Sōkyoku Hill.
Familiar faces gathered here, the Soul Reapers wearing serious expressions as if something terrible had happened.
In the distance, the Reishi fluctuations on the Kikōō were intense, indicating it had just been activated.
"What a headache."
A voice that couldn't be more familiar came from afar, and a figure wearing a white haori entered everyone's line of sight.
"To think you could even stop the Kikōō, I still underestimated you all."
Even knowing that everything before him was fake, seeing that face still inevitably plunged him into deep thought.
Why would that guy have such a completely unfamiliar expression on his face?
At that moment, a somewhat unfamiliar Reiatsu covered the area, connecting everyone like a fishing net.
"The situation is urgent, please make sure to believe everything I am about to say."
"The Shino Prison Warden, Naraku Sora, is not dead. He defeated all the guards in the prison and killed all the judges and sages of Central 46."
"He has betrayed us!"
"Betraying alongside him are the new Gotei 13's Ichimaru Gin, Tōsen Kaname, and Kurotsuchi Mayuri..."
Aizen looked at the figure walking forward with some astonishment.
Even though he knew perfectly well that this was an illusion set up by Kyōka Suigetsu, subconsciously, he actually thought this scene was possible.
But the person standing against Soul Society shouldn't be Sora, it should be someone else.
Naraku Sora arrived in front of Matsumoto Rangiku, lifting her off the ground by the collar around her neck with one hand.
The girl looked at the person standing before her in absolute despair, her voice trembling, "No, you are not the Lord Naraku I know."
Facing her questioning, Naraku Sora smiled. "The Naraku Sora you know never actually existed from the very beginning."
As he spoke, his hand transformed into the shape of a withered branch, silently opening her chest cavity and extracting a speck of light from the hollow.
"Is this the so-called Spirit King fragment?"
"How surprising."
As he spoke, terrifying flames descended from the sky, as if a sun had fallen upon Sōkyoku Hill. The temperature in the air soared drastically, instantly evaporating the surrounding moisture.
"Naraku, I will absolutely not allow..."
Right at this moment, the sky suddenly shattered, and several golden pillars of light descended from above.
"What a pity, Teacher, time is exactly up."
Negación enveloped the few of them, the ground began to shatter, and the figures gradually ascended toward the zenith.
Naraku Sora lowered his gaze, looking at the numerous Captains below.
"Sōsuke, what is with that expression of yours? Is all of this so hard to understand?"
"So-called friendship and trust are nothing more than means for me to pursue a higher realm."
Aizen's expression was indifferent. "Sora, have you finally fallen?"
"It is you who are too arrogant."
Naraku Sora's gaze was calm.
"No one stands at the top from the very beginning. Not you, not me, not even the so-called gods."
"However, the unbearable vacancy of the throne of heaven is about to end."
"From now on, I will stand at the zenith."
Looking at the figure enveloped by the Negación, Aizen fell silent for a few seconds.
The scene before him was too out of character, completely mismatching the image of the reckless brute in his mind.
These were absolutely not words that guy could say.
But for some reason, he faintly felt that this scene seemed possible.
Was it an illusion?
Just as he was deep in thought, a figure silently arrived behind him.
"Hehehe, take this—"
"Naraku Explosion Punch!"
Facing the mindless Aizen, Naraku Sora happily threw a punch.
In the past, when fighting Aizen, he always had to worry about breaking him.
And he could never fight to his heart's content.
That guy Aizen was too rational in battle; no matter what kind of move was used, he would come up with a corresponding countermeasure.
Unless he crushed him with pure stats, he would lose more often than he won.
But now, there were no such reservations.
In his Hollowfied state, Aizen possessed a certain degree of High-Speed Regeneration, coupled with enhancements to his physical constitution, Reiatsu, strength, speed, and defense.
He didn't have to worry about breaking him anytime soon.
How exhilarating!
The terrifying wind from the punch landed, and a muffled, massive impact echoed against that pure white body. Immediately after, the entire person was sent flying backward in an instant, erupting into rings of white shockwaves in the sky.
Urahara Kisuke breathed a sigh of relief, feeling somewhat emotional.
Although his superior could be a bit petty, his strength was absolutely unquestionable.
Even though the Hollowfied Lord Aizen possessed terrifying strength, compared to a certain monster, he was still somewhat lacking.
With Naraku Sora taking action, the outcome was set.
There was no longer any need to worry about the result. It was better to heal this group of people first.
It would be quite comical if they didn't suffer casualties in battle, but instead died from delayed medical aid.
Urahara Kisuke squeezed out his Reiatsu, first modifying and repairing his own battered body, fully restoring his mobility.
Looking at the "corpses" lying haphazardly across the desert, Urahara Kisuke's mood suddenly became somewhat subtle.
As early as their academy days, teachers had repeatedly taught that Hollows were the enemies of Soul Reapers, and any encounter must end in a fight to the death.
Yet now, Soul Reapers and Menos Grande were fighting side by side, even entrusting their backs to each other.
Wasn't this a bit contrary to...
Wait.
Urahara Kisuke's face darkened as he suddenly remembered something.
If he remembered correctly, among the people present, it seemed very few had actually completed the full six-year curriculum at the Spiritual Arts Academy, right?
So they were all illiterate. Never mind then.
Aizen staggered as he stood up and shook his head, seemingly dazed by that unreserved punch.
However, in that split second of distraction, a figure radiating scorching heat suddenly appeared in his line of sight.
Naraku Sora shifted his muscles and bones, his muscles writhing like flowing water as scorching power burst forth.
