Bankai!

"Have all the Gotei 13 Soul Reapers around us disperse!"

"The upcoming battle is no longer something they can merely observe."

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's voice was hoarse, his eyes, usually filled with a murderous aura, now held a hint of solemnity.

Clearly, as the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni had already anticipated what was about to happen.

"As the Captains of the Gotei 13, you bear the responsibility of 'protecting' the Soul Reapers in your respective divisions! Now, take your division members back yourselves! As for here, it's enough to leave it to this old man alone!"

Even though Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni was quite unaccustomed to the words 'protect,' considering his current position and responsibilities, he still ordered the Captains of the Gotei 13 behind him to lead all their division members back to their barracks.

"Understood, Captain-Commander!"

As soon as Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni finished speaking, the Captains of the Gotei 13 standing behind him immediately nodded in affirmation.

While the Captains of the original Gotei 13 were strong, none dared to question the decision of Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, the Captain-Commander, simply because Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni was the strongest among them all!

They had enough confidence in Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, believing that leaving this place to him alone would be sufficient, even though Unohana Yachiru and Araki were monstrously difficult opponents for Captains like them, who were part of the Gotei 13.

"Um, Captain-Commander Yamamoto…"

"Little Saito, let's go! Let's go!"

"Damn you, Shihoin Sennichi, I told you not to call me Little Saito! I have something to ask Captain-Commander Yamamoto!"

"Do you think Captain-Commander Yamamoto has time to answer your questions right now? Listen to me, it's better to follow Captain-Commander Yamamoto's orders for now! Otherwise, you'll definitely face consequences later~"

"Sigh…"

Even Saito Furofushi, who wanted to say something to Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, was persuaded by Shihoin Sennichi and could only gaze from afar at Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's back…

Then, with a somewhat 'reluctant' look at Araki's back, who was fiercely battling that wicked woman Unohana Yachiru, she sighed helplessly and turned to leave.

With that, all the Captains of the Gotei 13 dispersed under Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's command!

In an instant, only Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, and Chōjirō Sasakibe, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's Lieutenant, remained on the vast rooftop. They stood quietly, gazing at Araki and Unohana Yachiru, who were unleashing powerful Spiritual Pressure from within the ruins.

One kilometer away from where Araki and Unohana Yachiru were fighting…

Several members of the Fifth Division stood there, 'hesitating' and 'fidgeting.' They didn't have the strength of their division Captains, so they couldn't watch the battle between Unohana Yachiru and Araki up close.

"What exactly should we do now? Our Captain is nowhere to be found and we can't contact him! And we're far too weak to even get involved in the battle between those two monsters…"

At this moment, these Soul Reapers were conversing, their words filled with helplessness regarding the current situation.

"Hey! You guys, stop chatting and come back to the barracks with me~"

Just as the group hesitated, Obana Danjirō, the Captain of the Fifth Division, appeared behind them at some point. He shouted loudly, urging them to follow him back to the barracks.

"Captain, you're here?!"

"Captain, where did you go just now?"

"Captain, as Soul Reapers of the Gotei 13, who protect the Seireitei, can we really just ignore that battle over there?"

The moment Obana Danjirō, the Captain of the Fifth Division, arrived beside his division members, a barrage of questions immediately assailed him.

"Stop, stop, stop…"

"You guys, don't say too much for now, just listen to me first!"

Obana Danjirō immediately silenced these talkative Soul Reapers.

"Uh…"

Seeing their Captain speak, the Soul Reapers immediately shut their mouths.

"The Captain-Commander has given orders for us Captains to take you Soul Reapers back to your respective divisions…"

"As for the two enjoying their fight over there, I advise you to stay out of it~ It's enough to simply leave this to the Captain-Commander!"

Obana Danjirō said, stroking his cleanly shaven chin.

"Eh?! The Captain-Commander is here too?"

The Soul Reapers were startled by Obana Danjirō's words. They never imagined that the battle between Unohana Yachiru and Araki would even alarm Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni.

"Isn't Captain-Commander Yamamoto watching right there in front?!"

Obana Danjirō pointed behind him, at the figure standing on the rooftop like a statue.

"Since Captain-Commander Yamamoto has arrived, this farce will probably end soon, right?"

The Fifth Division Soul Reapers felt their hearts settle as they gazed at the figure shimmering in the sunlight far in the distance.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni was like the 'backbone' and 'guardian deity' of the Gotei 13! As long as Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni was in the Gotei 13, his subordinates would not fall into disarray…

"Captain, since Captain-Commander Yamamoto is here, do we have a chance today to see the Captain-Commander, who is known as the strongest Soul Reaper in the Seireitei, in action?! If we could see Captain-Commander Yamamoto fight, it would be worth dying here!"

When the Fifth Division Soul Reapers heard from their Captain, Obana Danjirō, that the person revered by all Soul Reapers of the Gotei 13—Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni—had actually arrived on the scene, their hearts surged with excitement!

At this moment, all the Fifth Division Soul Reapers felt a surge of the sentiment, 'If one hears the Way in the morning, one may die in the evening without regret.' If they could just witness the person they revered in action, it would be worth dying here!

"No! Even if you stay here, you probably won't get a chance to see Captain-Commander Yamamoto fight…"

"The two monsters battling over there are about to get serious. At that point, you'll probably find it hard to withstand the aftershocks of their fight~"

Obana Danjirō shook his head helplessly at the group of Soul Reapers, while also stepping in front of them and creating a barrier with his Spiritual Pressure.

"What?!"

"Are you telling me Captain Unohana and the others haven't even gotten serious yet, despite fighting to this extent?"

At this, the members of Squad 5 stood frozen, unable to comprehend what their Captain meant.

Meanwhile…

Araki and Unohana Yachiru, who had been subtly facing off, watched as the Captains of the original Gotei 13 returned to their respective squads and led their members away. They finally raised their Zanpakuto. From this moment on, they had no more reservations within Seireitei.

And so, nearly simultaneously, both of them declared loudly,

"Bankai!!"

The instant Araki and Unohana Yachiru uttered those two words, the entirety of Seireitei was enveloped by an immensely vast and chilling Spiritual Pressure!

At that moment, every Soul Reaper in Seireitei felt a chill in their hearts, as if a 'torrent' of cold killing intent was rushing towards them…

And the Soul Reaper squad members who had been drawn in by Araki and Unohana's battle, and hadn't had time to retreat, were suffocated by this chilling Spiritual Pressure, as if a giant hammer had slammed down hard on their heads.

"—Yakushi Rurikō Sekai!"

"—Minazuki!"

As Araki and Unohana Yachiru spoke the names of their Bankai, from their centers, a seven-colored, lapis lazuli light and an endless sea of blood appeared out of thin air, clashing head-on! They then spread outward in all directions!