The Current State of Karakura Town (II)

As Aizen finished speaking, the air on the entire battlefield seemed to freeze.

All eyes, from the members of the Gotei 13 and the Visoreds who had already deactivated their Hollowfication, were fixed on the white figure standing atop the ruins.

Sōsuke Aizen.

He stood there quietly, looking down at everyone. His posture was composed, his expression gentle, as if he were not on a battlefield of life and death, but on a leisurely afternoon, appreciating a not-so-interesting landscape.

The Hollow Mask on Hiyori Sarugaki's face had completely disappeared, revealing a face filled with anger and hatred.

Her eyes were fixed on Aizen, her gaze so fierce it seemed to spit fire. Her teeth gritted, and she forced out the name she had hated for a hundred years. "Aizen... Sousuke..."

Her hand, gripping the Zanpakuto, trembled slightly from the excessive force.

Shinji Hirako had appeared beside her unnoticed, his usually carefree face now devoid of any smile. His gaze was also fixed on Aizen, but his tone was unusually calm. "... Don't approach him."

His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of every Visored member. "With Aizen's abilities, if you approach rashly, you'll be finished in an instant."

Hiyori Sarugaki turned her head sharply, glaring at him fiercely, but replied with a hint of impatience, "Of course I know. You don't need to explain."

Upon hearing this, Shinji Hirako's serious expression stiffened slightly, then a helpless smile appeared on his face, "Idiot, I'm not talking to you. You don't need to respond to me so forcefully, Hiyori."

Hiyori Sarugaki snorted and stopped talking, but her gaze remained fixed on Aizen, never wavering for a moment.

Aizen listened quietly to their conversation, the gentle smile never fading from his lips. When their conversation ended, he spoke slowly, his voice still calm and unhurried. "That's well said, Captain Hirako. You truly care about your subordinates."

He paused, his smile growing even more meaningful, "However, saying 'approaching rashly will lead to disaster'... sounds ridiculous."

He took a small half-step forward, his demeanor still composed, yet it subconsciously put everyone on edge. "Whether you approach rashly, cautiously, or... not at all, the result is actually the same."

He raised his hand, the elusive tip of his Kyōka Suigetsu slowly tracing the air, as if outlining some invisible path. "I'm not talking about what might happen in the future—because your end is already an inescapable, unchangeable fact."

Shinji Hirako's pupils contracted slightly.

He immediately realized Aizen's intention—this was a provocation, a verbal trap deliberately designed to provoke them!

"This is a provocation!" he whispered urgently to his companions. "Don't fall for it!!"

However, Aizen's smile grew even more intense.

"What's there to be afraid of?" His voice, like a gentle poison, slowly seeped into everyone's ears. "On that night a hundred years ago, you... were already dead."

These words were like a match that lit a fuse, instantly igniting the anger that Hiyori Sarugaki had suppressed for a hundred years!

"Aizen--!"

She let out a near-scream of fury, stomped her foot on the ground, and shot towards Aizen like an Aizen! Her Zanpakuto was raised high, its blade reflecting a blinding cold light in the sunlight!

Her speed was astonishing; she covered a distance of tens of meters in an instant!

"Hiyori!!"

Shinji Hirako's expression changed drastically, and without thinking, he immediately gave chase!

But someone was faster than him.

Just as Hiyori Sarugaki was about to rush into Aizen's vicinity of three zhang—

A white light, almost invisible to the naked eye, arrived in an instant from the other side of the battlefield, like the flick of a viper's tongue!

The white light was incredibly fast, faster than sound, so fast that Hiyori Sarugaki didn't even have time to react.

Pfft--!

A dull thud as a sharp blade pierced flesh.

Hiyori Sarugaki's body stiffened abruptly.

She lowered her head and looked at her own body.

An extremely long blade pierced her left rib, penetrated her abdomen, and emerged from her right waist! The blade was covered with her bright red blood, which was dripping onto the ground.

That's... Shinsō.

Gin Ichimaru's Zanpakuto.

At the top of the distant ruins, Gin Ichimaru still held his sword in one hand. His face wore that unchanging, fox-like smile, as if he had just pierced nothing more than an insignificant butterfly.

Hiyori Sarugaki's body froze in mid-air for a second.

Then, like a kite with a broken string, she fell helplessly from the sky.

With her last ounce of strength, she turned her head and glanced out of the corner of her eye at the smiling figure in the distance— Gin Ichimaru.

"Hiyori--!"

Shinji Hirako's roar echoed throughout the entire battlefield!

He sprinted frantically, finally arriving just as the small figure was about to crash to the ground! He stretched out his hands and, with all his might, caught Hiyori Sarugaki, carefully holding her in his arms, not daring to shake her even slightly, for fear of aggravating her injuries.

Blood gushed from Hiyori's abdominal wound, staining Shinji Hirako's hands, his clothes, and the ruins beneath his feet.

He raised his head, and his usually cynical eyes were now burning with an unprecedented, chilling rage!

He stared intently at Aizen, his gaze seeming to want to devour him alive!

Aizen met that gaze, and the smile on his face grew even wider.

"That look... is very good." His voice was as gentle as ever, yet it carried a chilling sense of satisfaction. "A hundred years have passed, and I have finally seen your eyes 'come alive' again, Shinji Hirako."

He tilted his head slightly, as if admiring a work of art that had been lost and found again. "Will you hate me? Will you want to kill me?"

He raised the Kyōka Suigetsu sword in his hand, its tip pointing at Shinji Hirako, his tone carrying an almost inviting tone. "If you hate me, then come at me. I will personally deal with you using this sword."

Shinji Hirako did not move.

It wasn't out of fear, but because of the dying figure in my arms.

He lowered his head, looking at Hiyori's pale, almost bloodless face, at the still bleeding wound on her abdomen, and at her weak, almost imperceptible breathing.

His voice was deep and calm. "Little Hachi."

A figure appeared beside him in an instant. "Here," Hachigen Ushōda replied briefly, his gaze already fixed on Hiyori's wound.

Shinji Hirako didn't look up, but continued, "Even though I only have one hand left, I'll still trouble you."

He paused, his voice growing even lower. "I'm counting on you for Hiyori. Please... find a way to help her hold on."

He slightly raised his gaze, looking towards the slowly opening Garganta tunnel in the distance. "Hold on until... that annoying Liu Hao returns with Ichigo."

Hachigen Ushōda nodded without saying a word and immediately began to cast the Healing Kidō. The pale golden light carefully enveloped Hiyori Sarugaki's wounds, and began to stop the bleeding and heal little by little.

In the distance, Aizen heard those words.

"When Liu Hao and Ichigo Kurosaki return..." he repeated softly, his smile growing increasingly meaningful. "It seems you trust Liu Hao and that boy quite a bit."

Shinji Hirako raised his head, his eyes still burning with anger, but now tinged with an indescribable light of conviction. "You, who don't even trust your own comrades, must... find it hard to understand."

Aizen chuckled softly upon hearing this.

The laughter was gentle and composed, yet it sent a chill down one's spine. "The so-called 'belief'... is the same as 'dependence'."

He paused, his voice becoming somewhat ethereal, as if stating some supreme truth. "It's all the work of the weak. We... don't need it at all."

Shinji Hirako looked at him coldly, a mocking smile playing on his lips, "With so many subordinates, how could you utter such words?"

His tone was full of sarcasm. "I suppose you used all sorts of sweet talk to get those subordinates to believe you back then."

Aizen shook his head.

The movement was subtle, yet carried an undeniable certainty. "You're wrong."

He raised his hand, the Kyōka Suigetsu reflecting a hazy light in the sunlight. "I have never... asked my men to believe me."

His voice remained gentle, yet it conveyed an indescribable sense of absurdity and sorrow. "Although I once said 'Come with me,' I never said—'Trust me, come with me.'"

He paused, his tone becoming more meaningful. "However, I do often remind them..."

