Purple light burst out like raging flames, turning into streak after streak of violet meteors in the sky, each one leaving a long tail that tore through the firmament.
Unlike Red Flame Cannon, Flying Dragon-Striking Heaven-Shaking Thunder Cannon and the other kido spells…
Senju Koten Taiho (Thousand-Hand Bright Heaven Culling Cannon) was a rare, multi-shot type kido.
More than a dozen violet meteor-like blasts almost turned into a rain, tracing beautiful arcs across the sky as they shot toward Aizen from every angle, forming a 360-degree attack with no dead zone.
Aizen took a deep breath, grave light flashing in his eyes as he raised his right hand toward Senju Koten Taiho.
"I'll take this one head-on…"
He had already surpassed dimensions themselves; he was no longer in the same realm as ordinary Soul Reapers. There was no reason he should be overwhelmed by Cole's attack.
With that thought in mind…
Aizen instinctively controlled his evolved body. An invisible, unfathomable pressure surged out from him as he let out a low shout:
"Furiretsuha (Radiation Break)!!!"
As his voice fell, the "skull" on his white spinal wings opened its jaws wide, gathered reiryoku, and spat out an ultra-high-density reiryoku shell.
The scene looked like a robot firing a beam of violet laser.
But the power of Furiretsuha, and its terrifying form, far surpassed any laser by millions of times.
It was like a pillar of purple light lancing toward those violet meteors.
Under everyone's tense gazes, the two violet reiryoku attacks slammed into each other. Purple radiance exploded outward, blotting out the sky.
Half the heavens turned violet—dazzling yet filled with deadly danger.
Sight traveled faster than sound.
A few seconds after they saw it, a violent shockwave rolled out like a crashing mountain range, as if space itself were heaving like a tsunami.
Half of the false Karakura Town suffered devastation yet again.
Even the real Karakura Town was shaken, as though a monstrous, world-ending tornado had swept through it.
On the streets and inside houses, countless humans screamed in terror. From time to time, people were snatched up into the sky by the howling wind.
It was a catastrophe that felt like the end of the world. Karakura Town's people could only scream in despair.
Only those clinging tightly to utility poles, houses, walls, and other sturdy structures could avoid being blown hundreds of meters away by the gale.
Yet even as victims of disaster…
They could not understand.
Why had the clear, sunny Karakura Town of one second suddenly turned into this maelstrom of hurricane winds the next?
This tempest was more terrifying than the storm that precedes a tsunami.
And this was only the aftermath of the collision between those two attacks.
The true epicenter of the blast was even more horrifying.
All traces of the city had vanished; buildings and brick walls were shattered by the shockwave, leaving behind a crater several kilometers across.
All that could be seen was raw, exposed earth.
Up in the sky, amidst the blinding violet radiance, four violet meteors suddenly shot free—lingering blasts of Senju Koten Taiho.
Aizen's pupils shrank. He could not believe he had failed to completely neutralize Senju Koten Taiho.
With a thought, his ferocious white wings folded in around him, and the skulls along them opened their jaws, spitting out a white-violet defensive field.
And at that exact moment…
The other Soul Reapers moved as well.
Gin leveled his short blade at Aizen, his usual smile gone, his expression uncharacteristically solemn as he spoke:
"Kamishini no Yari (God-Slaying Spear)!"
A silver-white slash shot toward the heavens.
Byakuya said in a low voice:
"Senbonzakura (Thousand Cherry Blossoms)!"
Mayuri fired a syringe filled with violet liquid into the sky, saying with fanatical delight,
"The fundamental nature of a lifeform that has surpassed dimensions… hohoho… I wonder if it can withstand my toxin. This is a poison that can drive consciousness itself mad."
Shunsui lifted his right hand toward the sky and intoned gravely:
"Hado no 88: Hiryuu Gekizoku Shinten Raiho (Flying Dragon-Striking Heaven-Shaking Thunder Cannon)!"
Rukia: "Hado no 73: Soren Sokatsui (Twin Lotus Blue Fire Crash Down)!"
Kisuke: "Hado no 78: Zangerin (Severing Flower Ring)!"
