Facing the lightning-fast extension of the Zanpakutō, Ichigo merely tilted his head to the side, effortlessly dodging Gin's attack.
With a flick of his wrist, Gin swept the extended blade horizontally toward Ichigo. But Ichigo just sidestepped again, letting the long sword slam into the ground beside him, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.
Ichigo immediately used Shunpo and flashed in front of Gin. Gin's Zanpakutō retracted in an instant, blocking Ichigo's slash.
"What an incredible retracting speed, Gin!" Ichigo said, admiring the weapon's unnatural speed.
If it weren't for him, any other Shinigami would've been impaled before they could even react.
As expected of a man like a snake.
After forcing Ichigo back, Gin also sighed in amazement.
"Your combat instincts are terrifying."
He then tucked the short blade under his armpit and clapped his hands.
"You heard that, didn't you?" Gin smiled. "The speed of Kamishini no Yari... is five hundred times faster than that sound."
He wasn't talking about the speed of the clap—he meant the actual thrust and retraction speed of his blade.
That would make Kamishini no Yari five hundred times faster than the speed of sound.
But of course—that was a lie.
If it were really that fast, Sōsuke Aizen would've died at Gin's hands long ago.
"My Zanpakutō isn't the most powerful, but it is the fastest. Even if you know its speed, you still have no chance of winning," Gin said, his words as sharp as his blade.
Elsewhere, Aizen and Isshin had temporarily stopped fighting.
"Isshin Kurosaki... Did you know? The Hōgyoku has a will of its own," Aizen began.
"Its ability is not to break the boundary between Shinigami and Hollow, but to seize the hearts of those around it..."
"Whether it was Rukia's later-developed abilities... or the powers gained by Inoue Orihime, Sado Yasutora, and Arisawa Tatsuki... they were all influenced by the Hōgyoku that had been hidden within Rukia."
"It responded to their inner desires... their craving for strength."
"If they lacked potential, even the Hōgyoku couldn't help them."
"It only guides those with potential. And it chose me as its master... because its will and mine are perfectly aligned!"
Isshin was shaken to his core.
But before he could reply, the battle between Ichigo and Gin came crashing back into their area, ending the conversation.
Aizen smiled, and the Hōgyoku embedded in his chest began to swell with white substance, covering his entire body.
He laughed with delight.
"HAHAHAHA! The Hōgyoku is evolving me—I will soon transcend into godhood!"
Seeing this, Ichigo quickly forced Gin back and stared at the transforming Aizen in shock.
But just then, a red beam suddenly pierced through Aizen's shoulder.
Isshin was stunned—someone had managed to land a sneak attack on Aizen?!
Clearly, Aizen's vigilance had weakened because of his evolving body.
The attacker?
None other than Kisuke Urahara.
The former bearer of the Hōgyoku.
However, such a wound meant nothing to the Aizen now empowered by the Hōgyoku.
Kisuke wasn't surprised. He had expected this.
Still, Aizen instantly appeared in front of Urahara and impaled him with his sword.
But the body suddenly inflated like a balloon and exploded—obviously a decoy.
A portable inflatable dummy.
One of Kisuke's usual tactics.
Taking advantage of the moment, the real Urahara appeared behind Aizen and chanted:
"Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō!"
Six rods of light slammed into Aizen, locking him momentarily.
Urahara used Shunpo to gain distance and then immediately launched his follow-up:
"Bakudō #63: Sajō Sabaku!"
A golden chain burst out and coiled around Aizen, binding him.
But he wasn't done.
"Bakudō #79: Kuyō Shibari!"
Nine orbs of dark purple light appeared, completely sealing Aizen's movement.
Then Urahara raised his cane and began the full incantation:
"O end of the thousand hands,
Unreachable darkness,
The archer who shoots into the heavens—
Gathering light, kindling flame,
Assemble without hesitation at my command!
Light bullet, eight bodies, nine paths, heaven's clarity, treasured wheel—
O gray turret, draw the bow and vanish into the purest night—
Hadō #91: Senjū Kōten Taihō!"
A massive pink cross-shaped explosion engulfed the sky!
But as the smoke cleared... Aizen had vanished.
When he reappeared, his body had already undergone significant changes.
