Marrying Unohana Retsu from Bleach

The moment Araki released his Zanpakuto, Ruriko, pure lapis lazuli light flooded the area around him.

Instantly, Araki seemed to become the master of this glazed world.

A figure of majesty materialized behind him—a "Chakravartin," a Wheel-Turning King, possessing the "Thirty-two Marks" and "Eighty Auspicious Characteristics" of a Buddha. Flawless and radiant, its entire form was composed of pure lapis lazuli, emanating an aura of divine power, like a prism of light.

Araki reflected the glory of this divine being, wielding its power as if he were the Holy King descending upon the world, acting as its proxy.

"What a peculiar Bankai," Yhwach remarked, once again finding his pre-invasion intelligence to be lacking. He had thoroughly researched the Gotei 13 captains, including Araki's Bankai, but this form was entirely different from what he had anticipated.

"Ha…" Araki exhaled slowly, his spiritual pressure surging outwards.

During his previous encounter with Unohana, Araki had used a partial Bankai, conserving his immense spiritual energy. His partial bankai alone had been sufficient to subdue Unohana.

But this time, he faced Yhwach, the progenitor of the Quincy, the "YHWH." He would need the full might of his Bankai.

"You little brat! You were hiding your true Bankai?!" Yhwach exclaimed, hovering in the air. Reishi swirled around him, transforming into azure flames that surged towards Araki.

Boom!

Before the flames could reach Araki, they were deflected by the radiating light of his Bankai.

"Tch…" Yhwach frowned.

Boom!

"Yhwach!" Araki's voice echoed through the glazed world. "Now that you have witnessed my power, why not surrender?"

"Join me in this world and find enlightenment!"

As Araki spoke, a deep, resonant bell sounded, reverberating through Yhwach's very being. His expression shifted, a momentary daze clouding his eyes. The world around him seemed to transform, transporting him to an unfamiliar realm.

The sky and ground were composed entirely of colored glaze. Even the sun and moon were massive, polished orbs of the same material, illuminating this "Pure Land." At its center stood a towering statue of lapis lazuli, adorned in three robes. Its right hand was raised in the wish-granting mudra, while its left held a medicine bowl. The statue bore the thirty-two major and eighty minor marks of a Buddha, seated in the Vajra posture upon a lotus moon throne. The voice urging surrender emanated from this sacred figure.

Boom… Boom… Boom…

As the statue spoke, a series of bells resonated within Yhwach's mind. His resolve and battle lust began to wane.

"No! This is an illusion! A powerful one… I almost fell for it!" Yhwach thought, shaking off the encroaching serenity. He instantly recognized the nature of the attack. "An illusion using sound waves? If that's the case, blocking the sound will negate its effect!"

Yhwach quickly gathered Reishi, using it to seal his ears.

Silence.

The moment his hearing was blocked, all sound vanished. The glazed world began to crumble.

Even the imposing Buddha at its center dissolved into nothingness as the bell sounds faded. As it disappeared, it seemed to whisper, "Fool… foolish child…"

Yhwach didn't hear the words, but he felt a sense of relief as the figure vanished. An inexplicable sense of dread had gripped him in its presence, a feeling he hadn't experienced since his birth.

"Ha…" Yhwach exhaled, regaining his composure. He used Hirenkyaku to move swiftly through the collapsing world, seeking an escape.

However, after half an hour of relentless movement, he remained trapped. The glazed landscape had vanished, but the dark void surrounding him seemed endless.

"Am I still within the illusion?!" Yhwach's expression darkened.

"Fool! Do you still not understand?" Araki's voice echoed through the void.

The darkness suddenly receded, revealing the lapis lazuli world once more. The Buddha, previously distant, now stood directly before Yhwach. The path beneath Yhwach's feet was illuminated by the pure light—not a path at all, but the palm of the Buddha's hand. He had been running in circles on its palm for the past half hour.

