The future where he left, did it not exist from the beginning?
Looking at Yhwach in front of him, Ishikawa's panicked expression gradually calmed.
No!
Because from Yhwach's words, although he changed the future of his departure, he did not know the method of his departure or why 'he' did not stop him.
In other words…
It wasn't because Kokumei's effect was erased, or his own blood seal was ineffective; Yhwach had not 'seen' either of these.
The reason he couldn't leave was entirely because his method of departure was connected to Yhwach's power.
Thinking of this, Ishikawa couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
The existence of the Schatten Bereich was extremely special; his ability to invade it was entirely by transforming himself into a part of the Shadow Flame through Kokumei's analytical ability after Bankai, arriving here with the Quincy who was killed by a single strike.
So, to leave, he could only use the same method.
But this method would inevitably create a connection with Yhwach's power; as long as the connection with the Schatten Bereich could not be severed, no matter how Ishikawa tried, the 'future' of his departure from here would be changed by him.
This is truly despair-inducing.
Ishikawa gave a bitter smile; he had actually tried his best to avoid using methods that could be erased, and to avoid Yhwach's interference, he even exploited the seal of his own blood.
The result…
His 'present' of leaving did indeed restrict all of Yhwach's actions, preventing him from stopping him.
However, the opponent's method of stopping him was to interfere in the 'past' at the beginning of the battle.
Omnipotent and Omniscient!
As expected, even an incomplete Omnipotent and Omniscient ability was extremely troublesome; the only thing he could use to resist the opponent's ability was himself and his extended Zanpakuto.
Yhwach was not in a hurry to kill Ishikawa, but a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.
Because, the moment Ishikawa sealed him, Yhwach recalled the process of his battle with Ishikawa; although he had said things like 'everything I see becomes powerless before me,' from beginning to end…
He had never uttered the name of his Schrift ability, 'The Almighty'.
Yet, in his battle with him, Ishikawa seemed to understand his ability very well, and all his combat methods were predicated on analyzing his Schrift ability.
However…
Although doubtful, Yhwach did not ask or delve deeper; he simply raised his Quincy Cross and slashed at Ishikawa without a word.
Everything Ishikawa displayed made him feel an inexplicable unease, a faint sense that if he didn't kill the opponent quickly, the opponent might find other ways to escape.
This strike arrived in an instant, giving Ishikawa no time to breathe.
Ishikawa watched the blade approach, not dodging; more accurately, he was unable to dodge, as he had already expended all his preparations and remaining energy on the Shadow Flame transfer.
Now, he found it extremely difficult even to move.
But not dodging didn't mean giving up!
Facing the incoming strike, purple Reiatsu Crest appeared on Ishikawa's body.
At the same time, the Spirit Core within him vibrated frantically, pouring energy into the tree-branch-like Reiatsu Crest on his body surface.
A faint glow appeared on Ishikawa's body, and the tree-branch-like patterns instantly spread out.
Clang—!
The sound of metal clashing rang out; Yhwach's Quincy Cross stopped at Ishikawa's neck, leaving a shallow mark on it.
This is?
Yhwach looked at the tree-branch-like patterns on Ishikawa's body, his gaze somewhat strange, because these patterns looked extremely similar to a Quincy's Blut Vene, but they exuded a completely different feeling.
Moreover…
He could clearly feel that Ishikawa's spiritual body was gradually dissipating, which for a Shinigami, basically meant that death was near.
But strangely, even though his spiritual body was dissipating, Ishikawa's physical body showed no signs of dissipating; instead, as the tree-branch-like patterns on his body spread, his vitality became even more vibrant.
The feeling was like sacrificing his own spiritual body, transforming everything he had into life force.
But normally, whether it's a Shinigami or an Arrancar, their spiritual body is equivalent to their life force, not like this, where the body shows no reaction, yet gives the impression that the spiritual body is disintegrating.
What on earth happened to him?
"What are you doing?"
Yhwach asked the doubt in his heart, but received no response.
No, or rather…
The other party couldn't respond.
As the sensation of his spiritual body disintegrating spread, Ishikawa, standing before Yhwach, had his eyes tightly closed; although his body exuded a dense vitality, he seemed to have transformed into an indestructible stone, devoid of any will.
Self-sealing?
At this moment, Yhwach finally understood what Ishikawa was doing!
He sacrificed everything he had, even his spiritual body, and integrated it into his unique body, which differed from a Shinigami's, thereby gaining formidable defensive power and terrifying vitality capable of recovering from all injuries.
