the same as his Heilig Bogen. "But I suppose I'll spare you the headache, since it would be a bit too cruel of me to do that... Especially to an old man who won't live to see the end of this day."

Flames erupted and sparks flared when the two swords clashed, and the ground cracked under the overwhelming spiritual pressure released from the duo. Yamamoto narrowed his eyes in annoyance that Ichigo's sword did not succumb to his Bankai, and growled. "Your arrogance knows no bounds, boy!"

"Seeing that my reishi sword can hold its own against your Bankai, I'd say it's more than enough proof of it being self-confidence, not arrogance, old man. And didn't I say that you're going to regret it if you keep doing that? As I was about to say, us Quincy have a technique which is the equivalent to a Shinigami's Bankai. The Quincy: Vollständig, which is what I am using at the moment. I won't bother saying which is superior and whatnot, but my Vollständig is unique. Simply put, my Vollständig includes some of the traits of an Arrancar's Resurrección."

It didn't surprise Yamamoto as much as it should have, due to the prior knowledge he had about Ichigo's inner Hollow. That didn't mean he wasn't surprised at all, though. A hybrid of Shinigami and Hollow was one thing, but a hybrid of Quincy and Hollow? It completely went against the very nature of the world, even more so than the former. As different as they are, Shinigami and Hollows were still souls, a different page on the same book. Quincies? They were still very much alive, making them different pages on a completely different book.

Yamamoto quickly pushed the irrelevant thoughts away, and focused on the task of bringing down the wayward son of Isshin. He had to admit that this child was proving himself to be a competent enough foe, just enough to admit that even he was unsure if he could defeat the boy before his Bankai burnt down the whole Seireitei... and even himself.

Although Ichigo seemed to be holding his own fairly well, he knew that Yamamoto was still stronger than him in the physical aspect. Yamamoto was an old war-hardened Shinigami, and he was still a human. Yes, a hybrid of Hollow, Shinigami, and Quincy, but still a human in nature. Yamamoto's strikes were powerful, straightforward, but it did not lack finesse. Ichigo mostly focused on parrying the Head-Captain's Zanpakutō, while occasionally slipping his own counters. The ancient Shinigami had become wary of his deadly counter attacks, having been almost caught in some of those.

If his skills were still the same as the time when he was a Substitute Shinigami, he would've blindly went in for the offensive in order to overpower his opponent. But Ichigo learned to be better, knew how to be better, and became better than that. He had improved vastly over the last year, and it was proven by the fact that while Yamamoto seemed to be pushing him into defensive, Ichigo had not even once allowed a clean strike on himself.

Just because he honed his swordsmanship with Jugram didn't mean that his style had become the polar opposite of his original style, though. Zangetsu would have none of it, and Ichigo himself didn't want that either. So he made a compromise with his two Zanpakutō spirits. He would deal with the more detailed parts of his fight with his instincts, but also control the whole picture with a bit more strategic mind, as expected from a Quincy.

"The answer to your question earlier is high-speed regeneration, powered up with my Vollständig. Basically, my regeneration speed is just extremely fast, so that I regenerated everything before the heat of your Bankai could actually incinerate the entirety of my arm," answered Ichigo, blocking another heavy strike from the Head-Captain. "You really should've let Inoue heal your arm, you know. You would've had a better chance that way."

Before Yamamoto could retort, he felt a deep gash opening over his torso, and quickly stepped back some distance. Somehow he had lost the boy from his senses for a short moment, which resulted in a near-fatal wound. It could have actually killed him if he reacted even a millisecond later than he had. Yamamoto had no idea how this happened, nor did he have any kind of speculations. It just... happened, for the lack of a better description.

"When I fought as a Shinigami, I fought for my life at the best of my abilities, learned to use some Shunpo, and gained the resolve to never back down in order to protect my precious people. Obviously, the last one was the most important thing. Then I learned to fight with my instincts from my Inner Hollow, to enjoy the act of fighting itself, even if I didn't admit it at that time. When I not only learned my heritage as a Quincy, but became one..." Ichigo trailed off, thinking of everything he had learned.

Another gash opened up from Yamamoto's side, a second one on his only arm, and the third on his back. Yamamoto growled in annoyance, and concentrated on his senses to its limit. When he felt a presence nearing, he stomped his foot onto the ground, and flames erupted from the fissures that had opened up. When he lost the presence once more, Ichigo was in front of him, his sword stabbing into his flesh. Yamamoto gasped, and tried to move, only to find his body not responding to his will.

"I learned proper swordsmanship, archery, Flugbildschritt, reishi manipulation, probably everything I could learn with the exception of old Quincy spells. I learned to keep a level head, think ahead, and to fight efficiently. Despite all that, a part of me rather likes to drag my fight longer than necessary if my opponent is as good as you, a bit too much like Kenpachi if you ask me. So I'll humor you a little. My Schrift, the ability His Majesty granted to us Sternritter through sharing his blood is 'The Amnesia'. As of this moment, I effectively made your brain forget to send out certain signals to most of your body, so it won't be able to order your body to move for a short time. It will take a lot of effort, but I can make it permanent if I want it to be. Don't worry though, this will only hold for a few minutes."

Ichigo then added with a thoughtful expression. "Oh, right. You can still talk, by the way."

"...What is the meaning of this?" growled Yamamoto.

"Wasn't I obvious enough? I decided to humor you a little, that's all. As I said, a part of me enjoys a good fight, and there aren't many that can give me a fight like you. So... back to what I was saying. My Schrift, 'The Amnesia' can make someone or something to forget what I want them to. You may have, or may not have noticed that your former 2nd Division Captain is still very much alive. I made her forget her loyalty to the Gotei, and she didn't have that much of a high opinion on you guys after that."

"Impossible! Even Yhwach cannot grant a power of such caliber through his blood. He is no god!"

It wasn't the old man's denial, but actually the fact. Ichigo knew that such power was above what Yhwach could offer to his Sternritter, but his was not the same as the others. If Yhwach decided to do so, he could easily retrieve the power he gave out to his children with his Auswählen. In Ichigo's case, Yhwach had to put a hell lot of effort to steal his powers, not just strike him with the Auswählen to instantly strip him off of it.