The golden vertical pupils shrank, seemingly possessing an instinctual understanding of the impending impact.
A handful of burnt ashes scattered before Aizen's eyes.
The next second.
Surging heatwaves roared beneath the sky, the moisture in the atmosphere rapidly evaporating, the temperature climbing rapidly as if there were no upper limit.
Black and red lightning wrapped around his body, distorting the surrounding space.
Pulling his arm back, he unleashed a black flash directly.
The scorching violence wantonly washed over the senses, making one feel as if they were inside a magma volcano.
Just standing there gave the illusion of suffocation.
"Bakudō #81・Dankū."
Under the intense threat, the Hollowfied Aizen instinctively released the strongest defense among Kidō.
A transparent barrier descended from the sky, solidly blocking Naraku Sora's path.
No matter how many times he saw it, Naraku Sora found this scene incredibly abstract.
It was hard to understand.
But a mere Dankū wasn't enough to stop this heavy punch!
The fist wind landed, and countless dense cracks appeared on the transparent barrier, spreading in an instant.
Accompanied by a crisp crack, Reishi fragments scattered, splashing into the nearby silver sand.
At the same time, an unreserved face-breaking punch of friendship landed solidly on that mask.
Boom!
Another fierce collision caused the entire battlefield to boil. Scalding winds rose from the ground, dyeing the night sky golden red.
The thin air vibrated violently, and countless scorching airwaves echoed beneath the night curtain.
The Hollowfied Aizen dragged a long tail of flames, plowing a deep trench several kilometers long across the desert, crashing down the accumulated stone pillars at the end of their line of sight.
Looking at that tragic scene, Urahara Kisuke felt a lingering fear.
He subconsciously put himself in Aizen's shoes. If that punch had landed on him, what would the consequences be?
As if seeing a ripe watermelon exploding, Urahara Kisuke shuddered.
He immediately put away any inappropriate thoughts of slacking off, and made up his mind that for at least three months, he wouldn't let a certain someone catch him slipping up.
In the dispersing dust, a figure faintly appeared.
When the wind and sand cleared, the heavily injured Aizen appeared in everyone's line of sight.
His arm and lower leg were twisted irregularly, white bone spurs piercing through the flesh and exposing themselves, looking exceptionally hideous.
However, the most eye-catching thing was not this terrifying injury.
But that shattered mask.
Cracks appeared on the Hollow mask, leaking liquefied Reiatsu.
A Reishi longsword swung, directly severing the twisted arm and lower leg. Accompanied by the surge of milky-white Reiatsu, the missing parts instantly grew back.
Immediately after, he reached out and forcefully peeled off the damaged mask from his face.
Revealing a face that was familiar yet somewhat strange.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri's gaze sharpened.
"Has Lord Aizen recovered from Hollowfication?"
An expression of disbelief surfaced on Urahara Kisuke's face, his mouth twitching.
"I think he has entered the second stage."
As a master in the field of Hollowfication, Naraku Sora could tell at a glance that Aizen still hadn't recovered.
It was just that under the catalysis of the Hollow power, he had undergone another breakthrough.
Or rather, an evolution.
Aside from the increase in Reiatsu and strength, his appearance looked much more pleasing to the eye.
The mask had completely peeled off, his body was still wrapped in milky-white chitin, and his golden vertical pupils revealed an uncontrollable brutality.
"You were the one who didn't play by the rules first, so don't blame me for not holding back."
As he spoke, Naraku Sora drew his pitch-black Zanpakutō, a flash of crimson darting across the ink-black blade.
At the same time, he pressed his five fingers against his face, and a Hollow mask instantly covered it.
The oppression belonging to a superior being instantly spread out.
Looking at the blade that pierced through his heart, a trace of surprise flashed in Aizen's eyes.
"Is this your trump card?"
Kyōka Suigetsu, wearing a white bone mask, appeared from behind him, his indifferent, overlapping metallic voice sounding out:
"Aizen, overly arrogant words will only expose the weakness hidden in your heart."
"I win this round."
Hearing this, Aizen lowered his gaze slightly, the corners of his mouth curling into an imperceptible arc.
"Since when were you under the illusion that you would win?"
As his words fell, the figure in front of Kyōka Suigetsu suddenly vanished, shattering like a struck mirror, countless fragments scattering.
"What?!"
Kyōka Suigetsu's eyes widened.
*Squelch—*
The sound of tearing flesh followed, and a bloodstained blade unreservedly pierced through Kyōka Suigetsu's body.
"How did you do that?"
Kyōka Suigetsu looked at the gruesome piercing wound, asking with difficulty.
Aizen looked at him calmly and said softly, "I lack the interest, and you lack the talent."
Kyōka Suigetsu's breath instantly hitched. Just as he was about to say something more, his body began to shatter and disappear, merging into the Zanpakutō.
Under the night sky, a brilliant pillar of light shot into the heavens.
Accompanied by someone's maniacal laughter, countless afterimages shuttled through the sky.
Brutal power poured out like a breached flood, wreaking havoc to its heart's content.
Having finally caught such an opportunity, he naturally had to grasp it well.
Good brothers should beat each other up ruthlessly.
Naraku Sora raised his blade. Heavy Reiatsu wrapped around the edge, turning it into a posture like a heavy hammer. Bones interlocked, emitting a sound like grinding steel.
However, right at this moment, Aizen's golden pupils disappeared, replaced by a pair of clear eyes.
"..."
Before he could finish speaking, his vision was covered by a pitch-black blade, and Aizen's eyes instantly went black.
His last thought before losing consciousness was—
*This bastard is abusing this situation for personal revenge!*