"Huh!? Is that for real?!"
Inside the blue crystal of Susanoo, Nanaya frowned as he looked at the Masked Army arriving to back him up.
"This isn't the time to get in the way."
By now, Aizen Sōsuke no longer looked like a Shinigami. Instead, he had taken on the appearance of a white Hollow-like Arrancar—like a Menos Grande.
The pressure of his Reiatsu alone was enough to wear people down.
It was clear the fusion with the Hōgyoku had progressed even further—faster than even Nanaya's own growth.
"Don't underestimate me, Nanaya!"
Shihouin Yoruichi suddenly appeared on Susanoo, her voice firm. "They're not here by accident. This is their revenge."
"They've been hiding in the Human World for a hundred years, waiting for this day."
"They're ready."
Nanaya raised an eyebrow and looked unimpressed.
He pointed at Yoruichi and said, "If you really want to help, you might want to deal with the 'pendant' clinging to your leg first."
Yoruichi glanced down to see Sui-Feng silently clinging to her thigh.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield below—
"Aizen! Today, we settle what happened with the Hollowfication a hundred years ago!"
Muguruma Kensei stared at Aizen with bloodshot eyes.
He swept his hand across his face, summoning his white-and-red Hollow mask.
Then, without hesitation, he activated his Zanpakutō and shouted:
"Bankai—Tekken Tachikaze!!"
His Zanpakutō transformed into dual fist blades wrapped in swirling wind, and with a powerful roar, Kensei lunged at Aizen.
Aizen, calm as ever, looked down at him coldly.
"Muguruma Kensei. Even after all this time, you're still this reckless. Do you really think you can challenge me now?"
The moment those words left his mouth—
SLAP!!
Kensei's punch connected, sending Aizen flying.
His white figure crashed downward—
BOOM!!!
A skyscraper crumbled under the force of his fall.
Standing above, Kensei sneered.
"Well? How did that taste, Aizen? I bet it stung."
Though being Hollowfied had once forced him to flee Soul Society, it had also made him stronger.
Now, using his Hollowfied Bankai, he was more powerful than ever.
Clap.
Nanaya clapped and gave him a sarcastic thumbs-up.
"Nice shot. But now you've sealed your fate. After this, there's no going back to Soul Society. Did you even think this through?"
Kensei blinked, confused.
Before he could ask what Nanaya meant—
A familiar voice rang out behind him:
"Former Captain of Squad 9, Muguruma Kensei..."
"Have you learned nothing in the last hundred years?"
SFX: SHING!
A flash of silver tore through the air.
Bright red blood sprayed into the sky as a deep wound opened across Kensei's back.
He dropped from the sky.
"Impossible… Kyōka Suigetsu…"
Clutching his back in pain, Kensei stared in disbelief.
"I never even saw you release your Shikai... Then… who did I hit just now...?"
As he fell, he managed to look up at a nearby ruined building.
There, an injured Yamamoto Genryūsai, burnt and battered, stood slowly using the wall for support.
His face was bruised—and a massive fist mark stood out clearly on his cheek.
Kensei's expression froze.
"…Captain…"
His eyes dimmed as he lost consciousness, crashing to the ground.
Aizen calmly sheathed his sword and glanced at the remaining Visoreds.
Then he said flatly:
"When did you all start believing… that I wasn't using Kyōka Suigetsu?"
Hirako Shinji and the others were stunned. Their expressions turned grim.
Aizen turned to Nanaya and added, "This one's immune to my Zanpakutō's illusion. That's why you all thought I hadn't activated my Shikai."
Nanaya looked at Hirako, shrugged, and said:
"He was already using Kyōka Suigetsu during our fight."
Kyōka Suigetsu's Complete Hypnosis affects all five senses—but it doesn't work on those with Sharingan or Rinnegan.
Their vision cuts through the illusion completely.
Hearing that, Hirako and the others clenched their teeth, their expressions growing darker. They tightened their grips on their blades.
So this entire time, they had misunderstood the flow of battle…
Nanaya had been facing Aizen head-on, resisting Kyōka Suigetsu's hypnosis, and still keeping up.
Meanwhile, their own captain had been taken out instantly.
"…Speaking of which," Nanaya glanced toward the distant Ten Tails, clearly trying to stall for time.