"Well, you're right, but I'm an anomaly. My very existence goes against every single one of your belief, after all," shrugged Ichigo. He hummed for a moment, and spoke up. "I could end this fight in a single moment, and it wouldn't take that much of a effort. As much as you would want to deny it, you made a big mistake in not asking Inoue to heal your other arm. And-"

"Utterly preposterous!" roared Yamamoto. Angry dark-red flames lit up the sky, and the entirety of the Seireitei could see the flames that had been released along with the furious reiatsu of the Head-Captain.

"Why am I not surprised?" Ichigo muttered while fanning himself with his hand, a good distance away from the Head-Captain.

Somehow Yamamoto had overpowered his Schrift, and nearly caught him in his deadly attack. It wasn't as powerful as his Tenchi Kaijin, but any kind of attack with his Bankai was more than capable of seriously injuring even Yhwach himself. There was a reason Yhwach didn't want to face Yamamoto's Bankai directly, when his power of The Almighty had yet to fully awaken... not that he was afraid of Yamamoto by any means. It wasn't that Yhwach felt threatened by the Head-Captain, but more of a cautious measure to not stunt the recovery of his powers.

Another burst of flames destroyed a wide area to Ichigo's left, when he parried the visibly more vicious strike of the Head-Captain. It led him to the realization, that he was being treated to the glimpse of the Yamamoto from the first war. It felt like he was a completely different person in comparison to moments earlier. His attacks were much more aggressive, malicious, and full of murderous intent.

Ichigo had to step back when Yamamoto stomped his foot right in front of him, and lowered his body which spun around one hundred-eighty degrees.

'Figures that the old man would be well-versed in Hakuda, and most likely in Kidō as well.'

Ichigo quickly ducked, not wanting to get his head caught in such a destructive reverse roundhouse kick, Yamamoto's heel whizzing over his head. Even the flames of his Bankai became more volatile, evident from the storm of flames that followed after the kick. Ichigo was forced to put some distance between Yamamoto and himself, due to the much more violent heat Yamamoto's Zanpakutō radiated. While he wouldn't be burnt to a crisp, instant regeneration did take its toll on his reiryoku reserves, however vast it may be.

When Yamamoto's kick had failed to connect with his opponent along with the following attack, he buried the blade of Zanka no Tachi into the ground and chanted.

"Lifeless bodies, ashes of those who have perished by my flame, lend me your aid... I shall grant you the brief pleasure of battle once more! Zanka no Tachi, South. Kaka Jūmanokushi Daisōjin!"

As the charred hands of the skeletal corpses arose from the numerous fissures that had opened up from the ground, Ichigo took advantage of the wings of his Vollständig, and brought himself up high into the air. He was briefly aware of what those corpses were capable of, having seen them in action just before he intervened in the fight between Royd and Yamamoto. While a whole army of undead soldiers would prove to be quite bothersome against some, they really weren't of any threat to him. There weren't any corpses that Yamamoto's Bankai could bring back to affect his mentality in a negative way, effectively restricting the effects of the technique to pure physical means.

'What can they actually do, now that I'm high up in the air, out of their reach?' thought Ichigo, only to regret those words afterwards.

When Ichigo saw one of the corpses 'flying' at him, he didn't really know what to think of it. He flicked his sword out of reflex, and cleaved the corpse clean in half. As much as he wanted to say otherwise, Ichigo was confused as hell. It wasn't until he noticed a whole squad of black skeletal soldiers approaching him rapidly, that he figured out how they were 'flying'. They were throwing one another at him, which would've been somewhat hilarious if he wasn't their target. Ichigo mechanically cut them down, while keeping an eye on Yamamoto to ensure that he wasn't caught off guard.

Despite the act he had put on, Yamamoto knew that he couldn't simply overpower the upstart in his current condition. He had broke himself free from the Sternritter's Schrift at the expense of his reiryoku, and the amount it cost him was nothing to scoff at. He had payed for his arrogance, and he didn't intend to repeat his earlier mistake.

Kurosaki Ichigo was an opponent he needed to take seriously, and the thought sent a cold shiver up his spine. No one, not even Yhwach in the first war had made him feel like this. Granted, he knew that his age was catching up to him, and his overall strength wouldn't be able to match himself during the first war. His current power while using Bankai was stronger than that of his younger self, but he knew that he was running out of time. The rather large amount of reiryoku he had lost to negate the child's ability took its toll, and it wouldn't be long before he actually burnt himself to ashes at this rate.

"You shouldn't drop your guard like that, old man."

Yamamoto's eyes snapped open in surprise, and quickly used Shunpo to escape from whatever Ichigo was about to do. It turned out to be a wise choice on his part.

A dark red wave of concentrated reishi carved a path of destruction on the grounds of the Seireitei, destroying several buildings in its way along with the majority of the charred skeletons. But what really unnerved the ancient Shinigami wasn't the power behind the attack.

"Why was I unable to sense you?" growled Yamamoto, his irritation showing from his narrowed eyes. He couldn't understand how Ichigo was able to catch him off guard so easily, and multiple times at that, not when he could sense the immense reiryoku radiating from the boy. "I admit that you're fast, much more so than even myself. But that itself is not enough to slip from my senses with such ease..."

Ichigo hummed in response, contemplating on whether he should humor Yamamoto once more, or not. He knew that regardless of his choice, the outcome of this fight was sealed from the start. Even now, he could just rob the Head-Captain of his Bankai, which would result in a rather one-sided victory for him. Even if he somehow lost, he knew that he could stall enough time for His Majesty to intervene.

"Are you sure you want to know the answer? I mean, I wouldn't want you to lose all your hope in winning, since it would be kind of lame. The only reason I'm fighting you is that I thought it would be fun. Had I not been interested, you would be dead right now," said Ichigo, trying to rile up Yamamoto on purpose.

If he was going to expose one of his secrets, he wanted to make sure that Yamamoto would still give him his all. More likely than not, Yamamoto would fight him until his last breath if he kept on fueling his anger. And in all honesty, it was the truth. If he didn't want to take a shot at the Head-Captain, His Majesty would've easily dealt with him at this point instead of him.

"Do not get cocky, you insolent brat!"

"Sure... Whatever you say," Ichigo replied with a cheeky smirk. "I wasn't lying when I said that our Vollständig was pretty much the equivalent of Bankai, you know?"

