Seeing Zaraki turn into a mad dog gnawing on his own allies, the captains were shocked.
Yamamoto issued an order: "Be careful not to be infected by his power!"
But his warning was meaningless. Once they set foot on this battlefield, no matter how cautious they were, they would inevitably be eroded by Angra's power.
That last strike had already left several captains gravely injured.
And once grievously wounded, the black mud easily took them over; after their wounds completely healed, they turned on the captains and attacked!
Yamamoto saw that aside from himself, only Kyōraku might still be up to the task.
"Old man, this is a real mess."
Feigning a troubled look, Kyōraku said, "If this goes badly…"
He didn't finish, but as his teacher, Yamamoto understood perfectly what Kyōraku Shunsui was thinking.
If necessary, evacuate the Gotei 13 from the Seireitei and let this thing into the Soul King's Palace.
This… obviously wasn't something Shinigami could handle!
But Yamamoto would never agree. He glared at the monster about to take to the sky again and erupted in explosive flames!
The black mud surging toward him like ocean waves hissed instantly under the blaze, and he dove at Angra with tremendous force!
Seeing Yamamoto charge, Angra showed no fear. If earlier he'd held some respect for the old man, now he did not.
Also…
"Fool."
Gazing at the oncoming flames, Angra said coldly: "Facing me without even using Bankai? Utterly foolish."
He brought his black greatsword down. In an instant it collided with Yamamoto's Ryūjin Jakka!
Boom!!!!!
In a heartbeat, roaring flames engulfed his body. Fire unfurled from Angra's sides like vast, blazing wings.
The world turned bright; the sound of roaring flame replaced thunder, and the water in the clouds evaporated.
And then, in the blink of an eye, all flames vanished!
From the origin of that blaze, Yamamoto fell faster than he'd risen, slamming into Seireitei with a thunderous crash!
Another boom, the ground trembled. Yamamoto stood, his right hand trembling, his chest and back soaked with blood.
"So be it."
Angra descended as well. Compared to the battered Yamamoto Genryūsai, his landing was relaxed, even playful in tone despite the Hollow mask hiding his face.
"Since you've staked your lives to resist, I'll kill you first, then go up there and devour that fellow."
"You think I'll allow that?" Yamamoto stared at Angra. Against this foe, there was no way around using Bankai.
However…
Unleashing Bankai might also have dire consequences for the world!
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Yamamoto still hesitate, Angra waved dismissively: "Is this all the Commander-Captain of the Gotei 13 amounts to? Where's your Bankai? I know it—your Bankai… the destructive sword of raging flames that devours whatever it cuts. You haven't used it in a thousand years, have you?"
"Or have you already given up? Makes sense—our difference in power is obvious at a glance."
"Ridiculous." Yamamoto glowered at the vast Hollow. "You speak of Bankai? I was just about to use it."
He held Ryūjin Jakka horizontally and intoned: "Bankai: Zanka no Tachi!"
Angra simply watched Yamamoto activate Bankai. He didn't interfere, because Yamamoto's Bankai itself would damage Seireitei.
Though the original work didn't show it much, by setting, Zanka no Tachi indeed burns the Soul Society.
At least, the moment Yamamoto invoked it, Angra felt the temperature spike. The downpour from the sky evaporated in an instant.
"Oh… so this is the Bankai of the strongest Shinigami."
Facing a power that could burn all of Soul Society, Angra remained unhurried, even leisurely in his critique.
"Nothing special."
"You'll soon see whether it's nothing special." Yamamoto's body burned with fierce flames. The power he displayed now surpassed even his Bankai in the Thousand-Year Blood War!
Back then Yamamoto had already lost an arm; now he had both, at his peak!
But Angra's strength wasn't comparable to Lloyd's, not even to that era's Yhwach!
After all, he was a Hollow, poison to Quincy. Yhwach's Almighty wouldn't be very effective on him; in a straight fight, he wouldn't fear the Quincy King.
Well, to be fair, Yhwach grew tremendously from the Blood War to his fight against the Monk in the Royal Palace.
He could absorb the souls of the dead—any killed by him, by his subordinates, even his slain subordinates. From the moment war began, his power kept increasing.
The biggest trophy was Yamamoto Genryūsai—killed by Yhwach, absorbed by him. It was like cashing a max-level Shinigami exp pack at the start.
Not to mention his later opening eyes when his power fully returned, and Soul King Yhwach after devouring the Soul King's power.
