Requiem for the Hollow Rose

by sreshtiyer

After witnessing the death of Pyrrha, white fills her vision and the Rose huntress finds herself in a desolate and bleak place. Confused, lost and still grieving the loss of her friend and her own helplessness, little does Ruby realize that was just the beginning of her arduous journey. Innocent to Mature Ruby. Rated M for psychologically disturbing themes (non-sexual).

41. Chapter 41: Winter war part 5

Chapter 41: Winter War part 5

Did the number of kido spells really stop at 99?

It was a question asked not just by Aizen Sosuke but by others as well. Such as the occasional kido enthusiast willing to learn the secrets of the art of kido, or aspiring kido corps candidates, students in the academy engrossed in the texts kept and maintained by the Soul Reapers or even by the random enthusiast interested in learning about the fundamental laws by which the spirit world operated. Most would reach a dead end simply because it wasn't worth the effort trying to go after something that may or may not exist, especially when most could not even progress their kido prowess to a level where they could use already existing kido.

Logically speaking however, it was not wrong to assume that there must exist other spells that go beyond the known 99. Even a layman would reach that conclusion. But those that did assume so, would be right.

"Ura Hadō: Sannodō — Teppūsatsu!" (Lit. Secret Hadō Number Three: Iron Wind Murder)

The moment Aizen Sosuke's form started morphing, his spirit energy was already two times of what it was initially, and easily above Yamamoto's own reiatsu. And it was rising. Rapidly. The head captain knew that he needed to do something, anything to put him down regardless of the consequences. And so, in a rather brash and ferocious manner, Yamamoto made a chopping motion with his arms, clamping down from above and below. An enormous aura materialized around him in the shape of a large green dragon, which blew a highly concentrated stream of reishi in the form of a powerful wind right at the still transforming Aizen. The blast was so incredibly dense that anything nearby was blow away like feathers in the face of a tempest. Building, vehicles, lamp posts, glass, dirt, the road and anything else that was in the way. A tempest of reishi that blasted away the entire townscape in front of Yamamoto, generating dust clouds that reached many, many meters above the tallest structures of the fake Karakura town.

The dragon continued blasting away at Aizen for a whole minute before it finally dispersed. Yamamoto was left panting and short of breath. A hidden hado technique, one of many that was deemed too powerful and too dangerous to even mention and pass down to others, it was a technique that came at a heavy price. The spirit energy required by one to cast it was stupendously high, and as such, only immensely powerful beings could even cast it without losing their lives. For Yamamoto, it had taken as much effort as an intense session of anaerobic combat. Though the spell had faded, its effects were still visible in the form of the dust clouds that still covered the area in front of him.

At first, Yamamoto breathed a sigh of relief. Because the moment his spell ended, Aizen's spirit energy had completely vanished. It was to be expected, thought Yamamoto to himself. Even if he couldn't use his zanpakuto, he was still the strongest soul reaper to exist in the Gotei 13, and his reishi reserves and the magnitude of his kido spells were unmatched. Even at his level, Aizen Sosuke would have inevitably fallen.

"For a kido cast without its full incantation, that was quite commendable even for you, Genryusai Yamamoto" said Aizen, and a silhouette emerged from within the dust clouds, one that was roughly humanoid in shape. "But in the end, you merely succeeded in helping me ascend even further. For that, you have my thanks". When Aizen finally emerged from the dust, Yamamoto could only watch surprised and confused. Standing in front of him was something that looked human but at the same time, not. Aizen's form was completely covered in white, with the hogyoku embedded in his chest and a thin, cross shape originating from it. The place where his eyes normally should be were now deep purple in colour. But the thing that surprised the head captain the most was the fact that he read nothing. If he wasn't seeing the form of his enemy in front of him, Yamamoto would have assumed there was no enemy there, for he could still not detect his spirit energy.

"Y..you fiend! How is it possible that you still live…?!"

"There is nothing more I have to say to you. Farewell, Head Captain of the 13 court guard squads" said Aizen, quickly disappearing and reappearing behind Yamamoto with his zanpakuto raised.