"And what would you know of Bankai, child? Your Bankai was-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know that my Bankai wasn't all that impressive by your standards and all... But it wasn't all that bad in my opinion, if you consider the fact that it was my faux Zanpakutō's Bankai," said Ichigo while interrupting Yamamoto's speech, earning another death glare from the ancient Shinigami's narrowed eyes. Ichigo scowled in annoyance at the old man's attitude. "If you don't want to believe it, that's fine by me. Just know that my Bankai and Hollow mask, and everything... all of it was a mere shade of my current strength."

"Nonsense! A faux Zanpakutō, you say? There's no such thing as a faux Zanpakutō!" scoffed Yamamoto.

"I doubt that you'd know better than my own Zanpakutō..." Ichigo muttered dryly, looking down upon the Head-Captain. "Anyway, there is a considerable boost in our abilities while in our Vollständig state. Complete domination over foreign reishi is one of them, and the amplification of our Schrift is another one. You are able to sense me, old man. Don't get me wrong..."

One moment, Yamamoto was glaring at the orange-haired Quincy from some distance. The next, the distance became non-existent.

"You just forgot." Ichigo said in the distorted voice of his Hollow counterpart, which sent unpleasant shivers up Yamamoto's spine.

When he saw the reflection of himself in the Sternritter's cold golden eyes, Yamamoto realized that everything this boy had said during their fight was in fact, the truth. As a blast of reishi struck his chest, he grudgingly admitted that the boy could've killed him earlier in the battle, while he was unaware of the opponent's capabilities. The Head-Captain was sent flying from the blast with a stream of blood trickling down his chin, but regained his composure mid-air on his own.

"You have proved yourself to be too much of a danger to the Soul Society..." said Yamamoto, and suddenly swung his Zanpakutō in an arc. Ichigo scowled when his reishi sword was stopped in its track, realizing that Yamamoto had somehow found a way to counter his Schrift. "I shall put you down, as it is my duty to protect the Seireitei... Even at the cost of my own life!"

Ichigo's scowl morphed into an excited grin upon hearing that. Despite how much Yamamoto was proving himself to be a more dangerous foe than his initial thoughts, Ichigo was actually pleased with the development. The way the most powerful Shinigami of the Gotei 13's reiatsu exploded, and let its presence known to the whole Seireitei was exhilarating to him. He could practically hear Zangetsu cackling with glee, obviously of the same mind as his wielder.

He knew that there would be a boost in morale to the majority of the Shinigami, and it would be expected of him to finish his fight soon. But as long as Yamamoto gave him his all, he was perfectly content with the way this fight was heading.

"I suppose it's my turn to ask a question. How did you sense my attack?" asked Ichigo, and his grin did not go unnoticed by the Head-Captain.

"It was not I, that sensed it," replied Yamamoto, trading strike after strike with the upstart. Every single one of his strikes were intended to kill, even more vicious than before. "It was my body itself that reacted to your blade, now that I have allowed my body to move on its own. I have gone through countless battles in my earlier days, and my body remembers each and every one of it. All it did was to merely react on its own accord, when it sensed your killing intent."

"Hmm..." Ichigo nodded in response, understanding what the old man meant. It was somewhat similar to his instinctual way of fighting, so he wasn't unfamiliar with the concept, at least. Granted, Yamamoto was well above him in that aspect if what he said was the truth, but that was to be expected with the difference in their experiences. "Well, then I should enjoy myself while it lasts."

Flames and sparks erupted when their blades connected, and Ichigo found himself lost in the exhilarating sensation of a battle against one of the most powerful beings in existence. Neither of the two backed down, and kept their ground as the sounds of their blades clashing resonated with their heart beat. The ground underneath them cracked from the immense spiritual pressure, and they found themselves immediately engaged in another duel on the rooftops of the nearby buildings.

This time Ichigo did not restrict himself to the defensive, but actively sent his own strikes with the intent to kill. If he wasn't in his Vollständig state, his Hollow mask would've formed on his own with all the killing intent he was letting loose. The rooftop of the building cracked and collapsed as he lunged at Yamamoto, and Ichigo swiped his sword at the Head-Captain's throat. Yamamoto held firm as he blocked the strike with his one and only arm, and pushed the Quincy back with all his might, which caused an opening on Ichigo's part.

Just as Yamamoto was about to take advantage of the opening, he flinched while lowering his blade to guard his lower body. The sound of metal clashing against one another reverberated, and Ichigo curled his lips. He paid no mind to the fact that Yamamoto had once more reacted to his Schrift, and black started to light up the blade of his sword. The Head-Captain's eyes widened upon recognizing the technique from the nature of its reiatsu, but Ichigo's Cero formed abnormally fast, even faster than the top three of Aizen's Espada.

"Cero Oscuras!"

Black split the sky of the Seireitei, but Yamamoto held firm even upon taking a clean hit from the more powerful version of the Cero. Ichigo knew that his Gran Rey Cero would've dealt a lot more damage, and his Heiliger Blitz might have been able to finish the fight at that instant. But the best he could afford while catching Yamamoto off-guard was a Cero Oscuras, since he needed to prepare his blood in the case of Gran Rey Cero, and reishi with Heiliger Blitz.

Yamamoto was mostly unharmed even with taking a point-blank hit with Cero Oscuras, but the upper part of his shihakusho had been destroyed without a trace, exposing his marred upper body with various scars he had earned over the years. There were some burns here and there, but Ichigo knew that he would need something more powerful to induce serious harm with the old man's Zanjitsu Gokui active.

The defensive technique of the old man's Bankai was proving to be quite the nuisance, greatly limiting Ichigo's options. He found himself at a disadvantage in close combat, thanks to the Head-Captain's Zanjitsu Gokui. His own stamina was rapidly declining due to the excruciating heat of Zanka no Tachi, not to mention the toll of his own Vollständig. Then again, Ichigo had been conveniently ignoring it until now, but there was actually a time limit to this invasion. He had been stretching it to its limit, but he would have to end this soon, regardless of how much he enjoyed it. And-

'Well, I suppose I can't keep His Majesty waiting any longer,' Ichigo sighed inwardly at the thought of cutting this fight short, but maybe he had become a little too much like Kenpachi to his liking. His eyes met with Jugram's who stood at some distance, and conceded that he had enough of his fun.

"I'm sorry to say this, but I'll have to cut this short. As much as I've been enjoying our fight, I'm rather behind my schedule. So, yeah..." said Ichigo, and raised himself up into the air with his wings.

