The Current State of Karakura Town (I)

Light flashed, and space distorted.

Liu Hao, Ichigo Kurosaki, and Retsu Unohana traversed the Garganta tunnel leading to the World of the Living. All around them was endless darkness and the occasional flashes of eerie light and shadow; beneath their feet lay an invisible yet undeniably real path. Their speed was astonishing; Hueco Mundo was rapidly receding, while the presence of the World of the Living drew ever closer.

Ichigo Kurosaki gripped Zangetsu tightly, his heterochromatic eyes—the left eye still a brilliant golden yellow—fixed on the ever-brightening exit ahead. His heart pounded, not from fear, but from the impending final battle.

"Liu Shu," he suddenly spoke, his voice sounding somewhat muffled in the empty, Garganta, "Will Aizen... really lose?"

Liu Hao didn't turn around, but the corners of his mouth slightly turned up. "What, are you starting to have doubts?"

"It's not doubt..." Ichigo Kurosaki paused, "It's just... he's too strong. From the first time we met him until now, he always seems so composed, always in control of everything. I've seen many powerful opponents, but no one has ever given me this... feeling of invincibility."

Upon hearing this, Retsu Unohana turned her head slightly to look at this young junior, a gentle smile flashing in her eyes, "Ichigo- kun, you've grown a lot."

Liu Hao laughed heartily, "Unbeatable? That's because you've never truly faced him before. You'll see when we get to Karakura Town —even the strongest enemy has weaknesses; even the most perfect plan can have unexpected twists."

He turned around, his gaze deep. "And do you really think Aizen foresaw everything?"

Ichigo Kurosaki was taken aback.

Liu Hao didn't explain further, but simply turned his head and continued forward.

Meanwhile— in the World of the Living, Karakura Town.

This ordinary Japanese city is now unrecognizable.

The once bustling streets have become ruins, with towering buildings collapsed into piles of rubble, and the air is filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder and Reiatsu. The sky is no longer the familiar azure, but is shrouded by a huge, transparent barrier, completely isolating the entire Karakura Town from the outside world.

Within the barrier, an earth-shattering battle is entering a new phase.

In the center of the battlefield, a majestic, massive castle made of flames— Castle Ignition —was being slowly blown away by a Menos Grande.

That was the ultimate defense constructed by Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, the Captain-Commander the Gotei 13, using his Zanpakuto, Ryūjin Jakka Hell. But now, this fiery fortress, symbolizing the highest fighting power in Soul Society, had been blown away by the Menos Grande controlled by Sōsuke Aizen.

Flames surged, and the heat was oppressive.

A figure dressed in a white haori slowly emerged from the collapsing flames.

Sōsuke Aizen.

He remained as composed as ever, his brown eyes behind his glasses as deep as an abyss, his face bearing that signature gentle yet aloof smile. There wasn't a speck of dust on his haori, as if he hadn't just emerged from a fiery Hell capable of melting gold and iron, but had simply returned from a stroll.

His appearance instantly changed the atmosphere of the entire battlefield.

Both sides, who were engaged in fierce combat, stopped their actions simultaneously.

Shunsui Kyōraku, Captain the Eighth Division, flashed away, creating distance between himself and his opponent. His straw hat was nowhere to be seen, and his flashy haori was covered in dust, but his eyes remained as sharp as an eagle's.

Jūshirō Ukitake, Captain of the Thirteenth Division, also withdrew, coughed a few times, and looked slightly pale. He had already gone into battle while ill, and now he was even more exhausted.

Meanwhile, their opponent— the 1st Espada, Koyatai Starrk —also drifted backward at the same time, landing on the rooftop of a collapsed building not far away. His usually languid face now held an indescribable solemnity.

Aizen's gaze swept across the battlefield, finally settling on Starrk.

"Starrk." His voice was still gentle, yet carried an undeniable air of pressure. "Why did you stop?"

Starrk stood silently atop the ruins, his eyes, which always held a hint of sleepiness, were unusually clear. He looked at Aizen, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke, "Since Lord Aizen has come out, it means... you no longer wish to wait."

His voice was calm, as if stating a fact unrelated to himself. "With the strength of us Espada, we cannot wipe out the enemy on the other side for you. In that case, what's the point of continuing the fight?"

Upon hearing Aizen's smile deepened. There was no anger, no disappointment in that smile, only amusement and amusement, as if he were watching an entertaining performance.

