"Tch…"
"Aizen? So that's all he amounts to!!!"
Silbern, inside the Ice Crystal Palace.
Lille Barro let out a cold laugh, mocking across the distance.
"In the middle of a war, he actually kills his own subordinate on the spot!"
"Such stupidity is something no true leader would ever do lightly…"
"I'd wager Hueco Mundo is in total chaos right now! The Hollows and Arrancar must be furious!"
"They probably hate Aizen to the bone, and maybe even… are thinking about rebelling against his rule, right?"
"Exactly…"
His words were immediately echoed by the other pure-blood Quincy.
"Aizen…"
"I thought he'd be something incredible."
"Turns out he still makes mistakes. He's not invincible at all!"
"And because of this incident, Hueco Mundo will fall into internal disorder. In the future it'll be even easier to crush them…"
Whenever Aizen's name came up,
the Sternritter's wary respect faded by half.
In its place was cold mockery and a smug, bone-deep contempt.
Hueco Mundo,
and the Arrancar army,
were, as always, treated by them as trash.
Not real enemies at all—
from beginning to end, only fit to be prey.
And now,
with that last clip having been shown,
this attitude was magnified several times over.
It only made the pure-blood Quincy even more arrogant!!!
"Everyone…"
"Be at ease!"
"His Majesty is not Aizen. He has always cared for his subordinates and would never commit such an act in future wars."
"Instead, he will ascend to the Soul King Palace, slay the Soul King, and share the purified new world with us!"
On the high platform,
Haschwalth lifted his cold gaze, looking down as he spoke in a firm tone.
As the Emperor's right hand,
his words carried tremendous weight.
They were immediately embraced by the Sternritter below,
as well as the other pure-blood Quincy of the Invisible Empire.
Everyone believed, without question,
that Yhwach cherished his subordinates and was willing to share his power.
Following him meant a bright future—
They would never be discarded.
On that point alone, he was ten thousand times better than Aizen!!!
As for what would happen later with the Auswählen—
the remaining Sternritter and countless imperial soldiers being sacrificed,
their power forcibly taken back by Yhwach—
for now, none of them knew a thing.
————
Meanwhile,
under the mocking stares of the pure-blood Quincy,
the ranking video continued to play.
The previous clip ended with Harribel's body falling from the sky.
Immediately after,
a new scene began.
The location was unchanged—
still the battlefield over Karakura Town.
In midair, countless figures stood in formation—Kyōraku Shunsui, Komamura Sajin, Soi Fon, and, led by Hirako Shinji,
a group of Visored captains, numbering around a dozen!
All of them
stood in staggered lines, shielding Kurosaki Ichigo behind them, preventing him alone from falling into Aizen's trap.
The moment this scene appeared,
because of the earlier "artificial Soul King Aizen" footage, the viewers had already started to speculate about Ichigo's origins.
And now,
this looked like solid proof.
It confirmed that, in the future, Kurosaki Ichigo is the most important person—
very likely the only one who could defeat Aizen!!!
"Shopkeeper…"
"What do you think?"
Inside the small convenience store,
Tessai Tsukabishi sounded excited.
"In all the previous ranking clips, Ichigo barely showed up at all—he didn't even qualify as a side character…"
"But now he's suddenly become someone the captains are protecting!"
"Could it be that in the future, he really becomes the main character?!"
As he said this,
Tessai's expression showed genuine surprise.
As Urahara Kisuke's partner, he had known about Ichigo's background since twenty years ago.
But still—
Up until now,
Ichigo was just an ordinary human high schooler.
His soul was special from birth, different from normal humans, allowing him to see Hollows—
But—
He had no Shinigami powers, no zanpakutō.
He had absolutely nothing to do with the word "strong"!
Let alone
becoming overwhelmingly powerful in just a few short years,
surpassing geniuses like Hitsugaya and Gin—
once-in-a-century talents—
and becoming the leading figure of the Bleach world.
Even though,
right now,
the ranking video kept dropping hints,
showing scene after scene to emphasize Ichigo's importance—
Tessai still couldn't help but doubt it.
He just couldn't imagine how this so-called "four-in-one" existence could grow that far!
It was simply a mystery,
one that made people itch to uncover the truth!!!
Facing Tessai's doubts,
Urahara Kisuke thought for a moment,
then quickly voiced his own view.
"Isn't it possible… that this is still all tied to the zanpakutō Kyōka Suigetsu?"
Beside him,
Yoruichi's golden eyes lit up.
"You mean—because Ichigo wasn't originally a Shinigami, and only stepped onto the Shinigami path halfway through due to an accident…"
"So… before that, he had never gone to Soul Society, never crossed paths with Aizen, and thus never witnessed the hypnosis ritual?!"
As the former head of the noble Shihōin family,
and the former commander of the Onmitsukidō,
Yoruichi's mind worked fast; she followed the clues and instantly guessed the most likely answer.