"Those are some bold words, child..." Yamamoto muttered, his steely gaze focused on the young Quincy, who now had his vapor-like wings stretched out to its fullest with his reishi sword raised high above his head.

Several buildings nearby started to dissolve into reishi, and several trails of reishi flowed towards Ichigo, which was soon absorbed into his reishi sword. As Ichigo pressed more and more pure reishi into the blade of his sword, Yamamoto instinctively realized that this would be his last stand. Whether he would emerge victorious or not, he did not know, but he knew that this was where he would have to give his all for the sake of the Seireitei.

Soon enough, every single structure in the vicinity became nothing more than a stream of reishi, making its way to the blade of the Sternritter. The light it emitted was so bright and pure unlike what Yamamoto had seen from his opponent until now, which could be considered as a little more tainted, so to speak. Now standing firmly on the ground, Yamamoto shifted his posture, and prepared for the inevitable. He started to pour his all into his trusted companion for more than a millennia. Not only his reiryoku, but his will to protect the Seireitei, the intent to crush everything that stood in his way, even his own life if needed be.

"Zanka no Tachi... North..."

At that moment, the attention of every last sentient being in the Seireitei was focused on the outcome of this battle. The temperature spiked up drastically, eliciting worried glances from the elder Captains all over the Seireitei. They knew that if their Head-Captain was actually hard-pressed to this point, the situation was nowhere near being good.

Just as Yamamoto's Zanpakutō prepared to strike with the most powerful move in his arsenal, Ichigo brought down his sword in a mighty slash, and a blinding light flashed across the sky of the Seireitei.

"Lichtschneider!"

Yamamoto didn't even bat an eye upon witnessing the massive wave of reishi, and swung his Zanpakutō in an arc.

"Tenchi Kaijin!"

Both Quincy and Shinigami thought that it would be a repeat of the earlier clash at first, upon seeing how neither of the attacks could overpower each other. They were soon proven wrong, when the concentrated heat and flames cleaved through the wave of reishi a few moments later.

Yamamoto couldn't laugh, even though his attack would reach its target without a doubt. The wave of reishi was now split into two, but it was still on its way to the intended target, namely him. He tried his best to move his body away from the path of destruction, but his body did not budge. It seemed that both of them would suffer a devastating blow from their respective opponent. Still, if he was successful in bringing down his opponent with him, then he had done what was needed to be done.

The light of destruction approached Yamamoto in an excruciatingly slow speed to his eyes, but it eventually made contact, soon followed by a devastating explosion. All Yamamoto could see in his sight was pure white, and he felt the pain spreading all over his body in an instant. His skin was severely burnt from the heavily concentrated reishi, accompanied with angry red blisters that had formed all over his body.

Zanka no Tachi slipped from his grip and fell to the ground, embedding itself into it due to the heat of the blade. The Bankai of the most powerful fire type Zanpakutō in existence reverted back into its Shikai form, and then into its sealed state. The temperature dropped instantly upon the rather forcible sealing of Zanka no Tachi, and all of the evaporated vapor in the atmosphere started to descend back to the ground in its liquid form.

The whole Seireitei realized at that moment, that the very outcome they had been dreading became a reality. Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni had lost in combat.

Yamamoto blinked in confusion when he felt the droplets of water pelting his body, and tried to move, only to find it not responding to his will. It took a few moments for everything to come back to him, but he realized soon enough that he had lost his consciousness after his battle.

Now the question was, how long was he out?

He didn't have a solid answer to that particular question, but seeing that he was still very much alive, it couldn't have been that long. Yamamoto doubted that any of the enemy would have let him be, if he had been unconscious for any more than a few minutes, if not less. He released a growl of annoyance as he tried to move his body once more, to find only the upper part of his body responding. Even then, it didn't move as well as he expected it to, which irritated him to no end.

Despite all that, Yamamoto knew that he probably got the better part of the deal. His Tenchi Kaijin had split the reishi attack of his enemy, and he doubted that the young boy would have gotten out of it alive, much less unscathed. He himself didn't have the time to react accordingly to the aftermath of the clash between their techniques, and he suspected that it would've been the same for the Quincy. Surely there must be a limit to his high-speed regeneration if he tried to avoid direct contact with his Zanjitsu Gokui?

His eyes wandered on the scenery around him, but all Yamamoto could see was the crater he was lying at the center of, and nothing more. There was no trace of the young Quincy, and-

"It seems that my son has dealt with you as he had proclaimed, Yamamoto."

Yamamoto froze upon hearing the satisfied voice of Yhwach, and immediately searched for his Zanpakutō, only to growl in fury when he spotted his trusted weapon in the hands of the Quincy Emperor. He dared to lay his hand on Ryūjin Jakka?!

"Yhwach..."

"Ah, yes, your Zanpakutō... I shall return it to you in due time, but I would like a small chat between ourselves. You see, you were never meant to fight Ichigo. I had originally planned to intervene during you and my substitute's duel, and steal your Bankai before ending your life. Alas, Ichigo wished to have a fight with you badly after your display of power in your office, so I had a little change in my plans. I must say, I am rather impressed at how much your Bankai became stronger over the years. However... you yourself on the other hand, have grown weaker."

As much as Yamamoto wanted to say otherwise, he knew that it was the truth. His old self wouldn't have cared about his pride and whatsoever, and practically ordered the human girl into restoring his arm. Ignoring the fact that his old self was no protector in nature, he knew that his old self would have been more successful in protecting the Seireitei compared to his current self.

"I can see that you feel nothing for the loss of your so-called son, as expected..." Yamamoto murmured, not having enough strength to speak in his usual strong and firm authoritative voice. "Even after he saved your life, and bought you the time to recover..."

Yhwach raised his eyebrow, and sent a questioning look at the fallen form of the Head-Captain, only to let out a chuckle moments later.

"Ah... So you were thoroughly fooled by Sternritter Lloyd, then. I was never here fighting you, Yamamoto. I never was..." said Yamamoto, now openly laughing. While Yhwach didn't intend to mock the Head-Captain with this act at first, he found himself enjoying the situation. "The 'Yhwach' you fought was not I, but one of the Sternritter who merely took the form of myself on my orders. I made a visit to your empty Division, or rather what's under it. Sadly, he didn't accept my offer, but it matters not in the end."

