This was the complete release of Aizen's Zanpakuto, Kyoka Suigetsu.
He had never revealed this level of ability in front of anyone. Not only because it required a massive amount of Spiritual Pressure to activate, but primarily because it was unnecessary.
Relying solely on the hypnosis of his Shikai was enough for him to play everyone in the palm of his hand; there was simply no need for a complete release.
Within this labyrinth of consciousness, the five senses would be completely scrambled, memories would blur, and even the passage of time would become imperceptible.
Although it was not a Bankai, it was already a terrifyingly powerful ability.
Only by relying on this ability did Aizen have the confidence to complete his plan.
The Prison Realm was an item with extremely harsh activation conditions.
After initiating the seal, the target had to remain within its effective range for one minute after the gate opened.
For a powerhouse like Genryusai Yamamoto, finding even a single second of vulnerability was difficult, let alone a full minute.
But Aizen had done it.
Using Kyoka Suigetsu's ultimate hypnosis, he forcibly displaced Yamamoto's sense of time, plunging him into an inescapable daze to forcefully pass a minute in reality!
"Seal!" Aizen whispered.
The Prison Realm began to vibrate violently, erupting with an irresistible suction force that attempted to drag the strongest Soul Reaper into that endless void.
"Head Captain!!"
The others present finally reacted.
Byakuya Kuchiki, who had remained silent until now, could no longer maintain his noble composure.
"Scatter, Senbonzakura."
Countless pink blades transformed into a storm of cherry blossoms, bypassing the sea of fire in the center of the battlefield to strike directly at Aizen's throat!
"Shoot to kill, Shinso."
However, before Senbonzakura could even get close, a silver light darted out like a venomous snake, instantly sweeping away the cherry blossom petals.
Gin Ichimaru stepped in front of Aizen, toying with the short sword in his hand as he spoke.
"My, my, Captain Kuchiki, interrupting someone else's fun isn't very proper etiquette for a noble."
Renji Abarai and Chojiro Sasakibe also attempted to charge forward, but Aizen merely turned his head coldly and chanted in a low voice.
"Kurohitsugi."
Hum—!!
No one expected that Aizen, who had always been gentle and elegant, seemingly unsuited for combat, could instantly manifest the high-level Kido, Kurohitsugi, without an incantation!
The massive black coffin blotted out the sky and the sun, directly trapping Renji and Chojiro inside!
Crack—!!
Following a crisp sound, the two men's eyes rolled back. Their consciousness was directly crushed by the immense power of the Kido, and they collapsed to the ground with two heavy thuds.
At this very moment, everyone finally realized.
Aizen actually possessed First-class Spiritual Power!
Faced with Aizen's treasonous remarks and sudden attack just moments ago, Momo Hinamori sobbed uncontrollably, collapsing to her knees. "Captain Aizen... why is this happening..."
At this time, all the other Captains had been lured away from this location by Aizen for various reasons...
The only one who could attempt to stop him, Byakuya Kuchiki, was actually being held back by Gin Ichimaru.
It was truly a desperate, fatal situation.
And just at the moment when the Prison Realm was about to completely devour Yamamoto.
Boom—!!!
A Spiritual Pressure even more violently scorching than before erupted from Genryusai Yamamoto's dazed, withered body!
"Haaahhhh—!!!"
A furious roar directly shattered the illusion of Kyoka Suigetsu!
Genryusai Yamamoto's eyes regained their clarity, burning with a rage capable of incinerating the heavens.
"A mere illusion! Mere demonic trickery!"
"You wet-behind-the-ears brat, I am Shigekuni Yamamoto!!"
"You're a thousand years too early to try and assassinate me!!"
Even though his limbs were already tightly bound by the fleshy tendrils of the Prison Realm.
Even though half of his body had already been stretched and distorted.
He still tightly gripped Ryujin Jakka in his hand.
"Bankai—!!"
The flames on the blade instantly vanished.
"Zanka no Tachi!!"
All the flames instantly converged into the blade.
Sizzle—!
The Reishi in the air wailed, and the ground of Sokyoku Hill began to crack and melt.
It was a temperature akin to the core of the sun, the end of all matter.
