Fate in Bleach: Unlimited Blade Works!-Chapter 463: Chains of Heaven vs. Sword of Rupture

Powerful Noble Phantasms could shatter several, even a dozen, ordinary Zanpakutō in a single blow. Conversely, weaker Noble Phantasms were destroyed by stronger Zanpakutō.

Streaks of blackish-red light flickered throughout the Reality Marble. The Zanpakutō destroyed by the Noble Phantasms were reforged within this light, rejoining the confrontation against the treasures.

On Gilgamesh's side, undamaged Noble Phantasms dissolved into spiritual particles, returning to the Golden Capital, only to reappear from the spatial ripples moments later.

This was an ability Gilgamesh possessed after becoming a Heroic Spirit, sublimated from his feat of collecting all the world's treasures – Collector! This allowed Gilgamesh to retrieve the weapons he threw from his treasury, preventing their loss.

However, Noble Phantasms shattered by Ailin's Zanpakutō no longer counted as "treasures" and wouldn't be reclaimed by the Golden Capital. Besides, Gilgamesh looked down on these damaged goods. The sheer number of treasures in his vault surpassed even his own comprehension; the loss of some low-rank Noble Phantasms didn't affect the density of his barrage.

Since Gilgamesh had chosen this method of clashing Noble Phantasms, Ailin was happy to oblige and draw out the exchange. During this time, the blackish-red light within Ailin's Unlimited Blade Works not only reforged destroyed Zanpakutō but also copied the sword-type Noble Phantasms Gilgamesh hurled.

As a result, the number of Zanpakutō on Ailin's side grew steadily, while Gilgamesh's arsenal slowly dwindled. Even with the vast number of treasures in Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon, the constant destruction of Noble Phantasms by powerful Zanpakutō created a disparity in the intensity of their respective weapon showers.

Within Ailin's Unlimited Blade Works, the blackish-red lightning began to gradually overwhelm the golden light from Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon. Occasionally, a Zanpakutō-turned-lightning-bolt would break through the golden barrage, striking near where Gilgamesh stood.

"Insolent! A mere mongrel…"

Gilgamesh's pride couldn't tolerate being suppressed by Berserker. With a wave of his hand, a strange, cylindrical weapon marked with red patterns appeared from a golden ripple and settled into his grasp.

This was Gilgamesh's strongest Noble Phantasm, the very weapon that cemented his position at the pinnacle of Heroic Spirits. It was the legendary supreme treasure capable of splitting heaven and earth.

"Enum… The genesis which separated Heaven and Earth… A stage celebrating the dawn…"

Across the battlefield, Ailin's heart leaped upon seeing the Sword of Rupture, Ea, appear in Gilgamesh's hand. He stretched out his own hand, and a Zanpakutō flew into his grasp. He called out its true name, releasing it.

"Mark—Hiraishin!"

Blackish-red spiritual pressure enveloped the Zanpakutō, revealing its true form in Ailin's hand. It was a three-pronged kunai, a white tag tied to its handle inscribed with the characters "Shinobi Ai no Ken" (Sword of Shinobi Love).

WHOOSH!

With a flick of Ailin's wrist, the Hiraishin kunai transformed into a streak of blackish-red lightning. Under the cover of the Zanpakutō barrage, it pierced through Gilgamesh's golden rain of Noble Phantasms and embedded itself in the ground behind the King of Heroes.

"...of hell…"

At that moment, Gilgamesh was still chanting the incantation to release Ea. As he chanted, the three segments of Ea began to rotate, red magical energy swirling around it, surging towards the sky. A violent wind pressure began to spin around Gilgamesh's body.

Suddenly, Ailin appeared instantly behind Gilgamesh, the Zanpakutō in his hand slashed down towards Gilgamesh's raised arm.

SCHLICK

"Ah..."

There was no surprise. Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, couldn't fathom how Berserker, who had been trading Noble Phantasm barrages with him moments ago, had suddenly appeared beside him. Ailin's blade cleanly severed Gilgamesh's right arm at the elbow. The magical energy Gilgamesh had gathered to release Ea instantly dispersed, and the glowing red patterns on the Sword of Rupture began to dim.

Damn it!

Losing half his arm, Gilgamesh knew he was now at a severe disadvantage. To turn the tide, he had to retrieve Ea and unleash its maximum output to shatter this Reality Marble, potentially killing Berserker in the process. Immediately after losing his arm, Gilgamesh twisted his body, intending to grab Ea with his left hand.

But with Ailin's mastery of Hakuda, having closed the distance, how could he possibly allow Gilgamesh to succeed?

BOOM!

A swift kick sent Gilgamesh flying backward. Ailin reached out and caught the falling Sword of Rupture.

Pfffttssss…

Unleashing his spiritual pressure, Ailin obliterated the severed remains of Gilgamesh's arm still clinging to Ea.

"Synchronization—Begin!"

Blackish-red patterns spread from Ailin's hand, crawling across the surface of Ea.

"Damn you!"

Though deprived of his strongest weapon, Gilgamesh didn't believe the battle was lost. While Ea was his most powerful Noble Phantasm, the one Gilgamesh held dearest in his heart was not the Sword of Rupture, but the treasure left to him by his closest friend after death!

"Enkidu!"

Chains erupted from the golden ripples. Some intercepted the incoming Zanpakutō from Unlimited Blade Works, while others shot rapidly towards Ailin. Having lost Ea, Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, was finally serious! The sky-filling golden chains were proof of his true, terrifying power.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG…

Zanpakutō collided with the golden chains, showering sparks everywhere. The dense chains formed a waterfall-like barrier, splitting the space of Unlimited Blade Works in two, preventing the blackish-red lightning bolts of the Zanpakutō from crossing over.

