The afterlife tasted like static and iron. Dean landed knee-deep in the corpse of a Hollow, its dissolving mask cracking beneath his boots as the **STATUS SCREEN** recalibrated:
**LOCATION: [SOUL SOCIETY - BLEACH UNIVERSE]**
**OBJECTIVE: [STEAL BANKAI - 5000 SP]**
**WARNING: [REIRYOKU CORRUPTION DETECTED]**
Loki materialized mid-vomit, wiping spiritual bile from his lips. "This realm reeks of death."
Dean reloaded his pistol with silver rounds. "That's the point."
A shadow moved too fast—black shihakushō, yellow eyes. The **STATUS SCREEN** blared:
**THREAT IDENTIFIED: [ICHIGO KUROSAKI - BANKAI ACTIVE]**
**COMPATIBILITY: 0% (INSTANT DEATH)**
Zangetsu's blade stopped an inch from Dean's throat. "You're not a Hollow." Ichigo's reiatsu pressed down like a collapsing star. "Who sent you?"
Dean's NZT mapped 198 ways to die in the next second. He chose the 199th: truth. "Your dad."
The blade wavered. Isshin's sandal connected with his son's ribs before the **STATUS SCREEN** could update.
**COMBAT LOG:**
**ALLIED RECRUIT: [ISSIN KUROSAKI]**
**SP AWARDED: +1000 (SHINIGAMI ALLIANCE)**
Isshin grinned over Ichigo's crumpled form. "He's with me." His wink carried decades of hidden agendas. "Mostly."
Loki sighed. "Families."
—
The Seireitei burned crimson as Yamamoto's flames licked the sky. The **STATUS SCREEN** flashed evacuation routes—useless. Dean needed a captain's Bankai, not an exit.
**RECOMMENDED TARGET: [TOUSHIRO HITSUGYA]**
**WEAKNESS: [MATERIALIZATION TIME - 1.8 SECONDS]**
Hitsugaya's ice dragon formed just as Dean's stolen zanpakuto pierced his ribs. The **STATUS SCREEN** vibrated:
**BANKAI THEFT IN PROGRESS: [HYOURINMARU]**
**WARNING: [CAPTAIN-CLASS REIATSU OVERLOAD]**
Loki's dagger carved containment runes into Dean's forearm as frost crawled up his veins. "Hurry up."
Dean's scream froze in his throat. The **STATUS SCREEN** turned blue:
**ABILITY ACQUIRED: [TEMPORARY BANKAI]**
**DURATION: [00:59:59]**
**SP AWARDED: +5000**
Hitsugaya collapsed as Dean exhaled glacial mist. "Now we riot."
—
Aizen's smirk greeted them atop Sōkyoku Hill. The **STATUS SCREEN** glitched under his reiatsu:
**WARNING: [KYOKA SUIGETSU ACTIVE]**
**REALITY INTEGRITY: 12%**
Loki materialized with three shallow knife wounds. "He sees through illusions."
Dean spat blood. "Everyone's got a tell." His NZT pinpointed it—Aizen's left pinky twitched 0.3 seconds before each hypnosis pulse.
The **STATUS SCREEN** pulsed:
**COUNTERMEASURE: [BLINDFIRE TECHNIQUE - 3000 SP]**
Dean bought it mid-lunge. His Bankai-activated ice mirrors reflected Kyoka Suigetsu's light back at Aizen's eyes just as Loki teleported behind him with a dagger forged from Hitsugaya's stolen reiatsu.
The **STATUS SCREEN** logged the exact moment Aizen's perfect illusion fractured:
**AIZEN SOSUKE: HP 100% → 89%**
**PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE: [FIRST DOUBT]**
Dean grinned through bloody teeth. "Welcome to the war."