In that instant, everyone went all-out. Those who could wield their zanpakuto used their zanpakuto; those who could use kido used kido.
They would settle this with one strike.
Completely crush Aizen.
Give him no chance to evolve again.
"Will it work? Aizen…"
Kisuke stared nervously up at the sky.
Without question, every evolution Aizen underwent allowed him to step into a new realm. But evolution was not without cost to him.
If his body's power was consumed too much, then even if he evolved to an even higher dimension…
He would end up in a state where he could barely lift a hand.
And that would be the best moment to seal him.
In the heavens above, it was as if fireworks had exploded—countless attacks converged on Aizen's white wings at the exact same time.
When the dust finally cleared…
The sight within made everyone's spirits soar.
The Aizen who only moments ago had looked down on them from on high, declaring that he had transcended dimensions, now had more than half of his body blown away.
The degree of damage far surpassed what Gin's Kamishini no Yari had inflicted earlier.
The left half of his body had vanished.
Even the left side of his face had been stripped down to stark white bone.
The remaining right half was no better—organs and tissues melted away, dripping down like streams of water.
He was the very picture of a grievously injured, dying wreck.
Gin and Mayuri both broke into smiles.
The half of Aizen's body that was dissolving away was precisely the handiwork of the deadly toxins they had deployed.
But their joy did not last.
Barely three seconds after the dust cleared, white matter began to bloom across Aizen's body.
In just a heartbeat, his form was restored as good as new.
Their smiles froze on their faces.
Aizen sneered. "You fools, what are you so happy about? Did you really think you killed me?"
His gaze turned icy as he looked at Cole and said,
"Just as ants can never comprehend humans, you cannot understand the state I exist in now."
In this new dimension, his body possessed regeneration far beyond any so-called super-speed healing. He could recreate his body in an instant.
This ability was called perfect regeneration.
So long as he was not killed in a single instant, every part of his body would regenerate at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Hearing this, a hint of despair flickered in the eyes of the assembled Soul Reapers. Perfect regeneration—was that not the same as an immortal body?
An immortal body, combined with limitless evolution.
How were they supposed to fight something like that?
There was no way to fight it at all!
Even Kisuke felt a chill creep into his heart, wondering if his plan really could bring Aizen down.
After all, his plan was crude at best. Whether it would work or not came down to "do everything you can and leave the rest to fate." There was no such thing as a hundred percent certainty.
Thinking of this, Kisuke swallowed hard, then looked toward Cole, ruthless resolve flashing in his eyes as he said in a low voice:
"Cole, we have no choice. We'll have to do what we discussed before."
Let Ichigo learn Saigo no Getsuga Tensho (Final Moon Fang Heaven-Piercer). Have two top-tier powerhouses attack Aizen at the same time; maybe then they could succeed.
"Why are you still saying that now of all times!?"
Cole shook his head, denying Kisuke's suggestion as he swung his golden staff. He spoke calmly:
"Get ready. We're heading back to Soul Society."
Everyone present froze for a moment. Then they saw a flicker of black light in the sky as Cole's figure appeared right next to Aizen.
The human high schooler swung his golden staff down like a golden streak of light.
Aizen immediately raised his hand to guard.
But just as before, the hundred-layer shields and super-dense reiryoku walls he conjured shattered with a bang the instant they formed, and the golden staff hammered into his body.
"Graaah!!!"
A roar of rage echoed through the air.
But no matter how furiously he howled, Aizen's body was still sent flying thousands of meters away.
Before he could even come to a stop, Cole's figure appeared in front of him again. The golden staff fell once more.
Aizen was on the verge of exploding with fury, just like when Ichigo had broken his composure in the original timeline.
This damn human brat…
Was actually batting him around like a baseball, sending him flying over and over.
Even after evolving yet again…
The situation hadn't changed much at all.
Driven to the edge, Aizen clenched his teeth. From his now inhuman body he let out the loudest roar yet:
"Kyukyoku Furiretsuha (Ultimate Radiation Break)!!!"
All of the "skulls" along his wings released reiryoku at once, forming four expanding rings of solidified spiritual pressure that detonated together.
