Kuchiki Byakuya spoke in a trembling tone, "Wait... I have...something to say to Yuta..."
"But... brother, you're injured!"
"It doesn't matter... Rukia... You must understand that everyone meets death one day. Even though I am of noble blood, I cannot escape the greatest rule of this world-life and death..."
Byakuya lay on the stretcher as the rain poured over his scarred body, washing thin streams of blood down his sides.
Though the laws of life and death apply to most beings, there are exceptions-those who have transcended them: the Soul King, Yhwach, Aizen Sōsuke, Hyōsube Ichibē, and the members of the Royal Guard.
Killing beings of their caliber was nearly impossible.
Take the Zero Division as an example-they had merged their reiatsu with that of Reiōkyū itself, transforming their bodies into part of the massive palace-city.
As long as Reiōkyū remained intact, the members of Zero Division could not truly die-much like beings born from the blood pools of legends, where every drop represented another life waiting to be reborn.
With a thunderous sound, space fractured like glass.
Yuta appeared high above the battlefield and vanished from sight the next instant.
"What was that?"
"How is that possible?"
"His reiatsu-it disappeared?"
Members of the Sternritter looked around in shock, unable to sense anything. Moments later, Yuta appeared beside Byakuya.
Seeing him, Byakuya struggled to raise his head. "Is Renji...still alive?"
"No problem," Yuta replied simply.
"I see... That's good... I won't last much longer... As the Captain of the Gotei 13, I failed to defeat the despicable invaders who trampled the Seireitei. I brought grief to my subordinates and their families. In the end, I was defeated shamefully and now approach death. I feel nothing but disgrace..."
Two tears escaped down Byakuya's face-an unthinkable sight from someone so disciplined, so unyielding.
"I know you don't hold deep ties to the Soul Society, Yuta-and even becoming Captain was merely circumstance for you... but I have one last request... Please forgive how pathetic it sounds... Please... protect the Soul Society... Yuta..."
"Don't worry," Yuta said calmly. "Soul Society will be fine."
He turned and flew directly toward Yhwach.
Byakuya's expression eased. Relief replaced pain as he watched Yuta's form disappear into the sky.
He believed that Yuta-the man who had defeated him, Kenpachi Zaraki, and Aizen Sōsuke-would also be capable of defeating Yhwach.
His sword slipped from his fingers at last, falling beside him as the weight on his hand vanished into the rain.
---
Sensing Yuta's reiatsu, Yhwach and Haschwalth both looked up toward the heavens.
Haschwalth's gaze followed the direction of the pressure before he spoke. "Such spiritual pressure... could it be-"
"Ah... it's Yuta," Yhwach said, his mouth curving into what could barely be called a smile.
It wasn't truly warmth that touched his expression. Deep lines carved across his face gave that smile the shape of malice-his features looked severe and chilling under the faint light, his muscles drawn tight from the motion, not gentle at the slightest.
"Do you wish for me to handle Yuta?" Haschwalth asked calmly.
Yhwach shook his head. "No. You will deal with Kurosaki Ichigo. As for Yuta... only I will face him."
Just as Yuta arrived in the Soul Society, Kurosaki Ichigo and his companions crossed over as well.
When Ichigo saw the state of the Seireitei-its destruction, the bodies scattered through the streets-his chest tightened painfully.
Though Yuta had been the one to defeat Aizen Sōsuke, Ichigo had always trusted the Shinigami and considered them allies.
Now, faced with this devastation, silent rage burned through him. Reiatsu erupted from his body, so dense that the falling rain evaporated before touching his skin.
Yuta surged toward Yhwach in the sky.
Yhwach moved to meet him, and within moments their clash filled the heavens with light and sound.
Each strike carved through the air with the force of collapsing mountains-one misdirected swing split entire districts of the Soul Society clean in half.
Their battle flashed between sky and earth. Every shift of their forms sent shockwaves that leveled buildings within fractions of seconds.
Even among the captains, few could follow their speed with their eyes.
---
When Haschwalth stepped forward to move toward Ichigo's location, he did not expect the sudden crash of black steel from above. A massive blade drove into the ground at his feet. A single hand-taut with strength-gripped the hilt tightly.
Kurosaki Ichigo stood before him, rain cascading down his face as anger burned in his eyes. "Are you the ones who destroyed the Soul Society?"
"Correct," Haschwalth replied calmly, unbothered by the accusation.
Standing in the rain, he looked at Ichigo with detached composure. "I suggest you calm down. I do not want to take your life-but if you insist, I will kill you."
"I'll make you pay for what you've done!" Ichigo shouted, his reiatsu bursting outward in waves that crushed the ruins around them. He dashed forward with Zangetsu drawn-but as his strike met Haschwalth's blade, the sound of breaking metal echoed sharply through the storm.
Tensa Zangetsu shattered under his opponent's counterattack, the tip of the blade spinning away before embedding itself into the rocky ground.
Haschwalth sheathed his sword and looked down at him indifferently.
"How pitiful. You don't even understand your own bloodline. You know nothing of your mother's identity-nothing at
all. So why do you keep fighting?"
Ichigo stared at the broken remains of Tensa Zangetsu in disbelief.
Moments ago his spirit had burned with fury-but now the weight of those words silenced everything inside him.
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