Chapter 426

2-in-1 chapter:

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At Shin’ō Spiritual Arts Academy, under the teachers guidance, the students had all taken shelter inside the dōjō.

From outside came the constant roar of battle cries, and the surging waves of spiritual pressure sweeping past spoke of how fierce the fighting was.

Yet almost every student remained calm, with not a trace of panic.

Because, just outside the gate not far from them, stood a man strong enough that they would all willingly entrust him with their lives.

At the entrance of the dōjō, Yamamoto stood silently.

Draped across his shoulders was a brand‑new haori, a little too long for his frame.

Both hands resting on his staff, he gazed steadily forward.

In the air came a spiritual pressure he knew well.

Kaelith—and Yhwach.

The old man narrowed his eyes.

He wanted badly to leave this place to Sasakibe and go assist Kaelith.

But the words of that unfilial disciple were true: Shin’ō Academy was the hope of the Soul Society, and he had to guard the students here.

This was what he, as the former Captain‑Commander, was meant to do.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, he opened his eyes wider.

In the distance, a figure slowly approached.

Dark‑skinned, cloaked entirely in white.

Beneath the white hood rested a green, two‑horned cap.

Like a soldier on the march, his right hand hung naturally at his side, carrying the butt of a long black spear, the shaft slung over his shoulder.

Seeing the figure, Sasakibe bent slightly and placed a hand on the hilt of his Zanpakutō.

The man stepped through the academy gate and halted.

Looking at the two elderly men before him, he showed a trace of surprise.

“…Just following my instincts, and I stumble upon such a prize.”

“His Majesty seems to be fighting Kaelith right now. In that case, as His Majesty’s greatest masterpiece, the strongest Sternritter, I—Lille Barro—will take your life, Yamamoto Genryūsai!”

“Heh. Such arrogance, Quincy.”

Sasakibe stepped forward and drew his Zanpakutō.

At the sound, the man turned his eyes toward him.

“Oh? If you hadn’t spoken, I wouldn’t even have noticed you were here.”

“Looks like my luck really is good.”

“Sasakibe Chōjirō… His Majesty said, if circumstances allow, you are to be eliminated first.”

“To be mentioned by His Majesty himself—you should feel honored.”

Sasakibe frowned in puzzlement.

Specifically mentioned by Yhwach?

Why?

Before he could find the answer, Barro had already moved.

He lifted the black spear wrapped in green fur and casually pulled the trigger in Sasakibe’s direction.

As the bullet flew toward him, Sasakibe shook his head slightly.

Too slow.

For someone of his level, such a bullet’s speed was nothing at all.

“Pierce through, Gonryōmaru!!”

Without hesitation, he released his Zanpakutō.

Wielding the blade, now shaped like a thrusting sword, Sasakibe swung, lightning twisting along its edge, to cleave the bullet flying at him.

But the instant his blade struck the bullet, a sudden sense of danger seized him.

In stunned disbelief, he watched as the bullet tore straight through Ganryōmaru’s blade!

Still moving without the slightest loss of speed, the projectile continued straight for his chest.

—And at that moment, a tremendous force struck his waist.

Yamamoto had kicked him aside, sending him flying.

At the same time, Yamamoto roared, swinging his flame‑cloaked blade, slicing the bullet clean in half.

Seeing this, Barro let out a startled “Huh?”

Yamamoto gripped Ryūjin Jakka, his gaze cold.

“Judging by that look of disbelief, I’d say you never expected your ability could be broken like this.”

“Lille Barro of The X-Axis—I’ve long known your name.”

“They say you’re one of that man’s personal guard captains…”

“Killing someone like you ought to hurt Yhwach quite a bit, shouldn’t it?”

He bared his teeth in a savage grin.

The face that usually radiated dignity now looked like that of a raging demon.

Without giving Barro a chance to recover, Yamamoto charged, flames blazing.

Barro dared not underestimate him. He quickly opened fire again.

But the so‑called “All‑Piercing” bullets proved useless against Yamamoto’s searing flames and overwhelming spiritual pressure.

Forced to use Hirenkyaku to create distance, Barro readied himself to activate Vollständig.

Suddenly, Yhwach’s voice echoed in his ear:

“The reishi in Soul Society is compromised. Everyone—when activating Vollständig, do not draw on external reishi. Use only the spiritual power brought from the Wandenreich!”

At that, Lille Barro probed the air around him—

And was shocked to sense an immense presence of Hollow reishi.

If he absorbed that into himself…

A chill ran down his spine.

So the Soul Society had prepared quite a welcome for them.

He drew in a deep breath, finishing his preparations.

In the next instant, a massive column of light erupted from his body, shooting into the sky.

It rose a thousand meters high, unfolding a Quincy pentagram at its peak.

Within the column, his entire form transformed.

Four pairs of radiant wings spread from his back.

His spiritual pressure, sharper than before, scraped and hummed like countless tiny blades cutting through the air.

“Vollständig…”

“Divine Judgement!!”

“…Hmph.”

Yamamoto tilted Ryūjin Jakka, raising his head to the figure in the sky.

The existence of Vollständig did not surprise him.

Kaelith had already made Bambietta demonstrate it.

And when Ishida Sōken had once lectured in the Soul Society, he had explained Vollständig’s predecessor—the Seelenschneider glove.

