Ōetsu had fallen into a completely defensive position, forced to endure one beating after another.
Fortunately, the body covered by Daiguren Hyōrinmaru possessed a certain degree of defensive power. Otherwise, he would already have been beaten into submission beneath the endless thunder.
At the Phoenix Palace, several Zanpakutō spirits belonging to Ōetsu's personal guard watched anxiously as he was pummeled.
Aside from them, there probably wasn't another Zanpakutō here that genuinely cared whether Ōetsu lived or died.
"We have to go help him."
"No. That's no longer a battle we can interfere in."
"But what do you suggest we do? If that idiot Ōetsu gets killed, we're not going to fare any better."
"This is Ōetsu's order…"
The Zanpakutō of Ōetsu's personal guard had all been separated from a single Zanpakutō by Ōetsu himself.
Individually, their strength was nowhere near that of the other Zanpakutō.
To prevent Tsunayoshi from smashing them to pieces, Ōetsu had ordered the members of his personal guard not to participate in the battle.
"To hell with orders! That idiot Ōetsu is about to get himself killed!"
The most hot-tempered among them was Mera Hiuchigashima.
Her Zanpakutō spirit transformed into a blade and flew toward Ōetsu. Sparks erupted from its blade, rapidly spreading into a raging sea of flames that swallowed Ōetsu whole.
The advantageous situation was forcibly interrupted.
Tsunayoshi's target naturally shifted to Mera Hiuchigashima.
A flash of lightning.
Tsunayoshi, clad in his heavy armor, appeared behind Mera.
He raised his horn-shaped greatsword, its blade wrapped in terrifying lightning, and brought it crashing down upon her.
BOOM!
As the blade descended, a blinding green-white bolt of lightning struck at the same time, swallowing Mera completely.
After the brief flash, only a deep crater remained before Tsunayoshi.
At its bottom lay a shattered piece of flint.
"Mera!!!"
Seeing Mera's miserable condition, the other members of the personal guard couldn't help crying out.
They immediately wanted to move, rushing toward Tsunayoshi.
They were going to avenge Mera!
Tsunayoshi naturally heard their cries.
But his gaze wasn't on the personal guard.
Instead, he looked toward the battered Phoenix Palace.
The already somewhat crude palace was beginning to look even more dilapidated.
The eaves and doors were riddled with damage, and the entire structure appeared ready to collapse.
Tsunayoshi immediately understood.
The Phoenix Palace and Ōetsu's personal guard were interconnected.
He had just taken down Mera, and the Phoenix Palace was already showing signs of being unable to sustain itself.
If he took down two more, wouldn't Ōetsu's Bankai collapse completely?
A smile appeared beneath Tsunayoshi's helmet.
The members of the personal guard couldn't see it.
If they wanted revenge, then let them come.
He could take the opportunity to break two more of Ōetsu's blades.
Tsunayoshi advanced toward the charging members of the personal guard.
"Stop!"
Ōetsu's reaction was faster than Tsunayoshi's movement.
Breaking free from the flames, he immediately threw the two ice-type Zanpakutō aside.
Although Mera Hiuchigashima had disobeyed his orders, her flames had genuinely saved Ōetsu.
As for the other four rushing over, that would simply be foolish.
If anything happened to them, the Phoenix Palace would collapse on its own.
And once that happened, how could Ōetsu continue fighting Tsunayoshi?
So, even while still surrounded by flames, Ōetsu immediately stopped the remaining members.
"Stay where you are and protect the Phoenix Palace. I'll deal with this man myself!"
Seeing the personal guard retreat into the Phoenix Palace's territory once again, Tsunayoshi became even more certain that the four of them were deeply connected to Ōetsu's Bankai.
His previously leisurely footsteps suddenly accelerated.
He charged toward the Phoenix Palace.
Ōetsu was standing behind him.
If Tsunayoshi attacked the Phoenix Palace, there was a very good chance he could destroy Ōetsu's Bankai.
