Chapter 201 – 201 ⥤ The Final Trump Card

When Aizen’s kidō incantation was heard, Saizō immediately widened his eyes, and even his hunched, stooped figure straightened slightly.

As a first-generation Captain, how could he not understand the formidable power of Hado #99?

Before he could even process his shock, the earth-shattering roar and indescribable pressure washed over him. His heart constricted instantly, as if someone had roughly gripped it with brute force.

Only then did he understand the source of the man’s confidence.

The endless solitude was like paper before the dense purple torrent, illuminating everything in its path. Explosive power bloomed within Avīci, with reiatsu as vast as the ocean surging through.

Hum—

Space twisted frantically, deep patterns appearing irregularly around the rushing current, as if threatening to devour the entire realm of the uninterrupted hell.

Saizō released his Reiatsu, attempting to maintain his Bankai. But his efforts were like an ant trying to stop a chariot. The terrifying spiritual storm, centered on Aizen, blasted in all directions, accompanied by spine-chilling creaking sounds.

Crack!

The dark purple torrent flowed endlessly, rotating freely. In an instant, deafening roars echoed in Saizō’s ears as he gazed in horror toward Aizen.

The materialized Reiatsu transformed into a ferocious dragon roaring across the sky, its cold gaze descending with endless pressure erupting from the depths of his soul.

Complete suppression!

The dragon, looking down from above, launched its attack. The dark purple current poured down like a curtain of sky, instantly filling the realm of Avīci, coloring all endless darkness. When the thunderous breaking sound rose, everything in sight was destroyed without a trace, swept away as if by a storm.

Avīci was shattered!

When Aizen reappeared on the boundless water surface, he saw a familiar face grinning broadly with exposed teeth.

Seeing that Akira was unharmed, he felt relieved.

With a sigh, Aizen’s figure disappeared, reappearing before the severely injured Saizō, whose Bankai had been broken. Without wasting words, he raised his hand and delivered a single slash, extinguishing all his life force.

The old Captain said nothing, nor did he display any hysteria over his failed plan; instead, he revealed an eerie smile.

Seeing this, Aizen couldn’t help but feel concerned. It seemed the matter wasn’t over yet.

Seeing that Saizō had been instantly eliminated, Uhin completely abandoned all resistance. These youngsters were more terrifying than the last.

That was Hado #99 that just tore through Avīci, wasn’t it? Heh, fighting against such monsters — better to die early and be done with it.

Thinking this, he raised his pot-sized fist and launched a suicide attack against Akira.

Seeing this, Akira’s eyes lit up, instantly feeling a sense of finding a kindred spirit. In Soul Society, he had countless times explained the advantages of Hakuda to Zaraki, but the latter remained completely unmoved, ignoring him.

Zaraki even claimed that punching people wasn’t as satisfying as cutting them with a sword, completely contradicting his own character.

Even Aizen sneered at this, showing no interest in joining.

With no alternative, Akira could only persevere in this path with his Old Teacher, occasionally exchanging Hakuda experiences and techniques with Yoruichi.

Now that he had finally found a fellow practitioner, how could Akira not be happy?

“My path is not a lonely one after all!” Saying this, he joyfully unleashed his full-powered Sōkotsu technique against Uhin.

⤫ Genshiki-ryū: Sōkūhaku Hakai ⥤ Origin Style: Double Empty Destruction! ⤬

Boom!

A massive explosion erupted in the sky. The powerful impact instantly burst the lake surface, raising towering waves with countless water droplets splashing like pouring rain.

In the moment their fists collided, Uhin realized he had underestimated the monster before him. Unimaginable force transferred through his body, and his frame — tempered through countless battles — couldn’t withstand it for even a second.

Skin, flesh, bones — everything shattered completely. Blood splattered, his body collapsed, colors intertwining to paint another hellish scene.

When the unstoppable pain exploded deep in his nerves, his consciousness was extinguished.

Death had arrived.

“The purity is too low.” Akira said, looking disappointedly at the old 12th Division Captain whom he had pulverized with two punches, “With this level of skill, how could he fight alongside Yama-jii? He’s not even comparable to Yoruichi with her Shunkō activated.”

Having dealt with all enemies, Aizen approached him and asked, “How do we leave Hell?”

Akira tilted his head curiously, “Aren’t you supposed to come up with the plan? I’m responsible for charging into battle; you’re responsible for schemes and plots. Our division of labor has always been very clear!”