"It seems," he said slowly, "That you've been in contact with that guy Liu Hao beforehand." He paused, his tone still gentle, yet carrying a hint of unspoken meaning. "So, that's why you refused to continue fighting for me—is that it, Starrk?"

Starrk paused for a second, then shook his head.

"Lord Aizen, you misunderstand." His voice remained calm, without the slightest hint of panic at being exposed. "That Liu Hao did indeed contact me back then. However, he did not persuade me to betray you, nor did he promise me any benefits."

He raised his head, his languid eyes meeting Aizen's deep gaze. "He only said that he hoped I could... survive this battle."

Aizen a soft "Oh," as if he had heard something interesting.

"Save your life?" He tilted his head slightly. "So, you think continuing to fight will cost you your life?"

Starrk didn't answer the question directly, but continued, "He said that we Menos Grande —from the lowest Gillian to the Vasto Lordes, and finally chosen by you as Espada —don't fight for anyone."

His voice became somewhat distant, as if recalling that brief but profound conversation from years ago. "He said, Hueco Mundo is our home, the place where we were born. Our mission is to protect Hueco Mundo, to wait for the day when an enemy invades that land, so that we can stand up and fight."

He withdrew his gaze and looked back at Aizen: "He hopes I won't die in this... pointless battle."

Aizen listened quietly, his gentle smile remaining unchanged.

But his words seemed to freeze the air around him for a moment. "A meaningless struggle..."

He repeated the sentence softly, then laughed. The smile was still gentle, yet it sent a chill down one's spine. "So, he's certain—I will lose this battle?"

Starrk did not answer, but his silence was an answer in itself.

Aizen's smile deepened, "Not only that, he also told you that in this battle, I will abandon you pawns who are not important to me—is that right?"

Starrk's eyes flickered slightly.

Aizen continued, his tone still gentle, as if stating a well-known truth. "After all, even if all the Espada were combined, their strength wouldn't match mine alone. What use are you when you can no longer create value for me?"

Starrk's expression finally changed at this moment.

Not out of fear, not out of anger, but because— Aizen said it so calmly, so matter-of-factly, as if abandoning them was nothing more than casually discarding an ill-fitting garment.

His body involuntarily tensed up.

And at that very moment—

Aizen's figure vanished from the spot.

Starrk's pupils suddenly contracted! His fighting instincts screamed a warning, and his body instinctively recoiled backward!

But it was too late.

A white afterimage had already appeared in front of him.

Aizen.

He stood silently less than a foot in front of Starrk, his right hand gripping the Zanpakuto that had never been drawn— Kyōka Suigetsu. There was not a trace of blood on the blade.

But Starrk's body froze at that moment.

He lowered his head and looked at his own body.

From the left waist, diagonally upwards to the right shoulder—a hideous wound is slowly splitting open. Red Reishi blood gushes out like a fountain, blooming with dazzling color in the air.

He didn't even see Aizen his sword.

He didn't even feel any pain.

Only when blood gushed out did the intense pain surge like a tidal wave, instantly engulfing his consciousness.

Starrk's body involuntarily leaned backward.

His vision began to blur.

Through the blur, he seemed to see a petite figure rushing frantically towards him—

"Starrk--!"

Lilynette's scream shattered the deathly silence of the battlefield.

She shook off Jūshirō Ukitake, completely disregarding the gap between herself and her opponent, and like a small shooting star, she rushed towards the falling Starrk!

Ukitake tried to stop her, but his hand only managed to touch the hem of Lilynette's clothes. The small figure had already rushed out of his reach and pounced on the Loneliness figure that was falling.

Just as Starrk was about to crash to the ground, Lilynette finally arrived.

She stretched out her hands and, with all her might, caught Starrk as he fell from the sky.

The impact caused her arms excruciating pain, made her legs weak, and almost made her kneel down—but she gritted her teeth and refused to let go.

"Starrk! Starrk!!" she screamed, her voice trembling with tears, "You bastard! Didn't you say everything would be alright! Didn't you say you wouldn't die as long as you didn't fight seriously?!"

Starrk lay in her arms, his perpetually languid eyes fixed on Lilynette's tear-streaked face. His lips parted slightly. "Fool, I'm not dead yet. I just don't know if Aizen will let us go."

Aizen stood not far away, lightly flicking his sword as if to shake off the blood. The movement was casual and elegant, as if he had just slain nothing more than an insignificant ant.

