You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

hold head high!

hold head high!

hold head high!

Large mounds rose from the sand dunes, from which black fluid emerged, twisting and merging to form towering giants that continued to grow and gather, eventually forming the vast, ethereal forest that stretched as far as the eye could see, resembling a sea of ​​trees.

"Lament, fear, despair, and regret your weakness and misfortune!"

Your path ends here, and your future will be ended by me, Lord Jack Lawley!

At this very moment, the world reveals its cruelest side to you, the Grim Reapers!

Rows of jet-black Killian stared at the numerous Grim Reapers, letting out irritating roars.

"All of this is to pay tribute to our great king!"

"Sweep away the remnants of Soul Society and usher in the new world our King has long awaited!"

Rumble!

A series of crimson streaks flashed across the sky, illuminating the eyes of the people beneath the cloaks.

Iori, Zaraki, Unohana, Aozumi, Saito, Seigen, Tosen Kaname, Amagai...

Suddenly, the smug Jack Lowry lost consciousness!

Without warning or any power to resist, without even understanding what was happening, their consciousness sank into boundless darkness...

"Well!"

After an unknown amount of time, Jack Laurie, tattered and emaciated like an insect, suddenly awoke, his eyes meeting the rock-covered ceiling of the Great Hollow Forest.

"Is this...below the Great Whirlpool...the Great Hollow Forest? How...was I knocked down here?!"

He felt completely paralyzed, and even with his "super-fast regeneration" ability, he couldn't repair his body. It seemed he had reached his physiological limit and barely managed to save his life.

"How, how is it possible!"

Chapter 430 Win, Iori!

The decapitation squad's operation went extremely smoothly. With so many Bankai-level experts working together, even an Adjuchas-level Arrancar could not withstand their onslaught. They swept through several lines of defense with unstoppable momentum.

Whether it's the countless Hollow Forest, the beasts Hollows whose fighting abilities have been specialized by stripping them of their rationality, or the massive synthetic beasts, they are all as weak and feeble as sand in front of the Shinigami captains.

However, once they entered the towering tower, the quality of the enemies suddenly increased by more than one level. The mastermind behind the scenes also used spiritual technology to create traps to hinder everyone's actions and even tried to divide them up and defeat them one by one!

Kenpachi Zaraki was the first to fall behind. No one knows exactly which battle he went missing in. By the time they realized it, he had already run off to some unknown place with Yachiru Kusajishi.

The process was so smooth that it was impossible to tell whether it was an enemy trap or simply that they had gotten lost...

Afterwards, the Arrancar belonging to the Zodiac began to appear, using the "Anti-Membrane Bandits" to forcibly separate the Shinigami squad. At this point, the Shinigami didn't care about advancing or retreating together; in pursuit of efficiency and out of trust in their comrades, Iori and the others continued upwards.

Ultimately, the Tower of Babel split into five or six battlefields, turning into a chaotic free-for-all with two or three groups of enemies. The three most troublesome "Vastods" were unexpectedly defeated by Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Iori working together.

Another one encountered Kenpachi while wandering around (actually, it was Iori's clone who actively sought him out).

However, the remaining Zodiac members also include at least one Voidwalker, leading a powerful Arrancar army. On paper, the decapitation squad is even at a disadvantage!

However, no one felt fear. Even when facing the unfathomable Vasto Lorde Arrancar, they did not retreat a single step, but did their best to hold them off and create opportunities for Iori.

Of all those who fought alongside Iori to the very end, only Saito, the immortal one, remained.

On the road leading to the top floor, a group of Hollows known as the Royal Guard are in charge of guarding it.

"Swastika!"

Thanks to the help of Unohana and the others, Iori had preserved his strength throughout the journey, allowing him to unleash his full-power spiritual pressure at this final stage, which immediately unleashed a fierce wind that swept across the entire floor.

"A clear mirror, still water; the clouds of heaven, the raging waves of Yamata no Tsurugi!"

