THESE CHAPTERS WERE SUPPOSED TO COME OUT TODAY. UPLOADED MORE THAN NEEDED YESTERDAY.
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Taking a deep breath.
Using a sideways stance, Seiya assumed the same starting posture as Yamamoto.
He had to admit.
Acting at this time wasn't the best opportunity.
But if he continued to just watch like this... Seiya absolutely couldn't achieve such ruthlessness.
After all, ultimately, part of his initial intention in being able to take this step, make changes, and try to reverse some things.
Was to reduce casualties as much as possible.
Watching Yamamoto being cut in half by Yhwach on the spot, from a long-term strategic perspective, this seemed to be quite a 'necessary' link.
After all, for a suspicious and arrogant tyrant, second only to flattery was visible military achievements and the pleasure of blood revenge.
But Seiya still stepped forward.
Was it some kind of 'insufficient cultivation'?
Perhaps.
But more than that, it was an impulse in his heart that was difficult to suppress.
After all, if he continued watching, Seiya vaguely felt... something within his heart would quietly disappear without a trace.
Exhaling lightly, as if expelling all these numerous and chaotic thoughts from his body.
Seiya's gaze became firm at this moment.
The Zanpakutō in his hand, with a light trembling motion, stirred the air at this moment, even causing the temperature to rise slightly.
This indicated that Seiya had completely mastered the power of Zanka no Tachi.
Although not quite reaching the realm of man-sword unity, he definitely wouldn't make mistakes in the application of abilities.
"Then let us have a little clash, Your Majesty?"
Yhwach gave no reply.
He just silently raised the long blade in his hand slowly, until it was level with his shoulder.
Responding with actions, no longer any words at this moment.
Both sides seemed to reach a consensus in an instant, stepping forward without saying a word...
Charging toward each other!!!
Thud...
The air seemed to be pierced, visibly concaving inward.
The two were like interconnected magnetic poles, breaking through all obstacles and barriers, advancing toward each other, finally colliding violently.
Blades crossed.
Accompanied by the clanging echo of metal collision were waves of air, like ripples, layer upon layer alternating outward, rippling forth!
Invisible power surged like tides...
Instantly making all the onlookers change color.
"Everyone evade!"
Led by Lille Barro, the royal guard members spontaneously formed a circle at this moment... wings symbolizing Quincy power emerged, weaving and colliding in the air, forming shield-like shapes.
Although they seemed to block the aftershocks relatively easily.
But if someone looked toward this distant formation at this moment, they would somewhat discover that there seemed to be fewer figures here.
Those who should have been inside were now nowhere to be found...
And on the other side.
The group led by Yamamoto appeared quite calm.
"All of you stand behind me."
The sword demon who had regained his dignity returned to his stance of remaining unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed before him.
Facing the momentum surging like tides, the old man had no additional response, merely turning sideways to gather strength...
Throwing a punch.
The fist wind that struck out was equally terrifying.
With cannon-like momentum, it rolled back in the opposite direction, causing both forces to collide violently in the air, creating and destroying each other!
But this aftershock didn't stop there. What Yamamoto blocked was only about a quarter, with more waves drifting toward more distant places at this moment.
Byakuya, who was already covered in wounds while traveling, was now 'hit head-on,' falling pathetically to the ground and struggling for quite a while without being able to stand up again.
Pain gnawed at his internal organs like ants, fine and continuous.
But Byakuya just silently gritted his teeth, continuously struggling, trying to stand up again.
Having paid such a great 'price,' all because just now, he had clearly felt...
Someone's presence.
It wasn't his imagination, but a definite fact.
He had to go.
Even if his limbs were completely broken and only his soul remained, he would struggle to crawl there!
Thoughts kept churning in his mind, Byakuya's throat rolled, letting out an inhuman low growl at this moment.
He staggered to his feet, but soon began to stagger uncontrollably again.
And this time...
