The Battle of Sōkyoku Hill Begins

Thud! A wound slid from his left shoulder down to his right abdomen, and blood gushed out like a fountain.

Despite his severe injuries, Tōshirō raised his head to look at Aizen ahead.

How exactly was I attacked?

Has this guy really gotten this strong?

He used the power of Hyōrinmaru to freeze his wounds, braced himself with his hands on his sword, and forced himself to stand up again, facing Aizen.

Tōshirō understood that he couldn't let anger get the better of him; rushing in recklessly would only result in his death.

"Aizen, you've deceived us!" Sajin Komamura.

"Deception?" Aizen turned to look at him, then gently shook his head. "I have never deceived anyone; it's just that none of you understand me."

"Nonsense! How could you lay a hand on such a loyal subordinate as Momo Hinamori!" Sajin Komamura, drawing his Zanpakuto in fury, "Tenken Myō'ō!"

"Hadō #90, Black Coffin"

Aizen used a high-sequence Kidō that Incantation Abandonment, and the Black Coffin enveloped Sajin Komamura.

He turned to Tōshirō was breathing heavily, and said:

"Momo Hinamori can't live without me, that's because that's what I taught her."

"If you want to manipulate others, there's no one easier to manipulate than someone who idolizes you."

Aizen reached up and adjusted his glasses, then continued:

"Worship is the emotion furthest from understanding."

Don't you think I killed her out of pity?

"Damn it!" Tōshirō was once again blinded by rage and rushed forward.

At that moment, the Black Coffin next to him exploded, and Sajin Komamura covered in blood, his eyes rolled back, and he had lost his ability to fight.

This scene brought Tōshirō back to his senses.

To think that a captain could be defeated so easily, I would never be a match for him in my current state.

However, once the ice flowers wither...

Aizen then looked at Captain-Commander Yamamoto, only to find that the other man was still standing there, unmoved.

He had to admit he was a little curious, so he asked, "Captain-Commander Yamamoto, do you seem to have other concerns?"

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto merely turned his head coldly, sweeping his murderous gaze over Aizen, but offered no response.

Because Aizen's guess was correct, the reason he hasn't made a move or launched an attack on Aizen is that he's still on guard against another enemy.

The enemy could come from the Wandenreich, or it could come from the Tokoyo Misao.

He needed to wait, let all those hiding in the shadows come out, and then turn them to ashes with absolute power.

Chōjirō Sasakibe, of course, understood Genryūsai's thoughts.

He stepped forward, but as soon as he took a step, blood spurted from his chest, and he lost his balance and fell to the ground.

Aizen spoke again, "To walk on top of an ant without crushing it requires very precise control of your strength."

Even Chōjirō Sasakibe with Captain-level strength, was defeated by Aizen so easily.

Captain-Commander Yamamoto's grip on his cane tightened involuntarily, but in the end he refrained from making a move.

Aizen alone isn't enough; there are even more powerful figures behind the scenes who haven't yet emerged.

Crack! The sound of a lock breaking rang out.

On the execution platform, a black figure stood in front of Isshin Kurosaki.

Ichigo Kurosaki, holding a moon blade in his right hand and dressed in Shihakushō, stood in front of his father:

"I've come to save you, you bastard dad."

Chapter 160 War Begins at Sōkyoku Hill

"Oh, it really is you, Sōsuke Aizen."

Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake also arrived at Sōkyoku Hill at the same time.

Seeing that Ichigo Kurosaki had rescued Isshin Kurosaki, they casually threw their equipment to the ground and drew their Aizen at Zanpakuto.

Jūshirō Ukitake angrily asked, "Aizen, why did you do this?"

He first activated his Reishi senses, scanning the injured Momo Hinamori, Sajin Komamura, and Sasakibe on the ground.

He breathed a slight sigh of relief upon discovering that the two were still alive.

However, the first two were too close to Aizen to heal him directly; they had to lure Aizen away first.

He glanced discreetly at Captain Unohana beside him, who understood and nodded slightly.

Then Jūshirō Ukitake took a step forward and said in a deep voice, "Aizen, you are no longer the Aizen I know."

Aizen chuckled and calmly replied, "Captain Ukitake, the Aizen you know never existed in the first place."

"How audacious! I don't know why you exposed yourself here, but you think you can leave us? Not so easy." Shunsui Kyōraku said as he walked to Jūshirō Ukitake's side.

At the same time, his eyes turned to his teacher, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, and found that the other party was still motionless, and did not even look at Aizen.

Based on Shunsui Kyōraku's understanding of his teacher, he estimated that the teacher was probably still waiting for all the enemies to appear. Shunsui Kyōraku frowned and became wary.

Just then, the other two captains arrived at Sōkyoku Hill.

They are Kaname Tōsen and Gin Ichimaru.

Jūshirō Ukitake immediately spoke up, "Be careful, Aizen very strong."

Kaname Tōsen drew his sword, he stepped forward and said, "I know, Lord Aizen is very strong."

As he said this, he had already drawn his sword and slashed at Jūshirō Ukitake's back.

Shunsui Kyōraku immediately drew his sword, blocking Ukitake's path, and with a sudden burst of strength, separated him. "Kaname Tōsen, how come you're included too?"

Jūshirō Ukitake stared wide-eyed in shock.

He really wasn't on guard against Kaname Tōsen just now. If Shunsui Kyōraku hadn't been so vigilant, that slash would have seriously injured him.

Kaname Tōsen coming with Gin Ichimaru, could it be...?

His gaze shifted and he saw Gin Ichimaru Aizen.

