"Lan…"
"Aizen?!"
"He actually… fell into the state of a Menos?!"
"No way… the final evolutionary form after fusing with the Hōgyoku… ends up looking like this?!"
Across the entire world, every single viewer gasped at the same time.
Everyone was stunned.
Among them, the ones most shocked—
the ones whose minds were hit the hardest—
were naturally the Captains of the Gotei 13…
those who had lived and worked alongside Aizen for years as fellow Shinigami!
Yes.
At this moment—
The entire First Division hall was forcibly silenced.
After that initial cry of shock,
an absolute, death-like stillness followed.
All the Captains were frozen.
Every person stood rooted in place, unmoving,
their limbs stiff like stone.
Only the slight trembling of their shihakushō and captain haori in the air,
and the sudden contraction of their pupils,
proved that the Captains were still alive.
They were simply so overwhelmed
that they might as well have been turned into statues.
That was how devastating this scene was—
Aizen's fall into a Menos-like form—
and how violently it shook their spirits.
Even the Head Captain—
Even their comrades from the old days—
Their minds crashed, went blank, unable to think.
Shock.
Daze.
Mental collapse.
Their values and worldview shattered all at once.
This…
was the truest picture of the Captains in that moment.
And this state lasted—
For nearly ten minutes.
In the end, it was the one with the strongest mental discipline—the Head Captain—who recovered first.
His aged hand clenched onto his wooden staff with force.
BANG!!
The staff lifted,
then struck the floor heavily.
The flames of his reiatsu sent out a shockwave,
rippling outward like waves on water,
washing over every Captain.
Only then did the Captains finally return to their senses,
dragged back from the brink of mental overload.
"How terrifying…"
Kyoraku Shunsui wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Looking at the monstrous, Menos-like Aizen on the screen,
even his voice trembled slightly.
"To think… that elegant gentleman we once knew—
that refined, scholarly Aizen everyone remembered—
would… turn into this."
"It really makes one sigh in disbelief…"
Kyoraku's expression twisted into something complicated.
He had to admit—
this final evolutionary form of Hōgyoku Aizen
was something far beyond his understanding.
His centuries of experience and knowledge
were reduced to worthless scraps of paper,
unable to comprehend this new level of life.
"Yes…"
Komamura Sajin swallowed hard.
"No wonder Kaname Tōsen would stray and follow someone like Aizen.
Anyone's heart would eventually be corrupted…"
Even now,
the "overflowing bromance" Captain of the Ninth Division
still held onto Tōsen in his thoughts, believing his supposed brother simply lost his way.
This scene only strengthened Sajin's belief.
Another cauldron full of blame
was dumped onto Aizen's head,
as he now judged the transformed Hōgyoku Aizen
with the same disgust reserved for hollows.
But…
Not everyone reacted with fear.
One person was visibly excited.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
"Hehehe… continuous evolution, but the end result is becoming a Menos?"
Mayuri's lips curled upward.
Behind his mask, a strange light flashed through his eyes.
He stared at the screen—
at the hollowfied Hōgyoku Aizen—
and sneered:
"I recall that earlier footage showed Aizen mocking the Visoreds repeatedly… claiming they were failed hollowfication experiments."
"But now…"
"It seems he has been stamped with that same 'failure' label…"
With a cold laugh,
Mayuri gazed at the monstrous Aizen without the slightest fear.
From a scientist's perspective—
this so-called "final fusion" with the Hōgyoku
was incomplete.
Imperfect.
In fact—
It was a failure.
It did not match the "evolution" Mayuri envisioned.
Somehow…
Aizen felt… wrong.
Gone was the untouchable aura,
that absolute self-control,
that seamless harmony with his Zanpakutō Kyōka Suigetsu—
All of which made Aizen invincible.
From beginning to end,
he crushed everything in his path
with no openings, no weaknesses.
But now—
This new form brought Mayuri an entirely different impression.
