The Ever-Changing Battlefield
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's strike was quite ruthless; the incandescent flames covered a vast area, engulfing the entire trio of Aizen and his companions, causing Kenpachi Zaraki to retreat while grimacing.
Aizen could tell at a glance that Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen definitely couldn't withstand Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's attack. That wouldn't do; he still had a lot of work to do with these two.
With a flick of his finger, Aizen unleashed a torrent of dark Kido spiritual pressure that instantly enveloped Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen. The blackness spread rapidly, sealing them off completely before the white flames arrived, leaving two black cuboids standing on either side of Aizen.
Hadō 90: Kurohitsugi - Double Chanting Version.
Aizen took a different approach, using Kurohitsugi primarily designed for destruction to protect Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen. He weakened the destructive elements within the Kurohitsugi and deliberately amplified the spiritual pressure it contained, making the Kurohitsugi Kurohitsugi a real coffin protecting the two inside.
Bakudō #81: Dankū Aizen he didn't believe Bakudō #81: Dankū could stop Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's Karma Burning the City. That technique required at least Kido of level 90 or higher. For Aizen, the Kurohitsugi Kurohitsugi the Kido he could use most easily, and he was even able to modify it in a hurry.
The white flames engulfed the three of them in the blink of an eye. The flames burned fiercely, showing no sign of going out. Burning the city, burning the city—the white flames would not go out until the city was completely burned to ashes.
"Hiss! What was that old man doing in there?"
As the Tōzanshō gradually turned red, Urahara could even feel the Heat from the path of spiritual pressure transmission. If he touched the Tōzanshō now, it would definitely be cooked instantly.
"That won't do, shopkeeper. You should have called that uncle from the shop over too," Ichigo teased from the side.
Even Ichigo knew that the other man in Urahara Shop was a master of Kido, Ichigo believed that with him there, the Bakudo would be foolproof.
Urahara could only grin and agree with Ichigo's assessment. It wasn't that he didn't want to bring Kukaku Shiba, but rather that his children were too young and needed an adult to look after the house.
"Kisuke, how's the situation inside?"
A lazy yet earnest voice came from behind. Urahara Kisuke turned around and saw Lisa supporting Shunsui Kyōraku as they walked over. However, seeing Kyōraku clutching his stomach, Urahara was a little puzzled. His stomach didn't seem to be where Kyōraku was injured, did it?
"I don't know, it seems like Old Man Yamamoto is furious," Urahara said. Even they, as users of the Kido, couldn't see into the inner workings of the Kido.
Kyōraku squinted at Urahara, "Didn't you put anything in there? Like some kind of insect that can monitor things?"
Urahara was somewhat embarrassed, not expecting Kyōraku to know him so well. "Well, they're all dead."
How could Urahara Kisuke not add something to the Tōzanshō? It's just that Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's Bankai doesn't protect the weak; those little bugs were already charred.
"And you? You came here in this condition?" Urahara retorted.
"I'm scared," Kyōraku said, looking directly at Tōzanshō. "I'm afraid even the old man won't be able to defeat Aizen. If all else fails, I'll offer Aizen my final act."
In fact, Kyōraku's injuries were far less severe than the others. His personality meant that even if he was deceived by Kyoka Suigetsu, he would be careful to maintain his composure. His current need for support was entirely an act, done to get the care of his long-unseen deputy.
Because Lisa noticed this about Kyōraku, she punched Kyōraku hard in the stomach, causing Kyōraku to need her help to move.
"Don't use it unless absolutely necessary." Urahara saw Kyōraku's desperate intentions. "If Aizen's spiritual pressure is immune to your ability, then it'll be all for nothing."
Tsuna said that Aizen was even immune to Soi Fon's Two-Hit Kill, so it's hard to say whether Kyōraku's special ability would be effective.
Kyōraku did not answer; he simply stared at the Tōzanshō, as if his gaze could penetrate the Kido and see inside the crystal.
Amidst the raging flames, besides the two Kurohitsugi resisting the burning heat, a vacuum zone appeared around Aizen. The flames bypassed Aizen, causing Aizen no real harm except for some heat.
Aizen made no move; he simply stared blankly at the two Hogyoku in his palm. Just moments before, as he was preparing to devise a way to counter Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's attack, the two Hogyoku suddenly resonated with each other.
In that instant, the Hogyoku seemed to understand Aizen's thoughts. Under their guidance, the Mirror Clarity quickly solidified the area around Aizen into a mirror, and then completely shattered the mirror. With nothing left to burn from the karmic fire, a vacuum zone was naturally formed, allowing Aizen to breathe.
This sudden change is delightful. To be honest, when Aizen was trying to steal Urahara's Hogyoku, he wasn't confident that he could fully evolve the Hogyoku. But the change just now shows that Aizen's direction is correct, and that a fully evolved Hogyoku is feasible.
Aizen was handling the two Hogyoku like he was handling walnuts, but no matter what he did, the Hogyoku didn't react. This made Aizen somewhat disappointed; it seemed that fusing the Hogyoku would take more time.
Aizen's expression turned fierce as he looked towards Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto. He couldn't be trapped in Soul Society; he needed both time and his tools. The three of them couldn't perish here.
Aizen reached into his robes, concealing the Hogyoku, and crushed a white device. He then began chanting an incantation, and five Black Dragon circled around him before Goryūtenmetsu!