Aizen: “?”

He had always believed that although this guy seemed foolish in daily life, he wouldn’t fail at critical moments.

But he had charged headlong into Hell and now had no way to leave?

“Ha, just a little joke.” Akira grinned, “Am I really such an unintelligent person in your eyes? Sōsuke, you’re too shallow! After knowing each other for so long, you still haven’t noticed my shining points. Compared to my indestructible adamantine body, it’s my astounding wisdom that has allowed me to dominate the world and escape death under Yama-jii many times!”

Saying this, he extended his arm, fingers spread.

“Sword, come!”

The air trembled, and the rippling lake surface immediately parted. A stream of light shot out, landing precisely in his hand.

Although he had seen it many times before, when witnessing it again, Aizen couldn’t help but fall silent. He prided himself on not caring much about Kyōka Suigetsu, but this person’s behavior was even more extreme.

Constantly spinning and throwing his sword — it couldn’t even be described as second nature anymore. It had literally become instinct.

Yet Kūkan Mukai’s ability was actually quite powerful.

Aizen shook his head, not wanting to comment further.

“Before coming here, the Boss told me…” Akira said seriously, “Hell is a world independent of the Three Realms, and its existence dates back to the Primordial World, when the Three Realms were not yet separated. Therefore, even his power can hardly be transmitted into Hell. To prevent us from completely falling into Hell and becoming Togabito, the Boss entrusted part of his power to Kūkan Mukai. We only need to release it to open the gates of Hell.”

A thoughtful look flashed in Aizen’s eyes.

Akira might not care about Mimihagi’s identity, but Aizen couldn’t ignore it. A deity who fell from the heavens in ancient times, consecrated as the right arm of the Soul King, controlling the power of Stillness.

Even now, he still didn’t understand what about Akira had attracted Mimihagi’s attention, making him the deity’s spokesperson and granting him whatever he wished. He was treated even better than a biological son.

If not for the complete mismatch in appearance between the man and the god, Aizen would have suspected this guy was Mimihagi’s illegitimate child.

Or perhaps this guy was the Soul King’s illegitimate child?

Aizen pondered thoughtfully.

Akira was seriously fiddling with his Zanpakutō, completely ignoring his friend’s changing expressions. When he channeled all his Reiatsu into it, a faint light emanated from the blade.

“Yes, good, it’s done!”

A black shadow emerged, etching a single-eyed mark on the blade. Akira gripped the sword with both hands and slashed straight at the empty space before him.

Under Aizen’s slightly surprised gaze, space shattered, gradually opening a passage similar to a Garganta, with a familiar Reishi fluctuation emanating from within. It wasn’t difficult to determine that the other side of the passage was the Soul Society.

The shadow detached from the blade, transforming into branch-like patterns that fixed to the edges of the passage, continuously extending inward.

Seeing their departure imminent, Aizen suddenly felt a pang of regret. He had been too ruthless earlier; he had never studied beings like the Togabito in Hell before.

What exactly were these existences that had died thousands of years ago — Shinigami, or some other kind of creatures?

What was the basis for their existence — the power of Hell? Or some kind of rule?

Thinking about his recent forbidden research, Aizen felt a spark of excitement — if he could take a few Togabito from Hell…

Just as he was contemplating this, the calm lake surface below began to ripple. A small whirlpool appeared and gradually expanded, forming a massive vortex spanning several miles in the blink of an eye.

Such a large disturbance naturally didn’t escape the notice of the two men.

“What is this…” Akira rubbed his chin, pondering, “A boss fight?”

BOOM!!

Endless water surged skyward as a colossal entity tens of meters tall appeared before them, its deformed body displaying extreme power, its iron-blue skin highlighting its formidable defense.

“When other Togabito acted before, this kind of creature also appeared.” Aizen explained calmly, “The moment it attacked, it killed the former Seventh Division Captain, Fujiwara Shin’ichi. It’s very powerful, be careful.”

Akira grinned and said, “The passage still needs some time to stabilize before we can enter. It seems our friend doesn’t want us to leave.”

The moment the Kushanāda appeared, a terrifying Reiatsu permeated the air, exuding a domineering aura.

After a brief observation, Aizen nodded, “This creature seems to maintain the rules of Hell. It appeared because the passage out of Hell was opened. Its target should be the passage.”

