[Third Place]
[Zanpakutō: Ichimonji]
New subtitles appeared.
They officially announced that this ranking of the Top Ten Strongest Zanpakutō…
Had unknowingly reached the Top Three.
In other words—
The final round!!!
"Ichimonji…"
"Why does this Zanpakutō sound so unfamiliar?"
Hitsugaya Tōshirō frowned.
Under his white hair, his teal-green pupils shifted slightly.
A confused expression surfaced on his face.
His memory contained absolutely no information related to it.
"Could it be a Zanpakutō belonging to one of the previous generations of captains?"
Behind him came Matsumoto Rangiku's reminder:
"Rumor has it that some former captains—especially the very first generation—"
"Their Zanpakutō were mysterious and overwhelmingly strong!!"
The truth was—
Rangiku didn't know many details either.
Most of what she heard were scattered bits of gossip,
and she had nearly no impression of "Ichimonji" at all.
Soi Fon,
Komamura Sajin,
Zaraki Kenpachi…
Anyone who lacked deep knowledge of ancient Soul Society history,
and who had not personally witnessed those ancient eras—
All reacted the same way:
slightly shaking their heads.
Even if they racked their brains, they had absolutely no memory of such a Zanpakutō!
However—
The century-old captains were different.
Especially the Head Captain and Unohana Retsu.
Their expressions shifted noticeably.
A ripple flashed in their eyes—
their pupils lit up instantly!
"Mm…"
"Ichimonji is the Zanpakutō of the Eye Monk!"
"As I predicted, he indeed ranked within the Top Three! Completely deserved!!!"
The Head Captain lowered his eyes.
His face calm and steady, his tone held neither anger nor aggression—
instead, there was a hint of sincere acknowledgment.
Yes.
He too was a thousand-year-old man.
But compared to himself,
the Eye Monk was far more ancient.
If he represented the history of Soul Society—
Then the Eye Monk represented the beginning of the entire Shinigami world.
The era when the world was created.
When the Soul King first appeared.
"That's right…"
Unohana nodded, her long eyelashes lifting as she smiled softly:
"As the leader of Squad Zero, the Eye Monk's Zanpakutō is unquestionably powerful."
"Squad Zero?!"
Except for the Head Captain,
Unohana, Kyōraku Shunsui, Ukitake Jūshirō, and a handful of others—
The rest of the captains widened their eyes the moment they heard this legendary name.
Shocked.
Speechless.
Utterly stunned!
Damn…
It was said that Squad Zero existed above the Gotei 13.
So if Ichimonji belonged to the leader of Squad Zero—
Didn't that mean his combat power was practically equal to the Soul King's right-hand man?!
"Hiss…"
Everyone inhaled sharply.
Instantly, they felt that this ranking placement was completely undisputed.
If he hadn't been placed in the Top Three—
It would have been insulting to the position of Squad Zero's leader!
————————
Meanwhile,
inside Las Noches—
"Aizen-taichō…"
"To be honest, the appearance of Ichimonji already indirectly proves something—
your Zanpakutō Kyōka Suigetsu…"
"Is basically guaranteed to rank second… or even first!!!"
Gin tilted his head upward.
His expression complicated as he looked toward Aizen, speaking calmly.
In truth—
He had guessed from the beginning
that Kyōka Suigetsu would definitely rank within the Top Three.
But he hadn't expected—
That it might surpass even the legendary weapon of Squad Zero's strongest member.
"If I remember correctly…"
"The Eye Monk is a ruthless ascetic monk,
one of the absolute strongest combatants in the entire Shinigami world!"
"Could it be…"
At that thought,
Gin's heart shook violently.
If that were true—
Then in the future,
Aizen fused with the Hōgyoku
might actually climb the Royal Palace,
fight Squad Zero,
and defeat them all!!!
Aizen's expression—
Was, for once, not calm.
His pitch-black eyes were sharper than ever.
Aside from coldness, confidence surged explosively.
"Gin…"
"You know this well—
all of my plans, all of my ambitions,
have always been for the sake of attaining a higher realm."
"Clearly… to transcend.
To surpass the level of a Shinigami."
"Even the leader of Squad Zero… is not necessarily something I cannot surpass."
