Ichimaru Gin and Aizen Sōsuke walked side by side, their feet not yet having stepped out of the main entrance.
The surrounding temperature plummeted, and a hint of chill even permeated the air.
Ichimaru Gin grinned, "Oh dear, it seems we might not be able to leave."
"It doesn't matter, the outcome will be the same regardless," Aizen Sōsuke said, completely unconcerned.
Hitsugaya Tōshirō, Captain of the Tenth Division?
A child who could be lured by Ukitake Jūshirō with snacks—wouldn't he be defeated with a single strike?
"Aizen!"
Hitsugaya Tōshirō burst through the window, descending from above.
He held Hyōrinmaru, emitting the spiritual pressure of a Captain.
Hitsugaya Tōshirō's eyes were bloodshot as he looked at Hinamori Momo, who lay on the ground, her condition unknown; his furious spiritual pressure surged once more.
"You… you killed Hinamori Momo!"
"There's no need for such an outburst. I merely gave her a resting place. If I were not here, she might not have been able to live!"
"Bastard!"
The entire hall gradually became covered in frost. "You deserve to die, Aizen!"
"Bankai: Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!"
Ice wings materialized on his back. Hitsugaya Tōshirō, wielding the strongest ice-type Zanpakuto, exuded a terrifying chill.
He slashed fiercely at Aizen Sōsuke and Ichimaru Gin.
Aizen lightly leaped, landing a short distance away.
Ichimaru Gin, on the other hand, jumped to the other side, avoiding being caught in the crossfire.
A thick layer of ice formed on the ground. Hitsugaya Tōshirō turned, looking at Aizen, who stood more than ten meters away with a sinister smile on his face.
Seeing Aizen's expression, Hitsugaya Tōshirō's anger immediately flared.
"I'll kill you!"
Ice mist appeared all over his body, transforming into a white flash and rushing forward.
Aizen neither dodged nor retreated. Hyōrinmaru directly pierced Aizen's body.
Immediately, Hyōrinmaru's powerful freezing ability encased Aizen Sōsuke in ice.
However, Hitsugaya Tōshirō could not feel happy.
The frozen Aizen's lips curled into a sinister smile, and his body began to disappear bit by bit.
The next second,
Aizen Sōsuke appeared behind Hitsugaya Tōshirō, Kyōka Suigetsu in his hand dripping with crimson blood.
"Ugh—"
The ice wings shattered.
Hitsugaya Tōshirō's right shoulder gushed a large amount of blood.
"Impossible…"
As a Captain himself, Hitsugaya Tōshirō couldn't comprehend being instantly defeated by the supposedly weak Fifth Division Captain.
Hitsugaya Tōshirō collapsed in a pool of blood.
"What a beautiful sight!"
Blood stained the frost in the air. Seeing such a wondrous scene, Aizen couldn't help but sigh.
Moments after Hitsugaya Tōshirō fell, a figure landed beside him, and then the Tenth Division Captain in the pool of blood vanished.
The figure swiftly darted out the door, so fast that even Ichimaru Gin didn't have time to react.
"Oh dear, Captain Aizen, it seems something just went right by. Should we go after it?"
Ichimaru Gin's narrowed eyes revealed a thin line.
Although he hadn't been fully vigilant just now, he was a Captain after all, not some half-baked individual like Hitsugaya Tōshirō. He couldn't even clearly see the other person's appearance.
"No, there's no need. I already know who it is."
Aizen said, preparing to return Kyōka Suigetsu to its sheath.
"Splat—"
Crimson blood gushed from Aizen's left chest.
Half a blade protruded through.
"Ugh—"
Aizen Sōsuke's mouth filled with a sweet taste, and he violently spat out blood.
"Does it hurt, Captain Aizen?" A familiar voice came from behind him.
Even without looking back, Aizen could tell who was standing behind him just by the voice.
"How cruel, Vice-Captain Hinamori… cough cough, was what you did earlier meant to dispel the effect of Kyōka Suigetsu?"
"That's right. As long as the blade is touched, the effect of Kyōka Suigetsu can be dispelled. How I knew that, I probably don't need to explain, you already know the reason, don't you?"
Hinamori Momo held her Zanpakuto, looking indifferently at the Captain's haori on Aizen's back, stained crimson with blood.
The large character 'Five' was still so conspicuous.
"Cough cough, I see, it's that person…"
In the Chat Group, if two people from the same world joined, there would be projection videos about past and future.
In other words, Hinamori Momo had already seen the past and future and made changes.
