Fate in Bleach: Unlimited Blade Works!

"For you, it's not over yet. But for me, it is."

Ailin paused, turning back to face Zaraki.

"Your limit is only this much. It's pointless to continue. Zaraki, when you've mastered your Zanpakutō's power, come fight me again."

With those words, he vanished, leaving behind a roaring Zaraki. However, Zaraki's battle lust soon subsided.

Decades of training had strengthened his body and his will. This allowed him to control his Zanpakutō's power upon releasing it for the first time, preventing him from losing control.

But as Ailin had said, he could sense an even greater power slumbering within his Zanpakutō.

He had attempted to wield that power against Ailin. But just as Ailin had warned, he couldn't fully control it yet.

In a battle against someone of Ailin's caliber, he had learned that attempting to use power beyond his grasp would only expose his weaknesses, leading to a swift defeat.

He could manage his Shikai, but his Bankai…

Zaraki retracted his spiritual pressure, sealing his Zanpakutō. He walked towards Retsu Unohana.

To master that power in the shortest possible time, he needed her help.

…

For Ailin, his greatest gain from this battle with Zaraki was discovering his Zanpakutō, Nozarashi, within Unlimited Blade Works!

If Ryūjin Jakka and Hyōrinmaru could be considered the "strongest elemental" Zanpakutō, then Nozarashi could be called the "strongest direct attack" Zanpakutō.

Ichigo Kurosaki's "Zangetsu," on the other hand, was the "strongest slash attack" Zanpakutō.

Its ultimate technique was, and always would be, "Getsuga Tenshō."

Nozarashi, like Ikkaku Madarame's Hōzukimaru, upon activating Bankai, enhanced its wielder's physical abilities, thereby increasing their attack power. However, the extent of Nozarashi's enhancement far surpassed Hōzukimaru's.

It was akin to Momo Hinamori's Tobiume compared to Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's Ryūjin Jakka.

While both were fire-type Zanpakutō, Tobiume could only condense Momo's spiritual pressure into fireballs, while Ryūjin Jakka could transform Yamamoto's reiatsu into flames rivaling the sun's heat.

There was no comparison.

Another reason Ailin had chosen not to continue fighting Zaraki was his concern about the Wandenreich's Quincy.

Having learned from their defeat a thousand years ago, the Quincy, to ensure victory, had created the "Sternritter," Quincy who wielded "Schrift," abilities that could steal a Shinigami's Bankai. Using those stolen Bankai, they could then attack the Shinigami.

The Quincy were masters of reishi manipulation. By analyzing a Shinigami's spiritual pressure and using their Schrift, they could seize control of a Bankai the moment it was released.

Ailin couldn't guarantee that Zaraki's Bankai wouldn't be stolen during the Thousand-Year Blood War. However, he believed it was unlikely.

Besides Yhwach, before he redistributed his spiritual pressure through Auswählen, no Quincy could force Zaraki to use his Bankai.

Even after Yhwach had empowered his Sternritter, granting them a significant power boost, if Zaraki could master his Bankai, just like Yamamoto, no one would be able to withstand a single strike.

That was the power of the "strongest direct attack" Zanpakutō, combined with Zaraki's strength.

Nozarashi's appearance had allowed Ailin to address his final weakness.

His physical strength.

In this world, the strongest being was undoubtedly the Soul King.

He was the "god" of the Bleach world.

The second tier consisted of Yhwach, Ichibei Hyōsube, and Ailin.

Yhwach, the progenitor of the Quincy. All Quincy powers originated from him, and he could reclaim them.

Ichibei Hyōsube, the first Shinigami. He had been granted the ability to name all things by the Soul King. All "black" in the world belonged to him, a source of his power.

Ailin, whose essence was "sword." His Innate Domain, Unlimited Blade Works, contained all the "swords" of the Bleach world. These "swords" were his source of strength.

All three had mastered a fundamental aspect of the Bleach world. They were on the same level.

However, Ichibei Hyōsube, having existed for millions of years, had already mastered all the "black" in the world. He was truly the strongest being below the Soul King.

Yhwach, born from the Soul King's Quincy powers, had shared his strength with others, creating the Quincy.

When a Quincy died, their power would return to him.

While he was initially weak, every power he reclaimed included the wielder's accumulated strength, amplified over centuries. The more he shared, the more he gained upon their deaths.

This was the primary reason behind his rapid growth.

He had even developed "Auswählen," a technique that allowed him to actively reclaim his power, accelerating his growth and enabling him to establish the Quincy Empire, a rival to the Soul Society.

Ailin was the youngest of the three.

It would take him at least a few thousand years to fully master all the "swords" within Unlimited Blade Works and reach Yhwach and Ichibei Hyōsube's level.

However, he had used his knowledge to create countless "swords" that didn't belong to the Bleach world.

Many of these "swords" were no weaker than captain-level Zanpakutō.

Some were even comparable to those with the title of "strongest."

He had even created weapons that surpassed those "strongest" Zanpakutō.

He had used quality to compensate for quantity, reaching a level comparable to the other two in a mere two hundred years.

But he still had one weakness compared to them.

His physical strength!

Ichibei Hyōsube, having existed for millions of years, had already honed his body to its limits.

While Yhwach hadn't existed as long as Ichibei Hyōsube, the Quincy had developed Blut Vene and Blut Arterie, techniques that significantly enhanced their physical abilities.

Yhwach, using Blut Vene, had even been able to withstand a blow from Ichibei Hyōsube.

His Blut Vene Anhaben could even defend against Ichibei Hyōsube's "Splitting Heaven."

Compared to them, Ailin had no techniques to enhance his physical strength.

Nor did he have the time to slowly train his body to Ichibei Hyōsube's level.

But now, this final weakness was about to be addressed.

Upon returning home and informing Haruko, Ailin, instead of using meditation, opened a golden spatial ripple before him, entering his Innate Domain, Unlimited Blade Works, with his physical body.

Unlimited Blade Works existed in a state between reality and illusion.

It was an illusion because it only existed within his soul, a space filled with the elements of all "swords."

But it was also real because he could manifest it in the physical world, creating a true "world of swords."

As he stepped into Unlimited Blade Works, the countless "swords" within caused every pore on his body to open.

He could sense them all, as if they were extensions of himself, waiting to be wielded.

He imagined that this was how Yhwach perceived the Quincy and how Ichibei Hyōsube perceived "black."

However, since Quincy were humans with their own will, Yhwach needed to use Auswählen to sacrifice them and turn them into his power.

"Swords" and "black," on the other hand, were unconditionally obedient to their masters.

From this perspective, Ailin and Ichibei Hyōsube were superior to Yhwach.

But in the long run, Yhwach's potential surpassed both of them.

He simply needed to keep sharing his power, and upon the death of those who had received it, their accumulated strength, amplified over centuries, would return to him.

As long as he managed his Quincy Empire properly, he would eventually surpass Ichibei Hyōsube and reach the Soul King's level.

Perhaps Ichibei Hyōsube had foreseen this potential and, a thousand years ago, had attempted to negotiate with Yhwach, to contain him within a specific boundary.

But during their negotiations, Yhwach, using his Almighty, had witnessed the Soul King's past and rejected Ichibei Hyōsube's proposal.

Their negotiations had broken down. Ichibei Hyōsube, enraged by Yhwach's glimpses of the Soul King's past, had used the Soul King's Right Arm to seal a portion of his power.