Small door?
Both Ichigo and Uryū were slightly stunned.
Both seemed completely unprepared for this result, their expressions becoming quite rich at this moment.
After brief speechlessness, Uryū, who made the first decision, stepped forward half a step. His right hand pressed against his chest, his expression becoming extremely serious.
"Mr. Urahara, may I ask if this matter was also..."
"That's right, all content discussed with your father in advance."
Everything had already been arranged properly.
Now was the time to gather all causes and hatreds.
Urahara's tone was bland. At this moment, he was merely active as a messenger.
"Go. The Ishida family's grudge will surely be settled today... this is also your father's message."
"...Did that guy say anything else?"
"Nothing else~ After all, you should understand your father's temperament, right?"
Uryū smiled slightly, just blandly lowering his gaze.
He had truly received this conviction and power.
Ichigo beside him was speechless for a moment, then couldn't help but ask softly.
"Mr. Urahara, what about my old man..."
"Both your elders are carrying out a very important mission. That should be the final trump card that could determine the direction of the three worlds. So sorry... before the crisis truly arrives, I can't reveal anything to you."
It wasn't heartlessness.
But they had to consider Yhwach's methods.
The other party's Almighty ability had been fully revealed, and based on this... Urahara and others had to make corresponding arrangements.
"If you two clash with Yhwach, then the content we're currently exchanging would be forced to be revealed to him."
"This is the most undesirable thing. Considering this reason, I can only say no comment..."
"Sorry about that."
The Almighty power allowed Yhwach to unconditionally trigger and contact specific targets, thereby conducting multi-faceted observation and detection of their past and future.
Knowledge of past secrets could make him completely understand everything about his opponents.
Observation of the ethereal future could place him in an inherently undefeatable realm.
The interweaving and collision of these two abilities was Yhwach's most troublesome aspect, and also where his greatest trump card lay.
Uryū already knew the stakes involved and naturally wouldn't persist in asking anything. In comparison... Ichigo's expression became somewhat strained.
Are you two talking about some riddle-like topics?
Please don't do this... I can't understand at all!
"There's not much time left, Ichigo, we need to depart!"
Things having reached this point, further discussion was useless. After simply organizing his feelings, Ichigo took a deep breath and refocused his determination.
—Although he didn't quite understand, what needed to be done ultimately remained unchanged.
Protect everything he wanted to protect!
Two figures, one black and one white, advanced left and right, both disappearing into these two miniature apertures.
Confirming that both their auras gradually began to distance and dissipate, Urahara immediately waved his hand, sealing and severing the entrances.
So then...
From now on.
The so-called Soul Society had already become a cage for trapped beasts.
A group of wild beasts were trapped within, engaging in bloody and primitive fighting to tear each other's throats.
"How troublesome..."
While sighing, Urahara lightly sighed as he raised the long blade in his hand.
"I'm clearly still most bad at and hate this kind of thing."
But at this moment, there seemed to be no other options.
"Bankai..."
The combat power that had been adjusted again.
Made the originally somewhat mysterious battle situation seem to 'settle' down at this moment.
However, from another perspective, this seemed to completely align with both sides' desires and purposes.
On the strangely ascending double helix, the tip called contradiction was constantly condensing, becoming sharp. Like nutrients concentrated by deep-sea creatures, until reaching the final endpoint.
"Two reinforcements?"
Ōetsu slightly lowered his head, his gaze revealing somewhat from behind his lenses, yet at this moment completely unable to suppress that playful outline.
"Although it sounds quite like that's the case, it's actually just a bit troublesome!"
Yes, just a bit.
Facing this level of arrogant statement, the response at this moment... came from Lille's long rifle.
"Insolent fool."
Bang!
The muzzle spat flames, the sharp weapon shot forth.
Kirio and Shutara almost instantly flickered to Ōetsu's side.
One blocked, while the other stood beside, seemingly confirming something.
"Ugh..."
A muffled groan, accompanied by drowning-like turbidity, surged from Ōetsu's mouth at this moment.
Blood directly flowed from the corner of his mouth.
Although Kirio still had a straw in his mouth, his expression had already become serious to an incomparable degree.
"Really..."
As the fastest guy in Squad Zero, Kirio's reaction speed was definitely not inferior to bullets. Precisely because he saw everything, he could react instantly.
His Zanpakutō had already blocked in front of Ōetsu's chest.
Although the method was somewhat crude, this was the 'only solution' in an emergency.
From a judgment standpoint, there was no problem.
But... the development of events didn't follow human will.
Seeing his Zanpakutō pierced with a smooth hole, Kirio couldn't help but swallow.
The strength and hardness of Zanpakutō had already determined... they definitely weren't things that could be easily penetrated.
But what was the reality?
The bullet not only penetrated the blade but also pierced through Ōetsu's chest behind it, forming a large hole that went completely through.
"Ugh..."
Like having a large chunk of flesh carved out of thin air.
Bones, organs, nerves, blood vessels... at this moment all seemed to have evaporated into thin air, presenting a nearly void hollow state.
It seemed his body needed time to accept reality.
Only after waiting for quite a while did the slowly seeping, gradually collapsing blood water spurt from various parts of his body, until completely soaking and saturating his body...
Lille seemed completely unsurprised by this result.
His tone was extremely bland.
"Foolish Soul Reaper... my bullets cannot be blocked. They will only penetrate targets, not be stopped by anything."
No matter what.
No matter who comes.
All-penetrating... as Lille's ability, this was his most troublesome aspect.
