Chapter 37

But Miyako Amamiya had prepared for this long ago. As Kaname Tōsen slashed at him, he fired four arrows into the ground.

When Tōsen struck, Miyako Amamiya merely stepped back slightly, causing Tōsen to step into the trap.

Accept this grand battle formation! Sankt Zwinger! Miyako Amamiya did not shout the words. The arrows changed rapidly, unleashing the technique with his own Reiryoku. Sankt Zwinger erupted from the ground, raising a massive cloud of dust.

Before the dust had even settled, Tōsen came slashing at him again.

Miyako Amamiya noticed a little blood on his arm. It seemed Sankt Zwinger had not done him much damage, so he had no choice but to dodge again.

This can't go on... Tōsen was injured and hasn't fully recovered, but he still can't be underestimated.

I'll have to exploit his blindness. Miyako Amamiya made up his mind and immediately jumped, dodging Tōsen's slash. Although the blade still grazed him and drew blood from his leg, an injury of that extent would not affect the fight.

Miyako Amamiya fired another arrow at him, but this one was a little different.

Tōsen easily dodged the first arrow with a sidestep, but Miyako Amamiya immediately used Reishi Convergence in Soul Society once again. An arrow formed with Reishi Convergence followed close behind the first. Tōsen noticed nothing until the arrow was nearly upon him, only then realizing that an attack was coming.

He dodged the instant it hit, but the arrow still grazed his body, leaving a wound on his waist.

Tōsen could not understand why he had sensed no Reiatsu fluctuations from that last arrow.

Miyako Amamiya understood now too. The Reishi Convergence arrow contained none of his own Reiryoku, instead drawing Reishi directly from the atmosphere. Although it was an attack in plain sight, Tōsen could not see it, and because he had been too focused on Miyako Amamiya's Reiatsu, he had overlooked the technique.

"What did you do?" Tōsen demanded, clutching his waist as blood continued to pour from it. Because of Miyako Amamiya's Zanpakuto's bizarre ability, Tōsen had focused all his attention on Miyako Amamiya and had not noticed the Reishi in the atmosphere gathering toward his hand.

"What did I do? Isn't it obvious? My attack hit you," Miyako Amamiya said with a smile, stalling him for time.

Just as I thought. If I attack Tōsen with the Reiryoku in my body first, then draw Reishi from the atmosphere, he'll be so focused on my Reiatsu fluctuations that he'll overlook the changes in the Reishi around him.

But this trick could only fool a blind man like Tōsen. If anyone else had been present, Miyako Amamiya would never have used Reishi Convergence.

Although he had found Tōsen's weakness, he would be in trouble if Tōsen activated his Bankai... Miyako Amamiya thought worriedly.

Tōsen said nothing, guessing that it might have been an attack one could see but not sense. The thought irritated him greatly.

Just as Tōsen was about to strike at Miyako Amamiya again, he suddenly stopped and quickly retreated instead. Before long, he had left Sōkyoku Hill.

A voice also rang out in Miyako Amamiya's mind.

"To all captains and lieutenants of the Gotei 13, and to all the Ryoka. I am Isane Kotetsu of the Fourth Division. The situation is urgent, and what follows is an emergency message from Captain Unohana and myself. Everything I am about to say is the truth..."

Miyako Amamiya knew the voice was coming through Bakudō #77: Tenteikūra, and he also knew why Tōsen had left. It seemed Aizen had sent him instructions, requiring him to bring Aizen and Gin Ichimaru to the Sōkyoku.

"Then I can't sit around either..." With that, Miyako Amamiya immediately ran toward Rukia.

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"The Reiatsu closest to here is..." Miyako Amamiya carefully sensed his surroundings.

"Miss Yoruichi and Soi Fon, and Renji, Ichigo, and Byakuya Kuchiki..." Miyako Amamiya sensed the nearest sources of Reiatsu and made up his mind.

"Net of black and white, bridge of twenty-two, crown of sixty-six, footprints, distant thunder, sharp peak, returning earth, night ambush, sea of clouds, Azure Array, Fill the Garden of Shōta and soar into the heavens!"

"Bakudo #77, Tenteikūra!"

