Yhwach was unwilling to accept it. He stared intently at Setsuna. "I am not in my perfect state right now! I haven't fully regained my power yet. My 'eyes' are not fully opened either..."
"The one you defeated is merely an incomplete version of me! Do you dare let me return to my strongest state? Let us have a true duel?"
Setsuna said calmly, "I could, but there is no need. I am not Vegeta."
Many people were puzzled, 'Who is Vegeta?'
Setsuna said no more. He slowly raised his right hand, fingers clenched into a fist.
Just this simple action caused the surrounding space to freeze solid.
Yhwach's pupils contracted to pinpricks. He foresaw his own death.
He frantically activated the Almighty, attempting to find a glimmer of hope.
However, all future trajectories pointed to a single outcome… complete annihilation by this fist!
"No! I cannot die here! My great undertaking is not yet complete! I must devour the Soul King! I must reshape the Three Worlds!" Yhwach roared in his heart.
Just as Setsuna was about to throw his punch, a figure appeared before Yhwach, also throwing a punch to meet it.
An indescribably loud sound exploded at the 'point' where the two fists collided.
A visible ring-shaped shockwave radiated from this point, shaking everything.
Where the shockwave passed, massive spatial cracks, as thick as mountain ranges, spread wantonly and intertwined across the sky like a spiderweb, as if the sky itself was about to shatter completely.
Rampant energy currents formed a super storm that swept across all of Soul Society. Hurricanes howled, lightning snakes danced wildly, Reishi scattered chaotically.
The earth undulated like a drumhead. Mountains shifted, rivers changed course. Countless fragile spiritual structures collapsed in the tremors.
"Gyaaaaaah!"
"Stabilize your Reiatsu! Hold onto the ground!"
"Wh-what kind of power is this?"
"Is the world about to be destroyed?"
On the battlefield, whether Shinigami or Sternritter, aside from a very few top powerhouses who could barely keep their footing, everyone else was tossed about like autumn leaves in the wind, knocked sideways, or even sent flying by this sudden, cataclysmic upheaval.
Those who were weaker were even shaken to the point of vomiting blood, their spiritual bodies showing signs of instability.
They stared in horror towards the center of the collision, which had already been swallowed by spatial storms. They could only vaguely make out two blurry silhouettes facing each other, and the destructive energy continuously erupting outward, as if it would tear the entire world apart.
The mere aftermath of a single collision had nearly pushed all of Soul Society to the brink of collapse!
"Who is that? Who is that figure that suddenly appeared?" Ichigo hugged Byakuya's legs tightly, ignoring Byakuya's disheveled expression.
"Is this the true power of that senior?" Toshiro used Hyorinmaru to create ice pillars to anchor himself, his gaze towards the center of the battlefield filled with immense shock.
Even Yhwach himself was bewildered. 'Why has another monster appeared?'
Wasn't he supposed to be the strongest besides the Soul King? Why were so many terrifyingly powerful monsters suddenly popping up?
The world before him felt foreign.
The storm gradually subsided, revealing the scene inside.
Setsuna and Omega Shenron stood facing each other, as if the destruction that had just occurred was merely an insignificant collision between them.
Looking at the other, Setsuna inexplicably found it somewhat amusing.
He hadn't expected Omega Shenron to also play the trick of showing up at the critical moment to save someone, and the 'beauty' he saved was the bearded uncle Yhwach.
Setsuna asked with a smile, "Didn't you think the world outside was insignificant? Why did you follow me out?"
Omega Shenron sneered, "I'm not sure what your goal is, but I know that whatever you want to do, I should go and sabotage it."
Setsuna wasn't angered. Instead, he smiled ambiguously and asked, "Have you considered that perhaps I deliberately lured you out, so that you would come and sabotage my actions?"
"What?" Omega Shenron took a step back, uncertain and alarmed.
He stared intently at Setsuna, trying to find any sign of lying or bluffing on his face.
'Lure me out? Deliberately let me save him? Why? What special significance does this Quincy have for him?'
'Or could it be that me saving this Quincy will trigger some kind of chain reaction that is disadvantageous to me?'
'Damn it! This guy thinks too deeply! I can't figure him out at all!'
Alarm bells rang loudly in Omega Shenron's heart, accompanied by a rage at being toyed with.
Having been outmaneuvered by Setsuna in another world before, he was very wary of Setsuna.
"Yo-you're trying to bluff me!" He tried to force calm, but a barely detectable tremor had crept into his voice.
"How do I know that what you're saying now isn't deliberately meant for me to hear, to make me overthink things?"
"Mm, you're right." Setsuna readily nodded, his smile growing even brighter. "That's also a possibility. Maybe I'm just saying it casually to mess with your head?"
"..."
Omega Shenron was momentarily speechless, choked by Setsuna's 'candor'. After a few seconds of silence, he finally roared in frustration:
"You bastard, you're even more annoying than that guy Kakarot! You're not straightforward at all! If you want to fight, fight. If you want to kill, kill. Why all these twisted, roundabout schemes?"
"Not straightforward?" Setsuna shrugged. "I think it's quite interesting."
Omega Shenron said no more. He knew he could gain no advantage in a verbal exchange and might even be led around by the nose by the other.
He glared fiercely at Setsuna. His energy stirred up an undercurrent, sweeping up Yhwach and a portion of the Wandenreich, then transforming into a streak of light, tearing through space, and disappearing into the distant sky.
The crisis was temporarily resolved, but the atmosphere did not become much lighter.
The battlefield was divided by an invisible boundary.
On one side was Setsuna, with Aizen and the others standing quietly slightly behind and to the side, like vassals guarding their sovereign.
In another direction were the five members of the Zero Division. They watched Setsuna warily, looking somewhat at a loss.
The most numerous were the Shinigami of the Gotei 13, who were in a state of both excitement and confusion.
Setsuna looked towards Kyoraku and said calmly, "Captain Kyoraku, the situation is currently unstable, and everything is waiting to be rebuilt. How about letting me temporarily take over the position of Captain-Commander?"
Everyone's eyes widened, 'Was he going to seize power directly?'
Kyoraku smiled easily, his tone light. "I was only appointed to this position temporarily in a crisis. To be honest, this burden is too heavy. It's been keeping me from sleeping well at night."
"If it's you, I believe you will be far more suitable for this position than I am."
Seeing that Kyoraku was not attached to power, many people secretly breathed a sigh of relief. They had truly been worried about a conflict breaking out.
However, Captain of the 6th Division, Kuchiki Byakuya, frowned deeply and stepped forward. "The appointment or removal of the Captain-Commander concerns the fundamental order of Soul Society! How can it be transferred privately like this? According to regulations, it must be deliberated and nominated by the Central 96, and finally..."
Before he could finish his words, many Shinigami around him were already breaking out in cold sweats on his behalf.
'Captain Byakuya is just too upright. Didn't he see that even the Zero Division dared not express their opinion easily?'