The ultimate technique, capable of sweeping away thousands of troops, shattered the barrier restricting the spirits with overwhelming power, crashing into the guards like a flood. In the midst of this chaos, Saito instantly rushed into the battlefield, using his sharp swordsmanship to kill the enemy.

Iori displayed incredible battlefield dominance, single-handedly suppressing the entire Royal Guard by relying on the area-of-effect of her Zanpakuto and Kido. She and Saito worked together, with one taking the lead in attack and the other moving around, and quickly broke through the defenses of this layer.

"careful!"

In the midst of the fierce battle, Iori's eyes turned cold, and she suddenly raised her head to look at the immortal being slaying enemies not far away.

He rushed over quickly, grabbed the immortal's wrist, and pulled her into his arms.

"Well?"

Saito's eyes showed a moment of panic. He wanted to resist, but knowing that Iori would never do such a thing on the battlefield without reason, he let him do as he pleased.

As expected, Iori did not do anything drastic; he simply pulled her over and then instantly left the spot.

The next moment, a "meteor" fell from the sky and crashed down on the spot. The explosive wind pressure blew like a heavy hammer over Iori and Saito, pushing them back several meters.

"who is it!"

Iori barely managed to stand firm, then suddenly looked up at the point where the "meteor" had fallen, her right hand quietly tightening its grip on the mirror of still water.

No one answered his question; instead, a tall, thin figure rose from the dust and mist.

"Be careful……"

Saito narrowed his one eye slightly. "They've arrived!"

Zheng~

At the instant of her intuitive warning, Iori raised her right hand without hesitation, and her Zanpakuto, which had drunk countless bloodstains that day, slashed with an unpredictable trajectory toward the empty space in front of her.

Clang!

It seemed as if it had collided with something invisible, and the powerful impact surged up the blade, causing Iori's arm muscles to tense up suddenly.

The figure draped in a tattered coat seemed to emerge from the darkness before quietly appearing. A jet-black longsword clashed fiercely with Mingjing Zhishui, their blades constantly gnawing at each other, sparking a series of intense flashes.

"It's you!"

Although they had never met before, Iori remembered the other person the moment she saw them.

"This time, please state your names!"

"Xu!"

Beneath the hood that fluttered like a shadow, the humanoid Vastode raised his head, his face covered not with a white mask, but with a black veil that obscured the lower half of his face.

He didn't give a specific name, but instead used his race name, as if he alone was qualified to represent the entire race.

"As expected... that spiritual pressure!"

Although its appearance has changed somewhat, this is undoubtedly the Hollow that once wreaked havoc in Seireitei!

throat!

As his spiritual pressure surged, Iori forcefully pushed his enemy away, and almost simultaneously, large, crimson fireballs appeared in front of him.

Instant multi-cast!

Fireballs with the power of small missiles struck the void one after another, engulfing it in intense explosions.

However, Iori did not stop there. The Mirror of Stillness was switched to her left hand, and her free right hand immediately lit up with a blazing, pale spiritual light—

"Bingya Zhenglan!"

The torrent of frost condensed and took shape, instantly creating a massive glacier that swept away everything in sight. The entire floor entered an ice age, and endless coldness rushed out to the outside. From the outside, it looked like a six-pointed ice flower blooming on the top floor of the Tower of Babel.

"Not bad, so this is what they call 'the way of the ghosts'? I didn't observe it properly last time, I didn't realize it was so powerful."

A calm voice sounded from behind. Iori's expression remained unchanged, but Saito felt his hair stand on end and glanced back.

Iori calmly turned around—trying to maintain a serious expression.

He now possesses both his own and the "Great Hollow's" perspectives simultaneously, and they also share the same consciousness. It feels like he's fighting with both hands simultaneously, or playing house by himself... It's quite strange.

The humanoid Hollow wasn't even covered in dust. He stood there calmly, holding a sword in one hand. Although his expression wasn't visible, it felt like he was smiling as he sized up Iori.

"The Shinigami's Kido is different from the Hollow's power; I'm very interested in it."

"..."

Saito quietly tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword. She knew very well the Hollow's strength. It had easily defeated multiple veteran captains at the same time. It could be said that apart from Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni and Iori, no one in the Gotei 13 could compare to it.

