The moment that name was spoken, Shimo arrived at a possibility.
Does this have something to do with Mantikor?
Tōsen Kaname noticed the subtle shift in Shimo's expression and said hoarsely,
"That's right. Do you remember what I told you before?"
"We meet again… Kyoraku Shimo!"
The tone of his voice changed drastically toward the end.
It no longer sounded like Tōsen Kaname.
It sounded like the already-dead Mantikor.
Aizen watched Shimo with a faint smile.
"It seems Mantikor's hatred toward you runs quite deep."
"How ironic. It was you who forced his final evolution into being… and yet that hatred remains impossible to erase."
Shimo carefully examined the figure before him — Tōsen… Mantikor.
The name was cumbersome. He decided to simply call him Tōsen.
At this moment, Tōsen gave off the impression of a perfect fusion between Shinigami and Hollow — indistinguishable from one another.
It reminded Shimo of an earlier speculation.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…Kurosaki Ichigo?"
The instant that name was spoken, Aizen's smile softened—yet the temperature around him seemed to drop.
"As expected. Your thinking is beginning to approach that of one who stands above."
"You are correct. The inspiration for Tōsen's rebirth came from Kurosaki Ichigo."
As he spoke, Aizen's gaze shifted toward the distance, where Ichigo was struggling in battle.
Szayelaporro's ability allowed him to recreate bodies identical to the original and manipulate them at will.
After reabsorbing his brother, his power had grown exponentially.
Naturally, all of his abilities had strengthened as well.
As for whether he could perform Segunda Etapa, that remained unknown.
Ichigo himself had always been an anomaly.
Aizen's expression remained calm.
"Regarding the existence of White… Shimo, you understand that quite well."
"It was then that I realized Kyōka Suigetsu held no effect over you. That was when I began implementing a new plan."
Shimo's eyes flickered in understanding.
So that Hollow, White—had been sent as a test from the beginning.
Aizen was, as always, cautious beyond measure.
"Later, through another accident, Kurosaki Ichigo was born."
"A being who fused three power systems, Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy—possesses potential beyond the reach of ordinary souls."
"I had intended to raise him as an opponent. Unfortunately…"
He shook his head lightly.
"I found a more worthy challenger."
Compared to Aizen's composure, Shimo's expression shifted slightly.
He had never been one to conceal emotion unnecessarily.
In his view, only the weak hid themselves behind masks.
As for Aizen—he was simply built that way.
From the beginning, he had seated himself upon the throne of heaven, looking down upon all existence.
And yet…
In his arrogance, he had overlooked Shimo.
"As for Tōsen's rebirth," Aizen continued, "surely you can guess part of it."
Without waiting for a reply, he went on.
"With the power of the Hōgyoku, I preserved Tōsen's spirit particles and reconstructed his essence, granting him Hollowfication."
"Then, Mantikor's creation drew its core power from the spiritual pressure you released when Ulquiorra and Yammy's split souls perished."
"By the time you reached Hueco Mundo, Mantikor had already been completed."
"His strength surprised you, did it not?"
Shimo lowered his gaze in thought.
"And Mantikor's true body dying… returned that power to Tōsen Kaname."
He lifted his eyes.
"To be precise, you are not truly Tōsen Kaname."
A brilliant starlight shimmered faintly in his pupils.
"You are Ferdinand Mantikor—inheritor of Tōsen Kaname's memories."
Aizen listened quietly, faint amusement in his eyes.
"A fascinating hypothesis."
"But can you be certain?"
Shimo narrowed his eyes.
Indeed.
Everything he had said was still only conjecture.
Before him stood something unprecedented and uncertain.
"Before the truth is revealed…"
Aizen lowered his hand slightly.
Tōsen stepped forward, a twisted grin spreading across his face.
"Why not first witness Tōsen's power?"
In the next instant—
He vanished.
Bang!
"Shunpo: Shatterflow Collapse!"
Shimo instinctively surged spiritual pressure through his fingers, intercepting the incoming blur.
The impact transmitted through his bones with alarming force.
"Kek, Kyoraku Shimo!"
Tōsen shrieked.
"Feel this hatred!"
"The despair of death will descend upon you!"
Boom!
Only now did Shimo understand the true origin of Tōsen's power.
The surrounding space itself had shifted.
Every movement he made was met with spatial rejection.
Then—
Tōsen's black pupils turned stark white.
An eerie transformation.
At the same time, as Tōsen's spiritual pressure surged, Shimo felt suppression upon his Zanpakutō itself.
He attempted multiple spatial releases in rapid succession.
All were obstructed.
Ink-black corruption spread across Tōsen's white uniform.
Dark bone-like material seeped from his body, gradually encasing him.
Overlapping whispers echoed across the sky above Fake Karakura Town:
"Suzumushi Final Form: Kyōshoku Mushi-shishi!"
The transformation had begun.
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