BOOOOM—!!!
In full view of everyone—
the Hao Fire Fan, after absorbing the surrounding flames,
simulated and reconstructed a gigantic blade-shaped inferno—
and it erupted skyward from the scorched ground,
detonating directly on the Captain-Commander's aged body!
"That is…!"
"Hadō #96…!"
"The so-called Sacrifice Kidō—Ittō Kasō!!!"
"Unbelievable…!"
"Just with a zanpakutō's Shikai…"
"Bai Chen actually recreated that forbidden technique perfectly!"
It was beyond imagination.
On Sōkyoku Hill, the captains stared upward in shock.
That enormous dark flame-blade…
looked like it had split heaven and earth.
The uproar exploded instantly.
Bai Chen didn't just dare to close in and ambush—
he unleashed a third finisher.
And it was an "Ittō Kasō" that discarded the self-destruction drawback.
"Ridiculous…"
"The sky over Seireitei looks like it's been cut open…"
"Bai Chen's Hao Fire Fan is… brutally violent."
Even Kuchiki Byakuya—normally the embodiment of restraint—
couldn't stop himself from murmuring in disbelief.
Just looking at that fire-blade made him feel suffocated—
as if the reishi inside his body was about to ignite.
And if he imagined being the one hit by it…
he was certain he'd be vaporized on the spot—
reduced to ash without even leaving a trace.
Kyōraku Shunsui's expression turned complicated.
"I was worried for Bai Chen…"
thinking he couldn't possibly last long against the old man.
But now…
the one who truly needs worrying about might be the old man himself."
Beside him, Sasakibe Chōjirō spoke with absolute certainty.
"Don't worry."
"Even if he was caught off guard…"
"The Captain-Commander is the master of the strongest fire-type blade."
"No matter what flames he faces—he will turn danger into safety."
He knew Yamamoto better than anyone.
Two thousand years at the man's side—
Sasakibe believed this was only temporary.
Ryūjin Jakka would answer with overwhelming retaliation.
And right as those words left his mouth—
from the base of the blade-shaped inferno,
Yamamoto's furious roar erupted.
"Ryūjin Jakka—Torch!!!"
A savage white shockwave blasted out—
as if a sun was being reborn inside the flames.
A ring of crimson fire, utterly different from the black flames,
exploded outward like a solar halo—
and slammed into the underside of the dark fire-blade!
BOOOOM—!!!
Red and black flames collided—
turning the sky into a violent kaleidoscope.
The massive dark flame-blade began to crack—
showing clear signs of collapse, as though it would detonate apart completely.
The feeling it gave everyone was simple:
A furious Captain-Commander was about to bury
that entire wasteland—
and maybe even Seireitei itself—
inside fire.
"Just as expected—Yamamoto is striking back!"
"The intensity just escalated again!"
"Thank goodness the battlefield was chosen out there…"
"If this happened near the divisions…"
"the barracks and half of Seireitei would already be burning!"
At this point, it wasn't only the captains.
Across the Gotei 13, more than six thousand Shinigami were in chaos—
curling up in fear, clustering into desperate groups,
or outright fleeing until they hit the edge of Seireitei's walls with nowhere left to run.
This "fire-type strongest" clash—
with its continuous finisher exchanges—
had blown past what ordinary Shinigami could mentally endure.
If the scale increased again…
it would become a true catastrophe.
The Aftermath: Who's Standing?
Soon after, the clashing flames detonated together.
The blade-shaped inferno exploded apart and vanished.
A final pillar of fire surged into the sky—
and the blinding flash stole everyone's vision.
Even after the clouds were shredded and scattered,
the residual flame-wave still climbed into the heavens,
like it could reach tens of thousands of meters high—
almost brushing the outer boundary of Seireitei itself.
At the edge of Sōkyoku Hill, Ichimaru Gin spoke in a rare heavy tone.
"Aizen-taichō… forgive me for saying it…"
"But compared to that wood-type zanpakutō—Wood Dragon…"
"I feel like Hao Fire Fan's potential…"
"might be even more terrifying."
Aizen's eyes tightened almost imperceptibly—
then he forced his composure back into place.
"That's only your impression."
"All battles in this world…"
at their core are contests of spiritual pressure."
Classic Aizen.
In his view, Bai Chen still had a gap to Yamamoto in raw pressure—
so no matter how monstrous the ability was,
the Captain-Commander shouldn't be bleeding.
Gin shrugged and looked back to the battlefield.
"Fine."
"Then when the flames clear…"
"it'll be Bai Chen injured…"
and Yamamoto unscathed, right?"
Everyone waited.
And then—
the answer arrived.
"Look!!!"
"Huh… that's weird…"
"He's not injured?!"
When the last layer of fire faded—
Bai Chen's silhouette appeared in the glow of the remaining embers.
He'd just been hit at close range by the solar-halo bombardment—
yet he stood there unscathed.
Not even his black shihakushō showed obvious damage.
As if that firestorm that nearly tore Seireitei apart…
had done nothing more than make him sweat.
"Is it that healing…?"
Sui-Feng's eyes flickered violently.
She immediately recalled the hidden site beneath Sōkyoku Hill—
where Bai Chen's unsealed healing had restored him instantly.
Omaeda yelped behind her.
"Captain… he's cheating!!!"
"An 'unharmed' One-Blade Cremation is already insane!"
"But now even after mutual detonation…"
"he can heal and come out clean?!"
He sucked in a breath, trembling.
"Doesn't that mean…"
"the Captain-Commander is actually at a disadvantage?"
"Could he… really lose?!"
Sui-Feng snapped immediately:
"Omaeda, shut up!"
"Bai Chen is strong—yes."
"But his opponent is the Captain-Commander!"
"The thousand-year strongest Shinigami… can't possibly lose!"
Her tone was firm—
but the moment her words left her mouth…
her expression shattered.
Because as Bai Chen's opposite side cleared—
Yamamoto's figure finally emerged.
He was still standing straight—
his posture unbroken—
but his body was covered in bloody wounds.
The Captain-Commander… was bleeding.
And that single image—
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni injured—
hit Seireitei like a magnitude-10 earthquake.
The entire city erupted again.
"How is this possible…?!"
"The Captain-Commander…"
"is hurt this badly?!"
◇ I'll drop one bonus chapter for every 10 reviews (leave a review/comment!)
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon: patreon.com/KageNaruto