After arguing among themselves for what felt like far too long, the four founders finally abandoned the idea of finding some clever solution and reached the same conclusion: they would use Revelation again.
This time, however, Mitsuhiko would not invoke its power alone.
All four of them would.
At this point, there was no room left for compromise. Either Kazuma died here, or they did.
The ancient book opened once more.
Its pages turned slowly at first, then faster, flooding the battlefield with immeasurable light.
Angelic figures appeared in the void around the founders, their pale wings spread wide as a sacred presence settled over the four riders.
Then they began to chant together.
"When the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals, I heard one of the four living creatures call out in a voice like thunder: 'Come.' And I saw a white horse. Its rider held a bow, and a crown was given to him. He rode out conquering, and to conquer again."
The power of Conquest gathered around Mitsuhiko.
"When the second seal was opened, I heard the second living creature say: 'Come.' Then another horse came forth, red as blood. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth, so that men would slaughter one another, and a great sword was given to him."
The red horse beneath the Ise founder screamed as the authority of War descended.
"When the third seal was opened, I heard the third living creature say: 'Come.' And I saw a black horse. Its rider held a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard a voice among the four living creatures say: 'A measure of wheat for a denarius, and three measures of barley for a denarius, but do not harm the oil and wine.'"
The power of Famine spread around the Kuchiki founder.
"When the fourth seal was opened, I heard the fourth living creature say: 'Come.' And I saw a pale horse. Its rider was named Death, and Hades followed behind him. They were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, famine, death, and beasts."
The black horse beneath the Shihōin founder lowered its head.
Death answered.
The moment the final line was spoken, four catastrophic powers erupted together.
Conquest spread like an unstoppable tide.
Death descended like a black shroud over the world.
Famine rolled outward with the emptiness of a land stripped of every harvest.
War struck with the weight of a mountain collapsing onto everything beneath it.
The four authorities expanded through Soul Society at once.
The effect was immediate.
The sky darkened until daylight seemed to disappear, while the ground shook violently beneath the combined pressure.
Mountains split open.
Rivers reversed their flow. Buildings throughout the Seireitei collapsed as the destructive force rolled through them, throwing stone, timber, dust, and debris into the air.
For a moment, Soul Society looked as though it had reached the end of the world.
Then Kazuma's voice rang clearly across the chaos.
"Imperial Decree—All Evil, Withdraw."
The enormous manifestation of the Hokushin Raitei behind him contracted and merged back into his body.
Kazuma's appearance changed again.
The purple-and-gold robe covering him became even more elaborate, embroidered with countless stars in threads of gold and silver.
The entire map of the northern heavens seemed woven into the fabric, constellations shifting subtly across its surface whenever he moved.
His expression carried none of his usual laziness.
The lines of his face seemed sharper beneath the starlight, and his dark eyes resembled an endless night sky, deep enough to make anyone looking into them feel as though he could see straight through cause, destiny, and the movement of the heavens themselves.
A faint purple star-mark appeared at the center of his forehead.
It was the sign of one who governed the stars and the fate beneath them—the mark of the sovereign of the northern celestial heavens.
His black hair, now falling long behind him, was gathered neatly with a jade hairpin set with a violet gemstone.
Even standing still, he possessed the kind of presence that made the surrounding battlefield seem smaller.
There was something reassuring in that pressure.
And something terrifying.
Kazuma raised his Sword toward the heavens.
The stars answered.
A low hum spread through the entire sky as countless points of light vibrated in resonance.
Stellar radiance then descended in a vast cascade, pouring over Soul Society like a waterfall from the Milky Way.
The apocalyptic phenomena began to retreat.
Darkness dissolved beneath the starlight.
The violent energy ravaging the earth weakened, then scattered.
The oppressive influence of Conquest, War, Famine, and Death was steadily forced back until clarity returned to the sky and the trembling earth began to settle.
Kazuma stood at the center of it all, imperial aura rolling around him.
He lifted his left hand.
A seal appeared above his palm, wrapped in spiraling purple energy.
It was perfectly translucent, almost crystalline, and engraved across its surface were ten ancient characters:
Central Heaven, North Pole, Hokushin Raitei.
The seal rose into the air.
Light gathered across its face.
Then the ten engraved characters emerged from it one after another, each glowing with a majesty that made the surrounding space tremble.
Together they transformed into a single stream of imperial radiance.
It shot toward the four founders.
Wherever the attack passed, space bent violently around it, while the air screamed beneath the pressure.
The Ise founder's face went white.
"Together!"
Sweat ran down her forehead as the approaching light locked onto them.
"Everyone, block it! If that hits us cleanly, none of us are walking away from this!"
She didn't need to say it twice.
The other three had already felt the same thing.
Death.
Not the abstract authority of the black horse.
Actual death.
The kind that left nothing behind.
All four founders immediately threw everything they had into their defenses.
Every reserve of power, every law they controlled, every fragment of strength accumulated across their absurdly long lives was dragged out and forced toward the incoming attack.
These were beings who had survived from the ancient era into the present.
They understood the value of life better than almost anyone.
For people who had clung to existence for that long, surrendering it willingly was unthinkable.
If there was even a fraction of a chance to survive, they would fight for it.
The imperial radiance struck.
BOOOOM!
Soul Society disappeared beneath white light.
The flash was so intense that everyone watching instinctively shut their eyes, but even through closed lids the brilliance still burned painfully.
Tears streamed down faces across the battlefield as though thousands of needles had been driven straight into their eyes.
The four founders were launched away like artillery shells.
Their bodies tore out of the Seireitei and continued across Soul Society, smashing through mountain after mountain before finally losing momentum.
Every impact obliterated another peak.
Stone erupted into the air.
Clouds of dust spread across the horizon.
By the time the four finally stopped, they barely resembled the figures who had arrived on horseback.
Their clothes had been shredded until they looked like something pulled out of a beggar's heap, and blood ran freely from their eyes, noses, mouths, and ears.
The Kuchiki founder's right arm was gone.
Mitsuhiko had suffered even worse. Both legs had disappeared, leaving only the upper half of his body propped against a shattered boulder.
The Shihōin founder had lost his left arm.
The Ise founder had taken the worst direct hit of all. A massive hole had been torn through her chest, exposing broken ribs, shredded organs, and blood pouring steadily from the wound.
And yet—
somehow—
all four were still alive.
The Kuchiki founder coughed violently, spitting out blood mixed with small fragments of damaged tissue.
"Still…"
He struggled to breathe.
"…alive."
His spiritual pressure had become chaotic, and the injuries beneath the surface were obviously even worse than those visible from outside.
The Shihōin founder looked at the others, then at the direction of the Seireitei.
Whatever pride remained in his expression vanished.
"Run."
He forced his remaining hand upward.
"If we don't leave now, we're actually going to die."
No one argued.
The Shihōin founder tore open a spatial rift.
The other three immediately scrambled toward it with whatever limbs they still possessed.
There was no dignity left, no attempt to maintain the image of ancient noble founders or apocalyptic riders.
They crawled, dragged themselves, and practically threw their ruined bodies through the opening.
A moment later, the rift closed.
The four founders were gone.
After arriving in Soul Society with the Apocalypse itself at their backs, they fled looking very much like the beaten dogs Kazuma had accused them of being.