"Bankai! Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!"
"Bankai! Jakuho Raikoben!"
After Hitsugaya, Byakuya Kuchiki and Soi Fon also reclaimed their Bankai one after another.
For a brief moment, the suffocating pressure crushing the battlefield finally eased. The captains, who had been forced into a desperate corner, once again possessed the power that defined them. The balance of war had not been restored, not truly, but at least it no longer felt as if the Soul Society was being strangled without resistance.
Gin Ichimaru remained beside Sosuke Aizen, his narrow smile as lazy and unreadable as ever.
"Well now… isn't this a little troublesome? Those Bankai you went through so much effort to steal have all been taken back."
Aizen did not so much as blink.
"There is no need to care. In the end, those badges were nothing more than defective tools prepared to break the morale of the Soul Reapers. Now…" His voice remained calm, almost gentle, yet the weight beneath it made the air colder. "Now is when the former Espada show their true power."
The instant those words left his mouth, the excitement that had just surged through the audience died again.
Only moments ago, countless viewers had been cheering as the captains reclaimed their Bankai. That hope had been bright, sharp, almost intoxicating. But Aizen's composure was like a hand closing around a flame, smothering it before it could spread.
And sure enough, now that the captains of the Gotei Thirteen could safely use Bankai again, the top-ranked Espada no longer bothered hiding their strength.
"Seal them away, Murciélago!"
"Hunt them down, Tiburón!"
"Rot away, Arrogante!"
A terrifying, wicked spiritual pressure descended over the entire Seireitei, swallowing the battlefield in one violent surge.
The four strongest Espada had all released their true forms.
And yet…
"Bro, I can't hold it anymore. Let me use your bathroom!"
"We're out of toilet paper here."
"Holy crap! Then just wash directly after!"
"You people are honestly tragic. Can't any of you get a girlfriend?"
"Damn it, you think everyone is Alex, that scumbag, swapping women every night like he's changing shirts?"
"…"
Similar conversations were happening among male Soul Reaper fans all across the world.
Yes, the four elite Espada had released their forms. Yes, the battlefield had just entered an even more terrifying stage. But for a certain portion of the audience, all attention had already been stolen by Harribel.
After her release, Harribel's outfit became even more daring. Her stunning face was fully revealed, and the white battle armor covering her body looked less like armor and more like a battle bikini. Paired with those long boots, the entire design struck with a kind of fierce, predatory beauty.
Even quite a few viewers who studied fashion were left staring in shock.
So clothes could be matched like that?
Then, without warning, a thunderous crash tore through the scene.
BOOM!
The entire First Division barracks collapsed.
Seeing this, Aizen and Gin leapt into the sky, stepping onto a path of spiritual particles as if the empty air itself had become solid beneath their feet.
From the ruins below, the one who burst out first was Yoruichi, now wearing metal combat guards.
At the same time, Kisuke Urahara, Isshin Kurosaki, Shinji Hirako, Kensei Muguruma, and the others had already surrounded Aizen from every direction.
"After being driven into a corner, has the Gotei Thirteen completely lost its composure?"
Aizen looked down from midair at Yoruichi, who had been the first to launch an attack against him, and let out a faint, mocking laugh.
"Do not demand beauty from battle. Do not demand elegance from death. Do not obsess over preserving your own life. If you wish to protect something worth protecting, then you should be willing to cut down the enemy from behind."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"As the former commander of the covert operations corps, you should understand that better than anyone."
Yoruichi answered with a cold smile.
"A traitor to the Soul Reapers actually has the nerve to lecture me about the aesthetics of battle?"
Many viewers who knew about the relationship between Alex, the actor playing Aizen, and the actress playing Yoruichi could not help wearing knowing smiles when they saw the two trading barbs on screen.
Truthfully, it was hard to blame them.
Back when the actress who played Senjumaru had appeared, so many fans had already started wondering whether she had some kind of history with Alex. The main reason was simple: this man's reputation was just too outrageous.
Whenever the series needed an exceptionally beautiful female character, it always seemed like he handed the role to one of his ex-girlfriends.
How could people not let their minds wander?
Because of that, whenever longtime fans watched Aizen interact with these female characters in the drama, they could not help imagining whether there had been something between the two characters as well.
Fortunately, Alex's acting was powerful enough to overcome that problem.
The moment he entered the scene, no one saw a celebrity surrounded by old rumors.
They saw Aizen.
A calamity wearing the face of a man.
"I did once stand at the front of a classroom, after all." After saying that, Aizen slowly shifted his eyes across the many Soul Reapers surrounding him layer upon layer. A cold smile touched his lips. "Besides, at a time when four elite Espada have already released their true forms, you still chose to divide this much combat strength just to deal with me. Is that not a little arrogant?"
"If I were you, I would concentrate all available forces on the Espada first. Once they were defeated, then I would gather everyone to attack the strongest opponent."
"We don't need your advice, Aizen!"
Shinji Hirako, now wearing the captain's haori of the Fifth Division once more, smiled coldly.
"Enough talk. Today is the day you fall."
Strictly speaking, Aizen was not wrong.
Since Aizen himself still showed no intention of making a direct move, the safest strategy would be to eliminate the four Espada first, then have everyone focus their strength on him afterward.
But that plan carried its own danger.
What if, after defeating the four Espada, they had lost too much stamina? What if, instead of being able to defeat Aizen, they were cut down by him at the very end?
After all, Yamamoto's Zanka no Tachi was still in Aizen's hands.
If that was the case, perhaps it was better to weaken Aizen while everyone was still at full strength. Then, once Ichigo Kurosaki, Kenpachi Zaraki, and the others returned from training, their chances of victory might be higher.
