After the Captains False Tenchūren, they were immediately startled by the dense Reishi present. Soon, they landed on a semi-sloping ruin of less than 500 square meters.
Even without the ruins, the Captains could create footholds and float in mid-air, though that would just waste a little more Reiryoku.
But the seasoned Captain-level knew that when facing a powerful enemy, even the slightest exertion was precious and should be conserved, as that little bit of energy might be the key to victory.
Is this really the Soul King Palace?
"Looks like the battle was pretty fierce!"
Looking at the Soul King Palace, which had been almost completely wiped out, the Captains were all shocked. What kind of fierce battle could have caused such destruction? They couldn't imagine it.
"Oh dear, I can't sense the Zero Division's Reiatsu at all. It seems this problem has gotten a bit serious!"
"Huh? Mayuri Kurotsuchi? When did you get up here?"
An untimely voice rang out; it was Mayuri Kurotsuchi. Kenpachi head, looking at the guy he always got along with, and asked in surprise.
Urahara laughed, "So you were hiding on the top floor after all."
"Hmph, I'm quite interested in things like coming to the Soul King Palace, but it seems some people don't want me to come!"
Mayuri Kurotsuchi's eyes darted around, glancing towards Yama-jii. Urahara realized that the guy harbored resentment.
After receiving the new orders, Mayuri Kurotsuchi secretly sneaked in and hid himself... In fact, Urahara had already noticed something was wrong, but he didn't deliberately expose Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
Currently, the apprentice is still no match for the master.
"Watch out, the enemy is coming!"
The Captains had barely exchanged a few words when Isshin sent out a report. At that moment, five terrifying Reiatsu closed in on them. Yama-jii glanced at the enemy, then swiftly teleported to the lower level of floating ruins.
"Oh dear, Old Man Yama seems to be trusting us, but I don't quite believe in myself!"
"Don't worry, even if the Captain-Commander doesn't participate, it's still eight against five. Our chances of winning are very high."
"The enemy defeated Zero Division, by the way, are you alright physically?"
"After breathing in the rich Reishi of the Soul King Palace, I feel like I'm in peak condition and there's no chance of any sudden problems."
"Even the patients are on the field; it's truly a do-or-die situation!"
"Kyōraku, I won't pretend I didn't hear the sarcasm in your words."
When Kyōraku exclaimed that things were going badly, Ukitake said that he was in top form. The two smiled at each other, as if their burning passion... their burning youth had returned.
"Haha, it really is you! Kenpachi Zaraki, come and die!"
"Heh, Grimmjow? Looks like you've gotten even stronger. Come, let me enjoy some more of the fun of battle!"
Grimmjow grinned as he charged toward his old rival, Kenpachi Zaraki Kenpachi Zaraki, who leaped onto the ruins to meet him head-on.
But after just one collision, Kenpachi was sent flying backwards. Grimmjow caught up with Kenpachi midway and followed up with an electric whip kick.
With a loud bang, Kenpachi was embedded in the remaining Soul King Palace District. Grimmjow, who had obtained the power of the Hōgyoku, was stronger than Kenpachi.
Grimmjow charged forward, yelling, "If you don't take off your blindfold, you'll die in five seconds!"
Roar!
A golden skull appeared and lunged at Grimmjow.
"Haha, I'm so happy!"
With his blindfold removed, Kenpachi's Reiatsu instantly surged to its peak. After a hearty laugh, their combined Reiatsu Gale across the remaining ruins...
As soon as the battle began, a torrent of water came crashing down. Tier Harribel's 'Cascada' shattered the Captains ' foothold, and they scattered to avoid the impact.
Kyōraku and Ukitake simultaneously jumped onto a higher pile of ruins, where Picaro, whose appearance had drastically changed, appeared before them, and hundreds of spirits swarmed towards them, blotting out the sky.
The two used a piece of ruin as their foothold, back to back facing hundreds of spirits, and instantly completed their Shikai, wielding their four swords continuously.
The spirit Picaro's swords and spears clashed with the two of them, the sound of metal clashing echoing continuously. In one round of impact, more than a dozen spirits dissipated, and the two of them also suffered several minor injuries...
"This guy's name is Picaro. His ability is to possess a large number of identical soul entities, which can fire Cero together and create black spheres that devour everything... I wonder if he has any other abilities now."
Picaro also had several encounters with the Court Guard Squads, Kyōraku began to recall his information.
Seeing Picaro's vanished spirit suddenly reappear, Ukitake said in a deep voice, "He does indeed have other abilities now."
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
Having Cascada, Isshin had already circled behind Tier Harribel, and a crescent-shaped blue Reiatsu slash was aimed at the back of her head.
Bang!
Isshin was utterly shocked as he was sent flying backward. He had only seen the Greatsword, radiating a pale golden Reiatsu, slash horizontally, and he was sent flying backward as if riding on clouds, his Zanpakuto almost slipping from his grasp.
Tier Harribel slightly turned her head to dodge a raging fire, then raised her hand and fired more than a dozen water bullets in that direction, knocking away Amagai Shūsuke, who was trying to counter with 'Raika'.
"Burn, Engetsu!"
Isshin charged forward again, unleashing a fiery slash that was even stronger and had a wider range than the previous Getsuga Tenshō, aimed directly at Tier Harribel's back.
A towering curtain of water rose up, enveloping Tier Harribel within it. The incoming flames were neutralized by the water curtain, and the billowing steam, which had just obscured the view, was immediately drawn back together by a suction force.
