The Battle of Sōkyoku Hill (VIII)

On the execution platform at Sōkyoku Hill, the twilight was as red as blood, and the setting sun was about to disappear.

Sōsuke Aizen stood before the shattered Sōkyoku Scaffold, his Captain's Haori tattered and hanging from his shoulder, the burn mark on his chest, inflicted by the Formless Art: Emptiness, faintly glowing a dark red light through the torn fabric.

He took out a small device from his pocket—it was something he had hastily made overnight in the Pure Tower Residence Grove based on the information that Kisuke Urahara had left in the Tsunayashiro Library. The device was engraved with intricate Reishi circuits, which could be used to construct a ritual platform to directly extract foreign objects from the soul using the special Reishi inside the Sōkyoku.

Aizen attached it to the Sōkyoku Spear, and the device began to operate, emitting an extremely faint hum.

The device only finished absorbing the Reishi after Ichigo and Byakuya's duel ended. He turned on the device and activated the extraction technique on the still-burning dark red scald on his chest.

A moment later, a ball of dark red flame was pulled from Aizen's chest. He looked at the slowly closing hole in his chest. "Urahara's invention is truly ingenious; it doesn't even harm the soul."

He reinstalled the device on the Sōkyoku, waiting for it to collect enough Reishi for the next step of extracting the Hōgyoku.

Just then--

"Found you, you bastard!"

A dark blue streak shot into the sky from the steps, and the four wings of the Demon Shadow fully unfolded in the twilight, tinting most of Aizen's vision with this dark blue hue. Amber burst out from the Demon Shadow's embrace, and Jiku'a drew an arc in the twilight, slashing straight at Aizen's face.

Aizen his sword, and Kyōka Suigetsu clashed with Jiku'a. The shockwave exploded outwards from the two of them, and the ground beneath their feet cracked in all directions. Their faces were only inches apart through the blades, Aizen's gaze, behind his glasses, slowly swept across Amber's burning silver eyes.

"Ye Xing, you were really rude today."

"Sōsuke Aizen!" Kou Jiku'a Toki Crow with both hands, pressing the blade down inch by inch.

Aizen glanced at the gradually solidifying Demon Shadow behind Amber. "Didn't you have a good chat with Gin? Your Demon Shadow seems to have shrunk quite a bit."

With a flick of his wrist, he deflected Shiya's blade with Kyōka Suigetsu, Jiku'a kicked Amber in the chest. The force of the kick sent Amber staggering back several steps, the four wings of the Demon Shadow carving two deep furrows in the ground.

"Mind your own business!" Amber used the Jiku'a to stop her retreat, the tip of her knife scraping against the stone slab, creating a series of tiny sparks. "Die!"

Before he finished speaking, he had vanished from his spot. The next instant, Jiku'a's blade appeared in front of Aizen, slashing down vertically. Aizen raised his sword to block, and the moment the two swords collided, a shockwave exploded outwards from the two of them, causing the stone slabs beneath their feet to crack in all directions.

"Oh dear, do young people always talk about things beyond their capabilities?" Aizen mocked, maintaining his standoff with Amber. "It really makes you look weak!"

"Although I don't know what's going on—" Aizen's words were cut short as an orange figure appeared behind him. Ichigo Kurosaki's right shoulder was still bleeding profusely from a deep, bone-revealing wound, but he carried Tensa Zangetsu without a trace of hesitation in his eyes, "But this guy is an enemy, isn't he?"

Tensa Zangetsu aimed straight at Aizen's back. Without Aizen pointed his left hand behind him. "Bakudo #81: Dankū!"

The blade of Tensa Zangetsu struck the Dankū, the impact sending Ichigo staggering back two steps.

"What?"

Aizen didn't even want to look at Ichigo, continuing to deal with Koko's attacks, "You're angry? Is it because of Mr. Cilian?"

Aizen parried Koko's sword and delivered a backhand horizontal slash. "He is indeed a remarkable figure. Over a hundred years ago, when I was weak, I plotted to kill him, but he survived. Over a hundred years later, I have grown stronger, yet he still manages to thwart my plans and drive me into peril."

Aizen raised his hand and touched his neck; the spot where Cilian with Shadow Piercer had already regenerated. "You should be proud of him."

