"Hōgyoku! Hōgyoku! Hōgyoku!"
Aizen's eyes were cold as ice, his fury nearly freezing the air. No one from his old 5th Division would have recognized this man—once gentle and refined, now a storm of wrath.
For centuries he could wait. For the Hōgyoku, he had patience. But now—days of fruitless searching had shredded it to pieces.
It should have been in his grasp. Yet somehow, it had been flung away. Days of scouring the Seireitei, and nothing.
"Urahara… was this your plan all along?"
He slashed.
"Boom!!!"
The wall and ground split apart, shockwaves carving a massive canyon through the 6th Division barracks. Death gods screamed and scattered like ants, scrambling for their lives.
Then—he felt it. From the 1st Division's direction came a scorching reiatsu, approaching fast.
"The Captain-Commander…"
Just as he prepared to retreat, his hand trembled. Looking down, the Hōgyoku fragment he carried pulsed violently, tugged by something unseen.
"…Reaction? Urahara's Hōgyoku… it's here?"
His expression hardened.
So—Yamamoto had it. Luring him out like prey.
Gripping Kyōka Suigetsu, Aizen resolved not to flee. He would take it back by force.
…
Meanwhile, in the 8th Division, chaos of another kind.
"Cole! Stop eating! You've almost devoured the whole division! When Captain Kyōraku returns, he'll lose his mind!"
Rukia's voice cracked as she watched in disbelief. Cole traced a finger along the wall—stone and wood dissolved instantly into pure spirit energy, absorbed into him. Entire streets were stripped bare, leaving nothing but soil.
Ichigo, swollen from overfeeding, joined in.
"If this is why Cole's so strong, then I'll eat too! I won't lose to Kenpachi!"
Rukia slapped her forehead.
"You idiots… if this worked, every shinigami would be a captain by now!"
Even Yoruichi and Kukaku were nibbling at the walls.
Yoruichi laughed, "Cole makes it look tasty. Worth a try, right?"
Rukia stared at them, defeated, before reluctantly touching the wall herself.
"…What if it really is different from natural reiryoku…?"
The group continued until—
"Boom!"
Ahead, flames erupted like a volcano, soaring thousands of meters high into the heavens, a blazing pillar scorching sky and earth. Even from afar, the heat seared their skin.
Cole leapt to a rooftop, eyes wide.
"Who pissed off the old man this badly!?"
He knew Yamamoto's temper had cooled with age. For him to unleash here—someone had truly enraged him.
"6th Division…" Rukia gasped, sprinting toward the inferno. "That's my brother's division!"
Cole groaned. "Stupid woman… with the Captain-Commander there, what danger could Byakuya be in?" Yet he followed anyway, Yoruichi close behind.
As they arrived, Cole cupped his hands and shouted mockingly:
"Strongest death god of a thousand years! Finally revealing your streaking fetish, old man!? Put it away—mine's twice your size!"
Rukia and Orihime turned crimson, spinning away. Yoruichi, Ichigo, and Kukaku stared boldly, even commenting.
"Impressive vigor for his age," Yoruichi smirked.
"About my size," Ichigo muttered, "but at least I wear clothes."
"Pervert!" Kukaku spat.
Rukia punched Cole furiously, face aflame. Orihime, shyly, whispered, "I-I understand now, Cole-kun…"
Yamamoto's face darkened, veins bulging. With a roar, he swung Ryūjin Jakka.
"Damn brat! Silence!"
The blade's arc unleashed a tidal wave of fire, a blazing tsunami devouring the battlefield.
"Cole!" Yoruichi shouted.
"I know!"
Cole slammed his golden staff down. It expanded into a colossal pillar, striking the earth. With a thunderous crash, it carved a massive crater, pressing the sea of flames down until they smothered into nothing.
Even Yamamoto's eyes flickered at the sight. But he only snorted, turning toward his true foe—Aizen.
"First in a thousand years to mock me so. Aizen… today you die."
He no longer restrained his reiatsu. The air trembled, temperatures soaring to hellish extremes. Flames surged, forming towering pillars of fire.
"Blazing Hell!!!"
Boom after boom erupted as fiery spires erupted skyward, arranging themselves like prison bars. A cage of living fire, sealing all within the 6th Division.
Aizen's eyes gleamed coldly.
"…So you've forced my hand, old man."
(End of Chapter)
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