You can read ahead up to 15 chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
The two kings stared at one another, their eyes narrowing simultaneously.
"King Yuanli, a defeated opponent, dares to speak so boldly?" King Chengdui sneered, his right hand settling upon the hilt of his sword.
"It seems you don't understand the saying: after parting for a time, one should look upon others with new eyes."
Li Yuanli drew his Zanpakutō, a sharp light bursting from his gaze.
Suddenly, his figure moved.
He dove downward at tremendous speed.
The airflow generated by his acceleration formed a sharp cone of force before him, as though the air itself were twisting aside to make way.
At the same time, the Time's Cry in his hand erupted with silver light.
Its Bankai was activated silently and instantaneously.
Crack!
A sinister white mask covered Li Yuanli's face.
At the same moment, the space around his Zanpakutō began to contract, sending ripples through the air.
As the blade hummed, his aura surged dramatically, rising to a level that shook the heavens.
Bzzzz!
Circles of black-and-crimson energy spread outward in all directions.
Li Yuanli's combat power skyrocketed to its limit in an instant.
Booms echoed across the sky one after another.
It sounded as if countless explosions were detonating overhead, causing everyone below to look up.
Dark clouds churned and rolled violently, forming layer upon layer of stormy cloud waves.
As the thunderous sounds continued, Li Yuanli's speed increased further and further.
More and more pale white bone spread across his body.
Gradually, it enveloped him completely.
When his entire form transformed into a skeletal monster of white bone, his aura exploded upward once more, reaching an even greater peak.
"ROAR!"
Looking down from above, Li Yuanli opened his mouth and unleashed a ferocious roar.
It sounded like a savage beast issuing a challenge.
On the ground below, King Chengdui's eyes narrowed.
A sharp light flashed within them.
"As expected of a King. I hope you won't disappoint me."
His knees bent sharply. Then, in the next instant, he launched himself into the sky.
The earth beneath him exploded apart.
Rocks and debris scattered in all directions.
His body rapidly transformed as well.
In the blink of an eye, he too became a pale skeletal figure.
Hollow Transformation.
The two kings from another world had both entered their Hollow Transformation states.
Their combat power reached its absolute maximum.
Almost instantly, they were face-to-face.
Behind them, sonic booms thundered continuously through the air.
BOOM!
Each wielded a sword in one hand and swung with full force.
A terrifying shockwave erupted outward.
A white ring of compressed air expanded through the sky.
"You've surprised me. You've actually reached this state as well." King Chengdui spoke grimly.
His eyes were filled with sinister intent.
"You still understand far less about this world than you imagine." Li Yuanli replied coldly.
King Chengdui's pupils contracted.
He rapidly retreated, then kicked off the air itself and charged forward once more.
Another explosive impact rang out as the two clashed face-to-face again.
"You seem to know something."
He had begun to realize that this king before him, and the man standing above in the sky, appeared to possess far more information than he did.
"Far more than you can imagine." Li Yuanli sneered.
Toward Qin Yi, he possessed a nearly inexplicable confidence.
His Majesty's conduct over the years and his apparent knowledge of various worlds were simply astonishing.
On more than one occasion, Li Yuanli had witnessed Qin Yi issue orders for the Imperial Parliament and military to prepare invasion plans for another world before they had even entered it.
The information implied by such actions was obvious.
Qin Yi already possessed an extraordinary understanding of those worlds beforehand.
It was nearly impossible.
At times, Li Yuanli had even wondered whether his Emperor had awakened some kind of prophetic ability.
The two kings continued colliding in the skies.
Sparks burst endlessly from their blades.
Violent winds swept across the heavens.
The spectacle was terrifying beyond description.
"Starlight Level Seven!" Qin Yi looked down from above, his eyes flickering.
There was no doubt that both of these men had already reached the absolute limit of this world's power. The combat strength they were displaying now was equivalent to Starlight Level Seven.
As for the Captain-class fighters, most ranged between Starlight Level Five and Level Six. The stronger among them could even touch the threshold of Starlight Level Seven, unleashing attacks of extraordinary power.
The purpose of this operation was not to fight.
It was to rescue the Captains and Shinigami of Soul Society and strengthen Qin Yi's own forces.
Now that Li Yuanli had unleashed his full power and reached his peak state, holding back King Chengdui was no longer a problem.
That meant it was time for Qin Yi to make his move.
The troops he had brought were still unable to match the scale of the Nie Kingdom army left behind here.
They could not maintain balance against the enemy through numbers alone.
At a time like this, his personal intervention would undoubtedly tilt the battlefield in their favor.
"Great Underworld King… Blade Control: Beginning and End." As he slowly drew the King of Hell, Qin Yi murmured softly.
Then he dived downward.
In the blink of an eye, he had entered the battlefield.
His gaze sharpened.
There, he saw a headless corpse.
"Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni." Qin Yi's voice carried a trace of complexity as he landed on the ground and slowly walked forward.
Looking down at the already deceased Captain-Commander, regret flashed through his eyes, yet so did relief.
The old man's position had long destined him for such an ending in this war. Even if King Chengdui had not killed him, Qin Yi himself would likely not have shown mercy when they eventually met on opposite sides of the battlefield.
In a way, this outcome had saved him some trouble.
To be honest, after traveling through world after world and meeting countless characters he had once known only from stories, the experience was strange.
If they became friends or allies, it felt natural enough.
But when they became enemies… The feeling was indescribably complicated.
Characters who had once existed only in fantasy now stood before him in reality.
Such scenes inevitably filled one with emotion.
"Your Zanpakutō's light… It seems it has yet to fully bloom."
Qin Yi looked toward the simple, unadorned blade lying on the ground.
No flames covered it.
No dazzling light shone from it.
Yet it trembled and hummed continuously.
"Are you unwilling to accept this?"
"Are you angry?"
"Do you wish to roar?"
He asked three quiet questions.
With each one, the blade's trembling became more intense.
"Then everything you wish to do… Let me accomplish it for you." He spoke softly.
Black-and-crimson light extended from the King of Hell.
It transformed into countless threads that wrapped themselves around the plain Zanpakutō.
Then even more black-and-crimson strands emerged and rapidly flowed back.
Two breaths later… The King of Hell suddenly trembled violently.
Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!
A flame suddenly burst from the blade.
It flickered at first, then began to burn fiercely.
"All things in this world… Turn to ashes… Ryūjin Jakka!"
Qin Yi stepped forward. His sword swung through the air and pointed diagonally toward the ground.
A strand of flame coiled around the blade.
It twisted and spiraled like a roaring dragon.
In an instant, the entire sword became engulfed in fire.
An unimaginable heat spread outward.
At the same time, an overwhelming aura erupted forth and shook all of Soul Society.
"What is that?!"
Countless people stared in shock at the figure standing on the battlefield.
When they saw the flaming sword in Qin Yi's hand, every person's pupils contracted.
For a moment, it felt as though their hearts had stopped beating.
High above in the sky, King Chengdui was still exchanging blows with Li Yuanli.
His expression had already become increasingly grave.
Then his eyes happened to sweep across Qin Yi below.
Instantly, his pupils shrank to pinpoints.
"Ryūjin Jakka!!" Kuchiki Byakuya muttered.
A strange brilliance flashed through his eyes.
The sword once wielded by the Captain-Commander… The strongest fire-type Zanpakutō in Soul Society… Had appeared once more.
(End of Chapter)