"Is this Sora and Ichibē Hyōsube's Reiatsu?!"
Senjumaru stopped her construction work, instinctively looking toward the direction of the Reiatsu.
As a newly promoted member of the Zero Division, if she previously only lacked a sense of belonging, it had now turned into disgust upon sensing this combat clash.
It was clearly agreed upon before coming that there would absolutely be no conflicts.
Yet the moment they met, Tenjirō Kirinji, the Divine General of the East, engaged in a battle with Naraku Sora.
But considering the other party had no malicious intent, Shutara Senjumaru didn't dwell on it too much.
However, in just the blink of an eye, Ichibē Hyōsube, the leader of the Zero Division, was actually disregarding his status to bully the weak.
Although she wasn't clear on Ichibē Hyōsube's exact strength, judging from the changes in her own power, he was definitely a monster-level existence.
When she chose to become a member of the Zero Division, she underwent a modification by the Spirit King's power, receiving a comprehensive enhancement that instantly elevated her into a mighty existence surpassing the Soul Reapers of the Gotei 13.
Yet even so, when facing Ichibē Hyōsube, she still had the illusion that she was completely unable to contend with him.
This was a feeling she never even had when directly facing Yamamoto Shigekuni.
The strength of the two sides wasn't on the same level at all.
But even knowing the gap between them, Senjumaru still didn't hesitate in the slightest. She tossed aside the construction work at hand and instantly vanished from her spot.
At the Phoenix Palace, Nimaiya Ōetsu held a trembling Zanpakutō, staring in the direction the Reiatsu came from.
A hint of surprise flashed through the eyes hidden beneath his sunglasses.
"Young people are just full of energy, actually fighting the leader of the Zero Division."
"What do you think, my sweethearts?"
A flurry of chaotic discussion immediately erupted behind him, clearly showing no respect for that monk.
In the eyes of this group of Zanpakutō spirits, only the God of the Sword who forged them was worthy of respect; everyone else was no different from air.
"Alright, alright, I get it."
Nimaiya Ōetsu waved his hand. "Little bro Naraku is indeed much more interesting than the monk, and he even has some talent in sword forging."
"Most importantly, he is also someone who loves swords."
"Just based on that, as a Zanpakutō creator, I ought to go help him out."
The moment his words fell, his agile figure vanished from amidst the surrounding beauties.
Kirin Palace.
Tenjirō Kirinji stood under the eaves, resting a hand on his forehead as he gazed toward the final Detached Palace, a complex expression surfacing on his face.
*Brave, truly brave.*
*Having lived for so many years, this was the first time he had seen a Soul Reaper dare to draw their sword against Ichibē Hyōsube.*
*Did this kid not know about that monster's abilities?*
*Since he could name things, he could definitely erase them, or even add other names.*
*The moment a name changed, its essence would also change.*
*No Soul Reaper could defeat Ichibē Hyōsube.*
*Such a challenge was no different from a moth darting into a flame.*
*It was nothing more than courting death.*
*He might as well continue scrubbing his hot spring pools. After the battle ended, he would see if he could collect the kid's corpse for the sake of their camaraderie as colleagues.*
*To be honest, he actually quite admired Naraku Sora.*
*It was just that the guy was a bit too reckless and lacked brains.*
*Making friends with someone like that required absolutely no scheming.*
*What a pity. Such a Soul Reaper was probably rare even in the Soul Society.*
Just as he was thinking this, two figures rushed out from a room in the courtyard.
Ukitake Jūshirō looked astonished. "Is this Sora's Reiatsu?!"
After the treatment in the Hell hot springs, although he hadn't completely recovered his health, he was already much stronger than before.
Beside him, Aizen's face was extremely gloomy. The worst-case scenario had occurred after all.
No one knew Naraku Sora's strength better than he did.
Even if the vast majority of Soul Reaper Captains were no match for this guy, it was still impossible for him to defeat Ichibē Hyōsube.
This was a battle with such a disparity that the outcome was decided from the very beginning.