"Miss Yoruichi, Captain Soi Fon, Captain Kuchiki, and Ichigo and Renji, the situation is urgent. Rukia and I are on Sōkyoku Hill right now. Please return to the Sōkyoku as quickly as you can. Aizen will be here soon..."

After hearing Miyako Amamiya's voice, the group picked up their pace. Isane's message had revealed Aizen's true nature to them, but they did not know where he had gone. Even so, they knew that as long as Rukia Kuchiki was here, Aizen would come sooner or later.

"Oh? That Reiatsu vibration, was it Tenteikūra? Who were you informing, Amamiya-kun?"

Miyako Amamiya looked grimly at the figure ahead, drew his twin blades, and stood in front of Rukia.

Sōsuke Aizen slowly approached, accompanied by Kaname Tōsen and Gin Ichimaru.

"Lord Aizen, forgive me for not dealing with him beforehand," Tōsen said respectfully.

"You're not to blame, Amamiya-kun. Wasn't it my message that made you stop fighting?" Aizen said with a reassuring expression. "Otherwise... Amamiya-kun might have had trouble even standing here."

"Sōsuke Aizen..." Miyako Amamiya looked at him. Fortunately, he had not released his Zanpakuto's Shikai earlier, or he might not have had a chance at all.

"Amamiya-kun, what you've done has greatly exceeded my expectations. But now, would you hand Rukia Kuchiki over to me?"

"Hand her over? Why have you gone to such lengths to have Rukia executed?" Miyako Amamiya demanded loudly, hoping to buy a little time.

"Hmm? It seems Isane has already told you everything? How timely," Aizen remarked. He could sense quite a few sources of Reiatsu approaching, but it would still take them some time to reach this place.

With his plan on the verge of success, Aizen did not mind offering Miyako Amamiya a brief explanation.

"Executing Rukia Kuchiki... That's not quite right. I've never wanted to kill Rukia Kuchiki," Aizen said helplessly.

"Stop lying. Didn't you manipulate Central 46 so you could kill Rukia with the Sōkyoku?"

"I believe you've misunderstood, Amamiya-kun. My true goal isn't to kill Rukia. I merely want to scatter her soul completely... Only then will I have a chance to obtain the thing hidden inside her."

The Sōkyoku did worse than kill a person, yet Aizen had the nerve to say that.

"That thing? What are you talking about?" Miyako Amamiya stared at him and pretended to ask in a low voice.

"Even after going to the World of the Living, you didn't discover why Rukia Kuchiki lost all her Reiryoku? That man Kisuke Urahara is truly frightening. He didn't leave even the slightest trace." Even so, he himself had come out ahead, Aizen could not help thinking.

"All right, I've told you quite a lot. Will you hand Rukia Kuchiki over to me now? I still have something to retrieve from her," Aizen asked with a smile.

Miyako Amamiya did not loosen his grip on his bow. Instead, he aimed it at Aizen.

"Honestly, you know you can't stop me." Aizen sighed. His body began to blur, and he vanished in an instant.

But Miyako Amamiya knew this was the effect of Kyōka Suigetsu. Aizen had never stopped using it.

Yet now, Miyako Amamiya could clearly see the direction in which Aizen stood.

Miyako Amamiya gripped his bow with both hands and turned toward the person approaching him.

The bow separated, its curved body becoming blades while the middle became their hilts.

"Manifest, God-Repelling Jue Nian!" Miyako Amamiya had truly unleashed his own complete Shikai, its name was God-Repelling Jue Nian!

Miyako Amamiya's bow transformed into twin blades. These were not the twin blades from before his Shikai, but an entirely new pair.

Miyako Amamiya gripped the blades tightly and blocked Aizen's slash, but the force drove him into a half crouch. Then Aizen felt the force against his blade steadily increase. Miyako Amamiya slowly rose from his crouch until he was looking Aizen in the eye.

Aizen showed a hint of surprise at the sight.

"Amamiya-kun, you truly surprise me. Does Kyōka Suigetsu not work on you? I already hypnotized you, though." Aizen had only intended to get behind him and strike once to incapacitate him, but unexpectedly, Miyako Amamiya's bow had suddenly turned into twin blades and blocked the blow.