"Pride?" Amber's silver eyes blazed red. Jiku'a slashed out again, Aizen dodged to the side. The blade grazed Aizen's cheek, severing a few strands of his black hair.

Before he could even regain his footing, Amber's left fist followed— Beowulf's gauntlets exploded with white light patterns on the knuckles, and the punch slammed solidly into Aizen's parrying blade.

Boom--!

Aizen was blasted away, crashing into the shattered Sōkyoku Scaffold. Debris flew everywhere, and dust engulfed his figure.

A very soft laugh came from the smoke and dust. "Truly remarkable." Aizen stood up from the rubble, brushing the dust off his shoulders. Apart from a new crack in his glasses, even the smile on his lips remained unchanged. "As expected of a student taught by Master Cilian."

Amber's silver pupils narrowed slightly:

"Really? I didn't hold back this time. This guy hasn't even fused with the Hōgyoku yet—and he's not even having any reaction to this?!"

Ichigo stood to the side, his gaze sweeping over Aizen. He saw it—the broken Syringe at Aizen's feet, the fluorescent green liquid inside empty. "Akira, don't fall for his tricks! This guy secretly injected himself!"

Aizen's smile faltered. He glanced down at the shattered Syringe at his feet, then looked up, his gaze falling on Ichigo. A chilling scrutiny flickered in his usually gentle eyes.

"Children should behave like children; they should stay quietly and watch from the sidelines. Interrupting without permission will get them a scolding."

His figure vanished from his spot, his Shunpo so fast it left almost no afterimage; the next instant he appeared before Ichigo, raising Kyōka Suigetsu high—

Just as the blade was about to fall, dozens of eerie blue lights attacked from the side. The Summoned Swords shot towards Aizen like a storm; if Aizen to swing this sword, Amber would riddle him with holes.

Aizen Shunpo to retreat, and the Summoned Swords plunged into the spot where he had just stood, the blades sinking into the ground with only the hilts sticking out.

"There's no reason for a child to get chopped up for interrupting." Amber stood behind the sword formation, gripping Toki Jiku'a in her right hand, her left hand outstretched, controlling the trajectory of the swords. "Aizen, you're not some petty person who gets angry just because someone called you out, are you?"

Aizen watched as the Summoned Swords that had been pinned to the ground rose up again, forming an arc in the air, their tips all pointing at him.

He immediately dodged with Shunpo, but the Summoned Swords pursued him relentlessly—clearly, the flight trajectories of these swords were being controlled in real time.

Aizen's gaze swept across the sword formation. The Summoned Swords no longer shot straight at each other as before, but changed direction constantly in mid-air, their trajectories like those of living things.

"I see. In Bankai state, not only is there no limit to the number of Summoned Swords, but the controllability is also enhanced."

Aizen Shunpo again, followed closely by a group of swords. Koko stood in place, her fingertips twitching slightly, and the Summoned Swords drew different arcs in the air, blocking Aizen's retreat from different angles.

"That's it, Aizen, keep dancing in my palm," Amber said provocatively.

Aizen suddenly stopped, ceasing his dodges, and an invisible barrier unfolded around him. The Summoned Swords all crashed into the barrier, producing a piercing friction sound. The sword tips sparked countless sparks as they scraped against the barrier's surface, yet they could not penetrate it even slightly.

"Don't get too cocky, kid!" He raised his finger and pointed it at Amber.

"Hadō #90: The Black Coffin"

A black cube rose from the ground, engulfing Amber within it. Just as Ichigo was about to rush forward, he noticed a horizontal line of light suddenly appear on the surface of the black coffin—a spatial rift cleaved open from the inside by something.

"Void Blade Realm."

A ghostly blue light shone through the crack. The black coffin was cleanly sliced open from the center, the upper half slowly sliding down the cut, the edge as smooth as a mirror. Hu emerged from the fragments, Jiku'a standing in front of him, the ghostly blue traces of the Void Blade Realm still remaining on the blade.

The Demon Shadow hovered behind him, but it had shrunk even more than before, and its semi-transparent outline was gradually solidifying, as if it were being pulled closer from the void by some force.

