Lingering Breath × The Struggle for Vice-Captain

Aizen spat out another mouthful of blood.

It was the result of him squeezing out the last trace of Spiritual Power within him, using Kyōka Suigetsu to deceive the pursuing Shinigami and send them off course.

If it had been a Hollow, Aizen could have still tangled with it for a while, since Hollows were merely solitary creatures.

But the pursuing Shinigami would call their comrades, their numbers growing ever larger.

So, with no other choice, Aizen expended the last shred of Spiritual Power he had recovered from his slumber.

Aizen's brow was tightly furrowed, as extreme exhaustion in both his Spirit Body and mind surged over him simultaneously, while his injuries continued to worsen.

The depletion of his Spiritual Power pushed his condition to its absolute worst, to the point where, in the next moment, Aizen was on the verge of sinking into a deep, drunken sleep.

'It can't end here!'

'I am the one destined to ascend the throne!'

'I will not end in such disgrace!'

Aizen's tenacious will overcame the side effects of his body, but the physical fatigue still made it difficult for him to move.

Following an inexplicable survival instinct, Aizen abruptly looked down at the Hollow that had been killed by two Shinigami at his feet.

After a moment of inner struggle, and then without hesitation, Aizen's body lunged forward, and he fiercely sank his teeth into the Hollow's corpse, devouring it.

Though Aizen's strength had dwindled to the point where he could barely move his jaw, fortunately the Hollow's rank was equally low. Driven by his stubborn will to survive, Aizen swallowed the first mouthful of Hollow flesh.

Once the Hollow meat entered his stomach, Aizen seemed to regain a faint trace of strength, and then, involuntarily, he gnawed even more desperately.

*'I