Who would win?
At this very moment, the same question popped into the minds of the onlookers almost simultaneously.
Even though Yamamoto looked quite battered right now, he was still a powerful existence known as the strongest Soul Reaper.
As early as two thousand years ago, his various legends had already spread throughout the Soul Society.
Over ninety percent of Soul Reapers grew up listening to Yamamoto's stories.
In their hearts, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni was not just the Head Captain of the Gotei 13 who protected the Seireitei, but the symbol of an era.
Yet, the tall and straight young man standing opposite him...
His aura was not inferior in the slightest; in fact, it faintly seemed even stronger.
In terms of seniority, Naraku Sora couldn't compare to the vast majority of Soul Reapers, but everyone had witnessed his various battle achievements.
If Yamamoto was a living legend, then Naraku Sora was a newly minted myth.
"Naraku Sora!"
Hiding in the distance, Inaba Kagerōza gritted his teeth, harboring a burning hatred so deep he wished he could tear the man limb from limb.
If Naraku Sora hadn't suddenly appeared, he would have already reclaimed the other half of his soul and completed the fusion.
Now that so many unexpected variables had arisen, everything had spiraled out of his control, and it was all thanks to him.
But even so, Naraku Sora could only rank second among the people Inaba Kagerōza hated the most.
The first had to be Aizen Sōsuke, without a doubt.
'That damn bastard actually dared to deny my many years of hard work.'
'He's even more detestable than those high and mighty fools in Central 46!'
'Once the Reigai finishes off Naraku Sora, Aizen Sōsuke will be next. I must hack him into pieces to relieve the hatred in my heart.'
Obviously, in Inaba Kagerōza's eyes, Yamamoto was invincible.
No Soul Reaper in the Soul Society could defeat him, not even his own student, Naraku Sora.
"Can he win?"
Komamura Sajin swallowed the healing medicine brought by Sasakibe Chōjirō and asked somewhat nervously.
Sasakibe, who was currently casting Kaidō to heal him, glanced at the large dog before him with complicated feelings.
To be fair, despite lacking systematic training and never even attending the Spiritual Arts Academy...
In terms of raw strength alone, this Komamura Sajin, who had joined the squad halfway through, was undoubtedly at the Captain level.
Setting aside his usual performance, his battle record during this current turmoil was enough to explain a lot.
Speaking of which, Captain Muguruma was truly pitiful.
Almost everyone used him to establish their dominance.
And he was quite accommodating, losing miserably at the drop of a hat.
Yet, his appearance of being brimming with fighting spirit gave people a very strong illusion.
This caused Sasakibe's impression of him to remain extremely complicated even now.
But speaking of which, the new Gotei 13 cultivated by Naraku Sora might be a bit lacking in the middle and lower tiers, but their high-level strength was already comparable to the current Gotei 13.
'Could it be that he can truly replicate Lord Genryūsai's past feats?'
Ten thousand thoughts drifted through his mind, but adhering to his gentlemanly principles, Sasakibe calmly answered Komamura Sajin's question.
"He will lose."
"Based on previous experience, the strength of the clones is almost identical to the originals."
"So don't be fooled by Lord Genryūsai's old age; that is merely an illusion."
"Lord Komamura, you must learn to look past the surface and see the essence of things. Just by standing there, Lord Genryūsai is capable of evaporating all the moisture in the Soul Society."
"Although the Acting Head Captain is also very strong, he is a hundred years too early to defeat Lord Genryūsai!"
As a loyal supporter of Yamamoto, Sasakibe undoubtedly stood on Yamamoto's side.
In his eyes, Yamamoto Shigekuni was the symbol of invincibility.
Komamura Sajin quietly curled his lips, clearly disagreeing with this statement.
But considering the other party was his senior, the honest large dog didn't voice his rebuttal.
'It is better to let the facts speak for themselves.'
Without any trash talk, the battle in the ruins broke out instantly.
The moment the flames ignited, countless gazes looked up at the sky in horror.
That figure enveloped in scorching heat was like a massive sun, mercilessly roasting the battlefield. Scorched earth spread out like a domain expansion.
Even from a great distance, one could still feel the terrifying high temperatures rushing at their faces.
As Ryūjin Jakka descended, an abyssal, terrifying Reiatsu poured into the ground. Countless hideous fissures burst open, with golden-red magma flowing wildly within them.
In an instant, dozens of towering pillars of fire erupted, shooting straight into the clouds and completely dyeing the sky.
The scorching violence recklessly eroded the senses, making people feel as if they were inside a volcano.
The temperature in the atmosphere soared linearly.
The Soul Reapers who had been hiding in bunkers to observe had to cast Bakudō barriers to protect themselves from the intense heat.
In this state, some Soul Reapers with water-type Zanpakutō suddenly realized they could no longer use the abilities derived from their blades.
The only one who remained calm and composed was Naraku Sora, who was closest to Yamamoto and facing this technique head-on.
He grinned, letting the pillars of fire erupt right beside him.
"Ryūjin Jakka?"
"Heh, nothing special."
The flames of his Reiatsu flared up, directly burning away his upper garment to reveal a lean, perfect physique. Kidō Reiatsu erupted fiercely from his shoulders.
[Shunkō: Blazing Lightning Hell]!
The pitch-black blade was wrapped in wildly flashing lightning. Wherever it passed, the smell of sulfur filled the air, and even his silhouette blurred.
