Sealing Aizen

"Oh," Liu Ziyun's voice held a hint of surprise and approval, "It's evolved again."

But his expression remained calm; his bloodshot eyes held no fear or apprehension, only a deep, almost serene scrutiny. He looked at the three pairs of wings behind Aizen, at his surging Reiatsu, and then—

The wings behind him began to slowly retract.

The pair of almost transparent light wings condensed by spiritual pressure slowly shrank behind him, getting smaller bit by bit, condensing bit by bit, and finally turned into the word "life" and landed on a disk behind him.

The disk is made of a dragon and a phoenix intertwined. The dragon is golden and the phoenix is red. The two are intertwined to form a perfect circle. The word "ming" falls in the center of the disk, emitting a faint light, like a beating heart.

The moment the wings of light behind him retracted, his Reiatsu surged dramatically.

That power was like a volcanic eruption, a surging tsunami, or the collapse of the heavens and the earth. It surged out from Liu Ziyun's body, sweeping outwards and tearing the surrounding air, distorting and deforming it. The ground began to tremble violently, and the distant Stone Pillars collapsed under the impact of that Reiatsu, turning into countless fragments of stone.

Aizen's pupils suddenly contracted.

He could sense that Liu Ziyun's Reiatsu had risen to another level in that instant—it wasn't a quantitative change, but a qualitative one, a power that transcended the limits of Soul Reaper and reached another dimension. He had only ever felt that kind of power in one person—himself, after fusing with the Hōgyoku.

"How is this possible?" His voice was filled with disbelief and shock. "How could you, a Soul Reaper, achieve this level?"

Liu Ziyun smiled.

The smile held a hint of mystery, a touch of profound meaning, and a dash of enigmatic cunning. "Who knows?"

He raised the Life-Taker Tulu in his hand, the tip pointing at Aizen, then with a light flick, "Fate Severing."

That strike seemed effortless, devoid of any imposing presence or sense of pressure, not even a sound of wind being cut. The blade traced an elegant arc in the air, and then—nothing happened.

Aizen looked down at his body—no wounds, no bloodstains, not even a tear in his clothes. But he felt that something had been cut away by that sword. It was an indescribable feeling, as if something was missing from his body, as if something had been taken from his soul.

His expression changed.

That was the first time Liu Ziyun had seen Aizen's expression truly change—not a composed smile, not a confident provocation, but a deep-seated, undisguised panic.

"What did you do?" His voice trembled slightly, filled with unease.

Liu Ziyun smiled slightly, a smile tinged with smugness and mystery, "Nothing. It's just—it cut off your possibility of further evolution."

Aizen's eyes widened suddenly, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints. His lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out.

"How is this possible?!" He practically roared, his voice filled with disbelief and rage, "How could you—"

"Nothing is impossible." Liu Ziyun interrupted him, his voice calm yet firm. "My blade is a force that manipulates destiny. Originally, I couldn't use this ability, but—" He paused, his smile deepening, "During my battle with you, I gradually adapted to this power."

He raised the Life-Taker Tulu, the dragon and phoenix on its Hueco Mundo, as if responding to his words.

Aizen remained silent for a long time. His gaze lingered on Liu Ziyun's face, and something was churning in those brown eyes—anger, resentment, despair, and an emotion that even he himself could not understand, an emotion that was almost a sense of relief.

Then, Liu Ziyun.

His figure vanished from his spot, appearing before Aizen in the next instant. The Life-Taker Tulu blade traced an elegant arc in the air, slicing into Aizen's left shoulder and exiting from his right waist—

Aizen's body was split in two.

Blood gushed out, forming a crimson waterfall in the void. His upper and lower body separated, spinning in the air and falling in two different directions.

But the moment his body was cleaved in two, the power of the Hōgyoku erupted once more. Purple light surged from his chest, covering his wound and forcibly healing the fatal injury. His upper and lower body reconnected in the void, and muscles, bones, blood vessels—everything regenerated at a visible speed.

But this time, something is different.

His body was healing, but his Reiatsu did not rise. His evolution had stopped. His power no longer increased, his form no longer changed, and his transcendence—had come to an end.

Once his body had fully healed, he stood in the void, panting heavily. His face was as pale as paper, fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his breathing was rapid and erratic. He still had three pairs of wings behind him, but his Reiatsu had plummeted to rock bottom, and he looked utterly exhausted.

What shocked him even more was that his body was changing—his hair began to shorten from waist length, turning from dark purple back to brown; his black armor began to peel away, revealing white robes underneath; and the three pairs of wings on his back began to shrink, grow smaller, and eventually disappear.

He returned to his normal appearance.

Aizen looked down at his hands—the hands of an ordinary human, devoid of the power of the Hōgyoku, showing no signs of transcendence, only flesh and bone. He raised his head, looking at Liu Ziyun, his brown eyes filled with complex emotions—anger, resentment, despair, and a sense of relief that even he himself could not comprehend, almost a liberation.

Just then, strange patterns began to appear on his body.

The patterns began to spread from his chest, outwards, covering his arms, legs, torso, and face. The patterns were golden, shimmering eerily in the dim, yellowish light of the Hueco Mundo: "Ninety-Six Kyo Fire Rack Seal."

Aizen looked down at the markings on his body, his brown eyes filled with shock and confusion. "What is this?"

Liu Ziyun smiled slightly, a smile tinged with smugness and mystery, "Oh, this is a new Kidō that I had Kisuke Urahara develop, used to seal you. After all—" He paused, his gaze deepening, "You, fused with the Hōgyoku, might be unkillable. So I have no choice but to seal you for now."

Aizen remained silent for a long time. His gaze shifted from Liu Ziyun to the man in the distance wearing a green striped hat and holding a folding fan— Kisuke Urahara. A complex emotion flashed in his eyes—anger, resentment, and a feeling that even he himself could not understand, almost a sense of admiration.