Rumble!!!
The skies above the Soul Society, already scarred by the previous battle, darkened once again beneath an ominous wave of violet Spiritual Pressure.
Crack... crack...
The enormous white cocoon surrounding Aizen Sōsuke slowly split apart.
Bang!
The cocoon exploded.
An overwhelming Spiritual Pressure, seemingly transcending the boundaries between Shinigami and Hollow, burst outward like a tidal wave, distorting the surrounding space.
"Hahahaha!"
"So this..."
"...is the power of a higher existence?!"
Aizen emerged from the light.
The wounds that had covered his body were completely gone.
His tattered robes had transformed into an elegant white form resembling wings.
Embedded in the center of his chest, the Hōgyoku pulsed with an eerie blue glow like a living heart.
The fusion was complete.
He clenched his fists.
Boundless strength flooded through every part of his body.
Even the lingering terror left behind by Tobirama's illusion seemed to fade beneath the arrogance brought by his newfound evolution.
"So that's what happened..."
Aizen stared at Tobirama.
His eyes burned with renewed confidence.
"That illusion earlier..."
"...was nothing more than some unknown method of manipulating perception."
"But before genuine transcendent power..."
"...such tricks are meaningless."
"I have surpassed the limits of a Shinigami."
"I..."
"...am a god."
Six massive white wings unfurled behind him.
The overwhelming pressure forced the remaining captains onto the ruined ground.
Kyōraku and Hitsugaya struggled just to breathe.
Blood trickled from the corners of their mouths.
"Aizen..."
"...he really surpassed his limits..."
"This pressure..."
"...it's even greater than Captain Commander Yamamoto's..."
"It's over..."
"It really is over..."
Even Matsumoto Rangiku, protected within Tobirama's presence, instinctively shivered.
The pressure no longer felt like something belonging to this world.
"A god?"
Tobirama calmly blew out another ring of cigar smoke.
His Rinnegan reflected nothing but amusement.
"Your standards are remarkably low."
"Silence!"
Aizen pointed directly at him.
"I'm ending this now!"
He refused to allow Tobirama another opportunity to use those terrifying eyes.
This time...
He would destroy him completely.
"Seeping crest of turbidity..."
"Proud vessel of madness..."
Aizen began chanting.
Kyōraku's expression changed instantly.
"No..."
"A full incantation..."
"Hadō Number Ninety!"
As the final words echoed across the battlefield—
Boom!!
The space surrounding Tobirama instantly darkened.
Gigantic black walls of compressed gravity appeared from every direction.
They sealed Tobirama—and Rangiku beside him—inside an enormous black coffin.
"Full Incantation..."
"Hadō #90..."
"Kurohitsugi."
The coffin trembled violently.
Inside...
Gravity powerful enough to distort space itself raged endlessly.
Anything trapped within would be crushed beyond recognition.
"Hahaha!"
"It's over!"
"No one survives this!"
Aizen laughed triumphantly.
The captains below could only watch helplessly.
Then—
Thump.
A dull sound echoed from inside the coffin.
Aizen blinked.
"...What?"
Crack.
Another crack followed.
Then dozens more.
Lines spread rapidly across the black surface.
"Impossible!"
Boom!!
A single fist burst through the coffin from the inside.
The supposedly absolute prison shattered instantly.
The entire Kurohitsugi exploded into countless fragments of dissipating reishi.
Tobirama stepped out completely unharmed.
Not even his clothes showed the slightest damage.
Rangiku remained equally untouched.
"This..."
"...is your Black Coffin?"
He casually shook his head.
"It couldn't even qualify as a warm-up."
Absolute strength.
Every complicated technique...
Reduced to nothing by a single punch.
"No..."
"No!"
"The Hōgyoku's power is absolute!"
"How can your body break distorted space itself?!"
Fear once again overtook Aizen.
The confidence he had just recovered shattered immediately.
His wings spread.
He attempted to retreat.
But—
Ripple.
Space distorted.
Before Aizen could move—
Tobirama had already appeared directly before him.
