Chapter 137: All Phenomena, Reduced to Ash: Ryūjin Jakka

A deep purple hilt, an oval tsuba, a brown scabbard!

It can’t be wrong, it can’t be wrong—this is that blade, this is that blade!

The strongest and oldest fire-type zanpakutō in the Soul Society!

The weapon of Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, the most powerful Shinigami in a thousand years!

Gu Che and Lin Ruoxi noticed Shen Mo’s anomaly, but before they could ask, Ye Xuan’s voice drifted out calmly.

“All phenomena, reduced to ash.”

“Ryūjin Jakka!”

“Zhēng—”

The instant the blade emerged from its scabbard, the air ignited!

An indescribable heat swept across the battlefield; everyone felt their skin burn, their breath searing their lungs, and instinctively retreated.

Ye Xuan flipped his wrist, lifting the blade’s edge slightly.

“Matsutake.”

“Hōng—!!!”

A tornado-like wall of flame erupted violently, crimson fire spiraling upward like a furious dragon, instantly consuming all mutated creatures within hundreds of meters ahead!

Where the flames passed, flesh, bone, scales—even the screams—vanished instantly in the terrifying heat, vaporized without a trace!

The three three-stage mutated gorillas, merely brushed by the fire’s tongue, melted like wax statues and vanished into ash in an instant!

The mutated creatures behind, having narrowly escaped the flames, completely shattered. They had joined the beast horde only out of fear; now, witnessing this scene of heavenly fire and earth-consuming destruction, they had not a shred of fighting spirit left.

“Áo wū—!”

Amid piercing howls, the beast horde fled in blind panic!

Four-legged, six-legged, even crawling ones—all sprinted desperately, wishing they could grow more legs!

Just one slash.

The mutated beast tide, surging once more, had already broken and fled.

If Ye Xuan chose to end it here, this battle would cease instantly, and for a long time to come, every surviving mutated creature would remember the figure of “Ye Xuan.”

But did Ye Xuan intend to end it here?

Naturally not.

“Jōkai Enjō.”

Ye Xuan’s calm voice echoed again through the air as he lightly swung Ryūjin Jakka.

In an instant, heaven and earth lost their color!

Where the blade pointed, endless flames roared forth like the hand of a god, crushing forward into a boiling sea of hell, engulfing every fleeing mutated creature!

The ground, the moment it touched the flames, melted instantly into crimson molten streams; soil, sand, stone, even the bedrock buried deep beneath—all boiled and churned under the terrifying heat, becoming a lake of lava!

The fleeing mutated creatures didn’t even have time to scream—they were vaporized by the heat, leaving not even ash behind!

The air warped; heat waves surged like a tidal wave. Trees far away, untouched by flame, spontaneously ignited from the heat alone, becoming towering pillars of fire!

The entire battlefield had been baptized in fire!

Lava churned, flames raged, scorching hurricanes swept up searing winds, erasing every trace of life!

Some mutated creatures within the flames had tried to break out—but the instant they touched the fire, they were utterly consumed, finally dissolving into ash as the flames closed in around them.

Ye Xuan slowly sheathed his blade.

The flames faded, leaving only the earth still moaning.

Before everyone’s eyes lay a mirror-smooth lake of lava, crimson and searing, slowly cooling into blackened, charred earth.

Wind passed; ash filled the sky. The battlefield held no living thing.

“Ryūjin Jakka? Ryūjin Jakka!”

Shen Mo’s expression was nearly unhinged; he stared in disbelief at the ancient tachi in Ye Xuan’s hand, his pupils trembling violently.

Though he had guessed after the Ice Wheel’s warning, he had still doubted—now, seeing this sea of molten ash, this fire that consumed all, he finally knew for certain.

Ye Xuan, besides possessing the Wangquan Tyranny armor and the Flame Dragon Armor, was also the wielder of the zanpakutō Ryūjin Jakka!

One man, three Celestial Treasures?

Could such a thing truly exist?

Not just him—Lin Ruoxi and Gu Che were equally frozen in place.

In fact, the moment Ye Xuan spoke “All phenomena, reduced to ash,” they had already been stunned.

In this age of spiritual energy revival and dimensional invasion, who wouldn’t know the meaning of those eight characters? Especially since Shen Mo himself wielded Hyōrinmaru.

Precisely because they knew, it was unbelievable.

The Celestial Treasures they knew Ye Xuan possessed were all ones he had already used—but if they were to check his profile again, they would understand what true cruelty reality held.

Three Celestial Treasures? The number Ye Xuan possessed, even if doubled, was still more.

“Matsutake—one of Ryūjin Jakka’s Shikai techniques. At the instant of drawing the blade, a tornado of flame encircles the enemy and burns while spinning, until the enemy is reduced to ash and the fire dissipates.”

“Jōkai Enjō—another of Ryūjin Jakka’s Shikai techniques. The blade releases flames like a giant hand that envelops the enemy; if one tries to break out from within, they are pursued by flames of 6000 degrees.”

“No wonder it’s recognized as the strongest and oldest fire-type zanpakutō, no wonder it’s famed as possessing the greatest offensive power in the Soul Society.”

“Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni was indeed powerful, but Ryūjin Jakka was never merely his accessory!”

“Such terrifying destructive power—it’s too strong, truly too strong!”

Shen Mo stared at the still-churning lava lake before him, his eyes gleaming.

Though he possessed Hyōrinmaru, and Hyōrinmaru was no weaker than Ryūjin Jakka—both the strongest in their respective elements—

Unlike Ryūjin Jakka, which had dazzling performances in the anime, Hyōrinmaru’s feats, while impressive, were limited by Hitsugaya Tōshirō’s youth; compared to later characters who broke the rules, he remained insufficient.

The strongest fire-type, Ryūjin Jakka—need I say more? Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni’s death is still called a plot device. The strongest illusion-type, Kagenotsuki, need I say more? Even today, Aizen remains an insurmountable peak among villains.

The strongest physical attack-type, Zangetsu—its Bankai’s roar cannot even be sustained long by Kenpachi Zaraki’s body, revealing its terror.

What?

You say Retsu Unohana’s strongest wind-type zanpakutō, Dangai Fū?

Cough, cough—don’t say there’s only one wind-type zanpakutō in the entire Soul Society; isn’t Rangiku Matsumoto’s Kuroi Neko a wind-type?

Huh? You say if you count Kuroi Neko, then Dangai Fū isn’t the strongest wind-type zanpakutō anymore?

Then let’s not count it.

Besides, their zanpakutō isn’t weak—it’s just that their opponents are too strong.

Can you say Retsu Unohana isn’t strong? Do you think a “measuring unit” can be appointed by mere wish?

Without real strength, could anyone become a measuring unit?

What do you mean, “if he weren’t a captain, the measuring unit wouldn’t be him”?

Isn’t he a captain precisely because of his strength?

(End of Chapter)