With the battle at its end, Lin Xuan had no intention of lingering in Seireitei. Gathering his group, he prepared to depart.
Head Captain Yamamoto looked at Lin Xuan, his tone heavy and earnest. "I do not know what your ultimate objective is, but as long as your presence remains in Soul Society, I shall keep a watchful eye upon you. If you ever pose a threat to Soul Society, I will strike you down without hesitation!"
The corners of Lin Xuan's mouth curled upward. "Rest assured, I have no interest in your realm. On the contrary, we might very well become powerful allies when you eventually launch your crusade against Aizen, wouldn't you say?"
Yamamoto took a deep breath. "I hope so."
"Haha! In that case, farewell to the Soul Reapers of Seireitei!" Lin Xuan laughed, leading Uchiha Madara, Kukaku Shiba, Yoruichi Shihoin, and the others out of the devastated court.
As for Rukia Kuchiki, she remained behind. With all false charges cleared, she retained her status as a active Soul Reaper.
Watching Lin Xuan's group walk away, Tetsuzaemon Iba couldn't help asking, "Head Captain... are we truly going to just let them leave like this?"
Yamamoto gazed into the distance, letting out a long, weary sigh. "What else could we possibly do?"
In truth, if there were any alternative, he would naturally not wish to allow such uncontrollable power to roam freely. Though Rukia was innocent, Lin Xuan's group invading Seireitei was an undeniable fact.
Yet the strength possessed by that group—and by the man named Lin Xuan in particular—was so astronomically vast that even Yamamoto could not gauge its limits.
Furthermore, Soul Society had suffered severe casualties and damage in this battle. If they forced another confrontation, far from subduing Lin Xuan, it would only bring total annihilation upon Seireitei.
Thus, having Lin Xuan depart peacefully was unequivocally the best possible outcome.
Looking at the ruined structures around him, Yamamoto ordered all squad members to begin rebuilding Seireitei in an orderly fashion.
***
Though the battle had concluded, its aftermath sent shockwaves rippling across the entirety of Soul Society.
For a long time to come, the sole topic of conversation among residents was the legendary battle of Seireitei. Because of Lin Xuan's live projection broadcast, countless souls had witnessed the entire conflict with their own eyes.
This battle formally introduced the terrifying, god-like organization known as the Dimensional Guild to the world.
The most noticeable shift occurred among the younger generation of Rukongai. While they had once dreamed of joining the Gotei 13 to become noble Soul Reapers, many now secretly harbored the ambition of joining the Dimensional Guild instead.
Lin Xuan's Dimensional Guild instantly became the absolute center of attention across realms, bringing Lin Xuan another massive harvest of Reputation Points.
***
Outskirts of Rukongai.
Lin Xuan led his group back to Kukaku Shiba's residence, using it as their temporary base.
However, almost immediately upon arrival, a new battle erupted.
Uchiha Madara issued another challenge to Lin Xuan, and the two soared into the sky to duel!
To the utter amazement of Yoruichi Shihoin and Kukaku Shiba, the power Madara unleashed during this sparring match was significantly higher than what he had displayed against Aizen.
That battle maniac had actually hidden his true strength during the fight with Aizen!
Having undergone intense training in the Dragon Ball universe, Madara's growth had been meteoric, far surpassing his strength from back on Planet Namek.
Yet after a fierce exchange, the final result remained unchanged—Madara was defeated by Lin Xuan once again.
Despite his defeat, Madara felt no discouragement. He knew full well that Lin Xuan was not someone easy to surpass; otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen Lin Xuan as his ultimate lifelong rival.
To the rest of the guild members, the outcome was completely expected. In their eyes, Madara challenging Guild Leader Lin Xuan was essentially asking for a beating.
Yoruichi and Kukaku, however, were left speechless with shock.
They had known Lin Xuan was powerful, but they never imagined he could be so absurdly, monstrously strong.
*'Is he even human?!'*
Only now did they understand why Lin Xuan maintained an aura of unshakeable confidence at all times—his absolute, god-like power was the foundation of his calm!
If they knew that Lin Xuan hadn't even gone all-out during his sparring match with Madara, who knew how terrified they would be?
Madara dusted himself off and asked, "You could have easily kept those two bastards behind earlier, couldn't you?"
Lin Xuan smiled faintly, knowing Madara was referring to Aizen and Gin escaping. "Ending things so quickly would make life far too boring!"
In truth, had Lin Xuan wished to, Aizen and Gin would never have escaped alive. But he intentionally let them go.
For one, Aizen returning to Hueco Mundo was necessary for the Hogyoku to achieve complete fusion and maturity.
Lin Xuan was deeply intrigued by the Hogyoku's ability to manifest the desires of its master. Furthermore, he genuinely wanted to see just how strong Aizen would become after fusing with a complete Hogyoku!
Suddenly, Lin Xuan's guild communicator chimed with an incoming notification.
After reading the message, a wide grin spread across his face.
"Oh? I didn't expect *that* guy to actually show up!"
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T/N:
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