And now, Angra intended to accomplish what no Bleach boss had: stand toe-to-toe with Yamamoto!
He was utterly confident. Even now, with Yamamoto in Bankai at his absolute peak, he didn't flinch!
Two streaks—one fiery red, one pitch black—shot through Seireitei, crossing like twin beams. Wherever they passed turned to ash!
Boom!
They clashed again. The shock launched their blades apart, and the ground beneath their feet exploded!
Half darkness, half flame. Ground under flame burned; ground under darkness turned ominous, sprouting countless tendrils!
The tendrils snared Yamamoto at blinding speed, wrapping him up; but as they touched him, the 15-million-degree heat seared them!
The black tendrils turned red-hot; Yamamoto broke free and said, "You seem to act like you know everything."
"That's right."
Angra smiled faintly. "I've seen through your moves."
"I see…" Yamamoto's pupils dilated; he snorted. "Let's see if you really have—stake your life on it!"
"Bakudō 61: Rikujōkōrō!"
Even without incantation, Yamamoto's binding spell was mighty—six light rods locked Angra from all sides. And he didn't stop there.
"Bakudō 63: Sajō Sabaku!"
"Bakudō 75: Gochūtekkan!"
"Bakudō 79: Kujōkū!"
After four bindings, Angra was sealed by panels of light, chains, darkness, and iron pillars. The power of Yamamoto's kidō even surpassed the Kidō Chief's, as if to pin Angra in place!
Seeing Angra immobilized, Yamamoto gripped Zanka no Tachi. Tangible, surging reiatsu erupted as he…
Swung with all his might!
"Zanka no Tachi, Kita: Tenchi Kaijin!"
With a shout, he unleashed the North—an ultimate slash that reduces everything it touches to ash!
Faced with it, Angra could no longer be careless. Black liquid writhed over him, absorbing all those bindings into himself.
The kidō that had sealed him thus unraveled. He raised the black flame greatsword single-handedly; black, viscous fire blazed up!
Like a counterpart to Zanka no Tachi, Angra's flames were pitch-black and thick, less like fire and more like molten tar—yet searingly hot.
"Ennetsu Jigoku!"
He growled, and the sky turned black again. The heavens Yamamoto had lit were smothered by deeper, darker despair.
At the center of it all, Angra Mainyu faced Yamamoto's Tenchi Kaijin head-on, black lava-like ground flowing beneath him.
Everything around melted into slurry, forming a scalding black torrent. Angra's blade erupted fully and met Yamamoto's slash!
Boom!
Perhaps the most terrifying clash in Seireitei's history. Like a meteor striking earth, the heat devoured nearby structures. Their leaking power was cataclysmic.
Even though Yamamoto had compressed his flame sword into Zanka no Tachi, in such a clash power still spilled out!
That stray power felt world-ending. As for the two in direct collision…
Angra's arms were glowing red, his black blade steeped in flame. Yamamoto wasn't well off either, nearly wrapped in black mud, on the verge of being devoured!
Even with his Zanka no Tachi armor, Angra's body wasn't like those tendrils.
Those tendrils were merely spawn born from his power infecting Seireitei—tainted demons with a fraction of his traits, insufficient in quantity.
But his true body was different. Having become a Transcendent, he possessed certain resistances to Shinigami abilities.
Ryūjin Jakka, the strongest offensive Zanpakutō, was still a Shinigami power. Upon harming Angra, its power was at least halved!
Half-power Zanka no Tachi wasn't enough to threaten Angra.
And Angra's black mud at close range had similar traits. Relying on Zanka no Tachi's armor to resist his core malice was a grave mistake!
Seeing that even this strike couldn't kill Angra, Yamamoto's heart sank. He poured more power into driving out the invading mud.
Boom!
They broke apart again. Angra pressed his advantage while Yamamoto retreated rapidly!
"Cero Oscuras."
Angra pointed, and a viscous black light gathered into an immensely powerful Cero, shooting at Yamamoto with a boom!
Yamamoto, still retreating and slashing away encroaching mud, could only defend with kidō.
"Bakudō 81: Dankū!"
The Dankū Yamamoto cast wasn't like other captains'—a mountainous wall appeared and blocked the Cero Oscuras!
"Useless!"
Angra laughed. "You've run out of tricks!"
Boom!
Sure enough, his Cero pierced the Dankū!
Boom!
With Dankū shattered, the Cero engulfed Yamamoto!
