The next moment, the two immense spiritual forces collided violently—Aizen's Superior Reiatsu Field against the supposedly indestructible Kōtotsu.
Two entities of pure spiritual power, two overwhelming forces met in a spectacular display of energy!
To Gin's astonishment, the allegedly indestructible Kōtotsu shattered into countless fragments, dispersing into the void of the Dangai like glass struck by a hammer.
After annihilating the Kōtotsu with what appeared to be little more than a casual glance, Aizen addressed Gin's earlier concerns:
"The so-called 'laws' merely represent the limitations that certain beings must adhere to for their continued existence. But such restrictions no longer apply to me."
His voice carried an unsettling serenity as he continued, "When confronted with such supposed inevitabilities, one need only face them directly and break them—precisely as I have demonstrated."
"Could it be that Lord Aizen has truly transcended the Shinigami?" Gin asked, genuine shock evident in his voice as he carefully probed for information.
Aizen nodded, a subtle satisfaction visible in his transformed features.
"You could certainly phrase it that way. The elevation I've attained now has indeed surpassed the pinnacle of what any Shinigami might achieve. My next step is to completely transcend my former existence altogether."
Destroying the Kōtotsu with a mere glance symbolized his complete departure from the limitations of Shinigami existence. In every meaningful sense, he had already surpassed the boundaries that constrained his former kind.
At this moment, Aizen found himself reflecting on the death of Kaname Tōsen.
He felt a touch of regret regarding Tōsen's demise, yet he understood that death had, in its own way, been a form of mercy for his former comrade.
Because in those final moments, Tōsen's resolve had begun to waver.
Before his transformation, Tōsen had once told Aizen that should his heart ever falter in its conviction, he wished for Aizen to take his life without hesitation.
This was because after such wavering, Tōsen faced an impossible choice: if he clung to his past convictions while doubting them, death would be his only honorable option. Conversely, if he wished to embrace a new self, he would need to repudiate his past entirely and accept the consequences of his actions.
Either path led inevitably to death. Once doubt entered his heart, Tōsen's fate was sealed regardless of which direction he chose.
This was the path Tōsen had selected for himself—a path of absolute determination, accepting no retreat and no compromise.
Aizen had chosen a similar path and shared the same uncompromising philosophy.
For this reason, he had respected Tōsen's choice and considered him a true friend among his followers. And so, in accordance with their agreement, Aizen had taken action when Tōsen's conviction faltered.
Now the time had come to fulfill another promise—to bring a new order and a new god to this fractured world.
Proceeding through the Dangai, Aizen and Gin arrived near the real Karakura Town that had been transferred to the outskirts of Rukongai.
However, due to their encounter with the Kōtotsu, the transmission coordinates of their dimensional gate had been slightly compromised.
The two were forced to walk the remaining distance to Karakura Town, encountering several of Ichigo Kurosaki's classmates along the way.
Throughout their journey, any soul that ventured too close to Aizen was immediately annihilated, dissipating into spiritual particles that scattered on the wind.
To preserve the souls required for creating the Ōken, Aizen deliberately suppressed the intensity of his reiatsu to a degree.
As a result, those among Ichigo's classmates who had awakened their spiritual sensitivity became acutely aware of the approaching horror. They fled in desperate terror, their instincts screaming of imminent extinction.
Aizen did not view these humans as worthy of serious consideration, yet he saw no reason to spare these insignificant "ants" either.
There remained ample time before the next phase of his plan must begin.
He considered that eliminating these individuals who held importance to Ichigo might potentially awaken even greater potential within the Substitute Shinigami. Though the odds seemed slim, pursuing this course required minimal effort and would consume little time.
So facing the fleeing humans, Aizen strolled with leisurely deliberation. He followed them unhurriedly, like a capricious deity amusing himself with the desperate struggles of lesser beings.
Here in Rukongai's Karakura Town, Aizen began his "reign," moving through the streets with the casual omnipotence of a god surveying his domain.
Meanwhile, on the other side of this conflict, Ichigo Kurosaki had begun to reclaim his fighting spirit thanks to the encouragement of his father, Isshin Shiba.
Isshin had made a critical discovery—his son could still sense Aizen's reiatsu despite its transcendent nature.
This revelation indicated that the spiritual power of both combatants remained within the same dimensional plane. In other words, Ichigo represented "the only hope" for their world.
He alone possessed even the slightest possibility of defeating Aizen in his transformed state.
Determined to save their family and protect Karakura Town, father and son entered the Dangai, making their way toward the real Karakura Town where Aizen now walked.
As they traversed the dimensional corridor, Isshin immediately noticed something unusual:
"How strange! There's no sign of the restrictive presence that should be here."
"You mean the Kōtotsu? That spiritual pressure 'train'?" Recalling his previous journey to Soul Society, Ichigo asked with uncertainty:
"Is that thing really so important? Does it absolutely need to exist?"
The last time they had encountered the Kōtotsu in the Dangai, they had been relentlessly pursued by the cleaner.
Because of this entity, they had also significantly deviated from their scheduled arrival time.
If not for Orihime Inoue's timely intervention to momentarily halt the Kōtotsu, the situation would have deteriorated even further.
Consequently, Ichigo harbored no fondness for the dimensional sweeper.
Isshin patiently explained:
"The Kōtotsu serves as the guardian of the Dangai—it's essentially an immutable feature of this dimension that should not simply vanish.
I can detect traces of Aizen's reiatsu here," he continued, his expression growing more serious. "It appears he must have done something to the Kōtotsu, leading to its current absence.
But the Kōtotsu embodies fundamental dimensional law, something that should be beyond any Shinigami's ability to affect. What could possibly have happened here?"
"Really? Is that thing truly so powerful?" Ichigo reflected on his previous desperate flight.
His Getsuga Tenshō had proven completely ineffective against the Kōtotsu, forcing him into an undignified retreat that still embarrassed him to recall.
The cleaner seemed genuinely invincible, which made Aizen's apparent victory over it all the more terrifying.