There was a massive explosion when Aizen swung down his sword, seemingly reaching the skies themselves. The force was great enough to grievously injure any unfortunate soul that happened to be nearby. However, the head captain was no mere soul. He was the sturdiest pillar that laid foundation for the organization known as the Gotei 13. And as such, even such as attack would not be enough to completely defeat him. With his sword held above him in an attempt to dull the force of Aizen's strike, the Head Captain stood still, but the damage was already done. Numerous bruises, cuts and burns adorned his body, a stark contrast from his state just a few moments ago. He was standing, if only just.

"Dearie me, that doesn't look good at all" said Gin curiously, appearing before Aizen. "I never thought I would see the head captain in such a state" he remarked casually.

"Gin" acknowledge Aizen, pausing in his tracks. "I see. So, you're the only one left of our forces"

"Hmm I'm afraid so, captain Aizen. I took a quick look, and….well, apart from me and Momo-chan, the rest weren't so lucky" he sighed.

"Does that include Harribel and Starrk as well?" he asked.

"Oh no. They've actually teamed up with them" replied Gin.

"I see" said Aizen, his tone indifferent. "Honestly, I never expected they would remain by my side to begin with. Ruby Rose and Summer Rose were the only ones to whom they were truly loyal to. And it is no surprise at this point that Ruby Rose has no intention of siding with me. She was only ever interested in keeping her allies safe. And that is why this still changes nothing. They were never vital elements to my plans. However….they remained by my side because as hollows, they chose to follow the strongest entity. This would simply mean they no longer believe that to be the case. It's a shame" said Aizen, walking over to the still standing Yamamoto and raising his sword. "Unlike him, I never did have anything against them. I rather enjoyed our time together. It's too bad that their assumptions and beliefs will be put to rest. Starting with him" said Aizen, about to swing his sword down.

*KLAAAAAAANG!*

Only to have his blade meet steel as he swerved his strike at the last moment.

"Hello Sosuke" greeted the voice of Shinji with a voice full of spite. "You've gotten pretty ugly since the last few minutes. You know, your underling did the same thing too and he's now nothing more than dust. Finally, I get to do the same to you with nothing standing in my way"

"I'm terribly sorry Captain Aizen, I let him pass" apologized Gin.

"It's fine Gin. My goal is to reach heights that no one has ever reached. To stand at the peak of all. I think it's only fair that they all have a chance to fight. I don't want any complaints later on and this will be a good way to measure my own progress. In which case, it would be better for you to step aside, Gin. I might as well handle matters, it would be a lot faster this way" suggested Aizen. "Even so, you had the perfect opportunity to land a blow using your zanpakuto's disorienting ability and you wasted that simply because you couldn't hold in your spirit energy and bloodlust out of your hatred, which told me exactly where you stood despite your visual illusions telling me otherwise. Not to mention, it's quite unsightly to see you completely rely on the Soul Reapers you scorned and even the Espada that worked with me, Shinji Hirako"

One after the other, Soul Reapers and Espada appeared, surrounding Aizen from all sides. Unohana and Orihime had taken it upon themselves to take care of the wounded while the rest engaged Aizen. They were organized in groups; Shunsui and Juushiro. Rukia, Renji and Byakuya. Kenpachi and Yachiru. Urahara, Isshin and Yoruichi. Nelliel and Tier. The Tres Bestias. Starrk. Grimmjow. Ulquiorra. Chad and Uryu. Some of them even had their bankai released, like Renji and Byakuya. The same went for the arrancars. Nel, Ulquiorra, The Tres Bestias and Grimmjow had already been in their released states, while Tier and Starrk had transformed before arriving at the scene. It was evident no one was pulling any stops. But Aizen's lack of spirit energy was already bothering some of those present.

"The head captain….!" Exclaimed Rukia.

"I can't believe it…he's been…!" said Renji, shocked.

