Chapter 185: Urahara Kisuke vs Aizen
"When you're fighting, you let yourself get confused by the enemy's words. How could I have such an idiot for a son!"
Accompanied by Kurosaki Isshin's roar, Ichigo felt a tremendous force strike him, then he flew backward. Before he could land, a hand grabbed his body mid-flight and quickly carried him away from the center of the battlefield.
"What an interesting father and son. Letting him leave in this situation—is this your protection for him?"
Aizen looked at Kurosaki Ichigo and the others leaving quickly, without any intention to stop them. Instead, he said to Urahara Kisuke, "I simply sympathize with this child. He's fought for Soul Society for so long, yet he doesn't know his own origins at all. How unkind of you, Urahara Kisuke!"
"Stop it, Aizen!"
Urahara Kisuke immediately interrupted Aizen's words. Shihōin Yoruichi also appeared beside him at this moment and nodded to Urahara Kisuke.
"Mr. Kurosaki is not the same kind of person as you!"
"Not the same kind of person? Isn't it too early to draw such conclusions? This child's growth process could be described as terrifying. Even I feel somewhat afraid. But that's all it amounts to."
With that, Aizen lightly flicked the blade in his hand. "Clang!" The blade trembled, a dazzling white light flashed, and Aizen directly sent sword energy toward Urahara Kisuke's direction.
"Cry: Benihime!"
At the moment when the sword energy cutting across the sky was about to strike Urahara Kisuke, he immediately released his Zanpakuto. After an explosion, the smoke dispersed. A blood-red shield had appeared before Urahara Kisuke, offsetting the sword energy from Aizen.
"It's not like you to suddenly attack at the slightest disagreement, Aizen!" Urahara Kisuke said with a dark expression.
"I'm simply verifying one thing. But judging by your behavior..."
Aizen's words surprised Urahara Kisuke, but he responded calmly, "Really? What do you know?"
At this time, Aizen suddenly extended his hand and tapped the surrounding air with his fingers.
Bang bang bang!
It was clearly empty sky, yet there were solid sounds around Aizen. "Has the barrier been reinforced?"
Hearing Aizen's words, Urahara Kisuke smiled and clapped his hands. "As expected of you. Your perception is still so sharp."
"Did you do it when you were close to me? I'm curious what your purpose is, but... forget it. I can only kill you. What you do—what does it have to do with me!"
Aizen looked at Urahara Kisuke before him and said with a sneer.
"Yoruichi, here he comes!"
"Right!"
Sensing the murderous aura released from Aizen's body, Urahara Kisuke didn't dare be careless. He immediately warned Shihōin Yoruichi beside him. Aizen's figure flashed, sprinting between the two at tremendous speed. Even Yoruichi, who called herself the "Flash Goddess," couldn't sense his approach.
Aizen swung his blade with his right hand while gathering spirit particles in his left, shooting out a hand blade to attack them both respectively. Facing the sudden assault, Yoruichi exerted force from her waist, leaned back, and threw a chain with her right hand to wrap around Aizen's sword-wielding right hand.
Urahara Kisuke blocked Aizen's hand blade with the spirit shield transformed from his left hand, then immediately caught the chain thrown by Shihōin Yoruichi to quickly bind both of Aizen's hands.
The tacit cooperation between the two made Aizen frown. Then the Reiatsu in his body attempted to burst forth to break free from the chain, but he found that the Reiatsu he released was being absorbed and dissolved by the unknown factors in the iron chain.
"You're being careless, Aizen!"
After those words fell, Urahara Kisuke and Shihōin Yoruichi simultaneously opened distance from Aizen, one on the left and one on the right, holding the two ends of the spirit chain in their hands.
"Bakudō Number Sixty-One: Rikujōkōrō!"
"Bakudō Number Sixty-Three: Sajō Sabaku!"
"Bakudō Number Seventy-Nine: Kuyō Shibari!"
After opening the distance, Urahara Kisuke formed hand seals with one hand. At the speed of an ordinary captain chanting one Kido, he rapidly chanted three Bakudō spells.
In an instant, six light sheets appeared from the sky, locking Aizen's body and rendering him immobile. Then Reiatsu wrapped him in thick snake-like chains, strangling Aizen's body with tremendous force.
Finally, Urahara Kisuke extended his hand into the air. Nine black spirit particles appeared from nowhere and shot out with a "whoosh," locking Aizen's eight sides and center together, preventing any movement whatsoever.
"On the edge of a thousand hands, the venerable hands that cannot touch darkness, the archer of heaven that cannot be reflected, the path where brilliance spreads, fanning the flames of wind. When gathered, there is no need for doubt."
"Following my will, light bullets, eight bodies, nine scrolls, heavenly scripture, swift treasure, great wheel, grey fortress—bow to the distance and vanish brilliantly!"
"Hadō Number Ninety-One: Senjū Kōten Taihō!"
Urahara Kisuke, who was gripping the spirit chain tightly with one hand, held his Zanpakuto in the other and began chanting his offensive Kido.
During the chant, more than a dozen rays of Reiatsu converged around Urahara Kisuke. The terror contained in that Reiatsu made it easy to believe it could easily kill a Menos Grande at Adjuchas level.
After the chant completed, the momentum of these rays reached its peak. This was why, for Shinigami, fully chanted Kido possessed far greater power.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!
These dozens of rays shot out instantly, all exploding against Aizen's body in rapid succession. The power of each light beam was no less than a Cero from an Espada-level Arrancar.
BOOM!!
Under Urahara Kisuke's calm gaze, the Senjū Kōten Taihō completely struck Aizen's body. Regarding his own Kido, Urahara Kisuke wasn't worried about missing or failing to cause damage to his opponent. But if this was Aizen who had already fused with Hōgyoku, all of this became an unknown variable.
A few seconds later, the smoke filling the sky dissipated. Urahara Kisuke and Shihōin Yoruichi looked on solemnly, observing the situation through the smoke. After the dust completely cleared, a figure wrapped in a milky white shell appeared completely intact in their line of sight.
Aizen had completed the second stage of fusion with Hōgyoku.