Regarding "Epilogue", since some readers have raised questions, this standalone note is to clarify and summarize:
1. After defeating Tōsen, the protagonist immediately fought the old man (the Captain-Commander). From the outset, he was already at a disadvantage.
On top of that, his previously unstoppable wind wall was countered. In terms of spiritual pressure, Shunpo, and Hakuda, he was inferior to the Captain-Commander. So getting beaten half to death is completely normal.
If the protagonist could already fight the old man head-on at this stage, the power scaling would collapse entirely—let alone the Thousand-Year Blood War arc. Any Quincy who showed up would just get cut down in a single strike.
2. The protagonist asked Unohana to expose Aizen's conspiracy, while he himself went to defeat Tōsen—whom he was confident he could kill—using that opportunity to draw the Soul Society's main combat forces over.
The original plan was to wipe out Aizen's faction in one sweep at Sōkyoku Hill.
But after the protagonist killed Tōsen, Unohana had not yet revealed Aizen's true identity. As a result, the strongest Shinigami—unaware of the truth—nearly killed the protagonist in a fit of rage.
Additionally, Gin Ichimaru initially had a chance to turn against Aizen. With Aizen's most loyal subordinate dead and Aizen's Zanpakutō not in hand, there was an opportunity to strike.
However, when he saw the protagonist defeated, he realized that Soul Society was just as muddleheaded as it had been 110 years ago. Under those circumstances, Aizen couldn't be stopped anyway—so Gin chose to continue defecting.
3. Tōsen's Bankai was hard-countered by Kenpachi (a built-in "bug"), which doesn't mean Tōsen was the weakest captain—at the very least, he wasn't at the bottom tier.
Kenpachi ended up covered in blood after fighting Tōsen. Meanwhile, the protagonist defeated Tōsen flawlessly without taking damage. That already places him among the ranks of the captains.
4. The old man's Shikai is extremely powerful—already comparable to many captains' Bankai. It's perfectly normal that the protagonist can't beat him right now. It doesn't mean he's weak.
After all, the old man's title as the "strongest Shinigami" is widely acknowledged. His Bankai is something even Aizen, Yhwach, and the Seireitei itself could hardly withstand.
If the protagonist were arranged to clash with that Bankai now, the power scaling would collapse even worse than in the Thousand-Year Blood War.
5. The protagonist already did everything he could to sabotage Aizen's scheme:
He stole Kyōka Suigetsu, seized the Hōgyoku ahead of time, asked the first Kenpachi Unohana to confront Aizen directly, personally eliminated Aizen's most loyal subordinate Tōsen, and used that to draw in Soul Society's main forces.
The original intention was to fully encircle and eliminate Aizen at Sōkyoku Hill. But man proposes, heaven disposes—Tōsen was killed, the Shinigami swarmed in, and Unohana was one step too late, resulting in the enraged old man beating the protagonist.
6. As for the old man's "strongest" title—while the anime's portrayal of his record may seem underwhelming, think about it carefully:
Both Aizen and Yhwach specifically arranged counters against him (like Wonderweiss and the medallion/body double). Who would dare say his title is inflated?
7. Finally, the author wants to emphasize: this work was originally meant to have a light and humorous tone. It's a two-dimensional fanfiction novel—purely self-indulgent fun by a fan of the medium.
The synopsis, chapter notes, and related sections have already stated clearly:
If you don't understand Bleach, or don't understand other people's Bleach fanfiction, and don't like it—please just close it. There's no need to leave comments.
8. The work has repeatedly emphasized that putting it behind a paywall is the author's own decision. It's not platform coercion or editorial pressure.
That said, being niche and getting criticized is common in the two-dimensional fandom. It's also due to the author's limited writing ability failing to attract readers. Please be understanding.
...
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PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin