Inside Seireitei, countless shinigami were still locked in battle against the invading Hollows.
Even when they saw several Arrancar break into the nobles' district, the shinigami—crippled by the lack of taichō-class combat power—could do nothing but watch helplessly.
4th Division's taichō, Unohana Retsu, and fukutaichō, Yamada Seinosuke, darted back and forth through the wounded, working tirelessly to heal and stabilize them.
1st Division's fukutaichō, Sasakibe Chōjirō, had joined the defensive lines, relying on his overwhelming bankai (Final Release) to claw back ground for the remaining shinigami step by step.
And 1st Division's taichō—also the Sōtaichō of the entire Gotei 13—Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, was cutting down the Grandes Hollows one by one, cleaving through them like vegetables. But since he no longer dared release his Zanpakutō again, even he couldn't avoid a drop in efficiency.
12th Division's taichō, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, meanwhile, quietly cleaned up the "lost lambs" who had wandered into his underground laboratories—those Arrancar unlucky enough to stumble into his domain. Before the battle had even ended, he was already gleefully dissecting his prizes. After all, this was his first time getting his hands on such fresh Arrancar samples. Wonderful~
Most of the shinigami in Seireitei were busy, each with their own part to play.
Most of the nobles were also busy… desperately trying to find somewhere to hide. Not easy.
But when that fortress—known only to a small handful by sight and to the rest of Soul Society as a rumor—Las Noches, was dragged from Hueco Mundo into Seireitei by Baraggan Luisenbarn, there was a moment where everyone—shinigami, nobles, and Hollows alike—fell into stunned silence.
How is that even possible?!!
The same thought flashed across countless minds.
And after that came the next question: what kind of shinigami could force the king of Hueco Mundo to the point of pulling Las Noches over as backup?
Was it the Sōtaichō?
"It's Higashino Shuuichi."
Bleeding heavily, Tōsen Kaname stood quietly at Aizen's side, making no effort to heal his wounds, letting them worsen as he spoke.
"It seems Szayelaporro has been doing more behind my back than I gave him credit for," Aizen Sōsuke said, voice faintly amused. "To send the entire Las Noches over… The technology he used should be from that spatial system Kurotsuchi Mayuri and Urahara Kisuke co-developed, the one I passed to him, yes?"
His words sounded like a mild rebuke, but his eyes were full of approval.
Yes. That's how it should be. Only like this does technology advance.
"Las Noches alone might not cause too much trouble for Shuuichi. However, Aizen-sama, I just received a report from Hueco Mundo, sent by Szayelaporro himself. In addition to Las Noches, he's supplied Baraggan with a 'weapon'.
His exact words were:
'Aizen-sama, since you've already decided to let Baraggan run wild in Seireitei, I thought adding a little more fuel to the fire shouldn't be a problem, right?'"
Tōsen's face tightened with worry.
He had never particularly liked or hated the Hollows of Hueco Mundo. But this time, the battle involved Higashino Shuuichi—Aizen's very first disciple, the man whom Tōsen also saw as a future comrade who could help achieve his late friend Kaname's great ideal.
If Higashino Shuuichi were to fall here because of "friendly fire"… That would be a bitter waste.
"A weapon for Baraggan as well? Now that is interesting."
Aizen instantly understood what Szayelaporro meant.
If it was that thing, it really might cause some problems for Higashino Shuuichi.
But even such a deviation from his original plan only made this entire affair more entertaining to Aizen.
In fact, he found himself starting to look forward to this battle between Higashino Shuuichi and Baraggan—a battle whose outcome now seemed far less certain than before.
On another front, 4th Division's taichō, Unohana Retsu, had just arrived near Yamamoto Genryūsai's position. When she heard from the Sōtaichō himself that the one currently fighting the king of Hueco Mundo was not Yamamoto, but Higashino Shuuichi—
Under the seething, almost sparking glare of jealousy from fukutaichō Yamada Seinosuke at her side, Unohana gently apologized to the Sōtaichō and swiftly withdrew from that battlefield.
Why?
Why? He'd left 4th Division ages ago. He'd once been a traitor to Soul Society. Right now he stood on the opposite side of the entire Gotei 13. Hadn't that man brazenly challenged every taichō during that captains' meeting? Taichō, have you forgotten?!
Yamada Seinosuke truly couldn't understand—what was it about that man named Higashino Shuuichi that attracted his taichō so much?
Meanwhile, the man once again on Yamada's mind, Higashino Shuuichi, was standing inside Las Noches.
The vast palace had emptied, leaving only a single shinigami and a single Arrancar—Higashino Shuuichi and Baraggan Luisenbarn—in sight.
The oni and Reishi constructs Higashino had created were all sealed outside, unable to force their way in.
Through the feedback of his shared vision, Higashino could see them hurling everything they had at the outer walls of Las Noches—but it was clear they would not be breaking through any time soon.
And since he had already entered Kuniku (Bitter Flesh) mode, there was no way he could safely drop back down to shikai (Initial Release), pull more Reishi constructs out of Tōgen (Peach Blossom Paradise), and then ramp himself back up again.
Without Kuniku's support mechanism, the crushing weight of that future "loan" would flatten him in an instant.
"If I didn't know your original target was Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni—and that my intervention was completely spur-of-the-moment—I'd almost suspect you were a time traveler from the future who came here specifically to counter me."
Without the oni's long-range fire support, and having just sold off nearly all of the Hell-oni protecting his body for a bit more "use time"—reducing them from five down to barely half of one—the once-fierce wails around him had become genuine cries of pain.
Higashino Shuuichi knew it now: his plan to use the overwhelming boost from his double bankai to crush Baraggan in one go had failed.
Baraggan's aging ability was simply too monstrous.
Without true spatial manipulation like former Kidō Corps vice-chief Ushōda Hachigen's shunkan idō (Space Shift), there really was no shortcut to defeating Baraggan.
"Heh… Higashino Shuuichi, if you've forced me to reveal Las Noches as my trump card, then I'll make sure you fully taste the flavor of decay.
Las Noches doesn't just block out your little demons, you know."
Watching Higashino—who, despite his dwindling oni and failing protection, still stubbornly mouthed off—Baraggan sneered.
To wipe away his earlier humiliation, Baraggan had prepared for this invasion of Seireitei for centuries. He'd even swallowed his pride to seek out his former subordinate, Szayelaporro, and wring from him several pieces of experimental black technology that had been co-developed with Aizen Sōsuke.
There was one thing Baraggan had to admit: Aizen was infuriating. That lofty, "I alone stand above heaven and earth" attitude of his was grating beyond belief.
But the things he created… oh, they were intoxicating to use.
Just like Las Noches.
Standing in his own familiar palace, Baraggan raised two joined fingers toward Higashino in the distance.
"Shi no Nikutai (Body of Death)!"
In the next instant, with no warning at all, Higashino's body began flickering rapidly between a normal state and one of advanced decay.
He could clearly feel the "future credit" of Kuniku being drained at a speed he could practically see.
This is—
He didn't need Baraggan to explain. He understood immediately.
Las Noches wasn't just a battlefield barrier. Its special environment—and the modifications Szayelaporro had made at Baraggan's request—had turned the entire palace into the perfect conductor for Baraggan's aging ability.
Inside this structure, the usual limiting factor on his power—the speed at which his aging field propagated—had been reduced to almost nothing.
So long as Higashino remained within Las Noches, Baraggan could apply his aging to him at any time, without cooldown, without warning.
There was no defense against it.
If Higashino didn't have Kuniku, his body would have crumbled instantly under the overload of decay. Even his unlimited regeneration wouldn't have saved him.
"In that case, Baraggan… I'll show you my trump card too."
To Baraggan's irritation, Higashino's face didn't twist in panic or shock the way he'd hoped. Instead, he wore a confident smile, as if the constant flickering of his body between life and rot were nothing worth mentioning.
"You haven't seen this one yet, have you, Baraggan?
Heihō Sogen (Return to the Roots of War Strategy), Katana Kari (Borrowed Blade Killing)."
At that exact moment, somewhere in Soul Society, someone received a silent call from Higashino Shuuichi.
"Please… lend me your power."
"…Heh."
A soft chuckle touched that person's lips.
And then, they agreed.
Immediately, the familiar fire-red Zanpakutō in Higashino's hand changed, becoming something hazy and unreal—like a blade that shouldn't exist in this world at all, its entire length shrouded in mist.
"Suppress, all spiritual power."
In Baraggan's eyes, the flow of all reiatsu within Las Noches abruptly froze.
Only he and Higashino still possessed visible, moving spiritual energy.
And more shockingly, the aging aura on Higashino's body was driven away.
"That's impossible!"
The arrogance on Baraggan's face finally cracked, replaced by the first hints of genuine fear.
He knew exactly how powerful his aging was. Even Aizen, Starrk, and the others could only meet it head-on, using pure offense to cancel it out. None of them had ever managed to avoid it entirely.
To see it simply erased at the root like this—was a fantasy so absurd he'd never even dreamed it.
Yet here it was, happening right in front of him.
