The empire trembled, and scorching winds swept through. Magma surged between the fissures on the ground, radiating extreme heat.
Pillars of fire swept and spread, erupting fiercely into an all-encompassing tide that dyed the sky, ruthlessly obliterating everything in sight.
Naraku Sora glanced at the spire he had destroyed with a single punch, and the massive crater that had burst open on the ground.
Then he looked at the commotion caused by Yamamoto's single blade strike.
He subconsciously shook his head and clicked his tongue.
It was somewhat of a case where his own efforts paled in comparison.
He could only say that Old Man Yama was still Old Man Yama. When it came to destructive power, he was undoubtedly the absolute number one among the Soul Reaper species.
Compared to the Old Man Yama who was restrained in the Soul Society, he had absolutely no scruples once he reached the Quincy territory. His opening move was his Shikai's ultimate technique.
The destructive range of Ennetsu Jigoku was so vast that it almost covered the entire Silbern.
It was only because he worried that the shadow dimension created by Yhwach wasn't sturdy enough, and if it shattered, it might affect the Soul Society.
Coupled with the high probability that Kyōraku Shunsui couldn't hold on much longer.
Otherwise, Yamamoto would have directly unleashed his Bankai just now.
Below, the Quincies all wore expressions of despair. In their first clash with the Soul Reapers, they had witnessed a terrifying existence that was impossible to defeat.
They struggled to manipulate Reishi, erupting various forms of Heilig Pfeil among the pillars of fire, doing their utmost to offset the recklessly erupting Ennetsu Jigoku.
The temperature in the air seemed to have no upper limit, continuing to soar as moisture rapidly evaporated.
Some Quincy soldiers who couldn't evacuate in time were accidentally caught in the magma spewing from underground. Even Blut Vene, known as the Quincies' strongest defense, couldn't hold up in the slightest.
In an instant, they were turned to ash, annihilated in the blazing heat.
"Old Man Yama, I can't hold on much longer," Kyōraku Shunsui said, his facial features contorted as he grimaced.
"Hmph, then let us return for now."
Yamamoto cast a "reluctant" glance at the Quincies in Silbern, snorted coldly, and took the lead in returning to the Soul Society along the shadow passage.
On the other hand, Naraku Sora also wore an expression of pity.
His cheap senior brother was still too useless. If he could have just opened the passage a bit longer, perhaps the thousand-year grudge could have been settled right then and there.
But this thought was merely a thought.
The current Soul Society was not capable of confronting the Emperor of the Wandenreich head-on.
Forcing him to awaken from his slumber would only cause the situation to instantly become irretrievable.
Indiscriminate Auswählen to reclaim power, Sankt Altar to strip away Bankai, and The Almighty to know all futures.
Yamamoto was undeniably fierce, but making him fight a monster at the peak of the transcendent tier was still too difficult for the old man.
Even if a forced awakening resulted in an incomplete restoration of power, there still wouldn't be much chance of winning.
To avoid a scenario where the black-haired youth had to bury the bald old man, Naraku Sora felt it was better to hold back for now.
As for now, consider this a parting gift—
A local specialty from the Soul Society.
He hoped the Quincies would like it.
Before leaving, Naraku Sora glanced at the pillar of the empire who had exerted the most effort, almost offsetting a third of the sky-reaching fire pillars—
Jugram Haschwalth.
Seeming to sense someone watching him, Haschwalth subconsciously glanced at the deep rift in the sky, only to see the harmless-looking youth flash him a grin before turning and vanishing into the pitch-black passage.
Countless Reishi frantically gathered toward the sky, seizing control of the shadows from Kyōraku Shunsui, repairing the breach above the empire, and sealing the passage to the Soul Society.
Haschwalth looked at the tragic state of the streets, his expression suddenly sinking.
His ominous premonition had ultimately come true.
Although it seemed this all stemmed from a mistaken order of his, Haschwalth knew very well that if he hadn't sent Quilge Opie out early to gather intelligence...
The future disaster might have been even more terrifying, perhaps directly annihilating the entire Wandenreich.
Although the current situation hadn't reached the absolute worst, in terms of losses, it was still extremely severe.
Every building within sight had been destroyed. The only one perfectly preserved was the palace behind him, where His Majesty Yhwach still slumbered.
The Schutzstaffel, to protect Yhwach, had not appeared from beginning to end.
As for the other members of the Sternritter, aside from Driscoll Berci who was obliterated by the Soul Reaper youth's single punch, there were other unlucky ones caught in the fire pillars summoned by Yamamoto.
Even if they had activated their Quincy: Vollständig and Blut Vene at the very beginning of the battle, they still couldn't withstand that suffocatingly terrifying temperature, and half of their bodies were instantly charred.
The right half of PePe Waccabrada's body looked far blacker than his left, and it seemed there was no hope of saving him.
There was also Berenice Gabrielli, as well as a batch of Quincy soldiers who couldn't be evacuated in time.
The others were also injured to varying degrees.
The losses were undeniably disastrous, but it wasn't without a single sliver of benefit.
Due to the empire's semi-closed nature, the training of the Sternritter members was mostly fixed in specific locations against specific opponents.
Although these people were geniuses handpicked by Yhwach from countless Quincies, and after hundreds of years of instruction, each possessed top-tier strength...
