Bleach: Awakened — Chapter 102 - The Hogyoku's Fusion
Countless cones of light materialized around him. Before Sosuke Aizen could react, the fully incanted Hado No. 91—unleashed by First-Class Spiritual Rank Kisuke Urahara, came shrieking straight toward him.
BOOM!
A tremendous explosion rang out across the sky, churning up waves of white smoke. Hachigen Ushoda's most powerful Kido had contained the blast radius to its absolute minimum while pushing the destructive force inside to its absolute maximum.
"Is it over..."
Dragging a bleeding back, Shinji Hirako made it to Kisuke Urahara's side. The wound wasn't deep, after cutting through the attacks of five Captain-level Soul Reapers in rapid succession, even Sosuke Aizen had nothing left to spend on a killing blow.
"It's not that simple." Kisuke Urahara shook his head and pressed the brim of his hat down. "Something is off about Aizen's spiritual pressure and physical toughness. Both are far too strong."
"His spiritual pressure has already hit the ceiling for a Soul Reaper, and from what we just saw, his body is even more terrifying than Ichigo running Blut. He definitely didn't have this kind of strength on his own. Which means..."
"You're exactly right, Kisuke Urahara."
BOOM!
A terrifying surge of spiritual pressure erupted skyward and scattered the thick white smoke. Hiyori Sarugaki, Mashiro Kuna, and the others who had barely reached Third-class Reii felt their pupils snap tight, they could no longer sense Sosuke Aizen's spiritual pressure at all.
"I have indeed conquered it."
Sosuke Aizen stood suspended in the air, clothing slightly torn, upper body bare. Just below the center of his chest, radiating a mysterious light, the Hogyoku was embedded in his flesh.
"I have become the master of the Hogyoku."
"The worst has come to pass..." Kisuke Urahara pressed the hat down again. The brim dropped over his face, hiding his expression. "He has already stepped into the realm of a Transcendent."
"Only a first step—still not at the level of Ichigo's Trinity. But even so, he is no longer an opponent any of us can contend with."
Inside the Dangai connecting Hueco Mundo to the World of the Living, Ichigo Kurosaki stood atop a shield of light with eyes closed, steadying himself, aiming to walk out and cut Sosuke Aizen down in a single stroke.
"...Hm?!"
The light shield beneath his feet suddenly shifted. Instead of driving straight ahead, it banked sharply left. Ichigo's eyes went wide.
"The Garganta I opened was definitely the one leading to Karakura Town."
Rubbing his chin, Ichigo focused his senses. As the caster, he could still confirm the Garganta's destination was Karakura Town. That hadn't changed.
"What's going on... It was going straight at first. Why would it change like this."
He stopped and thought for a good while, came up with nothing, and decided to just keep moving. The endpoint was still Karakura Town. Whatever. Maybe after Hueco Mundo's space had been sealed off for so long, the passage had developed some kind of problem.
And so, though the path had bent, Ichigo pressed on alone through the Dangai toward Karakura Town.
Karakura Town.
"Rukia! We're heading to Karakura Town first!"
Red hair flying, Renji Abarai swung the extending blade in hand, locked in combat against one snake and one monkey.
"We can't let the Tenkaiketshu get destroyed!"
"Understood!"
Gripping a Zanpakuto that was pure white and strikingly beautiful in design, Rukia Kuchiki answered back, spiritual pressure erupting sharply and driving the tall, beautiful woman before her into retreat.
"You still want to protect Karakura Town?" The monkey, female in form, black iron chains coiled around its body, covered in green fur, sneered. "You? Don't overestimate yourself."
It wrapped the chains around its knuckles and charged, an iron fist driving straight for Renji Abarai's face.
"Damn it!" Renji caught the punch. The palm of that hand throbbed from the impact. "Zabimaru! What are you two trying to do?! Aren't we partners?!"
"I don't accept that!" The snake-man, who looked like a young boy, swung the blade in hand. Also a Zabimaru. "A weakling like you is our partner?!"
"...Tch!"
No argument to offer. Lately, Renji had felt the weight of powerlessness more and more, even having mastered Bankai, against strong enemies, the weakness was still there.
"Die!" The blade extended; the snake-man's Zabimaru was identical to the one in Renji's hand. "Renji Abarai!"
CLANG,
Renji leaped back and swung as well. The two extended Zabimaru clashed in midair, dead even, and both fell limp.
"Ha!"
The monkey-woman didn't press the attack. Instead, the iron chains coiled around the body were yanked taut. The other end was connected to the snake-man.
Working the chains with practiced ease, the monkey-woman flung the snake-man like a meteor hammer. He came in gripping the blade, mouth stretched wide, straight at Renji.
CLANG,
Sparks scattered. Renji's body was forced back step after step, the combined force of snake and monkey working together far exceeded anything Renji could match.
"Too weak, too weak!"
Pressing without mercy, the snake-man swung Zabimaru again and again. Renji could only defend, completely overwhelmed by his own Zanpakuto.
"Damn it!"
Teeth gritted, fury rising, and nothing to be done about it. With Zabimaru's spirit separated from the blade, Renji could only use Shikai, and facing the monkey-woman and snake-man who shared one body and one soul, Shikai alone couldn't hold. Even if Renji managed Bankai, if they could use it too, there was no reason to think the odds would swing.
"Zabimaru... to think it's actually this strong?!"
The words came out low, barely a murmur. Renji sank into self-doubt. As the physical manifestations of the Zanpakuto, the snake-man and monkey-woman before him, Zabimaru, should have been on the same level. Yet the battle had turned entirely one-sided.
"Have you ever truly made use of our power?!" The monkey-woman's voice came down hard. The snake-man was pulled back; the Zanpakuto changed hands, and the monkey-woman came in personally. "Have you ever truly faced our power for what it is?!"
"Renji Abarai!"
CLANG,
The monkey-woman hit harder than the snake-man. Renji, already losing focus, was sent flying, crashed into the wall behind, and slid slowly down.
"What... what does that mean..."
A thin line of blood ran from the corner of Renji's mouth. A thumb wiped it away. The churning in the gut went ignored. Both eyes stayed locked on Zabimaru.
"Exactly what it sounds like." The monkey-woman crossed both arms. "Look—that star a stray dog like you has been chasing is in about the same situation as you, isn't it."
"Both that weak. Both so... infuriating to the blade."
Eyes lifted. One tall, one short, Rukia Kuchiki alongside the physical manifestation of her Zanpakuto: a statuesque woman dressed in white finery. Sode no Shirayuki was fighting too.
And just as the monkey-woman had said, Rukia's battle had also turned entirely one-sided. Same level of spiritual pressure, yet in actual combat, the wielder was being dominated by the Zanpakuto.
CRACK!
Pure white ice locked around Sode no Shirayuki's feet, freezing the movement for a moment. Rukia saw the opening and fell back in quick succession, coming to stand shoulder to shoulder with Renji.
"Hah... hah..." Breathing hard, Rukia steadied herself. "Renji, I heard what they said... something doesn't feel right."
"Our Zanpakuto are a little too strong."
➤ Next: The Ongoing Rebellion