The weather was clear that day, bright and breezy. Not a single cloud could be seen in the deep blue sky.
Yet beneath the First Division Barracks, in the vast plaza capable of holding tens of thousands, the air seemed to have frozen solid.
Spiritual pressure, nearly tangible, filled every corner. Even when the wind swept through, it did not dare make a sound.
Every member of the Gotei 13 stood in neat ranks across the battlefield, stretching from left to right.
All the squad members wore Shinigami Uniforms. Their faces carried faint solemnity and killing intent, and not a single person made a sound.
The Seat Officers were interspersed among the ranks, responsible for maintaining basic discipline. The Vice-Captains stood at the rear, tasked with dealing with enemies attacking from behind during battle.
The captains stood at the very front, draped in white haori. Their spiritual pressure was utterly different from before. Whether in spiritual power, Reishi density, or quantity of Reishi, they were several times stronger than they had been!
Besides the full force of the Gotei 13, the members of the Kidō Corps were divided into several squads and positioned at the center of each formation. They were there to use Dankū to block and defend against the enemy's large-scale attacks. Otherwise, divisions that were not adept at resisting such attacks would suffer heavy casualties in this battle.
The Arrancar stood to the captains' sides, led respectively by Halibel and Stark. They would act as mobile forces, providing flexible support throughout the battlefield, helping captains on the verge of defeat or captains surrounded by enemies escape their plight.
The atmosphere in the plaza was extremely oppressive, until a string of footsteps seemed to echo within everyone's hearts.
"Tap, tap, tap."
The footsteps were steady and powerful. Every