Chapter 107 - The Great Battle, The King's Command Cannot Be Defied!
Komamura emerged from the swirling dust, clutching his wounded shoulder, looking quite battered.
The members of Hisagi's squad, who had been laughing at Ichigo, suddenly fell silent.
To them, the captains of the various divisions were like towering mountains—unreachable and worthy of admiration.
But now, one of those towering mountains had been brought down, and it was by someone they had considered a 'rookie.' Their minds went blank in disbelief.
Taking advantage of the momentary pause, Ichigo rushed past Hitsugaya and approached Gilgamesh. "Lord Gilgamesh, should we retreat for now?" Ichigo asked.
Ichigo knew his own limitations.
If it were only one or two captains, he felt confident he could handle them.
But now there were three captains present, and there might be more on the way.
The situation wasn't looking good.
Well, it wasn't good for Byakuya and Hitsugaya.
If Ichigo didn't act soon, even without Gilgamesh making a move, simply unleashing White Ichigo from within him would give Byakuya and Hitsugaya a run for their money.
And that wasn't even considering the possibility of Ichigo fully Hollowfying.
Through the light of his Omniscient Star, Gilgamesh had read Ichigo's thoughts and couldn't help but smile.
Still, Gilgamesh had no desire to waste time with the people in front of him.
There was no need for it. Gilgamesh had two main objectives in the Soul Society.
One was to find Renji Abarai and Rukia Kuchiki.
The other was to locate the sealed artifact responsible for bringing him into this world.
As for the Reishi disaster in Seireitei, Gilgamesh had no interest in it.
But then, as he looked at the sea of Reishi crystals around him, a gleam of realization flashed in Gilgamesh's eyes.
This Reishi disaster, though orchestrated by a mastermind, was largely due to Mayuri's creation of a Reishi gathering device.
If Gilgamesh could obtain the blueprints for this device and bring them back, Mayuri on his side would likely be able to replicate it perfectly.
And with that, could he finally resolve the issue of Reishi scarcity in the Kingdom of Uruk?
The more Gilgamesh thought about it, the more the gleam in his eyes intensified.
It became clear—there was another person he needed to find: Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
"Bankai, Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!"
A terrifying surge of spiritual pressure rose as Hitsugaya's figure appeared before Gilgamesh and Ichigo.
Hitsugaya now had massive ice dragon wings sprouting from his back, his right hand encased in ice from wrist to elbow. Three enormous flower-like ice crystals floated behind him, and frosty mist streamed from his mouth as he stared coldly at Gilgamesh and Ichigo.
"I won't let you leave!" Hitsugaya declared icily.
Though Ichigo knew Hitsugaya didn't remember him, he was starting to get annoyed.
He had tried repeatedly to help them, yet Hitsugaya kept getting in his way.
Without hesitation, Ichigo decided to end the fight quickly. He reached up with his right hand and pulled it down across his face.
A white Hollow mask appeared on Ichigo's face.
Seeing the mask, Hitsugaya's expression changed drastically. "That's a Hollow mask! Who are you, really?"
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
Ichigo's response was a distorted, echoing voice and a massive black-and-red Getsuga charged with terrifying Reishi.
Whoosh!
Sensing the immense power behind the black-and-red Getsuga, Hitsugaya prepared to flap his ice dragon wings to evade the attack.
But just then, Gilgamesh's voice rang out: "Hyōrinmaru, This King command you to cancel your Bankai immediately!"
Hitsugaya's first reaction was one of incredulity.
Hyōrinmaru was the strongest ice-type Zanpakuto in the Soul Society. Hitsugaya himself would never dare issue such an order to Hyōrinmaru, let alone a stranger.
And did this man just refer to himself as 'king'?
Come on, who still plays at kingship these days?
Before Hitsugaya could process it further, an ancient voice echoed in his ear: "I'm sorry, Hitsugaya, but I must cancel the Bankai."
In the next moment, Hitsugaya's ice dragon wings shattered, and the ice around his wrist crumbled away.
Just like that, Hitsugaya's Bankai was undone.
And right then, Ichigo's black-red Getsuga Tenshō struck, slashing across Hitsugaya's body.
Splurt!
A massive spurt of blood shot out as Hitsugaya's body was sent flying, crashing hard into the ground.
Despite the severity of his injuries, Hitsugaya wasn't concerned about his body. His mind was filled with one burning question—why?
Hyōrinmaru's resigned voice answered him: "The king's command cannot be defied."
As Rangiku rushed over, having just arrived and seeing her captain injured, her face turned pale with worry. She hurriedly used Shunpo to reach Hitsugaya. "Captain, are you alright!?"
Ichigo sighed. Hitsugaya being taken out was probably the best outcome.
Without hesitation, Ichigo turned back to Gilgamesh and said, "Lord Gilgamesh, we should leave now!"
Gilgamesh's crimson eyes gazed off in a particular direction, and he said calmly, "It's too late."
Confused, Ichigo followed Gilgamesh's line of sight and saw several black dots rapidly approaching in the distance.
Before Ichigo could react, he felt an overwhelming and intense spiritual pressure, hot and fierce, like a tsunami crashing toward them.
Ichigo's pupils contracted, and his body trembled uncontrollably. Sweat poured down his face in an instant.
He knew exactly who this spiritual pressure belonged to—none other than the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
At that moment, Gilgamesh gently patted the cat form of Yoruichi of the Past, saying, "You and Ichigo should leave. The coming battle is beyond your capabilities."
Yoruichi knew he was right. Without hesitation, she leaped from Gilgamesh's arms and said to Ichigo, "Let's go. Don't slow him down."
Ichigo gritted his teeth. He didn't understand how things had escalated to this point.
But he knew Gilgamesh was right—this was no longer a fight they could participate in.
As they prepared to retreat, Komamura, glaring at them in fury, bellowed, "Damn intruders! You won't escape!"
"Bankai, Kokujo Tengen Myō'ō!"
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