"Take care of your sisters and uncle!" Rukia shouted.
Tatsuki just looked at Ichigo silently—no words needed between them.
Unohana gently smiled as she pried Nel off of Ichigo, who was still clinging to him like a stubborn child.
Kenpachi then opened the Garganta and called out, "Alright, Kurosaki Ichigo. Captain Unohana. You can return to the Human World anytime."
"Don't worry. I'll take care of this Arrancar," Byakuya said with a nod toward Ichigo.
As for Kenpachi… well, Ichigo nodded and leapt into the Garganta, with Unohana following close behind.
Just as the two vanished inside, Yammy got back up and hurled a massive punch at Kenpachi!
But against Kenpachi, that punch was nowhere near as effective.
Not only did it fail to injure him, it ended with Yammy getting several fingers sliced clean off!
Kenpachi sneered coldly.
He leapt up and cleaved a line right across Yammy's forehead!
To Kenpachi, Yammy was just an oversized punching bag.
In speed, strength, and reaction—Yammy lagged far behind.
Kenpachi began slicing him apart piece by piece.
Clearly, after his battle with Nnoitra, Kenpachi's spiritual pressure had recovered a fair bit—he was steadily returning to his former peak.
Under Kenpachi's relentless assault, Yammy was even knocked unconscious by a single strike!
Mayuri's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Wonderful! Now I can dissect him! Heehee!"
But just as Mayuri was celebrating, Kenpachi suddenly turned around and started causing trouble again.
"Oi, Byakuya. This guy's basically done. I'll leave the finishing blow to you. I'm not really into killing weaklings," Kenpachi called out provocatively.
The challenge in his voice was impossible to miss.
Byakuya coldly walked toward him, clearly ready for a real fight.
These two never got along. The last time they clashed, neither one had won or lost decisively.
Now, in Hueco Mundo where there was nothing better to do—this was the perfect time to settle the score.
Just then—
Yammy, having recovered slightly, roared and fired a massive Cero straight at the two captains!
The destructive power of this Cero was terrifying, comparable to the original bullheaded Cero that tore through Las Noches in the manga.
Even its color matched perfectly!
Mayuri was briefly startled, but then burst into manic laughter. "HAHAHAHA! Excellent! You're finally worthy of being in my collection!"
Rukia looked on anxiously. While she knew both Kenpachi and Byakuya could easily dodge such a Cero, she couldn't help but worry.
Sure enough, both captains evaded effortlessly.
But now, the situation had spiraled even further out of control—Kenpachi and Byakuya started fighting each other instead of Yammy!
"Bankai—Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!"
Byakuya charged along a path of cherry blossoms toward Kenpachi.
Kenpachi, just as eager, swung his blade in response.
"Hahahahaha! Byakuya! Let's do this! I've waited decades for this fight!" Kenpachi was burning with excitement.
He had always wanted a proper match with Byakuya.
As for the others—Gin, Tōsen, Hitsugaya—Kenpachi thought they were all too weak to bother with.
Kyōraku, Ukitake, Unohana—those were still out of reach for now.
In his eyes, only Byakuya was a worthy opponent.
Of course, Gin and Hitsugaya were hiding their true power. Only Tōsen and Komamura were genuinely weak…
Just as Senbonzakura and Kenpachi's blade were about to collide—
Yammy leapt at them again!
But neither of them were interested in him anymore.
The two paused momentarily and crossed paths, slashing down together—one golden, one pink—and their blades cleaved directly into Yammy's head!
The impact sent him flying backward. His mask shattered, his body carved with massive wounds!
Very few beings could make both Kenpachi and Byakuya attack in unison—Yammy and the Soul King's Heart were exceptions.
But Yammy was no ordinary Espada. He was Espada Zero.
Even after such a devastating attack, he wasn't dead yet!
Crawling out of the smoke, his entire body radiated pure rage.
His spiritual pressure surged wildly—his form began to swell again!
A flood of red spiritual pressure engulfed the battlefield of Las Noches like a tsunami.
If Unohana hadn't cast a barrier before leaving, Rukia and the others undergoing treatment would've been hit hard.
As the red pressure calmed, Yammy finally reached his final Resurrección form.
He looked like a demon born from hell itself.
A pair of massive horns protruded from his back. His body had expanded several times over.
The twelve wriggling caterpillar legs from before had merged into two powerful hind limbs.
In this form, all his injuries healed completely.
