Squelch!
In the next instant, before Yhwach could react, a Zanpakuto stabbed into his back and completely pierced through his body.
The blade, glinting with cold light, even protruded from Yhwach's chest, its tip reaching right before his eyes.
This sudden turn of events left Yhwach stunned for a moment, before endless fury surged within him.
"Aizen!"
Only then did Yhwach realize that, at some unknown point, he had fallen under Aizen Sōsuke's Kyōka Suigetsu. He had failed to notice Aizen Sōsuke's presence all along.
And Aizen Sōsuke had betrayed him!
"Yhwach, as expected, you are unworthy of the throne. Does something this trivial already leave you unable to control yourself, driving you into rage?"
Aizen Sōsuke remained as indifferent and calm as ever. That lofty tone of judgment made Yhwach's eyes flush red with rage.
"Why? Why betray me? Without me, do you think the Thirteen Divisions would take in a sinner like you?" Yhwach demanded.
"Ridiculous. Why would I need the Thirteen Divisions to take me in?" Aizen Sōsuke said disdainfully.
"So, you also covet the position of the Soul King?"
Yhwach sneered. "But what a pity. Not everyone is qualified to become the Soul King. Only I am destined to become the Soul King."
Aizen Sōsuke's expression did not change in the slightest. Instead, a trace of pity for the ignorant appeared in his eyes as he spoke.
"You pitiful creature who believes yourself omniscient and omnipotent—have you never questioned whether the future you saw was merely the future someone else wanted you to see?"
Yet Yhwach, having fully recovered from the shock of Aizen Sōsuke's betrayal, sneered.
"The ignorant one is you, Aizen. Did you think a mere ambush of this level could harm me?"
"Self-Bestowal: Spirit Body."
As Yhwach spoke, the wound where the Zanpakuto