"Reduce All Creation to Ash—Ryūjin Jakka!"
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's thunderous roar echoed across the battlefield as his flames surged forth. But Aizen Sōsuke, ever composed, only glanced in his direction with an air of indifference.
"Oh? That was quick. Could it be the work of Captain Akira again?"
With those words, Aizen reached out, using Urahara Kisuke's method to extract the Hōgyoku. His hand effortlessly pierced Rukia Kuchiki's chest.
"Cough—!"
Paralyzed under the effects of Kyōka Suigetsu, Rukia could do nothing but tremble as the Hōgyoku was torn from her body, intact and unscathed.
Aizen examined it with mild surprise. "Impressive. To extract it without harming the spiritual body at all... Such exceptional technical skill."
A deafening roar interrupted him.
"Om—!"
Yamamoto's flames surged forth, a cataclysmic inferno capable of reducing all to ash. Yet, without fail, the fire twisted and veered away from Aizen's position.
Kyōka Suigetsu's Complete Hypnosis. Even Yamamoto's wide-range incineration could not reach him.
"Aizen, are your days of scurrying in the shadows finally over?"
A deep voice boomed from above.
Amid the raging firestorm, one figure remained completely unaffected by Aizen's illusion—Akira.
From the heavens, he descended like a black meteor, engulfed in ominous dark flames.
"Boom!"
The ground exploded upon impact, sending shockwaves through the battlefield. Aizen had already retreated 100 meters, his gaze settling warily on Akira, who now cradled the unconscious Rukia.
"My, my… Isn't this Captain Akira? It's been a while."
Aizen narrowed his eyes, then smirked. "And as for hiding in the shadows… Aren't you just like me?"
"Hah! Aizen, you never fail to amuse."
Akira placed Rukia gently on the ground, his expression twisted into a sneer. "Unlike you, a coward skulking in the dark, avoiding the Gotei 13 like a rat in a sewer…"
He raised his gaze, eyes burning with contempt.
"…Rather than saying the Gotei 13 was hunting me down, it'd be more accurate to say I was hunting them."
Aizen's smirk faltered ever so slightly. He had underestimated Akira. Before framing him, Aizen never imagined he could single-handedly incapacitate nearly every captain of the Gotei 13.
Could one even call it a pursuit at this point?
No—Akira had been the predator all along.
Aizen's momentary lapse was fleeting, his usual enigmatic smile returning.
"I must admit, Captain Great Akira, your strength far exceeded my expectations. For that, I must thank you."
His voice was calm, yet taunting.
"If you hadn't played right into my plan and eliminated the captains for me, how could I have achieved my goal so effortlessly?"
Before Akira could retort, an eerie voice sliced through the battlefield.
"Aizen Sōsuke… You're not leaving here alive."
Unohana Retsu's words carried a chilling weight as her terrifying Reiatsu exploded outward, suffocating all in its presence.
At the same moment, Yamamoto landed, his presence alone intensifying the already unbearable spiritual pressure.
The sky itself seemed to tremble under the crushing force of their combined Reiatsu.
"Wow, now that's rare…" Ichimaru Gin, still bearing wounds from his previous battle, chuckled with an exaggerated sigh. "Captain Aizen, got a plan for this one?"
"Give up, Aizen!" Yamamoto bellowed.
Aizen, however, paid him no mind. Instead, he turned slightly and spoke in an indifferent tone.
"It's time. Let's go, Gin."
Hearing this, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni and Unohana Retsu were about to make a move, but suddenly, a massive tear opened in the sky!
From the pitch-black void beyond, the heads of countless Menos Grande emerged.
"That's…" Unohana murmured in surprise, looking up. "Hueco Mundo?"
"Shh—!"
In the next instant, a massive pillar of light descended, enveloping Aizen Sōsuke and Ichimaru Gin entirely.
Under the watchful eyes of Yamamoto and Unohana, the two of them were lifted into the air, drawn through the dimensional rift that connected to Hueco Mundo.
"Negación!?"
Yamamoto's eyes narrowed, and his grip on Ryūjin Jakka tightened, veins bulging in frustration.
"This is how the Menos Grande rescue their own," he growled. "Anyone who has fought them knows—once trapped inside Negación, no one can touch them!"
"Damn it!" he snarled, watching Aizen escape. Both he and Unohana could do nothing but glare in fury.
As the gathered Shinigami below looked on helplessly, Aizen cast a triumphant smile.
"Goodbye, Soul Society…" His gaze swept over them before settling on one figure in particular.
"Especially you… Captain Akira."
His tone carried a hint of smugness as he addressed Akira directly.
"The confrontation with you was enjoyable," Aizen mused. "But in the end, I was the one who came out on top."
Even though Akira had pushed him to his limits in their battle, so what? In the end, Aizen had played his opponent—and Soul Society itself—perfectly, securing the Hōgyoku for himself.
The ultimate liberation of all spiritual power…
Just as he indulged in that thought, Aizen's expression shifted. His eyes darted downward in sudden alarm—Akira's spiritual pressure was rising, surging exponentially!
"What are you trying to do?!"
For the first time, Aizen felt a twinge of unease. He knew Akira well—this was not someone who wasted effort on meaningless struggles.
But it was absurd! He was inside Negación—an absolute barrier, an inviolable space even Yamamoto Genryūsai himself could not destroy!
"Dragon-Slaying Profound Art—Shiranui Form: Black Lotus Phoenix Sword!"
Dark flames ignited around Akira, flaring to their peak. His body rose into the air, transforming into a blazing phoenix cloaked in jet-black Amaterasu flames as he shot toward the Negación barrier.
"BOOM!!!"
A cataclysmic impact shattered the battlefield as Akira clashed with Aizen once more.
Aizen's expression darkened.
"Did you really think your plan was flawless?"
Akira's voice reached his ears, quiet yet sharp as a blade.
"You assumed you successfully took the Hōgyoku because your scheme worked."
"…Didn't I?" Aizen frowned.
Akira's next words, spoken so only Aizen could hear, sent a chill through him.
"Aizen Sōsuke… you should understand one thing—"
"The only reason you were able to take the Hōgyoku…"
"—is because I allowed it."
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