As his words fell, the Kushanāda moved its arms, right hand clenched into a fist, and struck directly at the passage. The air compressed frantically, bursting into a deafening sonic boom.

Facing this attack, Akira didn’t give Aizen a chance to act. He unleashed Shunkō again, deep purple flames surrounding his body, and immediately delivered a powerful blow.

⤫ Shunkō: Kaen Hōsha ⥤ Flash War Cry: Flame Discharge! ⤬

BOOM!!

The dramatic collision of disproportionate sizes triggered an earth-shattering impact, with visible shockwaves spreading in all directions, rippling through the sky in concentric circles.

What was shocking was that when Akira’s strike landed, the massive body of the Kushanāda didn’t immediately shatter. Its iron-blue skin merely showed distorted indentations — as if it had been hit hard by a dump truck.

“It’s strong, at least at the level of several dozen trucks.” Akira exclaimed admiringly, “Fortunately, I’m stronger!”

Because of its massive body, he didn’t even need to aim — he could just charge in mindlessly.

After leaving the passage to Aizen’s protection, he used Shunpo to rush toward the Kushanāda, arms outstretched, countless fist shadows crashing down.

⤫ Genshiki-ryū: Shunsen Senren ⥤ Origin Style: Instantaneous Thousand Strikes! ⤬

In the blink of an eye, the tens-of-meters-tall figure was forcibly pounded into a mist of blood, as if hit head-on by a high-speed train going 300 km/h. In an instant, it was completely obliterated!

However, just as Akira was celebrating his victory like a boxer, the air not far from him suddenly distorted, and a figure emanating powerful Reiatsu charged toward him like lightning.

A blade flashed!

Chika Shihōin stared in surprise at the palm blocking his Zanpakutō, a bone-deep gash appearing as blood gushed out, staining the blade.

“How did you detect me?”

He couldn’t understand — even Genryūsai couldn’t detect him when he was hidden back in the day.

Akira stared at the somewhat familiar figure before him and grinned, “Come on, your Reiatsu is like a searchlight in the darkness. It can be seen from 300 kilometers away, and you’re trying to assassinate someone?”

Chika fell silent.

Once upon a time, this assassination technique had killed many Quincy of the Sternritter (Star-Cross Knights’ Order) in war. Yet in this youngster’s mouth, it had become a completely useless ability.

While his opponent was lost in thought, Akira discreetly released the blade from his hand and used Kaidō for rapid healing.

Seeing the slow recovery speed, he grew somewhat anxious. It seemed that after returning, he would need to have Aizen create Kaidō Kidō patterns for him to imprint directly. Then he could heal while fighting, essentially becoming a perpetual motion machine.

In truth, he hadn’t detected Chika hiding in the shadows at all; he had purely relied on his instinctive Danger Instinct to catch that lethal strike.

“Plan A has failed.” Chika retreated to the side, emitting powerful Reiatsu. A massive pillar of light shot skyward, illuminating the lake surface with brilliant radiance, “It’s time to initiate Plan B. Akira Kisaragi, you can no longer escape from Hell.”

As his words fell, several more streams of light erupted from the distant horizon, and vast, oceanic Reiatsu crashed down. The boundless lake surface immediately caved in, stirring up tremendous waves.

Eleven figures hovered in the sky, their gaze fixed on Akira as if looking at a dead man.

Aizen’s heart sank. As he had suspected, the worst outcome had materialized — true death didn’t exist in Hell, and the slain Togabito had been resurrected.

Except for Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto and Retsu Unohana, all the Captains of the original Gotei 13 had appeared.

All villains!

He slowly exhaled, gathering his Reiatsu, and was about to unleash another Hadō #99 when he heard someone’s arrogant words.

“Kekeke, since you all are so gracious, this master must bring out his true abilities.” Akira spread his five fingers, and the Zanpakutō inserted in the passage immediately flew to his hand.

A pillar of Reiatsu erupted skyward, the air filled with a terrifying aura. Black Reiatsu enveloped him like ink, distorting the surrounding air.

Aizen stared at the familiar figure before him with disbelief.

“Come, Kūkan Mukai, let’s show them the bond between us. These dead people have no understanding of the true connection between a person and their sword.”

Akira raised one hand to the sky and pointed the other to the ground, unleashing his final trump card amid maniacal laughter.

“Bankai!”

⤫⤬⤫

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep