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Ishikawa realized that he might be inherently at odds with the word 'scientist'...
No!
It was the words 'research lunatic.' No matter what, as soon as he got involved with these research lunatics, he would definitely fall into a situation extremely unfavorable to himself.
Urahara Kisuke was like this, Kurotsuchi Mayuri was like this...
Especially the moment he clearly saw the situation in the field, Ishikawa instantly cursed Kurotsuchi Mayuri from head to toe in his heart.
He kindly went to save him, but that bastard actually threw him into the Human World, and right into the center of the battlefield!!!
Ishikawa stood in mid-air, looking to his left at the Visored, who were originally poised for battle but now looked stunned.
Looking to his right...
Aizen smiled at him, his gaze faintly carrying a hint of amusement, as if he knew why Ishikawa had appeared here.
"Ishikawa?"
"Captain!?"
"Ishikawa-sama?"
Soi Fon looked at the suddenly appearing Ishikawa, her gaze as strange as could be.
Everyone present had detected the spatial fluctuations when Ishikawa arrived, so what made Soi Fon speechless was not the way Ishikawa appeared, but the angry curse he uttered after appearing.
Who was he cursing?
Aizen?
Captain-Commander Yamamoto frowned slightly as he looked at the appearing Ishikawa.
According to his original plan, he had not intended for Ishikawa to participate in this battle. Firstly, because he was not an official member of the Gotei 13, and secondly, because... if he and the others failed, there would still be a glimmer of hope, whether for themselves or for Rukongai.
As a Sage of the Central 46, Ishikawa had the right and obligation to coordinate Seireitei for the final resistance!
Moreover, if he and the others failed and the battlefield shifted to Soul Society...
It was very likely that powerful reinforcements would appear.
But now, Ishikawa had arrived here in a strange way and at an incredibly opportune moment.
"It seems..."
Aizen's voice slowly entered everyone's ears: "Something very interesting has happened to you."
Upon hearing this, Ishikawa immediately composed himself, pushing Kurotsuchi Mayuri to the back of his mind.
The current situation clearly did not allow him to remain distracted.
With a quick glance around the field, Ishikawa took in the situation of both sides. When he clearly saw Aizen's state, a hint of solemnity flashed in Ishikawa's eyes.
Sure enough, his evolution path and speed were already completely different from what he remembered.
Although he had heard Cirucci describe it before, it was only when he saw Aizen in person that Ishikawa truly realized how terrifying Aizen was now.
Unlike Szayelaporro, who was merely powerful in Reiatsu, Aizen, in terms of both Reiatsu and his current life form, sent a chill down Ishikawa's spine.
The stronger one was, the higher one's vision.
And the higher one's vision...
He could, instead, better comprehend Aizen's terror.
If there were no accidents, his current Reiatsu strength should already be infinitely close to the true limit.
The only person present who could contend with him in Reiatsu strength was probably only Captain-Commander Yamamoto.
Ishikawa glanced out of the corner of his eye at the perfectly intact Captain-Commander Yamamoto in the air.
"Aizen, it's time we settled our score!"
Ishikawa turned to Aizen, a cold smile on his face: "During these days, I've been looking forward to this day."
He spoke these words as if they were off the cuff, giving the impression that he came here specifically to confront Aizen, completely unlike... someone who had accidentally stepped into someone else's trap and been directly transported here.
"Hey, you bald guy!!"
Before Aizen could reply, a displeased voice came from behind Ishikawa.
Following the sound, he saw a small girl wearing a red tracksuit with freckles on her face. Seeing Ishikawa look at her, she immediately put on a fierce expression and said, "Yes, I'm talking about you, you guy who takes indecent magazines. We came here to kill that bald guy Aizen, so it's our turn to settle the score first!"
"Still looking forward to this day, have your hairs grown out yet? We've been waiting since before you were born... Mmm, mmm, mmm..."
Before she could finish speaking, Shinji, who was beside her, immediately covered her mouth and pulled her aside, chuckling to Ishikawa with a strange local accent: "Friend, don't mind her. This idiot of mine is a bit too excited seeing Aizen."
Ishikawa didn't speak, but looked at the struggling Hiyori, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.
Indecent magazines?
That's not right!
Although he had thought about taking photo albums, he had never put it into action. What was this 'indecent magazine' that Miss Hiyori was talking about?
As for what Hiyori said, Ishikawa actually didn't care at all, except for the words 'bald guy.'
Although it sounded unpleasant, what she said was indeed true. These people had been waiting for this day for hundreds of years. He really hadn't been born when they had a grudge with Aizen.
Ishikawa showed his signature smile, his tone revealing gentleness, kindness, and approachability: "Miss Hiyori, regarding the grievances between you and Aizen, I also heard from Urahara Kisuke..."