Aizen's expression changed for the first time.
He hadn't expected that even after utilizing the dual methods of the Prison Realm and Kyoka Suigetsu, he still couldn't completely suppress this monster of an old man.
Under that terrifying heat, the Prison Realm actually began to soften, even letting out cries of agony.
It seemed as though in the next second, it would be melted by the aftershocks of this Bankai!
If the opponent was allowed to fully unleash the power of Zanka no Tachi... the Prison Realm would absolutely be destroyed!
"What a... truly astonishing level of obsession."
Although Aizen was surprised, he did not panic.
Because this step was also within his worst-case scenarios... or rather, within his final backup plan.
"Soya."
Aizen called out softly to the empty air.
Hum—
Just at the instant Zanka no Tachi was about to erupt, the surrounding air suddenly became incredibly viscous.
Soya Azashiro.
This Kenpachi, who had long since merged with the air of the Seireitei, had been secretly observing all of this even while dealing with two Captains.
The moment Aizen's signal was given, he activated the ultimate ability of his Zanpakuto, [Uro Zakuro].
He did not attack Yamamoto directly, because that would be meaningless.
What he needed to do was control all the Reishi within the space surrounding Yamamoto!
All the Reishi around Genryusai Yamamoto were forcibly 'solidified' by Soya Azashiro in this instant.
Combustion requires a medium, and the eruption of Spiritual Pressure similarly requires the resonance of Reishi.
And when the surrounding Reishi refused to resonate with Ryujin Jakka, when the air turned into an insulating vacuum...
Even the strongest Zanka no Tachi would experience a brief stagnation!
That instant lasted only a few short seconds.
But for the Prison Realm, it was already enough.
"Retract!"
Aizen seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, pouring his power into the Prison Realm without reservation.
The box suddenly expanded, transforming into a giant maw capable of swallowing the sky, and completely devoured the old man who was preparing to swing his blade and destroy the world, along with his incompletely released Bankai!
Snap!
The box snapped shut heavily, letting out a dull, resounding thud.
All the flames, all the heat, all the oppressive pressure came to an abrupt halt at this moment.
Clang!
The Prison Realm fell heavily to the ground.
Its current appearance was extremely terrifying.
Its entire body was blood-red, its surface constantly bulging and contracting, as if a magma behemoth was locked inside, frantically ramming against it.
Sizzling white smoke billowed from the crevices of the box, and the surrounding ground was scorched into a deep crater by the high temperatures it emitted.
'Did we lose?'
Holding Wabisuke, Izuru Kira, who hadn't dared to take a single step forward, felt his mind go completely blank.
That invincible Head Captain, the spiritual pillar of the Gotei 13...
Just like that... sealed inside a small box?
"Phew..."
Aizen let out a heavy breath. Even for him, a fine layer of sweat had seeped out on his forehead.
He walked over to the Prison Realm but did not reach out to pick it up, because the temperature on it was something even he didn't dare touch lightly.
"Truly worthy of Head Captain Yamamoto..."
Aizen looked at the constantly trembling box and sighed with genuine admiration. "Even an otherworldly item claimed to be capable of sealing anything appears so fragile before you."
"I'm afraid that even while sealed inside, you are continuously burning that space, aren't you?"
"I know this box won't be able to trap you for too long."
Perhaps a day, perhaps an hour...
It might even be just a few minutes before Genryusai Yamamoto breaks out of the seal.
But for Aizen, that was enough.
He turned around, no longer paying attention to the box that could explode at any moment, and instead looked at Rukia, who was already dumbfounded on the execution stand.
"Now then, on to business."
Aizen's pace was extremely fast, afraid of delaying even a single second.
"D-Don't come any closer!"
The several Executive Militia members responsible for guarding Rukia finally reacted, trembling as they blocked Aizen's path.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Aizen didn't even draw his sword; he merely waved his sleeve casually.
Several invisible bursts of energy instantly pierced through the chests of those Executive Militia members.
They exploded into clouds of blood mist in mid-air, not even having the time to let out a scream.
Aizen stepped over the corpses on the ground and arrived in front of Rukia.