Hitsugaya Tōshirō took the lead in the charge. Although his advance looked fierce, in reality his combat strength had already been greatly reduced. After skewering three ice monsters in succession, Hitsugaya was no longer capable of sustaining prolonged combat.
Tsunayoshi could not use the ice and snow abilities of Daiguren Hyōrinmaru, lest Purplemaru seize the opportunity to assimilate the Shinigami before they could react.
Because Hitsugaya's assault lacked follow-up support, he gradually found himself unable to break through the encirclement of monsters. He could only remain within the boundaries of the Ice Domain to avoid being overwhelmed.
With the spearhead of their assault stalled, the charging Captains naturally slowed down. The formation quickly turned into a cluster of Shinigami trapped within the mass of ice monsters—like a sharp thorn lodged in flesh.
The battlefield had shifted into a positional battle, which was bad news for the Seireitei. It meant that Purplemaru was gaining more and more time to grow stronger.
As a Captain, Hitsugaya understood this perfectly. Just as he prepared to freeze a path forward—
A loud shout rang out first.
"Bankai! Hihiō Zabimaru! Hikotsu Taihō!"
A crimson beam swept past Hitsugaya's front. Under the impact of overwhelming Reiatsu, the ice-born draconic monsters shattered instantly. A far more ideal path than Hitsugaya had expected was carved open.
"Captain Hitsugaya, go!" Renji Abarai shouted loudly. "That tower is your battlefield!"
After receiving Tsunayoshi's guidance, Renji still hadn't fully gained the recognition of the Serpent King, and he was far from evolving his Bankai into Sōō Zabimaru. However, the Serpent King's attitude toward him had clearly improved.
Take this Hikotsu Taihō, for example. Originally a simple projectile bombardment, Renji forcibly transformed it into a sweeping beam attack. His strength had improved by leaps and bounds.
"I understand!"
Hitsugaya knew better than anyone that this was no time for hesitation. Spreading his ice wings, he dashed forward along the path Renji had opened.
But Hikotsu Taihō lasted only an instant. Soon after, more and more ice monsters surged toward the newly opened route. Before long, the path Renji had created would be swallowed by the horde.
"Follow the Captain and maintain the path!" Rangiku Matsumoto's mature voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Growl, Haineko!"
Her Zanpakutō turned into ash-like sand that blocked the monsters' advance. Under Rangiku's command, the Lieutenants led their respective divisions. Using their own bodies as walls, the front ranks shielded those behind them, preserving the integrity of the path.
Purplemaru soon noticed the corridor below that led directly to the Tower of Repentance.
That path pierced straight toward the heart of his Ice Domain—a grave threat.
Raising his head, Purplemaru lifted both claws devoutly. The wings on his back transformed into crystalline shards that flew toward the sky. One dark rift after another appeared, and Hollows crawled out from them.
The clouds above grew heavier, and purple snow began to fall from the sky.
"Hiss—!"
Some weaker Shinigami inhaled sharply.
Cold—too cold.
Purple snowflakes drifted down from the sky for no apparent reason. Their movements gradually stiffened. If this continued, they would inevitably be frozen into ice statues.
Hitsugaya frowned as he looked upward.
That other Hyōrinmaru had activated its most fundamental power—manipulating the weather itself. If this continued, the entire region would become a frozen world. It would strengthen the monsters Purplemaru created while severely weakening the Shinigami.
Even Hitsugaya himself felt a trace of chill in this environment.
How much danger would the other Shinigami face fighting under such conditions?
Yet there was nothing he could do about this blatant strategy. If he used his own Zanpakutō, it would only worsen the surrounding cold.
Faster… he had to move faster.
Purplemaru had to be defeated before the soldiers collapsed.
The crisis was not only the plummeting temperature.
The Hollows in the sky were now raining down upon the Shinigami like falling meteors.
The freezing environment affected the Hollows as well, but Purplemaru didn't care. They were expendable—perfect cannon fodder to take down some Shinigami.
Just as the Shinigami wondered whether they should divide their attention to deal with the Hollows above—
Petals of pink suddenly rose along the corridor formed by the Shinigami.
"Scatter… Senbonzakura."
Byakuya Kuchiki raised his blade with one hand and looked up at the sky.
A thin canopy of pink petals spread above the path like a protective dome. Not a single Hollow could break through the Senbonzakura barrier to attack the soldiers. Hidden within that beautiful pink veil was endless killing intent.
The number of Senbonzakura blades Byakuya could control had long surpassed his previous limits. Simply protecting the Shinigami did not even require him to activate Bankai.
The reason for his concern lay elsewhere.
The temperature in this space was terrifying. If it continued to drop, the Shinigami soldiers would be the first to collapse.
Byakuya had already prepared himself. At any moment he could release Bankai and use the overwhelming number of petals to fill any gaps that appeared along the path.
Though their bodies trembled and their teeth chattered, not a single Shinigami abandoned their post. Every one of them clenched their teeth and endured.
Members of Squad Four had entered the corridor. They used their own methods to ease the suffering of the freezing soldiers.
But against such a massive weather-based assault, their efforts were little more than a drop in the ocean.