Aizen looked at him, a smile returning to his lips. "Ye Xing, the Demon Shadow has shrunk again. It must have taken a lot of effort to destroy my black coffin. How long can your immature Bankai last?"

"Huh?" Upon hearing this, Hu suddenly stopped and stood in front of him, with Jiku'a hanging at his sides. "Who told you that the shrinking of the Demon Shadow is a sign that my Bankai is gradually losing its power?"

He took a step forward, a smile playing on his lips, "Don't judge people by their stereotypes, Aizen."

Aizen's smile faded slightly.

"Seeing your confused look, I'll mercifully tell you. My Bankai is indeed immature, but it's different from what you think—it's not the power that's immature, nor my understanding of Bankai, but my body!"

As Hu spoke, the Demon Shadow gradually solidified, no longer a translucent, ghostly blue phantom—the outline of every muscle fiber gradually became clear, and the feathers of light on its four wings became distinct one by one.

It moved slowly forward from behind Amber, as if it were being pulled closer from a distant coordinate to a position overlapping with Amber.

"I've only been in Soul Society for less than six months, and my physical characteristics are very similar to those of Soul Society infant—meaning I'm still growing. To allow my body to adapt to the enhancements brought by Bankai, I release my power as a Demon Shadow to assist my body in this process."

The Demon Shadow had landed at the same level as Amber, its four wings folded behind it, and its lower body began to materialize—its legs condensed from the void, its feet striking the shattered stone slabs with a dull thud.

It stood beside Amber, side by side, its two equally red eyes locked onto Aizen.

"And the next state is my true Bankai! Open your eyes wide and take a good look!" Amber gripped Jiku'a with both hands, the blade held horizontally in front of him, and the Demon Shadow gripped the sword in sync with him. All the Reiatsu converged in an instant, and then exploded in the next second.

"Bankai! Heaven's Punishment Jiku'a - Heavenly Demon Armor!"

A soaring blue Reiatsu engulfed the entire execution platform. The light was no longer flamboyant and unrestrained, but pure and solid. A blue-white pillar of light shot straight into the sky from the top of Sōkyoku Hill, dyeing the entire twilight in a cold hue.

The shockwave from the Reiatsu blew away all the rubble on the execution platform, forcing Ichigo to raise Tensa Zangetsu to block the oncoming wind pressure.

As the light slowly faded and the smoke gradually dissipated...

Hu stood in the center of the execution platform.

His entire body was covered in a set of dark blue biomechanical exoskeleton armor.

Unlike the cold, hard texture of metal armor, this exoskeleton armor is reconstructed from a biomaterial shell that flows like a living organism, interwoven with the fibers of Shihakusho.

Dark bony outlines rise on the shoulder blades, segmented exoskeletal ridges bulge along the spine, and a ring of translucent membrane curving inward grows on both sides of the neck.

What is striking is his head: a full-face helmet completely obscures his face, with the sides of the helmet extending outwards in the shape of a hammerhead shark's head, and a narrow V-shaped peephole in the center of his face, through which one can see Amber's eyes burning with blue demonic flames.

Four blade-like wings, resembling bat wings, unfurled from his back—composed of slender Reishi particle blades with intricate patterns and flowing eerie light at the edges, fluttering behind him like the hem of a trench coat.

His left arm was the most special: Jiku'a's scabbard had completely fused with his forearm—the living scabbard made of biomass was connected to his wrist, its surface covered with a dark blue carapace of the same material as the exoskeleton, Jiku'a was quietly sheathed in the scabbard.

At this moment, Hu Jing stood there, like a samurai sword sheathed in its sheath—solitary, cold, and unapproachable.

Aizen's gaze slowly swept over Koko, and when it reached the bladed wings on her back, a smile was still on his face.

But when his gaze fell on the living scabbard that had merged with Jiku'a's left arm, his pupils behind the lenses contracted slightly.

"This situation... no, it's not necessarily true yet..."

"Is this the true form of your Bankai?" He held Kyōka Suigetsu horizontally in front of him, the blade reflecting Amber's eerie blue light. "Interesting."

As soon as Aizen finished speaking, Amber's figure vanished from the spot.

