Hueco Mundo, Las Noches.
Aizen leaned sideways against his throne, propping his chin with his left hand, his right hand resting on the armrest, his eyes closed in a doze.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, Aizen opened his eyes. Simultaneously, his right hand unconsciously clenched the armrest.
Crack—
The armrest of the throne couldn't withstand Aizen's strength and was crushed in his grip.
"Oh dear, what a terrible expression. Who upset you, Captain Aizen."
Gin, standing below the steps, couldn't help but say, somewhat surprised.
"Ulquiorra is dead."
Aizen said expressionlessly.
"Oh my, this is quite surprising!"
Gin's usually narrowed eyes widened slightly, and the fox-like smile that always hung on his face vanished. He was genuinely surprised by Ulquiorra's death.
Then Gin spoke again: "But who could it be, capable of killing Ulquiorra?"
"Given Ulquiorra's strength, very few Shinigami could match him. Those who could kill Ulquiorra without giving him a chance to escape are limited to Yamamoto Genryusai and Hitsugaya Toshiro!"
"However, Yamamoto is stationed in the Seireitei and rarely moves unless there's a life-or-death crisis. So, the one who killed Ulquiorra is clearly Hitsugaya Toshiro."
Aizen said, frowning.
Although Aizen had created the Espada primarily for a game-like war against Soul Society, matching soldier for soldier and general for general, and didn't truly care much about them, they were still the result of considerable effort.
Moreover, Ulquiorra was the most loyal and useful among the Espada. Having him killed like this still displeased Aizen.
Of course, although he found Ulquiorra's death at Toshiro's hands somewhat regrettable now, when the Espada in the original work were defeated one by one by the Gotei 13's Captains, Aizen, disgusted by their uselessness, didn't hesitate to cut them down himself.
"Gin, Ulquiorra is dead, the mission has failed. Go call Starrk and the others back."
Aizen thought for a moment, then instructed Gin.
Ulquiorra was already dead. If Starrk and the others were also trapped in the Living World by Toshiro, nearly half the Espada would be gone before the final battle with Soul Society.
Even if Aizen didn't care much about the Espada, he couldn't waste them like that.
Otherwise, by the time of the decisive battle, the Gotei 13 would have a large force, while Aizen would only have a handful of subordinates. That would be too disgraceful.
"Well then, I'll go call Starrk and the others back, Captain Aizen."
Gin said to Aizen, then turned and walked out of the hall...
…
Living World, Karakura Town.
A portal suddenly appeared in the void, and Toshiro's figure walked out.
"Oh dear, I didn't think dealing with just Ulquiorra would take this much effort. Compared to Aizen's efficiency, I'm far behind."
Toshiro sighed with self-pity.
In the original work, Aizen effortlessly defeated anyone, whether Gotei 13's Captains or his own Espada, typically in one move. Hardly anyone lasted two exchanges against him.
But Toshiro had expended considerable effort just to beat Ulquiorra, making it seem like his strength was far inferior to Aizen's.
However, the opposite was true. Toshiro's strength was not weaker than Aizen's... in fact, his direct combat power might even be somewhat stronger.
After all, Aizen's greatest ability was Kyoka Suigetsu's complete hypnosis.
In terms of pure offensive power, both Toshiro's Hyorinmaru and Yamamoto's Ryujin Jakka were significantly stronger than Aizen's.
The main reason Aizen could 'effortlessly defeat anyone' while Toshiro struggled with Ulquiorra, aside from Toshiro's habit of suppressing his power in battle, was the unique nature of Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu hypnosis.
After all, except for Toshiro, anyone affected by Kyoka Suigetsu's hypnosis was essentially at Aizen's mercy.
In such a situation, whether Captain-class or Beyond Captain-class, there was no difference before Aizen. He could use Kyoka Suigetsu to control his opponent's senses, walk up to them easily, and cut them down with a single stroke.
Whether you were a famous Captain-class expert or an unknown ordinary Shinigami, you were absolutely 'equal' before Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu.
Thus, the special ability of his Zanpakuto created Aizen's fearsome reputation of 'effortlessly defeating anyone'.
For an elemental-type Zanpakuto like Toshiro's, no matter how powerful its attack, one essentially had to fight a real, honest battle to defeat an opponent.
In fact, if Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu didn't have its complete hypnosis ability, even someone of Aizen's level couldn't defeat a large group of Captain-class and Beyond-Captain class opponents one after another with single strikes, creating that kind of 'effortless' momentum.
"I've dealt with Ulquiorra on my side. I wonder how the others are doing here in the Living World..."
Saying this, Toshiro began to sense the battle situation here...
…
Karakura Town, Northern District.
Starrk, Lilynette, Yammy, Luppi, and the others were still fighting Sojiro, Ashido, Kisuke, and the others, without a clear victor.
The situation between Starrk and Kisuke was somewhat special. They were basically trading blows, one cutting, one shooting, appearing to fight fiercely, but in reality, they were 'throwing the fight'!
Both Kisuke and Starrk were half-hearted throughout, not fighting seriously.
"Mr. Arrancar, take this!"
Swish!
Kisuke slashed a red, crescent-shaped Reiatsu slash at Starrk.
"Oh dear, oh no, oh no, oh no."
Starrk 'exclaimed' and sidestepped Kisuke's slash.
"My turn to attack, Mr. Shopkeeper!"
"Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!"
Starrk raised the dual pistols in his hands and fired several Cero in an instant.
"Oh my! What a formidable attack, Mr. Arrancar."
Kisuke 'bounced around' dodging Starrk's Cero.
The two continued 'fighting' like this, move for move, neither seeming eager to end the battle.
In fact, their 'throwing the fight' was so obvious that teammates on both sides urged them to fight seriously and finish off their opponents quickly.
However, neither Starrk nor Kisuke paid any attention, continuing to half-heartedly go through the motions.
For Starrk, he was naturally lazy and not particularly enthusiastic about fighting. His main purpose this time was to keep Toshiro occupied.
But since Toshiro hadn't appeared, he had no reason to fight to the death.
Starrk had only chosen to act earlier because Luppi was no match for Sojiro and was about to be killed. Caring about his comrade's life, Starrk had to intervene.
But then, Luppi got caught in a melee with Phoenix against Sojiro and Chad.
Phoenix's abilities were very strange. Although he looked dull and foolish, he inexplicably had some advantage over Sojiro.
So now, the strength between Luppi, Phoenix, Sojiro, and Chad reached a delicate balance.
Neither side could win quickly, so Luppi unexpectedly turned his dangerous situation around.
Seeing this, Starrk was no longer anxious and began to 'throw the fight' with Kisuke, feeling justified.
For Kisuke on the other side, he similarly didn't mind delaying time by throwing the fight.
Because Kisuke wasn't confident he could defeat Starrk. Moreover, he knew the true purpose of the Arrancar's attack.
So for him, as long as he could delay time until Toshiro dealt with Ulquiorra and rescued Orihime, it would be a victory.
Thus, Starrk and Kisuke, each with different goals, tacitly threw the fight.
Just then, cracks suddenly appeared in the sky, forming a Garganta, and Gin's figure walked out.
"Ichimaru Gin? Why are you here?"
The Arrancar side asked one after another.
"Everyone, Ulquiorra is dead, the mission has failed. Time to go back."