Chapter 1280 Prima

Yhwach, being left alone after Ophis and Lilith suddenly left, helped himself to the tea that doesn't seem to run out or get cold.

As he took a sip from his cup, he also felt the strange, but somehow very familiar fluctuation of power, "What a fascinating experience. So this is how it feels to be seen." He muttered to himself.

Since he's blindfolded, he can't even see his own reflection from the cup. The world could end as he sat comfortably but there was nothing he could do.

Yhwach thought that he would feel nothing as everything around him collapsed as this is a very 'flawed' world that he tried to 'correct'. However, he was wrong. Very wrong as he's finding himself feeling frustrated without being able to take action.

He hated the world where 'death' is accepted and seen as an inevitability. However, what he hated more was it disappearing into nothing, much worse, into the stomach of someone who thinks they are the 'one'.

Nevertheless, his inability to do anything on his own doesn't mean others can't take action on his behalf. So when he heard Kisuke's conjecture about Ichibei's true goal, he didn't hesitate to reveal the secret of his own defeat.

Yhwach was defeated not because he was cut by Ichigo's Zangetsu but by a Zanpakuto Spirit that was formerly known as 'Yhwach'.

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Ichibei tried ripping Kisuke off from his neck but as he pulled his arm, he only ripped off that arm and the latter continued chewing on his neck like there's no tomorrow. It was at this point that Ichibei realized that Kisuke was not truly a mindless monster but someone who was moving to accomplish a certain goal.

But that's the least of his worries now since this monster actually disappeared from his past and future sights. Ichibei understood his mistake of ignoring him initially and now he became a threat that he must eliminate at all costs, 'I see... That's why I only saw very few versions of him perishing in the future...'

The attack from the Dragons pushed Ichibei and Kisuke into the depths of the Dimensional Gap and the former couldn't do anything but ignore their assault as he was busy ripping the latter off of him.

Without any hesitation, Ichibei sliced off a piece of his neck that Kisuke was biting using his hand before grabbing another of his arms and hurtling him away from him.

The monster that's now resembling a twisted Dragon spun uncontrollably within the directionless space for some time before it finally decided to properly orient itself. But instead of continuing its assault, it carefully chews on the black flesh before swallowing it.

While Kisuke lost the support of the [Shadow], he could continue this cursed existence as long as he could eat.

Meanwhile, Ichibei could only use all of his eyes to silently stare at the monster relishing the flesh and blood it earned. He also didn't immediately attack Kisuke because he wanted to arrange his thoughts first. While he became an unimaginable being capable of seeing through space and time which changed his perspective, he's still the same Ichibei when he was posing as a Shinigami.

In other words, no matter what he gained, it was still the same for him. He didn't get any sort of enlightenment that would allow him to think like the Soul King. And that only became more obvious when he realized that Kisuke baited him when he recalled that it was one of his summons who blocked his path.

Aside from Kisuke, he could still see everything that has happened, what's happening, and what's going to happen. However, the uplifting and invigorating feeling brought by it from before has already disappeared and was washed over by the debilitating feeling of inferiority.

He could see the past, present, and future and even manipulate them to some extent. He's supposedly an all-powerful being that no one can touch yet the almost mindless monster in front of him just created a future that he couldn't see. Ichibei was feeling inferior.

Soon, however, this feeling of inferiority was soon overtaken by dread. If Kisuke created a future that he couldn't see, then what else is hidden from his eyes?

Fueled by this dread, his desire to pulverize this monster into nonexistence shot to the top of his priorities.

While it is true that his main ability was rendered useless, Ichibei was still confident that he'll be able to overpower Kisuke who's already on the verge of death.

Ichibei assumed a cross-legged position and while all the eyes facing Kisuke were locked on him, he straightened his arm before clasping his hands together.

Kisuke finished swallowing the flesh he got and he also started regenerating his lost arm. With a single goal in mind, he shrieks, releasing a deadly roar, and launches himself with reckless abandon towards his 'food'.

Slap.

Kisuke only moved for a few hundred feet before two translucent golden and white hands that made him look like a tiny mosquito slapped him. It was so abrupt that he couldn't even let out a scream of pain.

Kisuke's limbs were instantly flattened into a paste and his torso warped. Thankfully, his head and heart were sturdy enough to endure the impact and he remained alive.

'Just a beast and nothing more.' Ichibei commented in his mind while watching Kisuke struggle, 'He may have caught me in a trap that I've yet to understand, but he had to give up his greatest weapon.'

Ichibei separated his hands and the translucent hands also disappeared. But soon enough, another set of hands appeared on the opposite side of Kisuke and this time, it was much more solidified and radiated with power that dwarfed the previous instance.

"This is the end," Ichibei muttered calmly while a silhouette of his eye with three pupils appeared on the horizon, looking down on Kisuke who was unable to move.

Kisuke moved his neck to look up to the eye as if his joints were covered in rust and debris. His instincts are telling him that this could be the end of him if nothing is done.

Although only one desire is running through his mind, Kisuke's self-preservation didn't entirely disappear and in front of this colossal threat, Tiamat felt something changing in him fundamentally, [Huh? How? He shouldn't have access to this... Not in his current state.]

Tiamat dives deeper into Kisuke's inner world to understand the situation and finds out that his body is changing way beyond what she had expected, [This isn't from monsterization nor is it from releasing the limiter. Something else is shaping his existence.]

It was then that Tiamat recalled Benihime mentioning the mysterious gem that seemed to have disappeared.