Chapter 186: Life and Death, The Mysterious High-Level Kidō
"Aizen..."
Urahara Kisuke stared at Aizen's transformed appearance with grave intensity, his eyes narrowed in concentration. The veins on his forehead pulsed intermittently, betraying the turbulent emotions beneath his carefully maintained composure.
"Is this your Kidō? If this is merely the extent of your capabilities, then you've truly disappointed me!"
Aizen's body was wrapped within a white cocoon-like shell, resembling a silkworm chrysalis in the midst of metamorphosis. The pale membrane pulsed with spiritual energy, radiating an otherworldly presence.
"To this extent?"
Rather than showing annoyance at his technique's apparent failure, Urahara Kisuke suddenly raised his arm toward Aizen. Between his thumb and forefinger, he held a crimson bead that gleamed with an ominous light.
Crack.
In a deliberate motion, Urahara Kisuke crushed the red jade bead directly in front of Aizen. The instant it shattered, a scarlet light erupted from the position where the Hōgyoku was embedded in Aizen's chest.
A searing heat flooded through Aizen's entire body. The fiery, needle-like pain radiated from deep within, stimulating every single cell in his being with excruciating intensity.
"Aizen... It seems you've grown truly careless now that you've obtained the power of the Hōgyoku!"
Urahara Kisuke's voice turned cold as he began his incantation. "Mist-shrouded forest, wrath at the break of dawn, twenty-four flame gods galloping through the mountains—shatter with a thunderous roar!"
"Bakudō Number Ninety-Three: Yōgan Shinshoku!"
BOOM!
The moment Urahara Kisuke completed his chant, an enormous crimson net erupted from the Hōgyoku's position on Aizen's chest. The massive web of molten lava, radiating temperatures exceeding a thousand degrees, instantly enveloped Aizen's entire body.
The extreme heat began burning through his defenses. Even with a heart as resolute as Aizen's, he couldn't suppress a scream of agony.
"Damn... Damn you, Urahara Kisuke!"
Aizen clutched at the Hōgyoku embedded in his chest. His face was already concealed within the cocoon of transformed Reiatsu, making his expression invisible—but without seeing it, one could easily imagine the distortion of pain and fury twisting his features.
Suddenly, blood began spilling uncontrollably from Urahara Kisuke's arm as he continued his assault, chanting toward Aizen with unwavering determination.
"Asura's descent, crowned with withering thorns, in the blood moon's name, with my blood as offering—obey the heavenly edict! Darkest night, silence incarnate, call forth the alienation from beyond!"
"Hadō Number Ninety-Five: Meigetsusha!"
The instant the final word left his lips, Urahara Kisuke's right hand began withering at a speed visible to the naked eye, as though all blood had been drained from it. The space surrounding Aizen started tearing apart, and countless blood-red thorns burst through the ripped dimensions, piercing directly into Aizen's body.
Once embedded in Aizen's flesh, these crimson thorns visibly began draining the blood from his body. With every pulse and tremor of these thorns, Aizen's body contracted slightly, proving that Urahara Kisuke's attack was taking effect.
"Urahara Kisuke..."
Abruptly, the Reiatsu within Aizen began overflowing with wild abandon. The violent spiritual pressure roared through the entirety of Fake Karakura Town alongside Aizen's furious bellow. Even Kurosaki Isshin and his son, who had carried Kurosaki Ichigo far from the battlefield's center, could feel that Reiatsu—thick with resentment and rage.
"That's enough! Aizen!"
"Hadō Number Ninety: Kurohitsugi!"
"Do you think I'll let you succeed!"
As both Urahara Kisuke and Aizen roared simultaneously, a white flash pierced through Urahara Kisuke's chest at blinding speed.
Splurt!
"Kisuke!"
Seeing Urahara Kisuke's chest penetrated by a blade extending nearly one hundred meters, Shihōin Yoruichi's face contorted with fury as she glared at the weapon's owner. Following the direction from which the blade had stretched, she locked eyes with a smiling Ichimaru Gin, who was casually waving his hand in greeting.
"Ah, what a shame. I missed—I was clearly aiming for the heart. This won't do at all!"
"Ichimaru Gin!"
Accompanying Yoruichi's enraged shout, her figure materialized above Ichimaru Gin's head before her voice had even finished echoing.
"Shunkō!"
Surging Reiatsu erupted from her shoulders as white lightning enveloped Yoruichi's entire form.
BOOM!
Having amplified her combat capabilities to their absolute peak through Shunkō's activation, Yoruichi immediately unleashed a devastating kick toward Ichimaru Gin.
However, Ichimaru Gin's Shinsō retracted with extraordinary speed. In the blink of an eye, the blade that had pierced through Urahara Kisuke successfully withdrew, blocking the strike just in time.
BOOM!
The tremendous impact directly reduced the building beneath Ichimaru Gin's feet to rubble. Even though Ichimaru Gin had successfully defended against Shunkō, it was impossible to completely resist such force when caught off-guard.
Thud.
Amidst the ruins, Ichimaru Gin braced himself against a boulder with one hand, stood up, and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He addressed Aizen hovering in midair: "Sorry, Captain Aizen. I failed to kill Urahara Kisuke."
Because Urahara Kisuke had interrupted his Reiatsu output, Aizen broke free from his opponent's Bakudō. However, his heaving chest made it clear that Aizen hadn't escaped unscathed.
Although the Hōgyoku possessed the ability to rapidly heal and restore its host, repairing the internal organs that had been burned from within, as well as replenishing the lost blood—all of this caused Aizen considerable suffering during the restoration process.
"It doesn't matter, Gin. You've done exceptionally well!"
"Really? That's a relief!"
Ichimaru Gin smiled, brushing aside the surrounding stones with a casual gesture.
Meanwhile, Urahara Kisuke pressed against the wound on his left chest. Blood continued overflowing between his fingers as he spoke in a trembling voice: "Such a shame... I was so close!"
"Are you alright, Kisuke?!"
After shooting a venomous glare at Ichimaru Gin, Yoruichi returned to Urahara Kisuke's side in a flash. She retrieved a pill from her garment, fed it into Urahara Kisuke's mouth, and watched anxiously.
The moment the pill was swallowed, the relentless bleeding from his wound stopped instantly. After taking a deep breath, Urahara Kisuke forced a pained smile as he looked toward Ichimaru Gin. "That really was dangerous. You nearly killed me there, Captain Ichimaru!"
Seeing that Urahara Kisuke would survive, Shihōin Yoruichi released a breath of relief. Then she turned to face Aizen, asking Urahara Kisuke, "Should we eliminate the interference first?"
"No, because someone's already coming!"
The instant those words left his lips, a black shadow flashed past and appeared directly beside Ichimaru Gin. The figure pressed against Ichimaru Gin's face and launched him hundreds of meters away in a single motion. Ichimaru Gin couldn't even mount a successful counterattack in the process—he could only watch helplessly as he was forcibly removed from the battlefield.
"Tessai Tsukabishi? The renowned Chief of the Kidō Corps has become your subordinate. You're quite impressive, Urahara Kisuke!"
Aizen calmly observed Ichimaru Gin being carried away by Tessai Tsukabishi without making any move to intervene. Instead, he focused on calming the changes occurring within his body, straightening his posture once more.
"Don't speak so harshly. Mr. Tessai is simply helping me manage the shop—he's not a subordinate. But what about you, Aizen?"
Urahara Kisuke raised the Zanpakutō in his hand, slowly sliding it back into its sheath as he addressed Aizen. "The Arrancar you created with the Hōgyoku have all been eliminated. How does that make you feel?"
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