XX-level Hokage

Thinking this, Aizen carefully put away the Hogyoku in his hand. Then, he slowly raised his Zanpakuto—Kyoka Suigetsu. The cold blade of energy flashed with a chilling light in the dim underground prison, as if foreshadowing his impending death.

However, just as he was about to swing his Zanpakuto and end Rukia Kuchiki's life, an unexpected event occurred!

Three sharp, piercing sounds, almost simultaneously, like lightning tearing through the night sky, suddenly rang out, shattering the deathly silence and oppressive underground space.

Ultimately, this is precisely why Aizen Yosuke resorted to such a brutal method to forcibly "open" the gates of the Shinigami Prison. This area is far too sensitive; any slight disturbance could be detected immediately.

If we use ordinary methods, regardless of whether we can successfully open this place, even if we manage to enter, we will definitely be discovered by the Gotei 13 of the Tokage World before we reach our destination, thus failing in the end.

Now, even using this most direct and brutal method, he quickly found Rukia Kuchiki hiding there, and even successfully removed the Hogyoku from her body, almost without wasting any time.

But that's all it went on to. "Put it down!"

"Rukia!!" "Give her back!!!"

Three distinct voices, yet equally filled with anxiety, anger, and determination, came almost simultaneously from three different directions as the air was torn apart. Following closely behind were the sharp, piercing sounds of three Zanpakuto (soul-slaying swords) cutting through the air; three blades of different shapes, each carrying the intense power of its wielder.

Willpower, from three different directions, like three streaks of meteors, simultaneously slashed towards Aizen Kazusuke, who was located in the center.

Those pale purple eyes now held only icy killing intent, devoid of any other emotion. The only...

The headdress of the Kuchiki clan, the head of the five noble families of the Tokishin world, symbolizing status and position, is the expensive and light silver-white wind-flower gauze. It sways elegantly as he swings his Zanpakuto, Sengenbonzakura, like a solemn dance of death.

—Yi-Yi Kuki Byakuya.

His signature bright red hair, however, was no longer styled with the meticulous uprightness it usually displayed, but instead fell loosely over his shoulders in a slightly disheveled manner, giving him a somewhat wolfish appearance. Above his sharp and wild eyebrows was a large area of ​​blue tattoo, spreading like flames across his forehead. Although his forehead was fully visible, his neck, shoulders, chest, and abdomen were tightly wrapped in layers of white bandages, obscuring the complete design of the blue tattoo. His Zanpakuto, Hebimaru, was emitting a chilling hiss, like a venomous snake poised to strike a fatal blow at any moment.

一一阿散并恋次。

His striking orange hair stood out starkly in the dim prison light, his brown eyes burned with furious flames, and his face still bore the childishness typical of minors. His physique was also rather thin, making him seem completely unrecognizable as a battle-hardened Grim Reaper. Yet, he wielded the largest and most exaggerated Zanpakuto of the three—Ichizatsugetsu. Its broad blade gleamed with black light, seemingly capable of cleaving through everything in its path. With a deafening roar, he mercilessly slashed down with the massive blade, carrying an unstoppable momentum.

—Ichigo Kurosaki.

They are intricately connected to Rukia Kuchiki, serving as brothers, close friends, or important companions. They are bound together by Rukia's sincere affection in different ways.

At this crucial moment, they appeared almost simultaneously. When they arrived at the perilous Zhenyang Underground Prison from different directions, each in their own unique way, they were so tacitly in sync that they didn't even exchange a glance. They set aside all past misunderstandings and grudges, and had only one common goal in their hearts: to take back that person! To take back Lucia!

Driven by this shared goal, they didn't hesitate to draw their blades, pointing them directly at the powerful and dangerous enemy—Aizen Sosuke. "Oh? You've come at just the right time."

Aizen Kyousuke slightly raised his eyelids, his deep eyes calmly watching the three people who leaped down from the height and offered him deadly blades.

His face showed no sign of panic or tension, only an arrogant and confident air, as if looking down at an ant.

"Using you as a test of reaction is not a bad idea, but I'd like to ask you, how do you intend to take Rukia Kuchiki back from me?" Aizen's tone remained gentle and magnetic, but his words were filled with a chilling contempt.

The moment he finished speaking, Aizen simply waved the Kyoka Suigetsu in his hand.

The next moment, the viscous sea of ​​blood beneath his feet, as if drawn by some unseen force, suddenly exploded, releasing countless streams of bright red blood.

Soaring into the sky like a giant, blooming crimson crown, it firmly protected Aizen's figure at the very center, while also completely blocking the view of the three figures that were charging straight towards him.

However, this female curtain formed by countless drops of blood is ultimately only a temporary obstacle.

In the blink of an eye, the blood-red curtain that had surged forth collapsed in mid-air, turning into countless tiny blood droplets that fell like a sudden rain.

When those three faces, filled with determination and anger, reappeared before Aizen's eyes.

"Release, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!" Byakuya Kuchiki's voice was as cold as ice. As his Zanpakuto was released, countless tiny yet deadly blades...