"Now isn't that something…" asked Kyoraku in a fully serious tone. "I never thought….I would see Yamaji in that state. It's hard to believe that little stone in your chest was capable of something like this. But still…even you must be a bit skeptical about taking on so many of us at once. I mean, sure, your lack of spirit energy is scaring me a bit too, but with odds like this…..I dunno, I'm a bit relieved for one"

"It's quality over quantity, captain Kyoraku. It doesn't matter how many of you are there. Whether you are Arrancar, Soul Reaper, Quincy or Human, it won't matter one bit. Neither do your motives. But even you must know what it means to face off against an enemy that even the head of the Soul Reapers couldn't defeat. But you are here regardless, for whatever different reasons drive you. Some of you are here out of a sense of duty. Some come with revenge in mind. While some of you only care about facing a strong adversary. And some of you even chose to betray me and stand against me because of a sense of loyalty that overrides your very instincts. However, I am not one to deny the fact that any one of these can be a driving force, a stimulus for an entity to gain greater heights. I've seen it after all. So then show me. Using your spite, anger, hatred, willingness to protect, ecstasy, hope, courage or whatever it is that drives you. And in return, I shall leave you watching as I use that to simply transcend such limitations, over and beyond"

*SCHICCCK!*

Out of nowhere, a black shadow in the shape of a blade stabbed Aizen from his shadow on the ground. A form was rising up slowly from the shadow that then took on Kyoraku's form.

"I know you were talking an' all, but you were just so wide open that I couldn't resist. Don't feel too bad, alright?" said Kyoraku as he drew his blade. But to his surprise, the place where he stabbed Aizen drew no blood, instead, it had stopped right at his skin without piercing through.

And that had been the trigger for the rest to start moving.

"Oy Yachiru, why don't ya go take that old man before he bites the dust while I take care of that guy?" suggested Kenpachi, to which the pink haired lieutenant happily nodded, jumping off his back and making off with the head captain rested on her shoulder with surprising agility. "Heh, I never thought I'd get to fight someone that beat the old man!" rasped Kenpachi as he dashed forward.

Kyoraku and Shinji, both of whom were nearer to Aizen than most, swung their zanpakuto at his neck and midriff, which Aizen lazily blocked with his sword without even looking back. Kenpachi then closed in, slicing down. Aizen countered, parrying away Shinji's and Kyoraku's blades and blocking Kenpachi's sword just as lazily as he did before, but to those around him, the speed with which he handled his blade was almost godlike.

"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" cried Rukia.

"Hikotsu Taihou!" followed Renji.

The first attack sent a beam from Rukia's zanpakuto that froze everything in its path as it made its way to Aizen, following which Renji's bankai fired off a crimson beam of reishi right where Aizen had been. Byakuya then made a clamping motion with his hands. The hundreds of thousands of sakura-like fragments of his bankai came crashing down from above and below, coalescing and shredding Aizen.

"Hado #78, Zangerin!" chanted Shunsui, slashing outwards with his zanpakuto. It generated a highly concentrated crescent shaped energy blast. The blast traveled past Aizen and towards Ukitake, who then absorbed it using his shikai. The five talismans on his zanpakuto were glowing a bright yellow color.

"Keep it coming! Don't give him a chance to counter attack!" shouted Ukitake, "And for good measure, I'll add in this! Hado #78, Zangerin!" The attack that came out when Ukitake slashed outwards Aizen contained both his own hado spell and Kyoraku's own hado spell which had been amped by Ukitake's shikai.

"El Directo!" shouted Chad, punching towards the center where Aizen was supposed to be. At that point, with everyone dishing out such lethal and devastating attacks, it was hard to even tell if Aizen really was there or not. This was made even harder due to his lack of spirit energy. But no one had seen him move from the spot and every now and then, when an attack landed, a small portion of the dust clouds would part, revealing a part of Aizen, indicating that he was indeed there.

"I'm done here as well! Everyone, keep your distance!" alerted Uryu, going to one of the five Seeleschneiders he had planted around Aizen with everyone else keeping him busy. He fished out a small container from his pocket, and emptied the contents onto the hilt of the sword.