Despite speaking gently,
his heart surged with excitement—
with accomplishment and delight.
Indeed—
Whether now or in the future,
He would always grasp everything in the palm of his hand
and achieve his ultimate goal.
And these subtitles,
Were the greatest prophecy of all—
solid proof that his ambitions
would become reality.
————————
At the same time.
As Aizen and Gin discussed,
The transparent screen changed.
After the subtitles vanished,
The battle footage resumed—
displayed before the shocked eyes of the world.
The image shifted—
Switching to a scene never before shown in any ranking video:
The Royal Palace.
As far as the eye could see,
The environment resembled a heavenly palace in the clouds.
Layers of floating clouds,
reishi so dense it frightened the soul,
to an unbelievable degree.
So dense—
It was practically an ocean.
A single breath would stuff your nose and lungs with an overwhelming flood of reishi
for your spirit body to absorb.
Above, in midair,
five massive palaces of Squad Zero floated in a ring.
Below them lay the Royal District—
And a long, endless-looking main avenue.
The moment the Royal Palace scene was revealed—
The collective explosion of shock was immediate.
Especially the "clouds"—
Made entirely out of condensed, fully materialized reishi.
No wonder countless strong individuals
felt their eyes redden with envy.
"Holy—!!!"
"I'm not hallucinating, right?"
"The clouds are made of solid reishi?!
And the sky looks like an ocean floating above!"
"What kind of absurd reishi density do you need for this to happen?!"
Everyone was stunned.
They had been shocked many times before—
But once again,
the Royal Palace took it to an entirely new level.
Shinigami, Hollows, Quincy, even normal humans—
Anyone who wasn't blind—
Could see the reishi practically spilling out of the screen itself.
"If someone could train here for even a short while…"
"I bet their spiritual pressure would skyrocket! Strength rising like crazy!"
Inside Squad One—
Abarai Renji drooled, eyes shining with awe.
But before he could get too excited—
Byakuya glared at him and immediately shut him down:
"Renji… you're thinking far too much."
"The Royal Palace is a unique realm where the Soul King and his retainers reside.
Forget ordinary souls…"
"Even the head of the Four Great Noble Houses—myself included—
cannot enter it unless we ascend to Squad Zero in the future."
"Otherwise, we will never have the qualification to set foot in that place."
Although his face remained expressionless,
The longing hidden deep in Byakuya's eyes
could not be concealed.
No matter how cold he acted—
He longed to enter the Royal Palace
just like everyone else.
But unfortunately—
That possibility was nearly zero.
Unless he received the favor of some higher entity in the future
and was invited along—
It was merely a dream.
At this moment,
The camera shifted downward—
Revealing a scene that made everyone gasp again.
"This is…"
"No way. The damage is this severe?!"
"Did someone invade the Royal Palace?!
Is it Aizen?!"
"Even more insane—
the Royal Palace looks half-destroyed!
Hōgyoku Aizen… really was a monster!!!"
Ruins.
Burning.
Broken structures.
The Royal Palace looked devastated—
as though it had suffered an invasion
and Squad Zero had fallen defenseless.
"It must be Lord Aizen!"
"Only he, after multiple evolutions with the Hōgyoku,
could conquer the highest realm of the Shinigami world!!!"
Inside Las Noches—
Zommari (the black-skinned Espada) immediately jumped out to flatter.
Even though he was long dead,
he fully immersed himself in the fantasy of Aizen conquering all.
Too strong.
Lord Aizen!!!
Truly worthy of ruling Hueco Mundo!!!
His fawning even stunned the others.
"Is it really Aizen?!"
"Are we about to see Aizen showing off in the Royal Palace?!"
"Damn! A one-on-one against the leader of Squad Zero—
that would be a legendary battle!!!"
Grimmjow was shocked.
Nnoitra was excited.
Starrk, Harribel, and Ulquiorra all stared intensely.
At this moment—
The entire Arrancar army,
along with Aizen himself,
locked their gazes onto the screen.
They eagerly awaited the appearance
of Hōgyoku Aizen descending upon the Royal Palace.
However—
The next moment—
Reality slapped them all in the face.