Jiku'a sprang from its living scabbard and unleashed a reverse slash from below. Aizen tried to block, but the speed of this slash was completely different from before—the blade didn't even make a sound as it sliced through the air. Only after the blade had completely passed through did a spatial rift belatedly tear open in the air.

Aizen was instantly knocked back, his feet carving two deep furrows in the ground. Before he could regain his footing, the blade wings behind Koko simultaneously stabbed at him—four slender Reishi particle blade wings, like four agile spears, stabbed at him from different angles.

Aizen dodged with Shunpo, his blade grazing past Aizen's clothes and leaving several smooth cuts on the Captain's Haori.

He landed ten paces away, glanced down at the new tear on his sleeve, then looked up at Hu again. "So that's how it is. Not just slashing attacks, even those wing-like structures are weapons. This is your—"

Before he could finish speaking, Amber appeared less than an inch in front of Aizen. The Jiku'a, which had somehow returned to its living scabbard in his left hand, popped out again. The moment the scabbard popped out, Amber grasped the hilt with his right hand, and taking advantage of the moment the blade wings restrained him from the side, he delivered an Aizen's waist.

Aizen hurriedly raised his sword to parry, blade to blade, sparks exploding between the two swords, but Amber's attack was not over—after missing its target, the blade did not retract, but turned in mid-air and stabbed again from Aizen's blind spot.

Aizen ducked to dodge, the blade tip grazing the back of Aizen's head and severing a few strands of hair. He retaliated with a slash, forcing Kou back and creating distance once more.

"Speed and power have increased by more than one level. They no longer have an advantage in close combat."

"Impressive. This is your true Bankai." Aizen held Kyōka Suigetsu horizontally in front of him, and Reiatsu began to slowly surge from his body. "But this alone is not enough to defeat me." He raised his finger, and Reiatsu condensed at his fingertip.

"Hadō #88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō"

A colossal lightning dragon the Roar from Aizen's fingertips, carrying destructive power as it hurtled towards Amber. Wherever the lightning passed, the air was ionized, emitting a piercing shriek.

Amber sheathed Jiku'a in her left hand, the blade wings fully unfolding behind her—and then slashed out with a single blow.

"Iihe· Nadegiri"

Jiku'a's blade cleaved the Thunder Dragon in two from the very middle. Lightning flashed past his sides, exploding into a scorched crater behind him. He charged forward against the lightning, Jiku'a and Kyōka Suigetsu collided again, sparks exploding between the two blades.

The two figures clashed rapidly on the execution platform, each clash of blades causing the ground beneath their feet to crack.

Aizen's Reiatsu increased another level. Although his Zanjutsu was not as powerful as that of Asura had crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood like Cilian, each strike was still enough to be fatal when combined with his Reiatsu, which was close to the pinnacle of Soul Reaper.

More importantly, his mastery of Kidō arts) was unmatched among all the Gotei 13.

"Bakudō #61: Six-Staff Light Prison." Light shards shot from all directions, accurately piercing Amber's limbs. Amber used her blade wings to shatter the light shards one by one.

But Aizen's second Kidō had already caught up: "Hadō #63: Raikōhō: Raikōhō".

Lightning exploded in front of Kotomi, the shockwave pushing him backward. He had barely regained his footing when Aizen's third Kidō arrived: "Hadō #73 - Sōren Sōkatsui".

Two balls of azure flame shot out from Aizen's palms, tracing arcs in the air and blocking Koko's escape route. The flames exploded around him, and the heat distorted the air.

Aizen stood amidst the embers of the flames, raising his hand to adjust his glasses. The lenses reflected a cold light in the firelight, obscuring his gaze.

"Ye Xing, your Bankai is indeed very strong. But your fighting style is still too monotonous." He raised his hand again, his fingertips pointing at Amber.

"Hadō #88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō"

A massive thunder dragon the Roar forth from his palm once more, while the blade wings on Amber's back unfurled simultaneously, the four Magic Blade Wings crossing in front of him to form a shield.

The Thunder Dragon crashed into the Blade Wing Shield, the impact propelling him backward. However, the Blade Wing on his back suddenly flapped, deflecting all the impact to his sides. The aftershocks of the Thunder Dragon grazed his sides and exploded behind him.

