Manipulations of Aizen Sosuke
After the announcement from Isane,
A finger…. With only just a finger… Aizen blocked Ichigo's Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu. It was a very good plan, naïve but good. Using the broken pieces of Zabimaru to create an opening and attack with the sharpness of Tensa Zangetsu. But, the plan was broken down to pieces in front of Aizen. He caught Ichigo's Bankai with a finger and slashed Ichigo across the stomach, making him immobile.
He then flashed after Renji, slashing him on the shoulders, taking him out of commission. He then went to Rukia and picked her up and held her by the Senzaikyu prison collar that she had on her neck.
"Hm! Oh, I see. My Reiatsu has caused your body to go limp.", Sosuke noted after observing Rukia, who he found frozen in her tracks.
"Urgh! A-Ar-Argh!", Ichigo groaned in pain as he pushed his head up to see Sosuke.
'Ichigo!', Rukia noted to herself in concern.
"The poor thing… He's still conscious.", Sosuke noted while looking at Ichigo.
"Guh…Guh…", Ichigo panted while groaning as he kept looking at Rukia and Sosuke.
"Having too much life force without the abilities to back it up may work against you. Give up already. You've all been useful enough. You've all served your purpose.", Sosuke stated to Ichigo as he sheathed his Zanpakuto.
"Purpose…?", Ichigo asked while struggling.
"That's right. I knew that you would enter through West Rukongai. That's why I had Squads stationed around the area. So that Gin could be there if something happened. The Seireitei walls were lowered, and there were captains within the gate, so the only way to get in would be Shiba Kūkaku's Kakkaku Taiho.
A very flashy entry… and these intruders were skilled enough to get past a captain. As a result, The Eyes of all Shinigami within Seireitei focused on them. Your actions after entering the court were quite impressive indeed. And thanks to you, the news of a murdered captain did not create too much fuss.
It really made it easy to make my move.", Sosuke explained step-by-step to Ichigo, making Ichigo go in shock.
"H-Hold on. How did you know that we come in through West Rukongai?", Ichigo asked Sosuke in confusion and shock.
"What a strange thing to ask. Where else could it be? The West Rukongai is Urahara Kisuke's base of operations. West Rukongai is the only place you could have entered with his Senkaimon. What's with that face? You work for him, don't you? Didn't you come to retrieve Kuchiki Rukia under Urahara Kisuke's orders?", Sosuke explained before asking Ichigo, noticing his shocked face.
"How do you…", Ichigo asked in disbelief.
"I see. It seems you weren't told anything. Oh well… This is the end anyway, so I'll tell you. Did you know that Shinigami have four basic fighting techniques? Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho and Kido… Those are the four.", Sosuke said as he began dragging Rukia toward Ichigo
"But there is a limit to how strong you get in each one of them. There's a limit to how much a soul can take and that's where the growth stops. In other words, that's a Shinigami's limit. Is there a way to get past that and surpass the limits of those four abilities to be stronger then? Well, there's a way. Just one… A Shinigami has to become a Hollow.", Sosuke said with a sadistic smile.
"!", Ichigo looked at him in shock as he had flashbacks to his Hollow manifesting itself during his fight with Byakuya.
"A Shinigami into a Hollow or a Hollow into a Shinigami… Only by removing the border between these two opposing existences, can one become an even greater existence. In theory, it was plausible. So, I secretly tried to turn various Hollows into Shinigami. A hollow that could hide its Reiatsu or a hollow that could destroy a Shinigami's Zanpakuto and merge and fuse with him.", Sosuke stated to Ichigo, passing Renji's unconscious body.
"!", Rukia had flashbacks of Kaien as Sosuke revealed about those hollows.
"But none of them worked as well as I had hoped. In the end, nobody could find a way. But Urahara Kisuke made a way. It was something that could instantly remove the border dividing a Shinigami and a Hollow, something that defied all logic of Soul Society….
It's called Hogyoku… and it's very dangerous. He probably felt the same way. He tried to destroy the Hogyoku. But he was unable to find a way to destroy his own creation.", Sosuke explained as he stopped as stood before Ichigo.
"!", Ichigo
"So reluctantly he resorted to another method. That was to create a shield around the Hogyoku and hide it deep within a soul. Now, do you understand?", Sosuke asked Rukia after his explanation.
"H-Heh?!", Rukia looked at Sosuke in shock and fear.
"The place he chose to hide it was within you. Kuchiki Rukia.", Sosuke revealed, shocking Rukia more.
"What… did you say?", Ichigo asked in confusion.
