Broken planks mixed with flesh and blood scattered through the air. Mangled corpses sprayed crimson everywhere, fragments of familiar, ruined faces spinning in the chaos.
That grotesque scene appeared before Muten Natsu once again, unfolding inch by inch, slow yet relentless.
An uncontrollable wave of nausea rose in his chest. Muten Natsu opened his mouth, and a bone white substance poured out uncontrollably, creeping upward toward his face.
This was... Hollowfication!
"Muten!" Rukia Kuchiki called out anxiously, hoping he could calm himself.
"You should learn to control your emotions. Without the Hōgyoku, you no longer have that power to break through limits at will." Sōsuke Aizen still wore his gentle smile. "After all, I watched you grow up. I would rather not see you collapse after turning into a Hollow. Gin, kill him."
"Captain Aizen is still so kind." Gin Ichimaru drew his Zanpakutō. "Shoot to kill, Shinsō."
The short blade instantly extended to a terrifying length, piercing across the vast distance straight toward Muten Natsu.
"Scatter. Senbonzakura."
Byakuya Kuchiki appeared in front of Muten Natsu, swinging his sword hilt. Countless cherry blossom petals scattered into the air, gradually shifting the trajectory of Shinsō and forcing it away from its original target.
"Sōten Kisshun!"
Orihime Inoue raised both hands toward Muten Natsu. A golden barrier enveloped him, and the pale substance pouring from his mouth began disappearing at a visible speed.
Sōsuke Aizen's eyes shifted slightly.
"I must say, you…"
"Aizen!"
A massive figure slammed down from above. Sajin Komamura's furry face was filled with fury as he swung his blade downward. The enormous Tenken descended from the sky, unleashing a violent shockwave.
Because of his appearance, most people instinctively kept their distance from Sajin Komamura.
He had long prepared himself for a life of solitude, until the day he met Kaname Tōsen.
["You... are you alright?"] Kaname Tōsen said uneasily. ["Sorry, I didn't realize someone else was here..."]
Sajin Komamura reminded him, since Tōsen seemed to be apologizing to a tree.
["I'm here."]
["Ah? Sorry, sorry. My name is Kaname Tōsen. Nice to meet you."]
Sajin Komamura noticed his colorless eyes, and a shameful thought rose in his heart.
He cannot see... that is a relief.
Because of such a despicable thought, even when facing Kaname Tōsen's gentle smile, Sajin Komamura could not help but avert his gaze in guilt.
Even though this might be the only person who would not mind his strange appearance, Sajin Komamura fled as if escaping.
Kaname Tōsen's friendly smile and unwavering heart made him feel deeply ashamed.
Yet fate was mysterious. The two met again in Seireitei.
["Komamura? You are Komamura? It has been a long time!"] Kaname Tōsen wore the same familiar smile Komamura remembered, and the joy on his face was genuine. ["So you joined the Gotei 13 as well. If you do not mind, why not join our division? My captain is a very good person. I think you would like him..."]
What had not changed was the firmness of his heart.
["Why did you become a Shinigami, Komamura?"]
["To repay the kindness of the one who once saved me."]
["Repaying a debt of gratitude... that does sound like you."]
["What about you? Why did you become one, Tōsen?"]
["Me?"] Standing before a simple grave on a hillside, Kaname Tōsen lifted his head. ["Tell me... are the stars beautiful tonight?"]
The dust dispersed like drifting clouds, revealing Sōsuke Aizen blocking Tenken with one hand.
"It has been some time." Aizen tilted his head slightly as he looked at Sajin Komamura's uncovered face. "What kind of change in your heart finally made you willing to show your true face, Komamura?"
"And you still dare to smile, Aizen!" Sajin Komamura threw a heavy punch. "Your betrayal deceived all of us. It is unforgivable!"
Sōsuke Aizen stepped back lightly, his smile unchanged as he came to stand beside the heavily injured Kaname Tōsen.
"You as well, Tōsen..." Sajin Komamura stared at his former friend. "If you have something to explain, then say it!"
The belief you held back then must not have changed.
If it is you, it would never change...
["She did it for justice."] Kaname Tōsen's vacant eyes reflected the blank gravestone. ["She loved this world deeply, so she became a Shinigami to uphold the justice that had not yet been fulfilled. I... do not want the justice she sought to disappear. So even if it costs me my life, I will carry on her will. That is why... I decided to become a Shinigami."]
Kaname Tōsen repeated the phrase "the world she loved" several times.
Yet he never once spoke about the world he himself loved.
And so Sajin Komamura understood.
Ah...
This man actually hates the world.
Sajin Komamura once again felt ashamed of his own thoughts.
He was not someone who would claim he still loved this world.
That was a relief.
But this time, Sajin Komamura would not run away.
He decided he would become Kaname Tōsen's true friend.
If you feel sorrow, I will bear it with you.
If I feel joy, I want to share it with you.
If you stray from the right path, I will reprimand you.
If you make mistakes, I will forgive you.
When you have nowhere left to go, you can rely on me.
I will make you, who no longer loves this world, learn to love it again.
I will let you feel the same joy I felt when I first met you.
So...
Sajin Komamura looked at him.
Tōsen, say something.
I will believe in you, just as I always have.
But he remained silent.
Like the gravestone on that hillside.
"Nothing to say... what a shame, Tōsen." Sajin Komamura roared. "Bankai!"
His voice suddenly stopped.
Aizen, who should have been standing beside Kaname Tōsen, had somehow appeared right next to him.
In the next instant, darkness surged from Aizen's palm and spread through the air, multiplying piece by piece until it completely enclosed Sajin Komamura.
"Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi."
Chaotic gravity rampaged inside the black rectangular prison, crushing and tearing apart Sajin Komamura's body.
When the black coffin shattered, Sajin Komamura appeared again before everyone, covered in blood, before collapsing heavily onto the ground.
"The complete hypnosis of Kyōka Suigetsu is flawless." Sōsuke Aizen glanced at him. "Even if you know you are under hypnosis, there is no escaping it."
"Discarding the incantation for a level ninety Hadō. That is frightening." Gin Ichimaru asked with a smile. "When did you learn that?"
"No, it was not actually successful." Sōsuke Aizen replied casually. "Its destructive power is less than one third of the original."