"Does the blade not only significantly enhance maneuverability, but also possess both offensive and defensive capabilities?"

Aizen Shunpo forward, and taking advantage of the lingering shockwave from the Thunder Dragon, he used Kyōka Suigetsu to stab Koko in the ribs from the side. Koko turned to the side, and his blade swept across from the side, forcing Aizen to retract his sword and parry.

Just then, Aizen heard Amber's voice. "Monotonous?"

Amber's blade wings folded behind him, Jiku'a had already been sheathed in his living scabbard in his left hand—but in its place, a completely different power was awakening within him.

The exoskeleton armor began to change, incorporating a blazing flame into its chilling blue surface.

That biomaterial shell is being reconstructed from the inside by a more primal and violent force.

His arms were completely covered by thick bone armor. Beowulf's gauntlets and exoskeleton armor were integrated as if they were one piece. White light patterns pulsated on his knuckles, and each pulsation made the surrounding air tremble.

The blades became wide and hard, their edges transforming from sharp blades into thick, plate-like panels, resembling the skirt of heavy armor hanging down behind. The full-face helmet on the head also transformed—from a streamlined, hammerhead shark-like silhouette to a hammerhead-shaped natural heavy armor, with the faceplate becoming even thicker, and the light emanating from it changing from a deep blue to a blazing white.

His body widened, his center of gravity lowered, and each step deepened the cracks beneath his feet. At this moment, Amber no longer pursued speed and cutting, but transformed into the embodiment of pure violence—every punch carried terrifying kinetic energy capable of shattering the earth.

Aizen's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Amber's charge was no longer as agile as before; instead, it hurtled straight at Aizen like a cannonball.

With a right punch, Beowulf's gauntlets exploded with white light patterns on his fist, the force of the punch creating a muffled sonic boom. Aizen his sword to block, his fist striking the blade.

The impact traveled through the blade, sending him flying and crashing into the shattered Sōkyoku Scaffold. Debris flew everywhere, and dust engulfed Aizen's figure.

But Amber didn't stop there. He rushed into the smoke and dust, and threw out his right fist again. Aizen had just stood up from the pile of rubble and hurriedly raised his sword. His fist slammed into the blade again—this punch was even more powerful than the last! The already cracked ground beneath Aizen's feet collapsed completely, and he was smashed into the pile of rubble.

"Where's your Kidō? Where's your Zanjutsu?" Amber's voice came from beneath the heavy mask, echoing in layers. "Show me again, Aizen!"

As he threw his third punch, Aizen dodged with Shunpo. The fist slammed into the pile of rubble where Aizen had just been lying, causing the entire execution platform to tremble. The shockwave sent the rubble flying, scattering it like meteors in reverse.

Aizen landed ten steps away, his Reiatsu surging forth like a burst dam. A lens of his glasses shattered in the impact, revealing his bloodshot eye. He raised his hands, his Reiatsu gathering at his fingertips into countless dense beams of Kidō light.

"Hadō #63: Raikōhō: Raikōhō"

"Bakudō #75: Gochūtekkan"

"Hadō #54: Haien"

Three different Sequences of Kidō shot out simultaneously: lightning, iron pillars, and flames—three distinct attacks that blocked Amber's evasive maneuvers from three directions.

Amber switched back to his Jiku'a form. His exoskeleton armor transformed from heavy armor into a long and sleek design, and his blade wings, which had been part of the heavy armor skirt, suddenly unfolded back into sharp, membranous wings, lifting him off the ground.

He leaped into the air, the Raikōhō swept past his feet, the Gochūtekkan crashed into the spot where he had just stood, creating five deep craters, while the deep purple flames of the Haien grazed past him in mid-air.

"It's not over yet!" Aizen's voice came from below. He raised his finger, and the second wave of Kidō was already poised to be unleashed.

Amber adjusted his posture in mid-air, retracted his blade wings, and swooped straight down towards Aizen like a shooting star. The light of the Kidō swept past his side, and his figure flashed continuously in the barrage of bullets—he used the Summoned Swords as a teleportation coordinate, and with each flash, he was one step closer to Aizen.

The last Summoned Swords landed in front of Aizen. Amber's figure emerged from beside the sword, Jiku'a sprang from its living scabbard, stabbing straight at Aizen's chest.

