Before Harry could answer, a deep bell rang across the plaza.
The time of execution had arrived.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto stepped forward, his voice carried throughout the entire plaza by his Reiatsu.
"Rukia Kuchiki, you unlawfully transferred the powers of a Soul Reaper to a human, violating the laws of Soul Society. Today, you shall be executed by the Sōkyoku in accordance with those laws!"
The moment the Captain-Commander finished speaking, the spear atop the Sōkyoku began glowing with fiery red light. An enormous tide of Reiatsu converged around it, gathering power for an overwhelmingly destructive strike.
Every Soul Reaper in the plaza held their breath. Even Kenpachi Zaraki set aside his impatience and stared intently at Rukia.
Rukia closed her eyes, yet the faintest smile appeared on her lips.
She knew Ichigo would come. She knew he would risk everything to save her. However, as long as she died, her friends would no longer have to place themselves in danger.
Things did not go as Rukia hoped.
Just as the golden light was about to descend, a burst of orange Reiatsu erupted beyond the plaza. It tore through the guards' defensive line like a meteor, accompanied by a furious roar.
"Stop!"
Ichigo Kurosaki appeared directly in the Sōkyoku's path and intercepted the fiery phoenix formed by the spearhead.
Bandages covered his body, making it clear that his injuries had not yet healed. Nevertheless, orange Reiatsu enveloped him like raging flames. Reinforced by that immense spiritual pressure, he somehow stopped the Sōkyoku's attack.
Hovering in front of Rukia, Ichigo held back the Sōkyoku while staring directly at her.
"I won't let any of you hurt her!"
The moment Ichigo appeared and halted the execution, chaos erupted throughout the plaza.
The nearest members of the Gotei 13 drew their swords and attempted to stop him, only to be driven backward by his Reiatsu.
Against the current Ichigo Kurosaki, they could not even move freely beneath the pressure of his spiritual power. Only captain-level Soul Reapers had any hope of stopping him now.
At that moment, the fiery phoenix formed by the Sōkyoku's spearhead retreated rapidly, opening a considerable distance between itself and Ichigo.
Although the Sōkyoku had temporarily stopped attacking, neither Ichigo nor Rukia showed any relief. Its retreat meant that it was gathering power for an even stronger attack.
The Sōkyoku was, in essence, a divine weapon infused with the core Reiatsu of the Captain-Commander's Zanpakutō, Ryūjin Jakka. It possessed the dual destructive properties of physical penetration and incineration by flame.
Its first attack had relied mainly on physical piercing power, supported by only a fraction of its flames. It had not even used half of the Sōkyoku's total Reiatsu.
After the first attack failed, however, the Sōkyoku would completely unleash all of its spiritual power.
When that happened, even though Ichigo had grown several times stronger, he would still be burned to ashes.
Rukia naturally understood the true nature of the Sōkyoku. She repeatedly shouted for Ichigo to abandon the rescue and leave, hoping to prevent him from dying alongside her.
However, there was no possibility that Ichigo would abandon Rukia. With a grim expression, he positioned himself directly in front of her and prepared to withstand the Kikōō's second attack head-on.
What happened next caught everyone by surprise.
Just as the Sōkyoku's attack was about to collide with Ichigo, Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake extended two chains that wrapped around Kikōō, the fiery phoenix formed by the Sōkyoku.
Although the chains were made from a special material and would not immediately be destroyed by the flames, they could not restrain the Sōkyoku for long.
As the chains approached their limit, Shunsui and Ukitake released their respective Zanpakutō and inserted them into the Shihōin Shield connected to the chains.
The shield was a unique artifact capable of transmitting and amplifying the abilities of Zanpakutō.
The shield was connected to the chains, while the chains were wrapped around Kikōō. With all three connected, Shunsui and Ukitake could apply the abilities of their Zanpakutō directly to the Sōkyoku's fiery phoenix.
Shunsui's Zanpakutō was Katen Kyōkotsu. Its Shikai transformed children's games into reality. Anyone who entered the area affected by its Reiatsu was forced to participate, and victory or defeat would be determined by the rules of the game.
Ukitake's Zanpakutō was Sōgyo no Kotowari. One blade could absorb an enemy's attack, transfer it through the cord connecting the pair, and release it from the other blade. It could also adjust the speed and pressure of the reflected attack.
Both abilities were extremely unusual. Therefore, although the Kikōō's second charge attack was nearly comparable to a strike from the Captain-Commander himself, the two captains were still able to suppress it.
Ichigo had not expected two captains to help him. Although he could not understand their reasons, he immediately seized the opportunity. He rushed to Rukia's side, destroyed the execution scaffold, and freed her.
