Chapter 39: The King's Harvest
Across the Seireitei
The moment Ichigo finally cast aside all restraint and fully unleashed his power, he unknowingly drew the attention of everyone still fighting across the battlefield.
Those who had fallen into despair after the death of the Captain-Commander felt hope reignite within their hearts as Ichigo's monstrous Reiatsu washed over the Seireitei.
Or rather, what used to be the Seireitei.
Since the invasion began, the Quincy stronghold known as Silbern had completely overlapped and overwritten the Seireitei, turning the Soul Society into an icy fortress belonging to the enemy.
“I-Ichigo...” Rukia muttered through gritted teeth as she lay buried beneath a pile of rubble after her defeat at the hands of Meninas McAllon.
On another battlefield, the battered forms of Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai felt a weight lift from their shoulders. Having pushed themselves beyond their limits, both men finally allowed themselves to succumb to their injuries and slipped into unconsciousness.
Those still capable of fighting reacted differently.
Shunsui Kyōraku, Shinji Hirako, Soi Fon, and Tōshirō Hitsugaya all felt a renewed surge of determination. The overwhelming pressure radiating from Ichigo served as a reminder that the battle was not yet lost.
Hope still remained.
And so they continued to fight.
Meanwhile, within the Fourth Division barracks, Orihime and Sado looked up simultaneously as the unmistakable feeling of Ichigo's Reiatsu reached them.
Orihime's expression immediately filled with concern.
“Sado-kun... I...”
Before she could finish, a large hand gently settled on her shoulder.
Looking up, she found Sado giving her a reassuring nod.
“It's alright, Inoue,” he said calmly. “Go. I'll stay here and protect this place. Right now, Ichigo needs you.”
A grateful smile appeared on Orihime's face.
“Thank you, Sado-kun.”
The worry in her eyes quickly transformed into determination as she rose to her feet and prepared to head toward the battlefield.
=====
Back to Caius
Rather than receiving a verbal response to my offer, I was greeted by a barrage of attacks.
Calmly raising a hand, I devoured the incoming volley of Heilig Pfeil launched by the Bambies alongside the thousands of bullets Gremmy had imagined into existence and fired from hundreds of guns.
Every one of them had activated Quincy: Vollständig with the sole exception of Gremmy.
“Damn, so it's true. He really can devour almost anything,” Liltotto observed as she watched me emerge completely unharmed.
“There has to be a limit to what he can absorb!” Candice shouted in frustration.
She raised her Heilig Bogen once more, electricity crackling violently around the weapon.
“Bambi! Lili! Back me up!”
“Galvano Blast!”
“You didn't have to ask!” Bambietta yelled with a huge grin.
Her wings expanded as countless bombs formed from condensed Reishi appeared around her.
“Let's see you dodge this, Slime-chan~”
The explosives shot toward me in a relentless storm.
“Tsk, I guess I'll join in too,” Liltotto muttered before aiming one of her bracelets in my direction.
“Spork!”
The bracelet shot forward like a high-speed projectile.
Meanwhile, Meninas and Giselle continued firing streams of Heilig Pfeil, lacking any particularly notable long-range attacks of their own.
“His abilities are rather troublesome,” Meninas commented with a small pout.
“Let's see that slime stay cheeky after I turn him into a zombie,” Giselle added with a smile that had returned to his face, though the anger beneath it was still obvious.
“Sorry, but who said I have a limit?” I asked loudly enough for all of them to hear.
Then, without the slightest effort, I casually devoured every attack heading toward me.
The sight only caused their frustration to deepen.
The next moment, however, I blinked as the ground around me suddenly shifted. Massive chunks of stone rose from all sides, attempting to crush me in the middle.
“Hahahaha! How do you like my power, Caius Aurelius?” Gremmy laughed happily.
“…Meh.” My response immediately made his smile falter.
“I'd say your ability is pretty interesting, but you're not using it anywhere near its full potential.”
My voice suddenly came from behind them, causing the group to freeze before they immediately turned around.
“Tsk, we'll see about that!” Gremmy snapped, clearly offended by my words as he glared at me.
A moment later, the ground beneath us began to tremble violently.
A huge section of the battlefield slowly rose into the sky, creating an arena that towered above all the surrounding buildings.
It was obvious what he was trying to do.
He wanted to create our own private battlefield.
“Nice trick,” I commented calmly.
Unfortunately for him, my lack of amazement only seemed to annoy him further.
“Time to bring out the big guns then~” Giselle suddenly said in a cheerful voice.
Almost immediately, hundreds of figures appeared around us wearing both Quincy and Shinigami attire.
The most noticeable detail, however, was their appearance.
Their skin had darkened, and their eyes were empty and hollow like they were already dead.
Standing at the front of the group were several familiar figures.
Izuru Kira.
Marechiyo Ōmaeda.
Chōjirō Sasakibe.
Shūhei Hisagi.
All former Lieutenants and confirmed casualties from the beginning of the invasion.
“I've been gathering quite the collection, don't you think?” Giselle asked with a smug smile. “Though I would have preferred having some Captains under my control too, but I suppose we can't have everything.”
He shrugged casually.
