With a swing of his sword, Ukitake unleashed two streams of black Reiatsu that flew toward the Soul King behind Zero. Zero used his overwhelming Reiatsu to form a protective barrier, instantly shattering them.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Ukitake appeared beside Zero again, slashing down at him with his twin swords. Zero neither dodged nor evaded, but instead deflected the blow with a flick of his own sword.
But this was just a cover; the offensive continued.
At this moment, four black Reiatsu suddenly appeared beneath Zero's feet, their target still the Soul King behind him. He casually swung a 'Blood-Coagulating Slash' at the ground, the powerful cutting force instantly severing the black Reiatsu.
Furthermore, a small portion of the Soul King's Inner Palace was also cut off. Zero and the Soul King stood on the majority side, while Ukitake stood on the small portion that was cut off.
The two Bakudō, Tōzanshō and Dankū, were released in succession, sealing off the building where the Soul King was located.
The Kidō that could seal the ruined Inner Palace of the Soul King Palace must be incredibly vast; the entire Soul King Palace was clearly visible, leaving the Captains still engaged in battle utterly astonished.
They doubted their own ability to achieve such mastery of the Kidō, and some of them had a somewhat absurd yet possible idea: perhaps Nangong Ling could destroy the Gotei 13 with just the Kidō.
After the Kidō was completed, red light condensed, and Zero instantly appeared in front of Ukitake. The two continued to face each other Soul King's Inner Palace, which belonged to the fragments.
Zero quipped, "The one who originally wanted to kill the Soul King has become the one who wants to protect Soul King; conversely, the one who should be protecting the Soul King has become the one who wants to devour Soul King. Captain Ukitake, don't you think that's ironic?"
The Vertical Eye behind Ukitake seemed to blink, and he said in a deep voice, "Nangong Ling, please don't get in my way. As long as I devour the Soul King, I can let you take control of the Soul Society."
There was something Ukitake didn't say: he still had the ability to control this body. Although it was Mimihagi within him who intended to devour the Soul King, he also agreed with this approach.
The reason was simple: he felt he might not be able to defeat Zero in this state, and therefore he needed greater power...
"If you had said this yourself, I might have believed it to some extent, but unfortunately it was said by that thing inside you. No matter what you say, I won't believe it."
Before he could finish speaking, Zero's Greatsword was already aimed straight at Ukitake's head. Ukitake didn't move, but the Vertical Eye on the back of his head suddenly glared, and Zero was forcibly 'Stillness'.
Sōgyo no Kotowari swung their swords simultaneously, aiming for Zero's neck. His protective Reiatsu was broken, and the two blades embedded themselves about three centimeters into Zero's neck from the left and right sides respectively.
In less than 0.1 seconds, Zero had regained his mobility, forcing Ukitake back with a single sword strike, the sword energy even slashing his face.
After stopping, a look of surprise and doubt appeared on Ukitake's usually indifferent face: 'Judging by the depth of the strike, it should have severed at least his veins, so why is there no blood?'
Indeed, the wound on Ling's neck was eerie, red with specks of white light. It seemed more like a strange space than flesh and blood. The wound healed in less than two seconds.
Ukitake didn't have much time to observe, and he didn't dwell on it; after all, based on the current situation, neither he nor Nangong Ling were normal souls anymore, and the dimension they belonged to had already surpassed that of the two of them.
"That was... Stillness? The Soul King's power of his arms—his right hand Stillness the world, his left hand makes it move forward. Interesting."
On his first experience, Zero had already determined what kind of ability it was; even if the 'Stillness' lasted for a few more seconds, Ukitake still wouldn't be able to kill him, let alone for such a short time.
He might be able to break through the Kidō he set up, but it was impossible for him to instantly devour the Soul King... Therefore, Zero felt he could achieve a complete victory.
But then another problem arose: if he won easily, his hidden plan would be difficult to implement. So, he quietly reduced his strength...
"The power I just used was indeed insufficient to kill you, so... Bankai!"
As Ukitake raised the Sōgyo no Kotowari high, a surge of black Reiatsu immediately enveloped his entire body, revealing his new form as the Reiatsu dissipated.
The Sōgyo no Kotowari- fin-shaped blades of the twin fish remained unchanged, with a braided ribbon connecting the two blades at the end of the hilt, seemingly replacing the wooden plaques. Black Reiatsu rippled around its body.
The ribbon was still floating above the Ukitake, and the strange single eye was behind him; Wind Collar, like origami, appeared behind his neck, with black runes flashing on it.
"Bankai · Twin Black Slaughter!"
Let's Bankai! Actually, I don't even know if it is.
Ukitake pronounced the name of his Bankai, indicating that he was still acting according to his own will and was not being controlled.
Zero's eyes narrowed slightly as he sensed a faint sense of danger... Indeed, he hadn't felt this way even when facing the 'Zanka no Tachi', but he detected a dangerous aura emanating from the 'God-Hung Ukitake'.
Zero felt a pang of jealousy. He had gone through so much trouble to gain this power, yet Ukitake had only unleashed his hidden power and was already able to catch up with him.
He asked curiously, "You possess this power, and the creature within you likely also desires to replace the Soul King, yet why have you remained inactive? Jūshirō Ukitake."
Ukitake paused for a moment. He had divined the future when he freed Mimihagi, and it was clear that the time for that future was not yet here, so it was better to delay it a little longer.
Having made up his mind, he coldly replied, "Born into this world, I should have died at the age of three, but this world gave me the hope and responsibility to live. When I merged with Lord Mimihagi, I saw my future..."
