Sokyoku Hill.
Two pillars of light descended from the sky.
Without the slightest deviation, they perfectly and seamlessly enveloped Sosuke Aizen and Gin Ichimaru, who had retreated behind him.
Facing the light of judgment that Asuka had condensed from all his pain and obsession, the two men did not waver in the slightest.
Boom—!!
The golden-red crimson lotus lightning viciously struck the pillar of light, and a terrifying storm of energy instantly exploded across the surface of the Negacion!
It had to be known that the Negacion was not a mere defensive barrier; it directly and temporarily shifted those enveloped within it to another dimension.
How could one possibly pierce through another dimension to interfere with the target?
Yet, beyond all expectations... the crimson lotus fire was actually burning the Negacion!
The golden-red flames desperately tried to tear open the curtain of light, seeking to drill inside and devour the man within.
The rocks of Sokyoku Hill were vaporized in massive swaths, forming a sky full of raining magma.
"Ah... how truly fascinating..." Aizen provocatively pressed his face against the edge of the Negacion, wanting a closer look at how the Purifying Karma Red Lotus managed to damage it. "Is this the power within you that shatters dimensions?"
"Such colossal energy... which part of the Soul King resides within you? An arm? A leg? Or perhaps the heart?"
Clang!
Although the commotion caused by Asuka's slashes was immense, it was ultimately a pity.
The Negacion remained standing, unyielding.
"Damn it—!! Break open!!!"
Asuka even abandoned using his Spiritual Pressure for slashes, actively closing the distance to press against the Negacion, trying to tear open this absolute defense with his terrifying wolf claws!
The sharp tips of his claws scraped across the Negacion, emitting a piercing, ear-splitting screech, yet they only left behind faint white marks.
"What a pity, Asuka," Aizen said.
Looking at Asuka, who was close at hand with a face twisted in rage, Aizen's smile grew even more exhilarated. "If you had swung that blade ten seconds ago, perhaps I truly would have suffered a minor injury from it."
"However, while this world is imperfect, it does indeed have rules."
"Your current strength is not yet enough to shatter the rules set by the Soul King..."
"Aizen!!!"
Asuka's eyes looked as if they were about to drip blood as he frantically hacked at the Negacion.
The golden-red flames grew increasingly intense, nearly enveloping his entire body, as if he intended to turn himself into kindling and burn away into nothingness alongside it.
Just as Asuka descended into madness and the others were paralyzed by the sudden turn of events...
In the distance, a flurry of hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from the ruined stairs leading up to Sokyoku Hill.
Pat... Pat...
A small figure, panting heavily, stumbled toward this apocalyptic battlefield.
She wore the uniform of the Fourth Division, her short white hair drenched in sweat from running and clinging to her cheeks.
Her azure eyes were currently a swirling mix of resolve, guilt, and a trace of dread toward the unknown future.
It was none other than Nichika Ubuyashiki, who had sprinted all the way here after defeating Hinaki!
"Nichika?!"
Shinobu Kocho, who had been anxiously waiting at the edge of the ruins with a tear-stained face as she watched Asuka, felt her heart violently clench the moment she saw that familiar figure.
"Nichika! Why are you here?! Didn't I tell you to stay in the barracks!!"
Shinobu's voice was filled with panic.
She had originally thought that as long as she kept the children in the Fourth Division, they would be far away from the center of this storm.
But she never in her wildest dreams imagined that Nichika would actually appear in this most dangerous of places!
"Go back quickly! This isn't a place you should be! Hurry and leave!"
Shinobu ran toward Nichika, wanting to pull this girl—whom she had always doted on like a little sister—back into the safety of the shadows.
However, Nichika did not stop her footsteps, nor did she run toward Shinobu.
Biting her lower lip, she dodged Shinobu's outstretched hand with a few quick evasions and charged straight toward the golden-yellow pillar of light enveloping Aizen.
"Teacher Aizen!"
"I... I'm here!"
Watching Nichika rush all the way to Aizen, Shinobu felt a dizzy spell wash over her mind. "Nichika... what are you saying?"