But this self-sealing would also gradually seal his consciousness, trapping him in a contradictory spiral of 'living' and 'dying'.
Compared to his own past self-sealing, Ishikawa's current state gave Yhwach a feeling…
More akin to the Soul King!!
"Is this the method you chose?"
Understanding this, Yhwach couldn't help but carefully observe Ishikawa's body in front of him.
Although he had already realized Ishikawa's body was extremely strange when Ishikawa sealed him with his own blood, the state Ishikawa now displayed still made him feel somewhat unbelievable.
He had never seen such a unique existence.
In some ways, the opponent's body actually subtly exhibited characteristics similar to the 'Soul King'.
Yhwach even had a faint feeling that if Ishikawa in his current state were thrown into the Soul King Palace, he might be able to replace the Soul King and become the new linchpin!
Yhwach's speculation was not wrong.
The current state was indeed sacrificing his spiritual body to enhance his physical defense.
Ishikawa once used 'Itto Kaso' to sacrifice his own spiritual body during his battle with Aizen, in exchange for a strike that nearly killed Aizen.
But he subsequently paid the price of his spiritual body completely disintegrating, which for a normal Shinigami would be equivalent to dissipating into Reishi.
However, Ishikawa ultimately relied on the Reiatsu Crest and the ability of his own Zanpakuto to analyze the root of the spiritual body, allowing his spiritual body to reorganize.
And the reason Ishikawa's body now exhibited this 'Soul King'-like characteristic was precisely because the root he analyzed was the Soul King Yhwach had in mind!
That's why Ishikawa transformed into his current appearance after sacrificing his spiritual body.
However, while this spiritual body sacrifice could make Ishikawa's physique incredibly powerful, its effect could only be maintained until the spiritual body completely dissipated; in other words, once the spiritual body fully dissipated, this effect would naturally disappear.
Ishikawa would recover from his self-sealing and, like last time, lose his Shinigami abilities.
But this drawback was also compensated by the Reiatsu Crest spreading throughout Ishikawa's body; with the Reiatsu Crest, he could continuously absorb surrounding Reishi, maintaining a balance between the spiritual body's disintegration and recovery.
Actually, breaking this state isn't difficult!
Simply throwing Ishikawa into a world with no Reishi, or sending him to the Human World where Reishi is sparse, would suffice.
However, the Wandenreich, hidden in the shadows of the Seireitei, was not lacking in Reishi at all; in fact, to maintain the existence of the Wandenreich, a continuous supply of Reishi was needed.
If there was no replenishment, with this rate of sacrifice, Ishikawa's transcended spiritual body strength could probably last three to five days.
But the Wandenreich's special mode of existence prevented it from cutting off Reishi supply for three to five days!
In other words…
If Yhwach wanted to terminate Ishikawa's current state, he would either risk having the Wandenreich cover the Seireitei by cutting off Reishi, or take Ishikawa to the Human World.
Whichever he chose, he would ultimately be the one to personally send Ishikawa out of the Schatten Bereich.
But it should be known that after this state ends, Ishikawa will not die; he will merely awaken from his self-sealing.
As for what to do then…
Ishikawa hadn't even thought about it, after all, he hadn't expected to be pushed to this point before he came.
Anyway, either he'd be directly killed by Yhwach, or Cirucci and the others would sense his Reiatsu through the Reiatsu Crest and come to protect him, or Captain-Commander Yamamoto would be willing to personally intervene… In any case, once in the Human World, his spiritual body would still take a few days to completely dissipate before he woke up from his self-sealing.
During this period, Yhwach, who hadn't fully opened his eyes, wouldn't be able to completely kill him.
Rather…
If a full-strength Ishikawa were to fight Yhwach in the Human World or Soul Society, Ishikawa was confident he could force him to open his eyes prematurely, but after this battle, Yhwach probably wouldn't rashly start another war before he was fully prepared.
As for the disintegration of the spiritual body, for others, it would be certain death.
But for Ishikawa, who had already used Kokumei to analyze the 'root,' it was no longer as troublesome as last time; it would merely require some time.
Yhwach looked at Ishikawa, who was radiating purple light and stood rooted like a stone, his expression fluctuating between uncertainty.
Because after understanding Ishikawa's current state, he also realized the price he would have to pay to kill Ishikawa in this state.
Due to Ishikawa's sudden invasion of the Wandenreich, his first plan had been disrupted; now, whether it was going to the Human World or letting the Wandenreich cover the Seireitei, both were extremely unfavorable for Yhwach at this moment.