Their pupils trembled.
Their jaws dropped.
"Woosh—!!!"
A blood-red cloak swung open.
Within the thick reishi air,
the garment flapped sharply.
This attire could belong to only one person—
Yhwach.
"?!"
"What… the… hell?!"
"It's actually—
THE KING OF QUINCY?!"
"Damn it!!! What about Aizen?!"
The Espada froze.
Gin was speechless.
Tōsen fell silent.
Even Aizen himself—
Frowned slightly.
What was going on?
In the previous ranking episode,
Yhwach had already been killed.
Everyone saw it with their own eyes—
his body shattered into fragments,
and even the screen had exploded along with him.
So—
How was he alive again?!
Was the footage fake?
Made up by the video creator?
But no—
Everyone clearly remembered:
His corpse was pulverized.
So…
What was happening?
Could it be—
"No way…"
"Was there still a hidden twist in that battle?!
Or… a last-second reversal?!?!"
Inside Squad One—
Kyōraku Shunsui's eyes widened in horror.
A deep unease ran through his heart.
At the same time—
One particular line from his own ranking episode echoed in his mind—
The Second Head Captain.
"It seems…"
"The future is far more unpredictable than we thought."
"Unless everything is revealed,
no one can know the real truth…"
He sighed.
Kyōraku withdrew his thoughts,
his face filled with complicated emotions.
He didn't dare think any further.
Meanwhile—
In the video.
Yhwach walked forward.
His dark, wicked silhouette strode into view.
And before him—
Stood a large, muscular man.
Shaved head.
Thick black eyebrows.
A beard hanging to his chest.
A presence powerful, overwhelming, and utterly mysterious.
The Eye Monk.
Hyōsube Ichibē.
The leader of Squad Zero.
He sat cross-legged,
back facing the camera,
holding an enormous ink brush.
He and Yhwach confronted each other.
"Step aside, Hyōsube Ichibē."
Yhwach's blood-red eyes were cold and merciless.
"Hmph…"
"How shameless."
"You dare call my name so casually?
If your throat gets destroyed, don't blame me."
Ichibē rose to his feet.
He gripped the massive brush.
Planted it before him like a monk's staff.
Despite his kind-looking smile
and calm voice—
At that instant…
Every powerful being in the world
felt their eyes tighten—
a crushing aura surged from him.
From Ichibē—
They sensed an indescribable oppressive force.
It was as though—
As long as he stood there—
He and his brush formed an absolute boundary.
A forbidden line Yhwach could not cross.
If Yhwach dared take a single step—
His throat would be torn,
his body destroyed.
He would be humiliated
in front of the entire world
a second time!!!
Without waiting for Yhwach's reply—
Ichibē dipped his brush.
He lifted it—
And slowly drew a long scrape across the ground.
"Fwoosh—!!!"
Ink flew.
A thick black line divided the space before Yhwach.
Then—
Ichibē jumped with his geta clogs tapping loudly—
Landing roughly a hundred meters away.
He drew another line.
Two parallel ink lines.
"Do you see?"
Ichibē turned around.
The huge red prayer beads around his neck shifted, clacking softly.
He smiled—
But the smile felt chilling:
"From there—
to here."
"In this distance…"
"You will be defeated."
"I will break your five viscera!"
Though the words sounded arrogant,
full of absolute confidence—
It was only a distance of less than a hundred meters.
Enough time for at least one or two techniques.
However—
Yhwach's response
was even more arrogant.
"I don't need that."
"It's unnecessary."
His cloak fluttered.
Yhwach's face was expressionless as he spoke coldly:
"Within three steps—"
"I will kill you, Hyōsube Ichibē."
The killing intent and arrogance behind those words,
once exposed in the ranking video,
instantly triggered a worldwide uproar.
Viewers everywhere widened their eyes:
"Holy—!!!"
"So even top-tier beings trash-talk each other before fighting?!"
"They're just like us normal people?!
Keyboard warriors got nothing on this!"
"But seriously—
three steps is shorter than two inches!!"
"Legendary showdown!
Let's see who can keep bragging to the end!"
"No way Yhwach is gonna get brutally crushed again… right?!?!"
(End of Chapter)
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