Facing Aizen

Liu Hao's figure flashed like a black lightning bolt, instantly appearing before the massive ice sphere. He gripped the Imperial Sword tightly with both hands, its blade shimmering with a faint, dark red light that seemed to resonate with his heartbeat. Without hesitation, he raised his arm high, and then—

He slashed down fiercely!

The sword flashed like a bolt of lightning, its cold gleam like snow!

Sizzle--!

The enormous, crystal-clear ice ball was cleaved in two from the very center by this sword strike! The crack was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the shattered sunlight!

Griffith, who was frozen inside the ice puck, was also cleaved in two by this sword!

The two halves of the body slid out of the ice puck and crashed heavily into the ruins, raising a cloud of dust. Red Reishi blood gushed out wildly from the broken ends of the two halves, staining the rubble beneath them.

Liu Hao sheathed his sword, his gaze coldly fixed on the two halves of the body.

However, just when he thought the battle was over, a chilling scene unfolded.

From the two halves of Griffith that had been cleaved in two, a pale, lifelike substance began to gush out at the cut ends!

The white substance gushed out from the severed ends of the two halves of the body, like countless tiny tentacles, dancing and extending wildly in the air! They shot out in each other's directions, intertwining, entangled, and coiling in mid-air, like countless white threads, tightly connecting the two halves of the body together!

Then, the white substance began to shrink and tighten!

Drawn by this force, the two halves of the body began to slowly, little by little, move closer to each other!

Liu Hao frowned slightly. He could clearly see that the flesh at the severed ends of the two halves of the body was growing and multiplying at a visible speed, attempting to fuse back together!

Without any hesitation, he raised the Imperial Sword once more, ready to shatter Griffith before he could complete the fusion!

However, the instant he raised the Imperial Sword—

A blazing red flame appeared on the sword!

The flames, like raging fire summoned from the depths of Hell, danced wildly on the sword, radiating terrifying heat capable of melting steel!

However, the flames had barely appeared—

The dense, lifelike black patterns on the sword's blade surged towards the flames like sharks smelling blood! They covered the flames, greedily absorbing their power!

The flames, eroded by the black patterns, dimmed at a visible speed!

Although the flames haven't completely disappeared, their power has been significantly reduced by more than half!

Liu Hao glanced down at the Imperial Sword in his hand, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. The black patterns had almost covered the entire blade, leaving only a small uncorroded area at the tip.

But he had no time to hesitate.

He looked up at the two halves of his body rapidly merging; the distance between them had already shrunk by half! In a few more seconds, they would completely merge, restoring him to the complete Griffith!

Liu Hao took a deep breath and swung the Imperial Sword in his hand once more!

This time, the flames on the sword were no longer a blazing red, but transformed into a pure, almost transparent white the instant it was swung!

That's the color of extreme cold, the color that freezes everything, the color of absolute low temperature that can even solidify flames themselves!

"Imperial Flame - Frost as Flame!!"

With Liu Hao's roar, the white flames on the blade suddenly detached from the sword and transformed into a huge, white flame sword beam, which roared towards the two halves of the body that were merging!

Wherever the white, fiery sword light passed, the air seemed to freeze! A thin layer of frost appeared on the ground, and fine ice crystals condensed on the gravel!

It struck Griffith's body, which was not yet fully fused together!

Boom--!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, no scorching heatwave.

A blinding, blue-white light instantly engulfed both halves of Griffith's body!

Wherever the light reached, the first thing to be ignited was the ice block encasing the two halves of the body. Under the licking of the blue-white flames, the ice block instantly turned into countless tiny ice crystals, which then rapidly decomposed into the most basic Reishi, dissipating into the air!

Next, it was Griffith's body.

Under the scorching blue-white flames, the two halves of the body began to decompose and dissipate layer by layer from the outside in! They were not burned to ashes, but were "frozen" to the extreme, and then shattered into the most basic Reishi, returning to the world!

Griffith let out a shrill, inhuman roar!

Its two halves writhed and struggled wildly in the blue-white flames! White substances kept gushing out, trying to repair the wounds scalded by the flames, but each time it gushed out, it was instantly frozen and decomposed by the extremely cold flames!

However, as it roared and rolled, extremely tiny, black Reishi light particles began to continuously emanate from its body!

As if drawn by some invisible force, those black specks of light drifted toward the Imperial Sword in Liu Hao's hand! They slowly merged into the dense black patterns on the Imperial Sword's surface, becoming one with the patterns!

