When the Shinigami captains returned to Seireitei, what greeted them was a field of carnage.
Countless Shinigami lay dead across the streets they had sworn to protect.
The moment Byakuya Kuchiki saw the corpse of his grandfather, Ginrei Kuchiki, something inside him almost snapped. His spiritual pressure erupted violently, and his eyes reddened as he stared straight at Brook.
In his mind, there was no doubt.
This had to be the work of another force under Hueco Mundo's command.
The other Shinigami captains were equally shaken. None of them could believe that Seireitei, the symbol of Soul Society's authority, had been reduced to this tragic state.
This was unforgivable.
Brook had no interest in playing with these Shinigami captains anymore.
Yhwach and the Zero Division, who possessed far higher-grade energy, were his true targets.
Since Yhwach and those people had already started fighting, he might as well wipe them all out in one sweep, reclaim all of the Soul King's power, and use it to evolve his Nine-Tomoe White Rinnegan.
Then he would become a high-level god of the Underworld.
Just as Byakuya was about to rush at Brook without regard for his own life, Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihōin returned and stopped him.
"Captain Kuchiki, it wasn't Hueco Mundo that slaughtered these Shinigami. It was the Quincy who invaded Seireitei!"
Urahara desperately held back Byakuya, who was on the verge of losing control.
"Yhwach and the Quincy are currently fighting the generals of the Zero Division!"
He did not want the remaining Shinigami captains to clash with the Lord of Hueco Mundo in a battle to the death.
Urahara knew many of the hidden truths about the Soul King, as well as much of Soul Society's history. Because of that, he understood just how powerful the Zero Division truly was.
They would never allow any problem to befall the lynchpin of the Three Realms.
Right now, the Shinigami captains only needed to preserve their remaining strength.
Once the Zero Division suppressed the Quincy invasion, all their forces could be concentrated on dealing with the Lord of Hueco Mundo.
Brook glanced at the few remaining Shinigami captains, then looked at the massive force behind him.
"Forget it. Yhwach won't defeat the Zero Division that quickly. I'll deal with you while I'm here."
The moment his voice fell, Brook charged straight at Kisuke Urahara.
Among the Shinigami, Urahara was the smartest.
Taking him down first would rob the Shinigami of their command.
Seeing the Lord of Hueco Mundo personally attack him, Urahara's expression changed drastically. He immediately retreated and fled.
Since Lord Brook had already moved, the Espada, the Six Deadly Sins, the eight Visoreds, the two Hollowfied Shinigami, and the two Hollowfied Fullbringers launched a crushing assault on the remaining seven Shinigami captains.
Even with the eight Visoreds and two Hollowfied Shinigami holding back slightly, seven captains could not possibly withstand so many powerful enemies at once.
At that moment, a seemingly frail woman stepped forward.
"Bankai, Minazuki!"
Fourth Division Captain Retsu Unohana unleashed a terrifying aura.
The surrounding area seemed to melt into blood. Her blade dripped with crimson liquid, and a murderous pressure erupted from her body, startling even the Espada.
"Third Etapa, Murciélago."
Ulquiorra also entered his strongest form.
He directly suppressed Unohana Retsu after her release, and the two immediately clashed with frightening intensity.
Cero, Kidō, Hadō, and Bakudō flashed through the battlefield, forcing other powerful fighters away from them.
As the first Kenpachi, Unohana Yachiru had mastered countless schools and sword styles. She had killed more opponents than most people could imagine, and her combat experience was terrifying.
But Ulquiorra's current strength had already surpassed ordinary captain level.
After receiving Brook's power boost, even a super captain-class fighter like Retsu Unohana was no match for him.
With Unohana's outbreak, Kenpachi Zaraki also unleashed more of his true potential, suppressing the Hell Sinner Kokuto. In the end, he was even able to fight Kokuto and Shuren at the same time.
His strength was monstrous.
But all of this became meaningless when Brook returned with Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihōin in his grasp.
"I will become the new ruler of this world."
Brook sealed Urahara and Yoruichi with Senjutsu runes, branded them with the Five Gods Slave Seal, then threw them into his cosmos to reflect on their actions.
Then Retsu Unohana and Kenpachi Zaraki, who had both displayed outstanding strength, were also forcibly suppressed by Brook.
The power of these Shinigami captains was far too weak for the current Brook.
Compared to Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, they were nowhere near enough.
Brook could suppress these little fellows with one hand.
The remaining five Shinigami captains were Soi Fon of the Second Division, Byakuya Kuchiki of the Sixth Division, Sajin Komamura of the Seventh Division, Tōshirō Hitsugaya of the Tenth Division, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi of the Twelfth Division.
All of them were suppressed by Brook, branded with the Five Gods Slave Seal, and thrown into his cosmos to reunite with the others.
After dealing with these troublesome Shinigami captains, Brook waved his hand and led his forces straight toward the Soul King Palace.
Did the Soul King Palace require the King's Key to enter?
Before Brook, a true god, the spiritual space established by the Zero Division was little more than a thatched hut. It could be torn apart at will.
At the same time, inside the Soul King Palace, the human-pig-like Soul King opened his eyes once more.
His expression was complicated.
Everything had finally reached this point.
His son, the pieces he had arranged, and everyone's fate had all been changed by the arrival of this god from another world.