His gaze swept across the battlefield, over the Espada who had once served him, those who had fallen or were about to fall. "Trust no one, including myself."

"However..." He sighed softly, a sigh devoid of regret, only a faint pity, as if watching an ant struggle, "The sad thing is, there aren't many strong enough to truly implement this. All living beings will believe in those superior to themselves. Without blind obedience, they cannot survive."

His voice grew distant, as if recounting an age-old law. "Those who are always trusted, to escape this heavy pressure, have no choice but to seek out stronger individuals. And those in power, in turn, will seek out even stronger, more trustworthy ones."

"Therefore... all kings were born. And thus... all gods appeared." He withdrew his gaze, turning it back to Shinji Hirako, his smile gentle and compassionate, "You... can't trust me yet, Shinji Hirako."

He slowly raised the Kyōka Suigetsu, its tip pointing to the sky, as if summoning some sacred being. "Next, I will slowly tell you—who is the god worthy of your belief. After I tell you, then you can believe."

At the same time that Aizen and Shinji Hirako were facing off, on the other side of the battlefield—

Kaname Tōsen is currently facing off against Sajin Komamura and Shūhei Hisagi Shūhei.

Sajin Komamura's massive body, like a small mountain, blocked Shūhei Hisagi's Shūhei. He stared intently at the man before him—his former best friend, his former comrade-in-arms, who now stood on the enemy's side.

Kaname Tōsen stood there quietly, his eyes closed, his expression calm. He held the Suzumushi in his hand, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground, and a faint Reiatsu swirled around him.

"I'm quite surprised," Kaname Tōsen began, his voice calm and even, "that Lord Aizen would personally step onto the front lines."

He paused, his tightly closed eyes seeming to pierce through all obstacles, "seeing" in a distant direction. "Since Lord Aizen has already made his appearance, that also means—"

He slowly raised his hand, the blade of Suzumushi reflecting a cold light in the sunlight. "It's time for me to unleash my true strength against you."

Upon hearing Sajin Komamura's body trembled slightly.

"Is it Bankai?" His voice was deep and rumbling, tinged with excitement. "Just what I wanted! Then we—"

However, before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Kaname Tōsen.

Kaname Tōsen's lips curled into a disdainful smile, "You mean Bankai?"

His voice was full of undisguised sarcasm. "Don't make me laugh."

He raised his hand, fingers spread, and pointed it at his face. "Lord Aizen gave me... power far surpassing inexplicable, astonishing strength."

Sajin Komamura's pupils suddenly contracted!

"Tōsen... could it be that you...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Kaname Tōsen's hand was already covering his face.

His five fingers gripped his face tightly, and the next moment, a massive Reiatsu, completely different from before and filled with the aura of emptiness, erupted from his body!

The Reiatsu was a deep purplish-black, like surging mist, instantly enveloping his entire body!

Sajin Komamura and Shūhei Hisagi Shūhei took a half step back, staring intently at the surging Reiatsu mist.

A few seconds later--

The fog slowly dissipated.

Kaname Tōsen reappeared before the two of them.

His face was covered by a complete, pale white Hollow Mask! Beneath the mask, one could vaguely see his tightly closed eyes and a faint, eerie smile at the corner of his mouth.

His body was surrounded by a terrifying Reiatsu that was completely different from before, a mixture of the aura of Soul Reaper and a Hollow.

That's... Hollowfication.

The real thing Complete Hollowfication.

Sajin Komamura's breath caught in his throat at that moment.

He stared at the familiar yet unfamiliar figure before him, at the deathly pale mask covering his dearest friend's face, his voice hoarse, barely able to form a sentence: "Tōsen... you..."

Kaname Tōsen stood there quietly, feeling the surging power within him, far surpassing anything he had ever felt before. He slowly raised his hand, looking at his palm covered with a thin layer of white nails, and the smile on his lips grew even wider.

"This is... the power bestowed upon me by Lord Aizen." His voice, coming from beneath the mask, was somewhat muffled, yet still clear. "Now, do you still think... you can defeat me?"