Renji Abarai arrived soon afterward.
Ichigo handed Rukia over to Renji and ordered him to take her away, while he remained behind to stop anyone who tried to pursue them.
The other captains naturally had no intention of simply allowing them to escape. However, they also had to deal with Shunsui and Ukitake's rebellion and could not leave, so they sent their lieutenants to pursue Renji and Rukia instead.
Ichigo stood ready to face the approaching pursuers. His strength had increased severalfold since his first battle against Renji, and he defeated the lieutenants before him with surprising ease. Among those he struck down was even First Division Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe.
At first glance, there seemed to be nothing unusual about the scene. However, closer consideration revealed something deeply suspicious.
It was understandable for Ichigo to defeat the other lieutenants, but how had he defeated Chōjirō Sasakibe in a single blow while the latter was using Shikai?
According to Harry's senses, Sasakibe's Reiatsu had undoubtedly reached Spirit Class Two. He was powerful even by captain standards. How could Ichigo have defeated him so easily?
His acting was terrible.
After thinking about it briefly, Harry immediately understood what had happened.
The Captain-Commander and the other captains had most likely all noticed that something was wrong with the execution. They had therefore secretly instructed their lieutenants to hold back and merely go through the motions.
Otherwise, Chōjirō Sasakibe would never have shown Ichigo such mercy.
With Ichigo covering their escape, Renji and Rukia successfully fled. Ichigo then began fighting Sixth Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki.
That was not the only battlefield.
Because Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake had taken it upon themselves to destroy the Sōkyoku, the Captain-Commander was furious with them. Their argument quickly escalated into a battle.
Farther away, Second Division Captain Suì-Fēng began fighting Yoruichi Shihōin, the former master she had once served.
Harry could also sense a brutal battle erupting at the Central 46 Compound in the distance.
In a matter of moments, the entire Seireitei had descended into complete chaos.
The once-crowded execution grounds on Sōkyoku Hill rapidly emptied, leaving only Harry and a handful of others behind.
Heavy footsteps approached Harry.
Kenpachi Zaraki fixed his gaze upon him and demanded, "Hey, Potter, why are you standing around like a damn pillar? They're fighting so hard over there that they're about to tear the sky apart. You're already holding your Zanpakutō, so why aren't you going over there to suppress them?"
Harry remained calm. He looked in the direction Kenpachi was pointing and quietly explained, "Their relationships are complicated. Some are master and student, others are master and servant, and some are former enemies. It would be difficult for me to interfere. If I stepped into their battles, both sides might decide to attack me together."
Harry paused, turned his attention back to Kenpachi, and raised his chin slightly.
"What about you, Captain Zaraki? Considering how much you enjoy fighting, the commotion over there should be more than enough to interest you. Why aren't you suppressing them? Why did you come looking for me instead?"
Kenpachi suddenly chuckled. His laughter was filled with undisguised bloodlust.
He took a step forward until his eye was nearly level with Harry's, its gleam frighteningly bright.
"Suppress them? Those weaklings' fights aren't worth a damn. They barely have any decent Reiatsu. Their attacks are so soft that I don't even feel like drawing my sword.
"Hahaha! You're a lot more interesting than they are. Fight me, Harry Potter!"
Harry shook his head and refused Kenpachi's challenge.
He looked toward the battlefield where the Captain-Commander was fighting Shunsui and Ukitake, then spoke earnestly.
"Captain Zaraki, this is not the time to indulge yourself. At such a critical moment, if you suddenly force me into a fight, the Captain-Commander will never forgive you afterward. He may strip you of your position or even order your execution."
Kenpachi would not have cared in the slightest if anyone else had threatened him, but he could not take a threat from the Captain-Commander lightly.
He knew that even if he released all the Reiatsu sealed within his body, he would still be no match for Yamamoto.
Considering the Captain-Commander's temperament, he truly might kill Kenpachi on the spot.
Kenpachi did not respond, but the fact that he made no further attempt to attack was an answer in itself.
Harry and Kenpachi therefore remained at the Sōkyoku execution grounds, waiting for the battles to end and remaining prepared to assist any captain who appeared likely to lose.
After some time passed, the battles throughout the Seireitei began approaching their conclusions.
Just as the fight between Ichigo Kurosaki and Byakuya Kuchiki was nearing its end, four figures suddenly appeared.
They were Fifth Division Captain Sōsuke Aizen, Third Division Captain Gin Ichimaru, and the recently escaped Renji Abarai and Rukia Kuchiki.
