What was the impact of learning that the Captain-Commander was going into battle? The entire Soul Society practically turned the war into a tourist attraction. From top to bottom, nobody felt there were any difficulties in the war, let alone any prospect of a victory.
As for that Hueco Mundo emperor Baraggan, what is he? Can he even compare to the Captain-Commander?
What is Vasto Lorde? How can he compare to the Captain-Commander?
What do you mean by "more quantity"? Is it comparable to the Captain-Commander?
It felt like the Captain-Commander had turned into some self-proclaimed idiot, spouting nonsense like, "You may be strong, but you're not as strong as me. You may be arrogant, but you're not as arrogant as me."
Chun also believed in his heart that failure was impossible, but he saw things more clearly than many others—in fact, most people could see it too—that the mortality rate wouldn't decrease much. Chun was already giving the Captain-Commander face; the mortality rate was about 40%, a reduction of 7%.
However, Chun underestimated the Captain-Commander, and so time moved to the battlefield.
The Captain-Commander himself participated in this war, without even giving a pre-battle speech. He simply ordered the Twelfth Division to open the Senkaimon, and without waiting for anyone else, he charged in first.
Chun was very curious now, wondering how much strength the old codger would put in on the battlefield, and what level he would be at. But no matter how impatient he was, he still had to go through the motions. He chanted the Five Dragon Destruction within the Dangai, and then...
The Five Dragon Destruction attack almost made Chun suffer a huge loss. Just outside the Senkaimon, one could see the flames burning at the center of the battlefield, stretching perhaps three or five hundred meters. Compared to that, the Five Dragon Destruction was nothing.
"All things turn to ashes, Ryujin ~ Jakka!"
As the incantation ended, the sharp blade hidden in the cane was pulled out with a wave of fire. Yamamoto Genryūsai's Senkaimon was not the same as the others in the First Division; the Captain-Commander's Senkaimon landed directly in the very center of tens of thousands of Hollows.
With that single swing of the sword after its Shikai, a massive wave of fire carved a red line through the center, staining the long, dark ground crimson when viewed from above.
How could Vasto Lorde not see the Captain-Commander? This guy just barged in alone—that's incredibly disrespectful to Vasto Lorde! Who do you think you are?! Aren't you being a bit too arrogant?!
So the Giant Eagle and Gorilla that had escaped last time, along with the newly joined Rhinoceros Beetle, Giant Beetle, Argali Head, and Giant-Jawed Insect, a total of six Vasto Lorde charged toward the Captain-Commander.
Baraggan really pulled a fast one this time, adding two more Vasto Lorde. If Soul Society still had the same lineup as last time, they probably could only get a few captains back at most.
However, this time they were facing the strongest being in Soul Society.
The Giant Eagle was the fastest, and its powerful talons reached out to grab the Captain-Commander. The Captain-Commander punched back, and their talons collided. Although the Giant Eagle's ability was based on air currents, it couldn't attack without making contact with its opponent.
However, the Giant Eagle misjudged its opponent. It thought it could easily crush its opponent's hand, but its claws, enveloped in powerful Spiritual Power, could not advance an inch. The tips of its claws remained permanently embedded in the skin of the Captain-Commander's wrist.
Then, Ryūjin Jakka slashed upwards diagonally, like a volcanic eruption, and a wave of fire from below completely enveloped the Giant Eagle. This is the origin of the flames seen after the initial charge.
"Hmm~?" The Captain-Commander withdrew his left hand, noticing the roasted eagle claw still on his fist. Although it was in Reishi form, the Vasto Lorde's Reishi density was too high, causing trouble. So he pulled it off himself, casually tossed it aside, and then looked up at the remaining five Vasto Lorde.
What is fear? The remaining five Vasto Lorde were filled with nothing but fear! My God! What is this?! An instant kill of Vasto Lorde?! Could you be any more exaggerated?!
The answer is yes.
