XX-level Hokage

"If you want it, come and get it yourself."

Aizen made an extremely simple movement. He merely shifted his feet slightly, changing his position. The Zanpakuto he raised, while blocking the closure of the Great Serpent's jaws, also perfectly blocked Ichigo's seemingly inevitable attack. His gesture was so nonchalant that it was impossible to tell whether he had anticipated it or was simply reacting on the spot.

The Locked Moon Cleaver and the Mirror Flower Water Moon clashed together, the clash of the two swords sparking intense sparks that illuminated the dim underground space.

The black and red spiritual pressure that was being slashed by Tensa Zangetsu, even though Tensa Zangetsu was blocked, still surged towards Aizen like a derailed train, carrying violent energy.

However, to Aizen, it seemed no different from a gentle breeze brushing his cheek, having no effect whatsoever. "How is this possible?!"

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock; he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Aizen didn't even move the hand that was holding Rukia Kuchiki; he simply extended the index finger of the hand that was holding Kyoka Suigetsu and pointed it at Ichigo.

As Ichigo unconsciously reached for Aizen's raised index finger, Aizen's deep and magnetic voice rang out: "Hado Strike 1." An invisible force struck Ichigo's forehead in an instant.

Ichigo's head jerked back, sending him flying. He tumbled backward across the blood-red sea like a piece of tile being skipped across the water, disappearing from sight.

“Renji!

Kuchiki Byakuya's voice suddenly rang in Abarai Renji's ear.

Although he only called out Renji Abarai's name, Renji Abarai didn't even look at Byakuya Kuchiki or make eye contact with him, yet he already understood what Byakuya Kuchiki meant.

Since Aizen was able to easily block Ichigo Kurosaki's slashes even while being restrained by Orochi, and even so casually repel Ichigo, there was no point in continuing to restrain him like this.

Ultimately, was that really a form of control?

Asanami Renji suddenly pulled the handle of his staff backward with all his might.

The giant serpent ceased its pursuit of Aizen. It opened its gaping maw, releasing Aizen and swiftly retreating, creating distance between them. At the very moment Aizen and the serpent parted, around him... and within the entire area centered on him, countless creatures resembling Kuchiki Misaka had appeared...

The blade is exactly the same as Zai's Senbonzakura.

These blades are pure white, with few details visible. Only the edges of the pure white blades shimmer with a few cherry-colored lights, which are densely pointed at Aizen!

The moment Aizen noticed these blades, they shot towards him from all directions like arrows released from a bow, almost without any blind spots, as if countless arrows were simultaneously aimed at the same target.

Aizen remained calm and composed as the blades attacked from all directions.

He wielded his Zanpakuto with ease, sometimes cleaving the incoming blades head-on, turning them back into fluttering cherry blossom petals; sometimes skillfully striking from the side, deflecting their original trajectory; and sometimes dodging to the side, avoiding those deadly attacks.

Although these blades were being fired at him from every angle, don't forget that he still had Rukia Kuchiki as a hostage.

This means that unless one is determined to kill Rukia Kuchiki, even a seemingly flawless saturation attack will inevitably have gaps due to unconsciously holding back.

In other words, this move is merely for show; it focuses less on numerical superiority and more on psychological warfare.

Unfortunately, Aizen wasn't the type to be intimidated by such threats.

The pure white blades were either dyed blue or shattered, transforming into countless cherry blossom petals; or they were knocked away, flying to the side, briefly hovering on the surface of the sea of ​​blood before sinking into it and disappearing.

Even with such a 360-degree, all-encompassing barrage, it was still impossible to leave even a single wound on Aizen. Such attacks seemed ineffective against this man.

Just as this realization was about to take shape, a cold and resolute figure suddenly appeared before Aizen.

Kuchiki Byakuya finally found an opportunity to get close to Aizen and launch an attack.

He reached out and grasped a pure white katana that Aizen had knocked away. Holding the sword with both hands, he coldly swung it repeatedly at Aizen.

Now, not only are there pure white sword blades attacking Aizen from different directions, but there are also opponents launching continuous attacks on Aizen from the front to restrain him.

Even Aizen could no longer maintain his initial composure. He had to deal with the fierce attacks coming from the front while dodging the arrow-like flying knives.

Byakuya Kuchiki, wielding swords in both hands, pressed forward relentlessly, as if retreating even a step would be a great humiliation for him. He swung his swords faster and faster, forcing Aizen to engage in a sword-to-sword duel, or he would be injured by his strikes.

However, once Aizen chooses to clash with Kuchiki Byakuya, he will find himself struggling to deal with the flying knives coming from all directions.

Aizen, wielding the Mirror Flower, Water Moon sword with one hand, clashed repeatedly with Kuchiki Byakuya, who held the pure white blade with both hands. The continuous clashes between the blades produced a crisp and rapid sound, like the forging of iron.

