"Shinigami…"
"Your arrogance is unforgivable… I will kill you!!!"
The voice was sharp, dripping with rage, grating to the ear.
The moment this furious roar echoed from the video,
Aizen's trio were shaken.
They realized instantly, their expressions shifting violently.
"Zommari…"
"No mistake. That's his voice!!!"
"As an Espada, will he actually fight Kuchiki Byakuya in the future?"
Shock.
Eyes wide, pupils contracting.
Just a minute ago they had speculated who Byakuya's next opponent might be.
The answer came crashing down—
utterly unexpected.
Even Aizen's usual calm broke.
His cold, merciless eyes flickered with disturbance.
Though no footage had yet shown the battle,
just from Zommari's enraged scream,
it was obvious: he had been crushed.
His dignity trampled, left howling in impotent fury.
And Aizen knew Zommari well enough.
This could only mean one thing—
he was utterly dominated by Byakuya.
The implication shook even Aizen:
When did Captains clash with the Espada?
Could it mean that in the future, once his defection succeeded and he openly ruled Hueco Mundo,
the Espada fought the Gotei 13?
That alone could explain why Byakuya's opponent was an Espada not yet revealed to Soul Society.
"…Well…"
After several seconds of silence, Gin finally recovered, drawling:
"Aizen-taichō, who would have thought… the Espada would be exposed this soon."
"Their existence was supposed to remain secret. No outsiders knew…"
He shrugged, feigning helplessness.
Whether real concern or mockery, it didn't matter.
Once the footage rolled, the Espada would no longer be hidden.
For their defection plan, that was dangerous.
If Zommari slipped—
saying too much, or acting recklessly,
their own roles as his masters might also be exposed.
That would be the true complication.
"…."
Aizen stood silent, hands behind his back.
For the first time in a century, he felt the faint sting of miscalculation.
The Espada's premature reveal…
was inconvenient.
But not enough to shake him.
After a pause, his calm voice cut through:
"No matter. The footage has only begun. The future remains unknown."
"Besides, Soul Society already knows that in the distant past, traces of Arrancar existed—rare and few, but not unheard of."
As long as the scenes only showed battle,
there was no guarantee it would lead back to them.
And even if exposure came—
with Kyōka Suigetsu (Mirror Flower, Water Moon) in hand,
Aizen's control of perception meant they could escape cleanly.
Meanwhile, in Hueco Mundo, Las Noches.
The Espada were just as unsettled.
No—
they were even more shaken.
The roar struck their hearts hard.
"What the hell?"
"Zommari… about to appear? That shouldn't be!"
Grimmjow frowned, suspicion sharp.
He knew Zommari.
Among the Espada, Zommari was the most devout follower of Aizen.
A loyal zealot, obeying commands like scripture.
And Aizen's orders had been clear:
no Espada, no Hollow, no Arrancar was to leave Hueco Mundo without leave.
Attack neither the Human World nor Soul Society.
So how could Zommari face a Captain?
The only explanation—
Grimmjow's pupils shook—
"In the future… did the Gotei 13 invade Hueco Mundo?"
"No way!!!"
Nnoitra cut him off with a cruel laugh.
"Grimmjow, you're overthinking it!"
"Shinigami are trash. Their Zanpakutō can't even scratch hierro."
"If not for Aizen-sama's caution, we would have already crushed Soul Society!"
His twisted face grinned with cruelty.
Fanatical, reckless—
Nnoitra would never admit defeat.
Captains?
Unworthy.
Moments later, the screen flickered again.
The camera shifted—
to Zommari himself.
His Resurrección form was drenched in blood.
The countless cursed eyes that covered his body were all shut tight,
many scarred with sword wounds.
He had been slashed relentlessly, nearly carved apart by Byakuya.
The image was grotesque.
And when the lens passed by Byakuya's calm, cold face,
the contrast was brutal.
Byakuya and Senbonzakura towered, unshaken, unbent.
The scene screamed of dominance.
And the Espada watching felt their defenses shatter.
Cries of disbelief erupted:
"No way…"
"That Zanpakutō—Senbonzakura!"
"It's… it's about to kill an Espada?!"
(End of Chapter)
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