Faced with this sword strike, Aizen did not dare let his guard down either. Powerful Spiritual Pressure surged from within the Hōgyoku as he tried to break free from the temporal restraints around him.
Yet the power of time was exceptionally strong. Even with the Hōgyoku's support, he found it difficult to escape, and the sword had already slashed across his chest.
The instant the sword passed through, Shin's left hand moved slightly. A trace of power utterly unlike chakra was mixed into the strike and sent into Aizen's body.
This power resembled a Kidō spell activated through Spiritual Pressure, yet was distinctly different. Concealed within Shin's chakra, it went completely unnoticed by his opponent.
Aizen's figure fell to the ground. Traces of temporal corrosion appeared around his wound, and he began to age rapidly.
Other than Eternal Realm experts, rare even among True Gods, no person or object in the multiverse could resist the corrosion of time.
Aizen lowered his head and silently looked at the bone-deep wound in his chest. The Hōgyoku's power was contending with the force of time. Shin hovered in the air, watching him with an inscrutable gaze.
It did not take long—less than three seconds. Under the Hōgyoku's power, his injuries had completely healed.
Aizen closed his eyes in thought, then said after a moment, "I see. Your power contains not only space, but also the laws of time. For most people, it truly would be difficult to resist. Unfortunately, before me, who possesses the Hōgyoku, everything is still futile."
His Zanpakuto pointed toward Shin. As the sword aura shot forth, Shin's heart suddenly lurched. Within his opponent's sword aura, he sensed a familiar presence.
It was that strange power of time. After only that brief exchange, the Hōgyoku had actually replicated the properties