The change wasn't painful. It was annihilation.
Dean's ribs split open as bone-white plating encased his torso. His **STATUS SCREEN** glitched violently:
**WARNING: [SOUL FRAGMENTATION]**
**HOLLOW MASK FORMATION: [87%]**
**REIRYOKU OUTPUT: [TIER 3 ESPADA]**
Aizen's smirk died as Dean's cero charged—not the standard golden blast, but a swirling vortex of stolen Bankai ice and Hollow energy.
"Interesting." Aizen's fingers brushed Kyoka Suigetsu's hilt. "But—"
Dean fired.
The beam tore through Aizen's chest, carving a canyon across Soul Society. The **STATUS SCREEN** logged the damage:
**AIZEN SOSUKE: HP 74% → 51%**
**PHYSICAL INTEGRITY: [TEMPORARILY COMPROMISED]**
Loki materialized behind Aizen, dagger flashing green with stolen reiatsu. "Checkmate."
The blade plunged—
—and passed through air.
Aizen's voice echoed from everywhere at once. "Fascinating attempt."
Dean's Hollow mask cracked. The **STATUS SCREEN** blared:
**SERUM DURATION: 00:00:15**