In Bleach as Gilgamesh

Chapter 110 - A Song of Ice and Fire! The True Power?

Hisagi and his squad members, having retreated from the battlefield early on, were spared from being trapped in the frozen world of the Four Realms, Frozen.

At this moment, they stared in stunned silence at the distant world where the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind had been completely frozen, along with the frozen figures of several people within. Their eyes widened, and their minds went blank as if they were living in a nightmare.

"Getsuga Tenshō!"

Ichigo Kurosaki's voice, tinged with an electric distortion, echoed through the air.

But rather than waking them from their trance, it only pushed them deeper into disbelief.

Boom!

A black and red crescent of energy struck hard against Kokujo Tengen Myō'ō, forcing the giant to stumble back a step.

That single step caused buildings to collapse and the ground to crack open.

Ichigo wanted to continue his assault, but the piercing cold slowed his movements. He instinctively looked around and saw an awe-inspiring yet tragic sight.

There, in the frozen world, were the captains—Byakuya, Hitsugaya, Kyōraku, Ukitake, and Unohana—transformed into statues of ice.

Even the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, Yamamoto, had become an ice statue.

Ichigo's pupils contracted sharply, and his face filled with disbelief.

Although Ichigo had already witnessed Gilgamesh's immense power, he still believed that Gilgamesh would face a difficult battle, possibly even defeat.

After all, Gilgamesh was up against the Captain-Commander and multiple captains of the Gotei 13.

What Ichigo had never expected was that there would be no prolonged struggle—no intense battle. Instead, Gilgamesh had ended the fight in such a short time and in such a heart-stopping manner.

It wasn't just Ichigo who was shocked; Komamura, who had been controlling Kokujo Tengen Myō'ō, also felt the bone-chilling cold. He looked up and his eyes widened in disbelief.

"That damn brat! I'll cut you down myself!" Komamura roared in fury.

With that, Komamura directed Kokujo Tengen Myō'ō to stride toward the frozen world of the Four Realms, Frozen, completely disregarding Ichigo Kurosaki.

Seeing this, Ichigo gritted his teeth and flash-stepped in front of Kokujo Tengen Myō'ō, shouting, "Stop! You can't defeat him!"

But Komamura, driven by rage, ignored Ichigo's warning and pressed on.

Realizing there was no reasoning with him, Ichigo flash-stepped in front of Komamura, swinging his blade to stop him.

In their earlier battle, Ichigo had been careful not to harm Komamura.

But now, Ichigo had no choice but to injure Komamura, even rendering him incapable of fighting, in order to protect him.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

Because of Kokujo Tengen Myō'ō's massive size, each step covered a vast distance.

By the time Ichigo moved, Kokujo Tengen Myō'ō had already reached the edge of the frozen world.

Without hesitation, Komamura raised his Zanpakuto high, and Kokujo Tengen Myō'ō mirrored the action, preparing to strike Gilgamesh.

Much like Byakuya's Senbonzakura, Kokujo Tengen Myō'ō's power grew when synchronized with Komamura's body.

Whoosh!

Komamura and Kokujo Tengen Myō'ō's Zanpakuto came crashing down like a meteor, aimed directly at Gilgamesh.

A howling wind preceded the strike, carrying into the frozen world of the Four Realms, Frozen.

Then both Ichigo's and Komamura's pupils contracted in shock.

The invisible wind, stirred by the blade's descent, began to take visible form in the frozen world.

The wind… had frozen!

Not only that, but Kokujo Tengen Myō'ō's Zanpakuto, as it made contact, froze almost instantly.

And the terrifying freezing force spread rapidly up the Zanpakuto, reaching Kokujo Tengen Myō'ō's enormous body.

Before Komamura could react, both Kokujo Tengen Myō'ō and its massive blade were encased in ice.

Komamura tried to control his Bankai, but the once obedient Kokujo Tengen Myō'ō refused to respond.

"This... how is this possible?" Komamura stammered, unable to accept the reality.

Ichigo was equally shaken, unable to comprehend how Gilgamesh had done it, only aware that the hero's power seemed boundless.

Truly, this was the might of humanity's oldest Hero-King.

But wait…

Ichigo's eyes suddenly widened as he noticed something.

"Gilgamesh… he's grown up?"

Yes, standing before him was not the childlike Gilgamesh, but the fully grown, tyrannical form of the Hero-King.

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo realized he couldn't make sense of it. After a brief hesitation, he decided to return to Gilgamesh's side.

However, as soon as Ichigo reached the edge of the frozen world, his expression changed drastically.

His body was beginning to freeze.

Ichigo had no doubt that if he entered the frozen world, he would end up like the captains—an ice statue.

Crack!

Gilgamesh's crimson eyes focused on the ice statue of Yamamoto, which was beginning to crack.

"Leave, Ichigo. This battle is not over yet," Gilgamesh's calm voice echoed, though now carrying an icy chill that sent shivers down Ichigo's spine.

Clenching his teeth, Ichigo turned and left.

Before he had gone far, an explosive sound rang out.

Instinctively, Ichigo looked back and saw flames erupting within the frozen world of the Four Realms, Frozen.

The flames were trapped in a bizarre cycle of freezing and thawing.

Ichigo had never seen flames being frozen before, and the sight left him speechless.

