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Ishikawa had basically studied all the abilities Aizen might possess.
The light-form movement before him was no exception.
However, though it was called movement, it was actually a spatial transfer technique far more advanced than Sonido. Ishikawa had originally thought of many ways to counter it, but the moment Aizen used the light-form movement in front of him, Ishikawa knew he couldn't interrupt him.
Thinking of this, Ishikawa subconsciously prepared to use Sonido to pass through the wall of fire.
But then, the corner of his mouth twitched, because…
He couldn't move!
Jōkaku Enjō's wall of fire completely distorted the space in the area where Ishikawa was. Neither the Hollows' innate ability to open a Black Portal nor the use of Sonido could be used in this area.
No wonder Aizen moved in that manner.
Understanding was one thing, but Ishikawa still felt a bit speechless. This old man didn't trap Aizen; instead, he trapped himself. Wasn't this just causing trouble?
Looking at the wall of fire in front of him, Ishikawa hesitated for a moment, then finally gritted his teeth and charged headfirst into the wall of fire.
At the same time!
Black Portals opened, and several figures rushed out. This scene immediately attracted everyone's attention.
And most importantly…
As those figures rushed towards a certain spot, they suddenly saw Wonderweiss, who had been trapped by Captain-Commander Yamamoto, and also… the human-shaped light figure in front of him.
Boom—!
As soon as the light figure condensed, a terrifying aura erupted from him.
"Scatter—!"
Almost the instant she felt this energy burst, Cirucci, who was at the very front, unhesitatingly pulled Nel and Roka beside her, retreating explosively backward.
Among the current Espada, Cirucci could be said to be very self-aware. She knew very well what kind of enemies she could defeat, and what kind of enemies she could never defeat, no matter what.
The three figures came quickly and retreated just as quickly, leaving those around them who witnessed the scene looking puzzled.
"Who are they again?"
When Soi Fon first saw the three Arrancar suddenly appear, her expression was extremely grim, but when she saw the three simultaneously attack Wonderweiss, and then saw Aizen immediately retreat, Soi Fon became somewhat confused as to which side these three suddenly appearing female Arrancar belonged.
And most importantly…
If that idiotic boy they attacked was real, then was the person currently trapped…
Boom—!
Just as Soi Fon thought of this, she heard a sudden explosion from within Jōkaku Enjō, and then a figure completely engulfed in flames suddenly rushed out of that area.
As soon as this figure appeared, he went straight towards the three figures in mid-air.
Ishikawa paid no attention to the thoughts of others. His expression became incredibly calm in that instant. As Kokumei condensed in his hand, its gray blade immediately emitted a deep purple Reiatsu.
And almost as he charged towards Cirucci and the two others, Aizen's figure suddenly appeared in front of the three, pressing his right hand towards them.
Buzz~
The void vibrated, and terrifying fluctuations spread out with his press.
It was an invisible fluctuation that tore through the void and shook the earth. Once released, it caused Cirucci and the two others to change their expressions drastically, realizing that they could not withstand this attack head-on.
Seeing this, Nel unhesitatingly brandished her Zanpakuto, about to use her Cero.
But before she could act, Cirucci, beside her, opened her mouth and suddenly let out a silent shriek. Although no sound could be heard, it was clear that horn-like sound waves were spreading from her mouth.
Rumble—!
Deafening explosions resounded from mid-air, and the violent impact directly sent Cirucci and the two others flying backward.
Pfft~!
Cirucci, who was blocking in front, opened her mouth, and a mouthful of blood immediately spewed out.
"Run!"
Cirucci didn't wipe it away but continued to pull the two back: "Listen to Ishikawa, don't fight Aizen."
Unlike the other two, Cirucci had absolute faith in Ishikawa's words. Since Ishikawa told them to retreat, they would retreat immediately and leave everything to Ishikawa to handle.
Moreover, after the clash just now, Cirucci clearly understood that the three of them absolutely could not contend with Aizen.
However…
The fluctuation emitted by Aizen's pressed palm was not destroyed by Cirucci's invisible sound waves. Instead, the moment it shattered the sound waves, it continued to spread towards the three.
Just as the fluctuation was about to catch up to the three, a figure bathed in fire suddenly appeared between Aizen and the three.
Ishikawa raised his Zanpakuto over his head, then suddenly brought it down.
The moment he slashed down, Ishikawa's dark purple Reiatsu completely erupted. His physique, Reiatsu, Zanpakuto… everything merged into this single strike, exploding forth with a roar. The purple light dyed the blue sky and white clouds with a purple hue.
