Simultaneously, Toshiro's body began to rapidly grow, transforming into his handsome, youthful adult form.
In truth, over the years, as Toshiro continuously refined his physical body and increased its Reishi density, his physical strength was now far beyond what it used to be. Even if Toshiro stood still, some ordinary Captain-level experts might not easily breach his body's defense.
Therefore, when fully releasing his Zanpakuto and using Bankai, Toshiro's body no longer needed to rapidly grow in a short time to adapt to the Bankai's power. The reason his body transformed into an adult form again was simply because Toshiro intentionally used the Bankai's power to forcibly alter his body's appearance during the release.
No other reason… he just preferred his handsome, youthful adult appearance and deliberately chose not to change that aspect.
Just as Toshiro was immersed in the exhilarating feeling of his power being fully unleashed after Bankai, a voice urgently calling his name suddenly rang out.
"Toshiro! Stop! Control your power immediately!!"
Hearing this voice, Toshiro instinctively looked in its direction.
"Captain!" Toshiro exclaimed, puzzled.
The one shouting at Toshiro was none other than Isshin.
Originally, after Toshiro suddenly went to confront the mastermind behind this incident, Isshin stayed on the ground below, receiving treatment from Masaki. Then, he witnessed Toshiro find the hidden mastermind, and the two engaged in a fierce back-and-forth battle.
As the battle progressed, Toshiro gradually fell into a disadvantage, suppressed by the mastermind, which greatly surprised Isshin.
After all, in the Soul Society, Toshiro often sparred with Isshin to hone his skills. Although Isshin had never seen Toshiro go all out, he had a certain understanding of Toshiro's strength.
In Isshin's view, Toshiro's strength was undoubtedly greater than his own as a captain. Moreover, based on his estimation, even veteran Captains like Unohana and Kyoraku would find it difficult to defeat Toshiro head-on. The only one who could reliably defeat Toshiro was Yamamoto.
Yet now, Toshiro was being suppressed by that mastermind, which truly astonished Isshin.
However, Isshin wasn't worried about Toshiro's safety because he could see Toshiro wasn't fighting seriously. In Isshin's opinion, if Toshiro went all out and used Bankai, the battle would likely end soon.
After all, he believed that once Toshiro used Bankai and fought seriously, only Yamamoto could reliably defeat him. That mastermind, though powerful and temporarily holding the upper hand, probably couldn't match Toshiro with Bankai.
What Isshin didn't know was that the mastermind, Aizen, also wasn't fighting seriously. Even if Toshiro went all out, defeating Aizen would be extremely difficult.
As Isshin anticipated, Toshiro did indeed use Bankai. However, the might of Toshiro's Bankai far exceeded Isshin's imagination. The world-desolating, space-disturbing, almost apocalyptic scene that followed Toshiro's Bankai release was completely unexpected.
In comparison, Toshiro's transformation into a handsome adult, while also surprising, was nothing next to the world-ending spectacle.
While great strength wasn't a bad thing, if that strength lacked restraint, it could become problematic.
According to Soul Society regulations, when Lieutenants and above travel to the Living World, to avoid their powerful Reiatsu affecting the souls there, a seal is applied as they pass through the Senkaimon, limiting them to one-fifth of their original power.
Of course, that refers to the official Gotei 13's Senkaimon. When Toshiro and Isshin came to the Living World this time, they used the Shiba Clan's private Senkaimon, so no seal was applied.
Both Toshiro and Isshin had been severely restraining their power earlier, hence not affecting the Living World's souls.
But now, with Toshiro's Bankai release and his pinnacle beyond Captain-level Reiatsu unleashed without restraint, it not only affected the Living World's souls but even caused the Living World's space to ripple under his power.
If this continued, Toshiro's Reiatsu would cause irreparable damage to the Living World. That's why Isshin immediately shouted, wanting Toshiro to control his power and avoid harming the Living World.
Hearing Isshin's call, Toshiro instinctively glanced at the surroundings and immediately understood the situation. He then desperately tried to rein in his power.
'Whew... That was close! Almost made a huge mistake!' Toshiro sighed in relief after controlling his power.
'Fortunately, Captain reminded me in time, otherwise...' Without Isshin's timely warning, Toshiro, intoxicated by the exhilarating feeling of his unleashed power, might not have noticed the surroundings, causing unimaginable destruction to the Living World. Just thinking about that possibility made him shudder with fear.
'Now that my power is under control, it's time to deal with Aizen!' Thinking this, Toshiro immediately took action, launching another attack on Aizen!
"Dragon Hail Coffin!"
Blue light flashed behind Toshiro as a pair of massive ice wings materialized. With a flap of his wings, Toshiro's figure shot towards Aizen as if teleporting, thrusting his sword forward.
Facing the fiercely attacking Toshiro, Aizen couldn't help but frown but had no choice but to meet the assault.
"Bakudo #81, Danku!"
A transparent barrier appeared before Aizen.
Clink!
Toshiro's Zanpakuto struck Aizen's Kido barrier, producing a crisp sound.
Crackle, crackle, crackle!!
The moment Toshiro's blade tip touched the barrier, it instantly froze. Then, Aizen's Kido barrier shattered completely.
Aizen, however, seized the chance to put distance between himself and Toshiro.
"This is truly troublesome!" Aizen inwardly sighed.
After Toshiro's Bankai, his power increased dramatically. In his Shikai state alone, Aizen clearly couldn't defeat Toshiro. Moreover, with Toshiro in Bankai, Aizen felt restricted in his battle, unable to act freely.
Because when Toshiro fought Baraggan in Hueco Mundo, Aizen, hidden in the shadows, learned that Toshiro's fully realized Bankai granted him ice that could freeze the very function of all matter, nullifying an enemy's abilities.
Aizen couldn't be sure if Kyoka Suigetsu's hypnosis would also be nullified upon contact with Toshiro's ice. If it failed, his identity might be exposed.
Thinking this, Aizen couldn't help but begin to consider retreating.