The two Zangerin spells hit first, slicing clean through dust and debris and colliding right against Aizen. Following that Chad's El Directo hit, generating a massive explosion. And then, five bright blue reishi lines travelled from each of the five swords Uryu set up around Aizen, meeting right where he stood, which then spread outward, covering the entire area surrounded by the swords. The reishi violently flared upwards, incinerating everything within the enclosed space.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens. Hado #73, Soren Sokatsui!" chanted Byakuya and Rukia together, their combined chants generating an enormous blast of blue colored reishi that further detonated violently at the epicenter of all of their attacks.

"And take this for good measure, you bastard" cursed Shinji, jumping back, pulling over his mask and charging a crimson beam from his clenched fist and releasing the cero blast straight at Aizen, prolonging the explosion in its power and duration.

"That was insane" said Uryu to himself, shocked as he watched the barrage of explosions and attacks that rained down on Aizen.

"That should've done something right?" asked Renji skeptically. "I mean, come on. Look at the scale of those attacks! I doubt even head captain could've taken all those powerful moves and come out without a scratch"

"Combined attacks from two high level captains, attacks from Senbonzakura, my lieutenant's bankai, two high density reishi attacks from a Quincy and the human boy, a cero cast by a captain class soul reaper with hollow powers, Rukia's zanpakuto freezing and immobilizing her opponent along with two high level hado spells from Rukia and myself cast at full power. If he can survive all that without as much as a scratch, then he must be immortal" said Byakuya.

"Quite perceptive, Captain Kuchiki" came Aizen's calm voice from within the dust clouds, which immediately dispersed with but a single wave of his sword. He wasn't even looking at them as he spoke, instead opting to merely observe himself and his surroundings.

"Oy oy, you're kidding right.." asked Kyoraku incredulously, lowering his hat. "He's literally unscathed….like captain Kuchiki said….I wouldn't doubt it if someone said he was literally immortal"

"No, that is not entirely correct" said Aizen. "From your perspective, that is an inference which can be seen as valid. But objectively speaking, immortality is merely a human concept. An idea to explain the existence and survival to factors that would otherwise be lethal to humans, soul reapers or any intelligent being that can recognize the concept of death. But in reality, the answers are far simpler than that. My current level is simply far, far beyond your comprehension. Group attacks, sneak attacks, decoys, combined techniques, soul reaper techniques, hollow techniques. Try what you might. At this point, even if you used a 90s level hado spell, I wouldn't even feel it. It would be akin to a gentle breeze trying to bring down a castle. All of the attacks you just performed; I wouldn't have even noticed it if I wasn't looking. I did feel your attacks, captain Ukitake, captain Kyoraku, if only as a slight breeze as it sliced past me"

"That's quite a bold claim, wouldn't you say Aizen?" asked Ukitake. "True, on the surface it may not have done much, but they did keep you from retaliating back as well. Would you still say it was completely pointless?"

"To use your own words, why does it matter if the 'gentle breeze' as you put it did nothing to bring down the castle if we can prevent the castle and its inhabitants from attacking back?" asked Byakuya.

"You misunderstand. There is a stark difference between the inability to take action verses the unwillingness to do so. You have no possible means of even interacting with me. Then….why should I expend energy trying to take care of something that cannot even disturb me?"

"Bastard…..!" rasped Renji.

"But you, Kisuke Urahara" said Aizen, looking at him. "You can surely understand, don't you? I'm certain you cannot assess my spirit energy either, by that alone should have told you everything you needed to know, yes? Do not bother answering. Demonstrate it to me with your actions. You've had all this time while they were attacking after all. Unlike them, you are one worthy of acknowledgement. You and her alone. And this time, you have those with you that I personally chose to serve under me, Isshin Kurosaki and Yoruichi Shihouin at your disposal. I would be grossly disappointed if in all that time you had to think you couldn't come up with anything"

"Haah?! And just who the hell did you say was at whose disposal?!" growled Grimmjow, but Urahara interrupted him.