Aizen raised his sword to parry, and the tips of Kyōka Suigetsu and Jiku'a's swords clashed. Sparks exploded between the two swords, and the two Reiatsu tore at each other, causing fine cracks to appear on the stone slabs beneath their feet.

"Incredible, truly incredible." Aizen's voice came between the clash of blades. "To fight to this extent, your Bankai is indeed outstanding." With a flick of his wrist, he parried Koko's sword, and looking past Koko, he saw the indicator lights flashing on the Sōkyoku—

"Time is up!"

He pointed to Amber: "Hadō #90 - Black Coffin."

The black cube rose up again, but this time, the black coffin was twice the size of the previous one.

Aizen flashed to the side of the Sōkyoku, adding to his chant while removing the device, "A faint, murky emblem, an unruly and arrogant talent; Tide, denial, paralysis, a moment, hindering eternal slumber--" He stared at the black coffin, rapidly chanting syllables.

However, the black coffin began to tremble violently. A series of muffled thunderous impacts emanated from within. One impact, two impacts, three impacts. The impacts grew more frequent and heavier, and fine cracks began to appear on the surface of the black coffin, through which a ghostly blue light shone.

The black coffin exploded.

Amber, in his Beowulf form, burst forth from the shards. His Beowulf were still entwined with fragments of Reishi from the Black Coffin. He charged straight at Aizen, each step shattering the ground beneath his feet.

Aizen raised his hand. "Bakudo #81 Dankū." A transparent light barrier unfolded in front of him, and Koko's right fist slammed into Dankū. The light barrier trembled violently, and cracks spread in all directions from the point of impact. With the second punch, Dankū shattered.

Aizen Shunpo to retreat, creating distance, and raised his hand again: "Hadō #88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō".

The Thunder Dragon the Roar out again. Amber didn't dodge or evade, but met the attack head-on with his right fist. Beowulf's gauntlet collided with the Thunder Dragon, and the shockwave sent all the rubble on the execution platform flying. The Thunder Dragon was torn apart by the fist, and lightning scattered, creating a charred crater in the ruins behind him.

Aizen looked at Amber's silver eyes, which seemed to burn beneath her double-mask, and said, "Ye Xing, it seems you have a great obsession with killing me."

"You've harmed so many people, why can't I!" Amber's voice was forced out through clenched teeth. "You persecuted Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihōin, causing them to retire from the World of the Living! And Instructor Cilian, you forced her to step down! How many people have you harmed because of your ridiculous Hōgyoku plan! Give me one reason why I don't want to kill you!"

Aizen was silent for a moment. Then, that gentle smile reappeared on his lips, the same smile he had when he was still in the Fifth Division.

"I see. You hate me because I hurt the people around you." He looked at Hu as if he were looking at an ignorant child.

"This naiveté is truly amusing. I have indeed done all the things you mentioned. But, Ye Xing, think about it carefully—if I hadn't done these things, would you still have met them?"

"What did you say?"

"It was I who drove Cilian to the brink of despair, causing him to remain silent for so long. If it weren't for me, would Cilian have appeared at Bamboo Creek Plain to guide you? Soi Fon is the same; if it weren't for me, she wouldn't have gone to Bamboo Creek Plain. And if it weren't for Soi Fon, you probably would have completely vanished because you had no name."

Hu's silver pupils contracted sharply, and the knuckles of his fingers gripping the knife turned white.

"You bastard..." Ichigo step forward, the chains on the hilt of his Tensa Zangetsu clanging, "Trying to sway him with this twisted logic?"

"This isn't sophistry, it's the truth." Aizen didn't look at Ichigo; his gaze remained fixed on Koko. "Ye Xing, your ability to meet Soi Fon and Cilian, and to have all of this, is all thanks to me."

"Hu, don't listen to his nonsense. How could such fallacies and heresies possibly hold water!"

Kou lowered his head, with Jiku'a hanging at his side. He remained silent for a long time, so long that Aizen thought he had wavered. However, when Kou raised his head, there was only a calm, focused concentration in his silver eyes.

He looked at Aizen: "It's really thanks to you that I was able to meet Shaoling others."

