Chapter 145: Goodbye, Captain Hirako
The air reversed, curling in the opposite direction, flowing back and converging entirely.
Aikawa Love could feel exactly what was happening in that moment. He wanted to stop it.
But.
There was nothing he could do.
Within Ichion Enpo's range, the true words Matsushita Yusuke spoke moved infinitely close to becoming reality. Just by triggering them, he could complete every process at once: reiatsu movement, formation, solidification, ignition. All of it in an instant.
That was Matsushita Yusuke's advantage.
"See you around, all three of you."
The words landed. Yusuke's smiling face was swallowed by the surging heat waves.
Love watched his face disappear into it, and as the fire spread toward him and the scorching light closed in, let out a roar of raw frustration.
"MATSUSHITA YUSUKE!!!"
BOOM!!!
Fire erupted, straight into the sky.
Ittō Kasō: Modified.
At its core, still an expression of Kido. The modification Yusuke had applied emphasized one thing above all else: destructive force. Increase the load capacity. Pursue maximum instantaneous ignition and explosive power.
A reishi density this high, once fully ignited, was like setting off stacked explosive charges.
Even a captain.
Could not simply ignore its force.
Time moves forward. Back to the present.
In the distance, Aizen Sosuke and Hirako Shinji both turned their heads.
The pillar of light that had shot skyward a moment ago had already been enough to stop the heart. But what it had now become, a column of blazing fire surging into the sky, made Hirako's chest seize.
What had happened over there?
Nobody knew. Even he, in this moment, could only watch from a distance. He couldn't take any meaningful action.
He could feel it. Aizen had him locked in his sights. Any rash move would invite an immediate response.
He had assumed three against one wasn't going to be a problem. But the situation had clearly taken a sharp turn for the worse.
The spiritual pressure signatures of several people nearby were rapidly falling. The three most notable among them were the ones belonging to his comrades.
By comparison, the presence belonging to Matsushita Yusuke, while also depleting, still felt like it was in reasonably good shape.
Didn't win? Three against one?!
What was going on over there...
He needed to know the situation, which meant he had to break through Aizen's lockdown first.
Can't keep waiting.
Hirako's expression didn't change, but his feet shifted lightly. The technique unique to shunpo had already taken hold.
SWISH...
The air was lightly brushed, trembled, and produced a brief soft sound.
Hirako's figure vanished, and in the next instant was stopped dead in the air about ten meters away.
CLANG!
Two Zanpakuto snapped toward each other. Blades collided and threw off dazzling sparks.
The brief flash illuminated both faces in the same instant. Aizen, with everything apparently under control. Hirako, with barely contained urgency.
In this moment, their expressions seemed to foreshadow the future between them, and the difference in where each would end up.
"Get out of my way! Aizen!!!"
"That won't do, Captain Hirako."
Aizen lightly adjusted his glasses. The corner of his mouth lifted.
"The duel over there hasn't ended yet. Interfering at this point would be rather poor taste, don't you think?"
"Who cares about any of that!!!"
Hirako threw his weight through both hands and pressed down hard, forcing Aizen's blade sideways.
A gap opened.
Best possible opening to break free.
Hirako gathered himself and was about to move.
But before he could act.
A pause. Like his heartbeat had missed half a beat. Hirako's throat moved and a sharp, involuntary hiss came out.
"Urgh..."
His figure fell from the air and hit the ground.
Like a bird stripped of its wings in an instant, Hirako struggled on the ground, and the pain lodged in his throat grew worse by the moment.
Until it finally built up into a full scream.
"AAAAAAAAH!!!!"
On Hirako's arms, chest, ears, and elsewhere, milky-white unknown substances erupted across his skin one after another, spreading rapidly.
These sticky, clinging things writhed as if they had a life of their own, crawling across Hirako's body and taking hold.
"What... what is this..."
The things that had attached to Kensei and the others before. Why was it appearing here?
No, wait.
Hirako's gaze trembled. He looked up at what was directly in front of him.
Why was Aizen unaffected?
He watched his vice-captain calmly push his glasses up, smiling, looking down at him.
The strangeness had never felt this intense before.
"Clever as you are, you should already understand the situation, Captain Hirako."
Hirako struggled up onto his elbows, breathing hard, forcing his upper body upright.
"This... you did all of this?!"
"Correct."
Aizen sheathed his Zanpakuto. Crossed his arms. The smile on his face was thoroughly satisfied.
The method of Hollow toxin infection had many forms, and since this was still the early experimental stage, the process was naturally quite crude.
"The infection speed is impressive. More intense than projected... like a particularly virulent poison. How interesting. Truly valuable data."
There was no need for combat anymore. The moment his opponent entered this state, the outcome was effectively settled.
It was the Club's victory.
"Come to think of it, I haven't explained specifically what's happening to you. Don't worry. It's a painless experience."
Aizen stepped down lightly and stood before Hirako.
He looked down at him from his elevated position, a smile that carried no warmth at all.
"Your experiences will become my most precious data and experimental material, contributing to our advancement toward something higher. Captain Hirako, I feel compelled to say: I have never been particularly fond of you as a person."
"You... you..."
Hirako struggled to lift his head. Half his face was covered with the writhing milky-white substance, and the sight was something genuinely terrible to look at.
"Truly unsightly, Captain Hirako."
"..."
No words came. Hirako simply extended his right hand and grabbed Aizen's ankle.
Just accomplishing that much had already brought him to something close to his literal limit.
A Shinigami infected by Hollow toxin had no resistance left to speak of.
"Then."
Aizen raised his Zanpakuto. His gaze behind the glasses was calm, carrying a thin trace of amusement.
"Goodbye, Captain Hirako."
Whoosh.
He brought the blade down.