The emperor's laughter only grew in volume when Yhwach saw Yamamoto's eyes widen in disbelief. But as much as he enjoyed mocking the old fossil, they needed to end this invasion before their time was up. He would retire to Silbern for the time being with his advisor after that, and he along with his Jugram would solidify their future plans to secure their victory at the end.

"As for the loss of my son, why would I mourn for a loss I had yet to suffer, one that would likely never happen?" said Yhwach, an amused expression on his face. He had to admit, he could spend an endless amount of time just toying with Yamamoto, and never get bored of it. It was just too bad for him that he did not have the time to spare for some more entertainment. "Ichigo, you did well, my son. I find myself to be impressed at the progress of your reishi manipulation... or rather reiryoku manipulation."

Yamamoto's eyes were plagued with despair when he noticed that his opponent was alive and well, as he landed gracefully alongside Yhwach. Ichigo was no longer in his Vollständig state, and he wasn't wearing his cloak due to it being burnt to a crisp. His uniform was not that different from the standard Sternritter uniform, although he wore a black shirt with a thin red cross on it under his coat, instead of the white and blue like the others. The remaining sleeve of his coat was trimmed with gold, and his belts were black with a golden belt buckle.

"While I am flattered... did you really expect any less, Your Majesty?" asked Ichigo with a twitch in one of his eyebrows.

"No, I suppose not. I hope you enjoyed the experience, seeing how it was traded with the chance of obtaining Zanka no Tachi in our hands."

"You would've ordered me to steal it, if it was truly necessary to secure our victory in this war..." Ichigo pointed out dryly.

"Hmm... Fair enough. Send word to the Sternritter, Grandmaster. It is time to decimate the Soul Society. Ichigo, please give my word to Sternritter Gewelle that I require her assistance."

Yamamoto let out a wheezing breath upon hearing Yhwach's orders. He had failed to protect the Soul Society from its invaders, and he knew that they now had little to no chance of stopping this invasion on their own. The Zero Division showed no sign of interfering yet, so it would be up to the remaining Captains to protect and salvage what is left of the Gotei 13 until they chose to.

They had already lost one of their best fighters, the whole R&D Department, and now he was about to meet his own demise. Could he trust the young Captains and his pupil to protect the Soul Society? He had fallen in battle against one of Yhwach's subordinates, and the said Quincy could've defeated him earlier on with ease if he had used his Schrift more actively. Who would be able to stop the former Substitute Shinigami, much less the Quincy Emperor himself?

"Yes, Your Majesty," chorused the two Sternritter, and left the emperor to himself with the Head-Captain who was no longer considered to be a threat.

Yhwach turned his gaze to the battered form of the Head-Captain, and rubbed his chin. He had originally intended to completely destroy the body of Yamamoto after stealing the man's Bankai, Zanka no Tachi. But he knew that the man was in no condition to use his Bankai, and they wouldn't be able to steal it without the man releasing it. It was of no consequence, though.

The alternative plan for this situation was made as soon as he granted Ichigo's request to fight Yamamoto on his own. Why would they need to steal the man's Bankai, when they could make him their puppet after his death? Granted, he needn't to die in order to be turned into one of Sternritter 'Z', Giselle Gewelle's zombies. There was a reason the Head-Captain must die, though.

If somehow the Shinigami found a way to revert the effects of the Schrift 'The Zombie', there was no doubt that Yamamoto would become much more dangerous than he was during his fight against Ichigo. He wouldn't hesitate to ask the help of the Inoue Orihime in order to restore himself back to full condition, or even force the girl into doing so.

Normally, he would have dealt with the 'potential threat' accordingly... meaning that he would give out an order to one of his Sternritter, to kill the girl who had the ability to reject reality. Alas, he wouldn't do that to someone his son considered as a friend - at least for the time being -, so the other choice was obvious. If Yamamoto was dead before Giselle used her Schrift, the possibility would become non-existent. Simple as that. The zombie wouldn't be as strong as it was before it died, but he'd rather not take any chances when his Almighty had yet to awaken.

"...You are going to kill me," Yamamoto wheezed out.

"Indeed..."

Yamamoto closed his eyes, and thought of all the events in his life that led to this very moment. He wouldn't say that he regretted any of his actions. He lived by his beliefs, and he would be a fool to have any doubts or regrets over his life he chose to live.

What if I had accepted the girl's help? What if I had made sure that Yhwach was dead a thousand years ago?

He knew that those kind of thoughts were meaningless, and he would just have to place his trust on the other Captains. He would die as himself, not as a spineless coward full of regrets and doubts.

"How did he survive?" asked Yamamoto.

"Hmm...?" Yhwach hummed for a second, and raised his brows in understanding. "I suppose I could spare some mercy, and answer the last question of a dying man. He combined his own reiryoku with the reishi around him, and manipulated it into an ethereal shield. Now farewell, Yamamoto Genryūsai. Worry not, you won't be the last to go."

When Yamamoto saw the cruel smirk upon Yhwach's lips as he raised his finger, only one thought crossed his mind at that moment.

It seems that we won't be separated for much longer, Chōjirō.

There was a flash of blue, and a five-pointed cross was imprinted over Yamamoto's skin over his heart, marking the end of the thousand years long life of the Head-Captain of the Gotei 13. Various figures all over the Seireitei sensed the demise of the now deceased Head-Captain, and lost their composure.

Yhwach's gaze flickered towards a disruption over the skies of the Soul Society, spotting a thin line that connected the boundaries of the dimensions, a Garganta that had started to open. He let out a sigh, realizing that Quilge must have been defeated. Another loss of one of his children, but it wasn't an unforeseen event. There were no exceptions to the losses of war...

Not even himself.

If there was one thing Kyōraku Shunsui had not even once doubted for over hundred of years, it would be his teacher's strength. The old man was way out of him and Jūshirō's league... No, out of everyone's league. He didn't doubt the old man's victory for even a second upon sensing the release of Zanka no Tachi.

Every single member of the whole Gotei 13's spirits were lifted immensely, and he believed that it wouldn't take long for them to bring down the invaders to their knees. He thought so, until the enemy leader's reiatsu was replaced with a more powerful, and somewhat familiar one.

The former Substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo.