"But, when I found that out, you had already gone missing in the World of the Living. I instinctively knew Urahara Kisuke had something to do with it. He was banished from Soul Society for creating an untraceable gigai that contained no Reishi. There's no way a Shinigami inside a gigai can go missing….
But There was another reason why he was exiled. The Reiryoku of the Shinigami inside the gigai would continue to diminish. Because of that, the Shinigami never gets back his Reiryoku, and the communications to the gigai are lost, to the point that all of the spirit energy is lost.
The soul is reduced to that of a mere human.", Sosuke revealed to them with a serious face.
"!", Rukia looked up at Sosuke, still in shock.
"Do you understand now? He didn't help you. He was just trying to hide the location of the Hogyoku by turning you into a human.", Sosuke explained to Rukia, making her understand her role in all of this.
"!", Ichigo flinched when Rukia's eyes dilated in realization of that fact.
"But luckily, you were found in the Word of the Living a few months later. I immediately went to Central 46 and…", Sosuke's explanations were interrupted by Sajin Komamura, appearing behind him.
"Aizen!", Sajin roared as he brought down his sword, his Shikai attacking Aizen.
A few moments later,
"Kyoka Suigetsu's Complete Hypnosis is flawless. There's no way to escape it even if you know it was coming.", Sosuke stated as he turned around to see the wounded Sajin Komamura, who he attacked with #Hado 90: Kurohitsugi.
"A level 90 without a chant. How scary! When did you learn to do that?", Gin asked Sosuke while holding Rukia.
"No, it was a failure… It didn't even get a third of its destructive power. A level 90 without a chant is hard to control…", Sosuke replied as he walked over to Gin and took Rukia back by the collar.
"…", Ichigo looked over at them still in shock.
"Sorry, I hadn't explained, had I?", Sosuke asked Ichigo before hearing the others running towards them, calling Ichigo.
"Stay back!", Ichigo warned them, making them stop in their tracks.
"Kuchiki-san!", Orihime called out as she noticed Rukia in Sosuke's hands.
"Oh, no no, You shouldn't be moving.", Gin said before exerting his Reiatsu, bringing all of them to their knees.
"Kuchiki Rukia… When I fou- Huh?!", Sosuke, after confirming they won't interrupt him, turned around to Rukia and started his explanation but was cut off by a blade slashing him on the face.
"Aizen-sama!", Kaname Tosen called out to Sosuke.
"Oh… and who must you be?", Sosuke, who was blocking the blade, asked as he looked at the man who attacked him.
"Ryuji… Kurosaki Ryuji.", Ryuji responded with a smirk.
"Ryuji!", Ichigo called out in surprise.
"It seems that Gin's Reiatsu doesn't bother you…", Sosuke asked Ryuji with a smile.
"He's exerting Reiatsu? He should do a lot better than that.", Ryuji replied with a smirk.
'Interesting…', Sosuke thought to himself.
"So… Shall I explain the rest?", Ryuji asked before backing up a bit.
"Hm?", Sosuke looked at him puzzled.
"First!", Ryuji began before he disappeared and appeared next to Sosuke and slashed at him, which Sosuke blocked.
"After learning Rukia was in the World of the Living, you went into Central 46 and slaughtered them all and used Kyoka Suigetsu on the entire assembly hall.", Ryuji stated to Sosuke as he backed off.
"Second!", Ryuji said as he parried Sosuke's slash.
"Having one of you three down there at all times, you had been acting as Central 46 and gave out orders. From sending Renji and Byakuya to arrest Rukia, making sure her gigai is destroyed and her execution order, everything was your orders.", Ryuji explained as he backed off again.
"Third!", Ryuji slashed at Sosuke, which was parried and brought to a standstill.
"The only time you three weren't underground were the two-three hours of the Captain's meetings. Later, You used Kyoka Suigetsu to fake your death and hit the underground later. Am I right in my analysis?", Ryuji asked Sosuke with a smirk.
"Impressive… Very impressive.", Sosuke said with a smile.
"Well… I have more impressive things to show!", Ryuji said with a smirk as he pulled his blade off, breaking Sosuke's blade into pieces.
"Huh?!", Sosuke's eyes dilated at that as he flashed away with his scabbard.
"Aizen-sama!", Kaname Tosen called out as he flashed next to Ryuji to attack him.
"Hadō #90. Kurohitsugi!", Ryuji flashed away, stood behind Kaname, and chanted by holding his index and middle fingers together.