As Ukitake narrated, another battle not far away came to a conclusion. Unohana's Bankai retracted, and she, who had kept her sword sealed for many years, was defeated by Ulquiorra. She broke in two and was falling freely.
Not only was she severed at the waist, but her right hand, which was holding the knife, was also cut off... In these injuries, Ulquiorra no longer even glanced at her.
He judged that Retsu Unohana would die within half a minute, and even if the Zero Division's top healer Resurrection, he wouldn't be able to save her in a short time...
But by sheer coincidence, Kisuke Urahara arrived with his incomplete Bankai, Tessai Tsukabishi instantly caught Unohana with Kidō.
Yoruichi Shihōin had already attacked Ulquiorra, and with only one hand left, she was instantly knocked away. However, this bought Urahara and the others time to rescue Unohana.
Urahara's Bankai can modify things, but it cannot create things out of thin air, so Yoruichi's hand was not restored.
Zero and Ukitake detected the situation over there using their spiritual senses. Ukitake was only startled for a moment, but quickly returned to normal.
Zero, expressionless, said, "Another Captain has fallen! It's none other than the First Kenpachi, Unohana. Let's not delay any longer, let's settle this once and for all!"
Zero doesn't mean he doesn't want to delay; he just wants as few people as possible to see it...
The blood-stained Blood Blade was swung again towards Ukitake, which was exactly what Ukitake wanted; a little delay was enough.
Ukitake blocked with his left sword and slashed out with his right, but Rei blocked the blow with the chain on the hilt of his sword. He was astonished: 'His Reiatsu isn't at my level, yet the power of his strike is comparable. Is it the power of Bankai?'
To demonstrate the power of Ukitake Bankai, Zero slashed repeatedly, causing the Reiatsu between the two to surge. The materialized Reiryoku strands flew everywhere, instantly turning this small piece of ruin into Dust.
The two instantly traveled from the upper level of the Soul King's Inner Palace to the lower level of the Zero Division Detached Palace; this palace had been destroyed by Zero and was now only half intact, its owner unknown.
The Monk below, who had noticed the shift in the battlefield, felt conflicted: if this half of the hall were destroyed, the Zero Division would really suffer another loss.
After several attempts, Zero was once again imprisoned by 'Stillness', and a deep wound, deep enough to tear open his heart, was slashed into his chest... If Zero still had a heart, he would surely have died from this blow.
"I see. So after you Bankai, you can even absorb direct attacks? That's an impressive Bankai."
"Impressive? You think this is my Bankai? Watch closely..."
Zero had just revealed Ukitake's Bankai ability when Ukitake refuted him and instantly plunged his twin swords into the ground... Zero saw two black carp appear from Ukitake's origami-like Wind Collar and quickly swim towards him across the ground.
The black carp pierced through the Reiatsu barrier that Zero had used for defense, and Zero's sword energy could not detonate it. He only had one thought of 'I can't defend against it' before the carp exploded. This was an attack that struck the soul directly.
The half of the Zero Division Detached Palace trembled, a large hole appeared in the ground, and Zero's chest and left leg were burned, although he recovered quickly.
But at this moment, Ukitake Sheng pursued, slashing at Zero with both swords at the same time. A large area of black Reiatsu was dispersed by Zero's slash, and the two clashed again.
But Ukitake's attacks were clearly not over yet. The scattered black Reiatsu gathered at the feet of the two, forming two giant black Sōgyo no Kotowari that attacked Zero's back.
Zero, who intended to dodge using the 'light form', froze again, remaining Stillness. He was unsurprisingly pierced through.
' The Stillness time has become 0.3 seconds, is it because I reduced my power and he increased his power after Bankai?'
No sooner had Zero's thought crossed his mind than Ukitake used the force of the attack he had just absorbed to slash at his chest, his target the Hōgyoku.
If the Hōgyoku is destroyed, Nangong Ling's regeneration technique will become ineffective... This was Ukitake's judgment, and in fact, it was correct.
Clang! Pfft!
Zero raised his left hand to block the blow, but his left hand, along with the Chains wrapped around it, was severed and fell downwards...
The exchange happened in the blink of an eye. Zero didn't even glance at his left hand before four beams of light pierced through Ukitake's heart, neck, right arm, and abdomen.
This was the white four-pointed star behind Zero retaliating, containing immense power. After striking Ukitake, it shattered the two shark-fin knives that had pierced his back.
If it hadn't been 'Stillness' just now, with White Star present, the shark fin knife might not have been able to successfully launch a sneak attack.
Ukitake wasn't one to be trifled with either; he had Mimihagi inside him, so he couldn't just be killed like that. The four wounds were instantly filled with a thick, black substance... that was Mimihagi himself.
When Ukitake's consciousness dissipates, Mimihagi will completely replace him and Resurrection into human form using his body.
Zero's left hand also instantly recovered, and in its light form, it approached Ukitake. The Chains that his left hand was holding instantly extended, wrapping around one of Ukitake's swords, while his right hand slashed down with the Greatsword.
At the critical moment, two more black carp suddenly appeared beside Ukitake, blasting Zero backward.
Rumble!
The Zero Division Detached Palace could no longer withstand the fierce battle between the two and collapsed into three large ruins, each occupying about one-third of the original size. There were countless small stones, one or two meters in diameter.
Although Ukitake, who was also forced back, was in a sorry state, he was only slightly out of breath. He and Zero each stood on a large pile of ruins, stopping to observe at the same time.
Zero stopped because his severed hand had gained some initial consciousness. Just now, in a place unnoticed by others, the severed hand, along with several sections of Zanpakuto Chains, opened a Garganta leading to the World of the Living.
Ukitake stopped for a reason; he sensed a powerful Reiatsu approaching...