White-streaked temples and a gnarled beard, with every hair standing on end.
Surging power doesn't necessarily make someone truly invincible, but it will certainly grant them an invincible mindset first.
Kunitsuna Shōgo had awakened this mindset.
One must know that even within the ranks of the Five Great Noble Houses, a powerful individual at 3rd Seat Spiritual Power level or higher, capable of Bankai, is a rare occurrence once every hundred years. Not to mention, the individuals from before had clearly stepped into the threshold of 2nd Seat Spiritual Power levels. Picking out any one of them would have been a formidable foe that he once struggled to confront.
However, the Spirit King's bone had changed everything.
Kunitsuna Shōgo could clearly feel it.
Power, speed, reaction time, stamina, resistance to impacts...
His entire spiritual body seemed to have been reborn from the inside out, bursting with a vitality so strong it felt like a rebirth.
Anyone's movements, in his eyes, appeared as slow as a snail's crawl.
All of their attacks were weak and light.
Whether it was swords, abilities, Hakuda, or Shunpo.
It was all the same.
At this moment, he possessed unparalleled confidence.
It seemed that all the backup plans he had prepared would be wasted.
He didn't need so much!
With the current him, no one could stand against him.
Kunitsuna Shōgo thought so confidently, raising the Zanpakutō in his hand high, pointing it towards Yamamoto.
However, for some reason.
After witnessing that scene, whether it was Yamamoto, Unohana, or the other so-called 'lieutenants', all wore cold and calm expressions.
As if... they didn't care about their comrades who had been defeated in an instant.
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni stood quietly in place.
"Is that so?"
"So that's your trump card."
"If it's only to this extent..."
As he spoke, he 'popped' the Ryūjin Jakka off his waist, planting it vertically in the ground, and started walking directly towards Kunitsuna Shōgo.
Yamamoto spoke in a calm tone, saying nonchalantly:
"It seems."
"That I won't even need my sword."
As he spoke, he neatly took off his sleeves, removing his black shihakushō, exposing his muscular body that looked like it was made of cast steel.
Yamamoto's body was covered with various scars, both fine and menacing, like a network.
All of those scars were left by him in countless battles.
In the distance, Fujimiya Makoto kicked away an opponent rushing at him, crushing the opponent's head with his foot, grinding it into the ground, staring intently at the battlefield in the center.
He was also watching this scene.
In fact, whether it was him or his companions, everyone knew in their hearts.
That was where the outcome of this final battle would be decided.
[Ribbit! Old Man Yama is taking off his clothes!]
[He must be going to capture that white-bearded brute and use him as a power source!]
Hearing this voice, many of his colleagues turned to look at Fujimiya Makoto.
Fujimiya Makoto had a dark expression on his face.
But for some reason, he was starting to get used to it.
Fortunately, he was far enough away.
Kunitsuna Shōgo watched the scene before him, as if he was being insulted, his eyes widening, looking at Yamamoto in disbelief, his white beard twitching with the contortions of his face.
Until finally, he laughed in anger.
"Yamamoto Shigekuni!"
"Are you trying to humiliate me with this ridiculous method?"
His tone was extremely severe, even directly addressing him by his surname when speaking, which was almost an insult.
"Haven't you realized it yet?"
"How pitiful."
Yamamoto stood still in front of him.
His calm gaze was almost contemptuous.
He narrated in a slow, calm voice: "Indeed, if one only looked at the spiritual pressure, they might be fooled by you."
"But, you see..."
"There is also a difference between the pinnacles of Shinigami."
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni looked at him, or rather, he was looking at the spiritual pressure around him.
The spiritual pressure originating from the Spirit King's bone was continuously bursting out of Kunitsuna Shōgo's body, forming an almost domain-like spiritual particle net around his body.
But at the same time.
The unrefined spiritual particles were scattered around him, constantly floating and drifting, until they overflowed in all directions. Kunitsuna Shōgo's own crude and weak control ability couldn't fully grasp this power, let alone compress and utilize it.
If he had to use a metaphor, it was like a giant balloon that was constantly being inflated.
Vast, and fragile.
This point was extremely obvious to Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, who had constantly trained and honed himself, stepping up to the present, possessing almost perfect control over his body and spiritual pressure.
