"Dimensional Transfer Pillar—Kisuke Urahara really is something, isn't he?"
Since he was cooperating with Aizen, Daniel Davis spared no effort on his side—aside from keeping an eye on Aizen's potential backstabbing—and Aizen's situation was probably much the same.
With Aizen's assistance, Daniel's plan became far simpler. Although he had learned quite a bit from Tsunayashiro Tokinada, the gap between him and Aizen—a Shinigami who had dwelled in the Soul Society for hundreds of years—was still enormous, especially regarding Kidō. Aizen's command of Kidō was nothing short of extraordinary.
This extraordinary mastery was not about being proficient in the openly known hundred forms of Kidō—anyone with sufficient reiatsu and the will to learn (unlike Renji's clumsiness) could pick them up—but about Aizen's deep understanding of Kidō and his manipulation of spiritual particles.
In essence, Kidō is the artful use of spiritual particles, much like ninjutsu uses chakra; a slight modification can extend it into an entirely different ability.
For example, the Kidō "Haze of Slumber," which can render one unconscious for a time, is a combined application of Binding and Break techniques; or the "Mirror Gate" used by Tōshirō Hitsugaya—a high-level barrier capable of reflecting external attacks (though it cannot defend against internal assaults)—used when protecting Himura Tōru.
Thanks to Aizen's insights into Kidō, Daniel altered his earlier plan. He recalled that later Kisuke Urahara would transfer Karakura Town into the Soul Society, and that Tsunayashiro Tokinada's side was preparing to shift the Royal Palace of Spirits via a Dimensional Transfer Pillar. This reminded him of the Pillar's function.
To spark a three-sided battle was simple on the Hueco Mundo side—a mere order from Aizen would suffice—but on the Yuhabakh side things were more complicated. According to current intelligence, although Genryūsai Yamamoto had learned that Yuhabakh was still alive and hiding in the shadows of the Seireitei—and was planning to deal with Aizen after handling him—the situation remained delicate.
After all, Aizen's target was the Soul King, the supreme entity of the Soul Society.
"'The Flame-Extinguishing Prince'—this is your secret weapon against the blazing fury of Ryūjin Fire, and the Hōgyoku really is formidable," Aizen remarked. As Daniel began to act, Aizen, as always, had already produced the Flame-Extinguishing Prince, Wanda Hwaith, clearly demonstrating his apprehension toward Captain Yamamoto.
"It's just a minor trick," Aizen chuckled lightly, signaling Dongxian to take Wanda Hwaith away. To bestow upon him the abilities Aizen desired required sacrificing his speech, consciousness, and rationality—but even so, Aizen had failed over a dozen times before finally succeeding.
There is a fundamental difference between Hollows and Shinigami: In the World of the Living, if someone dies, you might still encounter them in the Soul Society—just like those few Fullbringers in the original story—but if one falls and becomes a Hollow, even if they later regain the appearance of the person you once knew, it will never truly be them. At best, it will only be their consciousness in control.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing Kisuke Urahara's face then," Aizen mused, evidently enjoying the mental chess match with Kisuke Urahara. After Gin Ichimaru had brought Rangiku Matsumoto into the Soul Society, he occasionally sent a few Arrancar to cause trouble in the World of the Living—though this time he hadn't brought Orihime Inoue along.
Thanks to Aizen's influence, Grimmjow and Ichigo eventually clashed in the end.
"I'm curious—why is it that you can take such actions on behalf of Gin Ichimaru and Rangiku, when it seems they have nothing to do with you?" Aizen said, fixing his gaze on Daniel Davis before continuing, "And it seems you're not at all confident about the battle between me and the Zero Division."
"As long as it's within my power, I don't mind playing the benefactor; as for the Zero Division… to be honest, I really hope you win." Daniel's words were sincere—he truly wished to see how that monk could turn the tables in these circumstances. But after all, Aizen was a Shinigami. Under the rules of the Soul Society, Daniel doubted Aizen could beat a monk.
The Captain of the Military Division, Ichibē Hyōsube, was arguably the pinnacle among the Shinigami. His Zanpakutō was precisely the counter to all Shinigami techniques. In that regard, Aizen was innately at a disadvantage. As for reiatsu, Aizen was tremendously powerful—rated among the top five in battle prowess by Yuhabakh himself—but so was the monk.
Of course, Aizen wasn't without a chance of victory; it all depended on how effectively the Hōgyoku's power could be unleashed.
Regarding Gin Ichimaru and Rangiku Matsumoto mentioned by Aizen, by now both had already left Hueco Mundo—if nothing went wrong, they should be in the Soul Society. This was Gin's plan for redemption.