"Oh? Could this be your Zanpakuto's true Shikai?" Aizen asked curiously. Seeing the bow become a brand-new pair of blades had greatly interested him.

"Why don't you take a guess, Captain Aizen?" Miyako Amamiya said, pretending to struggle.

Miyako Amamiya's God-Repelling Jue Nian ultimately came down to the word "rejection." His previously half-awakened Divine Arrow: Severed Thought could infuse arrows with the power of rejection, thereby rejecting and blocking others' Reiatsu and consciousness. That was why it could seal Zanpakuto.

But the complete Shikai, God-Repelling Jue Nian, could release Reiryoku around his body to reject outside attacks, and could also reject foreign Reiryoku attempting to enter Miyako Amamiya. It was thanks to this power of rejection that he could neutralize Kyōka Suigetsu.

Miyako Amamiya shifted his body, sending Aizen's blade into the ground beside him, then immediately moved away before Aizen could act. Just as he was about to change his Zanpakuto back into a bow and attack, Aizen vanished from where he stood.

Aizen instantly appeared behind Miyako Amamiya and slashed hard. To his surprise, however, his blade did not cut through. It stopped a few centimeters from Miyako Amamiya's body, as if blocked by an invisible barrier.

"Now that's a little interesting." Aizen put more strength into his strike. His blade drew closer and closer to Miyako Amamiya, but could not reach his flesh.

Miyako Amamiya concentrated, not daring to let his attention wander. With his newfound power, a barrier called rejection, he desperately resisted Aizen's blade.

"It doesn't feel like it's being defended against. It's more as if something is stopping my blade?" Aizen felt it carefully and arrived at a rough conclusion.

Aizen used Shunpo to appear at Miyako Amamiya's side and slashed again.

Miyako Amamiya's body could not keep up with Aizen's movements, but his awareness could.

Left! As long as my mind can keep up with his movements, that's enough! Miyako Amamiya released the invisible barrier to his left once again.

Watching his blade get blocked time and again, Aizen's smile began to fade.

He tried slashing at Miyako Amamiya again and again, but to no avail. So he gave up on using Zanjutsu. Miyako Amamiya's ability was no longer something Zanjutsu could overcome.

"So it's a Kidō-type Zanpakuto? How troublesome," Aizen said helplessly. He did not want to waste too much time on Miyako Amamiya, and after probing him just now, he had gained some idea of the barrier's defensive range.

"In that case..."

"In that case, Gin..." Aizen merely called out to him, and Gin Ichimaru drew his Zanpakuto.

"Yes, yes, Captain Aizen," Gin said helplessly. "Shoot to kill, Shinsō!"

Miyako Amamiya naturally heard Aizen's order and hurriedly backed away, but Gin's Shinsō was extremely fast. It nearly struck Miyako Amamiya squarely in the head.

Shinsō grazed Miyako Amamiya's face, drawing blood, but he had no time to care about that now.

"How tenacious," Aizen remarked. It seemed he had underestimated Miyako Amamiya after all. "But... Hadō #90: Black Coffin!"

Let's see whether you can block an attack from every direction.

A black cube immediately rose around Miyako Amamiya, enclosing him inside. By the time he reacted, the Black Coffin had enveloped his entire body.

Aizen did not look at Miyako Amamiya again. Although the Black Coffin cast without an incantation had less than thirty percent of its power, Miyako Amamiya would be lucky to survive it.

But to Aizen's surprise, a crack appeared in the side of the Black Coffin, and before long, Miyako Amamiya escaped through it.

When Miyako Amamiya emerged, however, he found that Gin had already aimed his Zanpakuto at him.

Gin released his Zanpakuto again. Although Miyako Amamiya noticed the attack, he did not use his ability. Instead, he deliberately let Shinsō run him through, then his whole body went limp and collapsed.

It's almost time. If I keep fighting, I won't have enough Reiatsu to fire that arrow. Miyako Amamiya had noticed the signal Yoruichi Shihōin sent him, so he planned to feign mortal injury now.

Miyako Amamiya could actually still fight despite a mere piercing wound, but no matter how long he stalled them alone, it would do no good. He might as well pretend and make the enemy lower their guard.