So, after a moment of hesitation, the killing intent in Yhwach's eyes gradually receded.
Although he didn't kill the opponent, Ishikawa's current state would no longer cause trouble for the Wandenreich's upcoming actions; as long as everything proceeded according to his plan, he could kill him once he fully recovered.
And during this period, as long as he kept him confined within the Schatten Bereich, he could lead his forces to Hueco Mundo again and continue with the original plan.
The only thing that left Yhwach feeling unwilling was…
The fact that he couldn't kill Ishikawa right now.
"Futile struggle!"
With a cold snort, Yhwach turned to leave.
But just then, an unexpected change occurred!
Boom~!
The entire Wandenreich suddenly shook.
"What now?"
"What on earth happened?"
"That is…"
"…"
Unexplained!
To be honest, even now, the Sternritter and the Quincy army were still in a state of confusion.
The Wandenreich, which had never been invaded, was suddenly invaded by a Shinigami.
Just when that terrifying Shinigami was finally defeated by His Majesty, now there was another Reiatsu, not from a Quincy, and it was a Reiatsu that the Sternritter present were extremely familiar with.
That Reiatsu had left a deep impression on them…
Arrancar!!
Looking towards the source of the Reiatsu, they saw a large mouth gradually opening in the Wandenreich's dark sky, eventually forming a giant crack.
And at the end of that crack, a terrifying Reiatsu fluctuation descended upon the Wandenreich.
…
Hueco Mundo, outside Las Noches.
At this moment, the area outside Las Noches was completely enveloped by a black tide, constantly surging, with no end in sight.
It was as if black mud had covered the entire Hueco Mundo.
But if one looked closely, they would realize…
That was not black mud at all, but countless, boundless Gillians.
And in front of the Gillians, there was also a relatively smaller torrent, composed of various forms of Adjuchas.
A vast number of Gillians formed the Outer Circle, while a sparse number of Adjuchas formed the Inner Circle.
The final center was composed of Arrancars, and within the center of the Arrancars, there was another circle…
The individuals forming this circle were entirely composed of the Espada.
"This scene is truly magnificent."
From atop the walls of Las Noches, Urahara Kisuke looked at the situation below and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
The entire Hueco Mundo united to save a Shinigami; such a magnificent sight, Aizen might not have even experienced it.
And what surprised Urahara Kisuke the most was…
The Arrancars, after being modified by Ishikawa, actually unilaterally and forcibly established a connection with Ishikawa, without even asking for Ishikawa's consent, from this point of view… the connection between Ishikawa and the Arrancars he modified was indeed as he said, equal.
This also means…
Ishikawa simply did not possess the ability to control Arrancars, or to make the modifications on them disappear.
This made Urahara Kisuke feel a bit exasperated.
Doesn't that bastard fear that the Arrancars he modified will turn around and become his enemies?
…
At the same time, the Wandenreich.
As the crack opened, a golden pillar of light descended from the sky, completely enveloping Ishikawa and pulling him along the light pillar towards the crack.
This is…
Negación!
"He… you cannot take him!"
The energy that Yhwach had restrained surged forth again, his double pupils reappeared, and an energy wave spread out from him as its center.
Buzz—
The void trembled, and the crack above the Wandenreich suddenly began to contract, as if a large mouth was gradually closing.
Yhwach did not attack the golden Negación barrier; instead, he chose to fundamentally erase the connection between Hueco Mundo and the Wandenreich from the Schatten Bereich.
Because that Negación was almost entirely constructed with the power of the entire Hueco Mundo, it was almost impossible to destroy it from the outside.
But from the root, he could easily erase the appearance of the Negación.
However…
The next second, Yhwach's expression darkened, and he suddenly looked up at the dark sky.
Where he looked, a humanoid light figure suddenly condensed from the dark sky, as if it had always existed there.
The light figure glanced at the crack, frowned slightly, as if greatly displeased.
But the contraction of the crack stopped at that instant.
The Schatten Bereich has escaped my control?
No.
Only a localized detachment, as if something had integrated into that part of the Schatten Bereich.
This integration was extremely thorough, and coupled with Yhwach's previous complete focus on Ishikawa, he had not noticed it at all.
But the moment he saw that light figure, Yhwach understood why the other party could do this, and he also knew that the other party must have used the brief moment when the Wandenreich overlapped with the Seireitei to integrate!
That light figure was…
Azashiro Soya!!