When Zero saw with his spiritual sense that the severed hand was slowly and safely moving towards the World of the Living, he suddenly turned to look at another pile of ruins, where a man with blue Reiatsu flames appeared.
"Isshin Shiba? He's like a completely different person!"
Zero revealed the name of the newcomer. He sensed that Shiba Ichi's mental pressure was on par with that of Ukitake, who had activated his Divine Power, and the monk who had achieved Bankai, only one level below him at that moment.
His tattered Captain's Haori was adorned with Blue Reishi Flames, and two blue tassels fluttered behind him. His right arm, missing its sleeve, had become one with his Zanpakuto, as if he were wearing a blue glove fused with the sword.
"It seems that Tier Harribel has already lost..."
Zero sensed her with his spiritual power and found that she had fainted on a pile of rubble, unable to even maintain her Resurrección... He added in his mind: She's not quite dead yet!
The gist of what happened was that when Yoruichi saved Kyōraku, she only killed two Picaro Spirits. Including the one Kyōraku killed before he lost consciousness, there were a total of seven spirits remaining.
The spirits couldn't keep up with Yoruichi's incredible speed, but they were drawn to the battle between Tier Harribel and the others; having lost their main bodies, they couldn't distinguish friend from foe and even attacked Tier Harribel.
Four attacked the strongest Tier Harribel, two attacked Bankai Amagai Shūsuke had Bankai, and only one was able to hold Isshin back. After he destroyed the spirit, he hid and used his Ancestral Secret Technique, 'The Final Getsuga Tenshō'.
While Amagai was struggling to fight the two spirits, Isshin instantly ended his battle with Tier Harribel and rushed over to provide support... Nangong Ling is the key to the battle; only by defeating him can the tide of war be turned.
"The Five Great Noble Clans that have ruled the Soul Society for so long truly each have their own methods!"
As Zero uttered these words of praise, Yoruichi on the other side also drew the Shihoin Divine Weapon to fight Ulquiorra.
A shield prevents Ulquiorra from knocking Yoruichi away with a Yoruichi blow; Steel Wires placed all around require Ulquiorra to be constantly aware of his surroundings when moving, or he will be cut in half by the Steel Wires.
Isshin raised his sword and said in a deep voice, "This ends here, Nangong Ling."
The words had barely left his mouth when he Shunpo closed in on Zero, his slashing blade precisely slicing open Zero's chest... It wasn't that Zero had no chance to react; it was now two against one, and he was 'Stillness' once again.
When the control ended, the Hōgyoku on Zero's chest and the White Star behind him flashed in sync. Zero instantly crouched down, and the floating White Star emitted a ray with a cross-sectional area equivalent to its size.
Isshin and Ye dodged instantly, and everything within the ray's range was pierced in an instant, including the crumbling seventy-two layers of the Soul King Palace barrier.
Ukitake then tried to use his black hands to grab Zero again, but this time without the 'Stillness' ability to cooperate, Zero dodged it by 'Light-Form Movement'.
The skill 'Stillness' isn't something you can use at will; it has a cooldown period... If this skill could be used continuously, Mimihagi wouldn't have been devoured by Yhwach in the original timeline in the blink of an eye...
"Captain Shiba, it's unlikely we can kill Nangong Ling now. We have to seal him away!" Ukitake suggested.
"I'm not good at sealing Kidō, but I can create opportunities..."
Clang!
Isshin, Yixin shut up. He raised his sword in alarm to parry, but caught off guard, he was sent flying by Lingyi's sword. The sharp sword energy had already injured his left arm.
There were two Nangong Lings, and the other was still fighting Ukitake, which was why Isshin was terrified. However, he quickly calmed down, as intelligence had revealed that Nangong Ling could replicate him...
'The clones seem to have slightly limited combat capabilities, but are otherwise identical to the originals... We can't draw conclusions entirely based on previous information, and besides, there might not be just two...'
Isshin still remembers that the leader of the Zero Division once went down to the Seireitei, intending to join forces with the Captain-Commander to capture Nangong Ling, but was tricked by him with his clone and failed.
Based on subsequent intelligence, it's speculated that since he initially controlled two clones, plus his original body, there were likely three Nangong Lings...
Clang! Boom!
Before Isshin could even form a thought, Zero's Blood Sword slashed down again. The two exchanged five blows in a second, and Isshin suffered another wound on his back.
After clashing with Zero's blade, Isshin began to understand Zero's intentions.
Through the sword, Isshin seemed to hear Zero say, "Rules are for those who cannot survive without them, and that doesn't include me."
"But those rewritten rules will leave millions of people bewildered, destabilize the Three Worlds that rely on the old rules, and might even tear the Soul Society apart. I'm sorry, I can't let you break free from it."
"I despise you and Ukitake. You both possess extraordinary power, yet you willingly submit to the old order."
"I have already sworn to protect those who love me... I dare not gamble your kindness with those smiles!"
The two, who could read each other's blades, both suffered injuries in the clash. However, Zero could recover instantly, while Isshin could not. As one gained the upper hand, the Isshin gradually began to fall into a disadvantageous position.
Ukitake wasn't in much better shape. His protective shield, made of Black Fish, was breached in just a few seconds, and another Black Markings appeared on his body... Mimihagi stitched up another wound for him, which meant that Ukitake was one step closer to being completely replaced.
"Stillness!"
With a roar from Ukitake, Zero's body froze again, the only ones unaffected being Ukitake and Isshin.