Like blooming flowers, they appeared densely in mid-air, gleaming with a chilling metallic luster, completely enveloping the surrounding space.

"Solve! Buddha King Zabimaru!!" Abarai Renji's roar was like that of a wild beast, and the Zabimaru in his hand instantly grew enormous and throbbing.

The blade curved and extended like a giant snake's tail, covered with sharp spikes, as if it wanted to tear everything in front of it to shreds.

"One by one, release one by one!!! Tensa Zangetsu!!!" Kurosaki Ichigo's voice was deep and powerful, and the Zangetsu in his hand underwent an amazing change. The originally broad blade became slender and black, with a chain attached to the end of the hilt, like the scythe of the Grim Reaper, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.

Chapter 140: The Hogyoku (Part 3)

Kuchiki Byakuya coldly released his Zanpakuto.

Yu Benying slipped from his hand and fell straight down from mid-air, like a drop of water falling into a lake, creating a few ripples before disappearing completely. Immediately afterwards, a large number of ripples appeared on the surface of the sea of ​​blood, and two rows of wide and cold-looking huge blades appeared.

Its size is so enormous that it makes one wonder how it could possibly attack an opponent, and what kind of giant could wield such a massive weapon.

Then, the two rows of enormous blades, which carried a cold and murderous aura, were enveloped in a dazzling pink glow. In the pink glow, the blades seemed to explode from within, transforming into billions of cherry blossom petals that scattered across the sky.

Countless petals of the building's color gathered together, swirling in the sky like a towering torrent.

It hovered in the sky like a cumulonimbus cloud. Above it was cherry blossom pink, below it was blood red.

The crimson sea reflected the cherry blossom-colored sky, which in turn was stained crimson. However, Byakuya Kuchiki's Kaisenbonzakura Kageyoshi was still too flamboyant and too elegant.

Before him, the first to attack Aizen and Sousuke was Renji Abarai's simple and brutal, almost excessive, solution.

Suddenly, the Zanpakuto held by Renji Abarai expanded countless times in an instant. What was originally a sharp blade had transformed into a bony snake body with countless beige snake bone joints connected together.

The very end of the snake bone, the snake's tail, transformed into a staff, which Asanami Renji held in his hand. Asanami Renji could freely control the excessively large Kai simply by waving this staff.

"Take this! Baboon Bone Cannon!!"

The number of beige snake bone joints of Baboon King Zabimaru is not constant, but can be increased or decreased freely according to Renji Abarai's spiritual power. Therefore, the length of Baboon King Zabimaru is not a fixed value, and theoretically, it is not impossible for him to circle the entire earth if his spiritual pressure is strong enough.

Because the joints are held together by spiritual pressure, disregarding normal physical logic, it means that unlike the Zabimaru after its Shikai form, it does not have to consider the issue of three retractions. Therefore, it is more capable of doing things that cannot be done in its Shikai form.

The spiritual pressure poured into the joints exploded like dynamite. The very tip of the snake tail was a large snake scale with yellow eyes and bright red fur on its head.

The snake's head was propelled forward like a segmented rocket, with each segment of spiritual pressure exploding, its speed increasing until it was so fast that it seemed as if it were being launched directly at Aizen.

The Scaled Serpent's head, with its jaws that could reach up to three meters in diameter, opened wide, resembling both a hunting falcon and a giant serpent pouncing on its target, as it lunged straight at Aizen and Sosuke from above.

If Byakuya Kuchiki's transformation gives the impression of elegance and splendor, then Renji Abarai's transformation gives the impression of being crude, barbaric, and unreasonable.

The serpent's excessive size and terrifying scale, combined with its incredible speed, caused the sea of ​​blood in its path to spur and clear a way. Even Aizen and Sosuke, by the time they noticed it, the serpent was already upon them, and all they could do was raise their arms.

He raised his Zanpakuto, attempting to block the serpent's deadly attack that would swallow him whole with the remaining blade.

However, perhaps it is precisely because of this that the huge gap in strength between Aizen Sousuke and Abarai Renji is highlighted.

Even though Aizen Sousuke was knocked back by this attack, and even though he was holding Kuchiki Rukia in one hand and raising his sword to block Orochi's figure as he slashed backward, a torrent of water was still stirred up at his feet and flowed to both sides.

But the serpent's closed jaws could neither crush him nor swallow him like a real snake.

That was all they could do, trapping Aizen between their jaws and forcing him back. "What?!"

When his powerful strike failed to achieve the desired effect, Renji Abarai, still clutching his staff, widened his eyes in disbelief and uttered a sound of disbelief.

It's not surprising that I've only just learned the solution and haven't yet been able to unleash its full potential.

But the problem is that this man, who went to great lengths to find Rukia Kuchiki, took something from her body, and even wanted to kill her, hasn't shown any corresponding attitude, has he?

He didn't even have the same solution, or even unleash his Soul Blade, so how could he so easily block his release? Just who is this man? Just how terrifying is his strength?