Having broken free from the ice, Yamamoto stood, gazing gravely at the eerie cycle of frozen flames.

Among all those present, only Yamamoto understood the full terror of the freezing power in the Four Realms, Frozen.

He knew that his Shikai—Ryūjin Jakka—was not enough to combat Gilgamesh's Bankai, Kennō Ōken Tenka.

Though Yamamoto knew that Gilgamesh had the ability to seal Bankai, he had no other choice. If he did not act now, the Gotei 13 would fall at Gilgamesh's hands, something he could not allow.

Without hesitation, Yamamoto gripped his Ryūjin Jakka, and the immense spiritual pressure within him surged forth like a raging sea.

Then, Yamamoto roared, "Bankai!"

In an instant, Yamamoto's attire changed. His white undergarments became visible, and black flames flickered along the edges of his uniform. The sword in his hand appeared charred, with molten embers running along its surface, and smoke rose from its blade.

"Zanka no Tachi!"

As Yamamoto spoke, cracks appeared in the frozen world of the Four Realms, Frozen.

The captains, still trapped in the ice, were subjected to the intense heat of Zanka no Tachi, as the ice that encased them began to rapidly melt and refreeze in a vicious cycle.

In the past, whenever Yamamoto unleashed his Bankai, the entirety of Soul Society would be consumed by his intense heat, evaporating all moisture in the atmosphere.

But now, the temperature in Soul Society remained unchanged.

It was as if the scorching heat of Zanka no Tachi was confined to the frozen world of the Four Realms, Frozen.

Yamamoto let out a sigh of relief, puzzled as to why his Bankai had not been sealed, but knowing that now was not the time for questions.

Raising his Zanka no Tachi, Yamamoto shouted, "Zanka no Tachi, West: Zanjitsu Gokui!"

Instantly, Yamamoto became enveloped in a fiery aura, as if draped in the sun itself. The 15 million degrees of heat melted the ice that had trapped the captains.

Before they could react, Yamamoto's voice rang out again.

"Zanka no Tachi, North: Tenchi Kaijin!"

The power of Gilgamesh's Bankai was terrifying.

Yamamoto sensed that Gilgamesh hadn't even unleashed its full potential yet.

He knew that he couldn't afford to let Gilgamesh release the full power of Kennō Ōken Tenka, or the entirety of Soul Society, with the exception of himself, would be annihilated.

Not only that, if Gilgamesh did unleash the full power of his Bankai, Soul Society might crumble under the clash between their immense forces.

Determined to finish the battle before it escalated, Yamamoto activated his most powerful attack: Zanka no Tachi, North: Tenchi Kaijin.

This strike, delivered with incredible speed, would turn anything in its path to ash.

Confident in his attack, Yamamoto had faith in his ultimate technique, one that no one in the present Soul Society had ever witnessed.

He believed he could catch Gilgamesh off guard.

But what Yamamoto didn't know was that Gilgamesh had seen this technique before—and had already countered it with Ea.

This time, Gilgamesh intended to counter it using the full power of Hyōrinmaru.

The fully unleashed power of Kennō Ōken Tenka was indeed terrifying, and Gilgamesh had been holding back.

The reason? The immense spiritual pressure required to maintain it.

In his current state, Gilgamesh's spiritual pressure—though at a captain's level—wouldn't last long.

Still…

Raising his transparent, crystalline Hyōrinmaru, Gilgamesh absorbed the primal freezing energy from the Four Realms, Frozen.

As he did, the blade of Hyōrinmaru turned into pure, glistening ice, a manifestation of the freezing power.

Without hesitation, Gilgamesh swung Hyōrinmaru, unleashing a blade of pure ice energy toward Yamamoto's Tenchi Kaijin.

The ultimate freezing force clashed with the ultimate heat.

The captains, fleeing from the scene, instinctively turned to look back and saw the sky itself torn in two—half encased in ice, the other half consumed by flames.

There was no sound, as if time and space had frozen.

The world seemed to lose its color, reduced to a black-and-white panorama of ice and fire.

Yamamoto's usually composed face twisted in shock, unable to believe the sight before him.

Boom!

The delayed sound of the clash finally arrived.

The shockwaves from the collision tore through buildings, and even the captains, despite fleeing, were swept up in the destruction.

Komamura, who hadn't escaped in time, was thrown back, his body critically injured. He coughed up blood, his Bankai shattering.

Ichigo, having narrowly escaped, watched in awe, silently thanking his luck for leaving in time.

Meanwhile, the citizens of Rukongai felt the tremors and witnessed the dual onslaught of ice and fire from a distance.

When the dust finally settled, Seireitei's landscape had completely transformed. Much of the Reiatsu crystal sea had been destroyed.

Silence fell over the battlefield. Everyone was still processing the incredible clash of ice and fire.

Yamamoto's sharp, weathered gaze locked onto Gilgamesh, who had reverted to his childlike form.

Not only that, but the Kennō Ōken Tenka in his hand had returned to its original state.

Yes, Gilgamesh had exhausted his spiritual pressure. He could no longer maintain Hyōrinmaru's full Bankai or his own.

Yamamoto, now certain of this, declared, "Boy, your strength is admirable, but it's over now."

As he raised his Zanka no Tachi to end the battle, Gilgamesh's voice cut through the air.

"Over?"

"No, it's not over yet."

"Now… I will show you my true power."

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