At the same time, within the ruins of Fake Karakura Town—
After paying an enormous price, the Shinigami had barely managed to defeat their opponents.
With the exception of the top three Espada, the remaining Arrancar had all been eliminated.
But the cost was severe.
None of them were capable of continuing the fight.
Even Fracción-level Arrancar, after undergoing enhancement, had reached strength comparable to that of a Captain.
Now gravely wounded, they could only place their hopes in reinforcements.
More precisely—
Almost every Shinigami turned their gaze toward the sky, toward Shimo.
When Aizen had first betrayed Soul Society, it was Shimo who had salvaged their dignity.
But the situation now had developed beyond their expectations.
"Shimo's Shikai… is being suppressed."
Byakuya stood with difficulty amid a collapsed wall. From the instability of his spiritual pressure alone, it was clear he was in poor condition.
"The balance of the battlefield has shifted again."
Even his usually impassive expression showed concern.
"Tōsen…"
Komamura Sajin's fur was soaked with blood. Fresh blood dripped from between his sharp teeth.
He looked like a beast fresh from battle.
Yet his injuries were no lighter than Byakuya's—perhaps even worse.
He stared at Tōsen Kaname in the sky, his emotions tangled beyond resolution.
He had once believed his friend's sense of justice would never falter.
Only upon Tōsen's death had Komamura realized—
Tōsen's definition of justice was never the same as his own.
Between them lay an unbridgeable gulf.
"Captain Shimo… can he really win?"
Hitsugaya Tōshirō's emerald eyes were filled with confusion.
Tōsen's resurrection had shattered his understanding of reality.
A dead Shinigami returning to life defied reason.
Even more absurd—
Tōsen, who had once been defeated instantly by Shimo, was now suppressing him head-on.
It made no sense.
No one could answer him.
After a brief silence, a resolute voice rang out:
"He can!"
"I believe in Shimo's strength!"
All eyes turned toward the speaker.
Captain Soi Fon of the Second Division stood there, biting her lip stubbornly.
Despite her injuries, she pressed a hand against her side, her gaze unwavering.
The battlefield had not unfolded as they had imagined.
Above them, as overlapping whispers echoed, the swirling clouds abruptly parted.
A vast surge of black energy erupted from Tōsen Kaname's body.
He tilted his head back in a silent roar.
Black aura wrapped around him.
His Zanpakutō slipped free from his waist—
And before the stunned gazes below, the blade, with its orange-brown hilt, plunged directly into his own chest.
No blood flowed.
Instead, his spiritual pressure twisted into something utterly unnatural.
Shimo's eyes shifted slightly.
"The key… to unlocking self-imposed restraints?"
Under Shimo's Shared Soul Barrier, he could see it clearly—
The Hollow and Shinigami spiritual pressures within Tōsen were compressing, condensing, transforming.
Even the surrounding space began to distort in response to his Resurrección.
An overwhelming pressure surged outward.
It struck against Shimo's skin, causing slight indentations.
If not for the Hierro granted by his Hollow system—
He might already have been wounded.
Tōsen's body changed dramatically.
Black markings spread from around his eyes down toward his neck.
Behind him, massive black bone structures fused together—
Forming enormous skeletal wings that blotted out the sky.
His legs vanished.
In their place emerged a manticore-like lower body—
Thick fur overlaying scale-like defensive plating.
Behind him, a monstrous scorpion tail twitched.
The sight was horrifying.
And yet—
Shimo did not show the slightest fear.
His gaze remained calm, as though Tōsen were nothing worth concern.
Aizen's eyes flickered faintly.
Then he smiled.
"As expected of the one I acknowledge as a rival, Shimo."
"Compared to Captain-Commander Yamamoto's reaction… you remain far more composed."
"It was my greatest strategic oversight that I never invited you to join me."
His smile deepened.
"Tell me, Shimo—what are your thoughts on the Soul King who sits so high above?"
Shimo paused briefly—
Then let out a scoffing laugh.
"That thing?"
"Whoever wants the job can take it. Just don't come looking for me."
The Soul King—
The so-called ultimate being of the Three Realms.
The lynchpin sustaining existence.
Yet in truth—
Merely a sealed, mutilated husk.
A tool.
Shimo had no interest in such a throne.
If anything—
He would surpass it.
Not chain himself beneath it.
The moment his words fell—
Shimo's arm moved.
His sealed Zanpakutō traced a smooth arc in the air.
Aizen did not react.
In his view, Tōsen's existence already fully suppressed Shimo's Shikai.
And that suppression stemmed from Shimo's own spiritual foundation.
Like a man trying to lift himself by his own body—
Impossible.
Even if Shimo held the blade to himself, it posed no threat.
Aizen lowered his gaze slightly, smile unchanged.
"Though I do not entirely agree with your philosophy…"
"You have earned my recognition."
"And so, I shall grant you the ending you deserve."
As his words faded—
Tōsen extended both arms forward.
His palms pressed together.
Spiritual pressure surged like a tidal wave.
And in the next instant—
Deep, all-consuming darkness descended upon the sky of Fake Karakura Town.
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