"Exactly…" Urahara snapped his fingers and smiled.
"Just as you thought, Miss Yoruichi!"
He lifted his head, eyes on the screen, and spoke in a low voice:
"He himself is a four-in-one existence. The blood of multiple races flows through his body. His upper limit of power rivals the Soul King!"
"And on top of that, he's never seen the hypnosis ritual—he's never been caught in the illusion."
"So he cannot be controlled by Kyōka Suigetsu's power. Kurosaki Ichigo… is the only one who can defeat Aizen!"
"Besides him, there is no other. He is the chosen one! That's why the captains are going out of their way to protect him!!!"
By the time he finished,
Urahara's voice had grown a little rapid, and even he felt shaken.
Who would've thought…
A completely unremarkable human high schooler
would, in the future,
become the key figure who saves the world and defeats the final villain!
In a way, it was almost absurd…
The entire Shinigami race, Seireitei, the Gotei 13—
actually needing a human to pull them back from the brink.
Thinking this,
Urahara shook his head slightly.
In the end, it still came down to Aizen being too strong—
so strong that only someone who could reach the Soul King's level
would be qualified to stand against him and the Hōgyoku!
————
At the same time,
after ensuring Kurosaki Ichigo was in absolute safety,
the Shinigami captains launched their assault.
Taking advantage of their numbers, they began a relay of attacks against Aizen!
Leading the charge—
was none other than Hitsugaya Tōshirō, foul-mouthed and burning to avenge Hinamori Momo!
"Aizen…"
He gripped his zanpakutō Hyōrinmaru.
In bankai, the massive ice wings on Hitsugaya's back flared open.
His white silhouette soared through the sky, ice-cold slashes thrusting toward Aizen's body.
"Oh…"
"You've improved, Hitsugaya Tōshirō."
Inside First Division,
Kurotsuchi Mayuri chuckled coldly, mocking him.
"Last time you got one-shot. This time you actually dare to be the first to rush in."
"Should I say you're overestimating yourself, or that your courage is commendable?"
Mayuri's smile dripped with derision.
He was clearly waiting for Hitsugaya to make a fool of himself again—
to see him repeat history and get one-shot once more.
"Shut up!!!"
Hitsugaya glared at him.
"Just watch. Revenge isn't something you just talk about!"
"The lies and harm Aizen inflicted on Momo—"
"The stab he gave her, he's going to pay back many times over!!!"
This time,
Hitsugaya was full of confidence.
He felt that, back in Seireitei, the only reason he had been killed in a single blow
was because of a gap in information.
At that time, everyone had only just realized they'd been deceived by Aizen—
They still didn't know the true power of Kyōka Suigetsu.
But this time was different!
Not to mention that, in the footage, behind his future self
stood more than ten Shinigami captains.
With so many pairs of eyes and so many sources of reiatsu perception on Aizen,
there was no way they couldn't see through his every move, right?
Another reason
was that Hitsugaya believed
that compared to his self from the Seireitei battle, he had already become much stronger.
Now, with the cover and support of the other captains,
relying on Hyōrinmaru's massive control over the sky and its climate-freezing power—
maybe,
he truly had a shot at fighting Aizen.
He might even be able to freeze him, if only for a short while!
That was Hitsugaya Tōshirō's current line of thought.
And in the video, his future self didn't disappoint.
He really did grip Hyōrinmaru,
trading blow for blow with Aizen for a stretch.
"CLANG—!!!"
"CLANG—!!!"
"CLANG—!!!"
The sound of metal clashing rang out continuously.
"Aizen…"
"I'll crush you with everything I have! I won't give you any opening to activate Kyōka Suigetsu!!"
Beneath white brows dusted with frost,
Hitsugaya's gaze was rock-solid, full of fighting spirit and hostility.
And once these words
were broadcast into reality, they immediately sparked discussion!
Powerhouses all across the Bleach world began to comment:
"Tsk tsk…"
"So that's their plan—don't give Kyōka Suigetsu any chance to activate, huh?"
"Gotta admit it… Hitsugaya Tōshirō still hasn't figured out Captain Aizen's power at all."
Below the throne,
Gin Ichimaru gently shook his head.
From these words alone, he could already tell the truth:
the Captains still had a completely wrong understanding of Aizen and his Zanpakutō, Kyōka Suigetsu—
and they were acting out of pure bravado.
No wonder that in the future,
on the battlefield in Karakura Town,
even with the Head Captain included…
every single Captain will lose.
Each one of them becomes nothing more than another victim crushed under Aizen's feet.
It was a result long predestined.
"Aizen-sama…"
On the other side, Tōsen Kaname spoke calmly.
"If I'm not mistaken… from the moment you stepped onto the battlefield… Kyōka Suigetsu's ability was already activated, correct?"
"What do you think?"
Aizen lifted his gaze.
Expression cold.
He did not answer directly—he simply returned the question.
The answer,
of course,
was obvious.
