Yasutora Sado's strength had increased considerably after his battles in Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. At the very least, Reigai-Komamura, in his base form, couldn't defeat him while he wielded his Brazo Derecha de Gigante.
BOOM!
Both Sado and Reigai-Komamura were driven back by the force of their colliding spiritual pressures. They clashed again, Komamura's Zanpakutō descended, but Sado's shield deflected the blow effortlessly.
With Yachiru Kusajishi and Sado holding off Reigai-Soi Fon and Reigai-Komamura, Uryū Ishida made his move.
He drew his Ginrei Kojaku, and a torrent of spiritual arrows, a thousand two hundred per second, rained down on the Reigai lieutenants.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions rocked the Seireitei, the ground beneath the lieutenants shattered. However, while Uryū's attack was relentless, those chosen by Kageroza Inaba to be replicated weren't weak. They wouldn't be so easily defeated.
The lieutenants, each using their unique skills, evaded the barrage while drawing their Zanpakutō. They charged towards Uryū.
"Murmur – Haineko!"
"Raise your head – Wabisuke!"
"Bloom – Tobiume!"
"Roar – Zabimaru!"
"Extend – Hōzukimaru!"
"Bloom – Nejibana!"
Six or seven spiritual pressures flared. Even Uryū, using Hirenkyaku, struggled to evade their combined assault while firing arrows in return.
"I underestimated them…" he thought grimly.
He had planned to quickly dispatch the lieutenants before assisting Sado. But their strength had surpassed his expectations. Several of them rivaled even the Privaron Espada he had encountered in Hueco Mundo. Now, survival, not victory, was his priority.
Orihime Inoue watched the three battles unfold, her hand resting on the golden bracelet on her right wrist – Enkidu, Ailin's Zanpakutō, in its sealed form. After rejoining Uryū and Sado, Enkidu had reverted to its bracelet form to conserve spiritual pressure. Away from Unlimited Blade Works, and without Ailin's spiritual energy to sustain her, Enkidu's regeneration was limited. Orihime, unsure of the situation in the Seireitei, knew Enkidu's power had to be reserved for a more critical moment.
"Resound – Tenken!" Seeing his attacks ineffective against Sado, Reigai-Komamura released his Shikai.
A massive, armored arm and blade materialized behind him, mirroring his movements. It swung down at Sado.
"Brazo Izquierda del Diablo! La Muerte!"
Seeing Komamura release his Zanpakutō, Sado unleashed his full power. White and black markings covered his left arm as he punched upwards.
BOOM!
A powerful shockwave erupted from Sado's fist, colliding with Reigai-Komamura's blade, sending it flying. The force of the impact propelled Reigai-Komamura backward. If Sado's attack had connected directly, the fight would have been over.
"Bankai…" Enraged, Reigai-Komamura's spiritual pressure surged, blue lightning crackled around his eyes.
"Scatter, Senbonzakura!" A cold voice echoed through the Seireitei. A wave of cherry blossoms erupted, engulfing Reigai-Soi Fon, Reigai-Komamura, and the Reigai lieutenants.
"Captain Kuchiki?"
Uryū and the others were startled. While they hadn't fought him during their previous incursion into Soul Society, they knew his reputation. However, despite his swift dispatch of their attackers, they eyed him warily. His power was on a completely different level. They couldn't be certain of his allegiance.
"Byakuya?" Their apprehension faded, however, as Yachiru appeared before Byakuya, tilting her head inquisitively.
"You just returned from Hueco Mundo?" he asked.
"Yes, Captain Kuchiki. What's happening in the Seireitei? Why were those Shinigami attacking us?"
Hearing Byakuya's question confirmed his identity. The Reigai would have attacked without question, without acknowledging their arrival from Hueco Mundo.
"Those captains and lieutenants… are fakes." Byakuya's gaze shifted towards the site of Zaraki's battle. "Leave this place. I'll bring Captain Zaraki back." He vanished with a flash, heading towards the epicenter of the fight.
He knew the Seireitei desperately needed powerful fighters. Zaraki, among the strongest captains, was essential. As for Uryū, Sado, and Orihime, they were humans. They shouldn't be involved in this conflict.
