Repentance? Or resentment? None of these emotions surfaced in Tōsen Kaname's heart. More accurately, before he even had time to form a single thought, the scythe in Kōe's hands descended upon his head.
Just like Ichimaru Gin, he would have plenty of time to experience all sorts of emotions. It was the only activity left for him to pass the time.
"You're next." Kōe lowered his head and kicked Tōsen Kaname aside with apparent disgust. He didn't name names, but everyone present knew exactly who he was talking to.
"Saving me for last is not a wise move. True unknowns cease to exist the moment they are revealed."
"So, what exactly have you figured out?"
"Not to let your blade touch me." Aizen took a step back, leaning his upper body slightly away as that bizarre crescent blade swept past, mere inches from his throat.
Kōe pushed and pulled with his left hand, aiming to slice Aizen in half at the waist like a farmer harvesting wheat. But Aizen seemed to have anticipated this intention early on. Evading the horizontal slash, he tapped his toe and his figure flickered, instantly appearing on Kōe's right side.
"Of course, what I saw might be an illusion, but one must still maintain a certain reverence for the truth." Aizen's tone was relaxed as Kyōka Suigetsu in his right hand struck out like lightning. "Secondly, I am quite curious. Can your Kōki still be released, Kōe?"
*Clang!* The bright silver shaft collided with the blade, sparking a shower of embers. Neither man could gain the upper hand.
"You don't have the strength to be curious."
"Perhaps I do?"
Aizen was in no rush. Kyōka Suigetsu suddenly twisted, sliding along the shaft of the scythe toward Kōe's right hand.
A grating sound, like nails scratching across glass, made Kōe frown. He tried to push Aizen away on his right, but the scythe in his hands was firmly pinned down by the opponent's Zanpakutō. The blade gleamed with a cold light, threatening to pierce his right hand in the blink of an eye.
Catch Kyōka Suigetsu barehanded? What a joke. Aizen didn't dare catch his blade empty-handed, and similarly, if Kōe tried it, he had better be prepared to lose all his fingers.
In a split second, Kōe made a bold move. He suddenly let go with his right hand, using his left hand as a pivot to lightly spin his body around, turning his back to Aizen. At the same time, the long shaft acted like a seesaw, borrowing Aizen's force to swing smoothly behind the opponent.
Pressing his right shoulder against Aizen's back, Kōe held the long-handled scythe in a reverse grip behind himself. The blade was pointed directly at Aizen, instantly leaving him with only the left side as an avenue of escape.
However, Kōe didn't seem to plan on giving him that chance. Although his grip on the weapon was a bit awkward, executing a simple pulling slash was still effortless.
*He did it!* On the other side, Komamura excitedly clenched his fists. Just a moment ago, he had been worrying for Kōe. After all, the larger a weapon was, the more it lacked in flexibility. When Aizen had closed the distance earlier, he hadn't thought Kōe would have a chance to counterattack.
However, a scythe seemed different from other long weapons. After using a spin to evade, it could launch a counterattack at the very first opportunity—a trait that spears and similar weapons simply could not achieve.
Unlike other long weapons that possessed army-breaking momentum, a scythe's hooks, slashes, and even entanglements were unstoppable at mid-range, yet possessed bizarre and unpredictable characteristics at close range. Kōe utilized all of these traits to their absolute fullest.
And as long as the blade struck, whether it was Ichimaru Gin or Tōsen, they immediately lost their combat capabilities. Aizen shouldn't be an exception!
*It hit!* No, wait, it didn't? That invincible crescent blade was clearly about to touch Aizen, but the man had simply vanished into thin air.
*Shunpo? No, there clearly wasn't any room left to execute Shunpo!* Komamura quickly scanned the surroundings. *Where is he?*
Front, back, left, and right were all sealed off. There was only one place left to go. Kōe looked up, and sure enough, Aizen was right there.
"Nowhere left to run?"
"[Hadō #54・Haien.]"
Aizen seemed to have guessed that Kōe would spot him. Almost the instant Kōe looked up, Aizen flicked his left hand, sending a disc-shaped cluster of flames flying toward him.
Kōe neither dodged nor yielded. Facing the Haien that had already reached him, he simply swung his blade. The level 54 Hadō, which normally would have exploded and spread upon touching an enemy's Reiatsu, was sliced cleanly in half as if it had solidified. A second later, it turned into two puffs of white mist and vanished.
"So that's how it is."
Such a Kidō could never threaten Kōe anyway, but Aizen used the opportunity to drop down from the precarious mid-air position. At the same time, he formed a new hypothesis about Kōe's peculiar Zanpakutō.
"Reiryoku dispersion... let's call it that for now. However, you previously halted Gin's Shinsō, which leaves two possibilities."
"Oh? Both possibilities you've thought of are wrong."
Ducking to avoid a horizontal slash aimed at his face, Aizen appeared somewhat wary. He didn't take the chance to strike back at Kōe, instead pulling away in the opposite direction of Kōe's swing to create distance.
The unique structure of the scythe indeed avoided the flaws of other long weapons, but it was not without weaknesses. As long as it was a sweeping slash, pulling away laterally in the opposite direction meant that whether the wielder used a spin to adjust their aim or retracted the blade in time, the interval before launching another attack would be relatively long.
"There is indeed such a possibility. So, does this blade cut Reiryoku? Or does it cut Kidō?" Aizen stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Kōe, who had retracted the scythe behind him in the distance. "Or perhaps, neither is correct?"
"Your curiosity is truly boundless. Why don't you just let me cut you? I'll make sure you die with no regrets!"
"That would be a bit too time-consuming."
"I have plenty of time."
Aizen chuckled softly and shook his head. "But I do not. It is time for me to leave."
Their Shunpo were evenly matched, and their swordsmanship was on par. Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu was completely sealed off. Even if a victor couldn't be decided in a short time, claiming he could just leave was pure arrogance.
"You think..." Kōe said dismissively, but before he could finish, the sky above them suddenly distorted. A rift slowly tore open, looking as though an invisible giant were yawning.
A Garganta. Hollows!
Everyone present knew what that was. Komamura and Kōe simultaneously dashed toward Aizen in the distance.
It wasn't just them. Those who had been hiding in the surroundings for a long time all charged at Aizen in this moment. Leading the pack, Yoruichi and Suì-Fēng pushed their speed to the absolute limit.
As they passed Aizen, Reiatsu-restricting tools were clamped onto his left and right wrists. As if sharing a telepathic link, the two women pulled in unison. Behind them, Aizen was yanked out of the range of the descending pillar of light before he could even react.
"After going through all this trouble, how could we possibly let you leave?" Yoruichi pinned the fallen Aizen to the ground by his throat. She was smiling, but her tone was unusually fierce. "I wonder if those two useless subordinates of yours will be able to rescue you before your execution."
The Garganta had opened too suddenly, leaving her and Suì-Fēng with no way to drag out the incapacitated Ichimaru Gin and Tōsen Kaname alongside him.
However, the mastermind was already in their hands; those two were of no concern. Unlike a hundred years ago, Aizen had utterly and completely failed this time.
But, was that truly the case?