Battle Escalation

"How is that possible?!"

Gin Ichimaru's pupils shrank. Someone had actually caught his Shinso.

The long blade rapidly retracted.

It had returned to its short-blade form.

Yet Aizen appeared before Gin Ichimaru in that instant.

"You and I are no longer on the same level, Gin."

He drove a heavy kick into Gin Ichimaru's face. Powerful force erupted, instantly sending him flying.

He carved a long trench across the ground.

"And I knew your purpose from the very beginning."

Aizen wore a faint smile.

A trace of Rangiku Matsumoto's soul was within the Hōgyoku. That was what Gin Ichimaru had always wanted.

"Gin!!"

Rangiku Matsumoto used Shunpo to appear in front of Gin Ichimaru.

But Aizen instantly appeared before her.

Rangiku Matsumoto's pupils contracted.

His movement was completely invisible.

Aizen raised the blade in his hand.

"Move."

Gin Ichimaru swiftly pulled Rangiku Matsumoto behind him.

The blade flashed, cutting a wound across Gin Ichimaru's back.

"Gin!!"

Rangiku Matsumoto's pupils shrank. Gritting her teeth, she drew her sword from its sheath.

"Growl, Haineko!!"

The blade turned into ash and drifted toward Aizen.

"Meaningless resistance."

Aizen shook his head. Such resistance was utterly useless.

The blade in his hand fell at once.

It was about to end this ill-fated pair.

The blade instantly swept across both of them.

Aizen turned around in confusion.

"I couldn't bear to keep watching."

Uchiha Osame smiled at Aizen, a short blade appearing in her hand before her chest.

Uchiha Shisui's Immortal's Trick.

"Even a Legion Commander of the Land of Shadow can feel sympathy?"

Aizen looked curiously at the woman before him.

Her smile was completely different from his own disguise. He could sense Uchiha Osame's genuine gentleness.

Uchiha Osame shook her head. "People of the Land of Shadow aren't made of stone."

They simply understood