Chapter 239
With the sound of everything freezing, ice and snowflake patterns began forming in the air.
White snow danced gently as it was reflected in Kuchiki Rukia's black pupils.
Her immense spiritual pressure turned into streams of icy mist and condensed into a massive tornado of ice that spiraled upward toward the sky. When it reached several hundred meters in height, it struck what seemed to be an invisible barrier and spread outward, forming a vast circular canopy of frost above her.
In Rukia's hand, the blade of Sode no Shirayuki shimmered with hues of blue and violet intertwined with crystalline white light. The Zanpakutō seemed to radiate the beauty of falling snowflakes themselves. Her pale hand gripped the hilt firmly-so clean and white it looked sculpted from snow and ice alike.
She aimed the tip of Sode no Shirayuki toward Äs Nödt, who stood one hundred meters away. Ice and snow surged forward from the blade, engulfing everything in front of it completely.
...
"Your Majesty… I'm so scared."
"Will I die? Will I go to hell?"
"Forgive me… Your Majesty, please don't be angry… I'm so scared…"
"I'm afraid of pain… I'm afraid of pain…"
"I'm so scared, I'm so scared, I'm so scared…"
"It hurts… it hurts so much…"
Äs Nödt's body froze entirely, turning into solid ice before being shattered into countless glittering fragments that scattered into the air with the wind.
...
Sode no Shirayuki gleamed in Rukia Kuchiki's hand, its blade tinted blue-black with a shining white edge. Her entire figure was cloaked in frost; the flowing ribbons of her attire fluttered faintly behind her. A white ice flower rested delicately on her left ear, and even her eyelashes were dusted with frost. She looked like a living statue carved from ice-utterly motionless but breathtaking in its beauty.
In the next moment, cracks spread across her form as if her entire body might crumble apart. Yet, before her palm could completely fracture, strong spiritual pressure surged within her and began to repair it. That power came from the lingering spiritual energy within her body.
She could feel it-the warmth of Yuta's presence in front of her, his broad hand holding hers.
"It's a beautiful Bankai," Yuta said softly. "Strong-and dangerous. Take your time to master it. A sword that loses its life... cannot protect anything."
Rukia exhaled slowly. Her breath was white against the cold air, vanishing into drifting specks of frost. Gradually, warmth returned to her body, melting the ice and revealing her natural color again. Even the wound on her palm closed easily under the touch of Yuta's spiritual pressure.
Deep within herself, she could sense his reiatsu-warm and firm-wrapping around her soul in silent protection. The feeling dispelled every trace of fear from her heart, and for the first time in that battle, Rukia allowed a small, tender smile to reach her lips.
...
"I didn't expect Äs Nödt to be defeated," said Haschwalth in disbelief.
Yhwach's expression remained calm.
At that moment, a rough, heavy tone came from behind them.
"Hey. Are you the boss of these weaklings?"
It was Zaraki Kenpachi.
Yhwach turned his gaze toward him, his presence alone radiating power so immense it pressed against the air itself. Haschwalth's eyes narrowed sharply.
"This man… Zaraki Kenpachi!"
Kenpachi's towering figure strode into view with his worn Zanpakutō resting on his shoulder. The blade was covered in jagged nicks and uneven cracks-scars from countless deadly clashes against equally powerful opponents. He was the very embodiment of battle itself: pure instinct and strength with only three words driving his soul-"fighting is fun"-each cut on that sword bearing witness to it.
Behind him lay two fallen Sternritter. He swung his Zanpakutō once, splattering fresh blood across the ground as another corpse dropped beside them, raising the count to three.
Haschwalth's expression tightened as he looked at the fallen bodies. "Three Sternritter… how did you defeat them?"
Kenpachi tilted his head lazily, his single visible eye half-lidded.
"It was simple."
"The first one was useless-roaring and screaming-then turned into some kind of giant ape and charged at me. I cut him in half with one swing."
"The second one kept talking about his abilities. My ears were ringing from that stupid monkey's screeching, so I couldn't hear him. He annoyed me, so I snapped his neck."
"The third one was interesting-he turned into me. Took some effort-but once I became stronger than the fake version of myself, it was over."
He shrugged slightly. "Cutting down three pieces of trash like that wasn't satisfying at all."
"You Sternritter are nothing compared to Yuta."
Kenpachi's tone carried disappointment rather than malice.
"Yuta…" Haschwalth repeated the name under his breath. Even Yhwach regarded that name seriously. To hear Kenpachi-one of the five Special War Potentials-acknowledge Hideki Yuta as formidable carried its own weight. Haschwalth hadn't met him, but the pressure in that name alone was unmistakable.
Kenpachi glanced at Haschwalth briefly, then dismissed him and locked eyes with the one emanating overwhelming presence-Yhwach himself.
"You're the leader, huh? Fight me!"
Kenpachi swung his sword down toward Yhwach without hesitation.
...
Bang!
Hisagi Shūhei's body crashed into the side of a wall, leaving a large crater from the impact. He fell heavily to one knee, breathing hard.
"Damn it… I'm no match for him…" he cursed under his breath. Blood ran down his face, and his arms trembled from exhaustion. The pain reminded him keenly of his limits-he had neither Captain Komamura's bravery nor Captain Tōsen's strength.
In truth, Shūhei was the most typical vice-captain in Soul Society-reliable, disciplined, but not exceptional. In the chaos of war, that was often the difference between life and death. And right now, he was painfully aware that stepping onto this battlefield could cost him his life at any moment.
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