------------
Inside the Soul King Palace, Ichibe Hyōsube and the four generals of the Zero Division stood against Yhwach and the full-scale invasion of the Sternritter.
The Zero Division had chosen a very familiar strategy.
One by one, like heroes rushing in to save their grandfather, they took their positions in layers.
The strongest among them, Ichibe Hyōsube, remained in the true Soul King Palace, guarding the Soul King, the linchpin of the Three Realms.
As for the four generals, they successfully trapped Yhwach and the Quincy inside the false Soul King Palace.
With the perfect coordination of the four Divine Generals, the Sword God, Ōetsu Nimaiya, killed the four members of the Divine Pardon Guard in a single move.
That included Pernida, the Soul King's left hand, and Gerard, the Soul King's heart.
However, Yhwach quickly activated Auswählen, drawing in the spiritual power of every subordinate who had yet to enter the Soul King Palace and using it to revive his four Divine Guards.
After receiving that power, the four Divine Guards became even stronger and began suppressing the four Divine Generals of the Zero Division.
Lille Barro, captain of the Divine Pardon Guard and bearer of The X-Axis, raised his massive sniper rifle and pierced Ōetsu Nimaiya through the chest with a single shot.
Immediately after that, Pernida, the Soul King's left hand and bearer of The Compulsory, destroyed the birth canal of the false Soul King Palace, opening a path for Yhwach to continue his advance toward the true Soul King Palace.
With the overall situation under control, Yhwach left the four Divine Guards behind to deal with the four Divine Generals of the Zero Division.
He believed that his divinely chosen personal guards were more than enough to defeat them.
Yhwach stormed the final line of defense of the Soul King Palace and began a fierce battle with Ichibe Hyōsube.
He was determined to devour the Soul King's power and become the new ruler of the world.
Inside the false Soul King Palace, Ōetsu Nimaiya collapsed to the ground with his chest pierced through, severely wounded. His fighting strength had fallen sharply, leaving the Four Divine Generals without their sharpest blade.
In the battle that followed, they would be completely suppressed.
They might even be killed by Yhwach's Divine Guard.
However, the lives of the four Divine Generals were already bound to the Zero Palace. Even if they died, as long as the Zero Palace was not destroyed, they could be revived by someone calling their names and returning their power.
In truth, as long as the Soul King existed, the Soul King Palace would not fall.
If the Soul King Palace did not fall, then the Zero Palace would not be destroyed either.
In other words, the Zero Division could almost be considered immortal.
Even if the current Soul King died, as long as a new Soul King was created to serve as the wedge and stabilize the Three Realms, they still would not truly perish.
To them, who became the Soul King was not the most important issue.
But Yhwach intended to devour the Soul King's power, rule the Three Realms, and destroy the wedge itself, causing the Three Realms to collapse.
That idea was far too dangerous.
They had no choice but to stop the ambitious Yhwach with everything they had.
In fact, even if Yhwach truly devoured the Soul King, the Zero Division was confident that they could create another Soul King to serve as the wedge of the Three Realms and stabilize the world again.
But after Yhwach won, would he really give them the chance to create another Soul King?
Yhwach knew that his father, the Soul King, had been mutilated and sealed for countless years. His hatred for Soul Society and the Shinigami had long since become bone-deep.
If Yhwach won, the Zero Division might face true annihilation.
Lille Barro raised his huge sniper rifle again, aiming at the remaining generals of the Zero Division.
Askin Nakk Le Vaar, bearer of The Deathdealing, entered his Vollständig, Hasshein, and immediately launched an attack.
Pernida Parnkgjas, the Soul King's left hand and bearer of The Compulsory, stood silently to the side after destroying Kirio Hikifune's birth canal, preparing for its next strike.
Gerard Valkyrie, the Soul King's heart and bearer of The Miracle, charged toward the Zero Division in rage, seeking revenge for being defeated by Ōetsu Nimaiya earlier.
Senjumaru Shutara, the Great Weave Guard, and Tenjirō Kirinji, the Hot Spring Demon, immediately rushed forward and stood in front of the critically wounded Ōetsu Nimaiya.
But Kirinji was sent flying by one punch from the powerful Gerard, and the two instantly entered a fierce battle.
Then a gunshot rang out, making the three members of the Zero Division tense.
That sniper, who could pierce through everything, was impossible to defend against. No matter what material stood in its way, it could not stop his shot.
They could only dodge.
Bang!
Kirio Hikifune dodged at the last second, then immediately entered an extreme weight-loss state, transforming into a beautiful purple-haired woman and greatly increasing her movement speed.
Even so, in this three-against-four situation, the Zero Division would inevitably be defeated sooner or later.
The more Gerard fought, the more excited he became. His arrogant laughter echoed throughout the false Soul King Palace as he brutally suppressed Tenjirō Kirinji.
After being revived, this Divine Guard was no longer an opponent Kirinji, the creator of the healing hot springs, could handle alone.
Just as the four Divine Generals of the Zero Division and the four Divine Pardon Guards were locked in fierce one-on-one battles, another figure approached the battlefield.
Brook was a little annoyed along the way.
Every Quincy he encountered had already been drained of spiritual power, making them useless for him to devour.
Even so, Brook casually threw all the powerless Sternritter he came across into his own cosmos.
They were all tools with special abilities.
For his cosmos to prosper in the future, Brook planned to gather the one or two hundred most outstanding people in the Bleach world and make them the foundation population of his small universe.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
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