Aizen, who had initially maintained his composure, was now showing signs of damage as his pure white shihaka robes were repeatedly grazed by throwing knives. Whether these damages actually harmed Aizen's body, only Aizen himself knew.

"Put Rukia down!" Kuchiki Byakuya, his face cold, seemed not to have reached his limit yet. He continued to increase the speed of his sword swings while giving Aizen a stern command.

Upon hearing this, Aizen's lips curled into a mocking smile: "You're not all going to say the same things to me, are you? That would be far too boring. How about saying something else interesting?"

Chapter 142: The Hogyoku (Part 5)

Kuchiki Byakuya pressed forward relentlessly, each swing of his sword carrying an unwavering resolve.

Aizen, with an incredible aura, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, precisely dodged the flying knife that came from behind, while simultaneously clashing his Kyoka Suigetsu sword precisely with Byakuya Kuchiki's blade.

Even though his opponent changed from Ichigo to Byakuya Kuchiki, Aizen never showed the slightest sign of panic.

He even had the leisure to comment with a slightly contemptuous smile: "Your slashing technique is not bad, but it's a pity that it still needs some refinement."

The moment those words were spoken, the next clash of swords caused a crack to appear in Byakuya Kuchiki's white blade.

Overwhelmed, it was severed by the sharp edge of the illusory flower and the moon. The flying blade tip didn't even have time to hit the ground before it disintegrated into countless cherry blossom-like spiritual particles and vanished into the air.

Byakuya Kuchiki's Senbonzakura, whether in its Shikai or Kaisenbonzakura Kageyoshi, essentially scatters the blade into countless tiny flying blades.

This means that even if he can solidify a part of the blade into the shape of a Zanpakuto, it is fundamentally different from the Senbonzakura before it was released and was a single entity. The white blade that Kuchiki Byakuya is wielding now is an aggregation of countless tiny flying blades.

Rather, the fact that Byakuya Kuchiki was able to continuously wield this white blade against Aizen until this moment before collapsing proves even more that he had diligently practiced and mastered the art.

As the white blade in his hand disintegrated, Kuchiki Shiro's pupils contracted slightly, but there was not a trace of retreat in his cold eyes.

Not only that, he didn't retreat a step, but instead took another step forward. He released his right hand, and only half of the white blade fell from his hand.

Almost simultaneously, a new pure white blade fell precisely into his hand from above.

At the same time, in his left hand, another blade appeared from below, its hilt facing upwards towards his palm. A blade in each hand—dual-wielding!

This posture seemed to be a silent response to Aizen's comment that "he's still a little short of perfection." Kuchiki Byakuya alternated his hands, slashing out with two white blades, transforming them into a storm of attacks, so dense and fast that it was dazzling.

Meanwhile, Ichigo, who was sent flying by Aizen's Kido "Hado Ichikyuu" and was rolling around in the sea of ​​blood like a skipping stone, managed to control his body.

Just before he was about to fall again after another somersault, he finally adjusted his center of gravity and placed his feet firmly on the surface of the sea of ​​blood.

He gripped Tensa Zangetsu tightly in his hand and looked towards Aizen, just in time to see Kuchiki Byakuya's self-sword shattered and him switch to dual-wielding.

Before rejoining the battlefield, he exchanged a glance with Renji Abarai, who happened to land beside him. Once, the two had faced each other with swords drawn, one even wishing the other dead. Now, they stood here fighting the same person for the same goal.

The two finally exchanged a slightly complicated look, a look that contained both past grievances and the tacit understanding forged in the face of a common goal.

Renji looked at Ichigo and nodded heavily.

Ichigo understood immediately, and suddenly stomped his foot forward, gripping the lever tightly with both hands.

He charged at an astonishingly fast speed, instantly rushing towards the battle between Aizen and Byakuya Kuchiki.

Renji Abarai did not rashly engage in close combat for a simple reason: after his Zabimaru was released, he became a colossal creature, too large to be suitable for close combat in a confined space.

He raised the staff in his hand high, and the serpent bones that were originally connected as one suddenly broke apart with a "bang," flying towards Aizen and scattering in various places around Aizen.

As he charged into the battlefield between Aizen and Byakuya Kuchiki with incredible speed, Renji suddenly turned his staff as if flipping a switch.

The scattered snake bones reconnected with their spiritual pressure, coiling towards Aizen and Sousuke from all directions. In just a moment, Aizen was enveloped by these reconnected snake bones and temporarily bound.

Ichigo and Byakuya Kuchiki seized this fleeting opportunity. A black sword and two white blades, almost simultaneously, slashed at Aizen with thin lines of black and white, which rapidly expanded and grew in Aizen's eyes.

With a sudden "boom," the snake bone binding Aizen was blown away in the invisible explosion, and Aizen was thrown backward at an extremely fast speed.

