Chapter 124

Soul Society and Hueco Mundo have both suffered an unprecedented weakening!

……

At this moment.

Outside Karakura Town.

Beside the enormous formation, a group of figures in black Shihakushō gathered, their faces set in determination.

They.

Were Seireitei's special unit, bearing a momentous responsibility at this very moment.

It was to construct a formation capable of enveloping all of Karakura Town!

To shift the entirety of Karakura Town into Seireitei!

And the instant the formation's deployment was completed.

All of Karakura Town.

Suddenly flickered into illusion for an instant.

The next moment, it returned to normal, yet the streets were utterly empty—no one knew where they had been transferred!

Right at this moment!

High above the heavens.

"Riiip—" With a tearing sound, a massive spatial rift was ripped open.

That was the Garganta.

It was also the Hollows' passage to the World of the Living, and to Soul Society!

Several figures materialized at once!

At the very forefront.

Was Aizen Sōsuke—brown hair, a lock of bangs hanging over his brow, eyes cold and arrogant, as though nothing in the world could stir even the slightest ripple in him!

Now.

He was the ruler of Hueco Mundo!

And Soul Society's greatest traitor, possessing the Hōgyoku that could allow a Shinigami to break through their limits!

Beside him.

Gin Ichimaru—silver hair, the corner of his mouth always curved into a faint smile—still held a slender Zanpakutō in his hand.

Shinso!

It could extend and retract freely at will! It could even surpass sound by several hundred times, slaying an enemy in an instant!

Following close behind.

Were eight figures, each distinct!

Their bodies were covered in pale-white masks, as though forged from bone! On their shoulders, abdomens, or cheeks, were numbers from 1 to 9!

The Espada, ranked eighth!

This was the pinnacle power of Hueco Mundo! Enough to flatten everything before it!

Each individual's combat strength was on par with a Captain!

Even the top three of the Espada possessed the strength of an elite Captain!

"So this is Karakura Town, the spiritually dense land!" Behind him, Grimmjow—blue hair, an arrogant bearing—stood with hands in his pockets, squinting down at the town below.

He saw.

The rooms below were empty, not a soul in sight—simply no different from a ghost town!

Behind him.

The other Espada members also frowned; this scene was far too bizarre—streets utterly empty of people!

Could it be.

That they had come to a fake Karakura Town?

Everyone.

Turned their gaze to Aizen, yet Aizen remained expressionless, simply standing there in silence.

Even though Karakura Town held not a single figure.

It could not shake his composure in the slightest!

The next moment!

"Boom—" A tremendous, overwhelming Reiatsu exploded violently!

In the air.

Over a dozen Shinigami figures materialized, clad in black Shihakushō, Zanpakutō in hand, solemnity written across every brow.

At the very forefront.

Was a stooped figure, snow-white whiskers on his cheeks, a great X-shaped scar atop his head.

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto!

Captain-Commander of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads—the man also hailed as the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years!

And behind him.

Were all the surviving high-ranking combatants of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads!

Kuchiki Byakuya, the second Young Master of the Kuchiki Clan, wielder of the Zanpakutō Senbonzakura—upon Bankai, it transforms into countless densely packed cherry blossom petals!

Every single petal was incomparably sharp, capable of slicing open a throat with ease!

Kenpachi Zaraki.

Captain of the eleventh division, the strongest combat division—even though he could not even perform Shikai, let alone Bankai.

But with sheer, overwhelming spiritual pressure alone, he could crush everything!

A single direct slash — even the vice-captain couldn't take it!

This is also why, later, when the Wandenreich invaded, he was listed among the five Special-Class combatants!

At this moment.

... had also arrived here.

And behind them.

Hitsugaya Toushirou, gripping a Zanpakuto that gleamed with razor-sharp edge and chilling light, narrowed his eyes slightly.

The strongest ice-type Zanpakuto — Hyourinmaru!

Even though.

Its fame couldn't compare to Ryujin Jakka, Kyoka Suigetsu, or Kuchiki Senya's Tendan Banshou.

Still.

It remained one of the strongest Zanpakuto in all of Soul Society.

Further behind, even Kyouraku Shunsui looking utterly listless, Ukitake Jyuushirou standing ready for battle, and even Kurotsuchi Mayuri — the head of the Kaifa Bureau, a pure support officer — had all joined this battle!

Every single member of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, great and small, had been deployed! The vice-captains had also all gathered here!

Above Karakura Town.

The air was cold and biting; the atmosphere between the two sides was extremely solemn.

A colossal spiritual pressure shook heaven and earth, blanketing everything around it! The buildings below split apart with frantic "Crack! Crack~" sounds, jagged dark fissures racing across them.

The next moment.

With a thunderous boom, they collapsed outright!

They couldn't withstand such incomparably ferocious spiritual pressure — crumbling like mere scraps of paper!

However.

In the center of Karakura Town.

A lavishly decorated entertainment palace, glittering everywhere with dazzling ambient lights, known as the largest entertainment city in Karakura Town — Senya Entertainment City — remained completely untouched!

Even.

No matter how immense the spiritual pressure, it could not inflict the slightest damage on Senya Entertainment City!

"Senya Entertainment City — that's Kuchiki Senya's territory!" the Espada members behind muttered with grave faces.

Kuchiki Senya.

One of Soul Society's supreme powerhouses, a figure ranked alongside Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni!

Even.

Ulquiorra and Yammy, facing him, would only end up being killed in an instant!