A massive explosion shook Sōkyoku Hill, the ground trembling beneath their feet, as a cloud of smoke and ash rose, briefly obscuring the view.
When the dust settled, Aizen stood firm and calm, though his appearance was slightly disheveled. A terrifying gash ran across his chest down to his waist, dripping fresh blood.
Although the wound was not life-threatening—merely a cut through flesh—Aizen was somewhat surprised that Ren had managed to harm him.
"Your growth is truly impressive," Aizen said with mild admiration, ignoring the wound on his chest. He raised his hand to his glasses, removed them calmly, and crushed them into dust with a light snap of his fingers. "But before true power, Shinigami are merely a small piece of the larger picture."
His words carried meaning as he lifted his hand to his hair, using his Reiryoku to fix it into a new, more elegant and untamed hairstyle.
As he styled his hair, a purple infinity symbol appeared on his hand—an ouroboros, a serpent devouring its tail. The symbol shimmered slightly as Aizen's wound began healing visibly before their eyes.
"Hollows and Shinigami are nothing compared to true power, for this world contains far more than just the two," Aizen said, pointing to the symbol on his hand. "This symbol represents a fraction of the power of one of the world's primordial beings: the Infinite Dragon God, Ouroboros."
"Although Soul Society concealed this knowledge so that only Captains were aware, there exist countless factions in this world—Angels, Devils, Fallen Angels, and Gods of legend," Aizen continued nonchalantly, ignoring the piercing glare from Yamamoto urging him to remain silent. "And my ambition is to ascend to the pinnacle of these races and sit upon the empty throne in the heavens, as well as atop the other worlds beyond the Dimensional Gap."
At the mention of the throne in the heavens and the Dimensional Gap, a wild and ambitious look appeared in Aizen's eyes, clearly revealing a man of immense ambition.
Shock spread among all present at Aizen's words, but the most astonished was Ren, who recognized the terms Aizen was speaking of—they were concepts from other anime in his past life.
"Aizen!!" Yamamoto shouted with a deep, sharp voice, as his staff began to fade and disappear, revealing a simple-looking Zanpakutō within.
It was clear that Yamamoto was furious at Aizen for revealing Soul Society's greatest secret. They had hidden the existence of other factions for over a thousand years following the Great War, isolating themselves completely. Each preferred to mind their own affairs rather than interfere with others, and only Captains were aware of this truth, as their promotion shortly revealed the existence of other factions—necessary to prevent these factions from intruding into Shinigami territory.
Time seemed to freeze, the air nearly suffocating everyone under the weight of tension.
Yamamoto slowly raised his Zanpakutō, but the sight of the sky cracking above interrupted him, revealing a space filled with colors yet empty, with no discernible directions.
"Dimensional Gap…" Yamamoto murmured majestically, as a massive black entity with a long-nosed white mask emerged from the gap.
It was Gillian, one of the few beings capable of traversing the Dimensional Gap with near ease due to their Negación ability, which isolates them from the external dimension.
This power was immense, as only a few abilities in the entire supernatural world could pierce it.
BOOM!!
Suddenly, golden light exploded across the area, scattering dust. Everyone stepped back to see yellow light in the shape of cubes surrounding Aizen and his allies, drawing them toward Gillian in the torn sky.
"…" Yamamoto stared at the barrier surrounding Aizen and the others, lowering his sword again—it was impossible to penetrate this barrier.
"Getsuga Tenshō!!" Unlike Yamamoto and the others, who were frozen in shock, Ren did not hesitate to launch a Getsuga Tenshō stronger than before at Aizen.
The golden slash shot from Ren's sword, cutting through the air and striking the barrier around Aizen.
"Although you possess the strange ability to transfer your power across space, it is impossible for you to breach Negación," Aizen said indifferently, casting a glance at Yamamoto. "You'd better prepare, for the supernatural world is about to change, and Shinigami can no longer remain isolated."
"Consider these words merely thanks for the past years you assisted me in my research," Aizen said disdainfully—but his words were cut off by the golden Getsuga Tenshō, which pierced the Negación barrier and appeared before him as before.
BOOM!!
The compressed Reiryoku of the Getsuga Tenshō exploded directly into Aizen's face, stunning everyone.
'Did he manage to pierce the Negación barrier…?' Yamamoto thought, fixing his gaze on the back of Ren's head, his eyes gleaming with caution—he now fully understood the threat Ren posed.
"Aizen-sama!!" Tōsen shouted in concern, wanting to rush to check on Aizen, but he could not breach the Negación ability and could only stare anxiously.
"…" Ichimaru's narrow eyes fixed on Aizen, hiding a hidden intent to strike—he clearly hoped Aizen would at least be wounded by the attack, ready to plunge his sword into his heart.
The Reiryoku that had obstructed their vision dissipated, revealing Aizen's bloody appearance. His left hand had been severed, grasped with his right, and cuts marred his entire body.
"This Getsuga Tenshō is different from before," Aizen murmured, as the Ouroboros symbol on his palm glowed again. However, this time, his healing was slow compared to before—the wounds mended very gradually.
"Kurosaki Ren, I must admit I am surprised at your ability to surpass my calculations again and again," Aizen said calmly, turning his gaze from his wounds to fix it on Ren. "It seems you have become exceedingly dangerous, someone not to be looked down upon."
Unlike Aizen's previous disdainful and arrogant expression, his current gaze was serious and dangerous. He regarded Ren as nearly an equal, having proven his strength in the previous attacks—especially the last one, which severely damaged him and disrupted the regenerative power granted by the Infinite Dragon God, in addition to Ren's dangerous ability to breach Negación.
"Remember this," Ren said, lifting his blindfold to reveal his crystalline blue eyes, staring directly at Aizen, emitting an intimidating and terrifying aura from his body. "If you ever dare meddle with me or those close to me again, I will make sure your head is harvested."
The ground shook with the echo of Ren's words, which were not merely threats but a burning promise.
Aizen scrutinized Ren's shining blue eyes, feeling a strange sensation, as if seeing a true adversary worthy of respect for the first time.
He smiled calmly, but his smile carried determination.
"I see I was not wrong about you, Ren. But this battle has only just begun, and many secrets you cannot imagine will be revealed."
"But for now, I shall leave. We shall meet again," Aizen added, eyes narrowing, and swiftly vanished into the cracked sky with the others, the heavens returning to normal soon after their departure.
...
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