The Seireitei was now unrecognizable.
The once solemn and sacred buildings were now just rubble and ruins, a scene of utter devastation.
Corpses lay scattered across the ground, some belonging to Shinigami in their Shihakushō, others to Quincy in their white uniforms.
These bodies were either pierced by swords or charred by flames, a gruesome sight to behold.
They were the lucky ones, at least their bodies were left intact.
Some had been reduced to nothing but ash.
The Captain-Commander's Bankai was not something to be taken lightly.
"Chōjirō, clean up the battlefield and tally the casualties," the Captain-Commander ordered Chōjirō with a grave expression before checking on Kazuma's condition.
"Is Kazuma alright, Captain Batsu'unsai?"
Batsu'unsai held the charred and unconscious Kazuma in her arms as if she were holding a piece of burnt charcoal, desperately using Kaido to treat the wound where the Heilig Pfeil had pierced him.
"Captain-Commander, I don't know. Kazuma's external injuries aren't too severe, but he remains unconscious," Batsu'unsai said, looking haggard.
A short while later...
"Captain-Commander, the casualty report is in. Thanks to Captain Satou Kazuma's Domain, only a third of the regular squad members were killed. The casualties among Seated Officers were even lower. Five Vice-Captains were killed in action. As for the captains..." Chōjirō trailed off.
The Captain-Commander took a deep breath.
"Chōjirō, continue your report. I'm not that fragile you know, Where there is war, there will be sacrifice and a price to pay. Now that the war is won, any price paid is worth it."
Chōjirō continued, "Fourth Division Captain Chigiri Shijima, Ninth Division Captain Entetsu Kumen'i, Tenth Division Captain Furuoki Ōtogawa, Twelfth Division Captain Zenjōji Uhin, and Thirteenth Division Captain Saizō Sakahone were killed in action. Sixth Division Captain Furōfushi Saitō is severely injured."
"Saitō is severely injured too?" S
Chōjirō glanced at the charred body of Kazuma.
"Captain Satou Kazuma should be considered severely injured, seeing as he's still unconscious."
After hearing Chōjirō's report, Yamamoto sighed helplessly.
"Five Gotei 13 captains killed in action, and two severely injured. Over half are casualties. The price was truly heavy."
"What about the results of the battle?"
"On the Quincy side, Yhwach was killed by you. As for their so-called Sternritter members, all were killed except for Haschwalth, who has disappeared."
"Oh? Haschwalth escaped?"
"I will send men to pursue him immediately."
"There's no need. Yhwach is dead, a mere Quincy can't stir up any trouble for us. We'll make arrangements for him later."
"Yes, Captain-Commander!"
Yamamoto looked at Kazuma lying on the ground, his life hanging in the balance, and sighed deeply.
"Alas, Chōjirō, quickly go and ask Captain Unohana to come and treat Kazuma. See what's going on here. I don't want to hear news of another captain's death!"
Hearing the word "death," Batsu'unsai's heart clenched violently.
She prayed silently, 'Kazuma, you have to hold on!'
...
Before long, Unohana rushed to their location.
With a serious expression, she asked, "Captain-Commander, Batsu'unsai, how is Kazuma now?"
However, Batsu'unsai's eyes were vacant as she held Kazuma tightly, not saying a word.
The Captain-Commander had arrived later and didn't know the specific details of how Kazuma was injured.
"Batsu'unsai, let go of Kazuma first. Let me examine his injuries," Unohana said in a firm tone.
But Batsu'unsai seemed to have lost her soul, continuing to hold Kazuma tightly without any reaction.
Seeing this, Unohana frowned slightly and said sharply, "Do you want to watch him die here?"
This sentence was like a clap of thunder ringing in Batsu'unsai's ears.
Her eyes widened, her body trembled, and she slowly loosened her hands, handing Kazuma over to Unohana.
"Now tell me how he was injured so I can formulate a treatment plan."
Seeing that Batsu'unsai had finally reacted, Unohana didn't dare to delay any longer.
After all, every extra moment meant a greater chance of saving him.
"Kazuma was burned by Yhwach's concentrated Reishi flames while saving me, and then his body was pierced by a Heilig Pfeil," Batsu'unsai began to recount the process of Kazuma's injury.
"The wound from the Heilig Pfeil isn't fatal, and you've mostly treated it with Kaidō. Strange, how could he be unconscious just from being burned by Reishi flames?"
