"Wh-what!"
Hearing Mayuri's words, Toshiro, who was just about to charge out and fight Aizen, forcibly stopped his movement and asked with a forehead full of black lines.
"I'm saying that the Space Stabilizing Pillars can only last for three minutes. So if you want to defeat Aizen, you'd better make good use of the time. Otherwise, after the barrier formed by the Space Stabilizing Pillars disappears in three minutes, the battle between you and Aizen will inevitably cause serious damage to the Seireitei..."
Mayuri explained.
Toshiro's expression turned ugly. After forcibly fusing with the Hogyoku, Aizen's Reiatsu alone was probably even stronger than his.
Toshiro wasn't even sure if he could defeat Aizen in this state, let alone kill him within three minutes.
'Three minutes? Ha! Do you think I'm Ultraman who can blow up a little monster in three minutes?'
"Hey, Captain Kurotsuchi, aren't the Space Stabilizing Pillars supported by the Reiryoku of the Captain-Commander and the others? How can they only last three minutes?"
Toshiro frowned.
The existence of the Space Stabilizing Pillars was mainly to prevent the aftermath of the battle between Toshiro and Aizen from damaging the Seireitei and the Soul Society's environment.
And if Toshiro and Aizen went all out, the destructive power they would cause was indeed very terrifying. But remember, the Space Stabilizing Pillars were supported by the Reiryoku of four people: Yamamoto, Unohana, Kyoraku, and Ukitake.
Not to mention Yamamoto and the unfathomably powerful Unohana, even Kyoraku and Ukitake were Beyond Captain-level, even at the peak of Beyond Captain-level.
These four were the strongest in the Gotei 13 besides Toshiro and Aizen. If one doesn't count Kyoka Suigetsu's heaven-defying ability, the combined strength of these four might not be weaker than Toshiro and Aizen fighting together. It might even be stronger.
But now, with the Reiryoku of these four maintaining the Space Stabilizing Pillars, it could only last three minutes. This left Toshiro very puzzled.
Hearing Toshiro's doubt, Mayuri was very displeased: "Hmph! Hitsugaya Toshiro, are you doubting my words?"
If someone questioned him in his area of expertise, scientific research, he would dare to talk back to even the Captain-Commander Yamamoto, let alone the Vice-Captain-Commander Toshiro.
But although he would talk back, Mayuri also knew the current situation, so he still explained.
"Precisely because their Reiryoku is supporting the pillars, they can only last three minutes."
"Reiryoku isn't simply 'more is better'. When high-purity Reiryoku maintains the operation of the Space Stabilizing Pillars, it itself places a tremendous burden on the materials composing the pillars."
"Furthermore, with you and Aizen fighting inside the barrier, the internal and external parts are simultaneously subjected to the impact of high-intensity power. It's already very remarkable that the Space Stabilizing Pillars can last three minutes. Even if it were Urahara Kisuke, or anyone else, they couldn't do better than me!"
After hearing Mayuri's explanation, Toshiro was displeased, but he had no choice but to accept it.
'Although the hope of defeating Aizen within three minutes is very slim... right now, the only option is to grit my teeth and go for it...'
Toshiro thought to himself.
However, before Toshiro could act, Mayuri's voice sounded inopportunely again.
"Oh, and one more thing, Toshiro-kun, I have to remind you. You'd better start as soon as possible. The time I spent explaining this to you is also counted. So, your time is limited. You still have three minutes left. Oh, no, now there are two minutes and thirty seconds left..."
Toshiro's eyebrow twitched violently.
'Damn it! If the talking time counts, then why the hell did you waste time blabbing! Just tell me to start fighting!!'
"Two minutes twenty-nine seconds, two minutes twenty-eight seconds, two minutes twenty-seven seconds..."
"Bankai! Daiguren Hyorinmaru!!"
Without waiting for Mayuri to continue his countdown, Toshiro directly used his ultimate move and went Bankai.
If he procrastinated any longer, the time would be up. What would be the point of fighting then? Might as well just wait for the barrier to disappear and let Aizen leave safely! So Toshiro directly exploded.
Boom!
A Reiatsu that dimmed the world erupted from Toshiro's slender body. Although it was slightly weaker than Aizen's after forcibly fusing with the Hogyoku, Toshiro's Reiatsu was very pure and was trained bit by bit by Toshiro himself. It couldn't be compared to Aizen's temporarily boosted Reiatsu from forced fusion.
Then, Toshiro's height increased rapidly, from 1.33 meters to 1.80 meters, and his appearance transformed into that of a handsome young man.
At the same time, a suit of armor formed from ice crystals covered Toshiro's body, making him look even more heroic and extraordinary.
"Ha!"
Toshiro shouted loudly, stamped his foot on the ground, leaped into the air, soared above Aizen, and then, using the force of his descent, instantly slashed down.
Aizen's expression remained unchanged. He swung his arm and directly met Toshiro's Zanpakuto head-on.
Clang!
The swords clashed. The immense forces collided, and then the terrifying recoil force instantly traveled back along their swords to their bodies.
Toshiro's expression changed. Then, using the recoil force, he directly executed a backflip in mid-air and landed gracefully.
Aizen, however, did not retreat at all. He just shook his numb right hand a couple of times.
Toshiro's expression was extremely solemn. Although he flipped in the air and landed gracefully, appearing very composed and elegant, there was no doubt that Toshiro was completely at a disadvantage in that brief exchange.
After forcibly fusing with the Hogyoku, Aizen's Reiatsu had undoubtedly surpassed Toshiro's. In a head-on confrontation, Toshiro would definitely suffer.
"Ice Dragon Tail!"
Toshiro's immense, unmatched Reiatsu instantly compressed and converged into his Zanpakuto, then he fiercely slashed out.
Whoosh!
An ice-blue, high-concentration Reishi Slash instantly flew towards Aizen.
Aizen, equally simply and directly, slashed out a Kenatsu.
Boom!
Toshiro's slash and Aizen's Kenatsu instantly collided. Like a meteor hitting the earth, the terrifying force exploded and swept in all directions.
Rumble!
The ground instantly collapsed and sank. The surging shockwave rampaged wildly, destroying everything in its path, like the apocalypse.
Of course, blocked by the barrier formed by the Space Stabilizing Pillars, this apocalyptic scene was confined to the inside of the barrier and did not affect the outside. Otherwise, if such an apocalyptic scene appeared in the Seireitei, who knows how many casualties it would cause.
Although the barrier formed by the Space Stabilizing Pillars blocked the aftermath of their battle, the impact of the aftermath on the barrier directly caused it to shake violently.