Seeing the army of corpses, I couldn't help but smile in amusement.
After all, the disgusting necrophiliac had essentially just brought me more food.
Even better, since they were already dead, the Shinigami couldn't complain too much about what I was going to do.
“What the hell is so funny?” Candice asked in frustration after noticing my expression.
“Nothing,” I replied calmly while shaking my head. “I'm just waiting for our other guests to arrive.”
“Wha—?”
As if waiting for those exact words, several new presences suddenly appeared.
“Mind if we join in too?”
A loud and confident voice echoed across the battlefield as five more figures arrived.
I turned around calmly, having already sensed them approaching, and immediately recognized each one.
Äs Nödt.
Bazz-B.
BG9.
Mask De Masculine.
And James.
“The Superstar has arrived!” Mask declared dramatically, striking a heroic pose while James sat on his shoulder.
“You can do it, Superstar!”
“His Majesty has ordered your death, Caius Aurelius,” Äs Nödt declared coldly.
“I see.”
A smirk slowly formed on my face.
“So your high and mighty leader decided to send all of you after me.”
I looked around at the gathered Sternritter with amusement.
“Seems like someone is worried.”
My smile widened.
“Don't tell me your king is actually afraid of a slime?”
The reactions were immediate.
Several of them frowned in anger at the disrespect toward the man they practically worshipped as a god.
However, the sharper ones like Bazz-B and Liltotto reacted differently.
Their eyes narrowed slightly in thought as they truly thought about what I said.
Exactly what I wanted.
“Well then.”
I raised my hand and curled my fingers toward myself in a mocking gesture.
“Shall we continue?”
=====
Ichigo vs Yhwach
Streaks of gold and blue lit up the sky as Ichigo and Yhwach clashed repeatedly above the battlefield.
Shockwaves rippled across the heavens with every collision, tearing apart clouds and sending violent gusts of wind throughout the Wandenreich. To the surprise of everyone watching, it was Ichigo who currently held the advantage.
After another fierce clash, Ichigo managed to overpower the Quincy King and send him flying into the distance.
Floating in the air with a serious expression, Ichigo kept his guard raised and patiently waited for Yhwach to reappear. He knew better than to believe an attack like that would be enough to kill someone of his caliber.
Sure enough, a moment later Yhwach stepped out of the drifting smoke.
The Quincy King looked noticeably worse for wear. Parts of his uniform had been torn apart, and a thin trail of blood ran from his forehead and the corner of his mouth.
“Magnificent.”
To Ichigo's surprise, Yhwach sounded genuinely impressed.
“To think you would become this strong without being trained by the Zero Squad or completing the Irazu Sandō.”
Ichigo frowned slightly at the unfamiliar terms.
He had absolutely no idea what Yhwach was talking about.
“Then again,” Yhwach continued, his expression darkening as his gaze shifted toward another part of the battlefield, “I suppose I shouldn't be surprised if that creature was the one who trained you.”
The direction of his gaze made it obvious who he meant.
Caius.
For a brief moment, Ichigo couldn't help but feel amused by the way Yhwach spoke about him.
It almost sounded like—
“Hoh,” Ichigo said with a raised eyebrow. “Are you afraid of Caius or something?”
The slight scowl on Yhwach's face immediately deepened.
“Do you have any idea what the nature of that creature you call a friend truly is, Ichigo?” Yhwach demanded.
“You mean the fact that he's actually a slime?” Ichigo asked in confusion.
“No.”
Yhwach's answer came instantly.
“The fact that the being known as Caius Aurelius is an anomaly that should not exist. He does not belong in this universe.”
Ichigo blinked.
Then blinked again.
“It came to me after my clash with him,” Yhwach continued with complete conviction. “The reason he remains invisible to my sight. The reason even my senses struggle to perceive him. The reason for his impossible growth.”
His eyes narrowed.
“He is an invader from another universe, here to destroy this one.”
The certainty in his voice made it sound as though he were stating an undeniable fact.
Unfortunately for him, it only caused Ichigo to look at him even more strangely.
After a few moments, he simply shook his head.
“That might be the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard.”
Yhwach's expression darkened.
“Now stop stalling,” Ichigo continued as he pointed his white Zanpakutō at the Quincy King. “I know you haven't been going all out yet.”
For a moment, Yhwach simply stared at him.
Then he sighed.
“It seems I was foolish to believe I could make you see that creature for what he truly is.”
A small smirk formed on his lips.
“Very well. You should be proud, Ichigo. You've pushed me further than most ever could.”
His eyes slowly began to change.
“But there is one thing you've forgotten.”
The smirk widened.
“I haven't opened my eyes yet.”
A moment later, additional pupils appeared within his eyes.
Three in each.
“There it is,” Ichigo muttered cautiously as he felt the Quincy King's spiritual pressure shift. “The Almighty.”
His expression hardened.
“So now he's finally serious.”
Without taking his eyes off Yhwach, Ichigo released his shorter Zanpakutō and slid it back into its sheath.
Then he raised a hand toward the horn protruding from his forehead.
Without hesitation, he drove his palm into it.
Blood erupted from the wound.
