"Damn it-"
After retreating all the way, Aikawa found himself backed against a wall.
With no room to retreat and disperse the force, Aikawa felt he might not last until the other Captains arrived… he might be killed before then.
Yet, to his surprise, the wild-looking man before him didn't press the attack. Instead, he stopped and took a few steps back.
"Hey, you… you're one of those 'Captains' the Shinigami keep talking about, right?"
"That's right. I'm Aikawa Love, Captain of the 7th Division."
Though he didn't understand why the enemy had stopped, Aikawa wasn't foolish enough to waste this chance to catch his breath by overthinking it.
"Ryoka, surrender now."
"Though your strength is considerable, there are plenty in the Seireitei stronger than you."
"If you yield, I can guarantee you'll be invited to join my division after your release from prison."
"Otherwise, by the time the Captains who far surpass you arrive, whether you'll even survive is another matter entirely."
"Hahahaha, hahahaha..."
Contrary to Aikawa's expectations, his threat didn't intimidate the enemy in the slightest.
If anything, judging by the man's laughter and the fanatical gleam in his eyes, Aikawa got the distinct impression that he had only grown more excited.
"Interesting… very interesting…"
"If there are even stronger opponents after you, then I suppose I don't need to hold back against you."
"Come on, use your full power and fight me! Let's enjoy the thrill of battle together!"
As he spoke, an even more terrifying Reiatsu erupted from Zaraki's body, churning the surrounding air into a violent gale that swept outward.
'This guy… he's a battle maniac!'
Cold sweat trickled down Aikawa's forehead as he took in Zaraki's expression.
His words hadn't demoralized the enemy… instead, they had only stoked his fighting spirit to greater heights.
Clearly, the reason Zaraki had stopped earlier was that Aikawa hadn't been entertaining enough. Now, he wanted Aikawa to fight with everything he had.
Not daring to hold back, Aikawa gripped his Zanpakuto with both hands and uttered its release command:
"Crush Down, Tengumaru!"
Boom-!
A massive surge of Reiatsu exploded from Aikawa's body, and his Zanpakuto instantly transformed into a gigantic, pitch-black spiked club over five meters long.
Moreover, unlike ordinary spiked clubs, the head of Aikawa's Tengumaru has a diameter exceeding one meter, making it an ultra-heavy weapon. Just by the appearance of this spiked club, one could guess that the weapon was incredibly heavy… at least over a ton.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-
Aikawa raised Tengumaru high with both hands, spinning it like a whirlwind. The immense centrifugal force granted the weapon even greater speed and power.
Then, at the peak of his control, Aikawa leaped high into the air and brought Tengumaru crashing down toward Zaraki on the ground-
Boooom!!!
A deafening explosion erupted as the ground trembled violently, as if struck by a meteorite. The impact sent shockwaves radiating outward like tidal waves, centered around Zaraki's position.
Under such an attack, an ordinary person would have been flattened into paste.
However, instead of a victorious smile, Aikawa's face twisted in shock.
"How… is this possible?"
Disbelief filled Aikawa's words.
He could feel it… his Tengumaru had been completely blocked by the Ryoka's tattered, jagged Zanpakuto. The attack hadn't even left a scratch on the towering man.
'This guy… he hasn't even released his Zanpakuto yet, and he's already blocking my attack with just his raw Reiatsu?'
From their earlier exchanges, Aikawa had already sensed a considerable gap in their strength. But he never imagined the disparity would be this vast.
Although among the Captains, Aikawa is not the strongest, but he was confident he wasn't the weakest, either.
Even against Yamamoto, Aikawa believed he could put up a fight if the old man didn't release his Zanpakuto.
Yet, against this opponent… despite having already released his own Zanpakuto and even charging his attack for several seconds to maximize Tengumaru's power, his strike had been effortlessly blocked.
'Could it be… that this man's strength rivaled even Captain-Commander Yamamoto's?'
The thought flashed through Aikawa's mind.
Though he quickly dismissed it as absurd, the lingering unease remained.
"Bankai."
Driven by fear, Aikawa unleashed his Bankai. If he didn't go all out now, he might be instantly killed.
He felt that if he didn't use all his strength, he would probably be killed instantly by the opponent.
"Captain Aikawa of the 7th Division… has activated Bankai?"
Under the night sky, Kyoya and Gin flickered through the air.
Sensing the shift in Aikawa's Reiatsu, Gin couldn't hide his surprise.
This Ryoka's strength far exceeded his expectations.
"Could it be… Captain Aikawa is going to lose?"
Gin's words sounded like a question, but his tone suggested he had already made up his mind.
"Mhm."
Kyoya nodded, confirming Gin's prediction.
"Gin, you must have noticed it too. The interval between Captain Aikawa'ss two Zanpakuto releases was only a few seconds."
"You know what that means, right?"
Gin nodded slightly.
A Shinigami's battle is also a battle of information.
Knowing an enemy's abilities allows one to exploit their weaknesses.
Thus, most fights begin with cautious probing before ending in a decisive strike.
A situation where a Captain first uses Shikai, then immediately Bankai, was practically unheard of.
After all, for Captains, if Bankai could be activated directly, there was no need to go through Shikai first.
But given the circumstances, Gin quickly pieced together the truth.
Aikawa must have been overwhelmed in close combat, forcing him to release his Zanpakuto early to gather more intel, or perhaps to overpower his foe with the sudden boost in strength.
Unfortunately, even after Shikai, the gap in power had only widened, leaving Aikawa no choice but to resort to Bankai.
However, what truly made Gin doubt Aikawa's chances was the Ryoka's Reiatsu.
From the start of the battle until now, Gin hadn't sensed any significant change in the Ryoka's Reiatsu.
Though there had been an initial surge, it was merely the release of his latent power… not a Zanpakuto release.
To force a Captain into Bankai without even releasing his own Zanpakuto… In Gin's eyes, only three people in the entire Gotei 13 could achieve such a feat.
The first was undoubtedly Yamamoto.
The second was Kyoya.
And the third… was Aizen.
Though Gin couldn't be sure whether Aizen was constantly using his Zanpakuto's Shikai, he had once heard Aizen claim to have reached the limits of a Shinigami.
To break through, one would need external forces to transcend and reach a higher plane of existence.
Gin had once asked Kyoya about the limits of a Shinigami.
But Kyoya's answer had been of no reference to him.
Still, Kyoya had told him that if Aizen wasn't lying, then within the Gotei 13, only Yamamoto had truly reached the pinnacle of a Shinigami's power.
Furthermore, Yamamoto's Zanpakuto, Ryujin Jakka, allowed him to temporarily surpass those limits in Bankai, transforming into a being capable of annihilating the world itself.
That was why Yamamoto was known as the [Strongest Shinigami].
Aizen, fully aware of this, would never dare to openly rebel until he had achieved his own transcendence.