Chapter 702 Zero Division's Arrival

Under everyone's gaze, the heavy stone doors of the Tenchuren slowly slid open to both sides.

Five figures of varying heights and contrasting auras silently appeared atop the conveyance.

Their Reiatsu was completely different from any Captain of the Gotei 13.

It wasn't a matter of strength anymore, but a difference in essence.

The five members of the Zero Division had arrived.

To be honest, even Makoto raised an eyebrow slightly at their actual arrival.

In the original work, when Yamamoto died on the battlefield and the Seireitei was almost leveled by Yhwach, these people hadn't lifted a finger.

When he read the manga back then, he couldn't help but wonder if they had some grudge against the old man.

But now, the Zero Division's Captain standing at the forefront, Hyosube Ichibe'e, answered his unspoken question.

That middle-aged monk, who bore a striking resemblance to Lu Zhishen, fixed his gaze directly on Makoto.

"Absolutely no one is allowed to covet the Soul King's throne."

'Well, that cleared things up.'

If Makoto had only wanted to destroy the Gotei 13, or just wanted to conquer the Seireitei and play local tyrant, the Zero Division would probably have kept their heads buried in the sand like in the original.

But now that Makoto and Aizen had clearly set their sights on the Soul King Palace, for the Zero Division, that was an unacceptable bottom line.

Then, the five members of the Zero Division scattered from atop the Tenchuren, each landing in a different part of the battlefield.

Kirinji Tenjiro, the Zero Division's Divine General of the East, blocked Unohana's path, facing off against Nel and Harribel.

He tossed his exaggerated pompadour, glanced back at Unohana, who was gripping her Zanpakuto but unable to release it, and said bluntly:

"Pathetic, Retsu."

Unohana, as the former Kenpachi, had primarily focused on pure combat.

But after her battle with Zaraki centuries ago, she had rarely fought, shifting primarily to healing. The Kaido she used had been mostly inherited from this very man.

In terms of seniority, Kirinji Tenjiro was her half-teacher.

"Ugly hairstyle, old man."

Nel tilted her head and gave her honest assessment.

Kirinji Tenjiro's face instantly turned as black as a pot. "You little girl has no taste! Can't you see the essence of this hairstyle?!"

Beside him, Harribel expressionlessly raised her shark-like blade, Tiburón, reminding Nel not to underestimate the opponent.

The Reiatsu radiating from these people was on a completely different level from the Shinigami they had faced before.

Meanwhile, Hikifune Kirio, Nimaiya Oetsu, and Shutara Senjumaru also fanned out, each blocking different subordinates of Makoto.

Hikifune smiled cheerfully as she gazed up at Pochi, that sky-covering giant.

Senjumaru hovered in mid-air, her half-lidded eyes coldly sweeping over the Four Gay Bros. Countless hair-thin Reishi Threads had already silently spread from her sleeves.

"Looks like some troublesome folks have arrived."

Starrk scratched his messy, curly hair, facing Nimaiya in front of him.

His hand had already silently rested on the hilt of his Zanpakuto.

His instincts told him that the man before him was stronger than Baraggan.

Nimaiya was the creator of Zanpakuto, the origin of all Shinigami Zanpakuto in the Soul Society. The uniquely shaped blade at his waist was one of only two 'failed creations' that had never been used by anyone.

The reason they failed was that the blade was simply too sharp... they couldn't even forge a sheath to hold it.

"Step aside. This isn't an opponent you can handle."

Yu walked up from behind, inserting himself between Starrk and Nimaiya.

Having spent so many years by Makoto's side, he had unknowingly picked up many of his boss's ways—

He wouldn't clean up after his subordinates, but he also wouldn't stand by and watch them take on opponents far above their level.

Although Starrk was among the top-tier Vasto Lorde, against the father of Zanpakuto himself, he stood no chance.

Starrk shrugged and gracefully stepped back.

Then, Beam, Pochi, the Four Gay Bros, and other core members of Makoto's forces stepped forward, each locking onto their targets.

In the battle up to this point, most of them hadn't seriously fought... after all, just Vasto Lorde-level combatants like Starrk, Ulquiorra, Nel, and Harribel had been enough to handle the Gotei 13's Captains.

But everyone could clearly feel that the Zero Division was on a completely different level from the third-rate Shinigami of the Seireitei.

They couldn't just watch anymore.

Hyosube Ichibe'e, the Captain of the Zero Division, instantly crossed the chaotic battlefield and appeared before Aizen.

Ichibe'e glanced at Kyoraku and Ukitake, who were at their wits' end, and said calmly, "Step back. This is our job now."

Kyoraku helped the still-coughing Ukitake retreat to a safe distance.

After all, Aizen was also a potential threat who had openly declared his intention to replace the Soul King.

As the Soul King's most powerful enforcer, Ichibe'e naturally couldn't let such a being live.

Seeing Ichibe'e choose Aizen as his opponent, Makoto and Yamamoto temporarily pulled apart. Makoto turned his head and reminded Aizen, "Don't die before we get to fight."

Aizen slowly sheathed the demonic blade Muramasa in his left hand, then drew Kyoka Suigetsu with his right.

Although his expression remained calm, Aizen's competitive spirit was stirred. "Don't underestimate me, Makoto-kun."

He had indeed thought this war was going too easily.

Then the Zero Division arrived.

Well, that made it more interesting.

At this point, the structure of this war had fundamentally changed.

What followed was a full-force clash of the top combatants on both sides.

The Zero Division against Makoto's core forces. Ichibe'e against Aizen. And Makoto himself continued his unfinished battle with Yamamoto.

The top-tier battle fully erupted.

The entire Seireitei plaza was divided into several independent battlefields, each erupting with earth-shattering Reiatsu Fluctuations.

The clash between Makoto and Yamamoto remained the most attention-grabbing of all.

The collisions between Zanka no Tachi and the Black Chainsaw turned the sky above the Seireitei into a massive Reiatsu Vortex. Each clash of blades sent tremors through the entire Soul Society.

A full-powered Bankai versus a full-powered Resurrección... it was pure destruction on a cosmic scale.

Aizen didn't hold back from the start, unleashing his strongest Kido immediately—

"Hado #99, Goryutenmetsu!"

Five colossal dragon shadows, formed from pure Reiatsu, rose from around him, their roars capable of tearing souls apart, crashing down upon Ichibe'e.

This was destructive power capable of leveling a city in one strike. The air around them shrieked under the dragons' pressure.

But Ichibe'e, as the Captain of the Zero Division, was no pushover either.

He released his Zanpakuto without hesitation... "Blacken, Ichimonji."

Instantly, his Zanpakuto, which had looked like a giant calligraphy brush, began to transform. Between the brush tip and the handle, sharp blades extended, forming a hybrid shape of a brush and a naginata.

He swung the blade, releasing ink-black sword energy that coiled and flowed through the air, meeting the Goryutenmetsu head-on.