His gaze swept across the battlefield, over the shocked, angry, and terrified faces, finally settling in another direction—

Tier Harribel, the 3rd Espada.

She stood beside her three Fracción. The three little ones— Apache, Mira Rose, and Sun-Sun —were all lying on the ground, barely breathing. Those were wounds from the previous battle; Tier Harribel had been protecting them until this moment.

Tier Harribel's chest heaved violently, her usually calm eyes now burning with unprecedented fury. She stared intently at Aizen, her voice barely audible as she forced out through clenched teeth, "Lord Aizen... what are you doing?!"

Aizen turned to look at her. His smile was still gentle, yet it sent a chill down her spine. "What are you doing?"

He tilted his head slightly, his tone nonchalant. "It's nothing. I just feel... there's no point in continuing to let you sacrifice yourselves."

He took a step forward, his pace unhurried, as if strolling in a garden. "Just as Starrk said, the Espada I finally found are not even as good as me alone. In that case, what use are you all?"

His gaze swept over Tier Harribel, then over the three dying Fracción behind her, a hint of regret in his voice. "Rather than letting you die at the hands of the enemy, becoming part of their victory, it would be better..."

He didn't finish speaking.

But Tier Harribel already understood.

The anger in her eyes instantly reached its peak!

She whirled around to look at the three figures lying on the ground behind her. Apache, Mira Rose, and Sun-Sun —with their last strength, they raised their heads to look at their master, their eyes filled with worry and reluctance.

"Lady Tier Harribel..."

"Don't want..."

"Run!"

Tier Harribel did not run away.

She took a deep breath, turned around, and faced the man she had once been loyal to, who now wanted to kill her.

She raised her hand.

The Reiatsu in her palm surged wildly, converging into a huge and violent torrent of water—that was her Zanpakuto, the fastest attack method in its Resurrección state Tiburón.

Tidal Surge!

A massive cannon, over a meter in diameter and composed of highly compressed water, roared out from her arm sword! The water was incredibly fast and powerful enough to flatten a small mountain!

It shot straight at Aizen, instantly piercing his abdomen!

"Hit him?!" someone exclaimed from afar.

However, Tier Harribel's face turned deathly pale at that moment.

Because before disappearing, the "Aizen" who was pierced through showed a strange smile.

That was Kyōka Suigetsu —complete hypnosis.

The next moment, from behind her came that ever-gentle, ever-composed voice. "Someone like you... dares to lay a hand on me?"

Tier Harribel turned around abruptly!

Aizen stood right behind her, inches away.

He didn't even draw his sword.

He simply raised his hand and waved it casually.

A flash of light appeared.

Tier Harribel's body bore a gruesome wound, identical to Starrk's, running from her left shoulder to her right abdomen.

Crimson Reishi blood gushed out like a fountain.

Her body involuntarily leaned backward.

In her final moments before her consciousness faded, she saw Aizen's deep eyes—eyes that held no anger, no murderous intent, only an utterly indifferent calm, as if watching a boring performance.

Then, she fell into darkness.

"Lady Tier Harribel--!"

The three dying Fracción let out heart-wrenching screams.

The battlefield fell into a deathly silence.

Shunsui Kyōraku slowly stood up, his usually carefree eyes now as cold as knives. He looked at Aizen, at the two fallen figures— the 1st Espada and the 3rd Espada, once invincible beings, now so easily slain.

No, it wasn't a kill.

It means abandonment.

It's cleaning.

It means... discarding useless pieces.

Jūshirō Ukitake coughed as he walked to Kyōraku's side. His face was frighteningly pale, but his eyes were also fixed intently on Aizen.

"Shunsui..." he whispered, "This guy... has completely gone mad."

Kyōraku shook his head, his voice low and deep. "No, he's not crazy."

He paused, his gaze deepening. "He's always been like this. It's just... before, he was willing to hide it. Now, he's too lazy to even bother hiding it."

Aizen stood in the center of the battlefield, looking around at the shocked, angry, and fearful faces, his smile growing ever wider.

He flicked the blood off the knife with a casual yet elegant motion.

Then he spoke. His voice was still gentle and composed, as if nothing had happened. "Alright, the troublesome pieces have been cleared away."

He raised his sword, the tip slowly pointing at the Soul Reaper opposite him. "Now then, Gotei 13 and you few half- Arrancar, begin your performance."