Seeing the pack of Soul Wolf Pack rushing towards him, Yama-jii snorted coldly and nonchalantly swung his Ryūjin Jakka, intending to incinerate them all with its blazing flames.
The moment the wolves saw the flames approaching, they transformed into wisps of blue soul flames to dodge, then quickly reverted back to being individual Soul Wolves and pounced on Yama-jii.
"Huh? You think you can kill me with that little bit of strength?"
Yama-jii, his hands and feet firmly bitten, was speechless. Anyone who saw a wolf or dog would assume that their main attack method was biting. But just as Yama-jii finished speaking, the three wolves that were biting Yama-jii exploded at the same time.
The Reiryoku beam generated by the explosion shot into the sky, shattering the Sky Cover. Following Master Yama-jii's earlier swing of his sword, a large chunk of the Sky Cover was once again missing.
That wasn't the end of it; five more Soul Demon Wolves entered the aftershocks of the explosion and bit Yama-jii, causing a secondary explosion.
Although the battle took place several kilometers away from the center of the Sky Cover, the power generated by the battle even affected the Training Room at the center of the Sky Cover, causing cracks to appear.
If those layers of Barriers hadn't been so sturdy, Zero's Training Room would probably have been shattered and blown away long ago.
From the perspective of Las Noches, a pillar of fire first reached the Menos Grande Forest, followed shortly by a blue explosive wave that pierced through it.
The entire artificial sky began to crumble from the point of impact, spreading outwards in a spiderweb pattern...
"What's going on... the Sky Cover... the Sky Cover can't hold up anymore!"
"Those are the Espada fighting. Look, Lord Ulquiorra is already over there."
"This is too reckless! If this continues, Las Noches will be destroyed!"
"They're coming this way. If we get caught in the crossfire, we'll definitely die. Run!"
The Arrancars, gathered near the Arena and Laboratory, preparing for Arrancar, cried out in alarm. Aside from the overwhelming Reiatsu Sky Cover, which resembled a vast ocean, the space around the battleground between Ulquiorra and Kyōraku nearby was already beginning to distort...
Ulquiorra, having performed his Segunda Etapa, no longer had the crown-shaped bone helmet on his head, leaving only black hair and a pair of long, horn-like ears, his tear stains deepening.
A black mark extended from the hole in its chest to its lower abdomen, from which a long tail grew out from the black downy fur.
At this moment, it seemed as if there was a gravitational force around him, forcibly compressing the space. Kyōraku, who was fighting Ulquiorra, began to be constantly pursued and was even flying towards the Arena.
Two brave Sharp-level Arrancars tried to intercept them, but in a single encounter, they were each torn in two...
"Foolish guy."
Ulquiorra didn't praise the courage of those two suicidal guys, even though they had slowed down Kyōraku's speed for him.
The sprayed blood didn't touch Kyōraku, but that momentary delay allowed Ulquiorra to catch up again. The swing of the 'Lanza del Relámpago' sent Kyoraku flying to the side, blood gushing from the ribs grazed by the spear tip.
Kyōraku continued flying, taking advantage of the momentum. If the Soul Reaper was attacking from the west of Las Noches, then Kyōraku was now heading east, and Ulquiorra was relentlessly pursuing him.
"Trying to lure me away? Given the current situation, it wouldn't be too late for me to take you down before going up."
As he spoke, Ulquiorra stretched out his hand and fired Bala. After his Segunda Etapa, the Bala were also black, and he fired more than a dozen in a row.
Kyōraku couldn't help but look back to dodge, but in that instant, Ulquiorra arrived, and Kyōraku swung his twin swords to fight him once more.
In just two rounds, Ulquiorra was stabbed in the chest, while Kyōraku suffered another hole in his left abdomen, his left side almost completely destroyed.
The pain slowed him down, and he was shot again, sending him flying towards a red fortress on the ground, smashing it into ruins.
"Knowing I have High-Speed Regeneration, why would they still try to exchange wounds? What's their purpose? They don't need to go this far to stall for time."
After slamming Kyōraku to the ground, Ulquiorra waited for his chest wound to heal before frowning and pondering Kyōraku's intentions...
"This is bad, my right shoulder is ruined too, phew!"
As dust filled the air, Kyōraku spat out the sand in his mouth. His left ribs had been slashed open, his left abdomen pierced, and his right shoulder had just been shattered by a gunshot. He was panting heavily.
He simply couldn't withstand the combined power and enhanced power of Ulquiorra when facing him in his Shikai form.
... In the original timeline, if Kyōraku hadn't taken advantage of the situation to launch a sneak attack on Starrk, he would have needed to use his Bankai to win at the very least... But now, he has no room for a sneak attack...
Just then, very light footsteps came from outside; Ulquiorra had arrived.
"This distance is far enough, and there's such a thick wall... Let's go!"
After muttering to himself, Kyōraku's face darkened, and he whispered, "Bankai — Katen Kyōkotsu Black Pine Hearts!"
Hidden within the Sky Cover, in the Control Room, a group of people were frantically packing up their belongings. The various monitoring devices had been affected by the Reiatsu emanating from the Sky Cover and were completely unable to receive signals.
Maki told Kuzō to take the good stuff and go into the Menos Grande Forest to avoid the battle, while he himself ran upwards through the Central Pillar Tower, because Zero didn't know what was going on.
After several tremors, Maki finally arrived at the building atop Las Noches, which, though called a building, was more like a small world atop the palace.