"It is indeed as you say, Aizen. Most of it, atleast. The rest, I'll find out soon enough. As you say, for people like us, actions are better than long drawn out explanations. I realize you have some expectations of me and I think you overestimate me, but I'll try not to let you down as much as I can. Having said that, could you and the others move out a bit, captain Kyoraku, captain Ukitake? It would be bad if you get caught up in what's coming" The two aforementioned captains gave a quick nod, while the rest slowly backed away. Kenpachi had to be coerced by Byakuya to do the same. While Isshin convinced Shinji to let them have a shot at Aizen.

"All right….please proceed as we discussed" said Urahara to the others.

"I was going to do it without you tell me what to do, soul reaper!" roared Grimmjow, pulling back both of his arms and launching ten barb like projectiles from his elbow.

"Tia!" called out Nel, preparing to throw her lance. "Lanzador Verde!" throwing the lance in her hand that spiraled and drove towards Aizen alongside the ten barbs that Grimmjow launched.

"La Gota" said Tier, launching several high pressure jets of water that enveloped the ten projectiles launched by Grimmjow and the spinning lance thrown by Nel, augmenting their speed and power even further.

Unlike the last time however, Aizen countered each attack as it came rather than just allow himself to be hit by them. Starting with the lance thrown by Nel and then each of the ten projectiles thrown by Grimmjow with swift strikes from his sword, each attack was rendered utterly useless. All it took was one hit to dispel the enormous force with which they were thrown at him.

At the same moment, Isshin flash stepped in from behind while Yoruichi did the same from the front, her fists raised and Grimmjow attacked again from the left. Aizen countered by using his foot to parry Isshin's sword and then his own zanpakuto to counter Yoruichi's punches and used his free hand to punch away at Grimmjow.

"…!"

At that moment, the two retreated back and Aizen could feel something tugging at his foot and his arms. Glowing blue reishi chains, each one attached to his aforementioned limbs were being tugged at and held in place by Isshin and Yoruichi and Grimmjow who each held the other end, placing Aizen in a queer, stretch like position with only a single foot planted to the ground while his arms and leg were stretched out in space.

"Rikujokoro. Kuyoshibari. Sajousabaku. Hyapporankan. Hainawa. Shitotsu Sansen" chanted Urahara one after the other, practically enveloping Aizen in an array of different bakudo spells. He had been chained up, tied with reishi ropes, pinned with multiple column-like reishi beams, held in place by pitch black reishi orbs and other similar variety of restraints.

"Kisuke Urahara…..did you really think using a number of such weak bakudo spells can incapacitate me? All you've done is buy yourself a few more seconds before pretend they don't exist" said Aizen casually.

"Oh I'm not done yet. Or they for that matter" replied Urahara in the same manner.

"Shunko!" cried Yoruichi, letting go of the reishi chains once the bakudo spells held Aizen in place. White reishi flared around her shoulders and she started pounding away with an immense flurry of punches, all of which were many times stronger than the punches she used to defeat Nnoitora. She continued doing so until Aizen, along with all of his seals were literally buried to the ground. A light crack appeared on his 'skin'.

"Kisuke! Now!" said Yoruichi.

"Well, if you will, Starrk-san, Isshin-san" said Urahara. Behind him was the previously defeated Wonderweiss, held in place by another set of the same reishi chains Yoruichi and Isshin used to hold Aizen in place. The arrancar and the soul reaper nodded at each other and with one heave, pulled Wonderweiss towards them and right on top of Aizen.

"Oy you perverted fart, you sure this thing will work? It was a huge pain in the ass to drag him all the way here you know!" came Lilynette's annoyed voice from Starrk's guns, which functioned as his weapons after Starrk and Lilynette used their resurreccion.

"Oh I'm sure it will, you don't need to worry" assured Urahara with an amused smile. "Tsuriboshi" he chanted, waving his hands as he did. A light blue, blanket like reishi wrapped around Wonderweiss, binding him once more. Six ropes shot out of the wrapped 'blanket', anchoring themselves to nearby debris.