Apparently he was the son of Shiba Isshin and a Quincy, so the fact that their one-time ally had become the enemy didn't surprise him as much as it should have. A Quincy who had been caught in Captain Kurotsuchi's experiments... who had originally died because of another Shinigami's inaction. Could anyone really blame the boy for siding with the Quincies if he actually learned the truth?

Everything started to go wrong from that point. Shunsui couldn't believe it, but the young boy was facing his teacher on even grounds, despite the use of his Bankai.

"Why are you so surprised...? I did tell you that our leader would win against yours, didn't I?"

"I didn't think that you meant Kurosaki Ichigo when you said that..." Shunsui deadpanned, wincing from the pain he felt from the right side of his face. He had lost half of his sight earlier on, and it was constantly bothering him to the point that it was actively hindering his combat prowess.

Sternritter 'N', Robert Accutrone 'The Near' actually let out a small chuckle, and replied nonchalantly. "Technically His Majesty's successor could count as our leader. Therefore, I see nothing wrong in my statement."

To say that he was shocked would be an understatement for Shunsui, so he decided against saying anything and concentrated on his fight. If he lost focus for even a moment, the well-aged Quincy would instantly pop-up near him and fire his reishi gun point blank. He still didn't know how he did it, but it wasn't anything like Shunpo or an Arrancar's Sonido. Shunsui sincerely hoped that not all of the enemy Quincy were capable of this. It would be a taxing war ahead of them if they were.

What made the fight more difficult was that his enemy had plenty of experience under his belt, and easily adapted to Katen Kyōkotsu's games. Usually Katen Kyōkotsu's mood was an important factor in his battles, and luckily for him, they actually wanted to win against the Sternritter. Shunsui would like to think that they were mad at the enemy for damaging his handsome face, but Katen Kyōkotsu would probably never admit it. Such a shame, really.

All jokes aside, Shunsui was rather thankful that his Zanpakutō was in the mood for a winning game. He doubted that he would have been able to last this long without using his Bankai against the Quincy, if Katen Kyōkotsu weren't as cooperative as they were today.

"White," Robert called out smoothly, and started to fire Heilig Pfeils from his reishi gun.

Shunsui managed to parry the reishi bullets, but he was caught off-guard once more when Robert appeared right in front of him and fired a few more shots. Shunsui quickly used Shunpo to flash away the moment Robert appeared in front of him, but he didn't escape unharmed. He grunted in pain when a Heilig Pfeil hit his shoulder, which was exactly where his 'white' Captain's haori was exposed...

"Damn... He's good at our games," muttered Shunsui. The blood seeping from his shoulder colored his white haori into deep bloody red, reducing the amount of the color white on his person. "We can talk this out instead of fighting, you know?"

"I'm afraid not," Robert cut off, eliciting a sigh from the 8th Division Captain.

Shunsui had to admit that Katen Kyōkotsu's game of Irooni wasn't in his favor today. The ridiculous amount of white on Robert's body would increase the damage his attacks could inflict on Shunsui drastically, if they did land on anything white... The man was covered with white from head to toe, for god's sake!

And then, he lacked the color white on his own body in comparison to the Quincy, which would reduce any damage Robert could receive from his attacks. The blood seeping from his wound only served to further reduce the color. Shunsui was used to being in a disadvantage in the game itself, but he wasn't used to being the losing side in the actual fight. He really couldn't get a good grasp on how, but Robert kept on appearing near him without giving away any signs of doing so.

It was just his own bad luck, that Robert had no intention of explaining his own powers. Shunsui very much preferred the Primera Espada Coyote Starrk fellow as his opponent, even if the said Arrancar was admittedly stronger than his current one. He had found a kindred spirit in the Primera Espada, and it was such a shame that they had to meet as enemies. Shunsui had no doubt that they would've gotten along wonderfully, if they were given the chance to share some Sake.

'Ahhhh... Should I just use my Bankai? I'd rather not die today, since Nanao-chan would never let me hear the end of it if I did... If we were actually buried in a grave after our death like humans, she would visit it everyday just for the purpose of spiting me.'

But still, he knew that it wouldn't be wise of him to bring out his Bankai into the open. His Bankai was far too dangerous to let the enemy get their hands on, so he would just have to make his best out of the current situation.

Shunsui sighed, and removed his pink flowery kimono to increase the amount of white exposed on himself. He then used Shunpo towards Robert to approach him, and swung his twin Zanpakutō. He frowned when Robert drew up his silver suitcase and blocked Katen with it, but his Zanpakutō was Katen Kyōkotsu, not Katen. Kyōkotsu found its way towards the Sternritter's arm, and left a shallow cut upon making contact. It didn't connect properly due to Robert's hasty retreat with Flugbildschritt, but Katen Kyōkotsu's game was absolute.

"Interesting... Your Zanpakutō's ability can ignore our Blut Vene, an important piece of information I must report back to His Majesty if I somehow fail in my task to defeat you," stated Robert, as he observed his now limp right arm. What was supposed to be a shallow cut became deep enough to make it impossible for him to move his right arm on his own will. "I suppose this was to be expected from one of the senior Captains..."

"So... is there any chance of us solving this with a peaceful conversation now? I mean, with your arm in that state..." Shunsui trailed off, when strings of reishi attached themselves to Robert's limp arm. Apparently Shunsui knew this technique, ever since Captain Kurotsuchi had reported the discovery of this Quincy technique during his research... whether it could be called research was irrelevant. He called it Ransōtengai, and described it as the most powerful technique for the Quincy he was able to find from his research subjects. Shunsui muttered with a sigh. "I'll take that as a no..."

When Robert raised his gun and gathered reishi to continue his fire, Shunsui quickly submerged into the shadows. The rules of Katen Kyōkotsu's game had changed.

Kageoni.

"Hmm..." Robert stared blankly at the place where Shunsui was a moment earlier, and observed the nearby shadows with an impassive gaze. If the Captain wanted to play his games, he was more than happy to comply. It wasn't him who was in a hurry, after all. "You can hide in the shadows all you want, but time is not on your side. We are only getting started in our invasion, Captain."

Shunsui knew better than to rush at his opponent upon hearing those words, despite how much he wanted to do so. He would wait patiently until the enemy lost his focus for a single moment, even if it was less than a mere second.

It didn't take long.

