In the chat group, all the Shinigami became serious and continued their discussion:
[Hitsugaya Tōshirō]: Indeed, judging from the information in that projection, there's definitely more than one enemy. Is it possible that our captains' Bankai will also be in jeopardy?
[Sasakibe Chōjirō]: According to Captain Byakuya, I've already fought these enemies. If even my Bankai is stolen, it would be catastrophic.
[Unohana Retsu]: I feel an ominous premonition I haven't experienced in a very long time.
[Zaraki Kenpachi]: Oh? So powerful? Hehe, then let me take action! I'm not afraid of having my Bankai stolen! Let me fight them and finish them off!
[Aizen Sōsuke]: This exceeds my expectations—that such enemies exist. I wonder which will occur first compared to my previous battle?
In Las Noches...
Aizen was finally surprised!
In the projection, he had battled so many Shinigami, meaning it was time to implement his plan.
He should be approaching his assault on the Soul King Palace, correct?
But why were there these mysterious enemies?
Who was governing Soul Society at this time?
If his plan had succeeded, how dare these mysterious enemies invade?
Aizen felt confused and couldn't comprehend it, so he concentrated and carefully analyzed the information in the projection.
[Hitsugaya Tōshirō]: Aizen, you traitor, just shut up. We don't need you to protect Soul Society.
[Aizen Sōsuke]: If anyone dares attack my Soul Society, I certainly cannot simply stand by and watch. What if you captains prove unable to resolve it?
[Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni]: What do you mean by "your" Soul Society? Stop talking nonsense, Aizen! Rest assured, we of the Gotei 13 are fully capable of handling this! As long as I remain, no one can destroy Soul Society!
[Aizen Sōsuke]: I hope you can resolve it, otherwise I'll be forced to intervene.
[Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez]: These Shinigami captains are in such disarray. Perhaps we should let the Arrancar handle this. We don't need to worry about having our Bankai stolen.
[Kurosaki Ichigo]: What are you saying? Do you think it'll be easy for you to handle such strong captains if their Bankai are stolen?
At this time, in the Wandenreich...
Haschwalth and the others finally displayed rare emotion!
"Why have our Quincy begun attacking Soul Society?"
"Is this also a scenario from the future?"
"Since Soul Society knows about our ability to steal Bankai, this must be all-out war."
On the throne...
Yhwach, who claimed omniscience and omnipotence, merely observed the Three Realms Projection expressionlessly.
Though he believed he could see through everything, the scope of his omniscience was limited.
Yhwach could only remain secretly wary of the Three Realms Projection.
The power of the Three Realms Projection indeed far exceeded his imagination.
It would probably take several years for him to fully recover his strength.
Could it be that the Three Realms Projection could see so far into the future?
However, wanting to maintain his image of controlling the overall situation, he didn't speak much, simply watching his subordinates converse.
After seeing himself appear, Äs Nödt smiled grimly:
"Hehe, it seems His Majesty will soon fully recover his strength and lead us to invade Soul Society! This so-called Kuchiki Byakuya is definitely no match for me!"
Haschwalth's expression also showed anticipation:
"If nothing unexpected occurs, this will happen in a few years, correct? Excellent. We've been lurking for so long—it's time to let Soul Society know our Quincy power once again!"
While everyone discussed fiercely, the scene continued playing.
Seeing Byakuya Kuchiki in trouble, Abarai Renji also wanted to use his Bankai.
But Byakuya Kuchiki stopped him, planning to use Renji's "Bankai: Sōō Zabimaru" as their final trump card!
At this moment, Byakuya Kuchiki wanted to take the lead, forcing "F" Äs Nödt to use his full strength, allowing Abarai Renji to observe his weaknesses.
In the chat group:
[Zaraki Kenpachi]: I acknowledge Captain Kuchiki's strength. He can easily handle such a weak enemy, right?
[Kuchiki Byakuya]: Though I'd like to think so, this enemy's ability is indeed strange. Having my Bankai stolen and relying only on Shikai will be quite troublesome.
[Urahara Kisuke]: I'm not particularly concerned. I should be able to handle it using my Shikai.
[Hirako Shinji]: I don't think having my Bankai stolen is that frightening.
[Zaraki Kenpachi]: I'm even less afraid—it's fine if my Shikai is stolen too.
