"All Things in the Universe, Turn to Ashes. Ryujin Jakka!" Yamamoto's roar was like the first thunderclap heralding the creation of heaven and earth.
The instant his Zanpakuto was fully released, unparalleled light and heat erupted, as if a sun had been born within the tearoom.
Facing this Shikai power capable of incinerating all things, Setsuna showed no fear. The Zanpakuto in his hand also blossomed with a completely different, yet equally magnificent light:
"The Cycle Begins Anew, All Things Are Reborn… Become Eternal Starlight, Phoenix!"
Brilliant starlight intertwined with the flames of rebirth. The Zanpakuto transformed, materializing into a set of magnificent and sacred Phoenix Cloth that covered Setsuna's entire body.
The Cloth flowed with the light of stars and the patterns of undying flames, emanating a supreme artistic conception of transcendence over life and death, of eternal reincarnation.
Flames of rebirth and flames of the sun, two forces both representing 'fire' yet fundamentally different in nature, collided violently within the confined space.
Boom!
Shusuke and the Shinigami within the 1st Division's barracks were flung away by the two powerful forces.
Then, the exceedingly sturdy Captain's tearoom of the 1st Division, reinforced with multiple barriers, along with the ancillary buildings for dozens of meters around it...
Under the direct impact of these two Shikai Reiatsu surpassing the limits of Captain-level, most of the explosion process itself was skipped. Like a pencil sketch erased by a rubber, it vanished in an instant.
All that remained on the site was a massive, pitch-black, bottomless pit with smooth edges, and intertwined pillars of blazing white light and golden-red fire streams furiously spewing towards the sky.
The towering pillars of fire, intertwined, shot straight into the night sky of the Seireitei, dyeing the darkness into a tapestry of intertwined daylight and golden-red hues.
The entire Seireitei shook, mountains and earth moved.
Soul Society itself seemed to tremble, the Reishi Flow thrown into utter chaos.
All Captains, Lieutenants, seated officers, and even ordinary soldiers changed color in horror, their gazes fixed on the center of that destructive energy eruption.
"Captain-Commander and Captain Chiaki are fighting?"
"At this scale, are they trying to fight to the death?"
"Quick! Stop them! No, evacuate the surrounding area!"
All Captain-level individuals rushed towards the 1st Division at top speed, their hearts filled with disbelief and deep anxiety.
Also stirred by this earth-shattering spectacle were the noble district and the Central 46.
Within the nobles' mansions, many figures appeared on balconies and at windows, gazing into the distance at the flames and starlight illuminating the night sky.
Far from showing concern, most of their faces instead displayed excitement, anticipation, and even schadenfreude.
"They're fighting, they're really fighting!"
"Haha! That stubborn old man Yamamoto, finally someone dares to challenge him head-on!"
"That Chiaki Setsuna the executioner is the one who truly deserves to die."
"Heh heh, best case scenario, they both suffer heavy losses and kill each other!"
The wise sages of the Central 46 were also deeply agitated.
If the strongest Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 and its most unruly element, Chiaki, could mutually exhaust and destroy each other...
For them, it would undoubtedly be tremendous good news.
Just as everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts, within the center of the battlefield, two figures burst through the remaining debris and energy currents, ascending straight into the clouds.
Yamamoto stood in the void, lightly waving the Ryujin Jakka in his hand.
The blazing white flames flowed and spread as if alive, instantly constructing a massive, inverted bowl-shaped barrier of fire.
"Jokaku Enjo!"
The temperature of the flames was raised to over six thousand degrees, a realm of high temperatures difficult for even Captain-level Shinigami to endure for long.
However, within this purgatory of fire that incinerated all things, Setsuna, clad in the Phoenix Cloth, seemed to be enjoying a hot spring.
He stretched his body. The flames of rebirth on the Cloth flickered slightly. Not only were they not suppressed, but they instead seemed to be engaging in some profound resonance and transformation with the surrounding sun flames.
"Not a bad 'sauna room'," Setsuna's voice came through the flames.
"Unfortunately, the Phoenix is an undying bird that bathes in the very flames of the sun. To me, your flames don't even count as candlelight."
Yamamoto frowned slightly. He hadn't expected the other party's Zanpakuto ability to have this kind of effect.
But more critically, the other's Reiatsu had actually reached the same level as his own.
Otherwise, even with a Zanpakuto's ability, it would be impossible to withstand these flames.
"I see..." Yamamoto's voice was cold, carrying a hint of understanding and gravity.
"No wonder you dare to be so unscrupulous. Your Reiatsu has also transcended the limits of 1st-class Reiatsu. Is this your confidence?"
Setsuna responded calmly, starlight swirling in his eyes:
"Although we have both transcended the limits of a Shinigami, Captain-Commander, you have walked much further down this path than I have, and your accumulation is far deeper."
"If it weren't to clear Kisaragi Shin'etsu's name and give Shusuke a chance to avenge himself against the Kasumioji Clan, I wouldn't bother challenging you, the strongest Shinigami, here."
As his words fell, both figures vanished once more within the flame barrier!
The next instant, a dense clashing of metal, so intense it made the scalp tingle, exploded within the barrier.
Like ten thousand thunderclaps sounding simultaneously, sparks and starlight wildly scattered.
This time, Yamamoto no longer relied on Ryujin Jakka's flame abilities.
He certainly possessed even stronger flames… the flames of his Bankai could reach fifteen million degrees.
But flames like that would be difficult even for Soul Society to withstand.
He poured his overwhelming Reiatsu and a millennium's worth of tempered sword-fighting will entirely into his blade.
Every swing was simple and unadorned, yet contained terrifying power capable of splitting mountains and seas, cleaving stars, and trajectories of perfect precision.
It was the supreme skill, forged through countless battles, incorporating the very essence of Soul Society's swordsmanship.
Setsuna, meanwhile, wielded his [Holy Sword]. Golden light condensed in the strikes of his hand, capable of severing all things.
It was a fusion of his Cosmo and Reiatsu, using his hand as a sword, his body as a blade, engaging in the most pure, most perilous close-quarters combat with Yamamoto.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Each collision violently shook the entire flame barrier. Overflowing sword energy and shockwaves carved countless ripples on the barrier's inner walls.
Setsuna marveled inwardly: 'As expected of Yamamoto Genryusai! Even though Zaraki had recently progressed by leaps and bounds, stepping into the realm of [Emotional Omen]...'
'When it came to the purity, weight, and exquisite subtlety of applying swordsmanship, Yamamoto still far surpassed him.'
'This thousand years of accumulation was truly terrifying!'
While the two engaged in this fierce battle beyond ordinary comprehension within the high-altitude flame barrier, the onlookers below were already shaken beyond words by the sight before them and the information they perceived.
Shihoin Ken'ichi stared intently at that small sun in the sky and the flickering figures within it, his voice dry:
"The Captain-Commander just said... transcend 1st-class Reiatsu? That legend was actually true? And Captain Chiaki has also..."
Kuchiki Ginrei's expression was equally grave, his eyes filled with disbelief:
"It is still within reason that Captain-Commander could transcend the limits of a Shinigami. After all, he was already nearly invincible a thousand years ago."
"But Captain Chiaki, he is so young, yet has also stepped into that realm? Truly astonishing."
Kyoraku was not gazing at the sky. Instead, his gaze swept coldly towards the direction of the noble district, particularly the location of the Kasumioji Clan's residence. His voice was unusually cold:
"Kisaragi Shin'etsu was framed. The Kasumioji Clan, and Tsunayashiro Tokinada... Good, very good."