"You won't be able to stay so calm for much longer. My power is beyond your imagination!"
Ishida Uryū's expression was dark and resolute, veins bulging on the hand gripping his Quincy bow. His Reiatsu flared violently—this was the ultimate price he paid, sacrificing all of his Quincy abilities for a fleeting moment of absolute power.
Akira was well aware of this. However, in battle, psychological warfare was just as crucial as raw strength. Angering an opponent, forcing them into reckless decisions—this, too, was part of combat strategy.
"It may not be as powerful as the Schrift abilities of the Sternritter from the Wandenreich, but it is still an overwhelming force..."
Akira thought to himself. The mere existence of the Wandenreich and its emperor, Yhwach, sent a chill through him. Even without mentioning the man who stood at the pinnacle of the Quincy, the Sternritter under his command wielded powers akin to divine hacks.
At Akira's current level, he couldn't even fathom a way to defeat them.
And now, standing before him, Ishida Uryū had fully unleashed the Quincy: Letzt Stil, the ultimate form that once allowed him to obliterate Mayuri Kurotsuchi's Bankai in an instant. Even if Mayuri wasn't a captain specialized in direct combat, that feat alone was proof of Uryū's power surpassing the limits of a normal Shinigami.
Now, Akira—who had grown far stronger—was finally capable of facing him head-on.
"Raienryū's Roar!"
Without hesitation, Akira unleashed a devastating bolt of lightning, cutting through the battlefield like a lance of destruction.
Ishida Uryū did not flinch. He swiftly pulled back his bowstring, forming an arrow radiating with terrifying Quincy energy—enough to pierce through a Bankai. The two attacks collided in midair.
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted, shaking the entire battlefield. As the dust settled, Ishida Uryū's expression twisted in disbelief.
"Damn it! This isn't how it's supposed to be!"
Why?
Why hadn't Akira fallen yet?
Why wasn't his Final Form completely overwhelming Akira, forcing him to his knees?!
"What a joke! Are you telling me his usual strength is already enough to rival the power I sacrificed everything to obtain?!"
Ishida Uryū roared in frustration.
"I won't accept it! I refuse to accept this!"
From within the smoke and debris, a voice cut through the chaos—cold, mocking.
"What's with all the yelling? Having trouble accepting reality?"
Akira emerged, electricity crackling in his left hand, fire surging in his right.
"Even if your impotent rage turns into something worthwhile, you're only just barely qualified to face me one-on-one."
As he spoke, Akira spun his weapons in a fluid motion, his voice ringing with finality—
"Ryū no Gokui—Kai!"
"Red Lotus Thunder Blade!"
Ishida Uryū's pupils shrank. Instinct screamed at him to dodge, and with an instantaneous Hirenkyaku enhanced by his Final Form, he barely evaded the attack.
Soaring into the sky, he glanced downward—his heart pounding violently at the sight.
The battlefield below was now engulfed in a raging inferno of fire and lightning, a sea of destruction roaring in an uncontrollable frenzy.
If he had been hit by that...
"DIE!"
Ishida Uryū gritted his teeth, seizing the opening. Akira had just unleashed his strongest move—this was the moment of vulnerability.
Pouring every last ounce of power into his bow, Uryū fired a single, all-consuming arrow.
The battle was far from over.
However, Akira would never expose any weakness. With both hands, he seized the turbulent energy and lifted it toward the sky.
In an instant, the explosive ocean of lightning and flames churned like a vortex, surging upwards under Akira's command.
"What!?"
Ishida Uryū's eyes widened in shock. The next moment, he saw the massive surge of energy overturn, forming a towering curtain that blocked his attack.
This was no coincidence—it was the residual power of the Red Lotus Thunderbolt Blade, harnessed by Akira at the perfect moment. Instead of dispersing, he manipulated the lingering force into a shield, seamlessly intercepting Ishida's assault.
But the battle was far from over. Using the rising explosion as cover, Akira shot into the air.
High above, Ishida could see him raising both hands as a massive sphere of fire took shape, swelling in size until it resembled a meteorite descending from the heavens.
Yet before Ishida could fully react, an even more astonishing sight unfolded—
From the roiling dark clouds above, another enormous lightning sphere emerged, crackling with raw energy. As it fell, it synchronized with the fireball, merging in a fusion of heat and electricity.
"Damn it! If that thing detonates, the residual shockwave alone could kill Kurosaki and Shihōin!"
Realizing the severity of the situation, Ishida did not hesitate. He lowered his stance, drawing back his bow, taking precise aim at the massive fusion of fire and lightning in the sky.
The already devastated battlefield trembled as the very ground beneath him disintegrated, breaking into fine particles of reishi that flowed into his arrow.
"Everything in Soul Society is made of spiritual particles… and he can break them down and absorb them at will. No wonder he's strong enough to take on a Bankai head-on."
High above, Akira observed the scene. In this realm of spirit energy, Ishida had the home-field advantage, but he was unfazed—
After all, this was an unprecedented moment.
"Fusing the Fire Dragon's Radiance with Raikage… finally forming…"
The fireball and thunderball fully integrated—not growing in size, but instead compressing into an ultra-dense mass of power.
"Thunderflame Dragon's Radiant Blaze!"
A world-shattering technique was unleashed.
"HAAAAAHHHH!!"
Ishida roared in defiance, his arrow swelling with pure spiritual energy before he loosed it at full force into the sky.
The two ultimate attacks collided, their immense power clashing in a blinding sphere of annihilation.
"BOOOOOOM——!!!"
The deafening explosion shattered the air itself, a cataclysmic blast that sent shockwaves across the battlefield.
Even the Shishinrō (Tower of Penitence), its structure reinforced with Sekki-seki stone, could not withstand the impact. Cracks raced through its walls before a massive portion crumbled entirely.
"Aahhhhhh—!"
Even though Rukia had retreated to the far end of the tower, the sheer force of the explosion made her cover her ears, eyes squeezed shut against the overwhelming brightness.
When she finally dared to open them, a gaping hole had been blasted into the Penitence Tower's walls, and the howling wind rushed through the ruins.
The battle had already changed the landscape—just from the aftermath alone.
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