"Flame-Hot Hell"
Releasing a technique and announcing its name is an important part of the etiquette in Zanjutsu. Accompanying the announcement are countless pillars of fire exploding on the battlefield.
Centered on Yamamoto Genryūsai, pillars of fire Explosion outwards, each pillar aimed at Adjuchas Captain-Commander his perception, along with the five Vasto Lorde closest to him.
This attack is certainly not as powerful as the one that instantly killed the Giant Eagle. Everyone understands the difference between a full-force single-target attack and an area-of-effect attack, not to mention that the Captain-Commander also has to guard against these five Vasto Lorde. Therefore, the fire pillar's destructive power is still very strong.
Some of the weaker and less mobile Adjuchas were instantly killed; there was no way around it, the Captain-Commander's attack power was too high, and if you couldn't dodge, you were basically doomed.
Moreover, the pillar of fire from this attack extended all the way to the edge of the battlefield. Why did the Captain-Commander choose to charge into the heart of the enemy lines alone? First, because Old Man Yamamoto was confident in himself; second, to avoid harming innocent bystanders.
Because once this character unleashes their ultimate skill, if any allies are with them, it's almost certain that their own teammates will be instantly killed, regardless of whether they can kill the enemy.
Now the problem lies with the five Vasto Lorde. No one dares to advance. The Rhinoceros Beetle and the Giant-Jawed Insect are furious, their wings flapping and buzzing. The Giant Beetle wants to run away, as do the Argali Head and the Gorilla.
Among these Vasto Lorde, there is detailed information about Pure. Didn't Pure go to find Starrk on his first day in the World of the Living, and ask about the situation there? Starrk said he didn't know.
Then, while they were creating the Gigai, the Orca Oka went to check things out and found out that there were three Vasto Lorde worth training.
How do we determine whether someone is worth training? It's essentially about how much humanity they possess. At least so far, there are no examples of Vasto Lorde that have successfully evolved without any humanity.
When the Menos Grande were at the Adjuchas level, some were so talented that they already possessed some humanity and could engage in some accurate communication, like Grimmjow. However, Grimmjow's level was simply too incredible; a normal Adjuchas would never be that powerful.
At the Vasto Lorde class level, the standard becomes whether one can speak. If one can speak, one can basically become Arrancar; if one cannot speak and can only communicate through Hollows, then there is little chance.
But it's not entirely hopeless. Human nature isn't solely determined by words. Take Ulquiorra, for example. He can't speak, but his humanity is exceptionally high. He demonstrates sound judgment while seeking advantage and avoiding harm. For instance, when he was first discovered, he didn't run. Why? Ulquiorra knew he couldn't escape! He figured he might as well eat more.
Therefore, the three potential Vasto Lorde identified by Oka are Baraggan himself, the Argali Ram's Horns, and the Giant Beetle. The Gorilla has some potential, while the remaining two were both released by their own side.
Yes, the Rhinoceros Beetle appearing on the battlefield now is the same Rhinoceros Beetle encountered over a hundred years ago. It was also the first Adjuchas to be used in experiments to forcibly transform into Vasto Lorde. Adjuchas was basically successful, but unfortunately, after becoming Vasto Lorde, it lost all humanity.
The Giant Beetle was the seventh experimental subject, and it too successfully evolved. Like everyone else, it was utterly inhuman under the Vasto Lorde class. And that Stick Insect —if anyone remembers it—was also...
Moreover, these insect-type Vasto Lorde are quite weak. They were catalyzed and are still young. They're the two weakest of the six Vasto Lorde to begin with, and they're still acting tough while the rest are trying to escape.
The battlefield returned to Chun's side, and this time it was incredibly easy. A group of captains were about to go and fight the Adjuchas, but a Flame-Hot Hell instantly reduced the Adjuchas' numbers by forty percent. Wow, the already not-so-difficult mission was further reduced in difficulty.
Imagine Shunsui Kyōraku, Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, and Kuchiki Ginrei —three big shots who could directly confront Vasto Lorde— facing Adjuchas would be a one-sided crushing defeat.