A straight gash was torn in the chest area of ​​his pure white Shinigami uniform, and blood flowed out from the smooth wound on his chest, soaking his shirt.

The stark contrast between the blood-stained skin and clothes below the wound and the still fair and smooth skin above it creates an almost unreal feeling.

However, what appears serious is often not the most fatal; the most fatal are often those that seem inconspicuous.

On Aizen's neck was a thin red line. Compared to the blood constantly overflowing from his chest, this thin red line, with only a few drops of blood seeping out, appeared even more shocking.

Ignoring the wound on his chest, Aizen gently wiped away the blood flowing from his neck. Looking at the bright red stain on his fingertips, he gave Byakuya Kuchiki and Ichigo, who stood side by side, a smile that was both surprised and admiring.

I never expected you guys could do this. Maybe I need to change my opinion of you a bit.

Aizen's gaze shifted to Ichigo alone, a hint of amusement in his eyes: "If you had kept swinging your sword in the same spot, this battle might have already ended."

The seemingly serious injury to his chest was inflicted by Ichigo, because Ichigo had no intention of killing Aizen; he was more focused on rescuing Rukia than taking Aizen's life.

The slender wound on Aizen's neck, which, if penetrated any deeper, could have been fatal, was inflicted by Kuchiki Byakuya. This was because Kuchiki Byakuya showed no mercy to his enemies, his killing intent palpable.

If Ichigo and Byakuya Kuchiki had struck the same spot, unlike Senbonzakura Kageyoshi who merely gathered his blades, but instead used Tensa Shingetsu, which could amplify spiritual pressure and unleash a powerful slash, and struck Aizen's neck with the same force... Aizen probably wouldn't have been able to maintain his composure at that moment.

"It's okay. If you can hit it the first time, you can hit it the second time."

The one who answered Aizen was not Ichigo, who was at a loss for words, but Byakuya Kuchiki, who was filled with murderous intent.

Even if he struck a vital point, since he hadn't completely killed the enemy, it wasn't a victory for Kuchiki Byakuya. But as he said, if it worked the first time, it would surely work a second, a third, and countless more times.

The gap between them wasn't yet so vast as to be despairing. Just as Byakuya Kuchiki was about to launch another attack...

Something no one expected happened. A dark figure suddenly appeared beside Aizen, its appearance so abrupt it was as if the scene had jumped, and it blasted straight at Aizen!

! !

The sudden appearance of the dark figure beside Aizen startled not only Ichigo and Byakuya, but even Aizen's eyes widened slightly as he looked at the figure with a hint of surprise.

The figure that suddenly launched the attack was definitely not Asanami Renji.

The reason is simple: Renji Abarai's Shunpo technique could not possibly be so advanced as to be undetectable by Ichigo, undetectable by Byakuya Kuchiki, or even astonishing to Aizen.

Before Aizen could even see who launched the attack, an undisguised killing intent swept towards him from the side.

Without a second thought, Aizen Yosuke unleashed his Soul Refining Blade, Kyoka Suigetsu, horizontally. For Aizen, it was rare for him to launch an attack without thinking.

It might seem strange to some, but in reality, Aizen didn't draw his sword very often. He mostly defended while an attack was coming, then looked for an opening to counterattack and ultimately win with a single blow.

Therefore, this action of launching an attack simultaneously without thinking also means, to some extent, that in Aizen's view, this person's threat is even greater than the sum of Ichigo, Byakuya Kuchiki, and Renji Abarai.

Chapter 143: The Hogyoku (The End)

Even though he was violently thrown out by that sudden force, Aizen Sousuke did not collapse to the ground in a sorry state as expected.

As he landed on the surface of the sea of ​​blood, he sprang up instantly like a machine loaded with bullets, retreating continuously to quickly increase the distance between himself and the attacker.

He endured the excruciating pain from the elbow strike to his chest, looked up ahead, and while estimating how many ribs were broken, he was amazed at who could have mastered such a profound level of martial arts.

Unexpectedly, yet logically, the figure standing there calmly confronting Aizen was none other than...

With long purple hair tied in a ponytail, bronze skin, and golden eyes, she wore an orange top and black leggings, her agile figure standing out in the dimly lit underground prison.

Aizen narrowed his eyes slightly, a barely perceptible smile curving his lips: "I was wondering who else could achieve this level of humor in white-handed fighting. It really is you, Yoruichi Shihouin."

Yoruichi?!

Upon suddenly hearing this name, which was both familiar and unfamiliar, Ichigo's beautiful figure appeared before his eyes and strangely overlapped with a vague impression in his mind, making him doubt the reality of what he was seeing and hearing.

Kuchiki Byakuya, on the other hand, remained silent, only slightly frowning with impatience and clicking his tongue softly, clearly displeased with the appearance of this uninvited guest.