But with a single cleave, Yamamoto's sword split the beam apart!
He didn't respond with words. He'd used Bankai for a while now with no sign of defeating Angra.
This guy…
Truly a king among Hollows, surpassing Vasto Lorde!
Any longer, and his own body would give out first!
Zanka no Tachi was fearsome, but it took a terrible toll on the user.
Like Kenpachi's Bankai harms his body, and Isshin's does too, Yamamoto's Bankai bore a massive burden.
Bankai itself is dangerous power!
Zanka no Tachi burned the world—and his own body. If he couldn't withstand it, he'd be the first thing it burned away!
He'd never pushed Bankai this far before.
And Angra's pressure was unprecedented.
Facing such a foe while enduring Zanka's burden, even the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years began to sweat.
As Angra slashed down again, Yamamoto forced himself to maintain Bankai and met the black greatsword once more.
Each clash weighed heavier on him. Seeing Yamamoto falter, Angra soared skyward!
Gazing over the sea of flame that was Seireitei, Angra admired his handiwork. He spread his arms, and the entire ground turned utterly black!
"Come forth!"
He roared: "In the name of the Hollow King, I summon you—my generals!"
With that, countless black bubbles rose from the ground. One monstrous creature after another crawled out of the mire-like earth!
Serpents! Dragons! Frogs! Scorpions! Lizards!
Especially the black dragon—three heads, three mouths, six eyes—Angra's child forged from his black mud. It roared upon appearing, a cry that seemed to shake all of Soul Society, chilling all who heard it!
Seireitei became a living hell. Shinigami fought bravely, but were ultimately assimilated by darkness!
Kyōraku, looking for an opening, was immediately targeted by the dragon and couldn't disengage.
Even retired Ukitake was entangled by black serpents, and even the Central 46 Compound was besieged by countless demons…
"You bastard…"
Seeing Angra summon so many evil spirits, Yamamoto gripped Zanka no Tachi. The scorching flames burned his body, but he couldn't tolerate Seireitei's desecration!
Facing Angra like a demon king, he shouted: "What are you?!"
"Ha!"
Angra's laughter rang through Seireitei. Standing at the center of darkness, the root of despair declared to the Shinigami:
"I am the beginning of the end, the shadow that veils the sun, the death knell! I exist for this moment—witness your death and despair, Shinigami!"
"The age ruled by the Soul King is over. Next, those who will lead the world are Hollows, are Evil. Yes—the prophesied apocalypse is here!"
As he spoke, wings symbolizing despair and malice unfurled behind him!
Black feathers spread, ink-dark…
With his proclamation, he gathered power again!
This time, he didn't aim at Seireitei, but at the sky—the barrier above!
Between the Soul King's Palace and Seireitei are seventy-two barrier layers. Not something ordinary Shinigami can open; even a captain would struggle to break one.
Seventy-two stacked layers form the strongest defense in the world!
Especially from below to above, the barriers are at their strongest!
These are protective wards. In the original, Ichigo needed a Oken to travel from above to below; Yhwach used Ichigo's passage to sneak upward.
But Angra would brute-force the barrier!
He charged a Cero Oscuras and fired. He shattered the Soul Shield membrane with a boom; then, high above, the beam exploded against seemingly nothing!
Yamamoto tried to intercept, but the entire Seireitei came alive—countless tendrils surged from ground and buildings to block him!
After that Cero, the sky shook, but no passage opened!
"Only three layers?"
Angra looked up and murmured.
That blast, after the Soul Shield, struck the Palace barrier and broke only three layers.
Even counting the Soul Shield, at most four layers.
But there were seventy-two!
"Fine. If one blast breaks four, less than twenty Ceros will do."
Angra scoffed at the Palace's defenses. He pressed his palms together; black wings spread, and twenty light points formed at once!
He was about to fire twenty of those blasts in one go!
Which meant one salvo could annihilate the entire barrier!
"Ma…"
Suddenly, a voice reached Angra.
"I don't like meddling in Seireitei's squabbles… but you've gone too far."
A big-eyed monk suddenly appeared above Angra and struck before Angra could fire!
"Senri Tsūtenshō!"
A colossal handprint appeared; Angra's pupils shrank as he was swatted away like a meteor!
If struck, you're blown a thousand ton!
Even Angra couldn't resist; he was hurled out of Seireitei!
Seireitei is vast, but not a thousand ri across; Angra flew straight into Rukongai!
