"[Hyoten Hyakkaso]? Truly a powerful technique. If its power were just a little stronger, I might have been completely frozen."
Ryujin Jakka praised.
"Tch! Just a little short? How regrettable. But you won't be so lucky next time."
Hyorinmaru said coldly.
"Hmph, talk after you survive this battle!"
Ryujin Jakka snorted.
"Roar!"
"Zanka no Tachi, South: Kaka Jumanokushi Daisojin!"
With Ryujin Jakka's roar, the earth suddenly split open. Countless charred skeletons crawled out from underground and charged towards Hyorinmaru flying in mid-air.
"These are the dead slain by Yamamoto Genryusai's blade!"
[Zanka no Tachi, South: Kaka Jumanokushi Daisojin] was one of Yamamoto's ultimate techniques. It used high temperatures to awaken the ashes of those slain by his blade, turning them into a charred skeleton army that relentlessly attacks those Yamamoto considers enemies.
When Toshiro first broke through to Demi-god level and fought Yamamoto, he had used this technique, so Hyorinmaru recognized it. But then, Hyorinmaru had only fought as a Zanpakuto assisting Toshiro. Now, facing the enemy alone, the pressure was completely different.
"Fighting alone and facing this technique, the shock is completely different from last time..."
Hyorinmaru said with a solemn tone.
"It seems I need to use that technique Toshiro developed to counter this..."
"Daiguren Jigoku!" (T/N: Great Crimson Lotus Hell.)
Hyorinmaru shouted.
Boom!
As her voice fell, the space of the entire Soul Society shook.
Then, a huge fissure appeared in the void, and a massive ice hell descended upon the Soul Society, appearing beside Hyorinmaru.
Within this ice hell, there were countless ice-blue skeletons, and everywhere, huge red lotus flowers bloomed.
However, these weren't real red lotus petals, but sinners in the Daiguren Jigoku whose flesh was torn open by the freezing cold, their bodies stained red with blood.
[Daiguren Jigoku] was a technique Toshiro developed shortly after breaking through to [Demi-god level]. But of course, this wasn't the real Daiguren Jigoku. It was a projection formed by using his Reiatsu to communicate with and draw upon the power of the real Daiguren Jigoku.
But even as a mere projection, this technique possessed uncanny and unpredictable power.
Using this technique allowed one to directly summon the powerful, heinous ice dead from the real Daiguren Jigoku to fight for them.
Although Daiguren Jigoku was developed by Toshiro, it was actually an ultimate technique of Hyorinmaru herself. After Toshiro developed it, Hyorinmaru could also use it directly.
"Go! My dead army!"
Hyorinmaru shouted.
Upon receiving the command, the dead army in the Daiguren Jigoku immediately moved.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!!"
These ice dead roared and howled, wielding ice swords and axes as they vied with each other to charge at the charred skeletons summoned by Ryujin Jakka.
"Roar, roar, roar!!"
Hyorinmaru's ice dead army and Ryujin Jakka's charred skeleton army immediately clashed.
Both sides fought fearlessly, hacking and slashing at each other. Ice dead and charred skeletons fell one after another, but their numbers on the battlefield consistently didn't diminish.
Because both Hyorinmaru's ice dead and Ryujin Jakka's charred skeletons were sustained by their Reiatsu. Even if destroyed, they could summon more.
Time continued to pass, but Hyorinmaru's dead army and Ryujin Jakka's skeleton army couldn't gain the upper hand. It seemed the battle could go on forever.
However, Hyorinmaru knew the battle would eventually be decided. Because both her ice dead and Ryujin Jakka's skeleton army were summoned using their Reiatsu.
And although their Reiatsu was vast, it wasn't infinite. Moreover, after materializing under the influence of Muramasa's power, they could be considered to have completely separated from their masters, becoming independent existences.
This 'independence' came at a cost. In this state, the Reiatsu they consumed in battle was very difficult to recover on its own. Basically, every bit used was gone, and if their Reiatsu was completely consumed, they even risked dissipating.
Although Hyorinmaru had reconciled with Toshiro, if Toshiro wasn't nearby and she didn't return to her Zanpakuto form, she similarly couldn't replenish her Reiatsu. Her situation wasn't much better than Ryujin Jakka's.
'Damn it, although Daiguren Jigoku can summon ice undead from hell to fight and is a powerful technique, the consumption of Reiatsu is terrifying. If this continues, it's really bad.'
Hyorinmaru couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
Meanwhile, outside the battlefield, Yamamoto was also starting to get anxious.
'The battle still isn't over? Hyorinmaru and Ryujin Jakka's Reiatsu is already affecting the Seireitei's environment. If this continues, the Seireitei really is at risk of being destroyed.'
Seeing the battle's impact on the Seireitei continuously expanding, Yamamoto involuntarily thought back to his own battle with Yhwach, which had left the entire Soul Society in ruins.
So Yamamoto started to get truly anxious.
'Fifteen minutes. If they can't decide the outcome in fifteen minutes, I'll have everyone intervene and strive to defeat Ryujin Jakka quickly!'
Yamamoto resolved in his heart.
"I can't delay any longer. If I cause too much damage to the Seireitei, I won't be able to explain to Toshiro. So..."
"I'll bet all my power on that one technique!!"
"Zero-Degree Space!!"
Hyorinmaru shouted, gathering all her Reiatsu, except for a tiny amount needed to maintain her own existence.
Boom!
With the eruption of Reiatsu, Hyorinmaru's ice dragon body suddenly shone with a dazzling ice-blue light.
Then, boundless blue radiance emanated from her, spreading in all directions.
Silence! Soundless!!
Where the ice-blue radiance passed, it was silent, causing no disturbance.
Everything was instantly frozen! The battling ice dead and charred skeletons, the clash of weapons, the trembling earth, the roaring explosions, the falling rain, even time and space itself, were all frozen in an instant.
Everything, absolutely everything, abruptly came to a standstill.
Even Ryujin Jakka, when touched by the ice-blue radiance, struggled only briefly before being completely frozen, becoming a lifelike ice sculpture. One could even see the disbelief in his eyes.
Time stopped, space solidified. The entire area within a kilometer was tinged with an ice-blue glow, as if separated from the world, becoming an independent small world.