Chapter 157: Heaven and Earth Reduced to Ashes

"Oh my?"

Lifting an eyebrow with a strange expression, Gin—who was currently engaged in a fierce battle with a certain Quincy—still found the time to observe the situation elsewhere.

As for this so-called Quincy, had Chojiro been present, his eyes would surely have popped out of his head before he slapped Gin across the back of the head in deep annoyance and barked: "You bastard really know how to pull it off! No, wait, you bastard is living the dream!"

That's right. The one who originally came to fight Gin should have been NaNaNa Najahkoop. However, this bizarrely behaved and even more bizarrely dressed fellow suddenly started shouting something about "His Majesty" and charged straight toward the direction where Genryusai Yamamoto's spiritual pressure was emanating from, and then... and then there was no then.

After all, this guy never showed up again afterward.

Therefore, Gin's opponents were replaced by these two figures—Sternritter "P", Meninas McAllon, and Giselle Gewelle.

Although the two beauties stood right before him, compared to Gin, whose heart already held the image of a certain someone, even these two female Quincies meant nothing to him.

On the contrary, their combat power was genuinely a bit tricky to deal with...

"This is truly surprising."

However, Gin's fox-like face could not help but reveal a wry smile as his attention was entirely drawn away by that suddenly surging spiritual pressure.

What on earth is this? Previously, he thought he had finally witnessed that man's true power, but compared to this current manifestation, it couldn't compare at all!

"You always call me a fox, but I think you're the one who looks like one."

"It's a bad habit to keep looking elsewhere during a battle, you know."

Giselle bristled her two strange, beetle-like strands of hair, and taking advantage of Gin's momentary daze, charged straight at him.

"Clang!"

Fiercely deflecting Giselle's attack, Gin said lazily, "Fighting me with such leisure is really out of the question. Besides, aren't Quincies supposed to be quite sensitive to reishi?"

"Are you... doubting us?"

Meninas, who had been standing to the side without participating in the combat, spoke up timidly, giving off a rather endearing impression.

"Not at all. I'm just saying you two ought to feel something at least?"

Dodge-rolling with agility to evade Giselle's sudden assault, Gin forced Giselle back with a single strike, looking at the two before him with slightly open eyes.

"The battle o·ver· the·re is about to end, you see."

"Rumble, rumble, rumble..."

Lightning churned endlessly above Yhwach's head, the spiritual pressure contained within constantly rising until it finally reached a staggering degree.

"Come forth! Feel it, Yhwach!"

"!"

"This is the wrath of the Soul Society!"

With Chojiro's command, the roaring lightning plummeted without the slightest warning.

"Koko Raikou Junirai!"

"Boom!"

The golden lightning emitted a deafening roar upon impact, startling even Jugram Haschwalth, who had been standing nearby and not daring to act rashly.

"There is no other way..."

Watching the lightning bearing down upon him, Yhwach reached into his coat and pulled out the very item once used against Genryusai Yamamoto:

The Medallion!

There was no need for hesitation; a level of power like this long since surpassed what could be negated by mere defense alone. Aside from choosing a head-on, tit-for-tat collision, there was simply no other way out.

Although the space formed by these five pillars of lightning looked quite vast, the air within was filled with an immense amount of static electricity. The slightest rash movement—even with the protection of Blut Vene—would subject the body to paralyzing effects, slowing one's movements and leading to a one-hit kill.

Once locked on, don't expect to endure it through anything other than sheer power.

Unquestionably absolute power.

Therefore, he too chose the ut·mos·t po·wer to meet it head-on.

"Zanka no Tachi, North:--"

"Boom! Crash!"

The endless might of lightning directly engulfed Yhwach's figure, slamming straight into the ground, leaving no doubt that this place would henceforth become a crater forbidden to enter.

"Your Majesty!"

If there had previously been a sliver of wishful thinking in their hearts that Yhwach's power could block it, that hope had now entirely degraded into the agonizing question of whether "His Majesty might not survive."

After all, this force capable of destroying everything in the world was something they were witnessing for the first time in their lives. Had they not seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed that any existence could surpass His Majesty.

Of course, aside from that "sole survivor" who managed to endure the Auswählen.

"Crash!"

A slender bolt of lightning struck right across the path Haschwalth intended to take, halting his attempt to intervene in the battle.

"Do not move, Quincy."

Extending a hand to summon the lightning, Chojiro did not even look back, standing straight before Haschwalth. The dazzling brilliance of the lightning cast an extraordinarily striking glow upon his silhouette.

"If you still wish to collect the corpse of your Majesty, stand right there and behave."

"..."

After the single strike, Chojiro's breathing remained entirely unhurried as his expression grew grave, staring intently at the spot where the lightning had struck. He knew very well that while the destructive output of *Koko Raikou Junirai* was immense, it was not enough to secure a one-hit kill against a powerhouse like Yhwach—especially since, right before the lightning fell, he seemed to have drawn something from his coat, a detail that only deepened the unease in Chojiro's heart.

"...Miscalculated."

"..."

Yhwach's voice rang out from the gradually dissipating smoke and dust. Chojiro showed no excessive surprise; after all, if this single strike alone were enough to finish off Yhwach, he wouldn't have needed to go to such great lengths to try and save Genryusai Yamamoto's life.

"A true miscalculation."

He was disheveled, his garments tattered to the point of near-nudity. In his grasp, he held only the medallion that had absorbed Zanka no Tachi alongside his own personal blade, faint traces of crimson lingering across his body.

Aside from these, there was virtually nothing else.

"To think that using *Tenchi Kaijin* paired with a maximized *Blut Vene* would still leave me in such a wretched state."

*Tenchi Kaijin*?

Hearing this name, the corner of Chojiro's eye twitched, and an involuntary tension gripped his heart.

Zanka no Tachi.

This was one of the very few things in this world that Chojiro feared. The power contained within that Bankai was on par with his own *Koko Raikou Junirai*, and a head-on confrontation would leave the victory too close to call.

The issue lay with the user.

Had it been Genryusai Yamamoto, there naturally would have been no problem. But now, the user happened to be Yhwach.

The greatest enemy of the Soul Society.

"A development beyond expectations. Truly troublesome..."

Dragging such a battered body, Yhwach's face bore no hint of retreat; instead, it carried a slightly exhilarated expression.

"This power is worthy of being prioritized as a 'Special War Potential'."

Radiating supreme coercion, Yhwach gripped the deadliest blade he had ever wielded and slowly stepped forward.

"I shall finish you with my own hands."