It was impossible to understand.
Impossible to comprehend.
King Chengdui couldn't figure out why Qin Yi kept getting stronger.
More and more black-and-crimson lines wrapped around the 'King of Hell', and with every new strand, Qin Yi's power increased. The madness in his eyes grew more intense, more savage.
By now, two long, spiral horns had grown from his head, reaching toward the sky. His frame was lean, yet every movement radiated explosive power.
At this moment, Qin Yi resembled a merciless beast that embodied speed, strength, brutality, and bloodlust all at once.
"He broke through another limit..."
"His strength has already reached an unbelievable level."
King Chengdui's eyes flickered as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Looking down at the deep wound across his chest, he forced out a painful smile.
This time... the wound wasn't healing.
Since the battle had begun, Qin Yi had struck him fifty-six times. Every slash had been fatal, inflicting agony so intense it could make a man scream at the heavens.
Until now, he had always regenerated almost instantly. But looking closely, his body was already covered in twisted scars, some faded into pale marks, others barely scabbed over.
The truth was obvious: his regeneration was slowing down.
He had pushed his strength to its absolute limit, certain he had surpassed the eighth Starlight Rank and reached a level of power he had never imagined possible.
Yet he still wasn't Qin Yi's match.
"You don't understand my power."
"You don't understand the world I see."
"So how can you possibly fight me?"
"With your narrow vision..."
"...like a frog trapped at the bottom of a well."
"You still dream of victory, Chengdui?"
Qin Yi's voice echoed from above.
King Chengdui slowly raised his head.
Qin Yi hovered high in the sky, looking down at him with complete indifference, like a god standing above the clouds, looking upon a mere mortal with nothing but contempt.
By now, Qin Yi had broken through his limits so many times that even he had lost count. His sanity was shrinking, his mind consumed by madness and endless negative emotions. Only a tiny fragment of his reason remained, barely holding on.
His body had already been taken over by savage instinct, by a cruel, beastlike will that craved only battle and destruction.
Yet in exchange, he had obtained terrifying power. Power so overwhelming that he could stand above all beings in this world.
"You are beneath me."
Qin Yi's eyes locked onto him, and then he dove.
One slash.
Before King Chengdui could even react, the blade had already swept past his head, the tip tracing downward across the opposite side of his chest.
'Slice!'
Blood burst into the air as a long crimson gash split open, exposing flesh beneath the torn skin. The sword continued past him, scattering droplets of blood through the sky.
The two stopped face-to-face, their eyes meeting.
"Surrender."
Boom!
The instant the word left Qin Yi's mouth, King Chengdui was blasted away. He smashed through one building after another, tearing up the ground and throwing countless clouds of dust into the air.
When his body finally came to a stop, he found himself near the Realm Gate, only a short distance from Aizen.
King Chengdui opened his eyes, his gaze filled with fury. He wanted to roar, to scream, but no sound came out. The slash across his neck had damaged his windpipe, leaving him able to produce only harsh, rasping gasps, like a broken bellows struggling for air.
At the same time, his strength rapidly drained away. His life was slipping from him.
He had lost. This time, King Chengdui knew it without question. Unlike their previous battle, this wasn't the result of carelessness; he had been completely defeated, without the slightest chance to fight back.
His army had already been pushed to the brink, and now, even in a direct duel between kings, he had suffered an utterly crushing defeat.
His heart was filled with conflicting emotions, rage, unwillingness, fear, and respect, all surging together until tears began to gather in his eyes.
He couldn't accept it. He wanted another chance. He refused to lose.
The overwhelming flood of emotions tormented him beyond words.
Just then, Aizen's calm voice reached his ears. "Captain Chengdui... are you all right?"
King Chengdui slowly opened his eyes and looked at the approaching Aizen.
"The victor rules. I lost. My life is naturally in the winner's hands. Whether you kill me or humiliate me... Qin Yi, the choice is yours."
No one knew how he managed to speak, but his voice echoed across the battlefield.
Qin Yi descended from the sky with a savage grin, not hesitating for even a moment. "Then submit. From today onward... you'll serve as my dog."
King Chengdui clenched his teeth, fury burning in his eyes. Several breaths later, he spoke through gritted teeth. "I... submit..."
The moment the words left his mouth, his pupils suddenly contracted. Reflected in his eyes were a black robe, rippling spiritual pressure, and a figure he knew all too well.
Then he saw a flash of steel.
'Slash!'
The sound of a blade cutting through flesh rang out.
King Chengdui's eyes widened in utter disbelief, filled with hatred and shock. His head flew into the air, and before the stunned eyes of everyone present, it crashed to the ground and rolled several times.
"Aizen!" Qin Yi roared.
"Aizen?!" Even Yhwach froze, unable to believe what he had just witnessed.
King Chengdui had been beheaded. And the one who had done it was Aizen.
No one could understand it. No one could have imagined it. Aizen had just killed his own ally.
Holding his bloodstained Zanpakutō, Aizen smiled faintly. "A king worthy of my respect... should never lower himself to submission, Captain Chengdui."
He casually flicked the blood from his blade. "That would only disgrace our side. Wouldn't it?"
Then Aizen turned toward Yhwach. "Yhwach. I told you I'd show you a performance. Well? Was it unexpected? Surprising?"
Yhwach's expression darkened as he instinctively raised his guard, becoming more wary of Aizen than ever before. "Aizen... what exactly are you trying to do?"
"What am I trying to do?" Aizen narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Isn't it obvious?"
He turned around and pointed toward the towering Realm Gate behind him. "Do you see it? That gate leads to a world beyond imagination, a world far greater than this one."
He laughed excitedly. "Kill Chengdui. Step through that gate. And you'll obtain a world vastly larger than this one. You'll become the supreme ruler. The absolute sovereign."
Then he pointed his sword at Qin Yi. "And if you kill him as well... that world will be yours. We'll divide it between us. We'll rule both worlds. We'll become the masters of them all."
Aizen's smile grew wider. "Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
(End of Chapter)
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