"Aizen, you came after all."
Before Aizen's eyes, dozens of figures appeared in a flurry. Yamamoto had arrived with every captain of the Gotei Thirteen.
"You can no longer stop me, Captain-Commander Yamamoto!"
When it came to acting, Aizen was undoubtedly top-tier. Looking at the confident, arrogant expression on his face, if the captains had not already known that his true objective was not the Seireitei, they really would have thought he had come to attack it.
"Enough idle talk. Draw your blade!" Yamamoto's eyes flashed sharply. As a Shinigami who had lived for a thousand years, his acting was in no way inferior to Aizen's. "Reduce all creation to ash, Ryūjin Jakka!"
A scorching wave of heat surged toward Aizen. Everyone except Aizen immediately withdrew a certain distance to avoid Yamamoto's attack, while Aizen himself stood within the flames as if he were soaking in a hot bath, completely unmoved.
The moment the Espada scattered, the captains also began to move, each seeking out their own opponent. Among them, the shrewdest was Shunsui Kyōraku.
"Mr. Inoue, how about we just make do and exchange a few casual blows?" Kyōraku said to Sora Inoue after releasing Katen Kyōkotsu.
Kyōraku had deliberately chosen Sora Inoue. This way, he could spare more attention for the other battlefields, as well as Aizen's attempt to charge into the Royal Palace.
"As you wish."
For Sora Inoue, being able to slack off together with an expert slacker could not have been better. He did not want to face an opponent like Kenpachi Zaraki. If Kenpachi got carried away, Sora might end up being cut down.
Even so, for the sake of appearances, Sora Inoue still used his Resurrección and transformed into the form of a snake-woman.
Because the intelligence on the Espada had long since been circulated among the Gotei Thirteen, Kyōraku had arranged for two captains to deal with the top-ranked Espada whose strength exceeded normal limits. As for the rest, each would be handled one-on-one by a captain.
There was still one final uncertain factor: Kaname Tōsen. As his former friend, Sajin Komamura had still volunteered to face him.
"You are no match for me. Step aside, Komamura. I do not wish to kill you," Kaname Tōsen said coldly.
Looking at the friend who had become so unfamiliar, Sajin Komamura did not know what to say. The reason he had volunteered to deal with Tōsen was because he wanted to preserve Tōsen's life from the hands of the other Gotei Thirteen captains.
Komamura knew all too well what kind of changes had taken place among the Seireitei's high-level combat forces during Tsunayoshi's time in Soul Society.
If Tōsen failed to appreciate his situation and truly fought the other captains to the death, he might very well be cut down by them.
As a former friend, Komamura had come to spare Tōsen's life. As for how Tōsen would be judged afterward, that was no longer something Komamura could decide.
Seeing Komamura remain silent, Tōsen, driven by that same old friendship, tried to persuade him once more.
"We have already fought this battle once. There is no need to fight it again. Step aside, Komamura. I will spare your life."
There was still no reply. This time, Komamura answered Tōsen with his blade.
"Roar, Tenken!"
"You are giving up on Bankai?"
Tōsen assumed Komamura intended to forgo the enormous body of his Bankai in exchange for an advantage in fighting him.
"Then you have even less chance of winning. Bankai, Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi!"
Once again, a black sphere enveloped Tōsen and Komamura. In Tōsen's view, Komamura, having given up the use of his Bankai, had even less chance of defeating him. All Tōsen needed to do was repeat what he had done at the Sōkyoku Hill.
The same deprivation of the senses. The same slow, blade-by-blade slaughter of Komamura.
For Aizen's great cause, and for his revenge against Tokinada Tsunayashiro, Kaname Tōsen could abandon everything—even if the person before him was his closest friend.
What was different, however, was that this time, Sajin Komamura had already made preparations.
The instant he was enveloped by Enma Kōrogi, he could no longer sense anything and found himself in endless darkness.
But that did not matter.
Deep within his heart, a tall, powerfully built man opened his eyes.
Tenken could also be called Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō.
Unlike other Zanpakutō, Komamura's Bankai, Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō, was itself an independent entity. The two of them inherently shared everything, including damage to their bodies.
After Muramasa had materialized Tenken, Komamura, through a heart-to-heart exchange with Tenken, had obtained a new ability. He called it the mind's eye.
To put it simply, through sensory sharing with Tenken inside his body, Komamura could observe his enemy from multiple angles while fighting. The most common method was for Komamura to watch the front while Tenken watched the rear.
The reason he had been able to turn Tenken, a blade focused on raw stats, into an assassin-style combat method was also because of this ability. With multi-angle observation, Komamura could more easily discover his opponent's weaknesses.
And now, Enma Kōrogi was equivalent to turning off one of Komamura's screens. But Komamura still had another screen provided by Tenken. A Zanpakutō was not an ordinary living creature, and Tōsen's ability was ineffective against them.
It could be said that this battle had no suspense from the very beginning. Even if Tōsen used the power of Hollowfication, Komamura still had his Bankai to respond with.
There was even less need to discuss the battles with the other Espada. The captains, who had long since prepared, could not possibly be defeated. The only issue was how to capture these Arrancar.
Returning to Aizen and Yamamoto's side, Aizen saw his subordinates being separated by the captains, yet he showed no anxiety at all. After all, he did not treat his subordinates as people to begin with.
As for Yamamoto, after releasing Ryūjin Jakka into Shikai, he immediately activated an even more powerful state.
"Bankai! Gōka no Tsurugi!"
