Splatter!

With the faint sound of gushing blood, Makoto stepped back, pulling away from Yhwach.

His blade withdrew from her chest, but the cat-eared girl seemed to lose all strength in an instant, staring at him in a daze.

More precisely, she stared at the gruesome wound on his chest, healing at a speed akin to a Menos Grande's super-speed regeneration.

In mere moments, the wound that had pierced his entire chest closed, leaving only a faint red mark.

For the first time, a tide of despair surged within Yhwach's heart.

Compared to Makoto, restored to his peak, she could feel the Soul King's left hand taking effect again, suppressing her Almighty.

Soon, all her current strength would be sealed once more.

Yet Yhwach refused to yield.

"Impossible!" she roared, her voice raw with defiance and despair. "A Shinigami like you, wielding a Hollow's power?! Even that Zanpakuto couldn't possibly let you do this!"

Makoto merely smiled at her, pointing to the [2] above his head. "Fool. The so-called 'World Invasion' lets me bring everything I can do in Yuseiboushi into reality. Something like this? It's no big deal."

Her fury flared as if doused with oil, blazing uncontrollably.

But as she took a step forward, a searing pain ripped through her pierced chest.

Shadows poured from the wound like a tidal wave, writhing like tendrils, enveloping her frail form. They linked to the ground, forming chains that pinned her in place.

Seeing this, Yhwach realized she'd fallen into this freak's trap again. Her mouth opened wide in a furious cry: "Makoto!!"

Whether from rage or something else, the Soul King's power, previously suppressed by the left hand, flickered with faint defiance. Fueled by her deep-seated anger, the seal cracked slightly, and her eyes glowed with the light of double pupils.

Ichibe Hyosube, standing nearby, widened his eyes in shock.

Even the Soul King's power couldn't fully suppress her?!

What kind of being was she?

Shockwaves surged, white pulses radiating from the girl trapped in the shadows, threatening to sweep away everything around her.

Makoto's gaze sharpened.

In that instant, several Shinigami captains, previously observing, appeared before him in unison.

At the forefront, Yamamoto stood cloaked in flames, his Bankai activated without anyone noticing.

Makoto's eyes widened instinctively.

Yamamoto merely glanced at him, offering a reassuring look.

Everyone present could see it.

Though Makoto's wounds had healed instantly, his aura was noticeably weaker than before.

He knew his own limits.

The [Soul Incineration] bond trait, fueled by the "Soul King's fragment," was nearing its end.

Against an opponent like Yhwach, he could manage perhaps two or three more strikes before exhaustion.

In stark contrast, Yhwach, bound by countless shadow chains, roared like a feral beast, her burning eyes locked on him, seeing only him.

Her once-delicate face twisted with ferocity, the shadows wrapping her like a fragile sack, threatening to burst.

Yamamoto, Unohana, and the others tensed, their expressions grave.

But Yhwach, trapped in the shadows, ignored them entirely, her teeth grinding as she glared at the weakened boy behind them, her voice hoarse yet fierce: "Makoto, I despise you! With strength like yours, why side with these vermin?! You clearly have the power to defy the Soul King! Why?! Why bow to the order set by fools, living in a world split between life and death?! The Five Great Noble Houses, mere insects, control the world for their own gain with this divide! Do you know how many have wailed in death's grasp?! You, you're far more suited than I am! You could overturn the world-"

Her furious roars were cut off as shadows surged from her chest, flooding her mouth like a new frontier, stifling her words as her eyes rolled back.

Makoto listened, his gaze softening with a sigh.

These villains, with their grand goals and lifelong dedication, always made him feel a bit inadequate.

Shouting like that, didn't it just make him seem like a slacker with unmatched talent?

His silence, however, took on a different meaning to some.

Ichibe Hyosube, catching this, spoke quickly: "Young shinigami, the division of the three worlds, of life and death, was set by the Soul King himself. Don't let her words mislead you."

Makoto gave him a glance.

Ichibe's face bore the same hearty smile as their first meeting.

But unlike then, the monk now gripped his oversized brush tightly, his expression subtly tense.

The Soul Society was, after all, a place where the strong ruled.

A single warrior's stance outweighed the lives of countless weak.

The only thing stirring Makoto's heart was a different realization.

Have I finally become a warrior even the Soul Society's strongest Shinigami treat with caution?

The thought crossed his mind, yet his emotions remained oddly calm.

In that fleeting moment, the shadow chains binding Yhwach could no longer hold. Under her immense strength, they snapped one by one.

Her bare feet stepped forward, tearing through countless shadows with one step, then two.

The chains, linked to the ground, ripped apart the earth, leaving web-like cracks across dozens of meters.

Her right hand, breaking free, reached for Makoto, as if to grasp something in that moment.

