"Your ignorance is going to cost you your life."
After another violent clash in the Soul Society, Qin Yi spoke coldly.
"Oh? Is that so?" Aizen smiled despite the icy look in his eyes. "If I lose... would you be willing to spare my life?"
"The only way to live," Qin Yi replied indifferently, "is to submit."
"For the moment," Aizen said with a smile, "I don't intend to."
A brilliant light erupted from his body. It wasn't any recognizable color, yet it shone with dazzling brilliance. In an instant, Aizen resembled a miniature sun. The light burst from the center of his chest, releasing an overwhelming torrent of energy.
'Pssh! Pssh!'
Soft bursts of air echoed.
Aizen stood perfectly upright. His black spirit-particle robes grew even darker, while strange white patterns spread across them, making him look both noble and mysterious, yet strangely sinister.
He had broken through his limits. He had become even stronger.
His strength leaped from Starlight Rank Seven straight into Rank Eight, surpassing even King Chengdui and reaching an entirely new realm.
"King of Qin. Can you see it? This is power far beyond the limits of a world, power capable of destroying an entire world. With strength like this... what could I possibly fail to accomplish?"
Confidence radiated from every word. This was power beyond the level of any Shinigami. It made him feel as though the entire world lay beneath his feet.
And he had every reason to be proud. He had manipulated those fools, absorbed their power, slain their King, and taken his place.
Who could understand the satisfaction... the pride... the sheer thrill of deceiving the whole world?
Casually, Aizen swung his Zanpakutō.
'Boom!'
A canyon nearly a kilometer long instantly split the earth below. Dust exploded into the sky as violent sandstorms swept across the battlefield. A casual swing had produced a scene worthy of the apocalypse.
His power was terrifying. Yet Qin Yi's expression never changed.
"Your ignorance has grown just as astonishingly as your power."
Aizen's smile faded, his face darkening. "Once I kill you... I hope you're still able to talk like that."
His figure vanished. In the blink of an eye, he appeared above Qin Yi and brought his blade crashing down.
At their level of power, techniques had become almost meaningless. Simple sword strikes, close combat, pure skill, those were now the most effective weapons.
'Clang!'
Qin Yi effortlessly caught the blow with his own blade.
Aizen's eyes widened.
"It seems... you've completely misunderstood the Hōgyoku."
Those words sent a shock through Aizen.
"Do you know where the Hōgyoku's power truly comes from? And do you know why my sword is called the King of Hell?" Qin Yi's voice was calm, majestic, and absolute.
For the first time, unease crept into Aizen's heart. He had a vague guess, but he refused to accept it.
"Because... this sword is the origin of every Zanpakutō. Shinigami, Hollows... they all have an origin. Some once believed that origin was the Soul King. But from the moment this sword came into existence... everything in this world originated from it."
Qin Yi raised his blade. It hummed violently. Cracking sounds echoed from throughout his body as he shattered his limits once again.
Even greater power erupted. The surrounding air twisted under the pressure, and violent winds roared. Dark storm clouds gathered overhead as lightning flashed and torrential rain began to form.
"That includes... the power of the Hōgyoku."
The tip of his blade pointed at Aizen. Black and crimson light erupted, transforming into two savage dragons that roared toward the heavens.
"The power of all worlds... returns to nothing. Trace the Origin!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the twin dragons burst forward.
In an instant, Aizen's eyes widened.
The dragons swallowed him whole. Wrapped within their intertwined bodies, he was blasted through the air before crashing into the ground. The impact dragged him across the earth for over ten kilometers before finally coming to a stop.
'Cough! Cough!'
Lying in the shattered earth, Aizen coughed up mouthfuls of blood. His face had turned deathly pale. He stared silently at the storm-filled sky above. Lightning flashed endlessly within the dark clouds; heavy rain was about to fall.
"The Hōgyoku..."
His body suddenly trembled. Looking down at his chest, he froze. Then he let out a long sigh.
Its power... was gone.
Everything he had gained from the Hōgyoku had been completely absorbed by Qin Yi's attack.
Moments ago he had soared into the heavens. Now, a single strike had sent him crashing back to earth.
"I am the King of Hell." Qin Yi's footsteps echoed as he walked over. His body had already returned to normal. "I decide whether that power belongs to you. Aizen, defeating you... is far too easy."
Aizen closed his eyes. Then he laughed. "So... my abilities happen to be completely countered."
He opened his eyes again. "In that case... King of Qin, will you accept my surrender? I believe I'm still worth something."
Qin Yi looked down at him impassively. "I won't kill you. But you will be imprisoned in the Eighth Prison of the Underworld. You will remain there for one hundred years of Qin."
Aizen looked puzzled. "One hundred years?"
Given his crimes, even death seemed too light a punishment. Yet Qin Yi was only sentencing him to a century? For a Shinigami, a hundred years passed in the blink of an eye. That punishment seemed almost meaningless.
Qin Yi looked at him with icy eyes. "You'll eventually understand... that one hundred years in Qin is not the same as one hundred years in the world of the Shinigami."
Something in Qin Yi's tone sent a chill through Aizen's entire body.
---
At the same time, on another battlefield in the Soul Society...
Yasuo, who had been fighting the Hokage Corps alone, suddenly froze. He abruptly leaped backward, breaking away from the battle.
The Hokage Corps experts stopped in surprise.
"My Heroic Power... it's back." Yasuo looked genuinely shocked.
The mysterious force that had been suppressing him had vanished. The immense Heroic Power sealed within him flooded through every part of his body, filling him with exhilarating strength.
He slowly raised his sword. A smile spread across his face.
"When glory returns... who can comprehend the brilliance of this blade?"
A whirlwind gathered around the tip of his sword. A gentle breeze rose behind him, turning into a gale, and then a storm.
Yasuo swung his blade.
"Hasagi!!"
(End of Chapter)
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