The moment Lynn's fist connected with Aizen's left cheek, the entire side of his face caved in. The white bone armor shattered like a fragile eggshell.
The pale sky of Hueco Mundo dimmed for a brief moment, as if space itself trembled under the force of that single punch.
Aizen's body was sent flying like a meteor, crashing through the sea summoned by Ingvild Leviathan and exposing the moist white sand beneath.
In an instant, a trench over a thousand meters long formed where he skidded across the ground.
The impact was so overwhelming that the sea, which had been split, remained suspended in the air, unable to fall back for some time.
Elsewhere…
Ulquiorra Cifer, who was still engaged with Nelliel, heard the tremendous sound and glanced toward it.
Hm…
It had only been a short time, but…
Aizen should have already succeeded, right?
But…
Why does the figure that just flew past look… familiar?
Wait.
As he got a clearer look, Ulquiorra's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Aizen-sama?!"
Hiss—
He flew out?
How could that be Aizen-sama?!
Where was the shrine maiden?
He looked up quickly and saw someone standing calmly beside her.
When did he arrive?
Ulquiorra was stunned, but more than that, his concern turned immediately to Aizen's condition.
From the look of it…
Things didn't seem fine at all.
"Don't worry,"
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez slapped Ulquiorra's shoulder and said with confidence, "This is all just part of Aizen-sama's plan."
"Have you forgotten the power of his Zanpakutō?"
Hearing this, Ulquiorra snapped back to reality.
That's right!
Mirror in the water, flower in the mirror…
Everything before them was just an illusion conjured by Kyōka Suigetsu to mislead the enemy.
"Oi, oi."
Starrk, overhearing them, muttered, "Did you two even watch what just happened?"
"Aizen's Zanpakutō…"
He turned to Lynn, eyes filled with unease. "Back when he appeared…"
"It was crushed. Just like that."
Even now, Starrk felt a lingering chill.
Damn it.
Who the hell is this guy?
He shattered a Zanpakutō with his bare hands?
Even Aizen, evolved by the Hōgyoku, couldn't pull that off.
By comparison…
Isn't this newcomer the one who should have fused with the Hōgyoku?
But then…
Lynn.
Starrk narrowed his eyes, recalling what Midoriko had just called him.
So…
This man is the leader of that group, the one Nelliel recently joined?
Starrk fell deep into thought.
However, his words left Grimmjow and Ulquiorra stunned.
What did you just say?!
Ulquiorra, who had been focusing on holding off Nelliel, hadn't seen any of what happened earlier.
Grimmjow had the same idea. When Nelliel charged forward, they both used Sonído to intercept her.
Though a bit slower than Ulquiorra…
They still missed the key moment.
In their minds…
As long as no one interfered, Aizen would naturally finish off the shrine maiden. They'd just deal with the aftermath.
But…
The unexpected still happened. And it happened without warning.
Who is this man?
Ulquiorra and Grimmjow exchanged a glance. They hadn't seen it with their own eyes, so they remained skeptical about the claim that Kyōka Suigetsu had been destroyed.
But…
Starrk had no reason to lie.
Just as they were starting to waver…
Aizen Sosuke coughed.
He struggled to rise from the sand, his figure covered in dust. His once-pristine hair, usually styled like it had been held together with hairspray, now drooped messily over his forehead.
More eye-catching, however, was the blood smeared across his body and the clearly swollen left side of his face.
Fortunately…
With the Hōgyoku embedded in him, Aizen had access to super-speed regeneration, much like an Arrancar.
The injuries across his body, the damage to his internal organs, and the swelling on his face all healed rapidly.
But…
The thudding in his chest hadn't faded.
For a brief moment just now, Aizen had felt something unthinkable—that he might actually die before achieving his ambitions.
And not even the Hōgyoku could have saved him.
Worse…
His instincts told him that the punch he'd taken really had been just an ordinary, straightforward punch.
Haa…
Aizen took a deep breath. Just before the parted sea on both sides collapsed in, he rose steadily into the sky.
Then…
He stood there, mid-air.
Lynn was strong.
But Aizen was not weak.
The desire burning in Aizen's heart seemed to resonate with the Hōgyoku.
Purple light surged from within him. More bone-like armor grew across his body, as though crawling to cover every inch of him.
And…
His spiritual pressure exploded once again.
"This is…"
Aizen himself was surprised by the sudden evolution.
But…
It was fine.
Maybe like this…
Maybe now he could close the gap between himself and that man… right?
On the other side.
Seeing that Aizen wasn't mortally wounded, Ulquiorra finally regained his composure, and Grimmjow let out a sigh of relief.
"See? That's Aizen-sama," Grimmjow said with pride. "You think he'd go down that easily?"
He transformed into a streak of blue light, voice loud and smug.
Starrk didn't bother responding to Grimmjow's rambling. Instead, he stared closely at Aizen's condition and muttered to himself,
"If this keeps up, Aizen's body is going to collapse."
After all…
The Hōgyoku is incomplete.
It could still grant limitless evolution.
But…
It was out of control.
It only responded to the will of the user.
It didn't care whether the user's body could withstand the changes.
That was…
The fatal flaw of a half-finished Hōgyoku.
Starrk looked grim as he muttered quietly, "Still want to continue?"
(To be continued.)