Her shadow-covered mouth struggled to form a hoarse, barely audible cry: "Makoto… Makoto…!!"

As she shouted his name, her eyes blazed with deep, golden double pupils, locking onto the boy in the distance.

But in that brief instant, a strange, gentle male voice echoed in the souls of all present.

"That's enough."

The voice stunned Yhwach and Ichibe alike, their expressions frozen in shock.

Makoto's eyes fixed on the empty space behind Yhwach.

Though his vision showed nothing, his consciousness glimpsed a tall man in blue, his eyes bearing black, cross-shaped pupils, standing behind the shadow-bound girl.

His arms enveloped her, his voice a low murmur.

Makoto's expression turned blank.

Though he'd never seen this man in this world…

But in his past life, he had seen him many times.

This was…

The Soul King?

Yet wasn't he long since dismembered, his organs hollowed out, leaving only an empty husk sealed in the depths of the Soul King Palace?

Makoto stared at the man appearing in his vision, his mind a whirl of confusion.

As if sensing his gaze, the man, whispering in Yhwach's ear, suddenly looked up at him.

Their eyes met.

The Soul King offered a gentle smile. "Keep it a secret."

In the next moment, his form scattered like dandelion seeds in the wind, dissolving into countless drifting ashes.

At the same instant, Yhwach, on the verge of breaking the Soul King's left hand seal, collapsed to her knees with a thud, her strength drained entirely.

But with her power's dissipation, the "Soul King's fragment" Makoto had sacrificed vanished too.

A sudden void gripped him, stripping his control over World Invasion. His Reishi spiraled out of control, chaotic and untamed.

The black scar branded on the Soul Society's surface was forcibly sealed by a near-rule-like force, closing in an instant.

From the depths of the dark shadows came countless hoarse wails.

Simultaneously, the abyssal shadows born of World Invasion and the [2] above Makoto's head vanished.

His body, as if hollowed out, crumpled backward.

Plop.

A figure with flowing deep purple hair appeared behind him, her arms gently catching his exhausted form.

Unohana, mid-step, froze at the sight.

Her gaze, tinged with surprise, fixed on the petite figure standing behind Makoto.

Normally, being stared at by Unohana would have provoked Saito to leap up and snap at her.

But today, she seemed a different person, ignoring the gazes from behind and before her.

Saito, her face still pale and bloodless from her earlier Bankai sacrifice, held Makoto tightly, more firmly than ever.

Her single, bloodshot eye shimmered with a tender, maternal warmth.

Her fingertips gently traced his hair, smoothing it with care, her chest heaving with a slow, relieved sigh.

Meira appeared beside Makoto, standing guard, her eyes scanning their surroundings.

Her glance flicked briefly to her master and mistress embracing in the crater's center, her expression subtly complex.

The others, meanwhile, had no time for the quiet intimacy of this moment.

Yamamoto stepped forward solemnly, facing the kneeling girl without a hint of carelessness.

He glanced at Ichibe Hyosube.

The monk nodded slightly.

In the next moment, a torrent of blazing flames swept across the space before him, severing the delicate girl's neck.

The remaining captains watched in silence.

The battlefield fell deathly still.

They all knew who the true hero of this war was.

Yamamoto said nothing more, merely lifting the severed, beautiful head and striding toward the Hakuto Gate.

---

Boom!

The massive Hakuto Gate, under the push of a relatively small, slender hand, snapped its hinges and swung open, clearing an unobstructed path.

Yamamoto, clutching the head, stepped out from the Seireitei's gate, facing the countless Shinigami gathered before him.

The survivors of the battle with the Quincy army, all bearing wounds, leaned on each other as they approached.

Having felt the terrifying Reiatsu that shook the three worlds, suffocating in its proximity, only the bravest Shinigami, those willing to die for the Soul Society, stood here.

Such warriors deserved the most direct recognition.

Yamamoto raised the head before them. "The enemy leader has been vanquished by us!"

His voice, low and hoarse, carried clearly across the Hakuto Gate plaza.

The Shinigami fell silent for a moment.

Then, a thunderous cheer erupted, like a tidal wave.

---

[Bond Event: World Invasion]

[Your bond level with Yhwach has increased! ↑]

[Your bond level with the Soul King has increased! ↑]

[Reward: Talent Point +1]

[Acquired Bond Trait: Heir of the Soul King]

[Bond Trait: Heir of the Soul King: Through deep bonds and guidance, you can share others' talents, wisdom, and abilities, breaking through your own talent limits.]

***

Bonus Chapter:

100 Power Stones = 1 BC

300 Power Stones = 2 BC

500 Power Stones = 3 BC

700 Power Stones = 4 BC

1000 Power Stones = 5 BC

***

If you want to read up to 50 chapters ahead, don't hesitate to visit our patron: pat reon . com / XElenea (remove space)