Before he could fall, a figure rushed up from the side, directly reaching out to support him.
"Captain Kuchiki, are you alright?"
Vision blurred by blood prevented Byakuya from seeing the newcomer's face clearly. At this moment, he could only rely on verbal communication to vaguely capture the faint impression.
"You are..."
...
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Continuous, extremely dull echoes.
This was precisely the echo produced by both sides' collision during their confrontation.
Zanpakutō and spirit blade continuously intersected, sparks shattered and disappeared in the air in a flash.
Waves of air splashed and spread due to their collision, pressing down the clothing of both confronting parties firmly, displaying an extremely fierce visual impact.
The offense and defense between Yhwach and Seiya were quite tight. The moment they collided, they began an extremely high-intensity exchange of moves.
Using blades to block the opponent's attacks, seizing opportunities for counterattacks, this was the most prudent approach at this moment.
—Yhwach was the first to discover an 'opportunity.'
He blocked Seiya's diagonal slash, using the motion of turning and retreating to let the opponent's Zanpakutō slide to one side, then raised his left hand at this moment.
The empty palm made a grasping motion.
Reishi gathered like a torrent, rolling and forming in his palm.
"Heilig Pfeil."
In the soft chant, Heilig Pfeil surged like tides, blue waves turbulent and mighty, transforming into dewdrop-like arrows, gushing toward Seiya.
No need to use a bow.
As the ancestor of the Quincies, Yhwach was the creator of such techniques.
Directly gathering surrounding reishi at his fingertips, instantly releasing with his fingers... this was also the manifestation of reaching the pinnacle.
Looking at these arrows gushing toward him, Seiya's expression was calm.
He properly raised his left hand, as if imitating the opponent's movements, lightly gesturing.
Pointing his index finger lightly forward.
Cero.
A black light sphere appeared before him like a singularity in an instant, gathering and forming.
Mighty attractive force emerged from within, and after a brief moment of charging, black torrents surged forth.
Blue and black torrents collided in the air...
Boom!!!
The two gushing forces collided in an instant, black and blue tearing at each other in the air, like two mating serpents, tightly entangled together.
Visibly evenly matched.
But this result didn't seem to be accepted by both sides.
They almost simultaneously withdrew their wrestling actions, and after creating some distance, both made further moves.
Yhwach discarded the spirit blade in his right hand.
His hands came together, and with the crisp sound of clapping, more intense spiritual torrents gushed from his palms.
Yhwach's hands slightly opened.
Flowing reishi bred and formed within, becoming a long, heavy arrow over a meter long in the blink of an eye.
The same Heilig Pfeil, for Yhwach whose technique had reached the extreme, naturally could have more varied forms and expressions.
You did well just now, so how about this move?
Heilig Pfeil!
Looking at that thick reishi mass heavy as a siege weapon, Seiya's expression didn't change in the slightest.
It was just a change in form, essentially just increased output...
This level of power.
He could easily achieve it too.
Still raising his left hand, but at this moment, Seiya also raised his middle finger alongside it.
The air instantly rolled back.
Some concentrated light and heat surged in an instant.
That was a mixture of red and black, combined with indescribable power... it flickered with inexplicable brilliance, tearing through the constraints of air in the blink of an eye.
Gran Rey Cero.
Like some electrical device letting out a hoarse and sharp roar at this moment, accompanied by a melodious, overlapping buzzing, fierce turbulence rolled upward, violently crashing into the giant arrow falling from above.
Like a literal comet hitting the earth.
The moment they collided, they had already produced momentum that made everyone unable to stand steady.
Some weaker individuals couldn't stabilize their forms at all, flying out in various directions with screams, quickly disappearing from sight...
Even someone as strong as Yamamoto had to raise his right hand to shield his face, barely stopping the wind coming at him.
Chōjirō Sasakibe, who arrived late, staggered forward, shouting Yamamoto's name, causing the latter to reach out and pull him to his side.
