Chapter 127: The King’s Final Hour

"This is my first time witnessing his Bankai..."

Although Soi Fon had long known that Chojiro’s status and strength within the Soul Society were on par with, if not superior to, the four great noble families, this was her first time personally experiencing the terrifying weight of his spiritual pressure. It was a sensation that reached deep into her soul, a crushing pressure that made her feel as though she were on the verge of being pulverized into nothingness.

"Oh my, now that you mention it, Captain Soi Fon, this is indeed your first time seeing old man Sasakibe’s Bankai," Kyoraku remarked, standing to the side with a bright smile directed at the Queen of Bees, who had not once deigned to look him in the eye. As usual, he received no response.

"It brings back memories. It must have been nearly a thousand years ago that I saw the true power of that Bankai once before," Kyoraku continued, his tone shifting. "To be honest, just thinking about it now still sends shivers down my spine."

"!"

No matter how much she wished to ignore this lecherous man, Soi Fon’s curiosity regarding Chojiro’s Bankai had been piqued, and she found herself asking involuntarily, "What... happened back then?"

"You must have heard of it, Captain Soi Fon—that incident over nine hundred years ago..."

"..."

"An event so catastrophic that it nearly wiped out an area encompassing thirty districts surrounding the Seireitei..."

"!!!"

***

"So what?"

It was the first time Baraggan had seen anyone deflect his breath of death head-on, let alone in such a manner. "What does such an ability matter? My power is absolute; no one can stop it."

"You really are relentless, aren't you?" Chojiro sighed, his shoulders drooping in resignation.

"Shut your mouth! Die!"

Not just from his mouth, but from Baraggan’s entire body, a massive surge of death energy erupted, turning the surroundings into a pitch-black void before rushing toward Chojiro.

"How stubborn."

Chojiro did not even bother to raise his hand. Several bolts of lightning flashed down from the dark clouds above, converging to completely intercept Baraggan’s death energy.

"Lightning is generated by the friction of particles within storm clouds. Do you still not understand?" His gaze sharpened, piercing into Baraggan’s core like a honed blade. "As long as those clouds remain, my lightning will never run dry."

"!"

"I have already told you, your ability is useless against me, Baraggan Louisenbairn."

"SHUT UP!!!"

Since his defeat by Sosuke Aizen, Baraggan’s temper had indeed been restrained; after all, he was no longer the unchallenged master of Hueco Mundo. But as a former god, he could not simply abandon everything so easily. His outward calm was merely a lack of an outlet for his rage. It was clear—Chojiro had become that outlet.

"You are nothing but a mere Shinigami! Do not speak to me with such condescension. Who do you think you are facing? I am Baraggan Louisenbairn! The God of Hueco Mundo!!!"

Massive amounts of death energy flooded from his body, spreading in all directions. Unlike his previous targeted attacks, this was an endless, ever-expanding manifestation of his uncontainable fury.

"You said your lightning would never run dry as long as those clouds exist? That is a simple enough problem to solve."

He raised his skeletal hand, holding it high as if grasping something vital, looming over everything like an emperor. "I shall erode your Bankai until there is nothing left."

"Poof!"

The black death energy surged like a beast unleashed, rushing toward the endless clouds above. Baraggan intended to strike at the very root of Chojiro’s power.

"I said..." Chojiro raised his hand, extended a finger, and then brought it down sharply. "...that it is useless."

"Rumble!"

A deafening clap of thunder echoed once more. A pillar of lightning, five meters wide, plummeted down, slamming into Baraggan’s death energy and halting its advance entirely.

"What..."

"Do you really think you have the chance to touch those clouds? It is time to end this."

"Boom..."

With a soft sound, several smaller bolts of lightning appeared around the massive pillar, gradually merging into the central core.

"That is..." Jushiro Ukitake’s eyes widened at the sudden shift in the lightning. He had never imagined that such immense power would be necessary for a fight against a single Espada.

"It seems he intends to settle this in one strike," Kyoraku said, his playful demeanor vanishing. This move held too much weight for him; it was no exaggeration to say it had left a shadow on his mind.

"...Foolish." Yamamoto Genryusai finally spoke. In his eyes, there was no need to resort to such a technique for an opponent of Baraggan’s caliber.

"Rumble!"

The smaller bolts of lightning that had merged into the central pillar suddenly thickened, and a massive, resonant thunderous roar erupted from within.

"This is..." Stark, standing in the distance, felt his expression change as he sensed the suddenly amplified spiritual pressure. Even in his Resurreccion, he would not have the confidence to withstand such a powerful attack.

"Accept it. This is a grand funeral held specifically for you."

"Boom!"

The massive thunder roared as if answering Chojiro’s words, and the lightning pillar suddenly flared with an intense, blinding light.

"Get down, Ukitake."

"Ugh..."

"Come! Wrath of the Thunder God!!"

"Rolling Thunder: Five-Element Heaven Sacrifice!"

"Rumble!"

The lightning pillar, previously only five meters wide, expanded more than fivefold, shattering the stalemate and consuming Baraggan entirely within the surge. The pillar began to rotate in place—slowly at first, then accelerating until, within mere heartbeats, it reached a speed the naked eye could no longer track.

"Huang Huang Yanling Lightning Pillar Chariot!!"

"Boom!"

The high-speed rotating pillar exploded. The sheer force of the impact obliterated everything within a five-kilometer radius. Had anyone been looking down from the sky, they would have seen that nearly half of Karakura Town had been reduced to a barren wasteland.

The explosion left behind a thick cloud of smoke, obscuring Baraggan’s fate. Yet, no one present believed that anyone could remain unscathed at the epicenter of such a devastating blast.

"Whew..."

A sudden wind blew from nowhere, scattering the dense dust to reveal Chojiro standing where he had been all along. His white haori fluttered in the breeze. In his hand, he gripped a shattered golden crown. Deformed by the impact of the lightning, the crown looked as though it would crumble into dust at the slightest touch.

"It is time to sleep—"

Everything was gone.

"—God of Hueco Mundo."