As his five fingers closed, countless frantic bolts of lightning suddenly exploded, spewing forward.
In an instant, it tore through the rising fortress of fire.
Using Flash Step to surge forward, he crossed the sea of magma and instantly broke through to Yamamoto's front.
Looking at that all-too-familiar face, a triumphant, sinister smile curled on Naraku Sora's lips.
Out of the principle of respecting his master, he would feel bad hitting the original too hard, but he had no such scruples with a Reigai clone.
He was going to beat this old man until he smoked.
Facing the malicious, powerful slash, Yamamoto raised his blade to block without hesitation.
The blades clashed, and a deafening shockwave scattered in all directions, spreading further under the shroud of their Reiatsu.
As the flashes of the blades intersected, the terrifying heatwaves merged into one, forming a violent torrent!
Amidst the silence, thunder erupted.
Yamamoto's body suddenly jolted, and for a split second, he completely lost control.
Facing this unreserved strike, the weakened replica Reigai clearly found it somewhat difficult to endure.
In response, Naraku Sora chose to press his advantage.
He pulled his arm back, his muscles surging like water. His joints popped with the intense sound of grinding metal, and his body instantly tensed to the limit, winding tight like a bowstring.
The next second.
Slashes rained down like a torrential downpour, each strike heavier than the last, turning into a continuous wave that completely swallowed Yamamoto.
Boom!
A muffled boom erupted. The earth where the tip of the blade landed shattered, forming a massive canyon like an abyss, with no end in sight.
Naraku Sora lifted his blade in an upward slash, striking at Yamamoto once more.
Another clash of blades.
Sparks flew, scattering like stars.
A terrifying, immense force surged along the blade into the aged body, making his vision instantly go dark.
Imperceptible cracks were shaken open on the webbing between his thumb and index finger.
As if marking the beginning of a rout, the Reigai Yamamoto was completely suppressed, thoroughly falling into Naraku Sora's rhythm.
Although in terms of pure swordsmanship, Naraku Sora was absolutely no match for Yamamoto.
However, the clone simply couldn't bring out its full repertoire of techniques.
Naraku Sora knew his advantage very well. Whenever he saw an opportunity, he forced their blades to collide.
The repeated clashes caused Yamamoto's Zanjutsu to constantly deform, to the point where he couldn't even form a systematic sword stance.
Absolute suppression of power.
Clang!!
Amidst the echoing thunder, fierce light swept out.
Exhausted, the Reigai Yamamoto was actually forced to retreat several steps.
The cracks on the webbing of his hand suddenly expanded. Fine fissures appeared on his arms, chest, face, and even his muscles and flesh.
Blood-red color surged out!
Victory seemed to be right before his eyes.
Inaba Kagerōza was dumbfounded, almost unable to believe his own eyes.
Yamamoto Shigekuni, known as the strongest Soul Reaper in the Soul Society, was actually being completely suppressed by his youngest disciple.
Was there any justice left in the world?
No wonder those useless Reigai lost so quickly; this guy was an absolute monster!
When the Reigai Yamamoto realized that his current state was no match for the enemy, the expression on his face instantly changed.
A fierce brutality surfaced.
"Bankai—"
A low voice echoed over the ruins as Yamamoto raised his long sword, pointing it straight at Naraku Sora.
In an instant, the sea of fire covering the entire battlefield vanished completely.
It was as if it had been completely erased by an eraser, leaving only wisps of green smoke rising.
The sun overhead became increasingly glaring, and the air grew increasingly blurry.
Visible lines fluctuated and distorted near his body.
[Zanka no Tachi].
The long sword in Yamamoto's hand took on a scorched appearance, as if it had weathered countless ages, with cracks appearing all over the blade.
It looked as if it would shatter at the slightest touch.
Naraku Sora frowned, a look of dissatisfaction appearing on his face.
He had seen the real Zanka no Tachi before.
That was a blade containing world-destroying power.
But the Zanpakutō before him seemed to be merely a blade that looked exactly like Zanka no Tachi.
It didn't pose much of a threat at all.
If the Reigai in its Shikai state was still somewhat comparable to Yamamoto, then after releasing its Bankai, it didn't look the part at all.
Even if he defeated such a Yamamoto, it would be hard to feel any joy.
'Forget it, I'll finish this in one go.'
Naraku Sora raised the pitch-black long sword in his hand. His materialized Reiatsu turned into a massive pillar of light that shot straight into the clouds. Black and red lightning swirled around him, constantly distorting the space.
Sonído.
The grinning, sinister face suddenly appeared right before the Reigai Yamamoto's eyes. The blade, wrapped in black and red lightning, slashed down without holding back.
The Reigai Yamamoto drew his blade to counterattack, and the smoking Zanka no Tachi met the strike at an extremely clever angle.
Boom!!
A massive mushroom cloud soared into the sky, incinerating everything within it, as the aftershocks blanketed the earth.
As the shockwave spread, the ashes paused for a fraction of a second, and then countless dust particles boiled and burned, evaporating completely in the scorching heat.
When the smoke and dust cleared, only one figure remained standing on the ruins.
Right at this moment, the surrounding space violently fluctuated. The sound of shattering echoed through the silence as a pitch-black rift was forcibly torn open, and a furiously angry figure charged out of the Dangai.
At that exact moment, Naraku Sora brought his blade down, directly chopping off the replica Reigai's head.
Seeing this, Yamamoto's expression instantly froze.
'What did I just see?'