Chōjirō, who had regained his footing, gasped heavily.
The dishevelment on his body was visible to the naked eye, enough to clearly show that his 'journey here' was definitely not easy...
"Chōjirō, why have you come?"
"Of course I'm worried about the Captain-Commander's safety!"
Although to anyone, this statement had no convincing power, only Yamamoto understood that the other's intention lay precisely here...
No more words.
Just moving his gaze away from the other was already a form of recognition.
A thousand years of cooperation and interaction had already made both parties' words and actions completely known to each other.
Chōjirō received literal permission.
He lightly breathed a sigh of relief, now wiping the fine sweat on his forehead, imitating Yamamoto in beginning to observe both confronting parties.
"That person... is Arima-kun, right?"
Although the words had been spoken.
Rather than being a question, it was more like an affirmative sentence.
After all, as a Soul Reaper, the ability to perceive souls was absolutely unmatched.
Like fingerprints, more like some unique marking, it was now clearly flickering within Chōjirō's perception range.
Without a doubt, this was Seiya's soul.
However, Yamamoto, who had witnessed everything and observed to this point, remained silent.
Not commenting was not only due to 'lack of confidence,' but also due to deeper considerations.
"Chōjirō... can you sense that Hollow power from just now?"
"Y-yes, I can!"
"Does the Seiya you know, has he ever mastered Hollow power?"
Brief speechlessness was the best response.
Yamamoto slightly narrowed his eyes, sighing deeply at this moment.
"I can feel... Seiya's soul has become something more complex."
"This is something that has never happened before, which is why... I cannot definitively say anything irresponsible."
But.
At this very moment.
There was only one thing that was absolutely indisputable.
"Regardless, at this moment, Seiya is our last hope."
At this instant, Yamamoto's gaze became somewhat dazed.
He seemed to have transcended time, returning to the past... at a certain point, observing his own back.
Without any restraints.
Without any hesitation.
As long as it was a method or way to kill the opponent, it would be deployed as much as possible.
The will to defeat the opponent overwhelmed everything else—this was the belief of the one who was once called the sword demon.
Now times had changed, and the furious Asura had put down his blade. Perhaps it was precisely because of this... that Yamamoto was so looked down upon.
But it didn't matter.
Just as the former Captain-Commander had once said.
Someone who would inherit his will would always come, and at this very moment... just like the blood war from a thousand years ago.
Deploy your methods as much as possible, regardless of process, regardless of origin...
Born only to defeat the opponent.
Go, Seiya!
The glaring old man clenched his fists tightly at this moment.
The burning heart, following the power of mutual understanding, manifested on the Zanpakutō at this moment.
Boom!!!
Bursting with light and heat, Zanka no Tachi erupted with power and presence that could make people take notice.
Both people in confrontation turned their gazes to this object, but their reactions were completely different.
One side showed disdain.
The other side appeared thoughtful.
Yhwach raised his right hand high above his head, the reishi in his palm began to surge wildly, tearing the sky at this moment and revealing an arc dozens of meters long.
Just the embers of old things, the final light and heat.
Large Heilig Pfeil!
Seiya raised his left hand, using the motion of swinging his blade to let his palm lightly caress the back of the blade...
Light and heat scorched mortal flesh, power enough to burn everything, yet subtly restrained at this moment, allowing Seiya to feel only slight stinging.
The Zanpakutō's will.
Yamamoto's obsession.
All transmitted at this moment, fiercely penetrating Seiya's heart.
I see...
Boom!!!
Accompanied by undulating flames, Seiya was completely engulfed by fire.
Was he backfired?
No!
Seiya, wrapped in blazing flames, calmly swung the blade in his hand, walking step by step forward.
That Soul Reaper's back walking through fire.
Made even the observing Chōjirō widen his eyes.
Such a figure...
At this moment perfectly overlapped with the sword demon from a thousand years ago.
The Thousand-Year Blood War, continuing to this day.
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Powerstones?
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