The clash of pressure ended almost as quickly as it began.
Kazuma's reiatsu, vast as a starry sky, and Aizen's, deep and heavy as the ocean depths, collided like two violent tides.
They crashed together, tangled, then split apart in what seemed like only a brief instant — yet the power in that exchange felt as if it had crossed endless time and space.
Kazuma narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint in them.
His long black hair, which had hung loose behind him, now moved without any wind, as if pulled by some unseen force.
Aizen's lips curved into a faint smile, the faintest trace of amusement in his eyes, his long fingers resting lightly on the hilt of his Zanpakutō, as though ready to deliver a fatal strike at any moment.
In that tense air, the two of them slowly reined in their reiatsu.
The enormous pressure receded like a tide.
In an instant, the two of them seemed no different from ordinary people.
There wasn't the slightest ripple of spiritual pressure from either one, as if the terrifying clash from a moment ago had never happened.
But among everyone present, only Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, could sense the danger hidden beneath that unnatural calm.
He stood quietly, his gaze deep as he watched everything before him, staying alert for any change.
A moment later, Kazuma and Aizen drew their blades almost at the same time.
The two Zanpakutō, both flashing with cold light, met in midair with a deafening crash.
For an instant, space itself seemed struck by a massive hammer. It shook violently, then began to twist and warp, as if it might tear into countless pieces.
The surrounding air was crushed by the force of the impact, forming violent waves that spread in every direction.
Their battle unfolded in the sky.
Their figures crossed and flickered like phantoms, and every slash carried astonishing power, as if they meant to split the heavens in two.
If they hadn't been fighting in midair, the aftershocks of just those few exchanges would likely have ground countless buildings across the Seireitei to dust, leaving the place in ruins.
"Captain Kazuma, your Zanjutsu is still as breathtaking as ever."
Aizen shook out his slightly numb arm.
On the surface, their exchange of swordsmanship looked evenly matched, but in truth, he had lost.
If it came down purely to Zanjutsu, he was no match for Kazuma.
"Aizen, your Zanjutsu isn't bad either. There are only a handful of people in all of Soul Society who beat you in swordsmanship, so stop pretending to be humble."
As for Aizen's praise, Kazuma's reaction was basically, 'Isn't that obvious?'
His Zanjutsu was a killing art forged by cutting down countless Shinigami, Hollows, and Quincy.
Could an ordinary person compare with him?
"Rairyū Kōrin!"
A fierce light lit Kazuma's eyes.
His Zanpakutō moved even faster, and the huge thunder dragon coiling around him seemed to feel the battle intent in his heart.
With a roar, it charged toward Aizen faster than before. Its enormous body was like a streak of lightning.
Everywhere it passed, the air exploded, as if the dragon wanted to tear heaven and earth apart.
Aizen's expression turned serious. Watching the thunder dragon rush at him like a storm, he felt a strange pressure rising in his chest.
He knew very well that this thunder dragon's power was anything but ordinary.
But as Soul Society's greatest villain, how could he retreat so easily?
Without hesitation, he skipped the usual long chant and cast Kidō directly to block Kazuma's attack.
"Bakudō #81: Dankū."
But the thunder dragon paid no attention to his Kidō at all. Like an unstoppable blade, it broke straight through the defense of the eighty-first Bakudō.
The violent power of thunder poured in like a flood and swallowed Aizen whole, making his whole body shake, as if countless sparks were biting into him at once.
While Aizen was still enduring the lightning, Kazuma gave him no chance to catch his breath. He pressed the momentum, and the reiatsu inside him surged wildly.
"Hadō #78: Zangerin."
High-density reishi gathered in an instant and formed a sharp slash, rushing straight for Aizen's face at lightning speed.
At that moment Aizen was still numb.
His body was slow to react, and he couldn't avoid the fatal strike.
The slash swept across him like a death god's scythe, easily cutting open his chest and leaving a long wound behind.
Blood sprayed into the sky like a fountain, staining a wide stretch of the air red.
"Ha… hahaha…"
After taking that slash, Aizen didn't get angry. Instead, he laughed.
This was the battle he had longed for!
The throne was beautiful, but the one who sat on it was always alone.
Having a powerhouse like Kazuma to chase meant his road wouldn't be a lonely one!
"Captain Kazuma! Come! Continue! Lets keep fighting!"
By now he seemed almost possessed, ignoring his injuries completely.
The Hōgyoku embedded in his chest seemed to feel his will and pushed him to evolve. The wound on his chest healed before their eyes.
"High-Speed Regeneration, like a Vasto Lorde? You've already evolved this far?"
Kazuma studied Aizen.
His appearance hadn't changed into a faceless figure like in the original story.
He was still elegant and handsome, yet he'd already gained the abilities of a Vasto Lorde.
Pressure really did create motivation.
"Seiryū Fūma!"
As the fight went on, a thought suddenly came to Kazuma.
He gave a low shout, and the thunder dragons around him turned into dragon spirits condensed from star power.
He wanted to test whether the sealing power of the stars could seal the Hōgyoku's power.
With refined Zanjutsu and his strange instant-step footwork, he appeared beside Aizen in the blink of an eye and left another wound on his body.
'It works?'
Kazuma narrowed his eyes and fixed his gaze on Aizen's wound.
It seemed star power really could affect the Hōgyoku.
The wound was still healing, but the speed had clearly slowed way down.
Kazuma took a deep breath and steadied himself.
The Zanpakutō in his hand moved again, and the dragon spirits formed from star power circled through the air, giving off low dragon cries.
Every swing carried endless force, as if it would tear apart anything in front of it.
"What kind of power is this?"
The moment Aizen was cut just now, he'd noticed that he briefly lost contact with the Hōgyoku.
For that short span, he could no longer feel its will.
The two of them fought fiercely in the sky, while the captains on the ground watched, transfixed.
They'd never seen a battle this intense before, let alone one at such a high level.
[Aizen. If you can take this next strike, I'll admit you're qualified to continue cooperating with me. Otherwise.... I'll have to erase you.]
'What kind of transmission is this? Am I the only one who can hear it?'
Kazuma's voice reached Aizen's ears.
Aizen frowned slightly, confusion clouding his eyes and refusing to lift.
He instinctively glanced down at the captains below, whose expressions were all different.
Yet none of them reacted at all, as if they hadn't heard that voice.
The doubt in Aizen's heart grew stronger. He began working carefully through what secrets might be hidden behind all of this.
The mysterious barrier Kazuma had placed earlier had already shaken him.
Now this strange method of speaking had appeared as well. It was far beyond his understanding of Shinigami abilities.
Could it really be as he suspected?
Had Kazuma already evolved to a far deeper level, all while quietly hiding himself this whole time?
The words Kazuma had said earlier kept echoing in Aizen's ears.
Kazuma had said again and again that he hadn't yet reached the supreme height of the Soul King.
But if even strength like this wasn't enough to stand against the Soul King, then just what unimaginable level had the Soul King's power reached?
The more Aizen thought about it, the more an uncontrollable excitement rose inside him.
It was as if he could see a broad road stretching out before him into the unknown, filled with endless possibilities.
He knew that if he could unravel this mystery, he might step onto an entirely new path and explore even deeper levels of power and truth.
That hunger for the unknown burned deep in his heart like fire.
He could barely wait to tear away the fog covering the truth!