Although Abarai Renji was surprised that his first attack failed, he did not panic. The reason was simple: he was not the only one there.

Despite his initial shock to the crocodile, his attack wasn't entirely useless; at least it served as a test, letting Byakuya Kuchiki know...

Just how terrifying is this man's ability?

even

Even Ichigo Kurosaki, if he were smart enough, should have noticed this.

Thinking this, Renji Abarai's heart sank slightly, but there was no reason for him to stop here. He was just about to put the handle in his hand...

He pulled the staff back, controlling the giant serpent to release Aizen and Sousuke, and charged up for the next attack. But at that moment...

In front of the giant serpent, beside Aizen Sousuke who should be temporarily unable to move freely as he was being held in the serpent's mouth, an ominous black and red spiritual pressure suddenly appeared like flames.

From that dark red spiritual pressure, a perfectly standard black Japanese samurai sword slashed straight towards Aizen and Sousuke.

Looking upwards along the black sword, one can notice the hilt of the black sword, and the orange-haired boy wielding the black sword whose shihachi uniform has changed in style, with the upper garment becoming a close-fitting, narrow-sleeved long shirt, the shirt becoming longer and the edges becoming jagged, and the undershirt becoming red—Kurosaki Ichigo!

"Locking Down the Moon!"

On the surface, it appears that Asanami Renji has the fastest resolution speed.

The attack hit Aizen Sousuke first, and although it didn't deal damage, it did inflict a control effect. But that's not actually how it works.

Kuchiki Byakuya's releases, in terms of both pre-cast animation and control speed, are not as fast as one might imagine. His releases are designed to be perfect in terms of both offense and defense, with no blind spots.

Renji Abarai's unlocked form is characterized by its simple and brutal approach, utilizing spiritual pressure explosions—a rather reckless method—to launch the giant snake's head like a cannonball.

But A-San and Renji were still in the same place; he just cleverly threw the toothbrush at Aizen and Sosuke.

Although Kurosaki Ichigo seemed to be a beat slower, he jumped down from the same spot and was already close to Aizen Sousuke, offering the blade in his hand to Aizen Sousuke.

Renji Abarai didn't even have time to be surprised that Ichigo Kurosaki, whom he had only managed to defeat a few days ago, had already mastered the technique. Just the fact that Ichigo was moving at such an unusual speed made Renji Abarai gasp in astonishment for the second time.

Besides that, what puzzled Renji Abarai the most was something incredibly bizarre. "How could there be such a small solution?!"

The stronger the Shinigami becomes, the more powerful they become, and the more terrifying their spiritual pressure becomes. In the end, even the composition of their entire soul changes, and their spiritual pressure becomes as vast and profound as the sea.

Based on this, the initial solution will always evolve in a more expansive direction.

This immense size doesn't just refer to the change in the size of the sword itself. If we're looking for an example, here's the most vivid one: Renji Asanami.

But those effects aren't just physical phenomena like changes in the size of the blade itself. For example, Senbonzakura scatters the blade into countless tiny flying blades, and when in Senbonzakura Kageyoshi mode, the number of flying blades expands even further.

Chapter 141: The Hogyoku (Part 4)

If a Zanpakuto of the fire or ice type is used to unleash its power and attack range, it can often expand to an astonishing degree. However, the unleash that Ichigo demonstrated completely contradicts these obvious characteristics.

Renji Abarai, an outstanding student who appears arrogant on the surface but is actually meticulous, diligent and studious, has never been described in any way, whether in the textbooks of the Shinigami Academy or in the libraries of the Eleventh and Sixth Divisions.

Ichigo's usual Zanpakuto is huge, but now, the blade after his release appears excessively thin. What kind of release is this?

However, this astonishment was limited to Renji Abarai alone.

At extremely close range, Ichigo and Aizen's eyes finally met.

Ichigo gritted his teeth, concentrating all his strength in his arm, and forcefully slashed Tensa Zangetsu towards Aizen. At the same time, he

He roared at Aizen with all his might, "Give me back Rukia!!!"

Although Aizen did not identify himself, what is puzzling is that Ichigo was certain that this man was the Aizen Yoruichi had mentioned the moment he saw him.

Perhaps Yoruichi, Mashiro, and Kisuke Urahara did deceive and exploit them in some ways, but at least in the case of Aizen and his attempt to do something to Rukia Kuchiki, it was a lucky accident that turned out to be the right thing to do.

Even so, Ichigo had no personal grudges against Aizen, and he had no reason to kill Aizen.

At this moment, the reason he brandished his sword was simply to uphold his unwavering goal from the very beginning, amidst this ever-changing and unpredictable situation.

They rescued Rukia.

"Oh? Then we'll see just how capable you really are."

Even though he was restrained by the giant snake after being released by Renji Abarai, Aizen showed no tension whatsoever when facing Ichigo's Tensagetsu, which was slashing with the force of a thunderbolt. Instead, he revealed an expression of amusement that Ichigo could not understand at all.