Aizen calmly extended his left hand. "What a shame, Ichigo. I don't feel any Spiritual Pressure from you now."
Before he could continue, Ichigo cut him off. "Aizen, let's change locations. I don't want to fight here."
"Nonsense." Aizen's gaze remained steady. "Only those who wield power equal to mine have the right to make such demands."
Before Aizen could react, Ichigo was suddenly in front of him, his grip pressing against Aizen's face with overwhelming force. The impact sent Aizen off balance, his body tilting backward.
Ichigo didn't allow him to hit the ground. With a single stomp, the earth cracked beneath his feet, sending clouds of dust into the air. Then, gripping Aizen's face tightly, Ichigo shot forward, dragging him through the sky at incredible speed.
Aizen had no time to counter. He couldn't believe it. The boy he had dismissed as a failure—someone unworthy of his attention—was now overpowering him so easily.
How could this be happening?
The distance Ichigo carried Aizen remained unknown. Finally, Ichigo came to a stop and hurled him downward.
Aizen crashed into the ground, the impact shaking the area. As the dust settled, he knelt on one knee, one hand clutching his face.
"Incredible…" he murmured. "He actually overpowered me with brute force…"
Ahead, Kurosaki Ichigo descended slowly, his bare feet touching the ruined ground. His voice was calm, yet absolute.
"Let's end this, Aizen."
Aizen let out a soft chuckle. "So that's how it is… Over in an instant."
He smiled as he stood, brushing the dust off himself. "I see now, Kurosaki Ichigo. The reason your spiritual pressure disappeared…"
His eyes gleamed with realization. "You didn't lose it. You abandoned it."
Ichigo remained silent as Aizen continued. "I don't know what method you used, but you converted all your spiritual pressure into raw physical strength. Your arm strength, leg strength, grip strength, throwing power—every aspect of your body has been enhanced at the cost of your reiatsu."
Aizen's voice took on a mocking edge. "You must have been truly desperate to resort to such measures. But let me tell you something… even the strength you've placed all your hope in is still far inferior to mine."
As he spoke, the Hōgyoku embedded in his chest pulsed with light. Aizen's transformation advanced further—twelve luminous wings unfurled from his back, radiating an overwhelming glow.
Then, without hesitation, he raised his zanpakutō.
A brilliant, searing light erupted.
Aizen swung his blade.
"Shhh!"
Ichigo reacted instantly, meeting Aizen's strike with his own.
The moment their swords clashed, an earsplitting crack echoed through the air. A distant mountain split cleanly in two. Then, as the force rippled outward, the mountain shattered completely, reduced to nothing but dust and debris.
The precision of the cut was terrifyingly smooth.
Both combatants leaped back.
Aizen smirked. "You managed to block my strike. I'm impressed."
His gaze sharpened. "But you must be surprised. With a single swing, I reshaped the landscape. That is the power I now wield."
He exhaled, almost in admiration. "Honestly, even I didn't expect my abilities to evolve this far. It seems you were a catalyst, Ichigo Kurosaki. Thanks to you, I can finally put this power to the test."
Without warning, Aizen launched himself into the air and slashed downward.
"Shhh!"
Ichigo blocked it effortlessly.
The force alone shattered another mountain nearby, but Ichigo remained unshaken.
Aizen's attacks didn't stop. He swung again.
This time, Ichigo didn't block. He sidestepped, landing lightly atop the flattened remains of the destroyed mountain.
Aizen's voice rang out. "Do you think I can't predict your movements?"
From above, he descended, blade flashing. His zanpakutō cleaved into the mountain, reducing it to rubble in an instant. The resulting shockwave tore through the landscape, upheaving the ground for dozens of meters.
Yet, as the dust cleared, Ichigo emerged unscathed, his expression as composed as ever.
A blur of movement. Aizen lunged from the smoke.
"Shhh!"
Their swords clashed once more, the shockwave sweeping away all remaining dust and debris.
Aizen studied Ichigo intently. "Interesting… we are both wielding our zanpakutō with our right hands, as if they have truly become a part of us."
He chuckled.
Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "What's so funny?"
Aizen smirked. "We seem to have arrived at a similar evolved form.
However, from that last clash, I could feel it. There is an insurmountable gap between us."
He tilted his blade slightly. "If I so desired, I could shatter your zanpakutō with a single swing."
The moment he finished speaking, he swung.
Blinding light surged from his blade.
But Ichigo didn't move.
Instead, he simply reached out.
"Boom!"
Aizen's eyes widened in shock.
Ichigo had caught the blade.
The earth behind him ruptured violently from the force, massive fissures splitting the land apart. Yet Ichigo stood firm, his grip steady.
Aizen was stunned. "Impossible… I could accept him dodging the strike, but stopping it entirely?!"
Ichigo's voice was eerily calm. "What's wrong? Is it so hard to believe?"
Aizen's expression darkened. "Don't act so triumphant, Kurosaki Ichigo."
His tone grew colder. "You caught my sword because, in that moment, your physical strength happened to exceed mine. Such miracles do occur… on occasion."
He raised his free hand, pointing a finger skyward.
"To ensure you never touch my blade again… I will reduce you to ashes with Kido!"
Dark, ominous energy surged from Aizen's body, soaking the sky in malevolent reiatsu. His voice took on a ritualistic cadence as he began to chant.
"The oozing crest of corruption.
The arrogant vessel of madness.
Deny the seething urge to let things stun and flicker.
Disrupt the sleep.
The crawling princess of iron.
The eternally self-destructing doll of mud.
Unite, repulse, fill the earth, and know your own powerlessness.
Hado #90: Kurohitsugi."
A massive black construct materialized in the sky, its sheer presence distorting space itself.
"This is Kurohitsugi in its true form," Aizen declared, his confidence absolute. "It surpasses both Hollows and Shinigami! It can even distort time and space itself!"
He grinned. "You cannot comprehend its power, Kurosaki Ichigo."
As the enormous black coffin formed, sealing Ichigo within its crushing void, Aizen felt victory within his grasp.
The darkness consumed all.
And then—
A single hand moved.
A gentle wave of the arm.
Like fragile glass, the Kurohitsugi shattered.
No explosion. No resistance. Just a slow, effortless fracture.
Aizen's eyes widened.
Ichigo stood amidst the fading remnants of the shattered coffin, completely unharmed.
Aizen's mind reeled.
Impossible.