However, I will not thank you for this—no one thanks the one who starts chaos! We only thank the one who ends chaos!

Just then, an extremely strong, seemingly instinctive impulse surged from Hu's body.

What triggered this instinct was the Sōkyoku Spears beside Amber—that giant spear forged from millions of Asauchi steels, calling to him, and resonating with the power flowing in his blood in a deeper way.

Hu sensed it; the thing was deep within the core of the Sōkyoku Spears, enveloped by layers of seals, dormant for countless years. Only when the Shellbreaker King was released and the seals torn apart did it awaken from its long slumber.

That was the True Core of the Shellbreaker King, the broken horn of that godlike warrior—curved, thick, and covered with ancient engravings. That warrior's name was Sparda.

"Aizen, you just said you were responsible for all of this, right?" Amber stood before the nearly fifty-meter-tall spear, reaching one hand towards its shaft. "Then you should pay the price!"

He closed his eyes. Deep in his consciousness, he saw again the warrior with curved horns on his head and six pairs of wings spread out behind him:

The warrior stood in the center of the demon army, his back ramrod straight. When he turned his head, the image of Hu was reflected in his three eyes. The warrior grinned, revealing a smile.

A tremendous Reiatsu erupted from Amber's body, and the moment his palm touched the Sōkyoku Spears, the entire giant spear began to tremble and resonate.

The broken horn from that warrior, residing within the Sōkyoku, is responding to the bloodline within Amber!

A blinding blue-white light burst forth from the spear, illuminating the entire execution platform. The giant spear, forged from 2,019,308 Asauchi, began to disintegrate—a million Asauchi transformed into a torrent of Reishi, swirling around Hu's body.

The giant horn, sealed for a thousand years, slowly emerged from the deepest part of the spear, hovering in the center of the torrent of Reishi.

Aizen's pupils contracted slightly. "This is..."

The overwhelming Reiatsu condensed the torrent of Reishi formed from the giant horn and millions of Asauchi into Amber's hand, and began to reforge it.

Its form constantly changed in the blue and white light—elongating, stretching, solidifying, and finally transforming into a double-edged sword.

Its blade is broad and thick, the guard is W-shaped, and the spine of the blade is engraved with ancient and mysterious patterns.

This is exactly what the Blade of Power —the sword of the Devil Swordsman Sparda— looked like before its Awakening.

A massive blue light erupted from the Blade of Power, completely engulfing Amber's figure. As the light slowly dissipated, a completely new figure stepped out from within it.

The exoskeleton armor stripped away all its complex heterogeneous features; the heavy armor was removed, the long bladed wings were retracted, and even the streamlined helmet outline resembling that of a hammerhead shark disappeared.

Instead, a more primitive and ancient form has emerged—the biological mutations have been greatly reduced, and the overall silhouette is closer to that of a pure demon warrior.

It lacks the sharp bone spikes of the Jiku'a form and the exaggerated heavy armor of the Beowulf form, instead presenting a calm and balanced humanoid demonic physique.

The shoulder armor is smooth and thick, and the patterns on the breastplate are no longer made of biomass fibers, but rather resemble inscriptions like ancient stone carvings.

The blade wings on its back have truly transformed from the style of the hem into two pairs of wings unfolding behind it— Wings of Light, composed of pure energy, with a ghostly blue flame flowing along their edges, and feathers of light falling with each flap.

A snake-belly-like blade extends from the tailbone, formed by several segments of bone-white scales interlocking together, each segment resembling an independent blade, swaying slowly behind it.

Most striking is his head—a full-face helmet with massive horns resembling those of Sparda. The curved horns extend forward from both sides of the helmet, thick and covered with ancient patterns that are the same as those on the spine of the Blade of Power.

The visor is simpler, with only a narrow eyepiece through which a faint blue light shines.

This seemed to be the most authentic echo of the Sparda's Blood within him, without any fancy embellishments, only the purest and most primal demonic pressure.

Amber lifted the Blade of Power with one hand, holding it horizontally in front of her. The tip of the sword slowly sliced through the air, aiming at Aizen.

"Sōsuke Aizen." He tilted his head, his silver eyes, now bright again, reflecting the ancient runes on the Blade of Power. "Are you ready to be finished off by me?"