The remaining few could easily defeat Adjuchas in a one-on-one fight, and nearly eighty years had passed since the last war. The Soul Reaper's growth rate was incomparable to that of the Hollows. Kensei Muguruma was just a younger brother back then, and now he's an older brother.
Isshin's fight with Adjuchas back then was so intense it caused light pollution. If you sent the current Isshin back eighty years, a dozen or so shots would have made Adjuchas kneel down.
Chun could also defeat Adjuchas now, but eighty years ago he couldn't; he could only pick off the weaker ones. This time, he's with Clear Rain, whose combat power is a little lower, but if she's not countered, she can still take down an average Adjuchas.
As for the massacre that Sōya Azashiro committed...
However, the objective of this war is different; complete annihilation is the ultimate goal. Therefore, for ordinary Soul Reaper, the mission remains just as arduous, and this time the number of participants is much greater, reaching one hundred people per division.
Therefore, the mortality rate is not low now, mainly because the fighting strength of those ranked 50th or 60th and below is truly worrying.
Even with the help of the First Division Bigwigs, speaking of the First Division Bigwigs, they're practically no different from Hollows.
Like the two or three insects mentioned earlier, why did they still lack humanity after transforming into Vasto Lorde? There's a hypothesis: because Hollows possess a kind of perception, during communication between them, some Hollows are completely commanded by higher-level Hollows, while others are not. Why?
This is what it means to know your own level and feel that you've reached a certain point where you can't go any higher. This situation is very common at the Adjuchas level. So, those three insects were likely forced to reach that level through this kind of induced stimulation. However, while they did reach that level, they only raised the ceiling by one level, without actually breaking through.
This breakthrough is the most important thing. It's like saying the Arrancar is on the second floor. If you can't break through that ceiling, no matter how high you go, you're still on the first floor. The first floor is just not high-class enough.
Switching to the Soul Reaper's side, what they used to call understanding the counterpart was actually just Gillian. To become a stronger Captain-level being, and to have Captain-level strength, requires a certain talent.
One of the requirements for joining the First Division is to be able to "release" (i. e., to put it another way), the so-called "big shots" of the First Division are actually just Gillian. The First Division consists of over a hundred Gillian. Does that make things clearer?
Therefore, in a major battle like this, this group's strength is just that of a bunch of Gillian. However, due to the characteristics of their Zanpakuto, Soul Reaper are generally still stronger than Gillian.
How to put it? It's like the symbolic characteristics that started appearing with the Adjuchas- class. The Soul Reaper have had this ability since their Shikai. The members of the First Division are essentially Gillian with symbolic characteristics.
So, that's about it for most of the First Division's strength. What about Adjuchas- level Soul Reaper? Actually, Chōjirō Sasakibe is a perfect example of an Adjuchas- level Soul Reaper, so it's no wonder he's used as a background character; anyone could easily defeat him.
He's really too weak. And compared to the Adjuchas- class Soul Reaper, the Hollows at the Adjuchas- class also possess the Symbolic Ability, making them no less powerful than Soul Reaper. That's why it's said that Adjuchas and Vasto Lordes are difficult to fight—it's because of the appearance of the Symbolic Ability.
Gillian was already so strong without this ability; with it, what difference would Hollows and Soul Reaper have? They'd be equal. Besides, Hollows are all seas of Reiatsu; if Soul Reaper can't be defeated instantly, and is held back, they're doomed.
However, this was only the lower limit of the war; its upper limit was exceptionally high. After the three Vasto Lorde fled the battlefield, the outcome was already decided, and all that remained was to reap the rewards.
In the end, this great victory in Soul Society, against the backdrop of hundreds of thousands of Hollows and a mortality rate of 33%, brought jubilation throughout the entire Soul Society.
Soul Reaper doesn't really care about death, especially not death in war.
"The Bushido is truly powerful," Jun couldn't help but remark, "There's still a long way to go."