The newly formed Aizen held no Zanpakutō in his hand.
And he had no intention of using one.
Even without it—
He could still stand at the pinnacle of Soul Society.
"Bakudō #39: Enkōsen."
A circular barrier formed before him.
The Human Path Tsuna, wrapped in black aura, surged forward with unstoppable force, driving the sharp, ever-shifting Mist Staff straight through Aizen.
No surprise—
Enkōsen shattered instantly.
The spikes extending from the staff pierced straight through Aizen, skewering him completely.
And yet—
He did not collapse.
Raising his hand, Aizen calmly intoned:
"Hadō #63: Raikōhō."
At point-blank range—
Lightning exploded.
In this mental world, Aizen used his own body as bait, landing a perfect hit on Tsuna.
Forced into defense, Tsuna was blasted back hundreds of meters by the violent surge of lightning.
Meanwhile—
Fragments of mirror-like light spread across Aizen's wounds.
Within moments—
He was completely restored.
Tsuna immediately mobilized the power of the remaining Paths.
The world shifted again.
A molten hellscape emerged—
Chains bound countless demonic figures rising from magma.
The Animal Path summoned swarms of poisonous creatures—most notably, an overwhelming number of serpents.
The Deva Path took control, their eyes turning crimson—
And finally, the Preta Path empowered them further.
An army descended upon Aizen from all directions.
"…Magnificent," Aizen remarked lightly.
Even surrounded on all sides—
His expression didn't change in the slightest.
The two Aizens merged into one.
This wasn't his true body—his Reiatsu was limited.
To perform his next move—
He had to consolidate everything.
"Bakudō : Sōten Kekkai."
Sensing danger, Tsuna retreated instantly.
The next moment—
A massive inverted triangular prism filled the entire space—
Sealing everything inside.
The remaining Tsunas—
The demons—
The summoned beasts—
All trapped within.
No wonder Aizen had withdrawn all his Reiatsu.
This was the absolute limit of what this fragment could achieve.
Had Tsuna reacted even a moment slower—
He would've been sealed as well.
Inside the barrier—
Aizen engaged the Asura Path and Human Path Tsuna in close combat.
His body was riddled with wounds from poison and attacks—
Yet his smile remained unchanged.
Everything was still within his expectations.
"It's been a pleasure, Sawada Tsunayoshi," Aizen's voice echoed. "I look forward to your meeting with my true self."
He had already identified—
Only the Tsuna bearing the "6" was the real one.
Tsuna was about to respond—
But Aizen began chanting.
A long, unmistakable incantation.
"…creeping iron princess… self-destructive clay dolls… unite, repel, extend to the ground… know your own powerlessness…"
Tsuna's expression sharpened.
This was—
Kurohitsugi.
"...So that's why."
Aizen had created this sealed space—
To annihilate everything inside.
Including himself.
Inside the prism—
Aizen's body was already nearly destroyed.
Only his face and arms remained intact.
Yet—
His smile never wavered.
He even allowed one arm to be devoured by a demon—
Channeling all remaining Reiatsu into the other.
Darkness gathered at his fingertips.
"Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi."
Outside—
Black energy surged.
A massive black cuboid formed—
Engulfing the entire prism.
Cross-shaped spears protruded from its surface.
A solemn, terrifying construct.
Kurohitsugi.
A coffin—
For everything within.
Piercing sounds echoed endlessly.
Tsuna could feel his illusion constructs being erased one after another.
When it finally ended—
Nothing remained.
The black coffin slowly dissolved—
Leaving emptiness behind.
"…That guy is ruthless."
Even as a mere fragment—
Aizen had matched Tsuna evenly.
And when defeat was inevitable—
He chose mutual destruction.
If Tsuna had been caught in it—
It would've been a real problem.
With Aizen's Reiatsu gone—
The world returned to its frozen state.
Tsuna waved his hand, dispelling the illusions.
The ice field reappeared.
The frozen lake—
Gone.
