The Current State of Karakura Town (Part Four)

While the battle between Sajin Komamura and Kaname Tōsen was raging, a more subtle and dangerous contest was quietly unfolding on the other side of the battlefield.

Sōsuke Aizen slowly raised his hand and grasped the Kyōka Suigetsu at his waist. The movement was unhurried and elegant, as if he were not drawing a sword, but performing some kind of sacred ritual. The blade slowly emerged from its sheath, reflecting a hazy luster in the sunlight.

Shinji Hirako had been staring intently at him. Seeing this movement, a meaningful smile played on his lips, "Drawing your sword?"

His tone carried a hint of sarcasm, a hint of provocation, and an indescribable... excitement. "You're really taking it easy. What, scared?"

Aizen did not answer. He simply stood there quietly, holding Kyōka Suigetsu, his gaze calmly fixed on Shinji Hirako, as if watching a clown putting on a show.

Shinji Hirako waited a moment, and seeing that the other party still did not react, he continued, his tone carrying a playful air, as if teasing his prey. "Even if you ignore me, it won't work. No matter how powerful or strong you are, at this moment, you still feel uneasy, don't you?"

He took a step forward, his smile widening, "On that night a hundred years ago, you said that I would never open my heart to you, never exchange any information, and never want to get close to you."

He paused, his eyes fixed intently on Aizen, as if trying to see right through him. "So, you probably don't understand what my Zanpakuto's abilities truly are."

Aizen remained silent, but a slight ripple seemed to appear in his deep eyes.

Shinji Hirako grinned, revealing an almost smug smile, "Let me tell you, Aizen."

He slowly raised his Zanpakuto, its tip pointing directly at Aizen: "If you think that only your Kyōka Suigetsu can control other people's minds with absolute certainty, then you are sorely mistaken."

The moment he finished speaking, his Zanpakuto unleashed its release command, "Fall down, Sakanade!"

As the word "Liberation" was uttered, Shinji Hirako's Zanpakuto underwent a strange transformation. The end of the hilt transformed into a complete, circular ring, while five small, neatly arranged holes, resembling musical notes, appeared out of thin air on the blade. The entire blade emitted a strange and mysterious pale pink light.

At the same time, a faint, pink mist, like morning fog, began to appear within a radius of several tens of meters centered on the two people. The mist was ethereal and light, yet it carried an indescribable, eerie aura that seemed to penetrate the soul.

Aizen glanced down at the Kyōka Suigetsu in his hand, then looked up at the pink mist around him, finally fixing his gaze on Shinji Hirako's strangely shaped Zanpakuto. A faint smile played on his lips, "Your sword... has a rather interesting shape."

Upon hearing this, Shinji Hirako's smile became even more irritating. He tilted his head and said in an almost scoundrel-like tone, "Great, isn't it? Too bad, I won't lend it to you."

Aizen ignored his provocation, simply shaking his head slightly, his tone still calm and unhurried. "However, I don't sense any change."

He tilted his head slightly, as if carefully sensing everything around him. "You said you could control nerves... Did I hear you wrong?"

Upon hearing this, Shinji Hirako's smile deepened. He gently shook the Sakanade in his hand, his tone carrying a sense of satisfaction, as if he were watching prey fall into a trap. "What are you talking about? It's already... changed."

He took a deep breath, as if savoring some wonderful aroma. "Oh, can you smell something delicious?"

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his smile growing increasingly sinister, "If you're trying to hold your breath now... it's too late."

He opened his arms wide, as if embracing the whole world. "Welcome to the Upside-Down World."

As soon as he finished speaking, the world in Sōsuke Aizen's eyes underwent a dramatic transformation.

Shinji Hirako, who had been standing in front of him, was now upside down, head down, floating in the air. The surrounding ruins, sky, and earth—everything—was completely reversed in a way that defied common sense.

Up became down.

Left became right.

The front became the back.

The whole world seemed to have been completely turned upside down by an invisible hand.

Aizen stood there quietly, looking at this completely upside-down world, his face still showing no panic or confusion. He simply tilted his head slightly, as if admiring an interesting toy.

Shinji Hirako's voice came from the upside-down figure, with a relaxed tone as if explaining the rules of a game, "Up and down, no, left and right are also reversed. This is the ability of Sakanade, which can reverse the up, down, left, and right of the opponent's 'remote control'."

He paused, a hint of smugness in his voice. "Like a trap in Tetris, isn't it fun?"

He grinned, his smile becoming even more irritating, "But you don't seem like the type to play games, Aizen."

The moment he finished speaking, he moved!

His figure blurred into a streak as he charged toward Aizen! The Sakanade in his hand was raised high, its blade tracing a strange trajectory in the inverted world!

