The pale sky of Hueco Mundo was torn apart as two immense powers clashed.
The golden aura enveloping Midoriko collided violently with Aizen's expanding spiritual pressure, shattering space into spiderweb-like cracks as if it were fragile glass.
With all four souls fully activated, Midoriko felt an overwhelming surge of power for the first time. Her spiritual and magical energy flowed in perfect harmony through her body, every strand of her hair glowing with radiant brilliance.
"Hadō No. 90: Kurohitsugi."
Aizen's voice echoed from every direction.
There was no incantation this time, yet the massive black cube that formed in the void was ten times larger than before.
Countless shadow blades extended from the coffin's inner walls, completely sealing off the space around Midoriko.
"The same move again?"
She quickly formed seals with her hands. The power of her Four Soul Mode condensed into a rotating yin-yang orb between her palms.
Dark flame and golden spiritual energy intertwined, forming a spiral beam that blasted toward the inner wall of the Kurohitsugi.
"That won't work on me!"
Boom!
All of Hueco Mundo trembled.
The black coffin shattered from within, and Midoriko, wreathed in golden light, shot out like a meteor, breaking through the barrier in an instant.
Just as she was about to strike at Aizen head-on, she caught sight of something strange—white crystals were growing along his right arm.
They spread like bone, creeping along his clavicle and moving toward his heart.
"Your body…" Midoriko's eyes narrowed sharply.
"It's nothing more than a minor transformation," Aizen replied, calmly brushing his fingers across the crystals. His eyes turned cold. "Compared to this—"
His figure suddenly multiplied into hundreds, each clone positioned in a distinct slashing stance.
What shocked Midoriko even more was that through Strange Soul's perception, she could see that all of the clones were linked to spiritual threads.
This time, they were all physical.
Was it Kyōka Suigetsu's ability again?
Midoriko remained calm. "Are you out of tricks?"
To think he'd reuse an illusion she had already broken once.
Was he that desperate?
With a flick of her wrist, she released another beam of dark-gold energy aimed straight at the threads.
But—
Boom—
The thread didn't tear like before.
Instead, it flexed, bending into a massive arc before snapping with a loud crack under the energy's force.
Midoriko's expression froze for a moment.
Aizen chuckled. "The essence of battle is spiritual pressure."
As his spiritual pressure grew, the power of Kyōka Suigetsu grew with it.
Now...
It wasn't so easy to sever the threads anymore.
And...
There was no reason for him to let her slowly break through them one by one.
Hundreds of Aizens raised their hands simultaneously.
"Hadō No. 73: Sōren Sōkatsui."
Screee—
Blinding white light erupted.
Aizen swung his hand casually toward Midoriko.
Fwoooosh—
A roaring blast of flame surged through all of Hueco Mundo!
Hundreds of white fire cannons launched at once, turning the sky into day.
Midoriko's pupils contracted. Golden energy erupted from her body as she forcefully pushed the Four Souls Mode to its limit!
Buzz—
A wide-area barrier unfolded instantly!
Boom boom boom!!
The fire cannons slammed against it, shaking the barrier violently.
Her arms trembled under the pressure, but she gritted her teeth and held on.
Her magic and spiritual energy were draining rapidly.
Aizen watched with a blank expression, raising his hand once again to unleash another wave of light cannons.
The barrier faltered.
Realizing it wouldn't hold, Midoriko clenched her jaw and abandoned it, instantly retreating!
Boom!!
The moment she disengaged, the barrier shattered.
Countless light cannons surged toward her.
Her breathing was ragged. Golden magic circles flashed beneath her feet as she twisted and weaved through the barrage. The hem of her shrine maiden robe was already scorched from the searing heat.
A single misstep and she'd be vaporized.
Still—
Midoriko remained focused, scanning the horde of Aizens through the barrage.
Even though the spiritual threads were harder to break, they were still illusions.
She could trace the real Aizen's position using the threads.
Where they extended from…
And where they converged!
Following the pattern, her eyes locked onto a single point.
Without hesitation, she twisted midair and rushed toward one of the clones, gathering Four Souls energy at her toes.
"You figured it out?" that "Aizen" mocked.
Bang!
Her kick passed through the clone like smoke.
But the real Aizen's Zanpakutō pierced toward her from behind.
An illusion again?!
No way!
Shocked, Midoriko didn't freeze up. At the critical moment, she twisted her body and raised a barrier using her Four Souls power. The blade scraped against the glowing shield, throwing off a shower of sparks.
"You reacted well."
Aizen's voice came right beside her ear.
Midoriko's heart dropped—at some point, the white crystals on his chest had expanded into wing-like bone armor!
And his aura...
Was still rising.
As if it had no limit.
This realization rattled her.
But—
Aizen didn't give her time to dwell on it.
BOOM!
The two clashed, exchanging hundreds of blows in a single thousandth of a second.
Midoriko's attacks were increasingly ferocious, but Aizen's dodges became more fluid.
Whenever her phantom flame was about to land, the white crystals would emit strange waves that deflected the energy.
"You're running out of time."
Aizen suddenly halted.
He had clearly sensed her fading strength.
"That form… can't last much longer, can it?"
He opened his arms wide. The white crystals crawled over half his body like something alive.
"And my evolution…"
"…has only just begun."
Midoriko panted hard, still forcing herself to fight.
The burden of Four Souls Mode was immense. Her spiritual energy was draining at a terrifying rate.
Worst of all—
She could now see a purple mark, glowing faintly on Aizen's forehead, the same aura as the Hōgyoku.
Evolution...
Were these bodily changes the so-called "evolution" he spoke of?
And...
With each transformation, she could feel his strength spike again.
Just like he said...
Aizen Sosuke—his evolution had only just begun.
(To be continued.)