At the center—
Hitsugaya remained sealed within the ice cross.
Everything before had been an illusion battle.
His mind itself—
Untouched.
Tsuna sighed.
Such was the tyranny of Kyōka Suigetsu.
Even with Aizen's presence gone—
Hitsugaya remained under its influence.
As long as Aizen willed it—
He could be controlled again.
But—
That wasn't Tsuna's concern.
He only needed to wake him up.
The staff tapped the ground.
Indigo flames ignited beneath the ice.
Mist-attribute Reiatsu burned through the structure.
The ice melted rapidly.
Hitsugaya fell free—
Slowly regaining consciousness.
"…nn…"
As awareness returned—
Tsuna dissolved into mist.
Back in Soul Society
Tsuna withdrew the staff from Hitsugaya's chest.
Daiguren Hyōrinmaru shattered into ice fragments.
Hitsugaya collapsed—
But—
"Honestly… these kids never make things easy."
Yoruichi appeared instantly, catching him by the haori.
In her other hand—
She held a rope-like binding artifact from the Shihōin Family.
At the other end—
A furious Matsumoto Rangiku.
While Tsuna was inside the mental world, Yoruichi and Ukitake had already retrieved her.
As for Central 46—
Given their condition, they chose not to enter.
"…Sawada… Tsunayoshi?"
Hitsugaya weakly opened his eyes.
"…Thank you…"
Then—
He passed out again.
Kyōraku sheathed Hyōrinmaru and turned to Tsuna.
"Mr. Sawada—Lieutenant Matsumoto as well, please."
"Sure."
Saving one or two made no difference.
Tsuna stepped behind Rangiku—
Briefly hesitating—
Then drove the staff into her back.
This time—
No conversation.
He erased Aizen's residual Reiatsu instantly.
Her strength was far below Hitsugaya's—
The process took only seconds.
She woke up.
"Captain Kyōraku? Captain Ukitake? Lady Yoruichi? Captain—!"
Seeing everyone injured—
Especially Hitsugaya—
She froze.
"Relax. He just passed out," Tsuna said.
"…You? Sawada Tsunayoshi?" she asked warily. "Did you do this?"
"…No. You did," Tsuna replied dryly.
Only then did she notice—
The frost damage on their wounds.
Her expression changed.
"…We were… controlled?"
"Correct," Ukitake said urgently. "Do you remember anything inside Central 46?"
"…Sorry. Nothing at all."
"Don't bother," Yoruichi cut in. "If it's him, he wouldn't leave any exploitable memory behind."
Kyōraku stepped forward, unusually serious.
"Mr. Sawada… one more thing."
"If you can break their illusions… can you deal with what's inside Central 46—"
"No."
Tsuna cut him off immediately.
"I know what you're asking. You want me to handle him."
"I refuse."
"…But—"
"If this had nothing to do with Kuchiki Rukia or Kurosaki Ichigo, I wouldn't even be here," Yoruichi said bluntly.
"This concerns the stability of Soul Society—"
"And it doesn't affect the Human World," Tsuna shrugged. "So why should I care?"
"…We can offer compensation," Ukitake insisted.
Tsuna smiled slightly.
"For taking on him?"
"Only the Shihōin Family could afford that."
"Watch it," Yoruichi snapped. "Keep talking and I'll hand the clan over to Yūshirō tomorrow."
Tsuna chuckled.
"Relax. I'm joking."
Then his tone shifted.
"That guy has plenty of enemies."
"I've already promised—someone else will take him down."
"If I step in now… it'd just be unnecessary."
"…You mean your companions?" Kyōraku asked.
They had investigated—
Over a dozen Ryoka had entered Soul Society.
But only Tsuna's group had appeared openly.
Where were the rest?
"Don't look at me like that," Tsuna said. "We're not your enemies."
"Anyone who stood in our way—we only knocked them out."
"We didn't kill anyone."
Kyōraku nodded.
So far—
That was true.
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