As if he was provoked by the contemptuous gaze, or perhaps out of confidence in his own strength.
Kunitsuna Shōgo suddenly raised his tone, roaring sternly:
"Then go die!"
The next moment, his figure suddenly disappeared from the spot.
The speed, driven by almost pure violence, clearly indicated his landing point, but it was still extremely fast.
Kunitsuna Shōgo's hair and beard were all scattered, his shriveled arms holding a katana, the dazzling blade drawing an extremely bright arc in the air, as if forming a drifting white silk.
Behind them, a cold light flashed in Iihara Kaname's glasses.
If this old man had unleashed this strike earlier, both Saitō and Kachiki would have been directly split in two, right?
There was no reason, no excuse.
This was the power of pure spiritual pressure and spiritual might.
But...
Iihara Kaname's gaze turned forward.
Facing this dazzling strike, Yamamoto simply watched quietly.
Until the moment the blade fell in front of him.
"Ting."
Yamamoto Shigekuni faced forward, extending two fingers.
Kunitsuna Shōgo, who was giving it his all, suddenly widened his eyes, as if his eyeballs were about to pop out.
At the apex of the falling blade.
Yamamoto's fingers rested quietly in front.
Pinching his blade.
"Heh...heh..."
Kunitsuna Shōgo opened his mouth, a gurgling sound coming from his throat as if he was suppressing a roar, unable to make any sound at all.
It was precisely because his senses were too acute at this moment.
That he would show this expression.
Kunitsuna Shōgo could clearly feel that in that instant, the highly condensed spiritual particles on the surface of Yamamoto Shigekuni's fingers were like a hot knife cutting through butter, the spiritual particles at the same level as him, constantly vibrating and easily breaking through the layer of spiritual pressure on his body.
Then, one finger pressed down on his blade.
However, he clearly felt all of this, but he couldn't make any effective resistance.
This, what exactly is this...?
Yamamoto stood there with his upper body bare, looking at him calmly:
"Is it difficult to understand?"
"In the wars of the Shinigami, spiritual pressure often plays a decisive role."
"However, that is the oppression of a superior to a subordinate."
"On the contrary."
"When the spiritual pressure of two people is at the same level, the difference will be reflected in other aspects."
The moment the words fell, Kunitsuna Shōgo seemed to realize something, subconsciously trying to withdraw his hand, desperately trying to pull the blade back, even the expression on his old face became panicked.
However, the seemingly fragile two fingers, at this moment, were like a vise clamped in place, immovable.
Yamamoto extended his left hand, forming a fist.
"Watch carefully."
"This is the true... pinnacle of a Shinigami!"
The next moment, the fingertips holding the blade suddenly retracted, the well-tempered arms pulling up the immense power, pulling Kunitsuna Shōgo's arm to stretch out suddenly, and a clear sound of bones stretching and pulling could even be heard faintly.
At the same time, a terrifying spiritual pressure, condensed to the extreme, suddenly erupted from the surface of Yamamoto's clenched fist, as if wrapped in a thin layer of air.
Power arose from the earth, running through his waist and legs, the constantly expanding spiritual pressure rose along the spine and muscles, reaching his arm.
Finally, at the moment it had to be released, he suddenly struck forward.
Forming a point that was condensed to the extreme.
Heavily slamming into Kunitsuna Shōgo's gaunt, emaciated chest.
The bones and organs of his entire chest, like a cannonball hitting them, completely caved in.
The roaring sound from Yamamoto's mouth resounded through the sky:
"True Ten Bone—!!!"
In that instant, a surge of energy centered on Yamamoto, constantly spreading outwards, swept across the entire grassland. The tremendous force, condensed and restrained to the extreme, ran straight forward.
Everything directly behind Kunitsuna Shōgo, whether it was soil, boulders, grass roots, or broken wood, was all blown away, turning into smoke.
In a short instant, it formed a straight, gigantic channel spanning a thousand meters.
The entire Kyougoku seemed to be silent for a few seconds under this punch.
Until finally, a thunderous, earth-shattering boom resounded throughout the sky.
At that moment, Fujimiya Makoto quietly watched.
For some reason, a classic question suddenly came to his mind.
"Have you seen me in my prime?"
He didn't know if others would ever see it again.
But at least, he had seen it today.