As the black light spots continued to merge, the black patterns on the Imperial Sword began to spread and deepen at a speed visible to the naked eye!

From the hilt to the blade, and from the blade to the tip, in just a few breaths, the entire Imperial Sword, from the guard to the tip, turned completely black!

It wasn't the black of metal, but a pure, profound black that seemed capable of swallowing all light!

And at that moment, Griffith's mournful roar abruptly ceased.

Its two halves, scorched by the blue-white flames, had completely disintegrated into countless tiny points of Reishi light. Those points of light drifted slowly in the air, like fireflies on a summer night, beautiful and illusory, before finally disappearing completely into the void.

Glafis Torend, the "Emperor Slayer" meticulously crafted by Aizen to seal Liu Hao's Emperor Sword, has thus vanished completely.

A brief, deathly silence fell over the battlefield.

Then--

Slap. Slap. Slap.

A burst of crisp applause broke the deathly silence.

Sōsuke Aizen stood atop the ruins, gently clapping his hands, a perpetually calm and unhurried smile on his face. His gaze fell upon Liu Hao, his deep eyes gleaming with an indescribable admiration, as if he were watching a brilliant performance.

"Not bad." His voice was as gentle as ever, yet it carried a hint of undisguised appreciation. "I originally thought that even if Griffith were cut into pieces, it could reassemble itself. And it also possesses the ability to seal flames; any form of fire attack would be absorbed by its body and transformed into sealing power."

He paused, his gaze falling on the completely black Imperial Sword in Liu Hao's hand. "However, what surprised me was... that you could actually make the flames exist in a 'low-temperature' form."

He tilted his head slightly, a movement elegant and composed, yet carrying an indescribable curiosity, as if he were investigating something. "Is... this really the power of fire?"

Liu Hao glanced down at the completely black Imperial Sword in his hand and gently shook it. The black patterns on the sword seemed to shimmer with a cold, eerie light, in sync with his movement.

He raised his head, looked at Aizen, and a faint smile appeared on his lips, "Just a kind of extreme cold power. It only looks like flame."

He paused, his tone becoming somewhat ethereal, as if explaining some profound principle, "At absolute low temperatures, the structural composition of Reishi can be disrupted, causing them to shatter and dissipate, returning to the world."

He raised the Imperial Sword in his hand, its tip pointing at Aizen: "If I were to unleash this ability to its fullest potential... it could directly destroy Reishi. After all, at absolute zero, any matter will lose its activity."

Aizen listened quietly, his smile growing ever wider.

He nodded slightly, his tone carrying a hint of understanding, as if saying, "I see."

He paused, his gaze falling on the jet-black Imperial Sword: "However, your Zanpakuto... has already been sealed."

He looked up, meeting Liu Hao's gaze, a hint of inexplicable amusement in his smile, as if he were testing something. "Can you tell me, what is the ability of your Zanpakuto?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Hao's smile became even more meaningful.

He lightly shook the Imperial Sword in his hand, his tone casual as if he were chatting about everyday matters. "Abilities..."

He paused, a mysterious smile playing on his lips. "Let me keep you in suspense for now. After all... you'll find out soon enough, won't you?"

Aizen looked at him, a slight glint in his eyes. He chuckled softly, a gentle and composed laugh, "Then it seems... this seal cannot restrain your Zanpakuto."

Liu Hao shrugged, looking completely innocent. "Who said that?"

He raised the completely black Imperial Sword in his hand and waved it in the sunlight. "Isn't this... already coated with a layer of black lacquer?"

Upon hearing Aizen's smile deepened, "Is it just a layer of black paint?"

Liu Hao did not answer the question. He simply raised the Imperial Sword slowly, its tip pointing towards Aizen.

His smile vanished, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness and solemnity. "Alright, enough of the pleasantries."

A fierce fighting spirit ignited in his eyes. "It's time for our battle to begin. Let me see... if I can take you down before you evolve."

The moment he finished speaking, he vanished.

It's not Shunpo, nor is it Sonído; it's a pure, extremely fast movement!

The next moment, he was already standing in front of Aizen!

He raised the Imperial Sword high in his hand, and then—slammed it down!

The sword light flashed like a bolt of lightning, carrying a power capable of splitting the heavens and earth, heading straight for Aizen's head!

A barely perceptible glint of excitement flashed in Aizen's eyes. With a flick of his right hand, the Kyōka Suigetsu at his waist was instantly drawn!

Clang--!

A deafening clang of metal clashing echoed across the entire battlefield!