"Damn it!" Yhwach cursed, sweat beading on his forehead. In a fit of rage, he created countless arrows, unleashing a barrage against the Buddha.

But the Buddha remained unmoved, spotless and serene. Yhwach's attacks had no effect.

"I have made twelve great vows!" The Buddha proclaimed, his gaze filled with compassion for all beings, including Yhwach.

"Shut up! Shut up! Silence!" Yhwach roared, his face contorted in anger. He desperately didn't want to hear the Buddha's pronouncements, unleashing a furious assault. But the arrows continued to pass through the Buddha harmlessly.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom…

As the bells continued to toll, the Buddha began to recite his vows.

"I vow that my light shall illuminate without limit…"

As the first vow was spoken, the dark void was banished, and the restored lapis lazuli world reappeared.

"Why do the bells still ring? Why?" Yhwach demanded, his voice laced with frustration.

"The sound of the bell does not resonate externally, but within your heart," the Buddha whispered. "You can block your ears, but how can you block your own heart?"

"What?" Yhwach was taken aback. The implication was clear: once the sound had been heard, its resonance would forever remain within his consciousness.

"I vow that my body shall be as clear as lapis lazuli, both inside and out!" The Buddha continued his recitation.

As the second vow was spoken, both the Buddha's and Yhwach's bodies transformed into pure, transparent lapis lazuli (Medicine Buddha or Yakushi Nyorai in Japanese).

"May all beings be fulfilled!"

"May all beings abide by the Mahayana Dharma!"

"May all beings practice the Brahmacharya in purity and righteousness!"

Before Yhwach could fully grasp the changes occurring within him, more vows echoed in his mind.

"May all beings be freed from all sorrow and suffering!"

"May all beings find contentment and happiness!"

"May all beings obtain exquisite garments and be free from affliction!"

With the final vow, Yhwach smiled serenely. "Why concern myself with such trivial matters? There is too much suffering in this world. Let it all go…"

He was now like a devout practitioner, having taken refuge in the Medicine Buddha, seated in the Eastern Pure Lapis Lazuli World, chanting scriptures and meditating.

Until… a bell sounded, unlike the others—a sound from the outside world. Yhwach snapped back to reality.

"Destroy this!" He roared, his eyes now blazing with a cold light, splitting into three distinct pupils.

Boom!

The Buddhist scriptures, the Buddhaland, the Pure Land, and the Holy King vanished in a puff of smoke.

The world collapsed, leaving Yhwach in the darkness. With a wave of his hand, a door of white light materialized before him.

"How absurd! How could I have fallen so low?!" Yhwach sneered, stepping through the portal. He found himself back in the Soul Society's sky.

"Hm? You broke through my Twelve Vows of the Medicine Master so quickly?!" Araki remarked, noticing Yhwach's return.

"Araki, I am sorry to disappoint you," Yhwach said. "Your Bankai is indeed powerful. Even I was nearly drawn into your Pure Land."

"But I am bound by destiny! I will not fall here!" Yhwach declared, his face impassive. He was confident in his inevitable triumph.

"Destiny?" Araki repeated, shaking his head.

He had anticipated that the Twelve Vows would not hold Yhwach indefinitely. He had considered it a victory that he managed to activate it at all and that it had forced Yhwach to expend a significant amount of power.

"Since the Twelve Vows cannot contain you, then I will defeat you directly…" Araki said. The Chakravartin behind him moved, countless palms materializing and striking towards Yhwach.

Boom!

Yhwach, still recovering from the effects of the Pure Land, was unable to fully evade the barrage.

Puff…

Yhwach hadn't expected such a swift follow-up attack.

"Damn it!" He roared, erecting a massive Blut Vene Anhaben, forming a protective shell around himself.

"Araki! How do you like this?" Yhwach shouted after blocking the attack.

Araki ignored him, pointing Ruriko towards the sun.

