An overwhelming force pressed Katen Kyokotsu back and slammed Kyoraku toward his own body!
Bang!
Kyoraku was struck in the chest by the back of the blade, three ribs snapping at once!
Fortunately, at this moment Komamura also reacted in time. Together with the finally recovered Gin, he blocked Aizen's blade.
"Boom!" The three of them were blasted away by Aizen and sent tumbling across the ground like rolling gourds!
Seeing this, Aizen let out a cold snort. "So you finally came out, Kyoraku Shunsui! I was wondering how long you planned to follow me!!
"When Shiba Isshin and the others attacked me, you didn't appear. When Urahara Kisuke was defeated, you still didn't appear. Even when Ichimaru Gin launched his sneak attack, you were the same!
"I thought you were going to hide until the very end!"
"That couldn't be helped, Aizen!"
Climbing up from the ground, Kyoraku gave a wry smile and shook his head.
"Aizen, how could I possibly watch a Gotei 13's Captain who lay in wait for more than ten years for the sake of his beloved die under your blade? Captain Ichimaru Gin truly lives up to being a Captain of the Gotei 13!"
At the same time, Kyoraku thought to himself, 'Looks like Kurosaki Ichigo told me to hide for a reason!'
That's right, lurking all the way until now was something Ichigo specifically instructed Kyoraku to do. He had left a backup plan to save this tragic figure, Ichimaru Gin. Now, it seemed the effect was obvious!
"Hmph!" Hearing Gin's name, Aizen's face, which had just calmed down, darkened again.
The pain Gin had just inflicted on him was something Aizen had not forgotten!
"In that case, you Captains can all die together!"
Facing the three of them, Aizen once again swung his sword in an unremarkable motion!
This time, however, despite the calm swing, an enormous Kenatsu burst forth from Kyoka Suigetsu!
The blue Kenatsu crushed the ground. Cars, signposts, or anything else in its path were effortlessly destroyed by this single strike!
Like a gigantic tunnel-boring machine, the blue Kenatsu swept through everything, ruthlessly shredding anything that stood in its way.
Yet no matter how strong despair is, people will not abandon their hope of survival.
"Tenken!"
"Wobbly Top!"
"Danku!"
As Aizen's attack arrived, the three continuously unleashed their own techniques, trying to stop the sword pressure from descending.
But Aizen's Kenatsu was like an oncoming dump truck, easily blasting the three of them away!
Despite being three powerful Captains, at this moment, before Aizen, they were not much stronger than ordinary Shinigami!
Gin, Kyoraku, and Komamura bounced across the ground like skipping stones!
At the same time, Gin suddenly felt his hand go empty!
The blue Hogyoku turned into purple energy and dispersed, then drifted toward Aizen!
"Wait, the Hogyoku!"
Realizing the Hogyoku was leaving, Gin reached out to grab it back, but caught nothing but air!
In the next instant, strands of purple energy began to gather at Aizen's chest, finally reforming into the Hogyoku!
Seeing this, Aizen was extremely satisfied.
"Evolution requires fear. Fear of being reduced to nothingness if one maintains the status quo. Thank you, Gin!"
"You have allowed me to become an existence that transcends both Shinigami and Hollow!"
"But that's enough. The game ends here!"
Saying this, Aizen was clearly delighted.
"Gin, I've grown tired of this cat-and-mouse game, and I can't wait to express my gratitude to you!"
"So, the next strike will be our farewell!"
As he spoke, Aizen raised Kyoka Suigetsu high!
Immense Reiatsu gathered on his blade. The radiance coming from the sword was so intense it made it impossible to open one's eyes!
"What terrifying Reiatsu!"
Seeing Aizen charge up like this, Komamura and Kyoraku both widened their eyes.
"It's like seeing the Captain-Commander!"
"Seeing the Captain-Commander? You mean the power of this strike?"
Hearing their words, Gin was completely confused.
"No, not that. I mean this single strike is equal to the old man's full Reiatsu!"
Kyoraku said, cold sweat streaming down his face!
"What!" Gin's eyes widened.
His light-blue pupils were fully exposed!
"Bankai, Kamishini no Yari!"
Gin tried to launch his strongest attack against Aizen one more time.
But this time, before Kamishini no Yari could even begin its assault, Aizen's blade came down!
Rumble-
A torrent of light swallowed the street, surging toward the three of them with unstoppable momentum!
"It's over!"
Facing this flood of light, the three felt like monsters frozen in place while an Ultraman unleashed his ultimate move. They lost all will to resist, only waiting to be engulfed by the attack!
However, no one noticed-
Not far from the three of them, Ichigo, whose hair had clearly grown a bit longer, arrived through a Senkaimon.
After quickly identifying the direction, Ichigo used Shunpo and instantly appeared in front of the three!
Boom-
"Getsuga Tensho!"
A pitch-black crescent cleaved through Aizen's white beam of light!
Like Moses parting the sea, Ichigo split apart Aizen's ocean of light!
"Oh? Kurosaki Ichigo, what is this form of yours?"
Looking at Ichigo, Aizen frowned slightly, a sense of unease rising in his heart!
He had deliberately held back at the critical moment and not pressed his advantage, but surely that wouldn't mean Ichigo had grown even stronger again, right?
"Heh."
Ichigo did not answer Aizen's question.
Just like in the original work, he stepped forward, vanished from where he stood, and reappeared holding Aizen by the face with one hand, dragging him to an open area on the outskirts of Karakura Town!
Karakura Town, suburban wasteland.
Generally speaking, a place known as a Jureichi is what people usually call a convergence point of fortune.
Such places are normally blessed with spiritual vitality, rich in outstanding people, and worth a fortune per inch of land… there should not be such a vast empty area at all.
However, whether it is blessed land or fertile ground for talent, it cannot compete with capital and power.
There is an action called land enclosure.
Just like near Ichigo's home before he crossed over, this piece of land had been enclosed by a major corporation for as long as seventeen years, which is older than Ichigo himself!
And precisely because it had been enclosed in advance by a major corporation, this land was extremely barren, rarely visited, leaving only vast stretches of yellow earth and hills.
Yet today, this desolate area welcomed two uninvited guests.
Rumble-
Like a high-speed fighter jet roaring past…
Pressing Aizen's face down, Ichigo descended at extreme speed like a meteor, slamming heavily into the barren mountain!