As for the four Espada, they would have to be handled by the remaining captains for now.
The greatest advantage of the alliance between the Gotei Thirteen and the Visored was numbers.
Sending two captain-level fighters, along with several lieutenant-level fighters, against a single Espada should not be enough to lose.
At least, that was how it looked on paper.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a long-absent figure was the first to charge toward Aizen.
It was actually… Momo.
Not only the Soul Reapers present, even the viewers watching were stunned.
A group of kings was preparing to surround a legend, and now a bronze-ranked player had suddenly rushed onto the board.
"No! Momo!"
Hitsugaya, who had been fighting Harribel in the distance alongside Lisa Yadomaru, Mashiro Kuna, and Summer Johnson, saw the scene and instantly went pale.
When he noticed the resolute look in Momo's eyes, his heart trembled.
Could it be that she wanted to settle things with Aizen once and for all?
Seeing Hitsugaya's reaction, many Soul Reaper fans slightly changed their opinion of Aizen's little admirer.
Originally, they had thought she was merely a brainless follower. They had not expected her to possess this kind of resolve.
Still, resolve was one thing.
Strength was another.
Aizen could instantly defeat captain-level fighters one after another. What exactly did a lieutenant think she could do?
"Momo! Don't be reckless!"
Shinji also rushed forward, trying to stop her.
But Momo had appeared too suddenly. So suddenly, in fact, that even all those captain-level fighters at the scene were startled. No one had noticed where she had come from.
By the time Shinji moved to stop her, Momo had already drawn her blade and charged directly in front of Aizen.
Just when everyone thought she was about to be beheaded, Aizen merely turned the back of his hand.
With a casual motion, like swatting away a mosquito, he struck Momo out of the air and sent her crashing down toward the ground.
"Momo!"
Although Aizen had not swung his sword, allowing Hitsugaya's heart to drop back down from his throat, the young captain still failed to control his emotions. He immediately flew toward the place where Momo had fallen.
Harribel saw this and merely glanced sideways. She did not stop him.
From that alone, it was clear that Harribel's temperament was actually not bad. When facing an opponent who had already lost the will to continue fighting, she would not pursue or launch a sneak attack.
"Captain Hitsugaya, don't worry. Momo is fine. She only suffered light injuries."
At that moment, Isane Kotetsu, lieutenant of the Fourth Division, hurried over as well. After briefly examining Momo, she gave Hitsugaya a reassuring look.
Countless Aizen fans were somewhat surprised.
Could it be that Aizen still had some feelings for Momo?
He actually had not killed her on the spot?
After hearing that Momo was not seriously hurt, Hitsugaya finally breathed out in relief. But immediately after, he raised his eyes again, glaring at the enemy above with hatred sharp enough to cut through bone.
"I'll kill you, Aizen!"
"Daiguren Hyorinmaru!"
The young captain pushed his power to the limit. A massive ice dragon coiled around him, icy wings spreading from his back, while his eyes held nothing but overwhelming hatred, vast and violent like an avalanche crashing down from the heavens.
"I believe you have said that to me before, Hitsugaya."
Aizen smiled.
"You should avoid making threats that sound too exaggerated. Otherwise, they only reveal your weakness."
The instant his words fell, Aizen casually took out a black badge from inside his clothing.
It was…
The badge containing Zanka no Tachi.
BOOM!
After nearly a month, the audience saw it again.
The Soul Society transformed into a blazing purgatory.
"So he finally brought it out…"
"The commander-general's Bankai."
The members of the Gotei Thirteen who had personally witnessed its power in the human world turned pale one after another.
No one dared underestimate the terror of Zanka no Tachi.
Kisuke Urahara shouted a warning.
"Aizen cannot use both Zanka no Tachi and Kyoka Suigetsu at the same time! If he wants to release one Zanpakuto, he must first cancel the ability of the other!"
"In other words, while he is using Zanka no Tachi, he cannot use Kyoka Suigetsu! And more importantly, he is not Commander Yamamoto! There is no way he can bring out one hundred percent of Zanka no Tachi's full power!"
Urahara's reminder barely pulled the terrified Soul Reapers back from the edge of panic.
Hitsugaya's ice dragon wings were still present.
That was the strongest proof.
If Yamamoto himself had drawn Zanka no Tachi, Hitsugaya's ice would have evaporated instantly.
Clearly, Aizen's stolen version could not reach that level.
The audience also let out a slight breath of relief.
After all, if Aizen could perfectly replicate Yamamoto's Zanka no Tachi, then there would be no point fighting anymore.
It would simply be slaughter.
"Take this, Aizen!"
Kensei Muguruma crossed his fists and slammed them together, roaring:
"Bankai! Tekken Tachikaze!"
A raging storm howled around him. His upper body was completely wrapped in iron armor, and each of his hands gripped a jagged short blade.
Rose Otoribashi followed.
"Bankai! Kinshara Butodan!"
Several bizarre giants, each seven or eight meters tall, appeared in two rows and began performing an eerie tap dance.
Shinji Hirako raised his blade.
"Bankai! Sakashima Yokoshima Happofusagari!"
An ominous spiritual pressure spread in waves around him, twisting through the air in a way that was almost impossible to describe with words.
Even through the screen, the viewers opened their mouths one after another.
The three captains who had returned to the Gotei Thirteen and reclaimed the positions they had lost a hundred years ago were the first to unleash their Bankai.
As for the veteran captains, there was even less need to say anything.
From the very beginning, they brought out everything they had.
Facing the commander-general's Bankai, who would dare hold anything back?