With lightning accelerating his Shunpo, Tsunayoshi reached the area filled with Zanpakutō surrounding the Phoenix Palace in an instant.
One more step, and he would be able to attack the palace directly.
Suddenly, an inexplicable force seized Tsunayoshi's legs, making even lifting a foot difficult.
The sensation was strangely familiar.
Gravity?
Tsunayoshi looked down.
At some point, a massive iron ball had been attached to his foot.
The gravitational force weighing down his body was coming from it.
Tsunayoshi narrowed his eyes.
As the instructor responsible for teaching the Soul Reapers of the Seireitei, he seemed to recognize whose power this was.
Before Tsunayoshi could say anything, every Zanpakutō surrounding him suddenly rose into the air.
One strange ability after another emerged from the blades.
The Reiatsu emanating from the Zanpakutō grew stronger and stronger.
Before long, it had surpassed the level of Bankai.
"Ōetsu! You're burning through the foundation of the Seireitei!"
Tsunayoshi finally understood what was happening and shouted at Ōetsu without even turning around.
He had recognized the power behind the iron ball at his feet.
The owner of Wabisuke was Izuru Kira.
Tsunayoshi knew Kira fairly well and had even discussed the direction of his Bankai development with him.
But Tsunayoshi knew very clearly that Kira was still some distance away from achieving Bankai.
Yet Ōetsu was now forcibly using Wabisuke's Bankai-level power, increasing the gravity acting upon Tsunayoshi's body to restrict his movements.
This was nothing short of forcing a seedling to grow by pulling it upward.
One careless move could cause irreversible damage to the Zanpakutō.
And the flying Zanpakutō were an even greater problem.
Tsunayoshi could sense Bankai-level Reiatsu emanating from them.
If nothing unexpected happened, Ōetsu was preparing to forcibly activate their Bankai powers as well.
This wasn't simply forcing them to use their power.
It was destroying the blades.
Among the Gotei 13, any Soul Reaper capable of properly wielding their Shikai already possessed enough strength to contend for a lieutenant's position.
In other words, the vast majority of Soul Reapers hadn't even mastered Shikai.
Yet Ōetsu was now forcibly drawing out Bankai-level power from their Zanpakutō.
A Zanpakutō that had never undergone Bankai training could be forced to unleash Bankai-level power, but the consequences were terrifying.
The immense Reiatsu of Bankai could literally overload the blade and cause it to explode.
Fine cracks began to spread.
Just as Tsunayoshi had predicted, cracks had already appeared on several of the Zanpakutō filling the sky.
At this rate, Ōetsu wouldn't even need to unleash Bankai.
He would destroy the blades himself.
"Zanpakutō are my creations. Of course they should obey my orders. And who the hell do you think you are?!"
Ōetsu pointed at Tsunayoshi, this abnormal existence among Zanpakutō, and angrily shouted.
Then he roared:
"All Zanpakutō, heed my command!"
"Dance of Blades!"
The Zanpakutō above Tsunayoshi's head began spinning and intersecting.
A chaotic storm formed entirely from Zanpakutō blades took shape.
Dance of Blades completely surrounded Tsunayoshi.
One bizarre ability after another erupted from the storm of blades, striking toward him.
A pink sea of cherry blossoms.
A crimson dragon carrying a blade between its jaws.
A silent cricket.
A massive black rope.
Explosive blades of wind.
Golden dancers…
One familiar Bankai after another appeared before Tsunayoshi.
And beyond those familiar powers were countless abilities he had never encountered before, including the same kind of gravitational iron ball created by Wabisuke.
Ōetsu intended to drown Tsunayoshi completely beneath the overwhelming power of countless Bankai.
"Ōetsu Nimaiya!"
"At my authority as Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, I formally protest your actions!"
"You are completely disregarding the safety of Soul Society and forcibly driving the Zanpakutō of other Soul Reapers for your own purposes!"