Aizen stood still, watching the figure draw closer, a faint smile playing on his lips. He gripped his Zanpakuto with both hands, raised the blade slightly, and then abruptly turned around!

The blade slashed backward!

In his perception, Shinji Hirako was charging from the front, so he swung his sword backward, which should have been able to accurately strike his opponent.

However, the expected sound of blades clashing did not occur.

The blade struck empty air.

Aizen's brow furrowed slightly.

The next moment, a sharp pain shot through his right arm!

He looked down and saw a deep wound slowly opening on his right arm, with bright red blood flowing down his arm!

Shinji Hirako's voice came from behind him, tinged with a smug smile, "I see you really didn't notice, Aizen."

Aizen turned around and looked behind him. Shinji Hirako was standing not far away, gently swaying the Sakanade in his hand, a trace of blood on the tip.

Shinji Hirako looked at him, his smile growing even wider, "Up and down, left and right, front and back—everything's reversed. You should already know that, right?"

He paused, his tone carrying the patience of someone instructing a student. "By the way, the direction you 'see' is the opposite of the direction you 'cut'."

Aizen listened quietly, his expression unchanged. He simply raised his hand and gently wiped the blood from his arm, a casual and elegant gesture, as if he hadn't just been injured.

Shinji Hirako continued, his tone carrying a certainty as if stating a fact. "Up and down, left and right, front and back, the direction of injury—can you mentally rethink every single aspect before engaging in combat?"

He answered his own question with absolute confidence, "Impossible. There's no such person."

He took a step forward, the tip of Sakanade sword pointing at Aizen: "The stronger a person is, the more familiar they are with combat, the more their body will instinctively fight. It's instinct, and it can't be overcome."

"When you see me charging at you, your body will instinctively swing your knife backward because, in your eyes, I'm charging from the front. But in reality, I'm coming from behind."

He grinned, a smile brimming with unwavering confidence, "This is the terrifying aspect of Sakanade. Aizen, you have already lost."

As soon as he finished speaking, he moved again!

His figure transformed into an even faster afterimage, rushing towards Aizen! This time, he was faster, and his sword strikes were even more ferocious!

Aizen stood still, his expression remaining completely calm. He simply watched the figure rushing towards him, his gaze as serene as if he were observing a performance that had nothing to do with him.

The two passed each other.

A flash of light.

Blood bloomed in the air.

Shinji Hirako staggered to a stop, looking down in disbelief at his back.

A deep wound stretched diagonally from his right shoulder to his left waist, and bright red blood was gushing out, staining his clothes and the ruins beneath his feet.

His eyes widened, and his pupils contracted sharply.

"Why..." His voice was hoarse and trembling, filled with incomprehensible confusion and shock. "Why... could you hit me..."

Aizen slowly turned around, flicking the Kyōka Suigetsu in his hand, and the bloodstains on the blade vanished as if by magic. His face still wore that calm and unhurried smile, as if the previous exchange was nothing more than a pastime.

"I thought... something special." His voice was gentle and calm, yet carried a chilling contempt. "It was just an illusion."

He slightly raised the Kyōka Suigetsu, its blade reflecting a hazy light in the sunlight. "Compared to my power to completely control all five senses, you are still far behind, Shinji Hirako."

He took a step forward, his posture calm and elegant, as if strolling leisurely. "Once you get used to it, it's nothing. It's just..."

He paused, his smile widening. "Children's games."

Shinji Hirako stared intently at him, his eyes filled with disbelief. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but could only spit out mouthfuls of blood.

Aizen looked at him, his tone carrying a hint of gentle patience, as if he were instructing a junior. "Your Sakanade is indeed a very interesting ability. It can reverse the opponent's senses, making it impossible for them to judge direction correctly, which is a very powerful advantage in one-on-one combat."

He shook his head slightly, a hint of regret in his voice. "However, it has a fatal flaw."

He raised his hand and pointed to his head. "It can only reverse 'direction'—up and down, left and right, front and back. That's all."

"And I can control all five senses. I can make my opponents see things that don't exist, hear sounds that don't exist, smell odors that don't exist, taste flavors that don't exist, and feel sensations that don't exist."

His smile deepened, yet it sent a chill down one's spine. "In comparison, your Sakanade is like that of a clown who only knows one trick."

He turned around, his back to Shinji Hirako, and gazed at the increasingly bright Garganta tunnel in the distance. "A hundred years ago, you dared not approach me, dared not exchange information with me, dared not let me know your abilities. This was your caution, and also your wisdom."

"But you forgot one thing."

He turned his head slightly, glancing at Shinji Hirako out of the corner of his eye. "Even if I don't know your abilities, even if I haven't witnessed the Sakanade, so what?"

His voice carried a calmness as if stating a supreme truth. "Before absolute power, any fancy techniques are meaningless."