Aizen said nothing more.
He took off his glasses and tossed them aside, then slicked his hair back with his fingers, revealing a face that had now lost every trace of gentleness.
He gazed disdainfully at Imu on the high throne, his eyes blazing.
Then he raised his hand toward the Empty Throne.
Without an incantation, he launched his attack.
"Hadō #90: Black Coffin!"
An enormous black rectangular enclosure erupted around Imu, completely swallowing the figure on the Empty Throne. Countless pitch-black shadow blades pierced the coffin from every direction, each strike powerful enough to riddle an ordinary Captain-level Death God with holes!
The darkness lasted a full three seconds.
Only then did it slowly dissipate.
Imu still sat upon the Empty Throne.
The position was unchanged, the posture unaltered. Not even a wrinkle had appeared in the hem of Imu's robe.
Imu looked at Aizen with an unreadable expression.
"Is that all you can manage? You've disappointed me terribly!"
Aizen's pupils contracted slightly.
At that very instant, a black shadow appeared beside him without warning!
It was a blade formed from pure darkness. It made no sound as it cut through the air, gave off no fluctuations of energy, and silently stabbed straight at his skull!
Aizen reacted swiftly, sidestepping before raising his left hand.
"Dangai!"
A transparent barrier of light instantly spread out before his palm.
After fusing with the completed Hōgyoku, he had become even more adept at using this technique, and its defensive power was astonishing.
In the original timeline, this technique had easily blocked a slash from Shunsui Kyōraku's Shikai.
The shadow blade struck the barrier with a piercing metallic screech. Cracks instantly covered the light before it shattered with a crash, scattering fragments of radiance.
Aizen did not move an inch. Before shattering, the