An earth-shattering roar echoed throughout Karakura Town.
The thunderous roar on this battlefield was unprecedented; even with so many people clashing and fighting earlier, such a roar had never occurred. This roar seemed as if it shouldn't exist in this world. As it reverberated, the remaining Gillian around them trembled and turned into dust.
The ultra-dense Reiatsu unleashed by the two in battle was unbearable even for Menos Grande. Amidst the roar, their bodies directly collapsed and exploded.
Soi Fon and the other Captains, Shinji and the other Visored members, and the Espada, at this moment, very tacitly chose to avoid them.
A ripple, centered on Ishikawa and Aizen, spread outwards in all directions with a thunderous roar. Wherever it passed, clouds dispersed; wherever it passed, tall buildings crumbled; wherever it passed, the ground was entirely leveled down a layer.
At this moment, the power unleashed by the two had completely surpassed the realm of Shinigami.
Amidst the roar, Aizen's body suddenly shook. The power unleashed by Ishikawa showed surprise in his eyes, and he retreated a few steps.
Compared to Aizen's calm demeanor, Ishikawa appeared somewhat disheveled. His right arm, holding the Zanpakuto, directly exploded, a bloody mess, and he spat out a large mouthful of blood. But he did not retreat; instead, he forcefully withstood the impact with his body, exploding forth with even greater speed, heading straight for Aizen.
He didn't dissipate the force, but forcefully endured the impact, causing muffled thuds within Ishikawa's body, and even bursting open blood holes on his skin.
But Ishikawa paid no attention to these.
His Zanpakuto and arm reappeared, becoming even brighter in that instant.
At the same time, a burst of lightning, flames, and strong winds erupted from Ishikawa's body!
Kokumei's Shikai ability was actually very simple, so simple that it could be described with one word:—Inclusion!
Whether it was the Reiatsu within his body, the power of his physique, or the various elemental energies of Kido, and even Ishikawa's spirit, life, and blood… everything could be completely and perfectly fused through Kokumei in his hand, allowing them to unleash power far exceeding their individual use.
Lightning and flames combined, causing a series of roars from within the Zanpakuto;
Flames and strong winds combined, making the flames even more vigorous;
…
All the energies intermingled, finally being tinged with a layer of purple. This terrifying energy fluctuation was easily contained within the blade, which had collapsed several times before.
Finally…
With Ishikawa's slash, it completely erupted.
"Very good."
Aizen's eyes gleamed as he looked at Ishikawa charging towards him, a hint of surprise in his heart.
His first battle with Ishikawa was on the day he left Soul Society. In that battle, he held an absolute advantage, and at the time, Ishikawa was not even in his eyes. He even lost interest in him, thinking that his limit was nothing more than that.
However…
Subsequently, Ishikawa repeatedly exceeded his expectations.
First, he defeated several Espada working together, and then his strength continued to grow at an incredible pace.
Coupled with Urahara Kisuke sealing the Hōgyoku with his blood, this reignited Aizen's interest in him, so finally, after an initial fusion with the Hōgyoku, he chose to personally go to Soul Society.
But at that time, Ishikawa still disappointed him, remaining as vulnerable as ever.
However…
It was this person, who in his eyes was so vulnerable, who suddenly unleashed the power he had comprehended after fusing with the Hōgyoku, almost causing him to die by his hand.
And now, Ishikawa surprised him again.
He truly couldn't understand what existed within Ishikawa that allowed him to consistently improve, as if there were no so-called limits or barriers on him at all.
Aizen was not surprised by Ishikawa gaining such power in just over a decade; instead, he found it quite ordinary.
Because Aizen had been a genius since birth, even feeling lonely because no one could compare to him, thus actively seeking someone who could stand at the same height as him, but he had never found such a person.
Compared to himself, Ishikawa's performance was actually not outstanding; in fact, when he first emerged, Ishikawa was far inferior to Ichimaru Gin and Toushiro.
The only thing about him that was unfathomable was his physical structure.
His blood could seal the Hōgyoku, his physique was comparable to an Espada's Hierro, and his Reiatsu self-evolved. All of this was full of unknowns.
It even made Aizen somewhat suspicious of whether his body was even a Spirit Body!
Or whether he, like Ichigo, had a very special origin.
But unlike Ichigo, from beginning to end, the power Ishikawa displayed was completely and utterly the power of a Shinigami.
