Even at less than one-tenth of his full strength, how could Hitsugaya Tōshirō possibly be a match for Aizen in Bankai? Aizen merely shot him a glance, and Hitsugaya suddenly felt as though something invisible had wrapped around him, rendering him completely unable to move forward.
"Aizen!!!"
Unable to move, Hitsugaya coughed up blood in helpless fury. The more he tried to force out his Reiatsu, the worse his internal injuries became.
"Captain Hitsugaya, come back and boast after you've secured your position as the wielder of the strongest ice-type Zanpakutō," Aizen said, his eyes full of disdain. "A mere incomplete Zanpakutō…"
He offered no further explanation. As his voice fell, the space around Hitsugaya fractured into multiple mirror-like surfaces. When the mirrors shattered, new wounds appeared across Hitsugaya's previously unscathed body. He and Hyōrinmaru crashed to the ground, unable to rise again.
Aizen dispelled the illusion. Yamamoto, Yoruichi, and Urahara all realized they had once again been deceived. Yet the power of Kyōka Suigetsu filled them with such caution that none dared to act rashly.
"Aizen! Hand over the Hōgyoku ! We'll let you leave!" Hirako suddenly called out.
Everyone turned toward the Visored. Ichimaru Gin and Tōsen Kaname had already been captured. Two blades were pressed against Gin's neck, while Tōsen was in a far worse state—pinned to the ground, each of his limbs restrained by a lieutenant, ready to suppress him at any moment.
With Kyōka Suigetsu in play, the only ones currently capable of opposing Aizen were the Ryoka and the Visored. This was an internal matter of Soul Society—the Ryoka would not interfere, and even if they did, their strength was insufficient. As for the Visored, unless all eight fought together, even Hirako had little confidence against Aizen after Bankai.
If they all attacked together, Ichimaru and Tōsen would inevitably exploit Kyōka Suigetsu to cause chaos. That left Hirako in a dilemma.
Having already discussed matters with Urahara, Hirako knew just how monstrous the Hōgyoku was. Though he wanted Aizen brought to justice, in the face of the world's safety, personal hatred had to come second. Retrieving the Hōgyoku came first.
Yamamoto glanced at Hirako in surprise. He hadn't expected Hirako Shinji to remain so level-headed. Though he didn't know what the Hōgyoku truly was, his principle was simple—anything Aizen desired must be stopped.
Aizen laughed, as though hearing the most amusing joke.
"What makes you think their lives can compare to the Hōgyoku ?"
"Aizen, you—"
Hirako was about to rebuke him, but when he saw Hinamori Momo still lying behind Aizen, he understood. Emotional appeals meant nothing to Aizen.
"Hey, aren't you going to try persuading your boss?" Kensei said coldly, pressing his blade further into Gin's neck. Blood began to trickle down the edge.
"I have no objections," Gin replied with his usual narrowed eyes and smile. "For Aizen-sama, our usefulness has already come to an end."
As for Tōsen, he simply ignored everything, as if he had already abandoned his life.
"Shinji Hirako, I have a request."
Yamamoto's voice broke the stalemate.
All the Visored looked at him in shock. A request—coming from Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni? That alone was astonishing.
"Y-yes, Head Captain. Please speak," Hirako replied, unconsciously using honorifics.
"You can see Aizen Sōsuke's true body, correct? Report his position to me. Three moves—within three moves, I will take him down."
The words were filled with overwhelming killing intent. Limiting himself to three moves was Yamamoto's way of minimizing damage to Soul Society.
Aizen, of course, understood Yamamoto's plan—but he intended to let him fail. Soul Society still had its uses.
He raised his head and silently crushed a device.
A black裂縫裂開 across the sky above Sōkyoku Hill. It spread open in a jagged, saw-like pattern—
A Garganta.
Aizen had opened a passage to Hueco Mundo within Soul Society.
In the next instant, dozens of Gillian-class Hollows crowded into the opening, as if drawn by something, desperately trying to force their way through.
