At the instant Aizen vanished, everyone froze in place.
Both the Soul Society forces and the Arrancar side.
Even Unohana Retsu and Coyote Starrk, who were fighting at the edge of Karakura Town, stopped simultaneously.
"Aizen's spiritual pressure… has completely disappeared."
Unohana narrowed her eyes slightly, a faint smile appearing at her lips.
"It seems… we've achieved victory."
Starrk's face immediately filled with shock, unable to accept this reality.
He wasn't particularly loyal to Aizen—
But he understood Aizen's strength better than most.
Even before merging with the Hōgyoku, Aizen had already possessed the power to dominate Hueco Mundo.
After merging with the Hōgyoku, his strength had reached a level Starrk couldn't even imagine.
And now—
Aizen's spiritual pressure had completely vanished.
For Starrk, this was an enormous psychological shock.
He cast a wary glance at the black-haired female Shinigami before him, tightening his grip on his pistols.
The wild killing intent surrounding her…
The eerie and unpredictable swordsmanship…
Forced Starrk to focus entirely on the battle.
If not for Unohana's reminder, he might not even have noticed Aizen's disappearance.
"Please don't allow yourself to be distracted during battle."
Unohana raised her Zanpakutō horizontally before her.
Her gentle voice carried an icy killing intent.
"That would trouble me greatly."
"Please show proper respect for the battle."
Starrk lowered his head slightly.
"…My apologies. Lord Aizen's disappearance caused me to lose focus."
Unlike his Fracción, Lilynette, Starrk's personality appeared calm and polite—
At least on the surface.
"From here on… I'll fight seriously."
Starrk raised his pistols and spoke softly:
"Infinite Ammunition… Cero Metralleta."
---
"Is Aizen… really dead?"
Ōmaeda Marechiyo spoke with clear suspicion.
"Judging from the situation… he should be completely gone."
"The oppressive pressure… has disappeared."
Soi Fon lowered her gaze, suppressing her emotions and forcing herself to appear calm.
"No… the war isn't over yet."
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, his body charred black, spoke with half-closed eyes as he adjusted his breathing.
"The Hōgyoku… is still gathering spiritual pressure."
The Shinigami were stunned.
Not even spirit particles remained—
And yet Aizen might still be alive?
This level of survivability was absurd.
At that moment, Urahara spoke:
"Well now… even heavily injured, Captain-Commander, your perception remains as sharp as ever."
Yamamoto cast him a deep glance.
"If you want this war to end sooner… then treat my injuries."
"War has never been decided by a single individual."
He expected Urahara to use one of his strange inventions to alleviate the damage caused by Zanka no Tachi.
However, Urahara shook his head calmly.
"My apologies, Captain-Commander."
"I don't agree."
"Shimo-kun's power… has already surpassed that of Shinigami."
"When a single individual reaches the peak… they truly can influence the outcome of war."
A hint of apology appeared on Urahara's face.
"Besides… injuries caused by Ryūjin Jakka are difficult to treat."
"I didn't prepare anything beforehand."
Yamamoto stopped pressing the issue.
He couldn't force Urahara to heal him.
And in his current condition—
He couldn't join a battle of this level.
Which meant—
All hope rested on Shimo.
Yamamoto narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing at Shimo floating in the sky.
...
Shimo studied the Hōgyoku carefully, finally realizing something.
Under conventional combat methods—
Aizen's soul, fused with the Hōgyoku, could no longer be completely destroyed.
"Even instantaneous soul destruction… isn't enough."
"It seems… I'll need a special strategy."
The moment this thought formed—
The Hōgyoku suddenly emitted a faint purple glow.
Like a star in the sky.
BOOM—!!
The sky above Karakura Town turned violet.
Then—
A silhouette began to form around the Hōgyoku.
When everyone saw the figure—
Their expressions grew grim.
That spiritual pressure—
It was Aizen Sōsuke.
Shimo's black slash…
Hadn't killed him completely.
The war's outcome became uncertain once again.
The purple light gradually faded.
A figure floated in the air—
Half-kneeling.
He slowly stood up.
Gigantic white butterfly wings spread behind him.
Aizen's appearance had completely changed.
A slit resembling an eye appeared on his forehead.
His eyebrows had disappeared—
Yet his appearance felt strangely natural.
Three pairs of enormous white wings extended from his back.
And in his chest—
A hollow cavity appeared, with the Hōgyoku embedded inside.
"Shimo-kun… how unfortunate."
"Your attack didn't kill me…"
"Instead… it accelerated my evolution."
Aizen spoke calmly.
"Strong desire is an inevitable part of evolution."
"Your strength… awakened my desire to transcend."
"The Hōgyoku sensed this… and began guiding me to a higher level."
He lifted his gaze, meeting Shimo's eyes.
Shimo noticed—
Aizen's eyes now seemed devoid of emotion.
Cold.
Like an iceberg.
Aizen raised his right hand.
Kyōka Suigetsu, which had fallen into the ruins earlier, suddenly flew into his palm.
At the moment his hand grasped the blade—
Purple light flashed again.
Kyōka Suigetsu gradually dissolved into his palm—
As if merging with Aizen himself.
Sensing his transformation, Aizen smiled.
"Thank you, Shimo-kun."
"If not for you…"
"I wouldn't have been able to completely cross…"
"The boundary between Shinigami… and Hollow."
---------------------------------///
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