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Just as Aizen was shocked, Aozaki Reiji's figure, like a ghost, instantly vanished from his original spot.
Immediately after, Aozaki Reiji, as if teleporting, bypassed his body.
"Heavenly Fire Grand Burial!"
Aozaki Reiji murmured softly, and the Zanpakuto in his hand once again emitted a dazzling light.
"My apologies, I've already finished cutting."
As his words fell, the Zanpakuto slowly returned to its sheath.
The entire action was smooth and flowing, without the slightest hesitation.
The next moment, a charred wound suddenly appeared on Aizen's body.
It was an extremely subtle mark, almost imperceptible if not observed closely.
Yet, it was this seemingly insignificant slash that made Aizen feel an unprecedented fear.
Even with his dynamic vision in his second fusion state, he couldn't capture the trajectory of this slash!
"Reiji… you…"
The mask on Aizen's face suddenly shattered, revealing a face filled with terror.
He stared incredulously at the flickering flames on his body, his face full of disbelief.
There was pain…
He had been cut!
And he was cut without any ability to react!
But… how was this possible?!
Just then, An enormous pillar of fire erupted from within Aizen's body, shooting straight into the sky, as if to ignite the entire world!
"So… so strong!"
"Aizen was actually killed!?"
"How is this possible!?"
The Arrancar beneath the throne, seeing this scene, all stopped their movements in shock, each staring dumbfounded at everything happening before their eyes.
And those high-ranking Arrancar like Nnoitra and Charlotte were even more horrified.
As former close retainers who had followed Baraggan, they knew better than anyone how incredibly powerful Aizen was.
This was a being capable of subduing Baraggan and Szayelaporro with sheer force.
But such an almost invincible being was actually slain by that young man with a single strike!
"Damn it!"
Charlotte directly knelt at the foot of the throne's steps, letting out an unwilling roar.
His unwillingness didn't stem from Aizen, but from his constant loyal devotion to his Majesty Baraggan.
He had personally witnessed Aozaki Reiji effortlessly crush Baraggan's head.
Now that Aizen was also dead, who could avenge his Majesty?
"The outcome was decided in an instant; this person is truly terrifying, it makes me really want to challenge him!"
Nnoitra exclaimed in surprise.
According to his original assumption, a man whom Aizen valued so highly would certainly not be weak.
When they met, a thrilling and intense battle should have unfolded.
Ultimately, Baraggan might have had a chance to seize the opportunity while the two were mutually wounded, sever Aizen's head, and reclaim the throne.
However, what was the reality?
Both Baraggan and Aizen died, and everything ended so cleanly and decisively!
"Nnoitra, it's still too early to talk about victory or defeat."
Just then, under Nnoitra's astonished gaze, Aizen's voice came again!
With an extremely bizarre and distorted posture, his entire body pitch black, he slowly and laboriously climbed out of the raging pillar of fire.
Unbelievably, Aizen was still alive!
This vitality was simply too astonishing!!
Not only that, the cocoon-like outer shell on his head also began to peel off gradually.
Crack—
In almost the blink of an eye.
Countless cracks rapidly appeared on Aizen's face.
Immediately after, those hard, steel-like outer shells, like fragile porcelain, all turned into dust.
The pupation stage, thus, ended!
Terrifying Reiatsu, like a tsunami, swept overwhelmingly in all directions.
This Reiatsu was so powerful that everyone present felt an unprecedented pressure of death.
However, due to the insurmountable dimensional gap between the two sides.
Their senses instinctively chose to ignore the effects brought by this Reiatsu, and soon they felt nothing at all.
Aizen's eyes gleamed with immense excitement.
He gasped heavily, slowly standing up!
He could clearly feel that the power within his body was undergoing earth-shattering changes.
His Reiatsu was climbing at an unprecedented speed, as if there was no end!
His Souls were constantly undergoing miraculous combinations and exchanges, propelling him towards a higher dimension.
Third fusion state, Hōgyoku completion stage!
"How could this be…"
A cry filled with astonishment broke the deathly silence in the scene.
It was Aizen's voice.
He looked down at his chest.
The originally flawless Hōgyoku was now covered in fine cracks!
He tried to reach out and touch it, but just as his fingers were about to touch the Hōgyoku, the entire gem shattered with a crash!
Fragments of the Hōgyoku scattered everywhere, like a brilliant yet tragic fireworks display.
Aizen stared blankly at his empty chest, momentarily frozen in place, his expression dazed.
After a long while, he slowly raised his hand to cover his face, letting out a strange laugh.
"This guy isn't crazy, is he?"
Aozaki Reiji looked at Aizen, who was laughing uncontrollably, and muttered to himself.
He tilted his head slightly, trying to decipher some clue from the other party's mad laughter.
Aizen's potential, of course, was far more than this; in the original work, Aizen reached the fifth stage.
Now that the Hōgyoku was annihilated in the third stage, it was clearly affected by some external factor.
That's right, the culprit was none other than Aozaki Reiji.
He knew that Aizen was extraordinarily intelligent.
Therefore, when he learned from Kuchiki Kōga that Aizen was investigating him, Aozaki Reiji had already anticipated that his and Kurotsuchi Mayuri's affairs might be exposed.
The invasion of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute and the theft of Kurotsuchi Mayuri's research data confirmed Aozaki Reiji's conjecture.
However, he had already prepared for it!
Although Aozaki Reiji was not proficient in the field of scientific research, he had participated in many experimental projects after all.
Without completely altering the technology, with Kurotsuchi Mayuri's help, it was not difficult to play some tricks or add some ingredients beforehand.
Having obtained Kurotsuchi Mayuri's technology, Aizen only needed some time to collect materials to complete the Hōgyoku, even without Urahara Kisuke's half-finished product.
Given Aizen's abilities, there were many ways to acquire Kurotsuchi Mayuri's technology, and Aozaki Reiji at that time would have found it difficult to stop him.
Aozaki Reiji simply went with the flow, placing Kurotsuchi Mayuri's technology in the most conspicuous place, waiting for him to take it.
And with Aozaki Reiji's interference, this Hōgyoku would naturally have some "minor flaws."
"Hahahahaha, I understand, I have achieved the ultimate evolution, I don't need something like the Hōgyoku anymore."
Accompanied by a burst of wild laughter, Aizen slowly removed the peeling mask from his face, revealing a seemingly sincere smile to Aozaki Reiji.
"Reiji, I really should thank you properly; without you, I couldn't have reached this point. Letting you go back then was indeed the correct choice."
Aizen said softly, his tone carrying a hint of elusive amusement.
Before his words finished, Aizen's figure instantly vanished from his original spot.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Aozaki Reiji.
Wielding a sharp blade, he slashed at Aozaki Reiji without hesitation.
Sparks flew, dazzling and brilliant.
This world-shaking slash, under everyone's gaze, actually cut through the thick earth!
Even the sky seemed to be torn apart, with an enormous gash appearing!
"This Sword Pressure!"
Charlotte and Nnoitra couldn't help but gasp, their pupils simultaneously contracting sharply.
As Adjuchas-class Arrancar, they had naturally witnessed many Shinigami's Sword Pressure.
But such terrifying power was unprecedented and unheard of!
This kind of might was absolutely not something mortals could unleash!
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