Yamamoto's pupils suddenly shrank as he instinctively turned to look behind him.
In the ruins behind him lay Wonderweiss, sprawled on the ground. His abdomen was twistedly swollen, and a scorching heat spread outward from within it.
Inside him were not only the flames of Ryūjin Jakka sealed away—but also the pillars of fire from Ennetsu Jigoku.
"You're clever," Aizen said calmly, lowering his gaze.
"Commander of the Gotei 13… You should understand what would happen if all the power you released were to erupt indiscriminately."
Yamamoto ignored him entirely. Raising his arm, he pressed down toward Wonderweiss, who was on the verge of exploding.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A deafening roar tore across the sky of Karakura Town.
For a moment, it felt as if a second sun had appeared in the heavens.
Blinding light erupted, shockwaves ravaged the surrounding buildings, and countless fragments of stone were hurled through the air with piercing shrieks.
Aizen stood calmly in the sky, his haori fluttering in the wind as he watched the spectacle in silence.
At that moment, a deep black fissure appeared in the distant sky—a Garganta.
Three figures stepped out.
Unohana Retsu and Kurosaki Ichigo stared at the scene before them in shock.
A massive crater dominated the landscape. Every trace of surrounding buildings had been wiped clean, leaving only scorched earth… and a charred, muscular figure lying within it.
From the countless wounds covering him, his identity was unmistakable.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
Their expressions changed dramatically.
Unohana barely managed to suppress her emotions, but Ichigo's mind was thrown into complete turmoil.
"What… happened?
Were all the captains defeated by Aizen?
Even Karakura Town…"
His gaze wandered in confusion.
Shimo's voice sounded beside him.
"This is the Fake Karakura Town constructed by the Research and Development Institute for the decisive battle."
He lifted his eyes toward Aizen.
"And as for being defeated… we're still here, aren't we?"
Shimo narrowed his gaze.
"No matter how you look at it, the battle progressed faster than I expected."
The dust below finally cleared. Yamamoto struggled to stand from the crater.
Having endured the full force of his own flames, his injuries were severe. His body was scorched black, his long white beard shortened and burned. Both arms that had suppressed the explosion were charred like coal.
Aizen observed him calmly. The damage was greater than he expected. Perhaps Yamamoto could no longer continue the battle.
But Aizen did not relax.
Instead, his gaze shifted toward the three figures standing in the sky.
Their Garganta slowly closed behind them.
New opponents had arrived.
Yamamoto was no longer the enemy Aizen needed to focus on.
Suddenly, Aizen vanished.
Ichigo's instincts screamed danger. He raised his Zanpakutō defensively.
"Aizen!!"
His reiatsu surged violently.
But Aizen didn't even spare him a glance.
"Long time no see, Shimo-kun."
His eyes had been fixed on Shimo the entire time.
"You're as calm as ever today."
Shimo smiled faintly.
"You haven't changed either, Aizen."
Aizen's smile remained as he turned to the others.
"Captain Unohana. Ichigo.
I would like a private conversation with Shimo-kun, so I'm afraid you'll have to disappear from this world."
Two figures appeared behind him.
Former Captain of the Third Division—Gin Ichimaru, his narrowed smile hiding deadly danger.
The other figure drew Shimo's attention.
Pink short hair. Golden eyes. The number 2 marked on his neck.
Espada No. 2 – Szayelaporro Granz.
With the other captains and lieutenants defeated, they were free to act.
Without waiting for orders, the two rushed toward Unohana and Ichigo.
The war reignited instantly.
Shimo did not stop them.
He knew they were not his opponents.
His opponent stood before him—
Aizen Sōsuke.
"The nuisances are gone," Aizen said softly.
"Now we can settle matters between us."
He didn't rush to fight. Instead, he spoke like an old friend reminiscing.
"Do you remember our first meeting?"
Shimo frowned slightly, puzzled by the strange atmosphere, but answered calmly.
"At the Shin'ō Academy ceremony when new students selected their Asauchi. You were waiting outside the hall."
Aizen's smile widened.
"I noticed you back then.
Unfortunately, I was in the middle of a crucial experiment and neglected to observe you further."
He sighed faintly.
"So… to make up for that regret, I prepared a gift for you."
A Garganta opened behind him.
A figure stepped out.
Tōsen Kaname smiled eerily, his hoarse voice filled with delight.
"We meet again, Shimo-kun."
---------------------------------///
Advance Chapters on Patreon!
p(a)treon(.)com/HudaLin
-Remove the parenthesis to access patreon normally
Thanks for the Support!