However, Aizen Sōsuke still had many things he didn't understand at this moment.
He clearly saw someone run out, so why was she still in the hall?
The scene of Hinamori Momo piercing Aizen's chest from behind with her Zanpakuto, Tobiume, left both parties in a state of stillness.
Ichimaru Gin, who was observing the situation from the side, slowly opened his narrowed eyes.
This development was getting interesting!
First, a Captain pierced his Vice Captain's chest under the guise of comfort.
Then, the Vice Captain retaliated, severely wounding the Captain.
You 5th Division members sure know how to play.
The wound on Aizen's chest was definitely not fake.
Moreover, from their conversation, Hinamori Momo had already broken free from the effect of Kyōka Suigetsu?
He had thought that only he, Ichimaru Gin, knew how to break free from it.
He didn't expect there was someone else hidden even deeper.
Captain Aizen, as expected of you. Even your Vice Captain is a cunning schemer.
He thought she was a naive sweet girl, but she turned out to be a big bad wolf.
"Oh dear, Captain Aizen, how is your Vice Captain alive again? Hmm, it seems you don't look so good, Captain Aizen. Do you need help?"
Ichimaru Gin had no intention of intervening.
Aizen wasn't angry about Ichimaru Gin's inaction.
He already knew this guy was a traitor, why get angry?
Aizen Sōsuke's haori fluttered slightly.
A faint black spiritual pressure emerged beneath Hinamori Momo's feet.
With a quick leap, Hinamori Momo performed a 360-degree somersault in the air, landing a distance away.
"Hado #90: Kurohitsugi!"
A pitch-black coffin rose behind Aizen.
However, before the black coffin could fully materialize, the Zanpakuto, Tobiume, which had pierced Aizen Sōsuke's chest, withdrew from his back and floated at the location where the black coffin was forming.
The Zanpakuto lightly swept towards the half-formed black coffin.
The entire barrier of the black coffin disappeared, accompanied by a scattering of gray spiritual pressure onto the ground.
Tobiume returned to Hinamori Momo's hand.
"Cough cough."
With the Zanpakuto removed from his chest, which had been stopping the wound, blood immediately gushed out.
Aizen Sōsuke staggered two steps, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
The wound pierced by the Zanpakuto actually began to heal at a visible rate.
"Is it the power of the Hōgyoku?"
Watching Aizen's chest rapidly recover, Hinamori Momo's eyes flickered slightly, showing no great surprise.
Aizen retreated to Ichimaru Gin's side. Even injured, he didn't seem to worry about Ichimaru Gin harming him.
"Captain Aizen's vitality is indeed tenacious," Ichimaru Gin said, narrowing his eyes.
"I didn't die, Gin. Are you disappointed?" Aizen asked meaningfully.
"How could I be? I've always believed Captain Aizen wouldn't die so easily."
Ichimaru Gin's face showed a harmless expression.
"Heh heh."
Aizen merely chuckled, his gaze shifting from Ichimaru Gin to Hinamori Momo.
"You are not Hinamori Momo. I am very curious, who are you?"
Both her appearance and behavior were very similar to Hinamori Momo, and even the appearance of her Zanpakuto was identical.
But Aizen just had this feeling.
The 'Hinamori Momo' in front of him was not his harmless Vice Captain.
"Someone who wants to kill you," Hinamori Momo did not answer Aizen's question.
"Is that so…?" As he spoke, the injury on Aizen's chest had completely healed. If not for the bloodstains remaining on his clothes, one wouldn't even be able to tell his heart had been pierced, almost killing him.
Aizen pushed up the frames of his glasses, his voice lowered:
"Gin, do it!"
Hearing Aizen's command, Ichimaru Gin drew his Zanpakuto.
"Shoot to kill, Shinsō!"
The Zanpakuto rapidly elongated, directly attacking Hinamori Momo.
Facing Ichimaru Gin's attack, Hinamori Momo swung her Zanpakuto, lightly drawing a line in front of her.
Spiritual pressure quickly gathered in one place, forming a giant barrier.
"Bakudo #81: Dankū!"
The Bakudo formed quickly, deflecting Ichimaru Gin's attack with a 'clang'.
The deflected Zanpakuto also returned to its original length.
"Impossible. A Vice Captain actually blocked my Zanpakuto with a Dankū without incantation."
Ichimaru Gin's narrowed eyes opened, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.
This familiar scene reminded Ichimaru Gin of years ago, when Aizen used Danku without chanting to block the Kidō Corps Captain's Hado #88.
How similar the scene was…