The two blades clashed violently! Sparks flew, and shockwaves spread wildly in all directions!

Aizen parried Liu Hao's descending Imperial Sword, simultaneously raising his left hand, his index finger aimed at Liu Hao's chest, lightning flashing at the tip: "Hadō #4, Byakurai!"

A beam of blazing white lightning shot out from his fingertips, aiming straight for Liu Hao's heart!

The distance was so close, and the speed so fast, that avoidance was almost impossible!

However, at the critical moment, Liu Hao's body suddenly veered to the side!

The Byakurai whistled past his chest, blasting a huge crater in the ruins behind him!

At the same time, Liu Hao's Imperial Sword turned around, changing from a slash to a horizontal slash, aiming straight for Aizen's waist!

The sword's edge tore through the air, accompanied by a sharp, piercing sound!

Aizen speed. He raised his left hand, palm facing the sweeping sword.

A colorful, honeycomb-like hexagonal light shield instantly appeared and expanded from the back of his hand! The light shield was completely transparent, with iridescent halos flowing around its edges, and each hexagon was so precise that it was like a concrete representation of a mathematical formula!

Clang--!

The Imperial Sword's Sword slashed fiercely at the colorful shield! Sparks flew, and shockwaves surged once more!

Several fine cracks appeared on the colorful shield, but it remained sturdy and steadily blocked the sword!

Aizen's smile deepened. He thrust his left hand forward with a sudden burst of power, causing Liu Hao to be pushed back several feet!

At the same time, his right hand, Kyōka Suigetsu, was raised high and slashed down fiercely towards Liu Hao's head!

This sword strike was swift and ruthless, carrying the power to destroy everything!

Liu Hao's body was still retreating, his old strength exhausted and new strength yet to be generated, but he showed no panic. He gripped the Imperial Sword with both hands and suddenly held it horizontally above his head!

Clang--!

Another loud bang!

The Kyōka Suigetsu clashed with the Imperial Sword once more! The violent shockwave ripped away the ruins beneath their feet!

Their eyes met, so close they could almost touch!

A faint smile appeared on Liu Hao's lips.

His left hand released itself from the hilt of the Imperial Sword, his index finger extended, aimed at Aizen's chest—

A highly compressed, invisible Reiatsu instantly erupted from his fingertips!

That Reiatsu wasn't Cero, nor was Kidō; it was a pure, extreme, and compressed Reiatsu shockwave!

Bang--!

Aizen felt an invisible, overwhelming force slam into his chest! The force was so strong that his steady figure was involuntarily thrown backward!

A barely concealed look of disbelief flashed in Aizen's eyes.

However, Liu Hao gave him no chance to catch his breath. The instant he retreated, Liu Hao charged forward again! The Imperial Sword in his hand transformed into sharp sword lights, slashing towards Aizen from all directions!

Aizen steadied himself, Kyōka Suigetsu in his hand also transformed into streaks of sword light, clashing wildly with Liu Hao's Imperial Sword!

Ding ding--!

The clash of swords and the clang of metal echoed endlessly! Each collision unleashed blinding sparks and violent shockwaves! The two moved at an unbelievable speed, so fast that the Soul Reapers and members of the Visored watching the battle couldn't even see their movements!

In the instant the two were locked in a struggle, Aizen's gaze inadvertently swept over Liu Hao's left hand, which was once again poised to snap its fingers!

Aizen's pupils contracted slightly!

Without the slightest hesitation, he unleashed his Reiatsu and vanished from his spot in an instant!

The next moment, he appeared behind Liu Hao!

He raised the Kyōka Suigetsu sword high in his hand and slashed it down fiercely towards Liu Hao's head!

This sword strike was cunningly angled and precisely timed, making it almost impossible to avoid!

However, Liu Hao seemed to have anticipated this. Just as the blade was about to touch his head, he suddenly lunged forward, using the momentum to dodge the fatal blow!

The blade grazed his back, severing a few strands of his hair!

Liu Hao charged forward several feet, then suddenly turned around, holding the Imperial Sword horizontally in front of him to guard against Aizen's follow-up attacks.

Aizen also sheathed his sword and stood quietly in the spot where Liu Hao had been standing.

The two were several feet apart, their eyes meeting.

Aizen's face still wore that calm and composed smile. But in his deep eyes, an unprecedentedly serious light shone.

A faint smile also appeared on Liu Hao's lips. He looked at Aizen, his eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit.

The first round of confrontation has now concluded.

But the real battle has only just begun.