Before he even finished skidding, the Monk appeared again!
"This is still too close. Then—another!"
Senri Tsūtenshō!
Another enormous palm slammed him. The impact cracked his body before it instantly regenerated—his high-speed regeneration surpassed any Hollow's.
Boom!
Angra shattered at least six mountains before finally stopping against a massive cliff.
In mere seconds, he'd flown two thousand km!
The Monk's strength was formidable. Those casual palms would be beyond all the Gotei at full strength!
"At last, the Royal Guard shows up!"
Despite the blow, Angra wasn't flustered.
He smiled wickedly. "In that case, I don't have to fight again after reaching the Palace. I'll finish you down here, then devour the Soul King."
"I advise against speaking so certainly." With a few flash steps matching Angra's displacement, the Monk said: "Every era has naughty brats like you trying to storm the Palace. None have succeeded."
To keep up with Angra over two thousand km, the Monk's shunpō mastery was terrifying.
From Okinawa to Hokkaidō is about 3,000 km; in seconds they covered a third of that!
Worthy of the leader of the Shinigami—on fundamentals alone, no Seireitei soul could compare.
Facing such a monster, Angra felt no fear—only excitement.
Just as he'd planned, Squad Zero had come down!
He'd deliberately polluted Seireitei to animate it and spawn hordes of demons, forcing the Royal Guard down to help clean up.
Now that they were down, the Palace was under-defended!
Yoshio and Aizen could head to the Palace!
As for Angra…
He just had to stall the Royal Guard!
Facing the Monk, Angra glanced around.
They were now two thousand km from Seireitei, in a withered wasteland—like a dead zone.
Holding his black greatsword, Angra's reiatsu surged.
Only now did he decide to go all-out!
The Hollow King's left hand within him moved—Accelerate!
He vanished and reappeared before the Monk in an instant, thrusting!
Fast as light—but the Monk still reacted. Eyes wide, hands pressed together, he caught the black flame blade between his palms!
Angra then turned the blade to mud, forcing it into the Monk's body.
The Monk flash-stepped away, frowning: "So, you try to enter the body of one of the Soul King's kin…"
Veins writhed on him; a jet of blood sprayed out, expelling the black mud along with it!
Angra narrowed his eyes. "You think that's the end?"
?!
The Monk paused—then his body erupted with nameless flame, an internal reiatsu explosion!
Boom!
A black pillar of spirit fire shot up, piercing heaven and earth. Angra said coolly:
"My power is to manipulate malice. When I entered your body, I ignited the malice within you. Who knew—you harbor quite a lot."
"Looks like… that's the end."
"Is it?!"
A voice rang from within the black pillar as the Monk strode out, wielding his enormous fude brush:
"In a way, you're truly unfortunate."
"My power is Black. All black in this world is under my control! How could your pitch-black reiatsu and malice harm the master of all black?!"
He swung the giant Ichimonji, ready to cut Angra.
Angra wasn't about to go head-on—he knew the Monk's power was "Monk Who Calls the Real Name." Lose your name and you're in trouble.
"I don't know how you were born, but a Hollow King that didn't appear even in antiquity—did you think I'd let you emerge now?"
"Don't think of running! Hyapporankan!"
Columns of light shot toward Angra. He used the Hollow King's left hand to accelerate and dodge!
Seeing Hyapporankan fail, the Monk extended his palm. "Seal!"
No more light-rods—but a powerful restraint manifested. Angra's moving body was suddenly bound.
Straps and nails appeared to pin him in place!
But this restraint wasn't enough!
His body turned to sludge, then gas, then dispersed entirely.
The Monk's blow found no target.
"Mm… turned yourself into pure malice?"
He muttered: "If you think this is enough to escape, you're naïve."
He raised the huge brush and drew a circle in the air, inscribing a character upon it:
"Show."
As the character completed, Angra, transformed into malice, instinctively condensed—reappearing before the Monk.
What a troublesome power!
Angra knew the Monk was strong; normally, the Three Realms should not birth someone beyond him. He also knew that even after devouring the Hollow King's left arm, he might not surpass the Monk. But knowing it and experiencing it were different—this was nauseating to deal with.
To beat the Monk, you'd either need to far surpass him, or wield a stronger conceptual power to crush his Black!
Like Yhwach—once opened eyes, the Almighty clearly surpasses Ichimonji, killing the Monk outright.
