However—
just when Aizen believed
his grip on the future was secure,
the countdown video kept rolling.
The previous footage ended and a brand-new clip cut in—
"Rumble—!!!!"
A massive pillar of fire erupted,
looking like a flaming tornado that rose out of thin air from the battlefield in Karakura Town, spearing into the clouds.
From diameter alone,
viewers eyeballed that this single fire-pillar already blanketed half of Karakura's urban district.
Shrouded within it,
the white captain's haori of the Head-Captain streamed in the heat. With Ryūjin Jakka in hand, his figure descended like a sun.
Even through the transparent light-screen
and the video feed,
the audience in the real world once again felt that sky-cracking, earth-shaking pressure.
As expected,
while the world boiled over again,
the live chat roared:
"So scary…"
"If that colossal tornado of flame appeared in Hueco Mundo, Las Noches would be wiped in a second!"
"Not just that! Even the artificial sky would collapse! Hueco Mundo would return to darkness!"
"And did you notice? The old Shinigami geezer took the field himself this time. He's clearly here for Lord Aizen!!!"
Inside Las Noches.
Even though the Arrancar army got spooked again,
staring at a frame almost completely filled with fire,
each of them trembled and kept backing up, step after step,
until there was nowhere left to retreat.
Only then, curled into corners, did they barely let out a breath, mustering fragile courage
to keep watching the countdown video.
Also,
the sharp-eyed noticed something.
At the lower-left of the screen—right where the tornado of fire was about to sweep—
a single back view,
wearing Las Noches' white uniform.
At a glance it looked familiar beyond doubt.
There was no mistaking it.
That was Aizen.
This time, he wasn't just being watched.
To kill the Aizen of the future, the Head-Captain had stepped onto the field himself, going all out.
Which meant—
what came next would be a true one-on-one duel—
the strongest from each side—Aizen versus the Head-Captain—
a frontal clash between the two of them.
"Yaaahhh…"
"Captain Aizen, how very sorry~"
"In the future it looks like only you are left at this point!"
Eyes wide,
fixed on the sea of scarlet flame,
a teasing whisper came from beneath the throne. It was Ichimaru Gin, his tone light and mocking.
He was clearly being sarcastic,
but he was hoping the old man would finally cut loose
and maybe—just maybe—
give Aizen the thrashing of his life.
On the throne above,
Aizen's face didn't move.
He heard the fake kindness in Gin's voice, of course,
but he seemed long accustomed to it, even expecting it.
Aizen smiled faintly and spoke with composure:
"Gin… I already told you. With the Hōgyoku in hand… what you see before your eyes is destined to be a fleeting blossom."
"No matter how powerful Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni may appear,
no matter how awe-inspiring and terrifying the flames of the Zanpakutō Ryūjin Jakka may be…"
"In the end… they will be sealed."
"Before the me of the future, a sun only falls."
His tone was even and unhurried.
He sounded like a man narrating a future he had already witnessed with his own eyes.
It was undeniable:
Ryūjin Jakka had been showing one overwhelming technique after another.
Even Aizen, watching these clips, felt the threat.
Which only deepened
his impression of and wariness toward Ryūjin Jakka.
But—
his confidence held.
He had already abducted Kuchiki Rukia.
The Hōgyoku was in his possession.
That was enough to keep his mood utterly unruffled.
So now,
he watched the video with cool ease.
And next,
under his gaze,
the battle footage continued to play—
"The Head-Captain finally honors us with a personal appearance…"
Back to the camera,
the future Aizen stood with hands clasped behind his back, utterly unflustered.
It was that same taunting tone the audience knew so well:
"What a pity. In all of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads,
the only one left who can still take the field
is you, Head-Captain!"
The moment those words were revealed,
they rippled straight back to the Seireitei,
making the Shinigami of the Thirteen Divisions
all change color and take another hit to the heart.
And once more they felt it to the bone:
even as a Shinigami, Aizen's power was terrifying—
still overwhelming, still above the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
It truly was only the Head-Captain
who had the standing and the ability
to pass judgment on Aizen.
"The old man won't let us down, right?"
Mask back in place,
Kyōraku Shunsui looked somewhat deflated.
He had been one of the headliners of earlier countdown rounds, after all.
But now,
in the decisive battle of Karakura Town,
before Aizen, he looked like a mutt off the street—no different from the small-fry foot soldiers.
Honestly,
no matter how carefree Shunsui usually acted,
no matter how much he drank and played, his mood always open and broad—
after watching this reveal,
his chest still tightened with a stifling sense of defeat.
And if even Shunsui felt that way,
there was no need to mention the comparatively weaker captains like Soi Fon and Komamura Sajin.
In an instant,
the air at the scene congealed.
Just from Aizen's few sentences, everyone felt the pressure.
All eyes turned to the first seat—
trust and expectation pinned on the Head-Captain.
Exactly as Aizen had said—
next,
on that battlefield of the future,
only the old man could turn the tide.
Only by relying on the Zanpakutō Ryūjin Jakka
could he check Aizen's arrogance and swagger.
Otherwise,
because the countdown video
was being broadcast openly before the whole world,
this also concerned—
the Head-Captain's personal standing and prestige,
and the honor of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
—
Fortunately,
the Head-Captain of the future did not disappoint.
The scenes that followed
finally let the Shinigami of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads breathe.
"Head-Captain…
if you lose,
then the Thirteen Court Guard Squads will collapse in name and fact…"
A single loose forelock
swayed in the fire-soaked air.
Aizen slowly turned.
On that handsome face was a slight smile.
He was facing Ryūjin Jakka in its released state,
facing a Head-Captain mightier than himself—
and yet—
his tone stayed the same as before his betrayal—
like a division captain speaking to the Head-Captain,
as casual as small talk.
Once again the audience felt
this man's striking presence
and flawless rhetoric.
"Tch…"
"That bastard Aizen…"
"Every time I see that fake face of his,
my Zanpakutō, Nozarashi, starts itching. I can't help wanting to cut him through the screen!"
Kenpachi Zaraki grinned viciously and snorted.
With his straightforward, head-on style,
he could never stomach
Aizen's smug posturing and verbal taunts.
"Heh…
Kenpachi Zaraki, for once I agree."
"I also find Aizen particularly unpleasant."
Standing at his side, Kurotsuchi Mayuri
rolled his eyes beneath the white-blue mask and spoke in a cold, eerie tone.
Mayuri refused to accept
Aizen's mass taunt of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
As far as he knew,
at that time the future him had pulled back
to join Kuchiki Byakuya, Zaraki, and the others in dealing with the remaining Espada.
So he was not convinced.
If he had been on the Karakura battlefield then,
he would surely have found a method
to restrain Aizen—
no way he would have let that man
act so lawlessly and keep farming hatred from afar.
But regardless—
right now,
with the Head-Captain going all out,
everyone believed the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years would not disappoint.
—
At this moment,
the footage kept playing:
"Arrogant brat.
With just that meager skill, you think you can lay a hand on me?"
Ignoring the taunt,
the Head-Captain lowered his eyes. Fire burned in them.
The white captain's haori with the "One" emblazoned on the back
fluttered in the blazing wind,
projecting an aura far more overpowering than Aizen's.
"It really has to be the old man himself…"
"Honestly, besides Aizen, there's probably no one else in this world who would dare provoke the Head-Captain up close like this."
In the Urahara Shop,
Urahara Kisuke watched, both thrilled and soaked in sweat.
Even through the screen,
that blazing sword in the old man's hand—Ryūjin Jakka—
wrapped in living fire,
made Kisuke's heart pound wildly.
(End of Chapter)
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