In the sky above Karakura Town, blue flames spread and surged, as if burning across the ground, causing the surrounding air currents to evaporate.
Many humans heard the deafening explosions, but they could not see the Shinigami, could not see spiritual beings, and certainly could not see Hollows—so they had no idea that a fierce battle was raging above Karakura Town.
Only Ichigo Kurosaki and the burly man who had been beating him sensed the commotion on the other side.
"That's… the one from Division 3…?!"
Ichigo Kurosaki, breathing heavily and covered in injuries, looked at Kaiser, who had appeared at some point, both shocked and relieved.
"Another Shinigami?"
The burly man didn't care much.
The Shinigami previously stationed in Karakura Town had all rushed over due to the noise, and every one of them was pathetically weak—some were blown away by him, others were swallowed whole, bones and all. Now another one had shown up—what was the big deal?
As he thought that, the burly man suddenly realized Grimmjow was nowhere to be seen.
No, that's not right…
He had been attacked!
"What's going on, Grimmjow?" The burly man didn't worry about his companion; instead, he seemed irritated. "You can't even deal with a single Shinigami? Want me to give you a hand?"
Just as his words fell, Grimmjow's annoyed response came through.
"Don't meddle in my business."
Grimmjow slowly emerged from the blue flames, completely unharmed.
"On the other hand, you're dealing with a substitute Shinigami who's barely trained—why's he so hard for you to handle?" Grimmjow looked down on the burly man from above and said, "If you can't deal with him, hand it over to me. I'll kill him instantly."
He didn't seem to be joking—because the killing intent he released made even Kaiser raise his eyebrows in amazement.
"You, before becoming an Arrancar, must've been the kind of beast that bites anything that moves."
Otherwise, he wouldn't exude such intense killing intent, constantly flaring outward—more intimidating than even his Reiatsu.
"Don't talk big, Grimmjow." The burly man let out a heavy snort. "This guy might look weak, but he's actually hard to deal with."
"Hmm… There's something strange about him. Looking at this guy, I feel like I'm looking at one of my own kind."
"Damn it, what the hell's going on!"
As he spoke, the burly man lifted his chin and looked down at Ichigo Kurosaki with disdain.
"Hey, Shinigami, what the hell are you?"
Ichigo Kurosaki didn't respond.
He was in tremendous pain. Inside him, a savage consciousness was awakening, fighting him for control over his body. He felt like he might lose himself at any moment and become someone—or something—else.
"What's happening to me…?"
Ichigo Kurosaki had no idea what was going on within him, and panic began to well up.
The burly man, however, thought Ichigo was deliberately hiding something and grew visibly annoyed.
"Forget it. Whatever you are, if you're a Shinigami, that means what I have to do doesn't change."
The burly man stepped forward with heavy, thunderous steps, his voice booming as he approached Ichigo Kurosaki.
"I'll at least let you know who's about to kill you."
"I'm Yammy, Diez Espada—Yammy Llargo."
"Remember that well, Shinigami."
His fists, each the size of a boulder, came crashing down with overwhelming force toward Ichigo Kurosaki.
"Damn it!"
Ichigo Kurosaki could only curse under his breath as he raised his black sword and clashed with Yammy once more.
Watching this, Kaiser frowned slightly—then suddenly noticed something, and his frown relaxed.
He had already sensed it—his Lieutenant had concealed her Reiatsu and arrived at the scene.
She hadn't revealed herself, probably because she was assessing the situation.
She had likely sensed that the Reiatsu of Grimmjow and Yammy far surpassed her own and was waiting for the limiter release authorization so she could fight at full power.
Given how dire Ichigo Kurosaki's situation looked, she was likely focusing on that battlefield.
As for this side…
It didn't warrant backup.
"That move just now wasn't bad, Shinigami."
Grimmjow, completely unscathed, sneered in front of Kaiser.
"Too bad—it doesn't work on me."
Grimmjow activated Sonído, leaving a trail of white smoke in place and appearing in front of Kaiser in an instant, slashing down.
"Clang!"
Kaiser abruptly drew his sword, deflecting the incoming strike, sparks flying.
"Hahaha!"
Grimmjow seemed to enter a frenzy—or perhaps a bloodthirsty state—as he laughed wildly and swung his blade repeatedly. His attacks were chaotic and lacked form or technique, relying purely on brute strength. Rather than wielding a sword, it looked more like he was swinging a club.
But his power was indeed terrifying. Each strike carried immense force, and every blow against Kaiser's Zanpakutō sparked violently, causing the air itself to tremble.