Less than ten centimeters separated them.
"Running already?"
A cruel smile spread across Tobirama's face.
"Weren't you calling yourself a god a moment ago?"
"You—!"
Aizen instinctively raised his hand.
Too slow.
Far too slow.
Compared to Tobirama's perfected body...
Aizen moved like a frozen statue.
Snap!
Tobirama caught his wrist effortlessly.
"You enjoy standing above others."
"So let's see..."
"...how a cripple plans to stand at the top."
Crack!!
A scream tore across the battlefield.
Aizen's arm snapped instantly.
The bone shattered as though it were dry wood.
Fragments pierced through flesh.
Before he could recover—
Bang!
Tobirama's kick struck his knee.
Another sickening crack echoed.
His leg bent unnaturally.
The joint collapsed completely.
Then—
Crack!
Crack!
One after another.
Within a single heartbeat...
Every one of Aizen's limbs was broken.
His body fell helplessly toward the ruined earth.
Before he struck the ground—
Tobirama appeared beneath him.
Boom!!
His boot descended onto Aizen's chest.
The surrounding ground collapsed.
Dust exploded outward.
Pinned beneath Tobirama's foot...
Aizen coughed blood.
The captains watched silently.
Even after merging with the Hōgyoku...
He had been completely overwhelmed.
Yet...
Despite everything...
Aizen laughed.
"Hahaha..."
"It's useless..."
"You can't kill me."
"The Hōgyoku has accepted me."
"No matter how many times you destroy this body..."
"It will restore me."
"And I'll continue evolving forever."
The jewel embedded in his chest suddenly shone brilliantly.
His shattered limbs immediately began regenerating.
"As long as the Hōgyoku remains with me..."
"...I am immortal."
"When I evolve again..."
"...you'll be the one who dies."
Tobirama sighed.
"Why do people in this world insist on placing so much faith in borrowed power?"
He removed the cigar from his lips.
The tomoe within his Rinnegan disappeared.
His eyes transformed into crimson Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Did you really believe..."
"...that little stone could protect you forever?"
He looked down at Aizen.
"Today..."
"I'll show you what a true dimensional advantage looks like."
Hum—
His right eye glowed crimson.
An overwhelming authority spread across the battlefield.
"Aizen."
His voice echoed like an unbreakable decree.
"I wish..."
"...to erase every trace of your ownership over the Hōgyoku."
"From this moment onward..."
"...its only master..."
"...is me."
Boom!!!
The heavens shook.
Reality itself seemed to pause.
Aizen laughed.
"Ridiculous!"
"The Hōgyoku fused with my soul!"
"It could never abandon—"
His laughter stopped.
The Hōgyoku...
Stopped beating.
His expression froze.
"N-No..."
"What..."
The jewel trembled.
Not in resistance.
But in submission.
Faced with the overwhelming authority radiating from Tobirama...
Every trace of Aizen's connection to it disappeared.
Like writing erased from a page.
"No..."
"Don't!"
"Hōgyoku!"
"What are you doing?!"
Aizen screamed desperately.
Then—
Rip!
The Hōgyoku tore free from his chest.
Blood splashed through the air.
The glowing jewel floated upward.
Without hesitation...
It flew directly toward Tobirama.
Landing gently in his open palm.
Its light softened peacefully.
As though willingly acknowledging its new owner.
The transformation surrounding Aizen immediately collapsed.
His white wings crumbled away.
The overwhelming Spiritual Pressure vanished.
His broken body ceased regenerating.
Blood once again flowed freely from his wounds.
The evolution had ended.
Everything...
Was gone.
"My Hōgyoku..."
"My power..."
"My throne..."
Aizen stared blankly at the empty wound in his chest.
His dream...
Had vanished.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!"
His scream echoed throughout the Soul Society.
Every trace of pride...
Every ounce of ambition...
Had been shattered completely.
Tobirama casually tossed the Hōgyoku once in his hand.
He looked down at the broken Aizen with a faint smile.
"Your greatest treasure?"
"I'll be keeping it."