Shoot Him, Shinso! (Seeking Reads!)

The Indian epic Mahabharata contains a description as follows.

[The Lord flew rapidly in his Vimana, launching a projectile charged with all the power of the universe at the three cities of the Vrishnis and Andhakas.]

[A single column of white smoke rose from the ground, shining with the brilliance of ten thousand suns.]

[This secret weapon, known as the Iron Thunderbolt, reduced the entire enemy force to ashes.]

[The corpses were burned beyond recognition; hair and nails fell out, and the warriors jumped into streams, washing themselves and their equipment clean.]

The Iron Thunderbolt mentioned therein is the ancient nuclear warhead carried by the Vimana.

At this moment, that ancient nuclear warhead detonated within the Garganta.

In an instant, the Garganta was completely illuminated, leaving not a single dark corner remaining.

Amidst this endless brilliance, a massive mushroom cloud surged upward, the terrifying power of the explosion causing the already unstable space of the Garganta to begin collapsing.

Gilgamesh had already departed aboard the Vimana.

The Vimana is capable of high-speed flight while ignoring the laws of physics, so the moment the ancient nuclear warhead detonated, it had already exited the Garganta and arrived in Hueco Mundo.

Through the still-open Garganta, Gilgamesh admired the light and the mushroom cloud blooming within, his mood brightening as he whispered, "Hm, truly a magnificent firework."

Yoruichi Shihouin had awakened from her hypnotic state at some unknown point.

Watching the Garganta filled with endless light and feeling the terrifying power of the nuclear explosion that left her gasping for air, Yoruichi was left involuntarily dumbstruck.

Upon hearing Gilgamesh's words, Yoruichi truly wanted to revert to her human form, grab Gilgamesh by the collar, and shake him violently while demanding, "Do you even hear yourself? You call this a firework? Really?"

Gilgamesh perceived Yoruichi's thoughts and could not help but smile with amusement.

The Vimana carried only two ancient nuclear warheads; now that one had been expended, Gilgamesh had no intention of using the remaining one just yet.

Silently sensing the vessel, Gilgamesh discovered that the Vimana still possessed approximately two-thirds of its energy.

As for the one-third that had been depleted, it had been consumed to withstand Sosuke Aizen's Black Coffin.

One had to admit, the power of Sosuke Aizen's Black Coffin was truly formidable, even when cast without an incantation.

Had it been the magical barrier released by the Golden Throne during his battle with Isshin Shiba that day, it likely would not have been able to block Sosuke Aizen's Black Coffin at all.

However, Gilgamesh was not concerned about the energy consumption of the Vimana.

This was because the Vimana's energy source was solar power.

Moreover, it was not ordinary solar power, but energy generated by solar crystals fueled by mercury—a power source that belonged to the realm of myth itself.

And within the Gate of Babylon, there was never a shortage of minerals like mercury.

Now, Gilgamesh simply wanted to see if Sosuke Aizen could survive the nuclear blast.

Meanwhile, Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen, who were waiting in Hueco Mundo to receive them, caught sight of the Vimana emerging from the Garganta.

Although Kaname Tosen could not see, he had long since honed his "mind's eye" over the years, allowing him to perceive a rough, black-and-white model of his surroundings in his mind, much like 3D imaging.

Consequently, while Kaname Tosen could "see" the Vimana, he could only perceive its basic structure and could not witness its true splendor.

Gin Ichimaru was different.

Watching the Vimana floating in the firmament, radiating brilliance, his usually narrowed eyes widened involuntarily, his face filled with profound shock.

To be honest, this was the first time in his life he had ever seen something so magnificent.

Kaname Tosen sensed the shift in Gin Ichimaru's emotions and could not help but ask, "Gin, what do you see?"

Gin Ichimaru did not answer—not because he did not want to, but because he did not know how to describe the Vimana with words.

Kaname Tosen, having received no reply, furrowed his brows and asked again, "Did you see Captain Aizen?"

Gin Ichimaru suddenly snapped back to reality.

That was right; why had Aizen not appeared yet?

And what was that shining vessel of light? Was it Aizen's latest research achievement?

Harboring various doubts, Gin Ichimaru's expression turned grave as he spoke, "I do not see Captain Aizen."

As he spoke, Gin Ichimaru's brows knit together involuntarily, and he continued, "Something feels wrong. Let's approach carefully and take a look."

Kaname Tosen had no objections, and together with Gin Ichimaru, they used Flash Step to ascend into the air, rapidly closing the distance to the Vimana.

Soon, Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen arrived in the void beside the Vimana and stood still, gazing at it from afar.

When they saw Gilgamesh sitting atop the Vimana, stroking Yoruichi Shihouin, the expressions of both Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen shifted in unison.

They had never expected that the one sitting on the Vimana would be Gilgamesh.

So, where had Sosuke Aizen gone?

Logically speaking, shouldn't it have been Sosuke Aizen who captured Gilgamesh and brought him to Hueco Mundo?

As they pondered this, they suddenly noticed Gilgamesh's gaze fixed upon the still-open Garganta before him.

Following Gilgamesh's line of sight, they saw the Garganta, where the light had yet to fade, and their hearts were struck with a sudden, violent tremor.

The fact that a light akin to the sun had appeared within the Garganta was clearly beyond the comprehension of Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen.

They did not know what had happened, but they guessed that the light in the Garganta and the disappearance of Sosuke Aizen must both be related to Gilgamesh.

However, they did not believe that Sosuke Aizen would be defeated by the hands of Gilgamesh.

Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen did not know just how terrifying the true extent of Sosuke Aizen's power was.

But they knew that the mere tip of the iceberg Sosuke Aizen had revealed was already enough to fill them with dread.

Therefore, in the eyes of Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen, it must have been that Gilgamesh used some kind of trick to stall Sosuke Aizen within the Garganta.

That light, radiant as the sun, had to be Gilgamesh's doing.

Thinking this, Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen exchanged a glance and gave each other a slight nod.

Although no words were spoken, the tacit understanding built from years of working together told them exactly what the other meant: take down Gilgamesh first, then wait for Sosuke Aizen to emerge from the Garganta before making any further decisions.

Without hesitation, Kaname Tosen immediately engaged Flash Step, rapidly closing the distance toward the Vimana.

Meanwhile, Gin Ichimaru drew his Zanpakuto where he stood, aimed it at Gilgamesh, and opened his narrowed eyes just a sliver, coldly chanting the Shikai release command: "Shoot to kill, Shinso!"

The next moment, the Shinso, which had been nothing more than a short blade, suddenly elongated, surpassing Kaname Tosen with terrifying, invisible speed to strike directly at Gilgamesh.

Clang!

Suddenly, a screen of light manifested, blocking Gin Ichimaru's Shinso, but it did not stop Kaname Tosen.

Before Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen could even react, Kaname Tosen had already arrived upon the Vimana, standing right at Gilgamesh's side.

Looking at Gilgamesh, who was now within arm's reach, Kaname Tosen did not care for anything else and raised his Zanpakuto, ready to strike.

It was at this very moment that Gilgamesh's youthful yet regally authoritative voice suddenly rang out: "Kaname Tosen, do you wish to avenge Kakyō?"

Boom!

A single, simple sentence instantly struck Kaname Tosen like a bolt of lightning; his pupils trembled violently, and the Zanpakuto he held aloft could no longer be brought down.

Kakyō, my dear friend... how could he possibly know about her!?