Hōgyoku Aizen—
Had become manic.
Enraged.
Roaring like a beast.
No longer calm.
No longer transcendent.
Only malice remained.
In other words—
He was barely different from any other Menos.
The only difference…
was that this monster used to be Aizen.
So—
Mayuri felt that although Aizen's power had grown overwhelming,
his actual threat was no longer at the level he once possessed.
And that alone—
Was enough to label this "evolution" a failure.
———
Meanwhile—
Inside Las Noches—
Chaos erupted.
"Holy—?!"
"Aizen… actually turned into one of us?!"
Grimmjow's jaw dropped,
his grin freezing in place.
His entire face stiffened in disbelief.
He was screwed.
He had no excuses left.
Before, he and the other Arrancar could at least claim:
"Aizen is a Shinigami! Not one of us!"
But now?
Their only excuse evaporated instantly.
Aizen was unmistakably a Menos now.
And what made Grimmjow even more speechless—
Aizen had three hollow holes.
Three.
Triple the amount of a real Menos.
He had no room to argue.
"…"
Nnoitra was equally struck dumb.
He always thought his own Resurrección form—
the "Saintly Crying Mantis"—
was bizarre enough.
But Aizen's hollowfied form was much more outrageous.
Behind him,
the spine-like wings sprouted six grotesque hollow heads,
swaying menacingly.
Even someone as hardened as Nnoitra
felt a chill crawl up his spine.
He instinctively tightened his grip on his scythe
and looked up at the throne.
"Aizen…"
"Master of Hueco Mundo…"
"That title was clearly not wrong…"
"Barragan, that stubborn old skeleton, is going to be completely crushed now—
He'll never again have the right to shout about overthrowing Aizen."
At this point,
Nnoitra gulped,
calmed his breathing,
and allowed an eerie, twisted smile to spread.
But what about—
Aizen himself?
This was what every Arrancar wondered.
Not just Nnoitra—
every hollow and Arrancar stared at the throne with fascination.
Their gazes all gathered,
as if watching the crowning of a new king.
"Gin…"
"How do you evaluate this evolution of mine?"
On the throne,
Aizen's expression was blank,
his tone emotionless.
Just from his face alone,
no one could tell if he was pleased or disgusted.
"Hmm…"
"Captain Aizen, how should I put it…"
Gin controlled his own trembling,
forcing a cheerful smile.
"Evolution doesn't reflect only your own will…
but also the will of the Hōgyoku, right?"
"So this evolution is a mutual choice—
no, an inevitable outcome."
"Therefore, my evaluation is…
Perfect."
"The only flaw is that the appearance is a bit too fierce…
Not quite matching your previous refined aesthetic."
He added the last line playfully.
To him, this new Hōgyoku Aizen lacked beauty—
far from the elegant scholar Aizen once appeared to be.
Aizen seemed satisfied.
The corners of his lips curved slightly.
"Gin, you're correct."
"Every evolutionary result is the true reflection of the Hōgyoku's power.
Irreversible."
"So now—
we simply need to relax, brew some tea,
and watch the power that this final form shall bring forth."
Aizen looked pleased.
He did not mind his terrifying new appearance at all.
To him—
"Beauty" was merely a temporary concept.
This form—
was simply a transitional stage on the path toward future power.
Like unfinished calligraphy—
the first stroke may appear messy,
but only when the final line is drawn
does its magnificent structure emerge.
———
At that same time—
The video screen played Aizen's post-evolution outburst.
"I see…"
"So you still refuse to accept me, Hōgyoku…"
"To think I… would fall behind…
a mere human!!"
His distorted voice crackled with venomous static,
low and violent.
That black demonic face
turned toward the camera—
Aizen's rationality fading,
replaced by animalistic instinct and murderous intent.
"So scary…"
"Ichigo… I'm worried for your future self…"
Inside Karakura High School,
Inoue Orihime covered her mouth, trembling.
