He held on until the spatial rift disappeared, then collapsed to his knees, falling into Isuzu's arms.
"Pure!"
"Haha, I really couldn't move," Chun could still laugh. "Luckily, I didn't embarrass myself. I ended up walking out. Biersen, are you alright?"
Everyone looked at Biersen, a two-meter-tall giant whose body was now glowing red. Hearing this, he scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "It's alright, it's just that I can't swallow it anymore."
Then, with a sudden twist of his head, he spewed out a torrent of flames from his mouth, a furious outburst that lasted for over ten seconds, melting several kilometers of sand. Then, Biersen burped and exhaled a few remaining embers.
Starrk approached the molten lava and touched it with his hand. "This temperature is unimaginable, and it's just residual power. Biersen, how much of it did you absorb?"
"Hmm~ about 10%."
"Only absorbed 10%? And even after absorption, it still exceeded your Digestion Threshold? It seems our previous guesses about this Captain-Commander were all wrong; we really underestimated this Old Man," Oka said with a very solemn expression.
Biersen the Bear's innate ability is his thick hide; he can absorb damage from enemy attacks. Damage within a certain threshold is negligible to Biersen; this threshold is called the Damage-Free Threshold.
Once the absorbed attack exceeds the Damage-Free Threshold, Biersen can continue absorbing until it reaches the next threshold, which we call the Digestion Threshold. Energy within this Digestion Threshold can be digested, becoming 22% of Biersen's own energy.
Of course, digestion takes time, and once the energy absorption exceeds the Damage-Free Threshold, Biersen will be injured, but the damage will be significantly reduced.
Then Biersen can release the absorbed power within the threshold, in a verbal battle mode, or he can choose not to release it. Here, a third threshold appears, called the Limit Threshold: Damage-Free Threshold <Digestion Threshold <Limit Threshold.
If Biersen continues to be attacked after exceeding the Limit Threshold, the damage he receives will be completely Damage Reduction. However, at this point, Biersen's verbal attacks will be at their most powerful.
As a power that induces the Arrancar, this ability is indeed incredibly strong. However, he used his ability to block the Captain-Commander's attack after his release, and that single attack exceeded his Digestion Threshold, but not his Limit Threshold.
Biersen could use all his strength to accelerate digestion, but because the force of that strike far exceeded his Digestion Threshold, Biersen only managed to digest about 10% before vomiting up the remaining 90%.
However, this was only one strike. Biersen's defensive capabilities are arguably the best among all Arrancar on Jun's side right now, especially his head-on defense, which is undoubtedly the best. But judging from the current situation, Biersen would be instantly killed by the Captain-Commander in two strikes.
"Hey! Don't underestimate me. If I Resurrección, I can withstand four sword strikes!"
"Hey~hey~you're so strong, those four slashes are amazing!"
However, to be fair, four slashes are truly formidable. Few of Yhwach's members could withstand four slashes from the Captain-Commander. Otherwise, Yhwach wouldn't have gone all out to kill the Captain-Commander right from the start; it's because the Captain-Commander genuinely posed a threat to him.
Chun called over Biersen and had the bear carry him. Biersen was a simple-minded boy who listened to Chun very much; carrying Chun was an honor for him.
"How did it go this time? Was anyone a match for that old man?"
Among the Arrancar, several shook their heads. Biersen thought for a moment and then shook his head as well. In the end, only Starrk, the true Original Arrancar, and Oka, the strongest one who gave birth to Arrancar, had a certain possibility, and only a possibility.
However, the Arrancar by Jun's method were perfectly catalyzed using Spiritual Power, making them far stronger than those created using the Hōgyoku in the original work. Yet, it still wasn't enough. Therefore, while the Espada in the original work seemed powerful, even without Starrk, a group of them together wouldn't be a match for the Captain-Commander.
"Haha~ Just as I expected, you're really strong. But I was able to force this old man to calm down, so I'm strong too, hahaha."
"Don't you still have so many rule-based Zanpakuto that involve Zanpakuto?" Oka asked.
Chun shook his head and said seriously, "I never believe in so-called luck, because all luck or the Miracles are only representative because they are rare. At no time should you take these things as a reference, much less expect them."
"The so-called 'risk-or-death' rule-based abilities are not actually about gambling; they're all about exploiting information gaps. Take the sword 'Direct Death' for example. If I have the ability to use it to Direct Death my opponent to trade blows, and then I injure them first, then I win."
"But none of that applies when facing that old man. His strength is all-encompassing. Whether it's Shunpo or Zanjutsu, I'm no match for him. So if I use these rule-based abilities, with the few rule-based abilities I currently possess, I'm certain to die."
Chun sighed, "Remember, the strong don't gamble! So-called fate—'fate' is the excuse of the weak, 'luck' is the humble term of the strong!"
The Arrancars, the Visoreds who came to greet them, and even Kōga and Aozumi, who had left Soul Society with Junichi, were all deeply shaken by those words. They stood there for a long time, lost in thought, before each of them gained a new aura and a new understanding.
On Sōkyoku Hill, the temperature continued to rise. Many of the Vice-Captains and the remaining members of the group, who arrived later, could no longer proceed beyond the summit.
Suddenly, the Heat vanished, and Yamamoto Genryūsai canceled his attack, sheathing his sword. The old man looked around, seeing even Kyōraku and Ukitake beaten to a pulp, and finally sighed before Shunpo to Sōkyoku Hill.
Unohana Aizen was the only one unharmed. Aizen attacked everyone except Aizen Retsu Unohana because he roughly knew Retsu Unohana fighting strength and knew he might not be able to defeat her easily. Even if he could win, it would be a very difficult victory, unlike the effortless wins he had against others.
