Just as he was about to release his Zanpakuto, Aizen suddenly sensed something, his pupils slightly dilating.
But in the next instant, he tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.
Standing within the water domain, it was difficult for outsiders to discern any changes in his expression.
He was smiling—barely noticeable—yet filled with astonishment and excitement, his eyes flickering with light.
Reiatsu spread outward, and the accumulated water in the arena suddenly surged violently.
The water dragon that had been diving toward Aizen suddenly collapsed on its own, and Mei, caught in the current, struggled to stabilize herself.
To outsiders, it seemed that Aizen had released his Zanpakuto and gained control over the water domain, with no other anomalies.
However, Aizen suddenly froze in place, motionless.
The vacuum around him, created by the force of his reiatsu, was instantly filled again by the rushing water.
Chakra surged within Mei's body as she swiftly formed hand seals once more.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
A massive water dragon suddenly formed within the domain, engulfing Aizen entirely and shooting toward the sky at high speed.
Mei also moved rapidly through the water, swiftly reaching the surface.
"Lava Release: Dissolving Monster Jutsu!"
She opened her mouth and spat out a vast torrent of lava-like acid, which rained down in a massive wave toward Aizen, who was restrained by the water dragon.
The water dragon disintegrated upon being covered by the acid, and the fiery-red liquid continuously plummeted from the sky—yet Aizen's figure was nowhere to be seen.
Mei was momentarily stunned at the sight, but then, sensing something, she quickly lowered her gaze.
Looking down into the water domain, she saw that Aizen was still inside.
Around him, a vacuum zone remained, untouched by the surrounding currents.
What's going on…?
A sudden realization struck Terumi Mei—she recalled what Aizen had told her earlier about his Zanpakuto's ability.
It can manipulate mist and water refraction to distort an enemy's vision.
Was I deceived just now, causing my attack to miss?
Her mind raced, and she abruptly clasped her hands together.
Black markings instantly appeared on her face.
Boom!
The water domain suddenly churned like boiling water, surging with relentless waves.
Meanwhile, the ground beneath the water, shielded by a protective barrier around the audience, inexplicably began to crack apart.
"She's increasing the water pressure, trying to crush her opponent with sheer force." Kyoraku observed and spoke.
This technique now covered the entire arena, ensuring that Aizen could no longer evade her attacks by disrupting her vision.
However, to Mei's surprise, no matter how much chakra she poured in, the vacuum zone around Aizen remained completely unaffected—even as the force of the water was strong enough to crack the very ground beneath them.
Mei gritted her teeth and pushed the power of her Sage Mode to the maximum.
The black markings on her face became even more pronounced, and the water level in the domain visibly lowered.
Under such immense pressure, an ordinary person's body would have long since collapsed.
A beam of white light shot into the sky, forcefully pushing apart the water—it was Aizen's reiatsu.
He calmly sheathed his Zanpakuto, moving at an unhurried pace, and casually adjusted his glasses.
"Bakudo #61: Rikujokoro!"
Six golden rods of light instantly materialized around Mei, locking her in place with an unyielding force.
With a gentle smile, Aizen said, "My apologies. It seems you've somewhat underestimated the reiatsu of a captain. An attack of this level won't be enough to harm me."
"Bakudo #63: Sajo Sabaku!"
Another glowing golden chain materialized, tightly binding Mei and completely cutting off any possibility of escape.
She glanced at the barriers surrounding the arena that were preventing the water from spreading, then took a deep breath and exhaled a thick, white mist.
The mist spread rapidly, engulfing the entire arena in an instant.
The reiatsu chains binding her began to corrode bit by bit.
What she had released was acidic mist—one of her Kekkei Genkai, Boil Release.
Aizen calmly observed the glowing chains gradually being eroded.
His expression remained unchanged as he channeled even stronger reiatsu into them.
In an instant, the chains radiated a dazzling light, completely resisting the corrosive mist without being affected in the slightest.
How strong was his reiatsu?
By his own assessment, he had yet to encounter anyone stronger than himself.
To him, Mei's techniques were nothing more than child's play—he was merely humoring her.
If he wished, he could completely immobilize her with reiatsu alone.
From the start, Aizen had his own purpose for attending this exchange event.
His Zanpakuto was not a water-type, but an illusion-type—its true ability was complete hypnosis.
His initial plan had been to activate Kyoka Suigetsu in front of the crowd, placing the strongest warriors from both worlds under his absolute illusion.
However, after witnessing the strength of the Ten Crown Guards, he suddenly abandoned that idea.
Just now, he hadn't actually released his Zanpakuto—he had simply increased his reiatsu.
How strong was this emperor of the living world?
Aizen didn't know.
But he had once spent a hundred years patiently lurking in the shadows for the sake of his plan—he would never recklessly act without absolute certainty.
Revealing Kyoka Suigetsu in front of everyone didn't seem like a wise choice.
If it failed, it would only expose him.
When the world underwent its great upheaval, the Hogyoku suddenly vanished without a trace, rendering his long-held plans meaningless.
Yet, he no longer cared.
Even if he fully analyzed the Hogyoku, it might grant him immense power—but what was power truly worth?
Power was merely a tool.
What he desired was a new order.
Just moments ago, when he pretended to release Kyoka Suigetsu, he suddenly felt an unfamiliar gaze upon him.
A gaze that stirred something within him—a ripple in his long-stagnant heart.
A new world, filled with Emperor and ninjas…
This unknown, this powerful existence, assured him that the path ahead would not be a lonely one.
For the first time in a long while, he felt an urgent curiosity—he wanted to know the ambitions of this living-world emperor.
"The victor—Aizen Sosuke."
As expected, Mei lost the match.
The two Bakudo spells cast on her remained unbreakable, even with the immense boost from Sage Mode.
Had it been an ordinary captain's binding spell, she might have had a chance to struggle free—but even her Boil Release was unable to corrode the reiatsu chains in the slightest.
The gap between them was on an entirely different level.
To the spectators, it merely seemed as if Aizen had defeated Mei with just two Kido spells.
In the captain's seating area, Hitsugaya Toshiro sighed in disappointment.
At first, he had thought that after obtaining Sage Mode, Mei's strength would have undergone a qualitative leap compared to the Martial Arts Tournament.
Had he known it would turn out like this, he might have stepped in to fight instead.
Mei felt dejected.
As she bowed respectfully to Makoto, her heart was filled with shame.
Among all the contestants, it seemed like her defeat had been the most decisive and thorough.
Makoto, however, simply gave her a warm and gentle reassurance, telling her she had fought hard and could now go rest.
His kindness only made Mei feel even more ashamed.
"What a shame. I was hoping to see Captain Aizen's true strength."
Makoto suddenly spoke with a playful smile.
Aizen, maintaining his ever-calm expression, returned a polite smile and gave a slight bow to the living-world emperor.
"If the opportunity arises in the future, you certainly shall."
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