The Real Enemy
Renji and the others were dumbfounded. The Kitetu siblings hadn't made any move, so why was the sky collapsing even faster?
Looking at that world filled with Miasma and lava, Renji felt as if he were witnessing a true Hell descend upon the earth.
In the sky, the dead Sinners were allowed to be quickly resurrected, and the moment they emerged from the magma, they descended upon Karakura Town like dumplings being dropped into boiling water.
It was as if all their efforts had been in vain; what value did those fallen comrades hold?
Upon witnessing this scene, Kitetu's parents understood the situation even more clearly; such a thing could only happen when one world devours another.
The Kitetu siblings hurriedly raised their hands, trying to summon the power of the Soul King towards the sky, but no matter how they called out, the opposing and unifying forces did not arrive.
That explosion not only shattered the world's structure and space, but also destroyed the most fundamental power of the Kitetu siblings.
Unable to harness the power of the Soul King's legs, the Kitetu siblings were practically useless; they were too young, and their actual combat strength was practically nonexistent.
"Stop Hell! No, it's too late!" came the anxious voice of Kichō Tsukikage, but he quickly gave up struggling; Hell had completely invaded the World of the Living.
"What exactly is going on? Why are you being controlled?!" Renji's voice was laced with anger. If it weren't for the pitiful state of the Kitetu siblings, he would have already slashed them with his sword.
"Your true enemy is not us," Kichō Tsukikage sighed. "Since ancient times, Hell has been plotting to invade the Three Worlds."
"What you really need to solve is this Hell world, not this dog-eat-dog world with us!"
Solve the world?
These are such unfamiliar words. What should he do and what shouldn't he do? Renji had no idea. All he could do was call on his teammates to stop the newly born Sinners.
Since they couldn't understand it, they could only try their best in the most foolish and stupid way.
Kichō Tsukikage opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. Killing the Sinners repeatedly could indeed slow down the process of Hell devouring the World of the Living, but it could not completely reverse the process of the World of the Living being devoured.
Fine, it's not bad to let those Bleach Reapers stretch their bodies a bit. Kichō Tsukikage lay on the ground with Tsukihana, looking at the sky. He had completely given up. Let's enjoy these last moments before being swallowed by Hell.
As the Lord of Hell Kichō Yasha still watched the struggling enemies with a smile. Renji others' actions only slightly affected the process of Hell devouring the world; they couldn't rewrite the final outcome at all.
Originally Kichō Yasha didn't need to care about the Bleach's final struggle; he only needed to wait to World of the Living this world.
But two of his acquaintances were about to arrive, Kichō Yasha had to go out to greet them. Oh well, he'd just have to lend a little effort.
A small bundle of iron chains was thrown from Kichō Yasha's hand, scattering into individual chains used for the laws of Hell, falling from the sky above Karakura Town.
The moment those chains, thicker than heavy trucks, fell from the sky above Karakura Town, all the Sinners on the Karakura Town battlefield went mad.
Including the first captain, all the Sinners with Chains around their chests lost consciousness, their minds filled with only one thought: to utterly tear apart all life in this world.
These Chains are the root of Hell; they symbolize the laws governing Hell formation, and their appearance brings the most fundamental instructions from the Lord of Hell.
The vengeful Sinners, now enraged, went completely berserk, overwhelming the Allied Forces of the Three Worlds Realms in both numbers and quality. Even when Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto and Aizen occasionally unleashed a burst of power to clear the map, it couldn't be sustained for long, and the Hell in the sky would soon reappear.
This is very troublesome. Fighting is no longer the first choice. If the fighting continues, the allied forces of the Three Worlds will probably be completely wiped out by these Sinners from Hell.
Looking at this scene in Hell, Kichō Yasha turned his satisfied gaze to another special Hell rift. On the other side of that rift was the Soul King Palace, the Inner Palace.
He deliberately created this crack here, just to see what kind of expression Adonais, the arrogant self-proclaimed Soul King, would have.
A barely audible cracking sound rang out, Kichō Yasha his head back and bursting into wild laughter.
"Adonais, are you finally about to give up?!"
Inner Palace, the Zero Squad members guarding the Soul King quickly appeared before Soul King, staring in deep shock at the hair-thin crack on the Soul King's crystal.
The Soul King Crystal, which had remained flawless despite Aizen's invasion, Yhwach's pursuit, and the baptism of various wars, suddenly developed a crack.
"Monk, is there any way to remedy this?" Kirinj asked anxiously. The Monk was a witness to the sealing of the Soul King and might have some special method.
The Monk took a deep look at the crack in the Soul King Crystal, walked step by step to the edge of the Inner Palace, sat down cross-legged there, and looked at the crack in the distance.
"Monk?" Kirinj tried calling out again, "Now is not the time to act impulsively."