Because Retsu Unohana's combat skills have surpassed mere perception and reached a level of understanding, Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu can no longer completely deceive her.
Similar to the original work, there were a lot of wounded people needing treatment. The Big Dog was in much better shape this time than in the original; Aizen didn't kill him instantly with the Kurohitsugi. Byakuya, as always, took a blow for Rukia, but his situation was much worse than in the original.
Even more tragic than the original story are the close friends Ichigo and Renji. Because Renji wasn't seriously injured in Kashiwamura, he became somewhat arrogant when facing Aizen, thinking he was much stronger. As a result, Aizen chopped off both of his arms and managed to steal Rukia him.
Then Ichigo, in much better condition than in the original work, became arrogant and went up to exchange a couple of blows with Aizen, only to be stabbed in the stomach. But that wasn't all; Ichigo immediately put on his Hollowfication Mask, unleashing another burst of power, only to be not only cut in half at the waist by Aizen, but Aizen also managed to crush the Hollowfication Mask with his bare hands.
Then Aizen obtained the Hōgyoku from Rukia's body, and just like in the original work, he had Gin Ichimaru kill someone. Gin Ichimaru Shinsō struck Byakuya, and at this moment, Kyōraku and Ukitake arrived.
Soi Fon and Yoruichi have both been dealt with, but Tōshirō is in a worse state than in the original story; his mental state has completely collapsed. Fortunately, Kyōraku and Ukitake arrived much faster than in the original story, and Kiyoshiro is also there with his two younger sisters.
Five people faced Aizen. Jō activated his Shikai, but Aizen knew about Jō's World Power and conjured a ball of Spiritual Power, which in turn limited the fighting power of the others present.
Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu is least afraid of close combat. If you're a Starrk just Sonído and fires randomly, Aizen won't be able to catch you. But after this Shikai, everyone is too stunned to even use their ultimate attacks. Aizen can just go over and chop Ukitake to pieces.
Then he fought Kyōraku, easily dispatching Lisa Yadōmaru and Nanao with a single strike. Kyōraku did activate his ability, but he couldn't escape defeat because Kyōraku activated the "Irooni" ability, which allows him to increase Damage Reduction by naming colors.
Kyōraku was referring to the black area, Aizen slashed his neck with a single blow. If Aizen had severed Kyōraku's body, Kyōraku wouldn't have been injured due to his Shihakushō. However, since Aizen cut his neck, Kyōraku essentially received no Damage Reduction.
If it weren't for Unohana's timely arrival and rescue of Kyōraku might have become the second casualty in this incident. Unohana's arrival made Aizen temporarily stop, but at this time, Kaien and his wife, as well as the other Vice-Captains, returned.
The result was that Aizen gained five more achievements. Makoto Kibune was Aizen's man, extremely loyal, and quite capable. In this timeline, almost everyone who could become Vice-Captain had a solution; in the original timeline, they would be considered powerful. Therefore, Aizen didn't give up on this pawn.
At this point, Aizen wanted to leave, and the Menos Grande also activated his Garganta. However, the battle between Jun and the Captain-Commander on the other side had entered its second round, and the climax was just beginning. So Aizen stopped to watch and didn't rush to leave.
Retsu Unohana alone couldn't stop Aizen. In the original work, the reason Aizen left so easily was because of how many people were there at the time. Soi Fon and Yoruichi controlled him, Kyōraku, Ukitake, and the Captain-Commander all returned, including Kūkaku. Actually, the main reason was that the old man (Aizen Aizen) returned; otherwise, Aizen could have continued his reckless behavior a little longer.
After Jun and Aizen left, a large number of people were sent to the Fourth Division. The Fourth Division even temporarily requisitioned the territory of neighboring divisions because there were simply too many wounded. A large number of seriously injured captains Vice-Captains needed 24-hour care, and the rest were from the Seventh, Ninth, and Eleventh Divisions.
In short, Soul Society was in a flurry of activity, and nearly a week passed. Ichigo, that kid, was the most impressive; he was back to his old self in less than four days. No one told the Captain-Commander about him using the Hollowfication Mask, so no one investigated, because Ichigo had genuinely helped Soul Society. His rush towards Aizen to stop Aizen was also without hesitation.
Rukia. Rukia was fine; she wasn't injured at all and stayed with the Fourth Division, taking care of her brother-in-law, as well as her male friends Ichigo and Renji.
Orihime's power caught the eye of Unohana, and Orihime saved many people. Because there were so many wounded, it would be a waste of resources for Orihime to fully heal everyone. So, Orihime became dedicated to saving the critically injured, but even treating only those on the verge of death Orihime exhausted.
Sado and Uryū mingled among the members of the Fourth Division, going wherever they were needed. Sado, in particular, was always there to help, whether it was moving a bed, a cabinet, or even just a person. Uryū, on the other hand, used the little medical knowledge he had learned at home to do whatever he could.
Therefore, the nickname "Four Ryoka Scoundrels" was discontinued, especially for Orihime, whose reputation in Soul Society was now almost half that of Unohana. All the members of the 7th, 9th, and 11th Divisions declared that anyone who bullied Orihime would be considered an enemy of those three divisions.
If Orihime ever has any trouble in the future, just give the call, and thousands of older brothers will come and take care of it for you. Let's see who dares to mess with our little sister. Orihime is even more popular than Ichigo!
After a week, most people's injuries had been brought under control, and all that remained was rest. Several people, eager to leave, departed from the Fourth Division.
Byakuya couldn't adapt to this environment and insisted on going home.
Kyōraku thought the girls in the Fourth Division were really nice and wanted to stay, but was immediately kicked out.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya left the Fourth Division and went to the Central 46, to the spot where Momo Hinamori had died. He knelt on the ground, unable to shed any more tears, simply kneeling there without uttering a single word.