Even when performing Hollow abilities, it was done by simulating them with Shinigami Reiatsu, or rather, by treating Hollow abilities as Shinigami Kido.
Watching Ishikawa's slash approach, Aizen could clearly feel the immense power emanating from it.
The purple glow, encompassing various energies, blotted out the sky, even distorting and blurring the sunlight above. The entire world was encroached upon by purple.
"Kokumei!!"
A soft cry escaped his lips as Ishikawa's slash descended with a roar.
Facing this incredibly powerful slash, Aizen did not choose to dodge, but rather opted for a head-on clash.
The crystal pupil in his brow gleamed, and behind Aizen, space seemed to faintly reveal crystal fan-like structures, looking like three pairs of wings.
A fearless, dauntless aura spread from his body.
A similar purple light gathered on his right arm, and he unleashed a punch towards Ishikawa's descending slash.
Boom!!
The purple light spread again, enveloping the entire Karakura Town model.
The city, once filled with towering buildings, had now completely transformed into a ruin. Even the four corner pillars of the Reishi Conversion Array showed cracks in that instant, as if they would collapse in the next second.
Fortunately, almost the moment the cracks appeared in the Reishi Conversion Array pillars, pillars of fire shot up into the sky, blocking all the impact within them.
The purple light gradually faded, and everyone couldn't help but look towards the center of the battlefield.
Aizen remained standing there, but a huge sword mark appeared on his right arm and upper chest. However, almost as everyone looked, it had already healed, and even the layer of milky-white solid Reiatsu on his body had completely recovered.
As for Ishikawa, opposite Aizen, he was nowhere to be found.
As everyone searched, they finally saw a severely damaged corpse in a deep pit on the ground… The corpse's head and right half of its body were completely gone, with only the left side of its chest down to its waist, and its lower body remaining.
When they saw the familiar black work pants on his lower body, everyone's expressions changed, and several people nearby rushed towards the spot.
However…
With a 'pfft', the tattered body knelt on the ground, then actually stood up.
After swaying a few times, new flesh gradually began to grow from his bloody waist. In just a few seconds… a completely unharmed Ishikawa appeared in everyone's sight.
Looking at Ishikawa, shirtless and standing still, everyone present couldn't help but have a somewhat strange look in their eyes.
Everyone present knew that Ishikawa's self-healing ability was terrifying.
But…
Growing half a body out of thin air, this could no longer be explained by powerful self-healing; it was as if he couldn't die.
Ishikawa, having just recovered, shook his head a bit dazedly, then slowly came to his senses.
"Wow, I almost died."
His words caused everyone's mouths to twitch slightly.
Almost died?
Generally speaking, that kind of injury should be instantly fatal, right?
"Is this guy a bit too strong?"
"I'm sure now, it must have been him who threw me and the idiot Kensei out."
"Hey, hey, hey, I flew out to catch you, not because he threw me."
"What's the difference? Rose and Love were also sent flying by one hit. Kensei, you big idiot, you'd probably be sent flying several car-lengths with one punch."
…
As the Visored members discussed Ishikawa, Ishikawa slowly ascended into the air, but he did not charge at Aizen again.
Confirmed. Can't beat him…
That last slash, Ishikawa could say he unleashed his full power, even investing the experience points Nel and Roka provided him into his physique before the attack, all to make that strike even more powerful!
As a result, he almost got himself killed, while Aizen only sustained some damage.
Of course…
Though he said 'almost', Ishikawa was actually confident he wouldn't die, because the recovery ability from his physique enhancement also fully erupted after that slash, completely restoring his head and half his body.
However, having his head blown off did cause Ishikawa to lose consciousness for a moment.
That's why he said he almost died…
Whoosh whoosh whoosh~
A series of whooshing sounds emanated as everyone, who had dispersed due to Ishikawa and Aizen's clash, returned to their original positions.
Kaname Tōsen, Ichimaru Gin, and three Espada appeared behind Aizen.
At the same time, Cirucci and the two others appeared behind Ishikawa.
The Gotei 13 gathered in the north, which was to Ishikawa's left in the sky, standing behind Commander Yamamoto.
Finally, the Visored, who were originally closer to Ishikawa's side, seeing the sky divided into three, Shinji immediately led his comrades to Ishikawa's right, directly facing the Gotei 13 led by Commander Yamamoto.
For a moment, the entire battlefield was divided into four areas.
Terrifying auras spread from everyone, clashing in the center of the four regions.
However…
Ishikawa looked at Aizen, his expression utterly cold, and thought to himself:
Hmm…
Should I run?
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