Hearing this, Aizen's head snapped up.
...Countdown?!
Segawa Shigure... is he really planning... to defeat me within ten seconds...?!
Before he could react, invisible pressure descended on his body.
Not spiritual pressure or Kidō. Pure oppressive force. Squeezing his skin and soul from outside in.
Aizen's expression changed. He tried gathering spiritual pressure to resist.
But the instant he released it, it vanished rapidly.
"Wh...at?!"
Aizen jolted in shock. Shigure began walking toward him slowly.
"Nine seconds."
His expression was indifferent. Wind pressure surged in his left hand.
Aizen understood instantly.
His spiritual pressure hadn't disappeared. Shigure had forcibly dispersed it completely with wind pressure.
But how... how is that possible...?!!
After fusing with the Hōgyoku, Aizen was certain he'd begun breaking the boundary between Soul Reaper and Hollow. Even his spiritual pressure had fundamentally changed.
Under these conditions... how could his spiritual pressure be scattered?!
Shigure walked forward slowly. Not a single raindrop touched him. All spun away along the wind currents around him.
"Eight seconds."
The calm words fell. Suddenly, Aizen's white wings cracked sharply.
Then that white skin began falling away like shattered glass.
Spiritual pressure leaked out. Instantly dispersed by the wind pressure surrounding him.
But those wounds showed no super-speed regeneration. They continued collapsing under pressure.
His soul was beginning to fragment.
Aizen's gaze toward Shigure became complete shock.
"No... impossible...!!"
"Why... why isn't the Hōgyoku working...?!"
Shigure's steps didn't stop:
"Can't you sense it, Aizen?"
"The Hōgyoku's super-speed regeneration... is already in progress."
?!
Aizen's heart jumped violently. His mind went blank.
But then his eyes flashed. He suddenly bit down hard. Lunged forward with high-speed movement. Appeared before Shigure.
Swinging his spiritual pressure-infused blade, expression fierce, he slashed toward Shigure's chest.
Was this impulse from anger or judgment of the situation...
He didn't know anymore. He only knew—
He wouldn't accept this.
The Hōgyoku's power he took such pride in... before Shigure, seemed worthless.
He'd just decided to treat Shigure as an equal opponent. Yet Shigure was already speaking to him from above.
All of this trampled Aizen's self-respect. His pride.
At that moment, the Hōgyoku in his chest suddenly burst with purple light. Instantly wrapped his blade. A soft hiss emerged.
The blade lagged behind. The sword light had already shot forward.
Seeing this, Aizen's pupils suddenly gleamed.
He knew this oppressive power was the Hōgyoku's will responding to his heart. Bringing absolute enhancement.
It will... wound Segawa Shigure!!
With that conviction, Aizen's gaze was resolute. His fierce strike finally fell.
SHING!
The spiritual pressure and purple light-wrapped blade struck Shigure accurately.
But—
Without any resistance, it passed straight through his body.
Aizen himself followed the blade's momentum. Appeared directly behind Shigure.
His blade cut flowing air. Cut falling raindrops.
But it didn't cut... the Soul Reaper behind him.
Under the downpour, they stood back to back in the air.
Behind the massive light wings, Aizen's body had completely stiffened. Still holding his striking pose.
Raindrops struck his blade. Struck his face.
His expression completely froze.
He suddenly felt something inside him... began shattering in this moment.
What was it...?
He didn't know anymore.
The rain was too loud. It seemed to drown out the sound of that shattering.
Shigure stood with his back to the striking Aizen. His gaze unchanged:
"This is 'All Things Without Rain.'"
"Aizen... you might understand now."
His eyes lowered slightly. His tone wasn't questioning. More like stating a fact.
As the words fell, six blades suddenly shot from Shigure's massive light wings. Rushed directly toward Aizen's back.
BOOM!!!
A massive collision echoed across the sky.
The rushing shockwave instantly interrupted the downpour.
Aizen's entire body was struck by the wind currents and thunderstorm blades from those light wings.
White wings severed. Long hair shredded. Chest pierced through.
"..."
He made no sound. Pierced through, he stood silently in the rain.
The entire world seemed to freeze.
Only this image remained.
On the ground, everyone looked up with stunned expressions. All held their breath.
Aizen slowly lowered his eyes. Looked at the still-glowing Hōgyoku in his chest. And the wind-thunder blades.
His heart became completely calm.
He faced away from Shigure. Head slightly lowered. Blood at his lips. As if talking to himself:
"Segawa, the Hōgyoku still exists. Its will... I can still feel it."
"So I haven't yet..."
SPLURT—
Before he finished, somehow Shigure already stood before him.
His hand extended horizontally. Had pierced Aizen's body. Entered his soul. Fingertips touched his Chain of Fate.
The downpour suddenly stopped.
Aizen's gaze and thoughts stopped too.
All things returned to death and silence.
From his soul, faint rainbow-colored light gradually began to shine.
Shigure slowly withdrew his hand. Eyes lowered slightly. He said softly—
"Zero."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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