He knew Naraku Sora's personality very well. If he truly encountered a battle with absolutely no chance of winning, this guy would definitely run faster than anyone else.
But since he hadn't fled now, it meant the conflict had developed to an irreconcilable point.
Or rather, Ichibē Hyōsube had grasped Naraku Sora's weakness.
Without any hesitation, as countless thoughts flashed through his mind, Aizen activated Flash Step and vanished from the courtyard.
Seeing this, Ukitake Jūshirō closely followed.
Watching the backs of the two who instantly disappeared, Tenjirō Kirinji revealed a constipated expression.
*Why was everyone rushing to their deaths one by one?*
*A monster like Ichibē Hyōsube couldn't be overcome just by making up the gap in strength with numbers.*
Amidst the ruin-like courtyard, Ichibē Hyōsube looked at Naraku Sora and grinned.
To be able to display such terrifying strength at this age, his talent was truly astonishing.
Even Yamamoto Shigekuni, who currently held the title of the strongest Soul Reaper, fell far short in comparison.
No wonder so many people looked at him in a different light.
In the distance, Naraku Sora's muscles rippled like water. Lightning and fire intertwined, tracing the lines of his muscles and emitting a scorching heat that rapidly evaporated the moisture in the surrounding atmosphere.
His Shishakushō was blown open by the instantly transformed Kidō Reiatsu, revealing a perfectly robust physique. Wisps of materialized, blood-red Reiatsu lingered and intertwined like smoke.
Shunkō: Flaming Lightning Hell!
At this moment, his expression was unprecedentedly solemn.
Ichibē Hyōsube was absolutely the strongest opponent he had ever encountered, bar none!
That previous strike hadn't held anything back, yet it still failed to cleave through his surface-level Reiatsu defense.
*I didn't feel this powerless even when facing Yamamoto. Can I really win?*
Watching Ichibē Hyōsube roll his thick shoulders, Naraku Sora raised his Zanpakutō, baring his pearly white teeth in a ferocious smile.
A tyrannical Reiatsu erupted forcefully, suddenly detonating outward with him at the center.
A pitch-black pillar of light shot straight into the sky, with blood-red lightning leaping and weaving within it, distorting the Reishi in the surrounding atmosphere and blurring the figure inside.
"Oh, preparing to bring out your trump card?"
Ichibē Hyōsube grinned. "It looks quite terrifying, and the momentum is certainly sufficient."
"No wonder the Spirit King looks upon you favorably. Just this level of control over your power is enough to place you above ninety-nine percent of all Soul Reapers."
"Unfortunately, you ran into me."
As his words fell, a terrifying Reiatsu, like a collapsing sky, surged forth mightily, violently colliding with the oncoming scorching heat.
Boom!
A completely suspense-free crushing defeat!
In front of Ichibē Hyōsube, who had lived for a million years, this bit of Reiatsu wasn't worth mentioning at all.
If one had to use a metaphor for the gap between them, it was like Kensei Muguruma crashing head-on into Naraku Sora at full firepower.
It was just that despairing.
However, Naraku Sora paid no mind to his failure in the Reiatsu clash. A ferocious, demon-like mask attached itself to his face, his black hair whipping wildly behind him.
Gripping his Zanpakutō in his right hand, he swung it lightly. Suddenly, hundreds of meters of the earth collapsed, sending countless crushed stones and dust flying in all directions.
Hollowfication!
Naraku Sora smiled savagely, the muscles in his arms surging. A Reiatsu as scorching as magma spewed forth, and the moment it coiled around the blade, he abruptly struck out.
An impact like a heavy hammer fell.
The pitch-black sword pressure seemed to devour all light. Wherever it passed, the sturdy ground creaked, and the thick, viscous Reiatsu was instantly split in two.
Facing a slash that condensed the power of a level ninety Kidō, the smile on Ichibē Hyōsube's face slightly receded. After clasping his hands together, he violently thrust his right hand forward.
Veins bulged on his pillar-like arm, making it look exceptionally ferocious.