Kenpachi was confused by Aizen's sudden arrival. With his usual arrogant expression, he asked, "Captain Aizen, why are you here? Didn't you just leave to suppress the Ryoka?"
As he spoke, Kenpachi instinctively tightened his grip on his sword.
His instincts told him that the normally gentle Captain Aizen had become unimaginably dangerous, so dangerous that standing before him felt almost like facing the Captain-Commander.
But how could that be possible?
How could Aizen's strength have reached the Captain-Commander's level?
Aizen looked at Kenpachi. There was no warmth whatsoever in the eyes behind his glasses, only cold indifference.
"Suppress the Ryoka? Captain Zaraki, you have made the situation far too simple. Those intruders were never what I truly wanted."
He leaned forward slightly as invisible Reiatsu spread from his body.
The pressure was not as scorching or violent as the Captain-Commander's. Instead, it resembled a current in the deepest reaches of the ocean, heavy and silent as it pressed against Kenpachi's shoulders, forcing the knuckles around his sword hilt to turn white.
In an instant, Sōsuke Aizen appeared beside Rukia Kuchiki.
He severely wounded Renji before the latter could react, sending him crashing to the ground. Aizen then used an unusual Kidō technique to extract a crystalline sphere from within Rukia's body.
The sphere was unquestionably Aizen's true objective, the Hōgyoku.
It possessed the power to completely shatter the boundary separating gods from beings incapable of becoming gods.
The moment he obtained the Hōgyoku, Aizen's entire presence became sharper and more imposing. He turned toward Kenpachi.
"Sending the Gotei 13 after those intruders was merely a performance I arranged for Soul Society.
"After all, if I had not drawn everyone's attention elsewhere, how could I have quietly come here and taken what I truly wanted?"
Kenpachi placed his lieutenant, Yachiru Kusajishi, on the ground and told her to move away from the battlefield. He then leaned forward slightly and prepared to fight.
Before attacking, however, he still followed procedure and asked, "So, Aizen, you're planning to defect?"
Aizen made no attempt to conceal his intentions. He inclined his head slightly.
"Defect? If that is how you wish to describe it, then yes."
"Defect?"
Kenpachi repeated the word, and his single eye suddenly gleamed with terrifying excitement. A bloodthirsty smile spread across his face.
He had never truly cared about the answer. He had only wanted a reason to attack.
His grip tightened violently around the hilt of his Zanpakutō until his knuckles turned white. The sheath at his waist trembled beneath the agitation of his Reiatsu.
Kenpachi roared, "Ha! So that's how it is, Aizen!"
Before his words had even faded, Kenpachi vanished from where he stood.
There was no elaborate opening stance and not the slightest hesitation. He lunged at Aizen like a streak of black lightning, Nozarashi tracing a blinding arc through the sunlight as the tremendous pressure of his slash descended toward Aizen's shoulder.
The air surrounding the execution platform seemed to split beneath the strike.
Fragments of stone rose into the air under the impact of Kenpachi's Reiatsu. The Soul Reapers in the distance could not even follow his movement. They heard only the sharp scream of the blade cutting through the wind.
Yet when faced with such a powerful attack, Aizen reacted with the leisurely ease of someone taking an afternoon stroll.
He did not even draw his sword.
Aizen merely turned his body slightly, raised his left hand, and gently placed the tip of one finger against Nozarashi's blade.
There was no thunderous collision and no violent eruption of Reiatsu.
Only a faint metallic chime rang out, like steel lightly touching polished jade.
Kenpachi's slash, powerful enough to cleave through a small mountain, had been stopped by a single finger.
Nozarashi trembled against Aizen's fingertip but could not advance another inch.
"Oh?"
Sunlight reflected from Aizen's glasses, concealing the emotions in his eyes. His voice carried a trace of casual mockery.
"Your attacks are still so... crude, Captain Zaraki."
Kenpachi's smile froze.
Completely enraged, he poured even more strength into the blade. The muscles in his arm tightened, veins bulging beneath his skin as golden Reiatsu surged from his body and coiled around Nozarashi, causing the blade's cold gleam to intensify.
Yet no matter how much strength he used, Aizen's finger remained fixed against the blade like an immovable nail.
"How is that possible...?"
For the first time, disbelief entered Kenpachi's voice. His single eye contracted as he stared at Aizen.
"Your Reiatsu..."
Aizen raised an eyebrow and suddenly exerted force with his left hand.
There was no elaborate technique, only a simple pushing motion.
An invisible force exploded along Nozarashi's blade. Kenpachi felt as though a massive hammer had struck him directly in the chest, and his entire body was instantly hurled backward.
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