Whoosh~
A whooshing sound interrupted Ishikawa's words. He raised his hand and grabbed at his face, and a slipper was immediately in his hand.
Looking at the slipper in his hand, Ishikawa's smile froze slightly.
"Hiss... are you a dog? You even bite people!!"
Shinji's surprised cry came at the opportune moment.
After Hiyori broke free from Shinji, she looked at Ishikawa with a dark face: "No wonder that idiot Shinji said you weren't a good person. As soon as you smile, it's clear you're not a good person. You're just like that bastard Aizen."
"Throw my slipper back!"
Ishikawa's eye twitched. He casually threw the slipper towards Hiyori and continued, "In short, I know very well that we are not actually enemies, and I also understand that you hate Shinigami, but you should have heard from Urahara Kisuke, right? I am not an official member of the Gotei 13, so you can completely treat me as a friend."
"Of course! Of course... it's always good to have more friends." Shinji chuckled.
"You don't need to be."
Ishikawa gave Shinji an annoyed glance. From Hiyori's words just now, this guy must have said a lot of bad things about him behind his back. He had originally wanted to leave a good impression on the ladies of the Visored, to facilitate deeper communication in the future.
As a result, he hit a wall directly. This must be because of that bastard.
Shinji: "..."
In the distance, Soi Fon and the others looked at Ishikawa with strange expressions.
Although they were already accustomed to Ishikawa's social terrorist behavior.
But you should at least look at the occasion!?
Surrounded by Hollows, Espada rubbing their fists, Aizen with a slight smile...
In this situation, Ishikawa actually still had the leisure to flirt with women. He didn't know whether to admire his good mentality or say he was thick-skinned.
Didn't they see that Aizen's smile had even become a bit stiff?
However...
Just when everyone thought Ishikawa might chat with the girl in the tracksuit for a while, Ishikawa, who was in mid-air, suddenly disappeared.
"I said, you bald..."
Hiyori's words abruptly stopped. Shinji, on the other hand, immediately looked behind a group of Gillian.
He saw that Ishikawa, who had been standing between the Gillian and them, had already appeared in front of that behemoth, and a Zanpakuto with a gray blade and white hilt had appeared in his hand.
Was he going to kill that giant monster first?
No!
A strange glint flashed in Shinji's eyes. His target was not that monster, but the idiotic young man who was crouching in front of the monster like a beast!
Buzz~
A terrifying aura, like dark clouds pressing down, erupted with a roar.
Ishikawa looked at Wonderweiss in front of him, his black pupils turning azure in that instant.
Since things had come to this, he could only shift his hope from Ichigo to Captain-Commander Yamamoto. As long as he killed this special Arrancar, created by Hōgyoku specifically to counter Captain-Commander Yamamoto, then Captain-Commander Yamamoto would be able to unleash his full power in this battle.
Ishikawa held nothing back with this strike.
The very air was directly cut in two by his blade, forming a vacuum distortion around the blade.
However...
"It seems you can indeed see something."
Aizen's soft chuckle entered Ishikawa's ears, and then...
Clang—!
The two blades met. Everything looked so calm, giving a sense of effortless ease.
However...
Boom, boom, boom—!
Centered on Ishikawa and Aizen, an invisible ripple spread out. Wherever it passed, the Gillian filling the Karakura Town model collapsed one after another.
And collapsing along with the Gillian...
Were the perfectly replicated Karakura Town buildings. Any structure close to the two of them turned into dust and scattered like ashes, leaving not even a single complete ruin.
This scene was incredibly eerie. There was clearly no powerful impact, nor terrifying Reiatsu running rampant.
But precisely because of that...
Everyone present felt a chill spread straight up their spine.
Unknown terror!
It was as if the collision between the two could level a mountain silently, or destroy a city in an instant.
"Gulp—"
Hiyori swallowed slightly, suddenly regretting arguing with this bald guy who seemed easy to take advantage of.
"Are young people this terrifying now?" Shinji said.
"I'm more curious why he attacked that kid."
Kensei Muguruma looked at Wonderweiss, who was shielded behind Aizen: "And why Aizen would protect him."
Both the Gotei 13 and the Visored, when Wonderweiss appeared with a Gillian, focused their attention on the Gillian that could spit out Gillian, considering it the biggest threat.
As for Wonderweiss, this guy who clearly seemed mentally impaired, even though he severely injured Ukitake upon his appearance, they still didn't pay him much attention.
"It seems you also have someone you fear."
Ishikawa looked at Aizen in front of him, his gaze focusing on the Zanpakuto in his hand, and the crystal-like eye on his forehead.
"Someone as powerful as you, do you not have the confidence to defeat Captain-Commander Yamamoto fair and square?"
Facing Ishikawa's taunt, Aizen smiled slightly: "It's useless. From the moment you stood before me, everyone here can no longer hear what you say."