"Well done. Allow this old man to lend a hand as well!"
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's voice echoed clearly in every Shinigami's ears.
"Reduce all creation to ash… Ryūjin Jakka!"
Flames erupted from Yamamoto as the origin point, tracing two arcs along the outer edges of Purplemaru's Ice Domain. As the fire closed in, a towering wall of flames formed, radiating intense heat.
With Ryūjin Jakka joining the battle, the temperature of the Ice Domain rose slightly.
But this only treated the symptoms, not the root problem.
Yamamoto could not wrap the soldiers in flames to warm them, while Purplemaru could freely concentrate the snowfall wherever he wished.
After a brief rise, the temperature continued to fall—only more slowly than before.
Purplemaru intended to freeze every Shinigami within his domain to death.
Yamamoto tapped his finger against his sword hilt.
Logically speaking, by this point the Captain-class Shinigami should be deployed individually to swiftly eliminate the enemy leader.
However, the morale of the soldiers had only just been ignited. Yamamoto had hoped to use this battle to further temper the strength of the other Shinigami.
But the situation was leaving him with fewer and fewer choices.
For the sake of Soul Society's stability, he might have no choice but to prioritize protecting the soldiers. As for combat training—it would have to wait for another opportunity.
"Don't make that face, Old Man Yamamoto."
Seeing the relaxed expression on Tsunayoshi's face, Yamamoto formed a guess.
"You have a solution?"
"In a world of ice and snow, fire isn't the only thing that brings warmth."
"The sun can do the same."
Tsunayoshi vanished from Yamamoto's side. When he reappeared, he was already high above the Ice Domain.
Floating in the air, he stared directly at Purplemaru.
"You slashed me once. How could I let you achieve your goal so easily?"
Purplemaru also noticed Tsunayoshi. With a roaring dragon cry of warning, countless ice drakes and Hollows surged toward him.
Whatever Tsunayoshi intended to do—
Stopping him was enough.
"Hey, hey… aren't you ice lizard taking us a bit too lightly?"
"Tsunayoshi, didn't expect we'd have to protect you for once."
"Go all out. We won't let a single enemy reach you."
Shinji Hirako, Kensei Muguruma, and Rōjūrō "Rose" Otoribashi appeared around Tsunayoshi in a triangular formation.
A defensive net formed by three Captains ensured that not a single monster could break through.
"…Aren't you all getting ahead of yourselves?" Tsunayoshi said speechlessly while looking at the three overly familiar Captains. "I never asked for your help."
"We know you too well," Kensei said, patting his chest confidently. "Just focus on doing your thing."
Tsunayoshi ignored Kensei's self-assured enthusiasm.
He drew his Zanpakutō and activated Bankai.
Golden light burst forth, illuminating every corner of the Seireitei.
It was the brilliance of the sun—warm light that soothed both body and soul.
Tsunayoshi ignited his Sun-attribute flames, transforming himself into a man-made sun.
Wherever the sunlight shone, not only did the temperature rise, but the flames carried a revitalizing vitality.
The Shinigami's stiff bodies gradually regained flexibility.
Bathed in sunlight, many of them cried out in relief.
Their condition felt astonishingly good—no, even better than their peak state. It was as if they had been granted a powerful enhancement.
Little by little, the Shinigami even began pushing back the ice monsters.
Purplemaru roared in fury.
He leapt toward Tsunayoshi as the surrounding ice and snow gathered around him. His body rapidly expanded, transforming into a gigantic ice dragon dozens of meters tall. His massive claws slashed forward.
"This might be troublesome," Shinji muttered with a grin.
Just from its size alone, the dragon's combat strength was obvious.
Among the Visored Captains, only Love Aikawa specialized in fighting enemies of this scale.
Or rather—
This kind of opponent was best handled by the Captain of Squad Seven.
And there happened to be one on the battlefield.
"Tenken!!!"
A massive muscular arm suddenly appeared in midair, gripping an enormous Zanpakutō.
The blade slashed down upon the ice dragon.
Caught completely off guard, Purplemaru had no time to react. The force of the strike rivaled the power of his enormous body.
He was sent flying straight into the tower of the Tower of Repentance.
A deep wound stretched from his shoulder to his abdomen.
Sajin Komamura calmly sheathed his blade.
After shifting Tenken's training toward an assassination-style approach, its power had increased dramatically. The strike had nearly split Purplemaru in half.
"…Wait, what are you guys doing?" Tsunayoshi muttered with dissatisfaction.
He had been waiting for Purplemaru to approach so he could return the slash Sōjirō Kusaka had given him.
Why were three or four Captains protecting him like this?
Did they think he was fragile or something?
High above the Seireitei, the artificial sun slowly drifted.
Tsunayoshi prepared to strike Purplemaru while he was down—
But suddenly, something tugged at the back of his belt.
"Where do you think you're going, Tsunayoshi?"
Turning around, he saw Shinji holding onto him.
"Your ability is crucial to the battlefield," Shinji said bluntly. "Stay inside our protection circle for now."
At that moment, Tsunayoshi suddenly felt he could understand Retsu Unohana.
After all, as the Captain of the healing division, she was often forbidden from entering the front lines.
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