Ryuji generates blue/black spiritual energy, which enveloped Kaname with a powerful torrent of gravity before taking the form of a box of black energy, covered in several spear-like protrusions which pierce the box, lacerating Kaname inside from head to toe. As it disintegrated, Kaname fell on the ground, wounded, and passed out.
"Hmm.", Ryuji readied himself to take out Sosuke before he heard Gin call his name.
"Ryuji-kun… If you don't stand down, I'll finish him off!", Gin blackmailed as he held his Zanpakuto over Ichigo's neck.
"Hmph!", Ryuji turned around with lightning in his blade growing more powerful as his eyes widened.
"Stand down…", Gin ordered, fastening the grip over his Zanpakuto.
"Ryuji! Don't think about me! Save Rukia!", Ichigo yelled at Ryuji, begging to save her.
"….", Ryuji stood there, staring at Gin wanting to burn a hole through his face.
"….", Gin stared back with the same intensity.
"Sorry… Ichigo.", Ryuji said with an apologetic face before stabbing his Zanpakuto to the ground and taking his hand off of it, deactivating his Shikai.
"Ha, you're a troublesome one!", Gin flashed next to Ryuji, pushed him onto the ground, and, held Ryuji's arms to his back.
"Don't push it too far.", Ryuji warned Gin.
"I didn't finish what I was saying, wasn't I? The reason I hid myself underground was because I had an instinct that you guys would foil my plans…", Sosuke continued his explanation.
"…", Ichigo looked at Aizen in shock.
"There are only two ways of removing a foreign object planted directly into a soul. You can use an intense thermal disruption like the Sokyoku which will evaporate the soul that envelops it… or some other method that will interfere with the soul's composition and forcefully separate them… In the unlikely event that the execution by the Sokyoku failed, I had to find the other method.", Sosuke explained as he put his hand inside his Shihakusho, getting a small pale-purple finger-sized cylinder out.
"And you searched the archives of Soul Society that had the observation and inventions of Urahara to make that.", Ryuji stated as his eyes widened as he noticed that cylinder.
"Interesting… You guessed it correctly. Now…", Sosuke complimented Ryuji before activating that cylinder, making curved tree-green spikes come out of the ground surrounding Rukia and him.
Ichigo and the others looked in shock as Sosuke's hand was covered with the same color. Sosuke stabbed his hand inside Rukia's chest, to the horror of everyone else, and pulled out a white octagonal sphere that held a smaller dark sphere inside it. Rukia had a large hole in her chest.
"I'm surprised… It's so small. This is the Hogyoku.", Sosuke noted as he held the Hogyoku near his face.
"ugh!", Rukia slipped down to her knees as the hole in her chest closed itself.
"The Soul itself in unharmed… Amazing Technology.", Sosuke noted as he put the Hogyoku inside his Shihakusho.
"!", Ryuji's eyes widened as he processed whatever he saw at a rapid rate inside his head.
"Unfortunately… You are no longer needed. Kill her, Gin.", Sosuke said as he held Rukia in the air by the collar.
"Well then… Shoot them dead, Shinso!", Gin activated his Shikai, his blade elongating fast towards Rukia.
Just before the blade could reach Rukia's neck, Byakuya saved her, getting himself stabbed in the ribs. Sosuke looked a bit shocked as he failed to notice Byakuya taking Rukia from him. As Gin withdrew his Shikai…Byakuya, blood flowing out of the womb, supported himself on Rukia while panting.
"Big Brother… Why? Why did you save me?!", Rukia asked in shock as she held him.
"…", Sosuke turned to the two, poised to kill them.
"Hadō #11. Tsuzuri Raiden!", Ryuji chanted, generating lightning through his hand that was held by Gin.
"Gah!", Gin growled as he withdrew his arm in pain, letting Ryuji go.
"Open Your Eyes, Raijin Kurogetsu!", Ryuji called out, his katana flashed out as lightning and flashed into his right hand in the Shikai form.
"!", The rest looked shocked at this.
"Raijin Kurogetsu: Dendō-sei no yari!", Ryuji yelled as he pointed his left hand at Sosuke, generating a long, collimated spear made of lightning, that flashed towards Sosuke at light speed.
"Huh?!", Sosuke jumped away, shocked by that, having himself wounded a little on his shoulder.
"Let's Go, Jidanbo! Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle! Hadō #63. Raikōhō!", Generating an orb of yellow lightning above the palm of her hand, Shiba Kūkaku fired the built-up energy at Sosuke as a massive concentration of energy which resembles a lightning strike from the sky as she descended on the shoulder of Jidanbo.
"Big sis!", Ganji noted in surprise.
"Jidanbo-san!", Orihime noted in surprise.
"Hmm…", Sosuke landed a bit far after dodging the Hado.
"Hep!", Ryuji flashed right in front of his face and swung his arm at him.
"Oh…", Sosuke dodged the swing as he noticed Ryuji's hand aim for his chest.
"Give me the Hogyoku!", Ryuji growled as he stood before Sosuke.
"Come and take it from me.", Sosuke replied with a smirk.
Ryuji, flashing in front of Sosuke, shot out a punch at him. Sosuke blocked the punch and swung his hand to Ryuji's cheek. Ryuji caught Sosuke's hand and shot out a punch at him again. Sosuke caught Ryuji's hand and placed it around his neck. Locking his arms below his arms and around his chest, he threw him over his shoulder, a Back Body Drop.
Ryuji flew away in the air for a couple of seconds before his back came slamming down onto the hard-rock surface. Sosuke flashed next to Ryuji and climbed on top of him. He placed punch after punch on Ryuji's face, making blood flow out of Ryuji's mouth. Blocking an incoming punch, Ryuji pushed Sosuke off of him and kipped up. Sosuke, with his footing, regained, flashed towards Ryuji.
Ryuji, anticipating Sosuke's movements, caught him in the momentum and threw him over his head with an Overhead Belly-To-Belly Suplex. The velocity with which Sosuke fell, made pain bolt across his spine. He pushed himself up and stood face-to-face with Ryuji. Sosuke gave a triumphant smile while giving back a smug smirk. Before he could do anything, Yoruichi and Soi-Fon caught him.
"This is another face I haven't seen in a long time…", Sosuke noted with a triumphant smile.
"Don't move! If you move a muscle…", Yoruichi warned him.
"We'll take off your head.", Soi Fon said as she fastened her hold on the blade she held to her throat.
"I see.", Sosuke said as he noticed the face.
"Kūkaku!", Yoruichi called with a smile.
"Hey, Yoruichi! I had too much free time… And since I was out on a walk, I thought I'd check in!", Kūkaku said as she sat on Jidanbo's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Captain Aizen… I got caught.", Gin told Sosuke as he was held captive by Rangiku.
"It's over, Aizen. You have nowhere else to run to.", Yoruichi told Sosuke with a serious face as all the other Shinigami who were fighting came there.
"Hmm.", Sosuke laughed a little bit.
"What's so funny?", Yoruichi asked Sosuke.
"I'm sorry… It's time.", Sosuke said, looking up at the sky.
"Get away from him!", Ryuji yelled at the two, making the two let him go.
Aizen Sosuke, Tosen Kaname and Ichimaru Gin… Escaped using the help of Menos Grande Negacion. Sosuke left them with only a proclamation, "…I will stand atop the heavens! Goodbye, Shinigamis… Ryoka Boy and Kurosaki Ryuji. For a human… You both were quite amusing.".
Sometime Later, In a secluded room,
"Mhmm-hmmm….", Ryuji groaned a bit as he opened his eyes.
"Ryuji-kun? Are you awake?", Isane asked him, caressing his chin.
"Isane…", Ryuji spelled out as Isane helped him sit up.
"Don't move that much…", Isane told him with concern.
"Where am I?", Ryuji asked, his mind still hazy.
"In the Relief station…", Unohana told him as she walked in through the door.
"Captain Unohana? Why am I here?", Ryuji asked as he noticed her standing next to him.
"You fought well… But, using that amount of Reiatsu consistently took its toll on you.", Unohana explained to him.
"I passed out?", Ryuji asked confused.
"Slept like a baby…", Shunsui said as he walked through the door with Jushiro.
"Kyoraku? And Ukitake?", Ryuji asked in surprise.
"How are you feeling, Kurosaki?", Jushiro asked with a smile.
"I'm fine…", Ryuji replied with a smile, finally piecing everything together.
"If you are fine… Can we start the discussion?", Yamamoto asked as he walked in as well.
"Captain Commander… Kurosaki Ryuji-kun had woken up just now. I recommend the discussion be postponed to after he has rested well.", Unohana told Yamamoto with a straight face.
"I may offer him time to rest but Aizen Sosuke won't.", Yamamoto stated, bringing seriousness to all of their faces.
"It's okay, Captain Unohana…", Ryuji told Unohana.
"I'll see myself out.", Isane said before walking out the door.
"So… What is it that you want to discuss with me?", Ryuji asked Yamamoto, looking him straight in the eye.
"Kurosaki Ryuji-kun… How about…", Yamamoto began his proposal.
End of Chapter.