King Chengdui's pupils contracted before a savage grin spread across his face.
"So, you want to settle this?"
"It seems you really do know many things that even I don't."
"Otherwise, you wouldn't have found this place so quickly."
Ever since their first battle, the war between them had already begun. Throughout it all, Qin Yi had remained an enigma, someone who seemed to possess an extraordinary understanding of this world.
King Chengdui had followed his instincts and come to guard the Realm Gate, yet Qin Yi had tracked him down almost immediately. That uncanny intuition, and the way Qin Yi always seemed to know everything, made the truth obvious.
Of all the kings he had ever encountered, Qin Yi was by far the most terrifying. The realization filled him with both shock and deep caution.
But surrender?
That was never an option.
He slowly drew 'Hiramekarei', leveling the blade directly at Qin Yi.
"If you want to fight, then I'll fight."
"Today, we'll decide not only who's stronger... but who lives and who dies."
Madness gradually filled his eyes as an overwhelming killing intent surged into the sky. His expression became fierce and merciless.
Qin Yi's gaze turned equally sharp, his own killing intent completely undisguised.
"One of us dies today."
This was a battle to the death between two kings. There was no room for two rulers to stand side by side.
A whirlwind suddenly erupted beneath both of them, and in the next instant, they vanished.
Boom!
A deafening explosion erupted in the open ground before the Realm Gate as their figures reappeared, twisted by speed.
Their swords slammed together. Ripples spread through the air from the point of impact.
Their eyes met. All either of them saw was endless killing intent and bone-chilling coldness.
Neither had any intention of retreating. Unlike their previous encounter in Soul Society, this time there was no escape.
Kill the other... and victory would be yours.
Either you die... or I do.
"Hah!"
With a furious roar, the two blades locked for a brief moment before violently separating. Standing on the air itself, they swung again at almost the exact same instant.
Bang!
The collision shook the heavens. A violent shockwave burst from beneath them, and the stone ground below cracked apart with a thunderous roar.
Wild currents of air tore across the battlefield, colliding with one another and producing an endless series of explosions.
'Crack... crack... crack...'
The earth collapsed at an astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, everything within a thousand-meter radius had caved in.
The two remained suspended high in the sky, their icy gazes fixed on one another as their swords clashed again, vibrating violently and releasing razor-sharp flashes of light.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three more earth-shattering blasts followed in rapid succession. The destruction spread outward until the ground within ten thousand meters had shattered completely.
Then,
'Crack...'
The chilling sound of bones grinding against each other echoed through the battlefield. A white skeletal mask formed over King Chengdui's face. His spiritual pressure surged explosively, wrapped in an ominous aura.
"Die!"
With a furious roar, he twisted his wrist, wrenching his Zanpakutō free from Qin Yi's 'King of Hell'. The next instant, he swung with overwhelming force.
Boom!
The tremendous impact blasted Qin Yi backward.
"Die for me!" King Chengdui roared again, shooting upward. In an instant, he appeared above Qin Yi and brought his sword crashing down.
"It's not going to be that easy," Qin Yi's deep voice rang out as he looked up. A white skeletal mask had appeared over his face as well.
Their swords collided once more.
Boom!
The resulting shockwave exploded outward, creating a terrifying blast that swept through the battlefield like a hurricane.
'Crack... crack... crack...'
The grinding of bones became louder and more frequent. Visible to the naked eye, layers of white bone rapidly spread across both of their bodies, encasing them in skeletal armor in the space of a heartbeat.
In the blink of an eye, both men completed their Hollowfication. Facing each other in their Hollow forms, they looked like two living skeletons.
"Nether Wave!"
"Gran Rey Cero!"
"Great Imprisonment!"
Their figures blurred and twisted as their speed reached its absolute limit. They became nothing more than afterimages, hurtling through the air and colliding again and again. They flashed across the battlefield, constantly changing positions until their battle covered the entire sky.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The continuous explosions echoed across the heavens, causing the two spectators below to narrow their eyes as they watched each other.
"The two kings really do fight like wild beasts," Aizen smiled. "But I can't deny that this kind of brutal, straightforward fighting is the fastest way to decide a winner."
"Exactly," Yhwach nodded. "So... it's our turn."
He slowly raised a hand. Brilliant light gathered in his palm, forming a Quincy bow as countless spirit particles condensed into an arrow.
"'Heilig Pfeil.'"
His calm voice fell. The arrow of spirit particles shot forward in an instant, erupting with dazzling light. Its blazing heat and terrifying power surpassed even a 'Gran Rey Cero'.
Aizen had barely looked up before the blinding light filled his vision.
Boom!
A massive explosion engulfed him. Flames and scorching heat swept across the battlefield.
To everyone's surprise, Aizen was blasted away without the slightest resistance, sent flying through the air before crashing heavily into the ground.
'Crack.'
His glasses shattered. His face was scraped and bruised, and his clothes quickly caught fire, leaving them burned and tattered.
The scene left everyone stunned. Completely stunned.
No one had expected this.
"That weak?" Even Yhwach froze for a moment, unable to process what had just happened.
High above, Qin Yi and King Chengdui, who had been locked in a fierce battle, both glanced down.
King Chengdui's expression immediately darkened.
A faint smile appeared on Qin Yi's lips. "It seems your partner isn't interested in helping you after all, King Chengdui."
"Hmph!" King Chengdui snorted angrily, his face turning extremely ugly.
Qin Yi looked at him meaningfully. "This is why you should be careful where you place your bets. You still don't understand this world well enough."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Qin Yi flicked his Zanpakutō. Black and crimson energy coiled around the blade, shining brilliantly.
"Seal that shatters all boundaries."
"Above, below, left, and right, there are no limits."
"I am the 'King of Hell', ruler of the heavens and the cosmos, bearer of supreme power."
A violent aura erupted from him, tearing through everything around it and soaring into the sky. Black and crimson energy swirled around Qin Yi like ghostly flames, twisting and burning as shrill wails and screeches echoed through the air.
King Chengdui's pupils shrank. He could clearly feel Qin Yi's power rising once again.
"To defeat you... I've decided to cast aside every technique."
"I'll use nothing but pure power..."
"...to crush you."
(End of Chapter)
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