Hitsugaya's confidence,
the Captains' encirclement—
to Aizen, all of it was just empty noise.
No matter how many they were…
even if their numbers doubled again…
Every single one of them would still fall under Kyōka Suigetsu's hypnosis.
Their five senses taken.
Their minds twisted.
Until, inevitably—
they tore each other apart.
And then—
the battle continued to play out:
"Ice Dragon Tail…
Heaven-Piercing Freeze!!"
Hitsugaya Tōshirō released his technique.
A gigantic ice dragon formed, freezing the air itself, and slammed violently toward Aizen.
At that moment—
as Aizen shifted backward to evade—
two voices simultaneously echoed from the air on his left and right:
"Heavenly Punishment—!!"
"Tenken—!!"
Komamura Sajin and Aikawa Love attacked from both sides.
And with the massive ice dragon charging head-on—
The three-way impact detonated with a thunderous explosion, blowing up a storm of dust and shockwaves across the entire battlefield.
"That's how it should be!"
"Attack Aizen relentlessly—don't give him a single breath!!
That's the only correct way to fight him!"
In First Division Headquarters,
Komamura Sajin clenched his fist,
his face burning with emotion beneath the metal helmet.
Even now,
the wolf-headed captain remained convinced:
Tōsen Kaname had merely gone astray—
Aizen had brainwashed him, twisted him, corrupted him.
Therefore—
anything aimed at hurting Aizen,
even if it only happened in a video and not in reality—
still gave Komamura immense satisfaction.
It felt like long-overdue payback.
"Will it work though…?"
"Aizen is a cunning man. He's not that easy to handle."
Kyōraku Shunsui's expression tightened.
His gaze locked onto the screen,
and the sense of danger in his heart did not lessen in the slightest.
Even now—
even staring straight at the display, with multiple perspectives—
he still couldn't tell whether Kyōka Suigetsu had already cast its illusion or not.
And that—
was the most terrifying part.
Sure enough—
Reality proved it.
The triple assault led by Hitsugaya—
had absolutely no effect.
When the smoke and icy mist began to clear—
that annoyingly familiar, smug voice came from within:
"Good… good.
That's exactly how you should fight."
"Overwhelm me with numbers.
Ambush.
Confuse me.
Distract me.
If you don't use every trick you have…
don't expect to catch me."
A single lock of hair drifted across his forehead.
Aizen stepped through the dispersing smoke—
white Arrancar-style uniform immaculate, untouched by the battle—
and once again spoke with that infuriating, superior tone.
"Damn it…"
"That bastard Aizen!!"
"He always talks like that—
and he always lectures others like he's some kind of god!
Just watching him pisses me off!!"
Back in the outskirts of Karakura Town—
inside the Visoreds' hideout—
Aikawa Love gritted his teeth.
As the group's vice-leader,
his face was burning with humiliation just from watching.
"That only means…"
"that the intensity of the encirclement still isn't enough!"
Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō spoke up:
"So far only three have attacked.
That's nowhere near enough.
And we still need to watch out for Aizen's shunpō."
"All Captains need to attack nonstop—
every single one of them."
Sure enough—
Just as his words fell—
In the video, a sharp whiplash sliced the air—
a golden whip arcing across the sky.
It was Rōjūrō's Zanpakutō: Kinshara.
Golden tendrils wrapped and coiled.
In an instant—
Kyōka Suigetsu's blade was tightly bound.
Then—
the other Visored Captains charged in together.
Hitsugaya again swung Hyōrinmaru, freezing the air,
locking down Aizen's other arm from the side.
And so—
under a chaotic, full-force assault—
Aizen's movements were finally restricted,
if only for a moment.
And the one who moved in for the final strike—
"Really now…
the Commander-in-Chief of the Stealth Corps,
appearing openly on the front lines…"
Aizen smiled faintly,
still speaking in that maddeningly calm, instructive tone
as he stared directly at Soi Fon.
"To fight while abandoning decorum…
To die while abandoning decorum…
I advise you not to seek death pointlessly."
The moment those words played in the real world—
Soi Fon instantly snapped.
"Damn—!!
That arrogant lecturing tone…
It doesn't work on me!!"
At this moment—
Soi Fon no longer cared about why the future version of herself had lost an arm.
She only wanted—
that once Aizen was fully restrained—
her Zanpakutō Suzumebachi,
with its stealth-kill ability—
the two-strike death mark—
would land its second hit
and kill this smug tyrant once and for all.
However—
What happened next—
not only proved that Soi Fon had been thinking far, far too highly of herself—
but also demonstrated that the gap between her spiritual pressure and Aizen's
was simply far too great.
Because before the eyes of the entire world—
for the first time in a long while,
Soi Fon finally had a rare moment in the spotlight,
finally acted as a primary attacker—
only to be met with:
the single most brutal, soul-shattering humiliation Aizen could possibly inflict.
A humiliation so overwhelming—
her entire mindset collapsed instantly.
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]