Even his severed fingers and broken mask were perfectly restored.
Next to this monster, Kenpachi and Byakuya looked like ants.
Feeling Yammy's surging spiritual pressure, both captains stopped their duel.
Now wasn't the time for rivalry—they were facing a true monster.
Yammy roared down at them, "My power comes from RAGE! Make me madder! The angrier I get, the more brutal your deaths will be!"
At this rate, Kenpachi and Byakuya were turning into certified "giant-killers"…
Inside the Garganta—
Ichigo ran ahead, constructing a spirit path under his feet.
"Hey, Ichigo," Unohana called calmly, "just now… I didn't get to ask. Was the enemy you fought really that strong?"
Ichigo, still missing a third of his uniform, smiled as he looked back. "Yeah. But it's because of that fight… I figured out how you can get even stronger, Yachiru."
Unohana blinked. "A way for me to get stronger?"
"That's right. I know you've always wanted to fight me seriously again," Ichigo said.
After their last private battle, Ichigo had gotten much stronger—so much so that Unohana could no longer gain the upper hand except in bed.
On one hand, Unohana was proud. The man she chose was powerful.
On the other hand, it was frustrating. If Ichigo got serious, one strike could turn her into a doormat.
Yes, she had improved since their last encounter.
But Ichigo's growth rate was like a rocket. Hers? A brisk jog at best.
If she didn't push harder, the gap between them would only widen.
Even now, Ichigo's spiritual pressure was at least five times greater than hers—with only two-thirds of his strength!
Not to mention the second zanpakutō at his waist…
So when she heard Ichigo say she could still grow, Unohana felt genuinely happy.
But then Ichigo's reiryoku control slipped.
Even now, he wasn't using his full strength. As a result, the spirit path he created was a bit… shoddy.
Unohana had to run on Ichigo's crumbling, half-baked platform.
After a while, she couldn't take it anymore.
She smiled and said, "Ichigo, let me take the lead."
"Huh?" Ichigo blinked, confused. He turned—and saw Unohana's devilish grin.
"If you want to end up unable to get out of bed again… by all means, keep leading."
Ichigo's face went pale.
He had strong reiryoku, sure—but not those kinds of endurance stats!
He immediately gave up the front position.
Unohana elegantly moved ahead. As a thousand-year captain skilled in various kidō techniques, her reiryoku control was impeccable.
The road she created was smooth and solid—worlds apart from Ichigo's pothole-ridden mess.
"Wow… so this is what a captain-level reiryoku path looks like… what a huge difference," Ichigo muttered.
Unohana smiled. "Actually, I'm using the same amount of reiryoku you were. The problem is your control."
"Tch. Once I recover my strength, I'll make a better one!" Ichigo grumbled.
"Fine, fine. Use the Kaidō technique I taught you. I'll lead the way for now," she said gently.
Ichigo nodded and summoned the Royal Seal, starting to restore his energy.
Back in the Human World—
Aizen Sōsuke had been surrounded by Soul Society captains and the Visored Corps.
Everyone capable of moving was now on the battlefield—except Komamura and Hisagi, who were fighting Tōsen, and Yamamoto and Sasakibe, who were standing by.
Despite their numerical advantage, no one dared to attack Aizen recklessly.
They feared Kyōka Suigetsu.
A single mistake could result in friendly fire.
Aizen sneered at the assembled Visoreds. "So, the cowards hiding in the Human World finally show their faces?"
Hiyori couldn't hold her rage anymore.
She was already furious at the sight of Aizen—and his taunts pushed her over the edge!
"Don't fall for it, Hiyori!" Shinji yelled.
But it was too late.
Furious, Hiyori charged Aizen with her blade.
This time, Aizen didn't even bother using Kyōka Suigetsu.
Using it against someone like her? Embarrassing.
From afar, Gin fired a Shinsō strike—
And Hiyori was instantly cut in half at the waist!
"HIYORI!!!"
Shinji flash-stepped and caught her falling body.
"Baldy… don't lose your cool over me…" Hiyori, despite the pain, was still the calmer one.
But Shinji was barely holding himself together.
"Komamura!!" he roared.
Komamura stood nearby, drenched in sweat.
Shinji saw Komamura's missing arm and immediately understood.
If Komamura could heal Hiyori, why hadn't he healed himself?
Only two people could save her now: Unohana and Inoue.
And neither of them were here...
(End of Chapter)
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