Yamamoto's grip on Ryūjin Jakka trembled. Betrayal, Hollowfication, and now summoning Hollows to invade Soul Society—Aizen had crossed his bottom line again and again.
Yamamoto drew his blade.
Shōmei.
The flames of Ryūjin Jakka surged upward, forming a towering firestorm that engulfed Aizen, burning until nothing remained.
Yamamoto had already decided—Aizen must die first. As for the consequences of the Hollow invasion, the other Shinigami of the Seireitei would handle it. Shōmei was meant to trap Aizen.
"Hirako Shinji, be ready…" Yamamoto warned, as the flames began to compress back into the blade.
But the technique he had placed such hope in spun only twice before vanishing. There was simply nothing left to burn.
As the flames dispersed, Aizen stood within a yellow, translucent beam of light, its other end connected to the Garganta—a path guiding him away.
The same beams appeared around Gin and Tōsen. The moment they emerged, the Visored were forced out of range. Kensei tried to strike Gin, only for his fist to pass right through him.
"Negación," Urahara said immediately, recognizing it.
"That Garganta isn't for attacking Soul Society—it's for their escape."
Negación was a beam used by Hollows to rescue their own kind. The inside and outside of the light were completely isolated—effectively separate dimensions. Once enveloped, no outside attack could reach them.
That was Aizen's escape route.
Yamamoto sheathed Ryūjin Jakka. He understood as well—once inside Negación, even if he burned all of Soul Society to ashes, he wouldn't be able to harm Aizen.
The three of them began to rise slowly within the light. Aside from Aizen, the other two looked somewhat battered.
Aizen's gaze sharpened. He removed his glasses—the symbol of his disguise—and ran a hand through his hair, slicking it back. A faint, mocking smile appeared on his lips.
"Farewell, Shinigami. From this moment on… I shall stand in the heavens."
As he spoke, he glanced deliberately at Sawada Tsunayoshi.
For some reason, he felt uneasy.
That man… Tsunayoshi had mentioned "support." Could it really be just the momentary disruption of Kyōka Suigetsu? Was something so trivial worth pointing out?
"Head Captain, please withdraw with the other captains from Sōkyoku Hill. We'll take over from here," Hirako said. Then he ordered, "Hiyori, help evacuate the injured."
"Hirako Shinji, that's Negación. Once enveloped, it forms an indestructible isolated space—"
"I know!" Hirako cut him off. "Head Captain, did you think we came here unprepared?"
Seeing Hirako's tone change, Yamamoto understood—this was for the sake of the Seireitei.
He said no more.
Carrying Sasakibe, he gave Hirako a deep look and said, "I leave this to you."
Hiyori and the others were stunned. The ever-authoritative Yamamoto… speaking like this?
"We'll help too," Ichigo said, already lifting Renji onto his back.
The Negación rose slowly. Combined with its near-invincible nature, the slow ascent gave Aizen the sensation of ruling from the heavens.
But now, that slow speed became a burden.
Watching the orderly evacuation below, Aizen felt a growing sense of unease.
No… something couldn't possibly go wrong inside Negación… right?
His gaze shifted again—to Tsunayoshi.
Amid all the movement below, Tsunayoshi alone stood still.
Even the four Visored captains had taken up positions at the four corners, as if waiting for something to fall.
Tsunayoshi… what are you planning?
Once all non-combatants had been evacuated, Hirako and the others exchanged glances and nodded.
Preventing interference from Kyōka Suigetsu was only step one.
As for Negación—they had already prepared a way to break it.
"Tsunayoshi, now!" Hirako shouted.
Having long anticipated this moment, Tsunayoshi had already informed Urahara about Aizen's escape method. Urahara had conducted numerous experiments on how to break Negación—but all required intervention from within.
But the target was Aizen Sōsuke.
Even landing a single trick on him before had been extremely difficult. Installing a countermeasure on him without detection was nearly impossible.
Just as Urahara's research hit a bottleneck, Tsunayoshi proposed using his uniquely attributed flames.
The results were promising.
Among them, one flame possessed exactly the necessary property—
A flame that could blend with everything, and encompass all things—
The Sky Flame.
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