Stalling

The intense golden light that surged through the void gradually faded, and the violent air currents finally calmed down.

The residual high-temperature Reishi fragments in the air drifted down slowly like fine golden sand.

The once majestic throne temple is now completely gone.

The highest point of the entire Wahrwelt was completely flattened into a scorched plain by that fully chanted Five Dragon Destruction.

Sōsuke Aizen stood alone at the edge of the plain, his Black Restraint Garment rustling in the hot wind.

He lowered his eyes slightly, his gaze falling on the very center directly in front of him.

There lay a terrifyingly large, deep abyss.

The giant crater stretches for thousands of feet in diameter, occupying almost 80% of the area of the entire top-floor platform.

The rock strata at the edge of the fracture were smooth and neat, traces left by pure Reiatsu cutting and crushing them in an instant.

Looking down, the pit walls were steep and vertical, and the bottomless, dark void seemed to lead directly to the bottomless void below the city.

At the deepest part of the pit, the once solid temple foundation had melted into a dark red pool of magma, bubbling and churning with scorching bubbles.

Even the void itself, directly above the pit, was covered with fine black cracks that failed to heal for a long time.

This high-level Hadō of number ninety-nine has pushed its destructive power to the limit that the material world can withstand.

However.

Aizen looked down at the deep crater below, his brows furrowing slightly.

In his perception, the man's Reiatsu had not completely weakened, nor even shown the slightest sign of disorder.

call.

A faint current of air suddenly rose from the bottom of the seemingly bottomless pit.

On the surface of the churning lava pool, a layer of thick, ink-like black mist appeared without warning.

The black mist rapidly spread outwards, transforming into a swirling, dark torrent.

The magma, radiating temperatures of thousands of degrees, lost all its luster the moment it came into contact with the black mist, turning into cold Obsidian crystals.

Step, step, step.

The steady footsteps echoed clearly deep within the vast, empty pit.

A tall figure strode step by step through the churning black mud, ascending from the bottom of the abyss.

The Obsidian- like robe was completely intact, not even a speck of ash on the hem.

On that imposing and cold face, countless compound eyes silently opened and closed, reflecting the last rays of light between heaven and earth.

Yhwach stood once more on the plain.

The man lowered the pure white broadsword in his hand, the sacred light on the blade still flowing.

Yhwach surveyed the empty ruins around him and said calmly, "Truly astonishing destructive power, Aizen."

Aizen did not reply, but simply put his hands behind his back, his expression returning to its usual calm.

Yhwach took a half step, his shadow trailing a long path across the scorched earth.

"The complete chanting of the Hadō #99 pushes the art of the Kidō to its limits, beyond anything mortals can imagine."

"In terms of skill alone in the art of Soul Reaper, even Shigekuni Yamamoto a thousand years ago could not have unleashed such a pure surge of Reishi."

Yhwach's pupils shifted slightly as he calmly stated, "As a pure being, you have indeed reached an insurmountable peak."

This praise, calm and detached, echoed in the air above the ruins of the main hall.

Aizen's lips twitched slightly, and he chuckled softly.

"To receive such high praise from the founder of the Quincy, it's not in vain that I wasted my breath chanting those Kotodama."

Aizen slightly raised his chin and smiled, "However, judging from your words, you still seem to feel confident of victory?"

Yhwach shook his head, a dark ripple spreading across the broadsword in his hand.

"This is not a question of whether victory is assured or not, Aizen."

Yhwach said indifferently, "The power you rely on is still limited to quantity and the refinement of technique."

"Within the dimensions of matter and Reishi, you might be able to destroy all the mountains and cities you see before you."

"However, in the Almighty vision, these raging thunderbolts and dragons are no different in essence from the breeze that brushes through one's fingers."

"You and I have never been on the same level."

Yhwach stopped and looked down at the man in black twenty paces away.

"The gods govern cause and effect and the Future, while mortals can only struggle to the best of their ability within a predetermined picture."

Faced with such remarks that negated all his efforts, Aizen's expression remained unwavering.

He even took two steps forward, his shoes making a dull thud on the charred stone slabs.

"Gods and mortals, huh?"

Aizen suppressed his smile and calmly met the pair of eerie, multi-faceted pupils.

"Your Yhwach, you always like to talk about being omniscient and omnipotent."

"But from the moment you stepped onto this throne, how have you changed your actions from those of the rulers of the past?"

"The Soul King sacrificed himself to forcibly divide the world into the World of the Living, the Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo."

"The Central 46 and Captain-Commander Yamamoto regard those rules governing life and death as inviolable ironclad laws."

"They built thick walls of power and order, imprisoning all souls and telling them that this is the whole world."

Aizen stopped and continued explaining calmly.

"And you, now, are merely wearing a new set of clothes called the Almighty."

"You see through every possible branch of the Future, and then forcefully mold them into the shape you desire, according to your own preferences."

"Isn't this so-called new world without fear or the boundaries of life and death just a giant bonsai you've created all by yourself?"

Yhwach's eyes closed slightly. "Dominating order is the privilege of the strong."

"Perhaps."

Aizen said calmly, "But for me, the most annoying thing in this world is following a path drawn by others."

Even if that track leads to so-called truth, even if the person who laid the track claims to be an the Almighty god.

Aizen raised a finger, a faint, almost imperceptible, dark spiritual light flickering at its tip.

"The desire for the unknown and the instinct to transcend boundaries are the core driving forces that propel living beings forward."

"If the Future is destined to have only one answer from the very beginning, then existence itself loses all its interest."

"I stand here not to protect the rotten old scores of Soul Society, nor to act as anyone's savior."

Aizen lowered his arm, his eyes revealing a profound and aloof brilliance.

"I simply cannot tolerate any being that can be above me."

"Even Soul King couldn't do that, and neither could Yamamoto."

Aizen's lips curled into a sharp smile. "Even now that you've absorbed the remnants of the Soul King, you still don't deserve it."

Yhwach listened quietly to these words, the black mist on his face gradually solidifying.

Deep within those multiple pupils, a cold, indifferent gleam was as unfathomable as a deep well.

"Do you think your arrogance can bridge the chasm between those in power, Sōsuke Aizen?"

Yhwach slowly raised the pure white broadsword in his hand, its tip pointing directly at Aizen's brow.

The viscous black mud of cause and effect surged again from beneath his feet, like a black curtain that blotted out the light from the entire sky.

"I know you're trying to stall for time, but I don't care, because this will show you the true difference in power!"