Ukitake plunged his twin swords into the ground, and several black hands appeared beneath Zero's feet, grabbing him in the instant Stillness vanished; while Isshin seized the opportunity to slash Zero twice in front of him.
"Hahaha... why not just chop off his neck?"
Zero, now back in action, launched a fierce attack on Isshin with a maniacal laugh. The blood made him excited, and Isshin, who hadn't used his Ultimate Technique, was completely at a disadvantage and forced to dodge constantly.
On the other side, Zero also broke free from Ukitake's control. With a quick pat on the head, Zero was shoved into the ruins. The Zero Division Detached Palace instantly turned into dust and disappeared.
'No, I don't know if this is the real thing. What if I kill the wrong person...'
Seeing Zero, who had just been bleeding profusely but had not collapsed, Isshin was caught in a dilemma. His move only had one chance, after which he would fall into a long period of powerlessness, and might even lose his power forever.
Therefore, he had to consider the consequences carefully; if he struck the fake body, everything would be over...
Monk if sensing Isshin's thoughts, a voice echoed from the depths of his mind, "The one before you is the true form; I'll lend you a hand!"
Zero, who had just cleaved through Isshin's defenses, was about to give chase with a sneer when suddenly his expression changed drastically. The Black Spot inside his right chest cavity erupted, and Black Arrow pierced through Zero's body from the inside out...
That was a drop of Ink the Captain-Commander injected into Zero's body using the power of Kidō. It was a technique the Monk used to restrict his opponents, originally intended to be used to sabotage them at a crucial moment... and it worked.
"Captain Ukitake, this is the real body!"
Seeing that Zero remained motionless, Isshin roared, and a sacred pillar of Reiatsu shot straight into the sky from his position, clearly visible throughout the Soul King Palace.
When the beam of light stopped, all that remained around Isshin was an extremely dense Blue Reiatsu Threads and Blue Markings that seemed to be Zanpakuto was no longer in his right hand, only a surge of intense Reiatsu remained. He and his Zanpakuto had become completely Man and Zanpakutō as One.
Isshin's Reiatsu dimension instantly surged, reaching the same dimension as Zero, and even surpassing it by two levels...
If we divide a dimension into three segments, and Zero is in the first segment of the fourth dimension, Isshin has already reached the third segment of the same dimension.
However, this Isshin boost is only temporary and won't last long. If he doesn't release it, his power will quickly diminish...
So, before Zero could move, he raised his right hand.
"I'm sorry, I can't have a fair fight with you!"
Isshin kept saying he felt bad, but his eyes were resolute, and his raised right hand slashed down in an instant—
"Mugetsu!"
With a faint name of a technique, azure light pierced through the heavens and earth, silencing all things. The Soul King Palace behind Zero was instantly split in two, including the Seventy-Two Barriers.
Centered on the Hōgyoku, Zero was split in two. His Reiatsu armor, Bankai's 'Unrivaled Body' and other abilities were as if they didn't exist, and he was still cut apart by 'Mugetsu'.
As he was cleaved in two, the Homogeneous Body could no longer maintain its shape and exploded, and Ukitake quickly rushed towards this side.
The White Star behind Zero exploded again the instant it was split open, completely eradicating the ruins of the Zero Division Detached Palace in that area.
Because the Monk's underhanded tricks had not yet been eliminated, and the speed of the slashes was too fast, Zero had no chance to dodge. He only had time to put a 'Pagoda Red Lotus' into his body, which was a guarantee of his survival.
When Zero fell down to the Soul King Palace District below, he did not reshape his body, but instead used Complete Regeneration to recover from his injuries. With this ability, he wouldn't die even if his head were chopped off.
His head was still a little fuzzy when several outstretched black hands suddenly appeared from mid-air and grabbed him tightly.
Those dark hands originated from Ukitake's side. Black runes were flashing on Ukitake's Wind Collar, and then the Vertical Eye behind him moved, instantly stretching out to Zero's side and transforming into a large hand that grabbed him.
"Nangong Ling, as long as Lord Mimihagi is on you, you will be Stillness. That's the end of it."
"Use the Soul King's Right Hand to seal me? How long do you think it can last?"
Zero's face began to darken. He discovered that the Hōgyoku had shattered, and he didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse.
"You'll be fine for at least a month. Don't even think about recovering until they come and seal you away."
Ukitake's eyes were rapidly dimming. He had Mimihagi connect him to Zero, and then used this connection to 'Stillness' Zero, preventing his injuries and power from recovering.
Zero's face appeared grim, but inwardly he sneered. Zero understood that if Ukitake realized they couldn't kill him, then the seal was undoubtedly in place. He had deliberately ignored the Monk's tricks...
Isshin had already arrived. Zero was only five meters away from Ukitake when a large black hand reached out from behind Ukitake and grabbed Zero.
Both of them were covered in irregular black stripes, which was Mimihagi's Power of Stasis.
"Okay, I'll go right away..."
Isshin he was about to call for help, a wave of dizziness hit him, and he passed out, falling freely downwards.
There's no need to Isshin call for help; several people are already on their way... especially the very well-prepared Kisuke Urahara!
Just before Isshin swung his sword, Zero had already used the shared Hōgyoku Power to forcibly open the Garganta leading back to Hueco Mundo and send his three still-breathing subordinates away.
Now that the plan is complete, there's no need for further unnecessary sacrifices. Besides, he's already given those three an order...