["A single phantom flower wasn't hard to destroy. When Stelle charged with her flame spear, the flower quickly burned to ash in the blaze. The real trouble was the power of Abundance—connected to the Arbor's mystic root, the flower's petals, not yet fully charred, would sprout anew from the flames."]
["'Stelle, just like last time…' Welt exchanged a knowing glance with her. In the next moment, a simulated black hole descended upon the Arbor's mystic root."]
["The black hole visibly eroded and consumed the root, and the phantom flowers, deprived of their power source, rapidly dimmed, wilting and rotting before their eyes."]
["…It's working!"]
["March 7th was about to jump with excitement, but before she could even rise on her toes, a sudden gust swept through, as if ushering in countless dark clouds, enveloping the Arbor's mystic root like an iron barrel."]
["Stelle suddenly felt the light dim before her eyes—"]
["She raised her fist to rub her eyes, closing them and feeling a sharp pain at the base. In a daze, she saw a 'dark cloud' slowly drifting toward Welt, who was farther away."]
["For a moment, she sensed something was wrong:"]
["—Something was definitely wrong!"]
["This was Scalegorge Waterscape, within the space sealing the Arbor's mystic root, surrounded only by mist—where did these dark clouds come from?"]
["Stelle instinctively looked up, only then realizing the so-called dark cloud was merely a massive fan large enough to blot out the sky. Seeing the mystic root severed, Phantylia extended a hand, intending to blow Welt away with a fierce wind."]
["'Mr. Welt!'"]
["Dan Heng shouted instinctively, but the water dragon in his hand had yet to form. At the critical moment, a towering golden figure appeared at Phantylia's side!"]
["—Lord Divine!"]
["A sudden onslaught struck like a raging storm!"]
——
Bleach
Inside the Seireitei.
"—Yes! It's Lord Divine!" Rukia Kuchiki couldn't hide the excitement in her eyes, blurting out in joy.
After witnessing Phantylia's mountain-like form and feeling the suffocating pressure, Rukia had briefly been consumed by pessimistic thoughts.
Phantylia wasn't just wielding the power of Destruction; bolstered by Abundance's power, this was practically a death sentence for General Jing Yuan and the Astral Express crew.
But seeing Lord Divine raise its formation blade against Phantylia, she let out a long sigh of relief…
Indeed, Jing Yuan was an Emissary too. In a battle of Emissary-level power, neither side should be underestimated, especially since Lord Divine was a gift from the Aeon of the Hunt.
"If they can sever Phantylia's connection to the Arbor, there's still a chance, but that doesn't seem easy… Can Dan Heng keep Phantylia's attention?"
Letting out a long sigh, Shunsui Kyōraku sat in the Head Captain's seat, propping his chin with his right hand while his left tapped the armrest. Though the Astral Express crew's battle on the Celestial Screen had little to do with the Seireitei, Shunsui instinctively analyzed the situation.
As Lord Divine's blade struck, the Captains felt a flash before their eyes, accompanied by a thunderous roar.
—They'd been through countless battles, but never had they heard such a heavy, resounding thunder, as if it could shake the very ground of the Soul Society.
"Phew, that strike… I thought Lord Divine was going to cut all the way to the Seireitei," Shinji Hirako exhaled, squinting as the fleeting flash blurred his vision. When his sight returned, he instinctively glanced at Soi Fon, seated across from him—
He wasn't the only one. At least six or seven Captains turned their gazes toward her. In their minds, only her Bankai, Jakuhō Raikōben, could produce such a spectacle.
"Please, stop looking at me… My Bankai can't match that kind of power," Soi Fon said, fully aware of why they were staring, spreading her hands helplessly.
Her Bankai was powerful, but its destructive force was limited to the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the Human World. She knew her limits well—even if her Bankai's power were multiplied tenfold, it wouldn't come close to Lord Divine's single strike.
At the end of the day… Emissary-level power was on a completely different dimension from theirs!
"Look! Lord Divine's strike is working!"
Following Rukia Kuchiki's excited shout, the Captains turned their attention back to the Celestial Screen, noticing that part of Phantylia's left arm was beginning to disintegrate.
["'Futile resistance,' Phantylia's voice remained calm and unhurried. Under Abundance's blessing, her damaged body was rapidly regenerating."]
["But she also realized that, among this group, Jing Yuan, another Emissary, was the most troublesome."]
["'Care to break free from this cage?' She raised her hand, and countless vines sprouted from the ground, surging toward Jing Yuan from all directions."]
["'Mere vines? One slash will suffice,' Jing Yuan chuckled lightly, flipping his formation blade. In an instant, he severed all the surrounding vines."]
["But bolstered by Abundance, the severed vines quickly regrew, coiling toward Jing Yuan once more."]
["In that moment, Jing Yuan was like a general charging through the battlefield, unstoppable even by an army of thousands. His blade danced like a swift wind through sturdy grass or the bold strokes of a calligrapher's running script, scrawled across the misty white canvas."]
——
"Too cool! Jing Yuan!"
Watching Jing Yuan's godlike combat, Stark shouted in excitement, his enthusiasm infecting the other patrons in the tavern, who raised their glasses to cheer for Jing Yuan's performance.
"Beat her, Jing Yuan! Pound her like my wife pounds me!"
"She's so huge, she's gotta be slow. Stelle, poke her with that flame spear!"
"I thought Phantylia had some other tricks, but she's just summoning branches like that Deer."
"…"
Listening to the tavern patrons' discussions, Fern felt the situation looked promising. Though Jing Yuan hadn't dealt Phantylia any real threat, Dan Heng, the Dragon Sovereign, hadn't truly acted yet.
Once Dan Heng made his move, the balance might tip.
"Phantylia doesn't seem to be causing them much trouble," Stark said with a hearty laugh. "I just wonder when Dan Heng and Stelle will step in? Letting Jing Yuan take all the hits isn't sustainable. They need to make that awful woman feel some pain."
"I don't think it's that simple," Frieren said, propping her chin with one hand, her tone calm. "Phantylia is an Emissary of Destruction, but so far, she's only used Abundance to fight, as if she's deliberately trying to wear them down—"
Her words cut off abruptly.
Suddenly, sensing something, Frieren's face paled.
In an instant, the elf mage, who had lived over a thousand years, pressed Fern and Stark's heads down, her voice trembling with rare urgency:
"Fern, close your eyes. Don't open them, no matter what."