Bleach: Watch Closely, This Is How You Use a Zanpakutō-Chapter 384: The Sacred Domain

"Hmph!"

Under Yamamoto’s mocking gaze, Yhwach’s face darkened. He quickly stepped back, putting distance between them.

"You haven’t changed at all since nine hundred years ago—still no progress!"

Yamamoto shouted and swung his blade down once more.

With a deafening crash, the ground split apart beneath Yhwach’s feet. A deep chasm yawned open, threatening to swallow him whole.

Yhwach’s eyes flashed with anger. Facing Yamamoto, who held the black Tachi, he raised a hand and revealed a metallic disc.

"Medallize!"

But to his shock, the weapon remained firmly in Yamamoto’s grip—the same pitch-black, ancient-looking Tachi, unchanged.

Yamamoto’s gaze sharpened. He glanced briefly at the sword in his hand, then let out a quiet breath of relief. Internally, he marveled at the effectiveness of the Shin’eiyaku.

"Didn’t work?"

Yhwach’s eyes widened in disbelief. He had expected his Medallize ability to effortlessly steal Yamamoto’s weapon—but clearly, things weren’t going as planned.

Furious, he hurled the broken blade in his hand. The moment it neared Yamamoto, it was instantly incinerated by the surrounding flames.

His rage and shock were palpable. Even his body began to tremble.

Seizing the moment, Yamamoto closed the distance, swinging his sword at Yhwach in a relentless assault.

Wielding Zanka no Tachi and clad in Zanjitsu Gokui, Yamamoto’s offense and defense were more formidable than ever.

Yhwach could do nothing but dodge.

Yamamoto pressed the attack, blade after blade, forcing him back.

"Don’t think you Quincies are the only ones with tricks. Looks like you’re out of cards. Today, I’ll end you for good!"

"No!" Yhwach took a deep breath, trying to calm the fury churning within.

Then Yamamoto drove Zanka no Tachi into the ground.

In an instant, countless blackened skeletons erupted from the earth, surging toward Yhwach like a tide.

Zanka no Tachi, Minami: Kaka Jūman’okushi Daisōjin! (Longsword of the Remnant Flame, South: Great Burial Ranks of the Ten Trillion Fire Dead)

As he looked upon the familiar skeletal faces, Yhwach froze in place. His voice trembled as names slipped from his lips:

"Seydlitz...

Algora...

Huburt..."

These were comrades who had once fought by his side.

"You call yourself the head of the Shinigami, and yet you dare to command the dead... Yamamoto Shigekuni, you bastard!"

Yhwach roared in fury.

But before he could finish, the black skeletons had already latched onto him, clawing and clinging to his body.

At the same moment, Yamamoto’s blade came down once again.

"Zanka no Tachi, Kita: Tenchi Kaijin!" (Longsword of the Remnant Flame, North: Heaven and Earth End in Ashes)

From several meters away, Yhwach was cleaved clean in two. His body arced through the air and crashed hard into the ground.

Yamamoto stood silently, eyes cold, gazing at the figure he had just sliced in half.

But a second later, his pupils contracted sharply.

He saw Yhwach’s body begin to change.

"My... my strength wasn’t enough...? I’m terribly... sorry...Your Majesty ..."

"You bastard... Who the hell are you?"

Yamamoto’s eyes widened in shock as Yhwach’s form suddenly morphed into an unfamiliar young man—with three eyes.

In that instant, Yamamoto realized—

He had been deceived.

Yamamoto lifted his head, his fierce gaze locked onto the young man on the ground. Gritting his teeth, he growled,

"Fine. Whatever scheme you’re playing, I’ll cut it down myself!"

"The sanctuary... has... opened... too late..."

The three-eyed man lying on the ground spoke with great difficulty.

The moment his words fell, Yamamoto suddenly looked up—around the distant castle, a golden barrier of Reishi surged upward.

"So that’s what this was. You were stalling for time. You really think so little of me?!"

With a furious roar, Yamamoto raised his blade and slashed. Once again, the world seemed to ignite in flames and ash.

A tall, blond man leapt into the air to intercept the strike, but was instantly cleaved in half by the sheer force of Yamamoto’s blow.

Yet, to everyone’s surprise, in the next instant, the blond man reformed—and grew even larger than before.

"Royd, you useless failure. Completely worthless! But this is where it ends, Yamamoto Shigekuni!"

Gerard sneered, his face twisted with mockery and scorn.

His eyes gleamed like a hungry wolf’s, full of savage intent, ready to rip his enemy apart.

Then he charged in at lightning speed.

Seeing this, Yamamoto frowned, doubt flickering in his mind.

That slash should’ve cut through the blond man and continued straight into the golden barrier... but it hadn’t. It was as if something had blocked it.

Thoughts raced through his head as he tried to make sense of it, but his blade didn’t stop. He unleashed a flurry of fierce attacks.

Gerard couldn’t keep up. He was torn to pieces midair, his charred wounds too cauterized to even bleed.

But as time passed, his body quickly regenerated and reassembled itself—and with each revival, he grew larger. In mere moments, he towered like a small mountain.

"Captain-Commander, I’ll handle this Quincy. You should head to Silbern."

At that moment, Retsu Unohana’s calm voice came from behind.

Yamamoto nodded at once.

Just as he was about to move, a figure shot out from the crowd.

Everyone looked over—it was Kenpachi Zaraki.

He soared into the air, a massive Zanpakutō slung over his shoulder, radiating overwhelming pressure.

His eyes blazed with battlelust, a wild grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

In his hands was his fully-released Zanpakutō—Nozarashi.

He swung Nozarashi with full force, slamming it into the golden barrier.

Each strike was packed with raw power and ferocity, shaking the very air around him.

Back when he was in Rukongai, Kenpachi Zaraki had always suppressed his strength.

That suppression dulled his connection to his Zanpakutō—he couldn’t hear its voice, much less release it. His blade remained half-liberated.

But to catch up with Masatsuki Aozaki, he’d long since stopped holding back. After decades of training under Yamamoto, he finally achieved Shikai.

This direct-attack type Zanpakutō, Nozarashi, drastically amplified his offensive power upon release.

Even so, it couldn’t dent the golden barrier—not even a scratch.

Zaraki was genuinely surprised.

Yamamoto arrived moments later and followed up with a slash of Kyokujitsujin.

When Zanka no Tachi makes direct contact, this move is even stronger than Tenchi Kaijin.

But the expected shattering of the barrier never happened.

Zanka no Tachi dulled—reverting to a regular katana upon impact. It couldn’t move an inch further.

"What’s going on?"

Yamamoto scowled and struck down a charging Quincy with a single punch.

"Lift your head and see for yourself, Yamamoto Shigekuni!"

At the sound of that familiar voice, Yamamoto’s heart skipped a beat.

He immediately looked up.

...

(40 Chapters Ahead)

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