Flame of the Heavenly Sword
Yamamoto moved at extreme speed. With flash step, he appeared before Lin Xuan in an instant.
His Zanpakutō descended. Terrifying heat erupted from the blade's tip.
Boom!
Air expanded rapidly. Explosive flames swallowed everything nearby.
But a blade-light flashed the next second, splitting the explosion apart.
Extreme cold surged out, extinguishing all flames and rushing toward Yamamoto—blocked by a single slash.
Whoosh!
Lin Xuan appeared behind him. The white Zanpakutō touched Yamamoto's body.
In moments, Yamamoto was frozen in ice.
Zanka no Tachi—Nishi: Zanjitsu Gokui!
Suddenly he converted his reiatsu into fifteen-million-degree flames, wrapping his body and blade like a blazing sun.
In an instant, all ice evaporated.
Then Yamamoto drove Zanka no Tachi into the ground. The earth became a sea of fire—and within it, charred skeletons appeared.
The skeleton army charged toward Lin Xuan, as if to tear him apart.
Lin Xuan sighed inwardly: As expected of the Seireitei's strongest captain. His strength truly lived up to the title.
By this point, Lin Xuan knew clearly—Sode no Shirayuki alone probably couldn't defeat Yamamoto.
The gap between the two Zanpakutō was undeniable.
Even pushing Sode no Shirayuki to its limits, closing that gap was nearly impossible.
And Yamamoto's personal strength was formidable on its own.
But while defeating Yamamoto with Shinigami power was hard, defeating Lin Xuan wasn't easy either.
Facing the charging skeletons, Lin Xuan swept Sode no Shirayuki. A circle appeared on the ground—several kilometers in diameter.
The next second, white light shot skyward from the earth, engulfing every skeleton.
When the light faded, a massive ice pillar stood before everyone.
Yamamoto's charred skeleton army was frozen inside.
Lin Xuan tapped the ice pillar lightly. It shattered instantly. The skeletons inside crumbled to dust and scattered on the wind.
Yamamoto walked forward, flames still cloaking his body.
He looked at Lin Xuan seriously. "In hundreds of years, you're the strongest opponent I've faced—the only one who's made me fight at full strength this long."
Lin Xuan grinned. "You're not bad either. At least this fight was enjoyable."
"A shame. With strength like yours, I'd welcome you in the Gotei 13. But if you're an enemy of the Seireitei—I must kill you today," Yamamoto said gravely.
Lin Xuan smiled. "Actually, I have no interest in fighting you Shinigami. I came to save Rukia Kuchiki—and to settle things with Aizen."
"You mean Aizen? He's dead," Yamamoto said.
Lin Xuan shook his head. "No. He's alive and well."
Yamamoto frowned.
Just as he was about to speak, Lin Xuan said suddenly, "He's here."
Then Isane Kotetsu's voice reached his ears through Kidō transmission.
Every lieutenant-level and above Shinigami—and everyone from the Cross-Dimensional Guild—heard it simultaneously.
Soon, including Yamamoto, every lieutenant-level and above Shinigami's expression changed.
"Impossible—all of Central 46 is dead?"
"Damn it—everything we saw was fake? All Kyōka Suigetsu hypnosis?"
"All of this was Aizen's scheme—that bastard, what is he after?!"
Through Isane's explanation, they finally learned it was all Aizen Sōsuke's plot. Even Rukia's death sentence was a false order.
Yamamoto stared at Lin Xuan in shock.
As he said—Aizen really wasn't dead?
"You knew from the start?" Yamamoto asked gravely.
Lin Xuan nodded and smiled. "Yes. I knew everything long ago.
Actually, you should thank me. Saving Rukia was really saving you from Aizen."
Yamamoto fell silent.
After a long moment, he looked at Lin Xuan again. "Who exactly are you?"
This time Lin Xuan didn't answer. He smiled. "Ask Kisuke Urahara when you have time."
Yamamoto: "..."
Lin Xuan's gaze suddenly shifted. He sneered coldly. "Waited long enough.
Time for the main event."
The instant he spoke, a figure appeared nearby.
Aizen Sōsuke.
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T/N:
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