Materialized Reiatsu condensed in front of his palm. In an instant, a massive handprint magnified infinitely, blotting out the sky and the sun.
Boom--!!
A Reishi storm soared into the sky, and the brilliant light of the explosion spread outward like ripples.
After a stalemate of less than a second, the pitch-black sword pressure shattered upon impact, turning into shockwaves that spread out, adding a few more hideous fissures to the devastated earth below.
"A very novel power. Since Kidō was created, you are the first Soul Reaper to fuse it with Zanjutsu."
"Although you can't compare to the Soul Reaper who created Kidō, this kind of achievement is almost up to the standard for promotion to the Zero Division."
Ichibē Hyōsube laughed loudly, the visible sound waves blasting the surrounding dust away to form a clean area.
"But unfortunately, any ability whose name I know is as insignificant as an ant..."
However, before he could finish speaking, a figure wrapped in intertwined black and red Reiatsu had already dispersed the remnants of the massive handprint, arriving right in front of Ichibē Hyōsube.
Wisps of white steam spilled from between his ghastly teeth. There was absolutely none of his previous straightforwardness; instead, he displayed ultimate brutality, like a beast that had completely unleashed its nature.
Yet the coldness that flashed through his golden slit-like pupils symbolized the purest rationality.
Even under Hollowfication, the influence Naraku Sora suffered was merely a negligible bit of violent emotion.
As he twisted his wrist, a sound like grinding metal erupted, as if an invisible floodgate had been opened, sending a mighty torrent pouring down.
Without the slightest reservation.
The moment he closed in, all the power in his body condensed onto the blade.
Black and red lightning arcs flashed and erupted. The surrounding air let out overwhelmed wails under the impact of the Reiatsu, visibly shattering to pieces.
Space itself became distorted.
Ichibē Hyōsube's expression gradually turned solemn. Branch-like markings surfaced on his arms, stimulating the power hidden within the Oken.
He thrust his palm, large as a palm-leaf fan, forward. Reiatsu condensed between his palm lines, blooming with a dazzling, resplendent light.
Thousand-Ri Heaven-Piercing Palm!
Yet facing such an attack, Naraku Sora had no intention of dodging. Uncontrollable madness surfaced in his golden slit-like pupils, and a tyrannical aura coiled around the blade.
No one noticed.
A barely perceptible trace of searing red flashed across the blade.
"Trading injuries for injuries?"
Ichibē Hyōsube shook his head and chuckled. *The Soul Reapers of the Soul Society simply don't know the might of the Oken. This is a body reconstructed by the power of the Spirit King.*
*An attack of this level simply couldn't...*
The Reiatsu slash landed on his Reiatsu defense first, only causing it to waver insignificantly. But 0.000001 seconds later, the physical impact arrived.
Black Flash: Rhino Strike!
Ichibē Hyōsube's expression changed drastically. In the next instant, a deafening explosion rang out.
The indestructible Reiatsu defense shattered upon impact. Pure destruction surged forward like a tidal wave, and all things lost their outlines at this moment.
Space distorted under the eruption of the black and red lightning arcs, and a terrifyingly fierce light shot straight into the clouds!
It was as if a blazing sun had risen into the sky above the Detached Palaces.
The shockwave turned into a torrent, spreading outward from the center of the collision. Rings of astonishing air currents suddenly surged, covering a range of dozens of kilometers.
The earth beneath their feet disintegrated in an instant, collapsing with a loud boom.
In this apocalyptic scene, a figure flew backward like a kite with a broken string, plowing a scorched trench several meters in diameter across the ground, before finally crashing into and collapsing half a mountain peak with a loud bang.
And in the center of the collision, swept up in dust, a massive pool of magma appeared.
Ichibē Hyōsube stood in place, staring blankly at the gash that spanned almost half his torso.
Feeling a pain he hadn't tasted in countless years, the corners of his mouth split open into a grin.
"So, what is the price?"
---------------
Want more chapters? 50+ extra chapters are available on my Patreon:
patreon.com/Hard_Worker