"There's no time left," Tsunayoshi said to Yamamoto.
The instability of the barrier had already reached an irreversible point. Both of them knew—
There was only enough time for one final move.
"I will sever your right arm."
Yamamoto wasted no words. He stated his intent plainly.
Tsunayoshi smiled.
Cutting off his right arm meant Yamamoto had no intention of killing him. As long as he survived, someone like Inoue could easily restore the damage.
Perhaps this old man wasn't as unapproachable as he seemed.
"Then come!"
A surge of Cloud Attribute Dying Will Flames erupted from Tsunayoshi's body—more intense than ever before.
All of it flowed into his tonfa.
The white dragons engraved along them ignited with light—pupils forming in their eyes as they began to move.
They had come alive.
At the same time—
Yamamoto's Zanjitsu Gokui flared violently.
He raised Zanka no Tachi, condensing all of its power into a single strike.
Through the distortion of overwhelming heat—
Yamamoto himself seemed to disappear.
All that remained—
Was the blade.
A blade carrying a thousand years of accumulated power.
"…This is bad!" Urahara muttered, at a complete loss.
At this point, it didn't even feel like those two were fighting each other—
It felt like they were aiming at him.
If the barrier failed and half of Seireitei was destroyed by the aftershock, Urahara wasn't sure he'd ever be allowed to step foot in Soul Society again.
"Bankai — Daiguren Hyōrinmaru! Thousand-Year Ice Prison!"
Massive ice pillars erupted along the edge of the barrier.
Hitsugaya attempted to reinforce it—but the moment he acted, he realized the gap between himself and Yamamoto.
Even these peripheral ice structures showed signs of melting under the heat of Zanjitsu Gokui.
If Yamamoto stood directly before him—
He wouldn't even be able to resist.
Grinding his teeth, Hitsugaya forced himself to maintain the technique.
Even a little extra defense mattered.
"Captain Hitsugaya's right. I'll help too," Kyōraku said, channeling his Reiatsu into the barrier using Kidō principles.
The other Captains followed suit.
Offense came naturally to them—
Defense did not.
Only Kenpachi stood aside, restless.
For once, he knew—
Doing nothing was the most help he could offer.
Urahara's expression showed gratitude—
But also a trace of bitterness.
Their intentions were good—
But in terms of barrier reinforcement, their contributions were minimal.
Just as Urahara prepared himself for yet another forced exile—
The trembling barrier suddenly stabilized.
Blue, tree-like patterns appeared across its surface.
"…What is this?"
Urahara quickly realized—
These patterns were reinforcing the structure.
And then—
"Foolish Urahara Kisuke. You're not even a fraction of my brilliance."
Kurotsuchi Mayuri's mocking voice rang out from outside.
Beside him lay several members of the Kidō Corps, already incapacitated.
Originally, Mayuri had come only out of curiosity regarding the immense Reiatsu.
But when he saw the barrier on the verge of collapse—
He changed his mind.
This was a perfect opportunity to prove his superiority over Urahara.
Without hesitation, he forced his way in, subduing anyone who tried to stop him.
Then, together with Nemu—
He began his work.
Nemu activated her spirit-particle propulsion device, holding a massive Reishi drill, carving intricate patterns into the barrier.
"Return, Nemu."
"Yes, Mayuri-sama."
The moment the pattern was complete—
It activated.
The barrier's strength increased dramatically.
These structures were modeled after a Quincy technique—
Blut Vene.
While Mayuri couldn't replicate it within living bodies, applying its principles to a large-scale barrier was trivial for him.
The moment the reinforcement was complete—
Yamamoto and Tsunayoshi unleashed their final attacks.
"Zanka no Tachi: North — Tenchi Kaijin!"
Yamamoto swung.
A single slash—
And anything it touched was reduced to nothing.
Even ash would not remain.
His aim was precise—
Tsunayoshi's right arm.
At most, it would consume half his body—
No more.
At the same time—
Tsunayoshi struck with both fists.
The two white dragons erupted, engulfed in violet flames, expanding into massive purple dragons.
They coiled together—
And lunged toward Yamamoto's slash.
Floating Cloud: Absolute Devour!
This was Tsunayoshi's strongest attack in his Beyond Bankai state.
He held nothing back in power—
Only in scale.
If he had unleashed the full propagation ability of the Cloud Attribute—
This wouldn't have been two dragons—
But countless.
The two ultimate attacks collided.
For an instant—
Everything was swallowed by overwhelming Reiatsu.
No one could see what happened at the center.
The reinforced barrier shattered instantly.
Mayuri's expression froze in shock.
Ukitake coughed up a mouthful of blood—
Forcing the remaining energy upward into the sky.
BOOM!
BOOM!
Two massive detonations echoed across Soul Society.
From Seireitei to Rukongai, all beings felt it.
At the edge of the battlefield, Urahara emerged, covered in dust.
Looking up at the sky, he immediately understood.
Above Seireitei—
Lay the Royal Palace.
Between them—
Seventy-two barriers.
And now—
At least two of them had been breached by the redirected shockwaves.
And that—
Was only the aftermath.
The true clash had already been neutralized by the two attacks themselves.
A bead of sweat slid down Urahara's face.
The Royal Palace isn't going to think we're launching an attack… right?
He shook his head.
Not his problem.
That was Yamamoto's responsibility.
He had more urgent matters—like rescue.
Nearby, Byakuya, Kyōraku, Hirako, and Ukitake lay collapsed.
At the moment of impact, they had cast:
Bakudō #81 — Dankū
Even though it couldn't fully block the aftermath—
Combined with layered defenses and Hitsugaya's ice—
It had been enough.
They were injured—
But alive.
As the dust settled—
The battlefield came into view.
The Sōkyoku Hill was gone.
Not even a trace of ground remained.
Tsunayoshi stood at the center—
Barely.
His body was tattered.
His long hair was gone.
His right arm—
Completely severed.
But aside from that—
He had survived.
The three-colored Reiatsu dispersed—
Green light returning to his chest.
Black and white condensing into Zanpakutō forms at his back.
The battle had been exhilarating.
But now—
He had no strength left.
As his Beyond Bankai state collapsed—
Exhaustion overwhelmed him.
He fell.
In a flash—
Yamamoto appeared beneath him and caught him.
Still enveloped in Zanjitsu Gokui, Yamamoto remained completely unharmed.
The faint heat rising from him was like someone returning from morning training.
Holding Tsunayoshi with one hand, Yamamoto's expression revealed clear approval.
He could see it—
This "Beyond Bankai" was still slightly inferior to Zanka no Tachi.
But only slightly.
In his eyes—
The difference was merely one of mastery.
He had refined his power over a thousand years.
Tsunayoshi—
Had only just begun.
And yet—
He had already reached this level.
A genius.
Given enough time—
He might even surpass Zanka no Tachi.
But—
There was a problem.
This path required a fusion of Shinigami, Hollow, and Fullbring powers.
Such beings were exceedingly rare.
If Tsunayoshi could simplify this system—
It could become a new path of evolution for all Shinigami.
Yamamoto looked up at the sky.
The world felt… unstable.
Two barriers had been broken.
He would need an explanation.
"…I suppose I'll just say my training got out of hand."
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