The sky over somewhere near the 1st Division barracks was split into two by a black Cero, and Robert's attention was shifted towards the source of it for a minuscule moment. That was all the opening Shunsui needed, and he lunged from the the shadow behind Robert. To his surprise, the Quincy's reaction time was more than enough for him to spin around and bring up his silver suitcase in the path of Katen.

What Robert probably didn't expect was for Katen to completely penetrate his suit case, and actually manage to connect with his stomach. Thankfully Robert's Blut Vene was active the whole time, since Shunsui was the one who had the liberty to attack on his own accord.

Shunsui furrowed his brows when he noticed that Katen hadn't been able to stab the Quincy deep enough, and quickly retreated with his Shunpo. At least a dozen holes had formed on the ground Shunsui had been occupying several seconds earlier, showing Robert's displeasure at being wounded no matter the severity.

"I'm guessing whatever that Blut Vene you mentioned earlier is, it has something to do with how my attack couldn't harm you as much as it should have done?" asked Shunsui.

"Indeed."

Shunsui was rather surprised at Robert's reply at this point, since he was actually expecting him to ignore his question. Still, why was it that only Arrancars and Quincies have some kind of defensive technique they can use to protect their body? It seemed so unfair, not that anything was ever fair in this world. Maybe they should try to create their own defensive technique?

"Anyway... I-"

"Your Zanpakutō's ability is quite intriguing," Robert said in an amused tone, interrupting Shunsui's speech. "If the rules of your games didn't apply to both of us, I'd say that my chances of victory would be none to slim at best... but a game must be fair to both sides, yes?"

'What a troublesome opponent I have here... Just like that No.1 Espada, he's using the games to his advantage.' Shunsui thought to himself as Robert aimed his gun at his shadow and fired. He quickly leapt into the air, barely avoiding the reishi bullets that had been redirected towards him from his own shadow.

Takaoni.

"The person higher up wins in this game, and the loser dies..." Shunsui explained, only to be cut off from his explanations when a brilliant light spread all over the sky, along with a drastic increase in the temperature. He hastily retreated with a Shunpo to a nearby rooftop, avoiding the Heilig Pfeils that were well on their way to skewer his body. "Oh boy... Looks like Yama-jii's about to finish the kid."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Robert replied dryly, startling Shunsui with the lack of concern in his voice. "While your belief in your leader is admirable, his life was forfeit the moment this war came into motion. Why do you think that his Bankai has yet to be stolen from him?"

Shunsui's eyes widened in realization, just as the two immeasurable forces collided. The enemy could have chose to steal the Head-Captain's Bankai, but they didn't. Why? Was it impossible for them to steal a Bankai on the Head-Captain's caliber?

"Our successor chose to fight your leader without stealing his Bankai on his own accord for his amusement, and he was rather confident of his victory..."

Just then, the Head-Captain's technique seemed to have overpowered the Quincy's, and Shunsui immediately regained his calm. He had been worried for his teacher, someone he considered as a grandfather figure. Of course, who was he to doubt the old man? He was the strongest person he had ever known, and always will be...

And the whole world came crashing down onto him, as he sensed one of the reiatsu diminishing... and it wasn't the one he had been expecting.

It didn't take long for the near-unbearable heat to cool down, and the burning presence of Yamamoto's flame-like reiatsu was gone before he could even register what had occurred. Did the Head-Captain actually lose? Surely not? How could he-

And it finally hit him. Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni had lost to Kurosaki Ichigo.

"YAMA-JII!" screamed Shunsui, only to gasp in surprise and pain immediately after. His gaze wandered down, and stopped when he spotted a large gaping hole right above the sash of his shihakusho.

Robert stared impassively at the Captain as he fell backwards to the ground, and dropped his twin Zanpakutōs. The man was too lax, but he was an admirable opponent. Therefore, Robert didn't hesitate when the opportunity was presented to him, even if the act itself was an underhanded move. He could place the blame on the Captain for losing his focus, but he knew that the move wasn't by any means honorable.

He raised his gun and targeted the fallen form of his foe, only to frown when a purple-haired woman wearing a Captain's haori kicked the reishi gun out of his grasp. It seemed that the woman wasn't interested in fighting him, though. Yoruichi quickly draped Shunsui over her shoulder, and disappeared in an instant with her Shunpo.

"Hmm..."

Robert knew that the woman was Shihōin Yoruichi, and he had to admit that she lived up to her moniker 'The Goddess of Flash'. The only thing that stopped him from giving chase was the fact that she was to be considered as a potential ally for the time being.

Yes, he could turn a blind eye for just this once... But if she dared to interfere again, her life would be forfeit. He would make sure of it.

Her hand was resting on the hilt of her Zanpakutō before she herself had even realized it. The Head-Captain had fallen in battle. Her Lieutenant Kotetsu Isane was oblivious to the event that had occurred, tending to the injuries of the young Captain Hitsugaya. But herself on the other hand knew fully well that the Gotei 13 was losing in the war, badly.

Several of her fellow Captains' reiatsu began to diminish, or completely disappear all over the Seireitei. Unohana Retsu realized two things at that point. The Quincies have returned stronger than ever, and the Gotei 13 had become a mere shell of what it had been during the first war.

Well, in terms of Gotei, the current state was more fitting of the name compared to the founding members' Gotei. But she knew that while the current Gotei was failing spectacularly at the task of protecting the Seireitei, the original Gotei would have at least forced the Quincy to a standstill. To think of it, it was rather ironic that the league of bloodthirsty monsters and murderers would've been more successful at protecting the Seireitei.

The first to go was Captain Kurotsuchi. Despite the foul nature of the man, Retsu knew that his knowledge and intelligence would've been a great asset to the Gotei in a time of war. What was worse was the fact that the whole R&D department had been razed to the ground with zero survivors.

Then the reiatsu of the younger Captains followed, although they didn't die like the other Captain. While Captain Kuchiki had yet to be brought in to the 4th Division barracks, he was still alive, albeit barely. Captain Ukitake had brought an unconscious Captain Hitsugaya along with him. How he had managed to bring the young Captain with him when he himself was barely grasping onto his consciousness, she would never know.

The elder Captain's illness had worsened considerably, and Retsu knew that it would be quite some time before he would be able to partake in the war in a better condition. She knew that restoring him to his full condition was out of her skills, despite her being the best Kaidō practitioner in the Gotei 13. She had no idea if Tenjirō would be capable of the feat, but she certainly couldn't.