"I will report your crimes to the Soul King!"
By this point, Kyōraku and the others had also realized what was happening.
Ōetsu's method completely disregarded the lives and futures of the other Soul Reapers.
The vast majority of ordinary Soul Reapers were the backbone of Soul Society's defense.
If they lost their Zanpakutō, Kyōraku couldn't even imagine how they would carry out dangerous missions in the future.
"Heh. Don't make me laugh, Captain-Commander."
Ōetsu sneered.
"You don't really believe that the peace of the Three Worlds is maintained by your Gotei 13, do you?"
Ōetsu turned around and stared at Kyōraku without the slightest courtesy.
"Let me tell you something."
"Everything you people do is nothing more than meaningless self-indulgence."
"As long as the Soul King exists, nothing can truly threaten the Three Worlds."
"Since ancient times, the ones who have kept the world turning have always been Squad Zero!"
"As for those ridiculous wars between you and the Hollows, they are completely insignificant in the eyes of Squad Zero."
"As long as the Soul King exists, the Three Worlds will continue to exist."
"And as for reporting me to the Soul King…"
"You're going to make me laugh myself to death."
"There. He's right over there."
"Go ahead and report me."
Ōetsu casually pointed toward the area where the Monk was standing.
Although he didn't say it outright, he had already regarded the Monk as the one who possessed authority over the Three Worlds—the Soul King.
The acting Soul King hadn't even said anything.
Yet this newly appointed Captain-Commander dared to threaten Squad Zero?
If Ōetsu weren't occupied right now, he would definitely teach this newcomer exactly how formidable Squad Zero was.
The Gotei 13 could only maintain reverence toward Squad Zero!
Kyōraku's expression was as unpleasant as though he had swallowed a fly.
Yamamoto had put him in the position of Captain-Commander precisely because his smooth and accommodating personality made him suitable for maintaining relations between the Gotei 13 and the various worlds.
But Kyōraku simply couldn't tolerate this.
He couldn't tolerate Ōetsu using the future of Soul Society as a weapon against Soul Society's own future.
Whether Tsunayoshi or those Zanpakutō ultimately won was irrelevant to Kyōraku.
What mattered to him was getting rid of this reckless man named Ōetsu.
Kyōraku was trembling with anger, yet there was nothing he could do.
Ōetsu's Reiatsu was beyond anything he could shake.
And without his Zanpakutō in hand, he didn't even have the chance to trade his life for Ōetsu's.
Similar emotions quickly spread throughout the Gotei 13.
Every captain who witnessed the scene developed an even more desperate longing for greater power.
Bankai wasn't enough.
Only Beyond Bankai could allow them to truly take their own fate into their hands.
"Don't panic, everyone."
"I've been entrusted with the position of Seireitei instructor."
"These Zanpakutō are simply my troublesome students."
"As their teacher, how could I possibly hurt my own wayward pupils?"
A wave of green light swept across the battlefield.
Using the electrical field as a medium, Tsunayoshi's voice reached everyone's ears.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, delight spread across the captains' faces.
That's right.
Trust Sawada Tsunayoshi.
Ever since he had appeared in Soul Society, far too many things had changed.
The strength of the Soul Reapers had continued to rise.
He had never failed the responsibility entrusted to him by the Seireitei.
Believe in him.
Because belief requires no reason.
Ōetsu slowly walked to the entrance of the Phoenix Palace.
He folded his arms and leaned against the doorframe.
He wanted to see exactly how Sawada Tsunayoshi intended to survive this storm of countless Bankai.
"Not hurt the Zanpakutō?"
As though that were a matter of whether you wanted to hurt them!
A sinister smile curled across Ōetsu's lips.
His Reiatsu surged once more.
The Reiatsu being poured into the Zanpakutō increased yet again.
He wanted to see which would happen first—
Would the Zanpakutō explode under the strain?
Or would Sawada Tsunayoshi die beneath their blades?
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