Even if Unohana Yachiru were to wield her sword again, it would still be the same.

Saito stared intently at his opponent's every move. Although he was confident in himself, he knew that Soten's speed was superior to Shunpo's. Even if he had mastered both techniques to their limits, Soten, who could alter the structure of space, was still stronger.

"Is the information about [Lost Palace] wrong... or has Ku been plotting against us from the very beginning?"

"Both possibilities exist, but there's no point in thinking about it now."

Iori remained calm and said softly, "I never really considered Hueco Mundo to be a reliable partner. It's not surprising that they're hoping to hurt both us and Tokina."

But no matter what, this Hollow is someone I must overcome, and in terms of the outcome, it makes no difference—you're in charge of protecting my back; the Royal Guard is yours.”

At this point, the man tilted his head slightly and said, "Now, let us entrust our lives to each other."

"……snort!"

Saito felt greatly at ease, instantly clearing away all his worries and anxieties, and a confident smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

"I bet my soul that we will be the victors!"

"It's good to have confidence."

The enemy said with a smile.

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu raised his tattered coat with his right hand, which swung like a cloak.

Meanwhile, a brilliant flash of light erupted from the inside—

Saito, who was immortal, suddenly narrowed his eyes. His Zanpakuto was held horizontally in front of him, but he was struck by the blade's light and sent flying dozens of meters away.

Just as Hollow took a step, his pursuit was interrupted. Iori arrived with Shunpo, and her chilling Zanpakuto struck Hollow before the air could even groan in despair.

However, it failed to break through the opponent's defense. The unique steel skin of the Arrancar was strengthened to the extreme by the Hollow. When it was slashed, it produced a sound of metal clashing, but it could not produce even a trace of blood.

"it turns out!"

In the instant that Iori's face showed astonishment, Utsuro had already switched hands with the longsword and tore Iori's body apart from bottom to top—

laugh!

The haori bearing the words "Third Division" was cut off, and the Shinigami hidden inside vanished without a trace.

Xu never expected that his sudden attack would be so easily neutralized, and he quickly turned his gaze to find his opponent.

However, Iori's Shunpo technique was so advanced that even his powerful sensory perception failed to detect it, and he was once again struck from behind by the Zanpakuto.

But this time the steel sheet couldn't stop it. The spiritual light attached to the blade was the Kido called "Zanhua Lun," which greatly enhanced the power of the slash, instantly piercing through the Hollow's coat and side waist!

"it is good!"

Despite his injury, Xu paid it no mind. With a flick of his wrist, he slashed out from below like a scorpion's stinger, the black blade parting his cloak as it hurtled towards the Grim Reaper behind him—

"Qiang!"

Iori managed to deflect the attack by turning her blade back in time and immediately counterattacked.

The two figures disappeared at the same time and reappeared a hundred meters away. In just the blink of an eye, the injuries on Xu's body disappeared.

Ultra-high-speed regeneration!

"You... I've heard that Arrancar selectively enhance their abilities during evolution, often sacrificing some things in the process. But you... have you perhaps pushed all your talents to their limits?"

Iori rarely showed a slightly ferocious and competitive expression, and continued to exert force and engage in feints.

Hollow laughed loudly: "You're one to talk! You're also proficient in all four combat skills of a Shinigami, aren't you?!"

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Iori displayed a strong offensive desire, and Hollow was briefly suppressed in the ensuing slashing duel.

Saito didn't let the opportunity pass. After quickly dealing with the remaining guards, he joined the battle with his Zanpakuto in hand. The two long swords worked in perfect coordination, slashing at the Hollow time and time again!

Although the two had fought side by side before, this was the first time they had truly teamed up against the same person—after all, it was Saito who had been the one to come to Saito’s rescue.

It's strange, Saito was the first captain and should have experienced a lot of battles, but ever since he met Iori, the frequency with which he was forced into a desperate situation seems to have suddenly increased... But let's not talk about that!

"Iori!"