Chapter 44: Clash with Youhabah!

Boom!

Accompanied by a thunder‑like explosion, Youhabah, now a black silhouette, had already arrived before Huangmu; before Huangmu could even react, Youhabah's blade pierced Huangmu's body, splitting him in two.

"Done! That Shinigami must be dead!"

"No one can block His Majesty's slash!"

This scene made the members of the Star Cross Knights, standing at a distance, clench their fists in excitement! Indeed, their Emperor is invincible.

"Hm?!"

Only Youhabah, who had acted, furrowed his brows; the current situation was not what Youhabah had expected.

First, he had only intended to subdue Huangmu; he never meant to slay Huangmu…

Secondly, the feel of the blade contacting Huangmu's flesh just now was off; it didn't feel like cutting flesh, more like striking a mass of air.

"What are you thinking? How could I just die like that!"

Just as the Extinctionists were excited, Huangmu's body, split in two by Youhabah, turned into dense mist that rose into the sky and coalesced into a solid form above Youhabah's head.

"What? That Shinigami was clearly cut off, how could he revive?!"

When the Extinctionists saw Huangmu's misty 'death and rebirth' scene, they stared wide‑eyed and exclaimed in shock.

Before anyone could comprehend, Huangmu drew his Zanpakuto from his waist and swung the blade straight at Youhabah.

"Interesting!"

Youhabah saw a flash of strange color in his pupils and immediately moved to block.

Clang!!

With a metallic clash, an endless wave of Qi burst between Huangmu and Youhabah, rustling the surrounding rocks, trees, and houses, and Huangmu's blade was thus blocked by Youhabah.

"Silent Blood Gear? It's even harder than steel!"

Huangmu felt the resistance in his grip and frowned.

"Your blade cannot harm me."

Youhabah calmly watched the frowning Huangmu, his expression supremely confident.

"Is that so?"

Upon hearing that, Huangmu's blade was cloaked with a high‑level Armament Color and Conqueror Color aura.

Sizzle…

As black lightning stretched into fine threads, Youhabah's wrist instantly sprouted blood blossoms.

"Hm?"

Youhabah saw his pupils tremble, instantly sensed something amiss, and took a step back, creating distance from Huangmu.

"Interesting! That power belongs neither to the Shinigami nor to my great father; it's a unique system I know nothing about!"

"It seems, Huangmu, you still harbor secrets I don't know. I'm increasingly looking forward to the day you serve me…"

Youhabah instantly assessed Huangmu's cutting ability, which belonged neither to the Shinigami nor to the Spirit King, and his curiosity about Huangmu rose a few notches.

"Youhabah! Didn't you just confidently say my blade couldn't hurt you?"

"Why are you fleeing now? Or are you scared of a power you don't understand?"

Huangmu watched Youhabah flee without giving chase, instead trying to probe his mindset, hoping to expose a flaw.

Buzz~

Youhabah didn't answer Huangmu's words; with a wave of his hand, a spirit seed arrow condensed in his hand.

"It's His Majesty's Sacred Annihilation Arrow!"

The Extinctionists gazed at the scene and let out a chorus of gasps.

Boom…

As the bowstring was drawn, accompanied by the cracking of the atmosphere and the rumble of thunder, the spirit seed arrow that Youhabah had formed shot toward Huangmu.

"That was close!"

Seeing the arrow bearing immense force aimed at him, Huangmu had already used his flash step to evade; his adept use of high‑level Insight Color allowed him to seize the initiative against any opponent.

Heh…

Youhabah watched Huangmu repeatedly dodge his Sacred Annihilation, a slight curve forming at the corner of his mouth.

"Why aren't you continuing to use the 'Mist' you just employed to dodge my slash? Is it that your Mist can only evade physical attacks and not the massive explosive power of… my arrow!"

Youhabah instantly nullified Huangmu's Mist; even without activating All‑Knowing All‑Powerful, Youhabah is an extremely hard opponent. In fact, because he hasn't activated All‑Knowing All‑Powerful and doesn't over‑rely on his abilities, he won't expose any flaw through carelessness, making him calmer and more lethal!

If the original work had Youhabah with All‑Knowing All‑Powerful active, he could, when confronting Heizaki Ichigo and others, maneuver as he did invading the Soul Society, and even a combined force would stand no chance.

"Troublesome opponent."