Jūshirō Ukitake asked incredulously, "Gin Ichimaru, even you have betrayed Soul Society?"

Gin Ichimaru replied somewhat helplessly, "From the very beginning, I've been under Captain Aizen's command, and I've never sided with Soul Society."

Now Aizen has three captains on his side, including himself, and Aizen's strength is unfathomable, which makes things complicated.

Feeling a little flustered, Jūshirō Ukitake glanced at Captain-Commander Yamamoto's back.

He also noticed that his teacher seemed to be waiting.

Could it be that there are other traitors within the Gotei 13 besides Kaname Tōsen and Gin Ichimaru?

"Hey, hey, you Soul Society's problems are your own business. I'm taking Dad with me." Ichigo Kurosaki carried his father down from the scaffold.

He had no interest in the infighting within Soul Society; his only purpose in coming here was to save his father. Now that the father had been rescued, it was time to leave.

Just as he was about to lift his foot, a steady voice rang out. "No! He is a sinner of Soul Society, you cannot take him away."

The speaker was none other than Captain-Commander Yamamoto.

He appeared in front of Ichigo Kurosaki's retreat route at some point and stopped him.

This action left Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake, who were standing nearby, somewhat bewildered.

Kyōraku quickly interjected, "Grandpa, it's quite obvious what happened to Captain Isshin. It was all Aizen's doing. He probably killed everyone in the Central 46 Chambers, and it has nothing to do with Tokoyo Misao."

"I killed those maggots in Central 46 half a month ago," Aizen calmly echoed.

Even so, Captain-Commander Yamamoto showed no intention of letting Ichigo Kurosaki leave.

Contrary to what Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake knew, the Vice-Captain Sasakibe had reported to Captain-Commander Yamamoto while the two were on their way that Tokoyo Misao had gone to the Noble Street.

In fact, the upper-class nobles on the Noble Streets had a special emergency communication device, which was hung on Yamamoto's lower back.

The badge was constantly sending out distress signals.

So it's obvious who was killing them.

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto didn't care whether those guys lived or died.

As long as the Soul Society can continue to operate peacefully and stably, that's fine.

They were kept alive in the past only because it would help maintain peace in Soul Society.

But if eliminating them can maintain stability, then he wouldn't mind.

The problem now is that Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai is not certain that Tokoyo Misao is on the side of Soul Society, which is why he continues to stop Ichigo Kurosaki.

Ichigo Kurosaki was essentially half a disciple of Tokoyo Misao, a fact he already knew from intelligence reports.

If we let him leave with Isshin Kurosaki now, Tokoyo Misao might not even reappear in this incident.

That's why Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai intercepted Ichigo Kurosaki, in order to force Tokoyo Misao to come and make his stance clear.

If the other side really isn't on Soul Society's side, then we might as well burn to ashes together.

"Hey, old man, I'm human, and my father has become human too. Boss Misao said that Soul Society is a place for the dead, and it shouldn't interfere too much with the living World of the Living."

Not only did you bring my father back, but now you're planning to leave me here?

"So, you undead are planning to interfere with the mortal World of the Living?" Ichigo Kurosaki asked, frowning.

His words were very logically sound.

Despite having studied how to master power since childhood and frequently venturing out to eliminate evil spirits, and sporting a head of blond hair, he still manages to do so.

But his studies never suffered; he often ranked in the top ten of his grade, a true top student.

In this respect, Orihime Inoue was a bit lacking, as she received a lot of scolding because of her studies.

In response to Ichigo Kurosaki's question, Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai narrowed his eyes.

Among the rules he set for himself was indeed this: Soul Reaper should not interfere excessively in the World of the Living.

The person opposite me Ichigo Kurosaki, who uses the powers of Quincy, and Soul Reaper, is undeniably human.

"Kid, don't rush, stay here for now." Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai turned to look at Aizen and said, "If you have any other tricks up your sleeve, use them. If not, then say your last words."

"Last words? Captain-Commander Yamamoto, you're joking. That's completely unfounded." Aizen chuckled as he moved forward.

Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen also followed him.

For some reason, Aizen voluntarily gave up his position.

Unohana seized the opportunity and rushed forward, pulling Sajin Komamura, Momo Hinamori, and Hitsugaya back for unified treatment.

Aizen didn't care.

At this moment, his eyes were fixed on Captain-Commander Yamamoto as he smiled and said, "The rock of Soul Society, the strongest Soul Reaper in a thousand years, Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai."

Because of your existence, the Soul Society has been like a quagmire for thousands of years.

He stretched out his hand and said, "You've seen the changes in Seireitei lately, haven't you?"

The World of the Living has progressed to this extent in just one hundred years of peace.

But Soul Society's supposed thousand years of peace under your and the nobles' suppression, it remains stagnant.

"Hmph! What do you know, you brat!" Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto narrowed his eyes.

"The Soul Reaper's mission is to maintain balance Three Worlds; he doesn't need to develop so-called technology."

"How arrogant, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto." Aizen shook his head. "If you had developed technology earlier, you probably would have been able to find the Wandenreich hidden in Soul Society much sooner."

"And your reason for not developing it is simply to keep Rukongai as a conduit for the Soul Society —or rather, the Three Worlds' Reishi transfusion—that's all, isn't it?"

Captain-Commander Yamamoto's eyes turned dangerous.

He gripped his cane tightly, seemingly unwilling to wait any longer.

Aizen continued, "Kurosaki, you grew up in the World of the Living, so perhaps you don't understand."

I presume you've already been to Rukongai.