For Quincies, Vollständig was comparable to Bankai, greatly amplifying their strength and, together with their Schrift abilities, allowing the creation of new techniques.

Compared to the Wandenreich Quincies, Bambietta had one major disadvantage.

She was from the new generation, having become a knight after Yhwach’s slumber.

And by the time Yhwach awoke, she had already defected.

Thus, she had no Schrift ability—her Vollständig only served to strengthen her power.

To this, Yamamoto sneered.

After all, nearly all Quincy abilities derived from Yhwach himself.

Without Yhwach, this entire system of power would collapse in an instant.

Training so hard only to serve as another man’s tool—what use was such power?

Still… thinking from another angle, if all these powerful Quincies were merely Yhwach’s reserves, then how terrifying would Yhwach become if he reclaimed them all?

Better finish this bird quickly—and then go help that brat!

At that thought, Yamamoto gave a cold chuckle, preparing to soar into the sky and cut down his winged foe.

But before he could act, Barro, with four pairs of light wings unfurled in the sky, suddenly spread them like an apostle, a golden radiance spinning open before him—

Buzz!!!

A golden beam locked onto Yamamoto Genryūsai and fired!

Facing that beam, Yamamoto reacted almost instantly.

He couldn’t take it head-on—he had to evade!

His body flashed, flames trailing as he Shunpo’d dozens of meters away.

Almost simultaneously, the golden beam struck the ground at his feet, leaving behind a narrow pit so deep its bottom couldn’t be seen.

If that had hit him directly, even a spiritual pressure barrier wouldn’t have been enough to defend.

This bird-man Quincy was truly formidable.

Withdrawing his gaze, Yamamoto stopped holding back.

Flames blazed across his body as he shot upward like a fireball flying in reverse, instantly reaching Barro’s position and swinging his blade down!

Slash!!

The sword passed through Barro’s body—yet there was no sensation of striking flesh.

In Yamamoto’s puzzled gaze, Barro burst into laughter:

“Yamamoto Genryūsai… your strikes have no effect on me!”

“As the being closest to God, once I activate Vollständig, I become the incarnation of divine will!”

“Whether it’s sword strikes, Kidō, or any other attack you can imagine, none of it means anything to me!”

As he spoke, the light wings on his back spread wider.

On each wing, three circular holes formed.

Inside each hole, golden radiance spun into being—

“All-Piercing Judgment!!”

With Barro’s roar, twenty-four golden beams of All-Piercing shot toward Yamamoto in a full-screen barrage!

Within the golden beams, Yamamoto’s figure flickered back and forth.

Barro’s response was simple—keep firing!

Countless golden rays erupted from the holes in his light wings, like dozens of floating cannons firing without pause.

Though it was a close call each time, Yamamoto remained unscathed under the relentless assault.

Dodging Barro’s beams with Shunpo, Yamamoto’s thoughts grew complicated.

For centuries, he hadn’t fought a real battle. Against this level of assault, regaining rhythm should have been nearly impossible.

But in recent decades, he had been constantly challenged by a certain rebellious disciple.

Annoying though it was, he had to admit—those high-intensity duels had kept his combat condition razor-sharp.

Especially since that disciple’s two Zanpakutō often unleashed autonomous ranged attacks, forcing Yamamoto into specialized “training” in this very kind of combat.

Because of that, even now he had the luxury to think through countermeasures as he dodged.

First—those golden beams absolutely could not be touched.

“All-Piercing” wasn’t an exaggeration.

If he got hit, even he wouldn’t come out unscathed.

Next was Barro’s damage immunity.

Physical strikes and Kidō—both useless against him.

So what method was left?

After much consideration, Yamamoto judged that only rule-based abilities could drag this bird-man down.

The problem: he had no rule-type abilities himself.

Meanwhile, those troublesome disciples of his each had several.

A faint, unpleasant irritation crept over him.

Just as he was lost in thought, Yamamoto’s expression changed.

Barro, encased in his cocoon-like aura, suddenly revealed a twisted grin.

Then, his four pairs of wings abruptly turned downward, aiming below.

Following the line of their aim, Yamamoto immediately spotted the academy dojo below.

“Bastard!!!”

He roared.

Buzz!!!

From the eight wings, twenty-four golden rays shot straight toward the dojo!

But faster than the light was Yamamoto himself.

That not-so-tall figure placed himself between the beams and the dojo at the final moment.

“Head Captain Genryūsai!!”

Sasakibe cried out in alarm.

Barro’s lips curled.

Perfect.

Under his All-Piercing assault, Yamamoto Genryūsai was as good as dead.

One of His Majesty’s greatest obstacles would fall by his hand!

The thought sent heat surging through him.

To defeat Yamamoto Genryūsai—the man who had defeated His Majesty a thousand years ago—how richly would His Majesty reward him?

The very thought aroused him.

Twenty-four golden rays converged behind Yamamoto.

In the next instant, they would tear through him.

Yamamoto gripped Ryūjin Jakka, preparing to use Bankai and summon Zanka no Tachi: Higashi — Kyokujitsujin.

At this distance, there was no way to protect his whole body.

He would shield his most vital parts—his brain, his heart, the limbs necessary to continue fighting!

“Ban—”

Before the word was finished, the white haori on his back suddenly billowed on its own, though no wind blew.

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