If it had been someone else, under 80% Reiatsu suppression, defending against Grimmjow's attacks would have been nearly impossible.
But this wasn't just anyone—it was Kaiser, whose raw physical strength alone could rival average Captain-class Shinigami. So Grimmjow was destined not to overpower him.
The Reiatsu Limiter had no effect on physical strength.
So even with 80% of his Reiatsu sealed, the remaining 20%, combined with his body's strength, was enough for Kaiser to deal with an Espada-level Arrancar.
As a result, Grimmjow's powerful strikes were all precisely deflected by Kaiser. And not only that—Kaiser occasionally closed the distance and landed his own slashes on Grimmjow.
"Splurt!"
Kaiser's elegant and regal Zanpakutō sliced through the air like a cold arc, slashing across Grimmjow's face and leaving a wound on his cheek.
Grimmjow's laughter stopped abruptly. His eyes widened slightly, then he unleashed a slash full of killing intent straight at Kaiser's face.
"Clang!"
Kaiser casually knocked the blade aside with a swing, stepped forward, and slashed again from another angle.
"Splurt!"
Instantly, a cut appeared on Grimmjow's chest.
The famed Hierro of the Arrancar might have offered resistance, but it could not fully defend against Kaiser's slashes.
"You bastard…!"
Grimmjow roared in anger, clenching his empty hand tightly.
"Buzz…"
A powerful Reiatsu gathered in Grimmjow's clenched hand, instantly condensing into a dense spiritual mass, glowing with dangerous red light and vibrating the air.
"Cero!"
Grimmjow thrust his hand forward, unleashing a red flash of destruction like a river of light—seemingly capable of vaporizing, flattening, and destroying everything in its path—as it shot toward Kaiser.
"Bakudō #81: Dankū."
Kaiser didn't retreat, nor did he dodge. Instead, he advanced and recited a defensive Bakudō.
"BOOM!!!"
The red beam struck the transparent wall that suddenly appeared in front of Kaiser and exploded, lighting up the sky with a blinding blast. The shockwave was massive, flattening the flowers, grass, and trees below.
"Shup!"
Kaiser stepped out with Shunpo, instantly appearing in front of Grimmjow—who had just fired the Cero. In Grimmjow's shrinking pupils, Kaiser silently and coldly raised his Zanpakutō and slashed down.
"Splurt!"
A sharp blade of light dragged from Grimmjow's shoulder to his side, and blood burst from his chest.
A deeper and more grievous wound than any before now marked Grimmjow's body—a diagonal slash across his torso.
In that strike, Kaiser had poured in all the Reiatsu he could currently muster, combined with his physical strength—doubling the force and making the blow devastating.
Grimmjow's Hierro failed to provide even the slightest defense. The attack broke through instantly and left him severely wounded.
"Grahhhhh…!"
Grimmjow screamed—or perhaps roared in fury—as he swung his blade at Kaiser despite the blood pouring from his body.
"Shup!"
Kaiser vanished with Shunpo and reappeared high above Grimmjow, looking down with a smile.
"Looks like you were right—I really am nothing remarkable. Not worth being cautious of at all," Kaiser said in mock helplessness. "Otherwise, that last strike would've sliced you clean in half."
"Ugh…"
Grimmjow didn't reply. Covering his chest, blood dripping through his fingers, he hunched forward involuntarily.
"Grimmjow!"
Yammy saw what happened and, stunned, stopped his attack on Ichigo Kurosaki and looked up in shock.
"Opportunity!"
Momo Hinamori seized the moment and flashed into action without hesitation.
"O Ruler! Mask of flesh and blood, all creation—fluttering wings—he who bears the crown! Carve twin lotuses upon the wall of blue flame—await the abyss of blazing fire in the far heavens!"
In less than a second, Momo Hinamori completed her Incantation and extended her hand toward Yammy.
The calendula-like mark at her collarbone was fading, allowing her Reiatsu to erupt fully.
"Hadō #73: Sōren Sōkatsui!"
With a cry, Momo Hinamori released a fully chanted Hadō #73. Twin blue fire lotuses roared forth and slammed into Yammy.
At the same time, Ichigo Kurosaki—who had been holding back—also seized this once-in-a-lifetime chance and swung his sword.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
The jet-black crescent shot forth like a blade, slicing through the air and striking Yammy alongside the twin blue fire lotuses.
"BOOM!!!"
A tremendous explosion erupted on the ground, shattering the earth.