A figure seemed to flash within the sun's light, and then a beam of light descended. A "Bodhisattva" wielding a flaming sword landed on either side of Yhwach's Blut Vene, slashing downwards.

"Hmm?!" Yhwach's expression changed. He didn't feel the heat of the flames, but he recognized the familiar power within the blades—the power that bypassed defenses.

"Damn it!"

Yhwach watched the flaming swords approach, cold sweat trickling down his forehead. If he maintained his Blut Vene Anhaben, he would be a sitting duck for the relentless assault of the Chakravartin's palms.

If he dropped his defense, he would be vulnerable to the swords that ignored conventional defenses, striking directly at his soul. It was a tactical dilemma designed to break his focus.

Despite the pressure, Yhwach continued his counteroffensive. From the moment he had reappeared in the sky, the Quincy Zeichen had been radiating light, condensing Reishi into a continuous barrage of Heilige Pfeil aimed at Araki. 

These arrows, however, were consistently intercepted by a massive, serene Buddha figure emanating a soft, moon-like light—a manifestation of Araki's Bankai.

"This combination of attack and defense is certainly not without weaknesses!" Yhwach shouted, his voice strained. "With your dwindling Reitsu, how long can you possibly maintain this?!"

As he spoke, the twin Bodhisattvas wielding the flaming swords pierced through the outer layer of his Blut Vene Anhaben.

Simultaneously, the Chakravartin's palms descended, striking Yhwach with tremendous force, sending him crashing towards the ground.

"Noisy." Araki exclaimed, beads of sweat dripping from his own brow as he watched Yhwach fall.

As Yhwach had pointed out, Araki was nearing his limit. He acknowledged the immense power of his Bankai, a culmination of all his training and abilities. However, its Reitsu consumption was astronomical, far beyond the capacity of an ordinary Shinigami.

"The final blow." Araki declared, settling into a cross-legged position on the lotus platform beneath the Chakravartin.

At his command, the central Buddha figure and its two attendant Bodhisattvas converged on Yhwach.

"Hm?!" Yhwach's eyes widened as he faced the three radiant beings. A tremor of unease ran through him.

Boom!!

Before Yhwach could react, the three figures erupted in a blinding explosion of golden light—a condensed, focused release of their immense spiritual power. The resulting shockwave and burst of energy shook the entire Seireitei, creating a massive mushroom cloud that dwarfed the surrounding structures.

Had Araki not meticulously contained the explosion, focusing the "universal illumination" of the three figures, the entire Soul Society would likely have been engulfed in its destructive power.

"It's… over," Araki gasped, his Reitsu completely depleted. He collapsed to the ground.

"Indeed. It is over, Araki," a cold voice echoed. A cross-shaped sword descended, stopping just short of Araki's neck. It was Yhwach's sword.

His clothing tattered, half his body scorched, and his right arm bearing numerous wounds, Yhwach stood over Araki, his face a mask of cold indifference.

"I will give you one final chance," Yhwach said, his voice devoid of warmth. "Surrender, or die."

The stronger Araki proved to be, the more Yhwach desired to recruit him. Araki's power would be a valuable asset to his Quincy army, especially if he could be made to submit.

"Really?" Araki managed a weak, bitter smile. "If I surrender now... Will I truly be allowed to live?" He had given his all, but it hadn't been enough.

"Indeed," Yhwach replied, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

"Then I'm afraid I must decline," Araki said, his bitter smile vanishing, replaced by a provocative grin. "Because in my life, I have always enjoyed saying 'no' to self-righteous men like you."

Before Yhwach could react, Araki used his devil fruit ability to teleport away.

"ROOM! Shambles."

Buzz!

He reappeared in the same place as a nearby Quincy soldier, who was already severely wounded, and swiftly switched positions with him, causing Yhwach's strike to hit him in Araki's place.

"Your Majesty." The dying Quincy uttered weakly.

"Seydlitz?!" Yhwach's eyes widened as he recognized the Quincy he had just inadvertently killed. It was then that a realization struck him.

