The Ongoing Melee

After achieving "Bankai: Imperial Decree of All Things" and even mastering the power of "Reishi of Name," Chiba Makoto clearly understood that his true level had completely surpassed Aizen Sōsuke and Unohana Retsu.

Instead, this left Makoto in unconscious confusion, because he had no idea what lay beyond this point, nor what path he should take to surpass Hyōsube Ichibē.

In a sense, if Makoto were willing to cast aside the attachments in his heart and cautiously deal with any sealing traps Hyōsube Ichibē might have prepared, then Hyōsube Ichibē would have no way to deal with him.

"Reishi of Name" made Makoto a true incarnation of reishi!

Just as Hyōsube Ichibē would be immortal and indestructible so long as "black" existed in this world, Makoto could never truly die as long as reishi remained in the world.

However, as the two fundamental substances that made up the world, reishi and Matter Particles could never completely cease to exist!

Thus, the pressure Hyōsube Ichibē gave Makoto was far less than that Aizen Sōsuke had once given him.

Aizen Sōsuke stretched his body a little more. His body had far surpassed what it once was, and even the Hogyoku had begun its initial complete fusion with him. He could not help but praise Makoto.

"Makoto, as expected of you. Only you could drive my evolution forward at such an astonishing speed, even allowing me to leap directly from the anticipated first stage of fusing with the Hogyoku to the third stage."

"You're welcome."

Makoto sensed Aizen Sōsuke's spiritual pressure and, combined with his own understanding of Soul Reapers and Hollows, realized that Aizen Sōsuke had completely entered the so-called perfect stage of a Soul Reaper.

He only needed to take one more step forward to truly transcend the dimension of a