Facing Youhabah's successive Sacred Annihilations, Huangmu seemed to have only the option to flee.

"Hahaha, scurrying about like a mouse!"

"What a foolish fool! That Shinigami who refused His Majesty's invitation is as stupid as Xiubeierte, who intends to meddle in His Majesty's battle!"

The Extinctionists, watching Huangmu's 'head‑tucked, mouse‑like scramble' and 'in disarray', burst into laughter, deeming Huangmu as laughable as Xiubeierte in their eyes…

In fact, the Extinctionists confronting Huangmu had several chances to stop him when he ambushed Xiubeierte, or at least could have warned Xiubeierte, but they didn't because His Majesty said, "Leave this battle to Xiubeierte!"

In other words, when that clueless Xiubeierte disturbed His Majesty's pleasure, he was already abandoned by His Majesty…

"Huangmu! Admit defeat!!"

Just as Huangmu used his clumsy flash step to narrowly dodge Youhabah's arrows, Youhabah seemed to grow impatient!

In an instant, spirit seeds beneath his feet gathered, and Youhabah's figure vanished from the spot; within a single breath, Youhabah was atop Huangmu's head…

A single arrow, far larger than Youhabah's previous Sacred Annihilations, gathered as he spread his arms! It could no longer be called an arrow, more like a spear!

"Huangmu, you have nowhere to retreat! You should know that our Extinctionists' 'Feilian Foot' that pursues the Void is far faster than the Shinigami's flash step!" Youhabah said, hurling the spear toward the Huangmu below, "Enough! Let this battle end here! Submit to me, Huangmu!"

"Damn! Can't dodge it!"

Araki faced the suddenly incoming spear, his pupils constricted instantly; at this moment, as Yuhab said, he had nowhere left to retreat.

Hah...

Just as Yuhab stood in the high sky, quietly admiring the 'fearful' expression on Araki's face, Araki, whom Yuhab considered already 'checkmated' and utterly 'doomed,' suddenly showed a faint smile.

The next second, Yuhab's spear passed straight through Araki's body.

"My 'arrow' should explode upon encountering your 'spirit particles,' yet it went straight through your body instead?"

Yuhab watched the scene, his pupils slightly constricting.

Yuhab's spear is a special version he made to counter Araki; upon encountering spirit particles, it activates 'spirit particle subjugation,' fixing the surrounding spirit particles, then immediately explodes to destroy all surrounding spirit particles completely!

So even if Araki turned into mist, as long as the spear encounters his mist-turned spirit particles it will explode! Therefore, as long as the spear avoids touching the mist-turned spirit particles, it will not explode……

Yes, Araki opened a huge hole in his chest, just the right size for Yuhab's spear to pass through, much like Katakuri when facing Luffy's Armament Haki fist, pre-making a hollow where his body would be attacked to let Luffy's fist through! Such an outrageous maneuver can only be done by a body capable of 'elementalization' combined with advanced Observation Haki, and Araki happens to have both.

"Yuhabach, have I ever said my mist-form can't dodge your arrows?"

Araki looked at Yuhab's surprised expression, drew his Soul-Cutting Sword, and aimed it at Yuhab's chest.

"K·ROOM·Piercing Wave!!"

Araki did not answer Yuhab's question; instead, he seized the moment right after Yuhab threw his spear and launched his own attack.

"Hmph!"

This time, Yuhabach raised his arm in front of himself; although Araki's ability to pierce his Blood Vene is 'special,' it is not enough to cause him serious damage—just a single strike, Yuhabach has absolute confidence he can block it.

"Huh? This attack actually bypassed my defense?!"

However, Yuhabach was astonished to discover that Araki's blade did not touch his arm, but passed straight through it, going all the way through his chest! In an instant, a blade tens of thousands of meters long pierced from Yuhabach's chest straight to the heavens! The blade was so huge that even dozens of spirit ri away it could be seen with startling clarity.

"Your Majesty!"

In that instant, all the Destroyer Monks panicked.

"Shock me!"

And Araki also launched an attack, with his spiritual pressure, overbearing spirit, and Devil Fruit ability all pushed to the extreme at this moment; his multiple probes were all for this strike.

"Pfft—"

Facing Araki's full-power strike, Yuhabach spat blood, suffering heavy injury!