There are five floors in total, and each floor is a training room. Each one is similar to the one that Zero saw in Yama-jii's First Division back then. Zero was on the top floor.
There are actually five Round Towers higher than these five-story cultivation rooms, but those places are used to house various signal devices, devices for condensing Reishi, and so on, and few people go there.
When Maki reached the fourth floor, he felt his throat was very dry, the air became the Heat and difficult to breathe, and his Reishi seemed to have evaporated. He curiously glanced out the window.
The area where the "Flame Walled Prison" had just been partially dispersed by the explosions of "Infinite Cero" and "Wolf-Shaped Cero" was now visible, with several bonfires burning. A shirtless, bald old man emerged from the blue flames of the explosions, and the flames released by his Zanpakuto quickly replaced the blue flames.
As a top student who graduated from the Reishi Arts Academy, Maki knew that person's name— Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai...
"Impossible, it was definitely blown up."
A wolf-shaped Lilynette bared her teeth and howled. As a 'Wolf-Shaped Precision-Guided Cero,' she could sense whether a hit had been made or not. Even if it had, it hadn't hurt the opponent, demonstrating just how strong Yama-jii's defense was.
"Eight explosions couldn't even hurt him? He's that strong!"
After being released from his Resurrección, Starrk's eye, which was not covered by an eyepatch, reflected a look of surprise.
Being hit by eight Wolf-Shaped Cero aimed at the soul only resulted in minor burns to the skin and the Shihakusho that had fallen to the waist being torn apart; it was as if he was not injured at all.
"Hmph," Yama-jii sneered, "Even my disciple is going all out. I am, after all, a Soul Reaper Commander!"
After Kyōraku's Bankai, a chilling Reiatsu emanated from beneath the two Sky Cover sky. Yama- Yama-jii, who had witnessed Kyōraku's Bankai hundreds of years ago, naturally remembered it clearly.
"Ready, kid?!"
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
The raging fire reignited, and the previously scattered parts of the 'Flame Walled Prison' Resurrection. With even stronger Reiryoku driving the flames, the Flame Walled Prison began to move, constantly surrounding Yama-jii and Starrk, trying to gather around them.
As Starrk retreated, he pondered: if eight wolves couldn't cause any damage out of over a hundred, what would happen if they all exploded at once?
After being enhanced by Zero, Lilynette's shattered soul could regenerate, meaning Starrk didn't need to worry about using the Wolf-Shaped Cero; he could simply rest and recover afterward.
The Wolf-Shaped Cero also began to pierce through the flames, aiming to attack Yama-jii together. Yama-jii's eyes remained calm as he softly said, "Bakudo #81, Dankū! Bakudo #73, Tōzanshō!"
First, a large 'Six-Sided Dankū' surrounded Yama-jii, and then a blue Barrier in the shape of an inverted triangle appeared inside. Just as the double protection was completed, the flames began to gather and erupt.
With no way to avoid it, Starrk had to forcefully endure the burning to break through, while the Cero wolf pack opened their mouths 180 degrees as they approached the Dankū and forcefully bit him, thus self-destructing.
Boom! Boom boom...
First, a burst of flames erupted, and an indistinct figure emerged from it. Then, Wolf-Shaped Cero continuously bombarded the Barrier, causing it to explode repeatedly.
The shockwaves from the explosion continued, and the cracks in the Sky Cover grew larger and larger, eventually reaching Zero's Training Room.
The window shattered, and several bricks fell, hitting Maki's toes. Startled awake, Maki dared not look down and quickly ran upwards. If necessary, he would forcefully break the Barrier.
If Nangong Ling doesn't appear or something happens to him, then his century-old family business in Hueco Mundo will be finished. Starting from scratch will take who knows how long. Adjuchas are easy to find, but Vasto Lorde are too few!
"Brother Nangong!? Are you inside? Please answer."
"Excuse me."
Maki yelled, but still received no answer. He then apologized in a low voice and began to approach the door, as he was one of the few who knew how to open it.
One layer, two layers, three layers—all easily. Just as he was about to push open the door after completely dispelling the Barrier, a warm male voice came. "So that's how it is. Nangong Ling is cultivating in here?"
Maki's hair stood on end, and he felt an immense pressure. With a determined look, he turned and unleashed a sword-drawing slash.
Unfortunately, he missed his target. He was still two meters away from the enemy when his senses made a huge mistake. The enemy in front of him was influencing him simply with his aura.
Maki's eyes flashed with murderous intent as he chanted, "Sōsuke Aizen!"
After dealing with several Arrancar, Aizen bluntly offered to come and help the Captain-Commander fight the Espada so that the Captain-Commander could deal with Nangong Ling... Of course, that was all nonsense.
"Am I that famous? Well, without monitoring my daily life, I probably wouldn't have been able to find that failed prototype before."
Even with his glasses on, Aizen exuded a very manly aura, a confidence that emanated from within. He slowly stepped forward past Maki and continued, "But thank you anyway, for allowing me to enter without any trouble or disturbance."
Aizen!
Maki pulled his hand down from his forehead, revealing a strange and evil mask. His Reiatsu surged, and his Zanpakuto began to glow, ready to Aizen, who ignored him, to pieces.
Pfft!
It wasn't Aizen was stabbed, but Maki himself.
It was as if something had happened, yet it was also as if nothing had happened; he didn't speak, nor did he even turn around.
Maki didn't understand, but he was destined not to think about it carefully. As his strength drained away with his blood, his thoughts began to become blurred.