"Gin, nicely done." Aizen had to praise Gin's precise timing. "Shinsō is still faster than I am. It seems Amamiya-kun failed to react after all."

"No, you, Captain Aizen. To cast a number ninety Hadō instantly without the incantation, how frightening. If he hadn't had a special method, he'd probably have been torn to pieces," Gin said with a smile.

"No, as long as it misses, it's a failure." Aizen shook his head. The Black Coffin cast without its incantation was indeed very fast, but it had only thirty percent of its power, to say nothing of the fact that this attack had not even struck Miyako Amamiya directly.

Aizen had not expected it to take him and Gin so long to deal with Miyako Amamiya. He now wondered if he had grown arrogant, taking so long to deal with a lieutenant and even needing someone else's help.

"That took me by surprise. I didn't expect there to be a way to break out of the Black Coffin." Aizen looked at Miyako Amamiya with great interest.

The invisible barrier and the power to break through Kidō could not help but make Aizen curious about Miyako Amamiya's Zanpakuto ability.

"Miyako Amamiya!" Seeing him fall, Rukia could not help shouting. Although Miyako Amamiya had told her beforehand that none of them might be able to stop Aizen on their own this time, actually seeing Aizen's terrifying strength still startled her.

"Amamiya-kun, just lie there quietly for a while." Aizen was still somewhat interested in Miyako Amamiya's Zanpakuto ability, so he did not kill him outright, intending instead to retrieve the Hōgyoku first.

Just as Aizen's hand was about to seize Rukia, two figures, one black and one white, blocked his path. The people Miyako Amamiya had called had finally arrived.

Ichigo Kurosaki and Byakuya Kuchiki, having finished their fight, had raced back to the Sōkyoku with all their strength. Seeing Aizen approach Rukia, they quickly positioned themselves in front of her.

"Roar, Zabimaru!" Renji's voice came from behind Aizen, and Zabimaru flew toward Aizen's back from a distance.

"Honestly, I didn't expect them to be so fast," Aizen sighed. He merely held his sword behind him. Zabimaru struck the slender Zanpakuto in Aizen's hand and advanced no farther, instead bunching up. No matter how much Reiryoku Renji Abarai poured into it, it was no use.

In front of Aizen, Ichigo Kurosaki and Byakuya Kuchiki stood guard before and behind Rukia.

"Ichigo, brother..." Rukia murmured, gazing absentmindedly at their backs.

"Sorry, Captain Aizen. I didn't expect them to be so fast," Gin said helplessly, spreading his hands.

"It doesn't matter. They're merely a few specks of dust, not difficult to sweep away," Aizen said easily. Even though he saw that Gin had deliberately let them through, he did not care.

Byakuya still wanted to attack. He raised his hand, and Senbonzakura's attack struck Aizen, severely wounding him. But the next moment, the Aizen he saw lying gravely wounded suddenly vanished.

"Behind you!" Ichigo, the only one who had not been hypnotized by Kyōka Suigetsu, shouted a warning, but Aizen immediately brought his sword down.

Blood sprayed, and Byakuya, already seriously wounded, collapsed.

"Brother!" Rukia cried, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She did not know why her brother, who had insisted on upholding the rules before, was now risking his life to protect her.

"To think you still had the strength to release your Shikai despite being so badly wounded. Impressive, Byakuya Kuchiki."

"Damn it..." Ichigo still did not know what had happened. For some reason, Byakuya had attacked an empty space, then Aizen had appeared directly behind him and brought him down with one slash.

Ichigo and Renji charged at Aizen from the front and back, but Aizen did not dodge. He stood where he was and waited for them to come close.

"And you two, be quiet for a while as well." Aizen sighed. He lightly pinched Ichigo's blade between his fingers, then casually swung his own sword, severely wounding him. Renji's attack from the side never even reached him.

In less than a few seconds, Aizen had easily cut down the only two still standing, Ichigo and Renji, leaving them gravely wounded.

"All right, you're next, Rukia Kuchiki." Aizen came before Rukia with a smile.

But Rukia showed no fear as she faced Aizen's ill-intentioned smile.