The Chains of Heaven, Enkidu, were a powerful weapon created by the gods specifically to kill Gilgamesh. At maximum output, their power could rival even Ea. If not for this, the gods wouldn't have entrusted Enkidu with the task of slaying Gilgamesh. The fully unleashed Chains of Heaven was a mighty Noble Phantasm capable of contending with the Sword of Rupture! Gilgamesh had now undoubtedly deployed Enkidu's full might.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM…

Golden chains struck towards Ailin like enraged pythons. Ailin flickered through the air, constantly dodging the chains' attacks. Chains that missed slammed into the ground, causing massive explosions and blasting huge craters.

This ground was part of Ailin's Bankai; its durability far exceeded that of the outside world. Attacks capable of cratering the ground of Unlimited Blade Works could likely obliterate a fifty or sixty-meter hill outside. Given this force, if Ailin were struck by these chains, even with his Hollowfied body and durable Hierro, he would suffer considerable damage.

While evading the Chains of Heaven, the blackish-red patterns from Ailin's hand gradually covered the entirety of Ea.

"Synchronization—Complete!" In an instant, Ailin felt an incredibly strong connection with Ea, as if he himself had become the sword, receiving Gilgamesh's memories of wielding it.

"Analysis, complete!"

WHOOSH!

Soaring swiftly into the sky, pursued by countless golden chains, Ailin raised Ea high and began chanting its true name, unleashing its power.

"Enum… The genesis which separated Heaven and Earth… A stage celebrating the dawn… My Sword of Rupture cuts the world…"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

As Ailin chanted, torrents of violent red wind erupted, spreading outwards from him. Then, Ailin pointed Ea towards the one-armed Gilgamesh on the ground below.

"Enuma Elish!" (The Star of Creation that Split Heaven and Earth)

HUMMMMM!

An endless storm of red wind, originating from Ea, blasted towards Gilgamesh on the ground. Ea was the sword that split heaven and earth, possessing the power to sever the world itself. If Gilgamesh had wielded it, his target would have been Ailin's Reality Marble, and Ea's power would undoubtedly have inflicted massive damage upon it.

But now, the wielder was Ailin. He naturally wouldn't target his own Reality Marble. Thus, although the released power of Ea was immense, it caused no damage to Ailin's Unlimited Blade Works. Instead, Ailin focused Ea's power, channeling it into a furious torrent of wind aimed squarely at Gilgamesh.

Seeing Ailin capable of wielding his own Noble Phantasm, Gilgamesh's face darkened further. But faced with this attack, he had no choice but to go all out.

"Enkidu, lend me your strength!"

"O Humans, Let Us Restrain the Gods!"

Gilgamesh threw his arms wide, channeling the absolute maximum of his magical energy into the Chains of Heaven, unleashing Enkidu's most powerful form.

"O Humans, Let Us Restrain the Gods" was the ultimate manifestation of the Chains of Heaven.

As a divine weapon crafted by the gods, Enkidu's original purpose was to be a chain that could "bind even the heavens, piercing through." In this state, its power reached A++ rank at minimum, comparable to Artoria's Excalibur. At maximum output, the Chains of Heaven could even break the A++ barrier, reaching EX-rank power rivaling Ea.

Following Gilgamesh's call, the very ground of Ailin's Reality Marble transformed into golden chains, surging upwards like an inverted heavenly waterfall to meet the world-ending storm descending from Ea. Enkidu's true body was made of clay from the Age of Gods, granting it the highest mystery related to the earth. As long as it stood on the ground, Enkidu could draw endless power from the earth, rendering itself indestructible.

Simultaneously, it could utilize its supreme earth mystery to transform the ground itself into chains identical to its own body to attack enemies. Even the ground within Ailin's Reality Marble couldn't escape Enkidu's assimilation.

BOOM!

The collision between the Chains of Heaven and Ea's world-ending storm plunged the world into silence. Furious pressure, space-rending gales, and dimension-traversing chains clashed, erupting over a vast area with terrifying power. At the epicenter of the collision, it was as if a new sun had been born, expanding recklessly, threatening to erase all existence. The violent explosion imploded, collapsing into the shape of a star-cross before erupting outwards once more.

Like a nuclear detonation, the clash between the Chains of Heaven and Ea sent shockwaves spreading, subjecting the Zanpakutō within Ailin's Reality Marble to another wave of destruction.

This time, it wasn't just the nameless Zanpakutō that shattered. Even seated officer-level and lieutenant-level blades were destroyed by the aftermath of the collision between these two EX-rank Noble Phantasms. Only A-rank and above captain-level Zanpakutō managed to survive the shockwave. Even so, some captain-level blades sustained considerable damage, cracks appeared on their surfaces.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM…

The final blast erupted into blinding white light, engulfing everything within the Reality Marble. Even Ailin and Gilgamesh couldn't escape it.

When the white light finally dissipated, Ailin's Reality Marble was scarred and broken. Some of the gears hanging in the sky were shattered. The ground was fractured and uneven. The only thing remaining intact was the Sword Hill at the center.

Gilgamesh knelt on a shattered piece of earth, blood seeping heavily from the gaps in his golden armor. Clearly, he had suffered significant injuries in the previous clash.

"Cough, cough…"

After coughing up a mouthful of blood, Gilgamesh managed to push himself to his feet and looked up towards the sky.

Like Gilgamesh, Ailin had naturally sustained some damage in the collision of EX-rank Noble Phantasms. However, Ailin appeared to be in much better condition.

Firstly, his A-rank Hierro granted him a defense comparable to Gilgamesh's golden armor. Secondly, Ailin possessed the A++ rank ability, "High-Speed Regeneration." At this moment, the injuries on Ailin's body had already completely healed under the effects of High-Speed Regeneration.