Two steps ago, an army of two thousand Shinigami, each of them wielding Shikai, had gathered here.
Two steps later, everyone from Lieutenant level down — including seated officers and unseated members — was completely wiped out.
The most terrifying part was that Aiyan hadn't even taken action.
He hadn't used Hakuda, Kidō, or even drawn his Zanpakutō. He had only taken two steps. The overwhelming Reiatsu changed the very color of the sky, warped the weather, and rained down lightning forged of pure spiritual pressure, crushing the consciousness of two thousand Shinigami.
Gulp.
Watching this scene, the Gotei Lieutenants on the third floor of the execution platform stood dumbstruck, their faces pale.
Aiyan's Reiatsu was completely beyond their understanding of spiritual power.
"The execution platform… it won't withstand this."
"I built this with my own hands!"
"His Reiatsu is clearly being restrained — what if he releases it without holding back?"
Kurotsuchi Mayuri lowered his head, glancing at the platform beneath his feet, fractured like porcelain, spiderweb cracks spreading across its surface. His eyes filled with horror.
He finally understood why all the technological constructs he had deployed in Division 12 had crumbled under the pressure of Aiyan's Reiatsu.
He understood now why even with Bankai unleashed, he had been utterly crushed beneath Aiyan's spiritual dominance.
Compared to the annihilation of the two thousand Shinigami just now, Mayuri knew better than anyone that the wave of Conqueror's Reiatsu Aiyan had been nothing more than a casual test. He hadn't gone all out at all.
Otherwise—
Even a captain of the Gotei 13 would have no choice but to release Bankai to withstand it.
"Good."
"As expected of the captains and lieutenants I personally selected."
"You can still stand before my Conqueror's Reiatsu."
Aiyan had swept aside two thousand Shinigami with nothing but the weight of his Reiatsu, leaving them unconscious. After that, his gaze lifted toward the execution platform, his eyes lingering especially long on the captains and Lieutenants he had once handpicked.
"Arrogance!"
"A mere traitor dares to speak such words?"
"My Gotei 13 — since when was it yours to command?"
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's shock was instantly replaced with rage.
"Your Gotei 13?"
"On what grounds do you claim that?"
"Is it arrogance born of being called the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years? Unfortunately for you — this is my Gotei 13!"
Aiyan slipped one hand into his pocket and walked slowly toward the stage.
"If you don't believe me… then test it for yourself."
"Look around. As Captain-Commander of the Gotei, you claim to hold absolute authority over Soul Society. Tell me — who can you command now?"
"It's fascinating."
Aizen followed him closely, amusement flickering in his eyes as he looked at Yamamoto.
"Kurotsuchi Mayuri."
At the sound of Yamamoto's voice, Mayuri frowned slightly. The Captain-Commander's furious shout echoed across the platform.
If the Sōsuke brothers' slaughter of Central 46 had trampled on the very foundations of Soul Society, then this moment — Yamamoto's authority being mocked and defied — was an even deeper humiliation.
"I understand, Captain-Commander. Excuse me."
"Captain Aiyan, although I owe you my gratitude, as you yourself said — the Captain-Commander is the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years."
Mayuri pulled a small device from his pocket — a control button tied to the life and death of Muguruma Kensei and Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō.
"You'd better stop. One press of my finger, and their heads will roll on this platform."
He stared coldly at Aizen as he approached.
"Oh?"
"Then press it."
Aiyan's expression didn't waver. He answered flatly, daring Mayuri to act.
"As you wish."
Mayuri gave Aiyan a long look, then grinned and pressed the button.
"Don't!"
Shunsui's face went pale and he immediately moved to stop it — but it was too late.
Click.
Lisa Yadōmaru and Kensei Muguruma froze, bracing themselves for the explosion that would claim their lives.
Instead—
The shackles binding them fell away. The sealing devices suppressing their Reiatsu deactivated.
Everyone stared, stunned.
They had no idea what had just happened.
"What a bunch of troublesome fools."
"What are you waiting for?"
"Move! Or do you still want to taste Ryūjin Jakka?"
Mayuri spread his hands in exasperation, seeing the Vizards frozen in place.
Snapping out of it, Kensei, Mashiro, Rōjūrō and the others immediately used Shunpo, fleeing toward Aiyan without a second thought.
"Did I give you permission to leave?"
Before they could escape the platform, Yamamoto's cold voice reached them.
At some point, he had already unsheathed his Zanpakutō. Enormous Reiatsu surged into the blade as he slashed toward Lisa and Hachigen, the attack closing in mercilessly.
Their Zanpakutō had been confiscated, their Reiatsu sealed for days. Facing the blade of the strongest Shinigami in a millennium — even without Ryūjin Jakka's release — they had no chance to react.
"Bankai · Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."
Just as the deadly strike was about to cut them down, countless cherry blossom petals descended from the sky, forming a massive barrier that intercepted Yamamoto's slash.
Boom!
The defensive wall of millions of razor-sharp petals held for only a moment before being torn apart by the weight of Yamamoto's sword pressure.
Even so—
Byakuya Kuchiki wasn't discouraged. He hadn't expected to stop the Captain-Commander. His goal was only to buy time.
As expected, the eight fugitives seized the instant of reprieve Byakuya had created. In that one second, they had already fled a hundred meters away.
"Byakuya Kuchiki… you've chosen the wrong path after all."
Yamamoto's voice roared with fury, dripping with killing intent. But instead of pursuing them himself, he immediately issued an order to the captains and lieutenants still on the platform:
"Captains and lieutenants of the Gotei — obey my command!"
"Kill the fugitives. Leave no one alive!"
"If you neglect your duty, you will be judged guilty of the same crime."
As the situation spiraled out of control, Chōjirō Sasakibe — the First Division's Lieutenant, often ridiculed as "the man who never fights" — quietly stepped forward.
This time, he drew his Zanpakutō.
This time, there was no holding back.
"Bankai · Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū!"
Reiatsu surged skyward, twisting the atmosphere. Eleven bolts of spiritual lightning burst forth, stirring the skies of Seireitei. Thunderclouds thickened, merging into a massive oval of crackling power above.
"Bankai…?"
"Lieutenant Sasakibe actually has a Bankai?"
"And not only a lightning-type Zanpakutō… it can even manipulate the weather!"
Seeing Chōjirō Sasakibe unleash a Bankai that had remained hidden for nearly two thousand years left the captains and lieutenants stunned.
Even Shunsui and Ukitake, Yamamoto's own students, stood in shock.
It was their first time witnessing the full power of Sasakibe's Bankai.