Unlike Shinigami, the Arrancar’s Zanpakutō are actually cores formed by sealing away their original power.
When an Arrancar releases their Zanpakutō, they are actually removing that core’s seal, restoring themselves to their original form.
This process is called Resurrección. Although it’s performed the same way as a Shinigami’s Shikai—by calling the name of the Zanpakutō—the enhancement gained from Resurrección far surpasses an ordinary Shikai. Especially the power boost, which can fully be called a Hollow’s version of Bankai.
At this moment, Grimmjow had performed his Resurrección, released his Zanpakutō, returned to his original form, and unleashed an astonishing power.
At this moment, the Reiatsu erupting from his body even exceeded that of Ulquiorra beside him, who had yet to release his own Zanpakutō.
The surging power stirred up a storm, raising endless clouds of dust. The violent winds even lashed against Kaiser, causing his Shihakushō and Captain’s Haori to flap intensely.
Feeling Grimmjow’s power, Kaiser remained expressionless, even revealing a faint smile.
"Blade Array Matrix!"
The countless spectral swords surrounding the Crown of Heavens immediately flew to Kaiser’s side, circling around him repeatedly, rising and falling.
At the same time, Grimmjow raised his arm, bent his elbow, and from his elbow joint popped out five emerald-green scale-like spikes. Like bullets, he fired them out. The spikes sliced through the air, whistling as they shot violently toward Kaiser.
"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"
The next second, the scale-like spikes struck the Zanpakutō circling around Kaiser, actually piercing through, breaking, and shattering them one after another.
These small shards didn’t look like much at first glance, yet they erupted with enough force to shatter Zanpakutō. Anyone witnessing this would surely be shocked.
Unfortunately, five emerald scale spikes were clearly insufficient to break through the Blade Array Matrix. Even if several Zanpakutō were destroyed, there were still several thousand more waiting in line.
Without the power to destroy all of them in one blow, the protection of the Blade Array Matrix could not be breached, and Kaiser took the wave of attack completely unscathed.
Right as Grimmjow’s attack ended, Kaiser suddenly swung his sword, slashing the ground. A terrifying shockwave erupted, striking the area where Grimmjow and the others were.
The white gravel was instantly blasted skyward by the forceful torrent, and that region exploded in a rumble, forming a deep crater.
Grimmjow shot out from the midst of it, agile and swift, like a hunting leopard sprinting through the air. While hurtling through the sky toward Kaiser, his twin claws lashed out. From the tips of the claws stretched two giant translucent blue claw lights, like glass, slashing toward Kaiser with a savage flurry.
The claw lights crashed fiercely onto the countless Zanpakutō circling Kaiser, stirring a thunderous boom, as if trying to blow Kaiser away and tear him to pieces. The strike released terrifying sharpness and force.
But Kaiser did not dodge nor retreat. He withstood the blow head-on, even charging forward into the massive blue claw lights and shattered them like breaking glass.
Grimmjow was stunned by this scene. His charging motion stalled for an instant, pausing midair.
At that moment, Kaiser pounced in front of Grimmjow.
The noble and resplendent Zanpakutō flashed—Kaiser’s Crown of Heavens instantly sliced through Grimmjow’s tight armor, carving a vicious wound across his body.
Grimmjow roared in rage, both hands lashing out with twin claws. A barrage of long claw lights tore through the air, raking down on Kaiser.
"Clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang...!"
The long claw lights collided with the Blade Array Matrix, sparks scattering amid a series of intense clashes.
The raging claw strikes Grimmjow unleashed in fury were all completely blocked by the Blade Array Matrix.
As for Kaiser, he completely abandoned defense—or rather, he placed full trust in the Blade Array Matrix’s defensive capability—and while ignoring Grimmjow’s strikes, he retaliated with dozens of sword slashes, each one cutting into Grimmjow’s body.
"Slash!" "Slash!" "Slash!" "Slash!"...
In an instant, Grimmjow’s lithe, leopard-like body was effortlessly torn open by the flurry of strikes, leaving gashes everywhere as blood gushed out in torrents.
Grimmjow could no longer suppress his cry of pain. His assault’s frequency suddenly slowed.
"Trading injuries with me? Are you sure your brain’s working?"