Now wrapped in white armor, including a partial mask over his face, he resembled a perfect Hollowfication—similar to Tōsen before his Resurrección.
"Urahara Kisuke... Your tricks are impressive," Aizen smirked.
"But I, who have conquered the Hōgyoku, no longer need to be wary."
"Even Hadō #91 has no need to be dodged."
Urahara remained calm.
"Seems like you've grown careless with power. The old you would never have allowed me to touch you—twice."
Aizen didn't understand what he meant... until golden rings suddenly appeared around his wrists.
In the two brief contacts earlier, Urahara had used his own original kidō—Rai—to seal Aizen's spiritual pressure outlets at the wrists.
Now, unable to release his reiatsu, Aizen began to burn from within.
His body expanded... until—
BOOM!!
He exploded like a nuclear detonation.
A white light consumed the sky above Karakura Town.
But even witnessing it firsthand, Urahara muttered to Ichigo,
"If that was enough to kill him... it'd be far too easy. That was only a monster's level of power. He'll be back soon."
Sure enough, Urahara—who created the Hōgyoku—knew better than anyone:
In front of the Hōgyoku's power, all logic was meaningless.
Though sealed, Aizen survived.
And what's more... he evolved again.
He emerged from the explosion, wearing a fully white mask, as if he had transcended the boundaries of Shinigami altogether.
He casually removed the restraining bands that Urahara had placed on him.
Facing this power beyond understanding, Urahara finally drew his Zanpakutō.
Now Aizen no longer relied on Kyōka Suigetsu—he sought to crush them all with pure power.
As Aizen advanced, the others launched a coordinated attack to make contact and bind him with reiatsu chains.
Because—one person had yet to enter the battle.
At that moment, Yoruichi Shihōin descended from the sky like a thunderstorm!
Wearing special armor developed by Urahara, her fists pounded Aizen into the ground.
The force was so overwhelming it brought down nearby buildings.
And yet... Aizen stood up completely unscathed.
He released a spiritual pressure burst that shattered Yoruichi's special armor on contact.
Ichigo immediately rushed over and caught her princess-style, evading the spiritual shockwave.
"I'm fine, Ichigo. Put me down," Yoruichi said, a bit embarrassed.
Seeing she wasn't hurt, Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief and gently set her down.
But now... Aizen had become so powerful that logic no longer applied.
Urahara, Isshin, and Yoruichi resumed their three-pronged assault.
"Shakkahō!"
A burst of yellow kidō exploded from Urahara's hand.
At the same time, Yoruichi dove from above with her signature move—Shunkō!
Her punch slammed Aizen into the earth.
While Aizen's focus was on her, Urahara slipped behind and finally released his Zanpakutō:
"Benihime, play with fire."
A giant pink-black net enveloped Aizen.
He then stabbed Benihime into the ground, unleashing dozens of dark crimson fireballs.
The explosions that followed released flames comparable to Genryūsai Yamamoto's Shikai!
Aizen's armor began to crack under the pressure.
From the flames, Aizen emerged again—only to be greeted by Isshin's final strike.
"Getsuga Tenshō!!"
The Shiba Clan's secret technique!
A massive blue slash engulfed Aizen and shattered the skyscrapers behind him!
But even after this gorgeous combo...
Everyone knew—Aizen wasn't down.
None of them had even used Bankai, after all.
(Not that it would've helped.)
"Did it work?" Urahara asked, landing beside Isshin.
"I don't know... Since he put on that pure white mask, I haven't been able to sense his reiatsu," Isshin frowned.
Except Ichigo.
Ichigo could still sense everyone's spiritual pressure—only Genryūsai Yamamoto's exceeded Aizen's.
Even Gin Ichimaru was shocked by Aizen's overwhelming pressure.
At this rate, even he couldn't kill Aizen.
In an instant, Aizen returned—unleashing a flash attack that knocked all three of them down.
Isshin's last Getsuga Tenshō managed to crack Aizen's mask.
But underneath that broken mask was a mysterious purple glow, showing that Aizen's power was still far from reaching its peak.
After defeating the trio, Aizen didn't attack Ichigo.
Instead, he turned to Gin and said:
"Gin, open the Dangai. We're heading to Soul Society... to find the real Karakura Town and create the Ōken."
(End of Chapter)
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