At the same time, he began gathering a Getsuga Tenshō within his larger white blade.
The two powers merged together perfectly.
Gold and crimson energy intertwined.
His Reiatsu exploded outward with enough force to shake the battlefield below.
“Let's see how you deal with this!”
Yhwach's eyes widened slightly.
“Gran Rey Cero!”
A massive violet crescent of destruction erupted from Ichigo's blade and surged toward the Quincy King, tearing through everything in its path.
=====
Back To Caius
“Wahahaha! Looks like the Strawberry finally managed to get the mustache bastard to take him seriously.” I let out a hearty laugh as I glanced in the direction where Ichigo was currently fighting Yhwach.
All around me, my opponents could be seen climbing out of piles of rubble and slowly getting back to their feet. Their condition was far worse than before, with burns, cuts, and bruises covering their bodies.
The only ones no longer present were Äs Nödt, BG9, Mask de Masculine, and James since I had made sure work of them.
Oh, and all the zombies Giselle had brought along had also been devoured.
I might have also taken the liberty of acquiring a few shiny medals some of the Quincy happened to be carrying around. Medals that just so happened to contain several sealed Bankai.
But really, who could be expected to remember such insignificant details in the middle of a war?
Patiently waiting for the surviving Sternritter to stand again, I crossed my arms and tilted my head slightly as a smug smile spread across my face.
“You guys know what that means, right?” I asked mockingly, casually batting aside a beam of fire Bazz-B had launched at me.
No one answered.
Instead, several copies of Gremmy suddenly appeared around me.
In the next instant, the space surrounding my body transformed into a vacuum.
“Let's see you survive the vacuum of outer space!” all the Gremmys shouted in unison, each wearing a triumphant grin.
“In the vacuum of space, your bodily fluids evaporate and your blood begins to boil!” Gremmy continued confidently. “Even someone like you can't come out of that unharmed!”
His confident declaration quickly died in his throat.
Nothing happened.
My blood didn't boil.
My body didn't explode.
I didn't even feel uncomfortable.
I simply stood there completely unharmed before casually stepping out of the affected area.
“You done?” I asked while raising an eyebrow.
Gremmy's face twisted in fury.
“You monster!” he shouted, his voice carrying both rage and fear.
Then his expression suddenly shifted into manic excitement.
A massive shadow fell over the battlefield.
An intense heat followed immediately afterward.
“How about this!?”
Everyone instinctively looked up.
A gigantic meteorite was descending from the sky.
The surviving Quincy immediately began shouting in panic.
“Gremmy! Have you lost your mind!? Are you trying to kill all of us?”
“This crazy bastard is going to get us killed!”
“That looks really bad.”
“Run, you idiots!”
“Ara~ Maybe fighting alongside Gremmy wasn't such a good idea after all. We should've waited for the slime to kill him first.”
“Tsk! This won't kill me!”
While everyone else panicked, I calmly raised a hand.
Above my palm appeared a sphere of what could only be described as dark light.
Without the slightest hesitation, I launched it toward the descending meteor.
“Gravity Collapse!”
It was another Nuclear Magic spell Astra and I had recreated together. This one being one of Carrera’s.
Her favorite spell, in fact.
The technique created a localized disruption in gravity, generating an area of supergravity powerful enough to compress everything within its range into a single point. The result was essentially an artificial black hole.
And this being Carrera’s favorite, of course there had to be some sort of explosion involved somehow or the extreme battle junkie wouldn’t be satisfied.
That’s why the gathered energy didn't simply disappear afterward.
Instead, it violently exploded outward.
Like a miniature supernova.
The spell struck the meteorite almost instantly.
Then all hell broke loose.
For a brief moment, everything seemed to move in slow motion.
The massive meteor compressed into a sphere no larger than a baseball.
Then it exploded.
“KA-BOOOOOM!”
The resulting blast was so overwhelming that it instantly erased the barrier maintaining the Wandenreich's overlap with the Seireitei, restoring Soul Society to its original appearance.
The destruction didn't stop there either.
The explosion continued upward, reaching the distant Royal Palace and effortlessly shattering the barrier that separated it from Soul Society before finally disappearing into the unknown.
Silence followed.
As I turned back toward the surviving Quincy, I was greeted by pale faces, widened eyes, and expressions ranging from shock to outright terror.
None looked more horrified than Gremmy.
The Visionary stared at me as though he had just encountered some incomprehensible eldritch horror.
Honestly, I couldn't be bothered dealing with him anymore.
Appearing directly in front of him, I immediately devoured him before he could react.
“There. We can talk later once you've calmed down.”
I mentally nudged Astra.
‘Keep an eye on him for me, will you dear?’
“Leave it to me, Caius-sama~”
“Good.”
Turning back toward the remaining Sternritter, I continued speaking as though I hadn't just erased a meteor and shattered two separate barriers with a single spell.
“Now, back to what I was saying.”
I looked up toward the sky.
“It won't be long before Yhwach starts panicking and activates Auswählen.”
Almost immediately, as if I had foretold it, a gigantic blue circle began forming above the Seireitei.
A smile spread across my face.
“And there it is.”