She felt genuine fear
for her future husband.
Hōgyoku Aizen—
a monstrous evil—
If Aizen were to evolve again…
What then?
The more she imagined it,
the more terrified she became.
Tears almost welled up.
Meanwhile—
Ichigo himself said nothing.
His full attention was locked on the screen,
eyes unblinking.
"I should be able to do it… right?
My future self…"
He murmured,
feeling doubt—
but deep down, instinct told him:
The Karakura battle was not the end.
His fight with Hōgyoku Aizen
was not his final destiny.
Perhaps…
He could turn the tide.
———
Then—
Once Aizen's rage hit its peak—
He roared,
and every wing on his back stood upright.
Those horrifying hollow heads
lashed around—
and fired a massive, purple Cero-like reiatsu blast.
BOOOOOM!!!
The light sphere streaked out—
then exploded violently.
Before anyone could react,
the compressed reiatsu detonated,
causing a colossal fiery blast.
A mushroom cloud surged skyward,
piercing the clouds.
Worse—
the explosion radius was catastrophic.
Everything in the surrounding district
was vaporized instantly.
Even faraway Karakura Town—
the explosion's aftershock rippled out,
destroying countless buildings,
shattering them in waves.
"Insane…"
"A single casual attack nearly destroyed the entire city?!"
"This is almost at Soul King level!"
"Appearance aside…
Hōgyoku Aizen's power has risen to yet another dimension."
"His pressure…
is unlike anything the Monk or Yhwach ever showed…"
Viewers recoiled,
even fleeing from the screen—
yet still feeling the heat and radiation of the blast,
as if experiencing nuclear annihilation firsthand.
Hopeless.
Utterly hopeless.
"Is Ichigo still alive?!"
"He didn't… melt in that explosion, did he?!"
In Urahara's shop,
Yoruichi frowned deeply,
her breathing uneven.
Facing a being of near–Soul King might,
even she couldn't imagine anyone but Ichigo defeating him.
"Sigh…"
"After the final evolution, it seems Aizen truly holds the advantage."
Tessai commented grimly.
Even among Transcendents,
the gap was clear.
Ichigo's protagonist glow appeared to have dimmed.
And next—
If nothing unexpected happened—
Ichigo would likely be killed.
Sure enough—
Once the flames parted,
Ichigo's figure reappeared.
His wounds were not fatal—
just one burned arm
and his black tailcoat nearly half destroyed.
But this—
only enraged Hōgyoku Aizen.
"So the last attack…
only let you taste a fraction of my power?"
With a flap of his wings,
Aizen shot upward in an instant,
rushing through the fading blast waves.
His black arm clamped down—
snatching Ichigo by the throat
and hauling him into the sky.
Above him—
those hollow heads opened wide,
firing volleys of purple reiatsu.
The crushing spiritual pressure pinned Ichigo helplessly in midair,
his body limp,
as if the battle was already decided.
"Do you hear me, Ichigo Kurosaki…"
"Even though you broke the limit
and became a Transcendent—"
"You have now lost your power.
You no longer interest me."
"And now…
I, the superior Transcendent—
shall send you to your death."
"It ends here, Ichigo Kurosaki!!!"
Just as Aizen prepared to strike—
Something unexpected happened.
"Gin—!!!"
The sound of iron chains whipping through the air
cut off Aizen's victory speech.
"Aizen…"
"You're saying… you've finished talking?"
Ichigo's eyes snapped open.
His left hand raised his blade—
the right hand still bound by chains—
and with a simple, casual swing—
CRACK—!!
Everything shattered.
The restraints.
The oppressive reiatsu.
Even Aizen's hollow projections—
All obliterated with a single slash.
The ground beneath them split open,
forming a bottomless abyss the camera couldn't even capture.
This moment detonated the entire audience.
The world erupted.
Everyone realized:
The climax was coming.
(End of Chapter)
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