There was a surprising event that had occurred after that. Lieutenant Kuchiki had been brought into the medical facility, but what surprised her was the person who brought in the petite Shinigami. Apparently Lieutenant Kuchiki's Zanpakutō spirit was the one who brought her wielder in for her needed medical treatment. It was good to know that another Shinigami of the younger generation was well on her way of achieving Bankai. Yes. It was a welcome development for the Gotei 13, especially during the time of war.

When Sode no Shirayuki explained everything in her knowledge about the situation, Retsu wasn't as surprised as she should have been. Given the former Substitute Shinigami's blood relations along with the 12th Division's misdeeds, it wasn't that much of a surprise that he had joined the Quincies. Despite the fact that the young man was now an enemy of the Gotei 13, the way he treated Lieutenant Kuchiki was rather admirable.

'If only he was a few hundred years older...' Retsu thought to herself for a short moment, but quickly waved the thought away.

Anyway, Retsu didn't find any serious injuries on Lieutenant Kuchiki's body, so she would probably wake up in due time.

Captain Ōtoribashi with Captain Muguruma came in after that, the 3rd Division Captain carrying the latter over his shoulders. Captain Muguruma was in a rather dire condition, with numerous bruises and broken bones all over his body. It was sheer dumb luck that his skull had been only cracked and not completely shattered, which would've caused him an instant death. Thankfully his injuries were treated early enough to be stabilized with ease.

What actually saddened her was that despite how badly the Gotei 13 was losing in the current invasion, the Sōgō Kyūgo Tsumesho wasn't as busy as one would expect from the current situation. No, it wasn't any close to how she would've liked, and it wasn't that hard to figure out why. Most of the Shinigami were being killed before they could be brought in for their treatment, and she didn't like it.

And then, the one person she didn't expect to die, the one person who wasn't supposed to die... had perished.

Zaraki Kenpachi was no more.

Her greatest sin was no longer the fact that she was the very reason Zaraki started to restrain his own strength for the sole purpose of enjoying a fight, in fear of permanently losing a worthy opponent for him to fight without holding back.

No, her greatest sin was that the man who sought after a fight that could satisfy him, would no longer be able to fight to his heart's content. It was all because of what she had done to him that day, all those years ago. Had she been stronger so that he didn't need to hold back, or had she died at the least, all of this wouldn't have happened. It pained her to know that she would never get the chance to atone for her sins, to properly pass on the name of Kenpachi...

But she knew that there was at least one thing that Zaraki would've wanted her to do, and she intended to do just that.

'Minazuki, I ask you to lend your strength to me once more... If I cannot fulfill my one purpose I wanted- no, needed to fulfill, then I shall make it my purpose to make my death a worthwhile one... I shall fight until my last breath, and bathe myself with the blood of the enemy. I bid you farewell, Kenpachi of Zaraki, the one and only true Kenpachi.'

Okay. First off, I'd like to apologize for the late update. Originally I intended to upload this chapter at July 25th, at the latest. Three things happened during that time. One, I lost about 5k words due to a problem in my laptop. Two, I actually split this chapter into about half length of the original. Three, I've been distracted by Bleach Brave Souls.

I wanted to finish the first invasion arc in this chapter. I really did. But I wasn't even finished and yet it was about 17k words. So I decided to split the chapter into two parts, and add some details here and there to make sure that I wasn't rushing things. At this point the next chapter progress is about 7k words, so I'll upload it as soon as I finish it.

Oh, and did you guys see the 6th Year Anniversary Ver. Aizen? I kind of expected it to be his Bankai or a Soul King version Aizen, along with a Soul King version Ichigo... But well, not everything we want actually happens.

And then there was Shunsui, Jūshirō and Yama-jii's new design. I don't know about Shunsui, but Jūshirō and Yama-jii's designs... Kubo really outdid himself with those.

But I digress. I had a lot of thoughts concerning this chapter, such as these.

Should I make Ichigo the one to kill Yamamoto? Maybe I'm writing this a tad bit more one-sided than it really should be? Do I make Yhwach steal Zanka no Tachi? To kill or not kill Shunsui?

So for the first one, I think Yamamoto's death should be at Yhwach's hands. He has a bone to pick with the Head-Captain after all. And I decided that while Yamamoto will put up some fight, Ichigo should be able to beat the old man in his Vollständig state. I'd like to think that Ichigo usually likes to fight fair, considering his reaction after his Hollow won against Ulquiorra, thus the reason he didn't steal Yamamoto's Bankai.

I didn't make Yhwach steal Yamamoto's Bankai, but Yhwach asked for Giselle's assistance for some reason. Oh boy...

Shunsui was actually supposed to die according to my original plot line, but things change... I didn't plan to write Shunsui and Robert's fight in the first place, either. Robert's Schrift is unknown, except for the name of his Vollständig which is Grimaniel, but I noticed that the most plausible theory was 'The Near'.

I kind of thought up of something like 'The Negative', like he can move unnoticed in a negative dimension or something like that... To be honest, I was actually thinking of Uchiha Madara of Naruto at that point, where he can generate a clone of himself in a different dimension and only another Rinnegan wielder can see the clone.

My favorite part in the whole TYBW arc was the history of the two Kenpachi, and while Kubo focused more on Zaraki in canon, I'm going to place my focus on Yachiru Kenpachi. You guys will be seeing more of the first Kenpachi later on.

Also I'm trying my best to keep the power balance somewhat even between the Wandenreich, and the Gotei 13 plus the Zero Division. I won't purposely downplay some of the character's strength, but certain things are different from canon. Yhwach won't be using the Auswählen to power up the Schutzstaffel, and Uryū is currently not a Sternritter so he isn't as strong as canon.

The next chapter won't take long... or at least I hope so. I'm kind of hoping to upload chapter 11 before the 10th, but I can't make any promises. There probably will be a filler chapter after the conclusion of the first invasion, since I've been exhausting my brain with all this war stuff. Maybe I'll have another go at writing a lemon or two?

I found out that I reached 500 follows, which came as a surprise to me. I expected about 100 favorites/follows at top when I started to write this, so it was a rather pleasant surprise. Thank you all for your support!

Oh, and all non-flaming reviews are appreciated! When I say flaming, I can bear with someone insulting my writing itself, but I don't really want to read someone insult me for it. I'm not a pro, and I'm writing for fun... At least in this site.