Normally, Zaraki, a battle-hungry warrior, wouldn't heed Byakuya's call to retreat. But even Zaraki had his attachments. Byakuya merely mentioned Yachiru, and Zaraki, with a grunt, abandoned his fight and followed Byakuya.
Having brought Zaraki, Orihime, Sado, and Uryū to the hidden training ground, Byakuya returned to the Twelfth Division to speak with Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
"Hueco Mundo? That's… a possibility. The Garganta I used to send Captain Zaraki there is still active. However, opening a Garganta from Hueco Mundo to the World of the Living will require some… modifications. Give me some time."
"Understood." Byakuya nodded.
…
Back in the World of the Living…
"We lost."
Thanks to Unohana's healing, the injured Shinigami were stable. They would recover fully with time. However, there was no joy in their survival. They had been utterly defeated. Even Captain-Commander Yamamoto seemed diminished, his usual imposing figure now slightly stooped.
While he had dominated his fight against Aizen, repeatedly pushing him to the brink of death, Aizen had only grown stronger, evolving with each near-fatal injury. Yamamoto, in the end, had been defeated by exhaustion. And against this evolved Aizen, even Yamamoto, at full strength, wasn't confident of victory.
The others felt even less optimistic.
"No. We haven't lost yet."
Kisuke Urahara, Yoruichi Shihōin, Isshin Kurosaki, and Ichigo Kurosaki appeared before them.
"Captains, I need your help."
"Urahara, you saw Aizen's power. Numbers won't make a difference."
Shunsui Kyōraku said, forcing a smile. While they had all known that attacking Aizen en masse was a fool's errand, due to Kyōka Suigetsu, the situation was now different. Before, they had feared being manipulated into attacking each other. Now, they feared being simply overwhelmed by Aizen's raw power.
"Aizen is strong, yes, but we have someone who can fight him."
"Captain Ailin?"
The Shinigami's thoughts immediately went to the captain who had effortlessly stopped Aizen's attack. They had all witnessed Aizen's power. To see him so easily restrained… Ailin's strength was clearly on a different level.
"If that's your plan, then you're out of luck, Captain Urahara. Captain Ailin appeared briefly, but after rescuing Captain Ichimaru, he vanished. From their conversation, it seems they have some sort of agreement. Ailin won't interfere unless Aizen attacks him directly."
Kyōraku's words extinguished their last hope. If only Ailin would fight… They didn't understand his inaction. However, the expressions on Yamamoto, Kyōraku, Ukitake, and Urahara's faces suggested they knew something the others didn't.
"No, I'm not talking about Captain Ailin. I'm talking about… Ichigo Kurosaki." Urahara pulled Ichigo forward.
"Me? Mr. Urahara, you saw what happened. Aizen barely tried, and I nearly died." Even Ichigo himself doubted his ability to defeat Aizen in his current state.
"Ichigo is strong, Urahara. He's grown considerably in such a short time. He has great potential. But as he said, Aizen's power has surpassed the limits of a Shinigami." Yamamoto conceded.
"It's true that Ichigo, in his current state, can't match Aizen. But what if… his power increased?" Urahara turned to Isshin Shiba.
The others followed his gaze. Kyōraku, knowing Isshin's identity, felt a flicker of hope. Did Isshin possess some Shiba Clan technique to boost Ichigo's power? As one of the Five Noble Families, the Shiba Clan, though in decline, still held considerable power, their legacy passed down from the Soul King himself.
Isshin sighed. "There is a way… to temporarily increase Ichigo's power. However, the cost… is his Shinigami powers. He'll become an ordinary human again. Ichigo, even knowing this, do you still want to learn it?"
The Shinigami were silent. This battle was an internal conflict within Soul Society. Ichigo, a human who had accidentally gained Shinigami powers, had no obligation to sacrifice himself for them.
To their surprise, Ichigo didn't hesitate.
"Dad, isn't that obvious? If this was just a fight between Aizen and Soul Society, I might not care. But Captain Ailin told me what Aizen's planning…"