The violent shockwave…
Enveloped nearly the entirety of Karakura Town.
The Soul Reapers present were nearly scared to death. They used everything they had to block the portion of Furiretsuha that was surging toward the real Karakura Town.
Otherwise, Karakura Town would have been utterly obliterated.
And the royal key would be forcibly created.
…
But they quickly realized…
Even unleashing an attack of that magnitude, Aizen was still being knocked back by Cole.
The only difference was that the distance he was sent flying shrank slightly.
Eyes bloodshot, Aizen suddenly jolted as he realized Cole's intention.
"Human, you're trying to knock me into Soul Society!"
He had seen it—the Garganta three thousand meters behind him, where space had been drawn together. Step into it, and you would arrive in Soul Society.
"Correct. Unfortunately, there's no prize."
Cole answered with a faint, even tone as he continued swinging his golden staff, blow after blow hammering Aizen backward.
During this time, Aizen fought back as if his life depended on it, yet he still could not withstand the heavy strikes.
Because this world itself was Cole's domain now. If Aizen could not shatter this world, he could not contend with Cole's power.
"Damn it, I need to evolve a few more times…"
Aizen nearly ground his teeth to dust as he roared in unwilling fury—only to be smashed by Cole's final swing straight into the spatial rift.
Without the slightest hesitation, Cole stepped forward and plunged into the crack in space as well.
The Soul Reapers and Hollows present looked at one another. After hesitating for quite some time, they all stepped into the Garganta in the end.
One step, and the world changed.
Without any sense of distance, they arrived directly above the Seireitei of Soul Society.
The Soul Reapers in Seireitei were completely dumbfounded.
They watched, eyes wide, as the sky above Seireitei—the very heart of the Soul Reapers—was torn open by a Garganta, a passage that should have belonged only to Hollows.
Figures filed out from within one after another.
"That's… a Hollow!? Why can't I feel its reiryoku!?"
"Is that Cole?!"
"Captain Shunsui is there too."
"Gin… why is that guy standing next to Captain Shunsui!?"
"Is that… Captain Shiba!?"
"Why is there a Vasto Lorde-class Hollow there!?"
"Captain Byakuya, Captain Mayuri, Rukia, Captain Shinji too!"
"..."
The Soul Reapers of Seireitei were speechless. They simply could not understand what they were seeing.
Weren't the captains supposed to be out dealing with Aizen?
So why did it look like the Hollows and Soul Reapers were on the same side now!?
Not only were they not fighting…
They were walking side by side.
There was even a lazy Hollow dressed like a hunter, casually chatting with Shunsui in the same laid-back tone.
Had the world ended?
Or had Soul Society formed an alliance with Hueco Mundo?
Under the stunned gazes of the Soul Reapers in Seireitei…
Cole slowly let out a breath. He gazed at the empty sky, cold light flashing in his eyes, and swung his golden staff.
"The Spirit King's Palace, huh?"
"Let's see where you're hiding."
The golden staff slammed down onto empty air, and an invisible domain rippled outward.
The disturbance slowly spread across the sky of Soul Society.
Seeing this, even Aizen, who was practically dying of rage by now, forcibly stopped himself from acting.
The Spirit King's Palace.
The Throne of Heaven.
That place was his greatest desire.
You could say that every plan and scheme he had woven over these past centuries was for the sake of creating the royal key and invading the Spirit King's Palace.
He would kill the hollow, pretender Spirit King sitting there…
And claim the Throne of Heaven never before touched by any being.
For that, he was even willing to suppress his hatred for Cole—assuming Cole actually managed to knock the Spirit King's Palace down.
Cold sweat ran down Shunsui's back as he shouted anxiously at Cole,
"Cole, calm down! You don't know what the Spirit King really is. I'll explain it to you later, but the Spirit King absolutely cannot be allowed to come to harm."
The Spirit King was the wedge that sustained the balance and very existence of the three worlds.
If the Spirit King died—or even suffered serious injury—the entire world would be thrown into crisis, and could even be destroyed.
Faced with Shunsui's urgent plea…
Cole simply said quietly,
"Found it. The Spirit King's Palace."
(End of Chapter)
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