For every man there is a cause which he would gladly die for

Defend the right to have a place for which he can belong to

And every man will fight with his bare hands in desperation

And shed his blood to stem the flood to barricade invasion

Invasion: Bleach The Diamand Dust Rebellion

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"You're crazy!" Shinji Hirako exclaimed.

"I know it's risky," Toshiro Hitsugaya answered, "but it is the only weakness we know of. We have to take advantage of it."

Shinji watched Aizen fend of attacks from Love Aikawa and Rose Otoribashi simultaneously. "Do you really trust me that much?"

"No. But I would risk anything to kill Aizen." He fixed Shinji with his most icy glare.

"Anything."

"Tensei!" Shinji called. "Get over here!" As Tensei left the side of his battered former lieutenant, Mashiro Kuna, Shinji turned his attention back to Toshiro. "Are you sure you don't want to wait till Ichigo and the other captains get back?"

Toshiro looked at the kido shield behind which Hinamori and Rangiku lay, both badly injured.

"We don't have time to wait for Ichigo Kurosaki anymore."

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"How much longer is this going to take?" Ichigo yelled as they ran through the precipice world.

"It takes longer to get from Hueco Mundo to the world of the living than it does from the Soul Society." Captain Unohana answered behind him. "Do not worry about how long our journey is. I am sure the captains can handle themselves until we arrive. In the meantime do not overexert yourself now. You would then be useless when we do arrive."

"And if I get there too late I'll be even more useless."

Ichigo began to run even faster.

'I'm on my way, guys! Just hang on!'

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Aizen lazily blocked the high blow from Shunsei Kyoraku and leapt up to avoid having his legs chopped off at the knees by Lisa Yadomaru.

He raised his sword over his head to block a strike from Sjin Komamura's bankai, the sheer size of the blade pushing him down twenty meters.

With his next motion Aizen sliced his Zanpakto through the blade of Komamura's bankai, sheering off most of the silver metal. He followed up by cutting the bankai across the chest, eliciting a cry of anguish from Komamura, who recieved the same injury as his giant doppleganger.

Aizen moved to the side as Soi Fon attempted to stab him with her shikai from behind. She spun around as she passed him, aiming a kick which he ducked under. Aizen dodged a punch that drew Soi Fon in close before striking her across the face with the back of his hand.

He rasied his Zanpakto to finish her off, cut his blade was blocked by Toshiro's. The small captain aimed three unsuccessful strikes at Aizen before leaping up. Right behind him was the Zanpakto of Captain Kyoraku, thrusting for Aizen's heart. Aizen had to back up several paces to deflect what could have been a fatal blow.

Captain Kyoraku began to move below Aizen, hoping to strike at his feet. Aizen kicked at his head, forcing Kyoraku to back away.

A yellow cord wrapped around Aizen's Zanpakto from behind, and he turned to see Rose wileding his shikai from fifteen meters away.

Aizen pointed a finger at rose.

"Hado number seventy three. Soren Sokatsui."

The double blast of electricity shot at rose, who was unable to dodge while his Zanpakto and Aizen's were connected.

Rose's life was saved when Tensei grabbed him from behind and pushed him out of the way. Rose was forced to let go of his Zanpakto, allowing Aizen to shake it off of his sword. The cord fell to earth.

"Shouldn't you be by Mashiro's side?" Aizen taunted Kensei. "She's an easier target now than Hyori was, and she's not not protected at all like those worthless lieutenants."

"Shut up!" Kensei yelled, charging at Aizen.

"So absurd." Aizen said. Kensei had not even drawn his Zanpakto. He was attacking with only a clenched fist.

Aizen thrust his blade into the center of Kensei's chest.

"One down."

"Uggh."

"What?' Aizen exclaimed in shock.

Impaled on his Zanpakto was not Kensei Muguruma, but Toshiro Hitsugaya. And the blade had not pierced his heart, but rather his side.

"The hell?" Aizen looked to the side, where Shinji was holding his Zanpakto in its released state with a smile on his face.

'He reversed the directions.' Aizen realized. 'He made me stab the wrong target.'

"I never thought you were that kind of man, Captain Hirako. To sacrifice a new ally to save a friend. I see you still don't care much for Soul Reapers."

"You're an idiot, Aizen." was Shinji's reply.

"What?"

Aizen felt the chain of Toshiro's Zanpakto wrap around his wrist freezing his arm and Zanpakto in place. He looked down at Toshiro.

"You planned this?"

"You bet." Toshiro's voice was pained, but strong. "This is the only way to be sure you can't use your shikai. When you beat me in Central Forty Six I noticed that I could see you for the instant your sword was in my flesh. You can't fool me now." Toshiro raised his sword with one hand, holding Aizen's blade with the other.

"Damn you!" Aizen yelled as Toshiro stabbed him through the heart.

"Ryuzenka!"

Ice exploded out of Aizen's body, enveloping them both. The Soul Reapers and Visoreds gathered around.

"Did he get him?" Love asked.

The ice began to shatter, revealing both Aizen and Toshiro, the latter of which was still holding onto Aizen's Zanpakto

"Guess not." Captain Kyoraku said. "Aizen looks livid."

Aizen glared down at the gaping hole in his chest. Where his heart should have been was instead a small, purpleleish stone that was pulsating with energy.

"What-have you-done?" Aizen asked in fear.

"Is that the-" Toshiro asked, staring at the stone as its fluctuations in energy grew more rapid.

Toshiro cursed as realization shot through him.

"Get out of here!" Toshiro yelled at his allys. "Move it! Now!"

The Soul Reapers and Visoreds began to scatter, and Toshiro began to make his own escape, but Aizen grabbed his Zanpakto before he had completely removed it from his chest.

"If I go, boy, I'm not going alone."

The world went white, blinding all of the assembled warriors.

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Ichigo burst through the portal with a getsuga tensho charged in his blade.

But there was no one to fire it at.

"What...happened?" he asked, looking around.

The ground was wiped clean as glass for almost a mile in each direction.

"Ichigo!"

"Shinji!" Ichigo said to the first person to approach him. "You look like hell."

"Thanks." the Visored said. "Took you long enough. The fight's over."

"Did we win?"

"What do you think, you (expletive deleted)?"

Ichigo smiled. "We got all the Espada in Hueco Mundo too. It really is over, then."

"Yes." Shinji said sadly.

"Shinji, what's wrong?"

"You never saw Aizen's shikai, did you?"

"No."

"Good. Then you can confirm for us."

"Confirm what?"

Shinji led him to the center of the blast site, around which the Soul Reapers and Visoreds had gathered. Ichigo noticed that only the Head Captain seemed to have escaped serious injury. Few of the captains could stand, and Izuru Kira was the only lieutenant still conscious.

"What happened here?"

"According to Ichimaru, the only one from their side to survive, when he struck the hogyoku with his bankai, it reacted to his desire to kill Aizen, resulting in this explosion. We all got caught in it, some worse than others."

"When who struck the hogyoku?"

"Ichigo, do you see those broken blades in the center?"

Ichigo looked at the five sword pieces lying on the smooth ground. The Soul Reapers seemed to be avoiding them.

"Yeah."

"We've all seen Aizen's shikai, so he could fool all of us and we'd never know it. You're the only one who can confirm that he really is dead."

Ichigo walked over to the broken Zanpaktos and picked up the one he recognized as Aizen's from their battle at the Sokyoku Hill. It was split into three.

"There's no doubt about it, Shinji."

"That's good."

Ichigo looked across the ground. Nearby he found the hogyoku, undamaged. It really was indestructable. And just beyond it was...

"Oh god. Please, no."

The Zanpakto Hyorinamru was lying on the ground, split neatly in two.