It was precisely because of this that the new generation of Quincies had no one in their eyes except Yhwach and themselves.
They didn't take the Soul Reapers who had once defeated them seriously at all.
Many even threatened to directly attack the Soul Society while His Majesty slept, and then present the Soul Society as a gift to His Majesty upon his awakening.
Such foolish remarks were enough to show the distorted mentality of the Sternritter right now.
Arrogant, conceited, and lacking self-awareness. If this continued, they would sooner or later walk the path of destruction.
Now, having witnessed the highest combat power of the Soul Reapers, the surviving Quincies would presumably rein in their arrogant attitudes.
"That Soul Reaper... is he a monster?"
Haschwalth followed the voice and saw a black-haired girl sitting dejectedly in the ruins. Her eyes were hollow, and a lingering trace of horror hung on her face, as if she still hadn't recovered from the recent attack.
He had a deep impression of this girl.
Having recently been promoted to the Sternritter, her name was Bambietta Basterbine. Her Reishi properties were extremely active, so she was granted the Schrift "E". Her abilities were considered among the stronger fraction of the new generation.
After all, if she wasn't strong enough, she wouldn't have been chosen and granted power by Yhwach.
Yet, even such a Quincy genius, after witnessing Yamamoto's power, was still frightened out of her wits, completely devoid of her usual high-spirited demeanor.
But in reality...
What Bambietta feared was not Yamamoto, but Naraku Sora, who had crushed a spear-shaped Heilig Pfeil barehanded and then obliterated Driscoll with a single punch.
She had been standing right next to Driscoll just now. That punch, brimming with an aura of destruction, had almost caught her in its wake.
She had almost died alongside Driscoll.
Bambietta sat on the ground, completely disregarding her image. At this moment, her mind was entirely filled with that punch that had almost occupied her entire field of vision. The extreme terror was deeply branded into her soul.
It could not be erased.
*Was there really any hope of defeating such a guy?*
Haschwalth shifted his gaze away from her and looked in other directions.
In order to extinguish the fire pillars, almost everyone had been injured. The charred smell of roasted meat permeated the streets, and most of the Sternritter members wore defeated expressions on their faces.
Their past arrogance was no more.
"Hey."
A voice came from behind. Haschwalth turned his head and saw a short, blonde-haired girl saying expressionlessly,
"Haschwalth, do you really think we can defeat enemies like that?"
"Now is not the time to discuss this topic."
Haschwalth lowered his gaze slightly. His scarlet pupils flashed in his eyes, briefly displaying multiple afterimages.
"The most urgent task should be to summon the members of the knights and discuss our future destination."
"The shadow dimension is no longer safe. We must immediately relocate the empire. Otherwise, the next attack will probably be even more tragic."
The blonde girl let out a disdainful sneer.
"I thought you had been so frightened by the Soul Reapers that you couldn't think straight anymore."
Haschwalth paid no mind to her sarcasm, merely lowering his gaze.
"If necessary, I will forcefully awaken His Majesty."
"?"
"Everything for peace."
Seireitei, Squad 1.
The disgraceful Kyōraku Shunsui was kneeling to the side, completely lacking the majesty of a Captain. It was better left unmentioned.
Meanwhile, Yamamoto looked at the shade of the trees in the courtyard, wearing a thoughtful expression. After a long time, when the fragrance of tea drifted over, his attention returned to his side.
Seeing the Zanpakutō inserted under the tea stove, the corner of Yamamoto's eye couldn't help but twitch.
Could this bastard learn something good for once?
"Boy, tell me, isn't the development speed of those surviving Quincies a bit too exaggerated?"
At this time, only the master and his two disciples were in the room, so there was no need to hide anything.
"Back then, I led the Gotei 13 in a battle against Yhwach. After paying a heavy price, we achieved victory and protected the Soul Society."
"And now, only a few hundred years have passed. Of the original Gotei 13 from back then, only I remain... On the contrary, the Quincies in that shadow dimension have actually grown to a level where we have to be on guard."
"Compared to back then, they have gone even further."
"This race is a bit too terrifying."
"..." Naraku Sora remained silent.
If he guessed correctly, at this very moment, the Quincies were discussing how the Soul Reapers could be so ferocious, completely unable to see a single sliver of hope for victory.
In short, the righteous faction thought the villains were insidious, and the villains thought the righteous faction was fierce.
Both the righteous and villainous factions felt the other side was cheating, and both believed they were fighting a losing battle.
"Boy, I'm giving you a mission."
Yamamoto didn't wait for Naraku Sora to answer, but suddenly raised his head, flames seemingly burning in his eyes.
"Train hard, and strive to become someone who can stand on his own as soon as possible."
Naraku Sora handed over the piping hot tea and grinned. "You don't need to tell me, I'll do exactly that."
Yamamoto turned his head and looked at the kneeling figure beside him with a face full of dissatisfaction.
"And you, if you dare to idle around all day again, I will send you to Hueco Mundo to temper yourself!"
Hearing this, Kyōraku Shunsui felt as if he had been struck by lightning, a look of intense sorrow appearing on his face.
Like a defeated boxer, he collapsed dejectedly to the ground, unable to rise again...
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