The flames on Yamamoto's Zanpakutō seemed endless. Fire continuously surged forth, bringing with it a rapidly rising temperature.
"Captain-Commander, take it easy. Do not destroy Soul Society," Aizen said softly, his tone carrying a faint trace of urgency.
Aizen was beginning to regret it. Since this was supposed to be an act with Yamamoto, he had not wasted effort creating a fire-extinguishing prince to seal Yamamoto's flames.
In the end, Yamamoto opened with Bankai, looking completely as though he were going all out.
In this way, Yamamoto looked as though he was giving his full effort on the surface. But what truly pained Aizen was the state of Soul Society as a whole.
The temperature rise caused by Yamamoto's Bankai might kill countless spiritual beings. Aizen did not want to ascend the throne only to be left with a lonely, empty world.
"No need to worry. Come at me," Yamamoto said ambiguously, seeing through Aizen's thoughts at a glance.
Aizen did not attack immediately. Instead, he sent his overwhelmingly powerful Reiatsu probing into the Seireitei. He did not find any person, but judging only from the plants in the Seireitei, Yamamoto's Bankai did not seem to have caused much damage to Soul Society.
Had Yamamoto become weaker?
Or had Aizen become stronger?
Yamamoto sneered. He had no interest in explaining things bit by bit to Aizen. He raised Gōka no Tsurugi and slashed toward him.
As early as the moment he learned they needed to put on an act, Yamamoto had already prepared himself. If they were going to act, they had to do it properly. As the publicly acknowledged strongest Shinigami, how could he let Aizen go up there without even using Bankai?
That was why Yamamoto had prepared countermeasures against the temperature increase caused by his Bankai from the very beginning.
At the entrance to the Shin'ō Underground Great Prison, the five-blade-style Tsunayoshi appeared once more. In order to deal with Yamamoto's massive area-wide influence, Tsunayoshi could only use power beyond Bankai.
What he used was the Rain attribute. Fine rain, almost impossible to distinguish with the naked eye, silently nourished the living beings of Soul Society while resisting the heat brought by Gōka no Tsurugi.
This was Yamamoto's countermeasure. The Rain attribute, characterized by Tranquility, was the only power beyond Bankai that Tsunayoshi could freely use without regard for the environment. Combined with its form as rainwater, it was also highly effective at lowering temperature. Thus, Tsunayoshi and Yamamoto's cooperation had come into being.
"That old man is actually having fun with this!" Tsunayoshi said indignantly as he watched Yamamoto on the screen.
In the past, whenever Yamamoto used Bankai, he had always been in a hurry to finish off his opponent, precisely to minimize the impact on Soul Society as much as possible.
Now that Tsunayoshi was backing him up, Yamamoto's attacks were no longer rushed. Between each move and stance, he even seemed to be enjoying himself.
Yamamoto really was immersing himself in the swordsmanship of his own school. In any case, he did not intend to defeat Aizen. Rather than waste the opportunity, he might as well use this time to properly experience swordsmanship in the state of Gōka no Tsurugi. Such an opportunity did not come easily.
Come to think of it, if he had Tsunayoshi keep using his Rain-attribute power beyond Bankai, would that not mean he could freely use Bankai without any side effects?
What Tsunayoshi did not know was that, while Yamamoto was enjoying himself, he had also discovered a blind spot.
Then again, if Tsunayoshi really used a power beyond Bankai to fight, what need would there be for Yamamoto to use Bankai against an enemy in the first place?
Facing Yamamoto's attacks, Aizen blocked them with perfectly proper swordsmanship. In his right hand, he held a katana formed purely from liquid Hollow power.
Kyōka Suigetsu had already fused into Aizen's body. He could use Hollow power to condense it from any part of his body at any time.
Unfortunately, Aizen's fusion with his Zanpakutō was still one final step away from completion. Otherwise, Kyōka Suigetsu would no longer need to appear in the shape of a sword at all.
After blocking several strikes, Aizen already found it boring.
"Let us end it here, Captain-Commander."
Yamamoto still ignored him and swung his blade toward Aizen. However, in the next instant, the violent flames passed straight through Aizen's body.
The blade had not struck anything solid. Years of experience allowed Yamamoto to instantly judge the situation. Combined with Aizen's ability, this was the power of Kyōka Suigetsu.
"Your era should come to an end, Captain-Commander Yamamoto!"
Aizen's voice came from behind Yamamoto.
A single blade pierced through his heart. Aizen ran Yamamoto clean through.
The flames on Yamamoto's Zanpakutō gradually disappeared. His body also lost strength. In the next moment, he fell toward the Seireitei headfirst, feet toward the sky.
Seeing this scene, Kisuke Urahara could not help clenching his fists. Even knowing that all of this was an act, what if Aizen had truly struck with killing intent?
"Don't panic. Even if Aizen turns the act into reality, Old Man Yamamoto still won't die. I said so!" Tsunayoshi said, patting Kisuke Urahara on the shoulder.
One of the flying fish daggers at Tsunayoshi's waist had already vanished, transforming into a swimming fish and swiftly darting toward the direction where Yamamoto was falling.
The moment Yamamoto dropped into the range of the Seireitei's buildings, a dense mass of Rain-attribute flames condensed his body into a block of solid ice. It was precisely because of this backup plan that Tsunayoshi had been comfortable letting Yamamoto deal with Aizen alone.
As long as the flying fish dagger brought Yamamoto's body back, no matter how severe his injuries were, Tsunayoshi was confident he could save him.
This was Yamamoto's true confidence in turning the enemy's scheme against them.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70+ chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789