Inside the training space, ten months passed silently.
For the members of the Gotei 13 inside, it was a period long enough to cause a complete transformation, yet so short that it felt as if it had just begun.
Under the strict and highly targeted training formulated by Setsuna, each person experienced tempering that could be called hellish.
Prohibited from over-relying on Bankai, they re-tempered their Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho and Kido, and simulated combat against enemies in various extreme environments.
Under this training, the results were naturally remarkable.
The Captains' Reiatsu became more refined, their combat skills increasingly pure and seasoned. Their understanding and application of their own abilities rose more than one level.
The Lieutenants and seated officers also progressed rapidly, elevating the overall combat effectiveness by a notch.
Inside the training space, Setsuna, who was training Ichigo, said in a deep voice, "They're here."
"Yhwach?" Ichigo looked somewhat anxious. "Damn it. Although I've found the resonance point between Quincy and Fullbring and completed my second transcendence, the perfect fusion of the four powers is just too difficult."
With his current progress, how could he counter that unfathomable enemy?
"Don't worry about that, Ichigo." Setsuna's tone carried a hint of recognition. "This is an extremely difficult path. Your progress in ten months has already far exceeded my expectations."
"But the enemy won't wait for me to slowly fuse..." Ichigo clenched his fists.
"True." Setsuna nodded, but then changed tack. "However, Ichigo, have you noticed that you are actually a genius?"
"I'm a genius?" Ichigo was stunned.
He had always felt that he got this far by relying on brute force and constantly breaking his limits. It didn't seem to have much to do with the word 'genius'.
"You are a genius of battle." Setsuna affirmed. "Your intuition and your ability to adapt on the fly far exceed ordinary people. Many bottlenecks that are difficult to break through in normal training may, instead, be forcibly shattered by your will in real life-and-death battles."
Setsuna looked at Ichigo, his gaze carrying a peculiar kind of trust. "So, not being able to do it now doesn't mean you can't do it in battle. Pressure, crisis, the conviction to protect… these can all become 'catalysts' that catalyze the fusion of the powers within you."
"To... do it in battle?" Ichigo murmured, a glimmer of understanding in his eyes.
Yes, thinking back, hadn't many of his breakthroughs occurred in battles where his life hung by a thread?
"So, don't overly worry about your training progress." Setsuna concluded. "Trust yourself. Trust the possibilities sleeping within you. Then, go fight. Go transcend."
"Setsuna-senpai..." A surge of warmth and emotion rose in Ichigo's heart.
He hadn't expected that this senior, whose strength was godlike and who seemed to see through everything, would have such faith in him and give him such encouragement and guidance.
"I will definitely do it in battle!" Ichigo nodded vigorously. The confusion in his eyes had largely dissipated, and his fighting spirit was rekindled.
"Then let's go." Setsuna murmured, waving his hand lightly in the air.
Hum!
The training space shook slightly. All the Shinigami who were training or resting felt a gentle force envelop them.
The next moment, the scene before them changed rapidly, accompanied by a slight dizziness of spatial transition.
When they again felt solid ground beneath their feet, they had returned to the real-world Seireitei, standing in the square before the 1st Division barracks.
"Everyone, the war has begun again."
Hearing Setsuna's declaration of war, the Shinigami of the Gotei 13 were all brimming with confidence.
Setsuna warned, "Don't be complacent. I can provide you with special training, but my enemy can also provide special training for the Wandenreich."
"The progress you feel, the enemy may also have. Never underestimate any opponent!"
After the battle began, Setsuna's words were indeed verified.
The Sternritter's Schrift abilities seemed to have undergone some kind of enhancement or mutation. The negative energy mixed into their attacks could erode Reiatsu and disturb the mind.
Although the Gotei 13 had greatly improved in strength, facing this unfamiliar power, they initially fell into a brief passive state.
"As expected, it's Omega Shenron's negative energy." Setsuna understood.
The core of the battlefield quickly focused on the highest-level showdown.
Yhwach's Heilig Pfeil, mixed with negative energy, aimed at Aizen, Zaraki, and Ichigo, and suddenly shot forth.
Aizen's Reiatsu exploded around him, trying to resist with the power of the Hogyoku's evolution.
"Raaah!" Zaraki roared, his golden Reiatsu burning like flames, his Zanpakuto slashing upward with a will to tear everything apart.
On his right hand, Ichigo fused Hollow power with his Zanpakuto... on his left hand, he infused Fullbring into Blut Arterie, using a weak dynamic balance to unleash Getsuga Tensho.
However, the result was that all three were pushed back dozens of meters.
With a single blow, Yhwach had simultaneously suppressed three top-tier powerhouses who could be called [Transcendents].
"See?" Omega Shenron, opposite Setsuna, said with a mocking smile. "I gave him a little guidance, helping him better use his own power, turning the destruction and negative emotions generated in battle into his own use."
"Although he is still far inferior to us, in his complete form, he can have approximately... seven-tenths of a percent of the power level of our main bodies, right?"
"This level is not something your so-called Shinigami underlings can easily handle."
Setsuna's expression remained calm as he asked softly, "If Yhwach were facing a 'me' with a lower power level than his, who do you think would win?"
"Of course you would win." Omega Shenron said without hesitation. "Even if your displayed Reiatsu value and power level are lower than his, he could never be your match."
"The gap in realm, skill, understanding of the essence of power, combat wisdom, and even your own will… it's too great. This is not something that can be bridged by mere 'numerical values'."
Omega Shenron then shook his head again. "But there is only one existence like you. Your underlings don't have your ability to overcome the strong with the weak and crush them in essence."
"That may not be the case." Setsuna smiled slightly, his gaze turning towards Ichigo on the battlefield below.
"Among them, there may also be someone like me who can surpass convention."
"Ha!" Omega Shenron let out a dismissive sneer. "Don't try to use such vague words to disturb my mind and shake my judgment. I will not fall for your tricks!"
His voice turned fierce and full of confidence. "The truth is, Yhwach will crush your Shinigami! And I will defeat you here!"
"Destruction is my source of power. The more intense the battle, the more death there is, the more destruction and negative emotions are generated, the faster my power will recover!"
"You are destined to be defeated by me!"
Setsuna smiled slightly. "Is that so? Then come."