Kaiser sneered, then slashed Grimmjow’s abdomen with one strike, unleashing a burst of force that sent him flying.
The airborne Grimmjow crashed into a giant dead tree—as large as a mountain—which shattered on impact, reduced to countless fragments that rained down on the white land.
Just then, with two spatial distortions, Ulquiorra and Yammy appeared on Kaiser’s left and right.
Ulquiorra extended his finger, a concentrated mass of Reiatsu glowing with emerald light at the tip, transforming into a beam that surged toward Kaiser like a torrent.
Yammy roared. Red lightning burst from both his hands, and he fired Bala like mad, unleashing red orbs that could vaporize the air, bombarding Kaiser like a crimson downpour.
However, whether Ulquiorra’s Cero or Yammy’s incessant Bala, they were all blocked by the countless Zanpakutō encircling Kaiser—Cero burst like waves crashing on rocks, and the Bala exploded one after another. None reached Kaiser within the Blade Array Matrix.
"Blade Array Annihilation!"
After withstanding the assault from two Espada, Kaiser raised his head, lifted Crown of Heavens high, and the Zanpakutō surrounding him moved as if materialized, launching like arrows toward the two Espada.
Ulquiorra’s expression changed slightly. He vanished into the void, dodging the incoming barrage.
Yammy wasn’t so lucky.
"Slash!" "Slash!" "Slash!"...
As sounds of flesh being torn apart rang out, Yammy’s hulking body was pierced through by a barrage of Zanpakutō.
His Hierro, his physical defense, proved fragile before these attacking Zanpakutō and was easily penetrated.
Bleeding all over, Yammy choked out bloodied words as he plummeted toward the ground.
Kaiser released a sword-pressure attack resembling Getsuga Tenshō. A golden blade of Reiatsu descended from the sky and struck Yammy’s body, completely obliterating him.
The Tenth Espada, Yammy Llargo—dead.
Suddenly, from the far side of the white desert, an intense Reiatsu disturbance reached Kaiser, who had just finished off Yammy.
Kaiser turned his head and looked over.
There, Grimmjow knelt on one knee, one hand stretched forward toward Kaiser, the other clenching the outstretched arm. A fierce Reiatsu gathered at his hand.
The blood gushing from Grimmjow’s body was mixing into the Reiatsu, turning it bluish green.
That bluish green Reiatsu formed a sawtooth-glowing orb aimed at Kaiser, illuminating Grimmjow’s blood-stained face.
"This is a special Cero only Espada can use! Its power exceeds a normal Cero by several times or even dozens!"
Grimmjow growled viciously.
"With just one blast, even space itself can be distorted! That’s why it’s strictly forbidden under normal circumstances!"
Clearly, Grimmjow no longer cared about such rules.
"This power mixed with Espada blood—taste it well!"
"Take this! Gran Rey Cero!"
The jagged Reiatsu orb in his palm blasted forth, stirring a violent tempest and thunderous boom.
As it traveled, just as Grimmjow said, space itself was visibly distorted.
Kaiser could feel the terror of this strike.
In terms of sheer power, this Gran Rey Cero already surpassed even the scorching flames released from Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni’s Ryūjin Jakka.
In all his decades in this world, the strongest attack Kaiser had ever faced was this moment.
"Though I doubt this strike can breach the Blade Array Matrix, as a sign of respect—let me return the favor with this move."
The countless Zanpakutō circling Kaiser shattered.
The shattered blades turned into pure Reiatsu, converging onto Crown of Heavens in Kaiser’s hand.
"Blade Array Erasure!"
A slash infused with the power of every Zanpakutō in existence burst forth at this moment.
"BOOM!!!" ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ ɴovel(ꜰ)ɪre.nᴇt
As the golden slash cleaved forth like mountains splitting and seas parting, the white desert was sliced in half.
Tidal waves of white sand erupted skyward.
Even the Gran Rey Cero that distorted space was instantly severed, erased into nothing.
Grimmjow hadn’t even reacted. Still kneeling with one hand outstretched, he was cleaved through by the golden slash. The desert before and behind him was sliced open.
Grimmjow’s body froze, never moving again.
After a moment, blood burst from Grimmjow’s chest, and his body split cleanly in two, falling to either side.
The Sixth Espada, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez—dead.
Author’s Note: 10 Chapters till volume end.