Daniel hadn't hidden this plan from Aizen; he had told him outright. Aizen didn't mind one bit—at their level of power, speaking openly about certain matters made everything much simpler.
There was no need for riddles or mind games.
Of course, Daniel's assistance to Gin and Rangiku would end there; what happened next would be up to them.
"Who dares trespass through the Gate of the Sun?"
No sooner had Aizen and Daniel emerged from the golden ring of light than seven or eight figures clad in Extinction Master uniforms surrounded them.
"This is the Invisible Empire," Aizen remarked, completely ignoring the Extinction Masters encircling them as he scanned the surrounding area. In the distance ahead stood a massive palace made entirely of ice.
"It's amazing they've managed to stay here for a thousand years. Besides the freezing cold, it's awfully monotonous," Daniel observed curiously, taking in the environment. The entire palace was constructed of ice and snow, with not a hint of green scenery. Even in a desolate place like Hueco Mundo, one would expect to see at least some vegetation.
"Shinigami—kill them," ordered the leader of the Extinction Masters, who, upon recognizing Aizen's identity, immediately waved his hand to signal his subordinates to attack.
"Scram."
Just as the Extinction Masters drew their bows and arrows to attack, Aizen suddenly shouted a cold command. At the same moment, a ferocious surge of reiatsu exploded outward in all directions. In an instant, the Extinction Masters' bodies were shattered—bones broken, sinews torn—with Aizen dispatching them solely through the force of his reiatsu.
This savage and unfamiliar outburst of reiatsu immediately alerted the top fighters of the Invisible Empire. Within moments, several powerful bursts of reiatsu arose from afar, racing quickly toward them—undoubtedly members of the Star-Crossed Knight Order.
One of them even nocked his spiritual bow from a distance. Countless bolts of lightning gathered before him, coalescing into a massive thunder arrow that thundered as it hurtled straight toward Daniel and Aizen.
Facing this sudden assault, Aizen shifted his footing to one side—seemingly intending for Daniel to handle the attack. Daniel wasn't at all surprised by Aizen's maneuver; he casually unsheathed the Zanpakutō hanging at his waist.
"Behold my offering, Kyūten Kyōkoku!"
The liberated Zanpakutō showed no sign of change. Yet as Daniel raised it before him to block the charging thunder arrow, the bolt instantly reversed direction, blasting back toward its source.
"Kyūten Kyōkoku… and the legacy of the Kamiyadai Tokinada," Aizen gasped in astonishment as he looked at Daniel's Zanpakutō. He could scarcely have imagined that this very Zanpakutō was the inherited blade of the Kamiyadai family—and its ability was most peculiar, capable of reflecting attacks back at the sender.
"Impressive," Daniel murmured with a slight nod.
"Did you kill him?" Aizen pressed.
"Indeed."
In response to Daniel's affirmative nod, Aizen turned his gaze toward the rapidly approaching Extinction Masters. As the two conversed, the attackers did not cease their assault—numerous spiritual particle arrows were being fired. It was, after all, the Extinction Masters' specialty. Yet Daniel deflected each one with his Zanpakutō, reflecting them back without fail.
As for the death of the Kamiyadai heir, Aizen felt no regret. In truth, if it weren't for Dongxian's orders, he might have casually finished the foe with a single stroke. His original intention had been to leave Tokinada alive for Dongxian to judge after Aizen ascended to the position of Soul King.
Daniel was aware of some of these details, but matters concerning Dongxian were none of his concern.
"Who are you?"
Perhaps wary of Daniel's reflective ability, the four Extinction Masters who first rushed over hesitated to attack immediately.
"Yuhabakh—we've come to find him," Daniel announced plainly to the group of three men and one woman before him. His original plan had been for a three-way brawl; however, with Aizen's intervention, it was now decided that they would first test Yuhabakh's strength—a sort of warm-up for the impending clash with the Zero Division.
"That's a lot of nerve—to dare utter His Majesty's name outright," one of the Extinction Masters growled.
Almost immediately, a tall, willowy woman with grass-green, shoulder-length hair; green eyes; eyebrows and strands of hair shaped like lightning; wearing a sleeveless top and shorts that accentuated her tall, ample figure; roared. Raising both hands, a tremendous clamor erupted overhead as bolts of lightning manifested above her hands.
"Gadis, keep your cool—what if he reflects it back?" her two female comrades cried out in alarm.
"I don't believe he can do it again," the woman named Gadis retorted. Rather than stopping, she increased the force of her lightning.
