The ink-wash-like world regained its vitality. Although the sneak attacker was merely an ink shadow with indistinct facial features in Kōe's eyes, the opponent's Reiatsu signature was far too familiar. It was obviously Unohana Retsu.
Kōe had sensed Unohana's presence early on, but dealing with her sudden strike had been an incredibly close call.
In that brief moment just now, Aizen had completely blinded all of his senses. It was only because the woman before him had held back her full strength to conceal her identity as the First Generation Kenpachi; otherwise, before his senses returned, she definitely would have left a few wounds on him—or perhaps even decapitated him outright.
However, was the return of his senses due to Static Recording erasing Complete Hypnosis? Or was it an intentional act by Aizen?
The crux of the issue lay in timing. After completing the ritual, Kyōka Suigetsu required no time to activate its ability. Similarly, the same applied to Kōki's Static Recording. The recorded state was merely a result, and Kōe decided when to transition to that result.
Neither release had any warning signs, and their activation happened in an instant. If the duration had been a bit longer, perhaps Kōe could have determined whether Complete Hypnosis had been nullified. Unfortunately, this clash was not a battle to the death, meaning it was destined to last only a brief moment, yielding no conclusive results.
Aizen's goal was to conduct the Complete Hypnosis ritual in a logical and reasonable manner; he couldn't possibly place Kōe in actual danger. Otherwise, it would jeopardize his need to use the Seireitei to complete his own research.
And Kōe was in no position to interrogate him. One had to remember that in the Seireitei's perception, Urahara had once attempted to frame Aizen. It was no exaggeration to say that the current Aizen was a respected member of the Seireitei, standing firmly on the side of justice.
Someone was definitely going to have to swallow this bitter pill in silence, but who exactly was it? Himself? Or Aizen?
He tried to find some clues from Aizen's instantaneous reaction. *If Kyōka Suigetsu's ability had truly been broken, the man should have shown at least a token moment of panic, right?*
Facts proved that Kōe was overthinking it. Watching Aizen, who was teaming up with Ichimaru Gin yet still seemingly being suppressed by Zaraki, Kōe almost laughed out loud.
A veteran actor was truly a veteran actor. As long as the director didn't yell 'cut,' he wouldn't reveal a single flaw. And unfortunately, the other party was both directing and starring in this play...
Unless the time was ripe, gleaning any useful information from Aizen's words and actions was incredibly difficult. The man was a master of scheming, knowing exactly how to exploit the weaknesses of others while perfectly concealing his own thoughts.
He needed to understand more about Kyōka Suigetsu and Aizen as a person. Kōe realized that his previous knowledge of him was far from sufficient. At the same time, if he wanted to save Shiba Kaien and his wife, his subsequent relationship with Aizen would be absolutely crucial.
But now was not the time to dwell on this. Kōe smiled, lowering his eyes to look at Unohana. "It's been a long time, Sister Hana."
Kōe spoke nonchalantly, not looking the least bit affected by the previous battle. Yet it was exactly this demeanor that made Unohana sigh with a deep sense of disappointment, lamenting his lack of ambition.
"Now is not the time to catch up," she said.
"True enough. We need to quickly get Zaraki under control, otherwise we'll be in deep trouble when Old Man Yama arrives."
Watching Kōe rush out, Unohana was slightly stunned. Who exactly had been fighting just now, and who was the one here to stop it? Being so mindful of the bigger picture—should she praise him for always keeping a clear head? Or would it be more accurate to say he simply lacked any fighting spirit?
Kōe couldn't care less about what Unohana was thinking at the moment. His disagreement with the whole 'Kenpachi' philosophy wasn't exactly a recent development.
Meeting Aizen head-on as he was forced back by Zaraki's sword, Kōe extended his right hand, steadily bringing him to a halt. Aizen, however, made no sudden movements, acting as if he wasn't the least bit worried that the right hand pressed against his back might threaten his life.
"I am truly ashamed to have troubled you, Mr. Chōzuka."
"I am equally ashamed that I needed Captain Aizen to remind me of something as trivial as attending class," Kōe replied calmly. "Since we both have embarrassing matters, it's best we just forget them."
Kill Aizen? The thought sounded truly tempting, but if he actually went through with it, the captains who were about to arrive would definitely not let him off lightly.
"I will attack his Saketsu and Hakusui."
"Oh?" Aizen paused slightly. The Saketsu and Hakusui—one located below the throat, the other above the lower abdomen—were the Reiatsu pressure points of a Shinigami.
Once these two points were destroyed, although it wouldn't be fatal, the flow of Reiatsu would be obstructed, meaning a Shinigami would lose the vast majority of their combat power.
Aizen easily understood Kōe's intention. He wasn't going to seriously injure Zaraki Kenpachi; he merely wanted to temporarily strip him of his ability to fight. Stating it out loud was nothing more than a request for Aizen's assistance.
However, such a highly tacit method of communication felt somewhat out of place between the two of them.
*Chōzuka Hiroe... truly an interesting man.*
"Ichimaru and I will do our best to assist you," Aizen replied with a smile. At the same time, his left hand slipped out from his sleeve, covertly pointing to the left—a gesture that fell perfectly into the sights of Ichimaru Gin not far away.
*Attack from the right.* Ichimaru Gin gave a slight nod of understanding. Although he and Aizen didn't need to communicate like this at all, even a farce had to be performed according to a proper script.
"You may make your move, Mr. Chōzuka."
The moment Aizen's words fell, Kōe appeared right in front of Zaraki, his right hand forming a vertical palm strike aimed directly at the man's Saketsu.
"Hey, shouldn't you clear out the annoying pests first?" Zaraki raised his long sword and slashed toward Kōe. Even with Kōe joining the siege, it couldn't bring a single trace of distress to his face. "This kind of fight is way too boring!"
"Shoot to kill, Shinsō!"
Having been roaming the perimeter, Ichimaru Gin seized the perfect opportunity to strike. The wakizashi in his hand rapidly extended forward, truly looking like a silver bullet trailing a tail as it shot straight through the gap between Kōe and Zaraki.
*Clang!* Two long blades crossed horizontally and vertically. The long sword in Zaraki's hand suddenly stalled, its forward momentum sharply reduced.
On the other end, Ichimaru Gin gritted his teeth, his hands gripping the hilt trembling slightly. He wasn't some monster with terrifying brute strength; blocking a strike from Zaraki was, truthfully, quite strenuous.
This didn't mean he couldn't handle Zaraki, but this kind of head-on, forceful clash simply wasn't his forte, nor was it a style he enjoyed.
Besides, for him, there was absolutely no need to figure out a way to defeat Zaraki Kenpachi. His mission wasn't to conquer or stop Zaraki; he only needed to stall for a little time. The one who would actually do the work was the other monster.
Looking at Kōe not far away, whose movements were completely unaffected, Gin felt that *this* was the true monster. Compared to Zaraki, who constantly exuded a barbaric aura, this man who maintained his absolute calm at all times was far more terrifying.
Furthermore, his gaze flicked toward Aizen, who had appeared to Zaraki's back right. Not to mention, there was a god-like man watching from the sidelines. Why on earth would he, Ichimaru Gin, need to work himself to the bone?