"Nothing is impossible, Baraggan. Do you know why you Hollows will always be a step behind us shinigami? It's because the abilities of our Zanpakutō are limitless in their possibilities.
You didn't honestly think that in the centuries we've spent fighting each other, I just sat around doing nothing, did you?
This is the perfect 'meal' I prepared especially for you.
How does it taste? Do you like it?"
Higashino stood before him, brimming with confidence as always.
"No! Absolutely not! Shi no Tansoku (Death's Sigh)!"
Baraggan summoned everything—an endless ocean of aging aura he tried to unleash to strip the flesh from Higashino's bones.
But to his horror, his command vanished without a trace, like a stone thrown into the sea.
The power that had always moved like an extension of his own will now behaved like a crowd of disobedient children—he could feel it, but it refused to obey.
Baraggan unconsciously took half a step back.
He hadn't felt this way in a very long time.
Not since the monk had sliced away half his reiatsu.
Not since he'd been beaten back to Hueco Mundo by a young Yamamoto and then stripped of his crown by Aizen.
This was the fourth time he'd tasted fear.
And this time was different.
From the look in Higashino's eyes, Baraggan could tell—this shinigami was truly, seriously, absolutely committed to killing him.
He refused to accept it. He still wanted to struggle.
Again and again, he tried to rally his aging field against Higashino Shuuichi, and again and again, nothing answered his call.
Higashino simply stood there, smiling that infuriating smile, calmly watching his helpless rage.
In the end, Baraggan gave up.
He refused to continue humiliating himself like this.
"Higashino Shuuichi, you forced me to this!
Come out, Atedis Utori!"
In the empty throne hall, the sound of a containment tank shattering rang out. A moment later, an Arrancar Higashino knew all too well stepped into view.
Looking at the Arrancar's back, now sporting several more tubes than before, Higashino recalled what he'd seen earlier in the World of the Living through his Quincy body, Kabuno Takuya—how Aizen had used this very creature to attack Kurosaki Yuki's parents.
If he remembered correctly, Aizen had told him that this Arrancar, Atedis, had originally been engineered specifically to counter Yamamoto. But Higashino's return had interrupted that project midway, forcing Szayelaporro to modify Atedis for anti-Quincy combat instead.
And judging from today's spectacle, it seemed Szayelaporro was not exactly the most loyal or stable employee. He'd switched sides in the most blatant way imaginable.
"Baraggan-sama, do you really need me to handle a shinigami like this? Isn't he already half-crippled by your ability?"
Atedis's first words nearly made Baraggan lose it all over again.
"Which eye of yours sees Higashino Shuuichi being crippled by my ability?
He's completely sealed my power, you fool!"
Baraggan felt this Atedis truly had a talent for stabbing right where it hurt. If this was flattery, it was the most backhanded he'd ever heard.
But Atedis's clear, earnest gaze showed not a hint of deception.
"Isn't he, though? Baraggan-sama, that shinigami may look fine on the surface, but it's obvious from the increasingly large, fluctuating patches of decay on his body that he's struggling to keep up his current state.
And your power hasn't been sealed at all. Look around—this entire palace surrounding him has been eaten away by your ability."
If Atedis understood the word "unfair," he'd probably be bawling it right now.
Hearing this, Baraggan finally snapped out of it.
Why did this feel so familiar?
Right. Of course. That day.
That day when Aizen barged into Las Noches and knocked him down.
Back then, he'd been fooled in almost exactly the same manner.
He'd thought he was attacking Aizen—only to learn he'd been attacking one of his own fracción instead.
"Damn you, Higashino Shuuichi… I should have known.
If you're Aizen's dog, of course he'd lend you a hand. It's obvious!"
Baraggan's expression turned feral.
He no longer cared about savoring the fight. All he wanted now was to kill Higashino as fast as possible—
Then go and kill Aizen.
At this moment, Yamamoto Genryūsai's position in his hate list didn't even rank above killing Aizen.
Yet opposite Baraggan and Atedis, the supposedly "exposed" Higashino Shuuichi showed no sign of panic.
If anything, the confident curve of his lips deepened.
"Hey, Baraggan. After all the years we've been clashing, you still don't understand me at all.
I'm not the type who likes to chatter during battle. Normally, I hardly say anything.
So tell me—do you know why I've been spouting so much meaningless trash talk this time?"
As Baraggan froze, Higashino gently ran his fingers along the blade of his Zanpakutō, Nyomō Hōka (Like-a-Dream Blossoming Splendor).
"When, exactly, did you decide… that what you see must definitely be false?"
"Bankai (Final Release), Mugen Hōka (Illusory Blossom Collapse)."
//Check out my P@tre0n for 20 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810