[Komamura Sajin]: I cannot say... if I don't use Bankai...
[Kurotsuchi Mayuri]: Without enemy intelligence, victory is impossible. We'd better employ strategic defense.
In the projection...
"F" Äs Nödt seized the opportunity and activated his "Fear" ability, creating cone-like light arrows from thin air around him, successfully striking Byakuya Kuchiki!
According to Äs Nödt's explanation, everyone understood his ability.
Those struck by his light arrows would fall into a fearful state—suspicious of everything around them and unable to focus on battle!
Facing Äs Nödt's fear ability, Byakuya Kuchiki remained very calm initially. He could even attack with composure!
"What meaningless prattle!"
"How can there be battle without fear?"
"I accepted fear in battle, so I was able to subdue it and gain strength to advance!"
However, as he spoke, an extremely terrifying scene suddenly materialized in Byakuya Kuchiki's mind!
It rendered him unable to concentrate on battle!
With extreme fear gripping his heart, Byakuya Kuchiki's pupils contracted suddenly as he attempted to strike his opponent.
But Byakuya Kuchiki's attacks lost all coordination, allowing Äs Nödt to severely wound him!
Simultaneously, he seized the opportunity to release the Bankai sealed within his medallion!
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
This was Senbonzakura Kageyoshi performed by Äs Nödt!
Byakuya Kuchiki couldn't defeat his own Bankai using merely Shikai.
Hundreds of millions of cherry blossom petals severely injured him, and under the tremendous impact force, he was slammed against a nearby wall!
Byakuya Kuchiki suffered grievous wounds!
His ribs and even internal organs were mangled into a bloody mess!
It was horrific to witness!
A complete defeat!
Witnessing this scene, everyone felt more surprised than ever.
This scene shocked them even more than previous battles.
[Abarai Renji]: The captain was injured so severely... Damn it! Who the hell is this guy?!
[Kuchiki Byakuya]: Could I... could I have suffered such terrible defeat? And my Bankai was stolen from me. This is such an insult to our Kuchiki family's dignity! What on earth did I see in my mind?
[Matsumoto Rangiku]: This enemy's ability resembles the punishment Captain Kuchiki received before. Obviously, what he calls instinctive fear might be because he witnessed the scene Captain Kuchiki was most unwilling to see...
[Hitsugaya Tōshirō]: Indeed, though Captain Kuchiki possesses extensive combat experience, he cannot overcome his fear because he cares about his sister. He still harbors a weakness in his heart.
[Zommari Rureaux]: As expected, your Shinigami aren't as powerful as all the hype suggests!
[Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez]: Hmph, I'm the one who's truly fearless—these Shinigami are unworthy. If it were me, I'd handle this enemy instantly.
[Abarai Renji]: Sure, sure, keep bragging. Since we haven't fought each other, I can only let you talk big. Be careful not to get face-slapped later.
[Kurotsuchi Mayuri]: It seems the punishment from the Three Realms Projection wasn't without reason.
Recalling the image of Rukia Kuchiki's skull from before...
Byakuya Kuchiki and the others still couldn't banish it from their minds, shuddering involuntarily.
If nothing unexpected occurred, Byakuya Kuchiki fighting Äs Nödt in the projection must have witnessed a similar scene!
It was simply hellish power!
[Kurosaki Ichigo]: It seems Byakuya Kuchiki might have been thinking of Rukia at that moment, which caused him to lose focus and be caught by the enemy.
[Kuchiki Byakuya]: I seem able to empathize with myself in the projection. It should be a scene similar to the previous punishment. In this way, I can turn it into a blessing in disguise. At least I can steel my mind in advance! I'll never repeat the same mistake in the future!
[Ukitake Jūshirō]: We've also witnessed this mysterious enemy's power. We must do everything possible to avoid their Bankai-stealing ability and also evade their light arrow attacks.
[Unohana Retsu]: Yes, unless one can use spiritual pressure to suppress this ability, though I suspect many captains cannot accomplish this. And in the projection, Captain Kuchiki is so severely injured that even I dare not claim I could heal him.
[Kyōraku Shunsui]: According to their conversation, there should be many similar enemies—an entire organization. This is truly a crisis Soul Society hasn't faced in many years!
All the Shinigami in Soul Society now faced a formidable enemy!
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