"Araki! Is this your final answer? Then die!" Yhwach roared, turning to face the direction Araki had vanished.

Boom!!!

In response to Yhwach's furious outburst, a wave of intense heat washed over the battlefield.

A figure with a cross-shaped scar on his forehead, wielding a Zanpakuto engulfed in flames—Ryūjin Jakka—strode towards Yhwach.

Behind him stood the remaining captains of the Gotei 13, their white haori fluttering in the wind, surrounded by the fallen bodies of Quincy soldiers.

"Araki, you have done well, you didn't bring shame to the Genryu school." Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni said, his voice low and resonant, and a bit proud. As he passed Araki, a flicker of concern crossed his face, but it quickly vanished, replaced by a resolute expression.

"So hot." Araki muttered, rising to his feet as Yamamoto passed. The sheer heat radiating from the Captain-Commander was almost unbearable.

"It seems the old man's temperature has risen considerably," Araki murmured, watching his master's back. The old man, having finally taken his advice and undergone training, was a force to be reckoned with.

The figure was none other than Araki's master, the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni.

"So… You are Yhwach, the emperor of Quincies, the one who has invaded the Soul Society?" Yamamoto asked, his voice a deep, rumbling echo that seemed to shake the very air around him. 

His words carried a gravity that made the surrounding Shinigami, even those far away, feel a chill despite the searing heat radiating from his presence. Flames danced erratically around his feet, spreading in waves that scorched the earth and turned the broken battlefield into a molten wasteland. The charred remains of trees and debris smoldered, filling the air with thick, acrid smoke.

The Captain-Commander's eyes, sharp and unwavering, fixed on the bloodied and heavily injured figure before him. Yhwach, Emperor of the Quincy, his blood-soaked robes still regal despite the countless wounds and burns that marred his body. 

Yet, his expression remained calm, his sinister smile unmoving, as though the injuries around him were of no consequence.

"Precisely," Yhwach replied, his voice smooth and cold, reverberating like a blade sliding across ice. Even in his weakened state, the sheer force of his spiritual pressure distorted the air, sending ripples through the burning atmosphere. "You've finally decided to make an appearance."

The flames around Yamamoto surged violently, responding to his emotions. The molten ground cracked beneath him, and pillars of fire erupted from the earth, spiraling upward like dragons seeking prey. 

Each flicker of flame carried with it the promise of annihilation.

"You are arrogant." Yamamoto roared, his voice like the eruption of a volcano. 

He raised his Zanpakutō, Ryūjin Jakka, its blade shimmering with the unbearable heat of the sun itself. 

The flames surrounding him condensed, becoming sharper and more focused, as if the very air obeyed his will. "You dared to invade the Soul Society. For that... I will end you here and now."

He shifted his stance and brought Ryūjin Jakka in front of him, the blade bursting into an inferno that illuminated the battlefield in a hellish glow. 

His voice rang out, cold and resolute, as he uttered a single word that made the earth tremble beneath their feet.

"Bankai: Zanka no Tachi!"

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Let's be for real, Araki was only held back by his insufficient spiritual power, or he would have won the fight. He dominated this entire battle until he ran out of spiritual power, so do not assume the mc is a weakling or anything like that. He injured Yhwach heavily after all.

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[Medicine Buddha (Yakushi Nyorai in Japanese or Bhaisajyaguru in Sanskrit).

In Buddhist tradition, the Medicine Buddha's pure land is described as being made of lapis lazuli, symbolizing purity, healing, and spiritual clarity.

 "Lapis Lazuli" or "Glazed Glass," used to describe the light or realm of the Medicine Buddha.

Araki's zanpakuto is tied to Buddhism and mostly to the medicine god, which explains his attack abilities and names.]

Check out my other fanfic translations: A spy in Konoha, part-time Hokage

: Yoriichi Tsugikuni reborn in the soul society.

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