The reason many Soul Reapers fell into bitter battles when fighting him in the lower world was also this... facing this level of 'killing weapon', everyone seemed to have no solution except passive endurance.
However.
This was also within expectations.
"How miserable."
Shutara chuckled as she took out spare cotton, stuffing it front and back into Ōetsu's chest.
The flesh was filled.
His originally somewhat unclear consciousness seemed to suddenly become much clearer at this moment.
Ōetsu let out a cheer, even doing a backflip.
"Thanks~"
The feeling of escaping death was really nice.
But compared to this... he was more willing to praise the other party's strength.
"This kind of strange and unreasonable thing, if encountered without preparation, would simply give people an explosive headache!"
Hearing the other party's teasing, Lille imperceptibly frowned slightly.
Information leak.
Regarding this problem... he had already made corresponding mental preparations early on.
After all, the traitor was standing not far away, and at this moment there was no room for argument.
But so what?
Lille brought his long gun to his face, at this moment making an aiming-like posture.
"Can you defeat me just by being prepared? Such naive thinking, it seems the so-called Squad Zero is nothing special."
Bullets would penetrate everything, not just flesh, but souls...
Along with your beliefs and everything you believe in, all would meet their end.
Watching the other party's movements, the expression of the Four Cardinal Directions at this moment was unusually calm.
"I see, it really is as you said. This is fundamentally not an opponent that can be handled with ordinary means."
Kirio seemed to give up resistance, his hands dropping down, his Zanpakutō also returning to its Asauchi form.
"Wouldn't it be better to admit it earlier? Wasting time like this, isn't this also a form of rudeness?"
Shutara's tone was as usual, yet one could taste some different meaning from it.
"It's just some conflicts of thought. You two don't need to argue over these things."
Kirio cheerfully mediated.
And this strange atmosphere, at this moment, somewhat affected Lille's judgment.
What were these guys... doing?
"Hey, Quincy!"
Ōetsu in the distance raised his right hand toward him, at this moment waving lightly, like two old friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time meeting again...
Using a somewhat joyful tone.
"Next we're also going to show our real skills, okay?"
"..."
What a joke.
At this time, could there still be any room for holding back?
Rather than a 'crime declaration', at this moment in Lille's view, it seemed more like being 'at a loss' after revealing all trump cards.
What other means could these guys have to resist?
Before he could speak, he saw three of the Four Cardinal Directions kneel in unison at this moment.
Kirio, Shutara, Kirio - the three raised their carried Zanpakutō, hanging them at one side of their necks.
The sharp edges pressed tightly against the flesh, the keen blades had already divided the skin, seeping bright red blood at this moment...
These guys.
What were they doing?
"Ōetsu!"
The suddenly elevated voice was Kirio's roar.
"You shall subjugate the invaders."
Shutara remained extremely cold, as if merely stating something completely unrelated to her.
"All for the three worlds and the Soul King."
Kirio's face showed no joy or sorrow, as if at this moment she had already completely made her decision...
No room for further discussion.
And Ōetsu, whose name was called, stood in place, at this moment just raising the blade in his hand high above his head.
"Is this good enough? Monk!"
No longer using honorifics.
But speaking such an extremely frivolous address.
Ōetsu's emotions seemed to be ignited at this moment.
A wildly mad smile appeared on his face. The eyes hidden behind his goggles, even without being revealed, still gave people a burning hot sensation.
What kind of person was Ōetsu hidden behind titles like swordsmith and Squad Zero member?
To this day, perhaps few people had tried to understand him.
No matter.
Today was the time to reveal his true self.
Ichibē, sitting not far away at the entrance to the Soul King Palace, had originally been looking at Seiya and Aizen beside him. At this moment, after hearing the other party call his name...
He half-turned his head.
Revealing a broad yet strange smile.
"No problem, do it."
"Understood!"
Puff puff puff...
After one response, the three kneeling people pressed down their blades.
The sharp edges instantly cut through skin and flesh, completely slashing open almost half their necks.
Arteries were instantly exposed.
The blood used for oxygen supply was like cars racing on a highway, 'unable to dodge' and crashing out of their predetermined tracks, spraying through the air.
Three bright and eerie blood flowers splattered, twisting as they formed...
Also symbolizing three Squad Zero members who had severed their life force, falling into silence at this moment.
At the shrine of the Soul King Palace.
The three fans symbolizing the Four Cardinal Directions extinguished one by one at this moment.
Until finally, only the 'lone seedling' representing the West remained.
Boom!!!
Flames...
Began to spread.
And along with this abnormal prominence, everyone currently active in the Soul King Palace felt a distinct sense of strangeness.
Visible waves began constantly appearing around Ōetsu, his momentum climbing steadily, so much so that at this moment he presented golden air wave-like phenomena.
Couldn't pretend not to see it.
Lille silently pulled the trigger.
He had no reason to wait for the other party to enter complete state.
The bullet instantly penetrated the other party's head, chest, and heart.
If it were a normal person, death would be absolutely certain at this moment... but Ōetsu's face only showed an even more proud smile.
The broken goggles slid from his face.
His injuries even began recovering at a visibly rapid speed.
"Wanting to harm me in this state~ that's harder than peeling a yuzu with bare hands after cutting fingernails!"
While laughing and playing.
Ōetsu took a deep breath.
He slightly closed his eyes at this moment, as if brewing, anticipating something...
Until reopening them after a moment, using a low and gloomy tone.
"Bankai."
"Indestructible Vajra: Wondrous Method Forging."