Chapter 419: The Most Nonsensical Zanpakutō in History
A deafening rumble reverberated through the sky, the air trembling with violent fluctuations.
Even the sturdy battlefield of the Fifth Division struggled to withstand the intensity. Smoke and dust billowed, and fierce winds roared across the arena.
The wind pressure felt like solid bricks, sweeping through like a hurricane.
As Aizen and Unshō clashed with unrelenting ferocity, time seemed to crawl.
Gradually, Unshō began to feel the weight of exhaustion.
His Bankai, only developed for a few months, was still unfamiliar to him. For a Shinigami, a few months was far too brief to master such a power.
Observing Aizen calmly deflecting his attacks, Unshō realized the battle's outcome was likely decided.
He resolved to end it with one final move.
With that thought, he used Shunpo to close the distance to Aizen.
The Triple Crown King Shadow Snake ceased its assault, returning to encircle Unshō protectively.
Aizen, in turn, paused his actions, gazing quietly at the captain before him.
"Newcomers these days are truly formidable," Unshō said, rubbing his head with his right hand, now stained with dried blood, a weary expression crossing his face.
"Next, please judge my final technique!" he declared. "If you can withstand it, I'll concede defeat."
At Unshō's words, the corners of Aizen's lips curled into a faint smile.
"Very well. Please enlighten me, Captain Unshō," Aizen replied.
Unshō's words were clearly a calculated provocation, a challenge to ensure Aizen would face his ultimate move head-on. The technique required time to prepare, and with Aizen's mobility and strength, Unshō had little confidence he could pin him down.
Thus, he resorted to verbal baiting.
To Aizen, such tactics were trivial. He remained unfazed.
Receiving Aizen's affirmation, Unshō mirrored his smile.
A sudden gust stirred the air, which had momentarily grown still.
A terrifying wind pressure surged forth.
Behind Unshō, the dark crowns atop the Triple Crown King Shadow Snake's three heads began to pulse with black light. Particles of dark energy gathered at the heads, drawing the surrounding darkness into a swirling vortex.
The resulting hurricane caused the loose edges of Aizen's shihakusho to flutter.
A menacing aura took shape.
Under the roar of the three majestic snake heads, a pitch-black sphere, several meters wide, formed, radiating a terrifying presence.
The onlookers' expressions shifted. Some Shinigami quietly retreated farther from the battlefield, unnerved by the move's intensity. They lacked confidence in withstanding its potential fallout, even in the vast arena.
Others held their ground, bolstered by their own strength and the presence of captains shielding them.
"Take this, Aizen!" Unshō said, his gaze fixed on Aizen's impassive face as he waved his hand.
"Triple Crown Sky Shadow Sphere!"
Boom!
A piercing whistle split the air.
From Aizen's perspective, the black sphere, devouring all light, hurtled toward him with explosive force.
"Bakudō no. 81: Airtight."
A transparent barrier materialized before Aizen, intercepting the incoming sphere.
Crack! Crack!
The sound of shattering glass echoed as the Airtight barrier began to fracture rapidly under the assault.
Observing this, Aizen murmured, "Can it not hold?"
This time, he had cast Airtight without chanting, but enhanced it to chanting-level strength using the Hōgyoku's power.
Yet, Unshō's attack was no ordinary technique. Even a chant-enhanced Airtight struggled to contain it.
As the sphere remained locked in a stalemate with the barrier, Aizen began to chant.
"Seeping crest of turbidity. Arrogant vessel of lunacy. Boil forth and deny. Grow numb and flicker. Disrupt sleep."
"Crawling queen of iron. Eternally self-destructing doll of mud. Unite. Repulse. Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness!!!"
"Hadō no. 90: Black Coffin." (Kurohitsugi)
Darkness spread, enveloping the black sphere and sealing it within a towering black coffin. As Unshō's ultimate technique was contained, black thorns pierced the coffin's interior.
Rumble!
A muffled explosion reverberated through the Black Coffin, tugging at the heartstrings of the surrounding Shinigami.
They stared in awe at the massive structure. The terrifying Kidō left them profoundly shaken.
Time passed.
The Black Coffin slowly crumbled, its fragments dissipating. The explosion within had failed to break its confines.
This time, Aizen had not only chanted the full incantation but also amplified the spell's power with the Hōgyoku, making it even more formidable.
The earlier stalemate with Airtight had sapped some of the Triple Crown Sky Shadow Sphere's strength, leading to its ultimate failure.
On the other side, Unshō had, at some point, recalled his Bankai and sheathed his Zanpakutō.
He approached Aizen.
He had no more trump cards to play.
The captain's position was clearly slipping from his grasp—a novel experience for Unshō.
"It seems I've lost," he said. "What an astonishing Kidō, Captain Aizen."
Aizen offered a faint smile. "Captain Unshō's attack was also formidable. You should be cautious in the future, lest it inadvertently harms others."
Now officially the captain, Aizen continued to address Unshō respectfully.
Unshō paused, surprised. Was Aizen's use of Black Coffin meant to protect others, or was it a calculated facade?
"How considerate, Captain Aizen," Unshō replied. "I believe your captaincy will be a blessing to the Shinigami."
The two walked side by side toward the captains' positions.
Soon, Captain Soralin announced Aizen's successful challenge, naming him the new captain of the Fifth Division.
Amid the shock and daze of many Shinigami, the crowd began to disperse from the Fifth Division's grounds.
As Kai prepared to leave, a voice called out.
"Teacher, wait! I want to challenge you!" A short boy, about fifteen or sixteen years old and barely one and a half meters tall, shouted.
He was Pivitt, the acting captain of the Tenth Division, a new spirit born through Soul Society's inheritance model.
Such spirits typically appeared between ten and eighteen years old. Simifu, the acting captain of the Seventh Division, was a similar case, born with the appearance of a ten-year-old.
Even after two years, Simifu had grown little, a result of the Shinigami's unique perception of time compared to humans. For her to naturally mature into an eighteen-year-old's appearance would take decades, unless someone intervened.
Captain Chiyori, however, had grown from a young girl to a young woman in under two years, thanks to Kai's involvement in her development. Natural Shinigami, like Soralin, followed a different path.
"Little Pivitt, you want to challenge me?" Kai asked, lowering his head to look at the boy with a warm, sunny smile.
"Very well!"
Pivitt shivered at Kai's enigmatic smile. The excitement sparked by Aizen and Unshō's battle cooled slightly.
Some of the lingering Shinigami exchanged knowing glances.
This boy was likely challenging Kai for the first time or had never faced his Shikai.
Otherwise, he would not seem so eager.
After all, Kai's Zanpakutō was beyond description—not weak, but peculiar and unfathomable.
It was said to be the most nonsensical and extraordinary Zanpakutō in history.
(End of this Chapter)