Tier Harribel soared high into the air, looking down at the two Captains standing against the ruins below. Two enormous, self-rotating water dragons stretched into the distance behind her. She said coldly, "Cascada!"
The water jets shot towards the two men respectively.
"Bankai: Raika Inferno Flame Shell!"
"Bakudo #81: Dankū!"
Amagai used Bankai, while Isshin used Kidō to withstand the towering waves.
At the same time, Mayuri Kurotsuchi glanced at the former Hollow King Baraggan in front of him, then turned his eyes to his former superior. "You can stay out of the way! I can handle this guy by myself."
Kisuke Urahara laughed and said, "Don't say that! The two of you might be able to take him down faster!"
Mayuri Kurotsuchi's plan to monopolize the experimental materials had been thwarted. "Tch, what an annoying guy."
"Are you done talking? You can go die now, right?"
Baraggan had been waiting patiently, raised his hand, and several strands of Death Breath, transformed into long snakes, flew towards the two of them.
Through long-term battles and increased strength, Baraggan's fighting style has long since moved beyond simply unleashing abilities; his control over the Death Breath has become much stronger.
Kisuke Urahara dodged with Shunpo, while Mayuri Kurotsuchi stood still. When the death snakes reached him, the space distorted, and they couldn't touch him at all.
"What kind of trick is this? Quincy technique?"
A look of confusion appeared in Baraggan's skeletal eyes, as if he were recalling the power of a Quincy from the past.
"Hmph... After so many clashes over the years, I already know everything about you surviving Espada, and I've prepared corresponding measures."
As he spoke, Mayuri Kurotsuchi took out a device the size of a fist. By absorbing Mayuri Kurotsuchi's Reiryoku, the waves it emitted forcibly distorted the space around Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
"Baraggan, the King of Hueco Mundo... no, I should say the former King of Hueco Mundo, your abilities are useless against me!"
After a signature smile, Mayuri Kurotsuchi smug and defiantly glanced at Urahara, who was trying to dodge him.
"Impressive, impressive. He actually managed to evade his ability by Spatial Distortion." Urahara ignored Mayuri Kurotsuchi's provocation, instead expressing great admiration, but inwardly he wondered, "But how will you defeat him?"
Mayuri Kurotsuchi Urahara's flattery, Mayuri Kurotsuchi directly addressed Baraggan: "Your ability is aging. Any object or attack that comes into contact with that aura will Respira and age without explanation. However, after Respira, it doesn't completely disappear; instead, it dissipates as Reishi."
"Therefore, all I need to do is put you into the jar without touching you or being touched by you, hehe..." He then let out another strange laugh.
"Haha, you think you can defeat me without even touching my power? That's hilarious! A mere insect dares to boast like that..."
Baraggan's exposed golden skull made him laugh so hard his jaw almost dislocated. With a wave of his hand, boundless energy surged forth, enveloping Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Urahara once again moved away...
The remaining battle area was between Ulquiorra and Captain Unohana of the Fourth Division, but Ulquiorra didn't treat her like a Captain of a healing Squad at all and went all out from the start.
With a single strike, he shattered the defensive Kidō released by Unohana, sending her crashing down onto half of the Zero Division Detached Palace. She was wounded in the abdomen, blood dripping continuously.
Realizing her opponent's strength and that they were targeting her, Unohana instantly unleashed her Shikai; however, she did not transform ' Minazuki, but instead turned it into a green robe that she draped over her body.
The moment the Shikai was completed, Unohana's abdominal wound healed rapidly; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it High-Speed Regeneration.
"Your Shikai ability enhances your defense and heals your injuries, while your Bankai enhances your killing power. I know you are the First Kenpachi, Unohana Yachiru, so don't hold back. You can fight me with all your might."
Ulquiorra casually revealed Unohana's former identity: after Las Noches looted the Great Spirit Book Gallery, he was one of the few Espada who had seen most of the information.
Every Soul Reaper displays their Shikai and Bankai once they become Captain, and that information is recorded in the Great Spirit Book Gallery, which is managed by the Tsunayashiro Clan.
'Based on the intelligence gathered from the Captain Kyōraku back then, this person's ability is High-Speed Regeneration; even if a vital point is severed, he will remain unharmed...'
Unohana fell into a brief moment of thought. Since sheathing her sword, she had never revealed her strength. Now, facing Ulquiorra's pressure, she knew she might not be able to hide any longer.
"You sinner who invaded the Soul King Palace, have you thought about how you're going to please me?"
Unohana uttered these arrogant words with a smile, but that smile carried endless killing intent, just like the blood that was being transformed from her Reiatsu, which made Ulquiorra's eyes turn bloodshot.
Bankai - Minazuki!
A violent and bloodthirsty Reiatsu swept through the Soul King Palace, affecting all the Captains. They felt that only fighting was what they wanted to do at this moment.
The Espada also glanced at him slightly; this level was already comparable to the previous members of the Zero Division, but they didn't know if his true combat strength was even greater.
After all, in terms of Reiatsu alone, the Reiatsu of the five Espada surpasses that of the Captain-level present. Even Kenpachi Zaraki, who usually wins by relying on Reiatsu, was completely suppressed by Grimmjow.
When a battle begins, Reiatsu is a key factor in winning, but methods and abilities can still make up for it, as long as the gap doesn't become outrageous.