"Captain-Commander, please allow me to take Captain Kazuma back to the Eleventh Division. I need to conduct a full examination on him."
"Go. You must find out the cause."
"Batsu'unsai, you carry Kazuma. I'll go get Saitō, and we'll rush back to the Eleventh Division to give them emergency treatment. You can be my assistant." Unohana and Batsu'unsai took Kazuma and Saitō and hurried back to the Eleventh Division.
Along the way, Unohana's expression was grave.
She knew this injury was unusual.
If she couldn't find an effective treatment, Kazuma's chances were slim.
Once they reached the Eleventh Division, Unohana immediately began treatment.
She used her extensive medical knowledge and exquisite Kaidō to carefully examine Kazuma's body.
However, no matter how hard she tried, Kazuma showed no signs of waking up.
Batsu'unsai waited anxiously by the side, secretly praying for Kazuma's safety.
As time ticked by, sweat gradually beaded on Unohana's forehead.
Just as Batsu'unsai was starting to feel hopeless, Unohana suddenly noticed something unusual.
She stared at Kazuma's body as if she had seen a glimmer of hope.
"This isn't right!" Unohana's gaze sharpened, her eyes fixed on Kazuma as if trying to see something deeper within his body.
"Kazuma's injuries aren't as simple as just being burned by Reishi flames. His body is filled with Quincy Power, which Yhwach must have injected into him using the flames. This Quincy Power is extremely strong and is suppressing Kazuma's Spiritual Pressure, which is why he's unconscious. But from the current situation, Kazuma's life is not in danger. As long as he can assimilate or expel Yhwach's power, he will wake up." Unohana's voice was filled with conviction and confidence.
Hearing Unohana's words, a look of pleasant surprise finally appeared on Batsu'unsai's face.
"That's great! In other words, Kazuma is still alive, and he has a chance to wake up!"
However, Unohana's expression remained grave.
"But this process could take a very long time, and it depends entirely on Kazuma's own abilities. If he cannot assimilate or expel Yhwach's power, then he will remain asleep forever."
"Can I transfer my Spiritual Pressure to Kazuma to help him?" Batsu'unsai asked eagerly.
Unohana shook her head. "He can only rely on himself for this. We can't help him at all."
"Then how long will this process take?"
"That's hard to say. The process could take a few days at the shortest, or several hundred years at the longest. When Kazuma wakes up depends entirely on him," Unohana sighed helplessly.
Batsu'unsai was silent for a moment before saying, "In that case, let him rest well here."
After speaking, she turned and left.
Unohana looked at Kazuma and prayed silently, 'Kazuma, you must regain consciousness as soon as possible. Batsu'unsai seems fine for now, but if you don't wake up, I don't know what she might do.'
....
While the outside world was discussing Kazuma's injuries, he had arrived in the world of his Zanpakutō.
"Well, well. You're in a real sorry state this time, so badly injured," Hokushin Raitei said, looking at Kazuma with a smile.
"That bastard Yhwach doesn't play fair, he only knows how to launch sneak attacks! And he calls himself the King of the Quincy? What a disgrace! I know he won't die so easily, but has just fallen into a deep sleep. When I recover, I'm going to beat the shit out of him and make him kneel and sing 'Conquer'." Kazuma was fuming.
"Beat the shit out of him? You should worry about yourself first. Yhwach's power is flooding your body. You can't even wake up right now. Beat the shit out of him? Are you dreaming?"
"Then what should I do? You must have a way, right? After all, you're the incarnation of the North Star." Kazuma wanted Hokushin Raitei to intervene.
"There is a way, and it's quite simple. Just absorb his power or expel it."
Kazuma gave a fawning smile. "But I can't do it, can I?"
"Stop smiling, that expression of yours is so sleazy. You need to have some dignity, you know? I don't know how someone like you managed to connect with the power of the Thunder Emperor."
Kazuma's face fell. "If you don't want to help, just say so. Why resort to personal attacks?"
"Just stay here and train properly. Once you learn Bankai, a little bit of Yhwach's power will be a minor issue. Batsu'unsai is still waiting for you, you know."
Hearing Hokushin Raitei mention Batsu'unsai, Kazuma was instantly motivated.
"Alright! Alright! Alright! I'll go train right now. Don't bother me unless it's important."
"Get lost! As if anyone's interested in you!"
"Batsu'unsai is interested in me!"
"..."