He asked Aizen, "I've always wondered—why haven't you used your Bankai yet? Is it weaker than your Shikai or something?"
Aizen followed Nanaya's gaze.
Far away, the Ten Tails had taken on a humanoid shape—complete with arms and legs.
Ten massive tails stretched behind it, blotting out the sky like a dark storm.
And on its back—
A strange, spiraled shell had begun to form.
The creature's body was changing little by little, and the Reiatsu it was releasing kept growing stronger and stronger—
Even stronger than Aizen's current state.
"Trying to stall for time, are you?" Aizen Sōsuke's eyes flashed coldly. "I won't let you."
"After I kill you, I'll dissect your body—and that monster's.""The one that's broken the line between Shinigami and Hollow…"
He took a step forward and charged.
Nanaya sighed, then moved the fully-formed Susanoo. With a flash, he soared into the air and landed beside the One-Tailed Beast, standing at its side.
He glared at Aizen with cold, piercing eyes.
"This thing…" Nanaya said in a low voice, "is a beast of creation and destruction. Even though it hasn't reached its final form yet, it still has the power to wipe out the world."
"Ten Tails—Heaven and Earth!"
Nanaya was just about to activate the Ten Tails' second-stage ability when his expression suddenly twitched. A black line appeared on his forehead as he turned toward the Masked Corps.
"…Hey. Seriously!?"
Hirako Shinji had taken the lead, and several other Masked Corps members were already rushing at Aizen, Hollow masks on and Zanpakutōs drawn.
"Oh come on, give me a break!"
Nanaya nearly exploded with frustration.
Aizen was still fusing with the Hōgyoku. The more pressure they put on him, the faster the fusion would advance.
He had planned to finish it in one decisive strike.
But now? Their interference might end up pushing Aizen's fusion beyond even the Ten Tails' growth.
"It's fine—leave Aizen to us!" Hirako Shinji shouted.
A hundred years of hatred burned in their eyes.
They had waited long enough. It was time to end it.
One after another, the Visoreds released their Bankai.
"Fall, Nifu!""Slice through him, Orochi!""Crush him, Iron Dragonfly!""Dance, Kinsara!""Shatter, Tengumaru!"
Their Zanpakutōs transformed as their Reiatsu erupted into the sky. Faces twisted with anger and resolve, they launched their strongest attacks all at once.
Off to the side, Kuna Mashiro was firing off a barrage of Cero blasts.
In the sky, a surviving Arrancar Menos Grande saw the scene unfold. His face turned serious, and he prepared to charge in and support Aizen.
But Aizen, still completely calm despite the ambush, raised his hand to stop him.
"No need to interfere," he said lightly. "These are old friends. I'll deal with them myself."
His eyes flicked briefly back to the Ten Tails. His brow furrowed.
That thing… it kept evolving.
Its already grotesque form was shifting again—and now its massive head had started changing into something that looked like a purple flower bud.
"...It doesn't matter," Aizen said quietly."The Hōgyoku is mine now. I've transcended dimensions."
He could feel the vast power coursing through him. He faced the incoming Visoreds without the slightest fear.
Stretching out his right hand, he calmly said:
"Hadō No. 81—Danku."
A shimmering barrier formed in the air. The five incoming Zanpakutōs slammed into it with full force—
But only two thin cracks appeared on the surface.
"What!?"
The Visoreds' faces turned pale.
"Five of us… and we couldn't even break a single Kidō?" Sarugaki Hiyori shouted, clutching her sword tightly.
Hirako Shinji's eyes narrowed. Gritting his teeth, he charged straight through the barrier, swinging his Zanpakutō down with all his strength.
Aizen lazily swung his sword to block.
But right then—
A flash of cunning passed through Shinji's eyes.
With his free hand, he grabbed Kyōka Suigetsu's blade directly.
Blood poured from his palm, but he didn't flinch. A twisted smile curled on his lips.
"Aizen…" he said darkly, "I figured it out a hundred years ago. If I grab your sword directly, your Kyōka Suigetsu doesn't work—does it?"
The other Visoreds' spirits surged with renewed hope.
Meanwhile, Nanaya simply looked at them with dead-eyed disbelief.
He turned back toward the ever-growing Ten Tails, scratched his chin, and muttered to himself:
"These idiots have no idea what they're doing…"
"Should I just include them in the Ten Tails' attack range too? What do you think, Yu?"
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