In fact, Araki made full preparations for this strike, having probed Yuhabach three times to test whether the Yuhabach before him had opened his eyes in their battle.

After all, Araki still had some impression; he recalled that when reading the BLEACH manga, in the memory of the blazing Bazzi of the Star Cross Knights whose Holy Script was 'H', he deliberately gave Yuhabach from a thousand years ago a close-up of his eyes, in which Yuhabach's eyes reflected three pupils.

However, manga is manga and reality is reality; Araki, being in the real world, dared not gamble on his own experience, hence the three probes.

The first time, Araki chopped down Yuhabach's horse, letting Yuhabach see the basic ability of this technique, lengthening the blade, but he did not activate its piercing ability; if Yuhabach had understood this move, he would not have blocked with his hand just now.

The second time, Araki used overbearing spirit against Yuhabach; similarly, if Yuhabach knew Araki's overbearing spirit, he would not have used the silent blood gear to clash head-on with Araki.

The third time, Araki chose to flee when facing Yuhabach's bow and arrow; likewise, if Yuhabach could see the future, he would not continue to attack Araki with bow and arrow.

Three probes, all for this full-power strike!

"Ha!!"

Yuhabach certainly wouldn't just sit and wait for death; his body lit up with a sparkling blue light, and one after another, Destroyer Crosses rose into the sky with his roar.

"Tsk~"

Araki clicked his tongue inwardly at the sight, and his body instantly vanished from the spot.

This time, Araki used not Instant Step but ROOM, swapping himself with a Destroyer Monk far away.

"Eh?!"

The Destroyer Monk who had been standing nearby, nervously watching the battle between Yuhabach and Araki, blankly realized that he had somehow ended up within Yuhabach's attack range.

"Boom!!"

With a roar, that Destroyer Monk was instantly wiped out within Yuhabach's domain by the Holy Destroyer Arrow.

"Araki, you've successfully angered me!"

After blasting that Destroyer Monk into fragments, Yuhabach raised a finger to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth; his cold, gloomy eyes fixed on Araki held nothing but endless fury.

"Boom!!"

At this moment, endless spiritual pressure burst forth from Yuhabach's body, and the heavens and earth of the Soul Society became abnormally frenzied with his anger.

"Looks like Yuhabach is really getting serious this time."

Araki gazed at the enraged Yuhabach and tightened his grip on his Soul-Cutting Sword.

"Swastika Release..."

Araki hesitated not, directly employing his strongest technique.

"Hmph—"

Yuhabach looked at Araki, who was about to unleash his Swastika Release, as if he had long anticipated it.

"Medicine Master Glazed Light·World?"

Facing Araki's Swastika Release, Yuhabach's eyes held a hint of contempt.

"……Medicine Master Glazed Light King Buddha·Eastern Pure Glazed Light World!"

The moment Araki released his Soul-Cutting Sword, pure glazed light flooded in all directions around him.

In an instant, Araki seemed to become the master of the world illuminated by that glazed light.

A figure possessing the Thirty-Two Marks, the Eighty Subsidiary Characteristics, and being flawless and pure, its entire body pure glazed, emanating endless majesty—the Wheel-Turning Holy King—slowly emerged behind Araki.

Araki reflected the Holy King's radiance, divine might like a prison! At this moment, Araki seemed like the Holy King descending to the mortal world, as if acting in the Holy King's stead to exercise this supreme power.

"What a bizarre Swastika Release!"

Yuhabach once again discovered that the information he had prepared in advance was flawed; in order to successfully invade the Soul Society, Yuhabach had investigated the Pure Spirit Court for a long time, possessing some understanding of all captain-level death gods of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, and he had naturally investigated Araki's Swastika Release, but now Araki's Swastika Release seemed completely different from before.

"Exhale—"

On the other side, Araki slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid qi, his spiritual pressure pouring out as if it were free.

Araki, in his previous fight with Maozhihua, actually released his Swastika Release, but he didn't fully release it, his Swastika Release consumes too much spiritual pressure, last time it was only half-opened…… After all, Guanyin is sufficient to subdue Rakshasa!

This time Araki's opponent is none other than Yhwach, who is the supreme YHWH!

Therefore, Ru has the Lord of the Eastern World come to Araki's side.

This chapter is a 4000-word big chapter! Everyone, for my hard work, please cast a vote!

(End of chapter)