"In their eyes, you have now been forced back by me and will explain the details about Wonderweiss to everyone, letting them know that Wonderweiss was created by me specifically to counter Captain-Commander Yamamoto's Zanpakuto ability, thereby attracting the Gotei 13 to attack him."
"The 'you' in their eyes will persuade Captain-Commander Yamamoto not to act, but Captain-Commander Yamamoto's character will not allow him to be timid because his Zanpakuto is countered. Because even without his Zanpakuto, he is still the strongest Shinigami in the history of Soul Society, so he will most likely eliminate Wonderweiss bare-handed."
"However..."
Aizen looked at Ishikawa in front of him, a mischievous smile on his face: "Who do you think Wonderweiss is in their eyes?"
Ishikawa didn't answer. This question wasn't difficult to guess, because he had already felt many gazes locking onto him in that instant.
Ishikawa didn't care about this. His azure pupils stared intently at the crystal-like pupil on Aizen's forehead.
"So that's how it is."
Ishikawa pressed his Zanpakuto down a few more inches, the gray blade slowly sinking into Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu: "Have you completely integrated your Zanpakuto into your body?"
"You can't hide it from you, after all."
Bang~
The Kyōka Suigetsu in Aizen's hand suddenly shattered. The blade that had been blocking Ishikawa's Zanpakuto turned into a palm, and his thumb, index finger, and middle finger clamped onto the blade of Ishikawa's Kokumei.
Trouble!
Ishikawa's expression remained unchanged, but his heart was in turmoil.
The evolution of Aizen in his memory was more inclined towards a Hollow-centric evolution, completely abandoning the Shinigami's abilities, his own solitude infinitely magnified, eventually leading to a rampaging loss of control. It could be said to be a different kind of Hollowfication.
But the current Aizen...
His evolution was more inclined towards a Shinigami-centric path, giving Ishikawa the feeling that it was somewhat similar to his state after he lost to Ichigo and was sealed in his memory. It could be said to be an extension of a part of 'God.'
From a power perspective, he was indeed not as strong as his original evolution in Ishikawa's memory.
But in some respects, it was the most troublesome direction of evolution, especially in such a chaotic battle.
The original Kyōka Suigetsu, under Aizen's own powerful Reiatsu, was already extremely terrifying.
And now...
After integrating his Zanpakuto, his ability had even further advanced. When Ishikawa's Zanpakuto collided with the Kyōka Suigetsu he had constructed, he genuinely felt that there was a real blade under his own!
Moon in the water, flower in the mirror.
Ultimately illusory, but until he saw through it, everything seemed real.
At this moment, Ishikawa finally realized why Urahara Kisuke had said that killing Aizen at that point in time might not be a good thing.
Branching point!
Aizen, who had initially merged with Hōgyoku, was precisely at a branching point in Hōgyoku's evolution. His mindset would guide Hōgyoku, thus choosing one path from the branches to strengthen.
Perhaps it was because he had entered the same dimension as Aizen for an instant, causing Aizen's mindset to change, and thus he no longer completely abandoned his Shinigami abilities as he originally did.
Moreover...
Unlike Aizen's rapid evolution in his memory.
From being nearly killed by him until now, Aizen had been undergoing transformation during these days, and it was no longer the forced transformation in a crisis situation over just a few hours as in his memory.
Most importantly...
Ishikawa was not sure if Aizen would continue to evolve.
At least until Hōgyoku physically or functionally collapsed, he could not be sure if this evolution had reached its end.
And reaching the end might not even be a good thing.
Because whether it was a physical collapse or a functional collapse, it meant that Hōgyoku could no longer support Aizen's continued evolution, and collapse also implied a kind of integration... in a situation where its function could not support its master's evolution, it would destroy itself and completely dedicate everything to Aizen.
The so-called evolution was actually more like Hōgyoku gradually forging a body that could contain its entirety.
In such a situation, it would only bring Aizen greater power enhancement.
But unlike evolution, this fusion effect did not manifest immediately; it required time to settle!
Precisely because of this, Aizen, who lost to Ichigo in his memory, whose Hōgyoku collapsed, and who was sealed...
Not only did he not weaken, but his strength even further increased.
Realizing this, Ishikawa suddenly felt that...
This damn world was simply full of cheaters.
Gods could only be punished by gods. Ordinary players like himself, who relied entirely on their own efforts... well, with a little external help, were completely unsuited to participate in a war of gods.
But it was too late to say anything now.
Ishikawa was the one attacked, not the attacker. Even if he had thought Aizen might evolve when near death, he couldn't have given up the chance to kill Aizen.
After all, if Aizen hadn't died then, he would have!
He could only say that Hōgyoku's mechanism was too powerful!
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