"You're welcome to try," Daniel smiled, holding his Zanpakutō aloft. His remark only incensed Gadis further—the density of lightning from her hands intensifying. Already hot-tempered and impulsive by nature, her temperament had grown even more ferocious after Yuhabakh had bestowed upon her the ability of the Sacred Script's Thunder.
"That's it—good job, Gadis."
While Daniel and the Extinction Masters exchanged blows, atop the palace of ice—in the royal hall of Ginka City—a lone figure aimed a spiritual sniper rifle squarely at Daniel.
"Die," Gadis shouted, unleashing her lightning toward Daniel and Aizen. In the very instant her thunder roared, the figure in Ginka City pulled the trigger.
"Universal Penetration, huh? What a pity—my Zanpakutō is on the same level as the Hakkyōken. But the Extinction Masters really do keep up with the times—using guns now," Daniel mused wryly.
Having entered the Extinction Masters' stronghold, Daniel remained extremely cautious. Although he couldn't recall the names of most members of the Star-Crossed Knight Order, he did remember some of the abilities of the Sacred Script.
The ability of Universal Penetration was nothing short of a sniper's dream—a technique ideally suited for support, yet here it was used in one-on-one combat. And the target was none other than the notoriously troublesome Captain of the 8th Division of the 13 Court Guard Squads, Kyōraku Harumi.
Instead of teaming up for a group assault, the sniper had chosen to duel one-on-one. Considering how Kyōraku Harumi, as Commander, once assembled a joint force—comprising Arrancar, Extinction Masters, Fullbringers, and even Shinigami (over twenty fighters in all)—to surround Tokinada, it was a miracle that Tokinada wasn't utterly obliterated in one blow.
Bang!
After Lijebaro fired a shot and was about to target another intruder, he suddenly sensed something amiss. Instantly, he tilted his head away; the next moment, a spiritual bullet pierced right through the muzzle of his sniper rifle, grazing by his ear. He was perilously close to falling victim to his own Universal Penetration ability.
"How is this possible?" Lijebaro shouted in disbelief. Universal Penetration, by definition, should pierce through any object. In truth, Lijebaro had never expected his sniper shot to be reflected—he had merely acted with the caution of a sniper, seeking a one-shot kill, and chose to fire simultaneously with Gadis's attack.
Universal Penetration is extremely hard to defend against—but that doesn't mean one cannot evade it. Those with stronger power naturally have a keener sense of danger; otherwise, Aizen wouldn't have gone to such lengths to create the Flame-Extinguishing Prince, or simply used Mirror Gate to appear beside Captain Yamamoto and stab him in one swift motion. Wouldn't that be simpler?
"This can't be…"
Regaining his composure, Lijebaro roared before reaching for another sniper rifle to resume his attack. But upon discovering that his rifle had been destroyed, he took several deep, anger-filled breaths to quell his rage.
Though Lijebaro was typically as cool and cautious as any sniper, his arrogance and vanity were equally notorious. Otherwise, with his strength, he wouldn't later have been beaten so severely by Captain Kyōraku Harumi and Ise Nana; ultimately, he was finished off by Kira Ihaku and Aizen. Still, at least he had forced Aizen to draw upon the Hōgyoku.
"Gadis, it's all your fault."
Not only was Lijebaro's spiritual bullet reflected back, but Gadis's lightning was also repelled. Her companions could only heap curses upon her.
"Bastard—drop dead."
The chaotic fallout from her reflected lightning sent Gadis into another outburst. This time, however, she was smarter—her target shifted from Daniel to Aizen, who stood off to one side.
"From now on, leave everything to me. Shatter—Mirror Gate," Aizen declared.
In response to Gadis and the other Extinction Masters' attacks, Aizen suddenly inverted his Zanpakutō, holding it downward. As a flash of blue light swept past, the four Extinction Masters before him suddenly found themselves paired off, locked in combat against each other.
"What a convenient ability," Daniel mused inwardly.
Having traveled thus far, he couldn't help but marvel that the furious Extinction Masters who had initially converged on them were now either turning on one another or scattering to other areas. It was no wonder that Tokinada could single-handedly suppress more than twenty formidable foes.
"This time you didn't dodge—how did you manage to find a counter?" Aizen inquired, his gaze curious as he noted that Daniel had been watching his Zanpakutō intently all along.
"Since you're bound to try and use that move against me eventually, to save us both some trouble—and to lessen my own burden—why not just watch? As for how to counter it… care to guess?" Daniel replied with a wry smile.
Let me know if you need any further adjustments or clarifications!
(End of Chapter)
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