The Black Dragon roamed in the sea of fire, and the Kurohitsugi was released at the same time. Without Aizen's reminder, Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen followed the Black Dragon's trajectory and rushed out of the white sea of fire.
Aizen glanced at the white sea of fire behind him. The space of the Tōzanshō was not large to begin with, and the sea of fire created by Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto occupied half of that space. In other words, the fighting space between them and the three of Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto was even smaller.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, however, had no intention of giving Aizen any breathing room. With flames burning on his Zanpakuto again, he prepared to use the same trick to completely seal off the movement space of Aizen and the other two.
Aizen couldn't let Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto unleash that strike. If Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto were to unleash another fiery attack on the castle, Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen have no chance of survival.
Aizen Flash Step before Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto with Zanjutsu, brandishing his Zanpakuto and engaging Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto in close combat. The two clashed swords, neither gaining the upper hand for a moment. Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto was secretly astonished that Aizen's Zanjutsu was so exquisite.
Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen faced their enemy once again, and to their surprise, they were at a disadvantage in the very first exchange.
Kaname Tōsen was alright, as he was already in poor condition and it was difficult for him to gain the upper hand against a monster with high fighting spirit. However, Gin Ichimaru found that his Zanjutsu seemed to be having little effect.
Without stepping, Mutō Renjin, Mutō Rāmō, the speed of each attack of the Shinsō is indeed beyond the reach of the naked eye. However, Unohana Retsu is precisely the one who uses an equal amount of blood pool to transform into blood blades to break through Gin Ichimaru's moves time and time again.
A terrifying thought flashed through Gin Ichimaru's mind: in that brief exchange, Unohana Retsu had already seen through his Zanjutsu and was able to use the Blood Pool to return the same amount of damage based on the moves he used.
This is the First Kenpachi, who was once known as the Yachiru. Unohana Retsu can replicate most of the Zanjutsu she has ever seen one-to-one with her Blood Pool and Blood Blade. This is why she was able to obtain the title of Yachiru. Yachiryu is just a figurative number; the sword techniques she has mastered have long exceeded ten thousand.
Unohana Retsu's fighting style has always been effective: learn your opponent's swordsmanship and execute them when you reach the peak of your sense of superiority.
However, the last time Unohana Retsu encountered Tsuna, whose swordsmanship possessed the ability to Sedation was not something she could imitate in a short time, which is why she suffered a loss at Tsuna's hands.
Now, with Gin Ichimaru's swordsmanship relying solely on its stretching ability, Blood Pond can easily replicate it, making Unohana Retsu increasingly uninteresting; the so-called Hundred-Meter Zanjutsu is nothing special after all.
Gin Ichimaru hesitated, unsure whether to use his last trump card. The killing power of the Shinsō lay in its poison. Once the Shinsō struck an enemy, it would leave tiny fragments of the blade inside the enemy's body, like removing a piece of scale. These fragments contained a deadly poison, a poison capable of killing even a god.
Gin Ichimaru hesitated because he intended to save this move for Aizen, and also because of Unohana Retsu's fighting style, which allowed her to recover from injuries by swimming through a blood pool. He wasn't sure if his killing move would be effective against Unohana Retsu; it was a contest of how quickly the poison took effect and how quickly Unohana Retsu could replenish her blood.
But in that moment of distraction, Gin Ichimaru gave Unohana Retsu an opportunity. She suddenly closed in and a short, hidden sword popped out from her left sleeve, aiming for Gin Ichimaru's chest.
With a soft thud, the hidden sword struck. At that moment Gin Ichimaru heard Unohana Retsu's comment, "Your distraction gave me the opportunity to use a hidden weapon."
Originally, the battle between Gin Ichimaru and Unohana Retsu wouldn't have ended so easily; they could have remained locked in a stalemate for a while. It was precisely because Gin Ichimaru's thoughts were scattered that his sword speed unconsciously slowed down, and Unohana Retsu was not about to miss this opportunity.
For Unohana Retsu, a truly powerful enemy is one for whom she doesn't even have a chance to use hidden weapons. Once she can use hidden weapons, it means that the opponent is just a weakling, an enemy who cannot enhance her pleasure, and can only be annihilated by her.
Compared to Gin Ichimaru's defeat, Kaname Tōsen's situation was much more hasty. Having just obtained the power of Hollow's power, he was clearly not familiar with it. Coupled with the aggressive Kenpachi Zaraki, Kaname Tōsen forced to release Enma Kōrogi once again.
However, this time the Enma Kōrogi was much smaller than the previous two. The black spiritual pressure sphere only enveloped Kenpachi Zaraki. Kaname Tōsen no longer wanted to defeat Kenpachi Zaraki. What he wanted to do was stall for time until Lord Aizen was able to free up his hands to help.
In Kaname Tōsen's view, as long as he sealed off Kenpachi Zaraki's senses, he could drag out time indefinitely. However, he overlooked one point: how could Kenpachi Zaraki have fought for so long within the Illusion of Kyoka Suigetsu? This was also the difference between him and Aizen.
A nicked and chipped knife pierced through the spiritual pressure space of Enma Kōrogi, and yellow spiritual pressure seeped out from the gaps. Kaname Tōsen could even react to why Enma Kōrogi had been broken, the knife had already struck him.
Kenpachi Zaraki showed no mercy whatsoever. Kaname Tōsen severely injured with a single strike and rendered unable to rise again. Kenpachi merely spat at the fallen Kaname Tōsen, having expected a joyful battle, only to find it so childish. How dare someone with such strength betray him?