Angra's power wasn't as broken as Almighty; in fact, it was somewhat countered by the Monk, making this a headache.
"Ura Hadō: Sannodō — Teppūsatsu!"
The moment Angra reappeared, the Monk attacked again—this time chopping forward with his hand.
A cyan dragon manifested, its head exhaling a hurricane that threatened to shred Angra apart!
Angra took a deep breath; red light flowed.
Since the Monk controlled black, he minimized black in his power. This forced reconfiguration weakened him, but avoided being seized.
He fully leveraged the Hollow King's Left Hand, combined his Transcendent Hollow Cero with his malice trait, and formed a colossal orb!
Ceros are beams, but he stabilized it into a sphere—like hefting a planet.
"Mithra Fire!"
He hurled the giant crimson sun at the Monk.
Like casting a star, it dissolved everything, colliding with the cyan dragon.
Boom—the hurricane and sun consumed the land in devastation!
In the end, Angra's power prevailed. The star dissolved the wind and fell toward the Monk!
The Monk clapped both hands, conjuring two gigantic palms at the sun's poles. He slapped it apart like an insect!
Then he appeared before Angra again; Angra used acceleration to pull back.
He refused to trade blades!
The Monk said, "That doesn't match your earlier words. If you don't kill me, you'll never reach the Palace."
"Ha!"
Angra suddenly laughed.
"What's so funny?" The Monk frowned.
"I laugh at you as a monk with no guile, and Yamamoto short on wits. It's not that I won't kill you. It's that…"
"I've already entered the Soul King's Palace!"
The Monk's face changed; he lifted his head. But Angra didn't let him drift—he fired a flurry of Bala!
Bala lacked Cero's power but were dozens of times faster!
With the Left Hand's acceleration, they became a beam of light—appearing by the Monk instantly, leaving no room to dodge!
Boom boom boom boom!!!!!
In a blaze of explosions, the Monk was swallowed by firelight!
...…
In the Royal Palace, a massive Tenchūren descended.
Yoshio, Aizen, and Yamiko stepped onto a vast, empty plaza.
"Even with the Zero Division deployed, I still sense some reiatsu in the Palace," said Aizen. "The Royal Guard's attendants?"
"They don't matter," Yoshio smiled. "With Zero away, the Palace has no threats. Captain Aizen, let's go meet the Soul King."
"The… Soul King, huh?"
Aizen gazed at the Soul King's palace.
Though they were disguised, it was impossible to hide the fact someone had entered the Palace.
So Angra announced he'd already entered—to make Squad Zero think it was the Hollow King who infiltrated, not them.
The Soul King's Palace was vast—each Royal Guard had their own island fortress, surrounding the central Soul King Palace.
With no Royal Guard to stop them, the trio reached the Soul King Palace easily.
Inside…
Was the Soul King.
Yoshio felt a twinge of nerves—it was the creator god of the Three Realms…
Though this creator god was pitiful—sealed in crystal, forever losing parts of his body. Neither alive nor dead, enduring eternal solitude and pain.
"We must be quick; the Royal Guard could return any moment," said Yoshio.
He stepped into the Soul King Palace first.
There, he beheld the Soul King!
In the center stood a colossal crystal, within which lay a sacred being with only torso and head remaining.
At first sight, Yoshio activated his ability "Big Cousin."
In an instant, something ineffable shifted within him—too subtle to name—and he set aside pondering it. The ability was activated; he could examine it later.
Next was getting Yamiko recognized by the Soul King.
"Soul King…"
At their signal, Yamiko stepped forward and said respectfully, "You must already see our intentions with your all-seeing eyes."
"Even so, I'll still speak them before you."
"We… will free you from this vortex of solitude without life or death, and we'll keep the Three Realms running—only, under a different helmsman."
"If your eyes can see us succeeding in the future, then please recognize me."
After Yamiko spoke, the trio seemed to enter a mysterious, resplendent realm.
The surroundings became elemental particles; a vast will surged, then faded.
"…"
Yoshio heard nothing articulated; Yamiko nodded to them.
"The Soul King recognizes me."
A beam of light pierced from the crystal into Yamiko's forehead!
Her body shone for an instant, then dimmed.
The Soul King, trapped in neither-life-nor-death, struggled to communicate; only those with a Oken (bodies washed by the Soul King's power) could barely hear him.
But as a mimic of Yhwach, Yamiko did manage a degree of communion!
Of course, Yoshio didn't know whether his "Big Cousin" status helped.