Within the pillar of light, Sosuke Aizen looked at the panting Nichika and revealed a genuinely delighted smile.
"You did exceptionally well, Nichika."
"You have proven yourself. You possess not only talent that surpasses ordinary people, but also the courage to break the shackles of the old world."
Hum—!!!
As Aizen's words fell...
The fifth, and also the final, golden-yellow light of Negacion.
Descended from the sky.
Under Shinobu's bloodshot gaze, that pillar of light landed squarely on Nichika Ubuyashiki, gently enveloping her petite frame.
"No!!!"
Shinobu's Zanpakuto was instantly drawn from its sheath.
"You devil! How could you do this!"
"Give her back to me! Give Nichika back to me!!!"
Nichika was not just a child she had watched grow up.
She was an irreplaceable family member who came from the same world as her. This bond was incredibly important to Shinobu.
She released Tsumugi, commanding the Reishi insects to slash at the pillar of light.
But she was not like Asuka.
Those Reishi insects acted as if they had encountered the negative pole of a magnet, stalling right in front of the Negacion. They were completely unable to stop Nichika's body from slowly ascending with the pillar of light.
Sob...
Bathed in the pillar of light, Nichika looked down at the hoarse, screaming woman.
Two trails of clear tears finally slipped down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry, Lady Shinobu... I'm sorry..."
Nichika's voice carried a crying tone, but her eyes gradually grew resolute amidst the tears.
"I know I've failed your expectations. I know you and my sister will definitely hate me and be utterly disappointed in me..."
"But, I can't go on living like this anymore!"
"This Soul Society has long been terminally ill... We are going to create a new world that no longer rots."
"So... I'm sorry, Lady Shinobu."
Nichika wiped her tears and bowed deeply, so very deeply, toward Shinobu.
"When the day the new world descends arrives, I will definitely come back to get you."
"You've been deceived! Nichika! You silly child, you've been tricked by him!!!"
Shinobu cried out, her heart feeling as though it had been torn to shreds.
She could never have imagined that the family she had tried with all her might to protect would actually be lured into an abyss of eternal damnation by that devil's illusory lies.
Watching this scene unfold, Asuka, who was still trying to break through the Negacion, felt the blood in his veins flowing backward.
His fury had swelled to an absolute, uncontainable limit.
"Aizen—!!!"
Asuka threw his head back, howling like a thoroughly enraged lone wolf.
"Are you running away?! You coward who only knows how to hide in the shadows and toy with people's hearts!!!"
"Get the hell down here! Come down and fight me fair and square!!!"
Faced with Asuka's hysterical provocation, Sosuke Aizen smiled like a deity looking down upon the mortal realm.
"Running away? Don't be too arrogant, Number Seventy-Eight."
"I am not fleeing; this was always part of the plan... Moreover, my departure might not necessarily be a bad thing for you."
"After all, the gap between us is like that of heaven and earth."
"Get the hell down here!!" Asuka didn't listen to a single word, roaring as he swung his blade.
Slash after slash struck the Negacion, only to futilely dissipate into brilliant sparks.
Aizen could only shake his head helplessly. "Do you not believe my words? But unfortunately, it is the truth."
His body, along with the pillar of Negacion light, had mostly submerged into the shadows of the Garganta.
Within those profound eyes flickered the flames of an ambition that pierced through everything.
"The countdown for this detestable world has already begun..."
"From this moment forward, I shall become the god of the new world."
Watching as Nichika was about to be taken away.
Watching as Shinobu Kocho wept uncontrollably behind him.
Watching as the mastermind who caused all of this was actually able to leave so brazenly.
From Asuka's brilliant golden wolf eyes, two trails of crimson blood actually flowed down due to his extreme rage.
"Kakudatsu!!!"
He opened his mouth and roared.
"—Kill!!!"
Boom—!!!!
At this moment, the Zanpakuto Spirit resonated with him completely.
The Spiritual Pressure within Asuka's body, which had originally reached its absolute limit, actually ushered in another terrifyingly explosive surge!