"You think I stripped you of your power when the Phantom Soul King was around?" The Monk smiled helplessly. "You're overthinking it. I've only ever had one goal: to maintain the stability of the Three Worlds. For this goal, the process is unimportant, and I'm even willing to sacrifice myself."
"Now, cracks have appeared in Soul King King's body, and you all know why," the Monk affirmed. "That's right, the world is collapsing, and the Soul King, the wedge that maintains the stability of the Three Worlds, is losing its proper function."
"Isn't there a way to remedy this? Like a new Soul King?" Senjumaru asked.
"It's pointless." The Monk shook his head. "This isn't essentially about the Soul King being killed, but about the world collapsing due to the damage to the wedge. Replacing the wedge is completely useless."
"This is the result of external pressure, forcing the wedge to be squeezed out from the cracks in the Three Worlds; no matter how many wedges are replaced, it won't make a difference."
"Unless, this catastrophe can be stopped!"
"Are we just supposed to watch like this?" Yachiru Unohana asked worriedly.
"Otherwise what?" Ōetsu Nimaiya crossed her arms behind her head, her expression behind her sunglasses anything but relaxed. "Given the abilities of those brats down there, would adding a few more of you really make any difference?"
In essence, the Zero Squad's current strength can no longer keep up with the development of the world. With the emergence of captains Beyond Bankai, the Zero Squad's strength has become nothing more than a decoration next to the Soul King.
"Let's wait. All we can do is wait," the Monk said, looking at the rift in Hell.
There was one more thing the Monk didn't say: trust the Soul King's judgment. The Soul King's decision to abandon him and choose Sawada Tsunayoshi must have had its reasons. It's likely that the Soul King had already foreseen the future invasion of Hell at that time.
At the very least, the Monk himself was helpless against the invasion of Hell; he could only wait and see Soul King would choose.
On the battlefield of Karakura Town, everyone has realized that killing these Sinners is not the best solution; it would only be a waste of their own power. The best method is to seal them, to stop the Sinners from moving.
Hirako had already tried to use the power of the Kido to build Kido barrier, but before he could even chant it, he was interrupted by the Kido of bees, leaving him no time to chant.
Rather, it's more accurate to say that everyone on the battlefield is affected by the Sinners. Unless one possesses the sealing power to unleash an instantaneous burst of energy and surpasses the strength of the original captains, there's simply no way to negotiate.
Techniques like Kido, with their excessively long wind-up, are impossible to even test out.
"Let me try!"
A chilling aura spread outwards, and at the center of this aura was Toshiro Hitsugaya in his adult form. Although the power Beyond Bankai would be even greater, only when he fully unleashed Hyōrinmaru could he use that technique.
"The Shikai Hyōketsu!"
With a single, swirling slash, Toshiro froze all the Sinners —except those outside the core circle where his allies were—into solid ice the instant they touched the Zanjutsu.
A huge hollow icicle shot into the sky, seemingly freezing all the Sinners inside.
Toshiro slowly exhaled a breath of cold air. His long period of training Beyond Bankai had allowed him to gradually adapt to his current form. Perhaps in the near future, his body would no longer be bound by Hyōrinmaru, and he would officially become an adult.
"Hirako, I'll reinforce the Kido seal with you!"
Kyōraku did not immediately rejoice at the sealing of the Sinners. Instead, he called on Hirako to reinforce the seal on the outer edge of the Shikai Hyōketsu.
Before Kyōraku and the others could act, cracking sounds came from the ice pillars of the Shikai Hyōketsu. The ice cracks expanded rapidly, and with a bang, it quickly collapsed into countless ice fragments.
The first captains were the ones who recovered their mobility the fastest, and the moment Toshiro saw them, he understood where his problem lay.
The power of the Shikai Hyōketsu was ultimately released based on his Bankai. After the First Captain had superimposed Hell Resentment on his Bankai, his power was already stronger than the Bankai line. To completely seal them, the Shikai Hyōketsu would have to be used in a state that Beyond Bankai.
Do you need it?
Toshiro was uncertain. Even in his Bankai state, the Shikai Hyōketsu already made his hands and feet feel cold. If he used it in a state Beyond Bankai, he'd probably turn into an ice pop before he even swung his sword.
Among the captains who have mastered Beyond Bankai, is there anyone who can instantly seal away these Sinners?
Toshiro was unaware of this; he could only work with the other Bleach to resist wave after wave of attacks from the Sinners.
Everyone's spiritual pressure is dropping rapidly. If this continues, they may really be completely swallowed up by the endless waves of Hell.
After Rukia froze several Sinners with her Hakuren, she glanced at Toshiro without leaving a trace Toshiro, the strongest Ice Style Hyōrinmaru Zanpakuto, still had some prestige.
I just wonder if her Hakkaa no Togame combined with Toshiro's Shikai Hyōketsu will be enough to completely freeze these reckless creatures?