"First, Ryuubi no Joumon" said Urahara, creating a dozen pillars that formed a door like barrier in front of him. "Now, Kokou no Joumon" A barrier in the shape of a water mill appeared on the opposite side of the first barrier. "Kigai no Joumon" Multiple hexagon-like patterns appeared, forming a honeycomb like structure on the left. "Houyoku no Joumon" Another barrier formed on the right that took the shape of an obelisk and many planks, which combined to form a lampshade like structure which resembled the folding wings and the head of a bird. "And finally, Shinjuu no Saimon" he said, forming a rectangular enclosure around Aizen and Wonderweiss which was supported by the four barriers he formed earlier, all while making several motions with his hands at extreme speed and accuracy.

"Alright, we're up!" said Nel, calling over her companions. Following her lead, the arrancars and soul reapers alike took to each side of the rectangular barrier.

"Just keep firing away using your strongest attacks, I'll keep opening and closing each side of the barrier as you do!" said Kisuke, his arms poised.

"Apacci, Sung-sun, Mila, Tia, with me!" called Nel. Tier nodded, and the two drew blood from their palms, which then spiraled into a dense pitch-black sphere while the Tres Bestias simply charged regular ceros which were orange, red and dark pink in colour. Nel's cero had a pink outline while Tier's cero had a pale-yellow outline.

"Gran Ray Cero Oscuras" chanted Tier and Nel in unison, launching the devastating twin beams of death while the combined ceros of the Tres Bestias followed right after.

"Gran Ray Cero Oscuras" followed Grimmjow, his version colored black with crimson colored reishi highlights.

"Gran Ray Cero Oscuras" followed Starrk and Lilynette, launching a version that was obsidian colored with a blue highlights.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" shouted Isshin, unleashing his massive signature move inside the barrier.

Finally, Ulquiorra brought his hands together forming a triangle and pulled them apart, forming a shining green lance.

"Lanza del Relampago" he said in his usual monotonous voice, holding the spear and throwing it inside the barrier.

All of this happened almost simultaneously, with minuscule delay between them. But Urahara was quick enough to simultaneously open and close the required sides of the barrier, and once all of the attacks were inside, he knew he had seconds to act. He already began chanting for the next spell he needed to use.

"Hado #90, Kurohitsugi"

A black colored box covered the entire barrier just as the attacks converged on Wonderweiss and Aizen. With one final motion, Urahara opened the top of the barrier he had set up.

For an entire second, there was nothing but eerie silence. And then, a bright flash many, many times stronger than the light from the sun flared out in all directions, making everyone in the vicinity squint their eyes and look away. And then, the heavens themselves bled, for the entire sky had been dyed crimson by the titanic, fiery explosion that erupted from the barrier as it escaped the opening made by Urahara's barrier. The barrier itself twisted and contorted several times but luckily held its form. The flares, reminiscent of that flares from the eruption of a volcano continued to spew out far beyond the visible sky, punching through clouds as if they were nothing more than paper. Urahara was certain the explosion was already at the height of the mesosphere.

"I…..in…incredible…..!" stammered Rukia, completely awestruck. She was so taken aback by the whole thing that she reflexively took several steps back. "…compared to our attacks…theirs are on a whole different level…..so these…..are Ruby-san's friends….!"

"….it's still going…." Said Renji, his mouth agape.

"Tch…all flashy fireworks" scoffed Kenpachi.

"Holy molly Kazooie…they aren't kidding around…" swore Kyoraku, watching the scene incredulously. "I mean come on…..there's no way he could've survived that….."

"I must say, that barrier is amazing too. To contain all that power without giving away….if an attack of that intensity had been let loose here…..it wouldn't have just been town, anything within a 250 km radius would've been completely decimated" said Ukitake, astonished.

"But now….all that force and energy has been focused to where Aizen was. No matter what kind of being he is now, no matter if he was at the level of the royal guard, even he cannot escape unscathed" said Byakuya.

Meanwhile, Urahara was panting and gravely out of breath. So much so that he was holding his chest with his hand while Yoruichi supported him.

"Kisuke….you alright?" she asked with concern. It was the first time she had ever seen him so drained.

"…I'll be fine…just need a few minutes to collect myself….but you know…I wouldn't mind if you pulled me in a little closer, Yoruichi-san" he gave a weak smile. Yoruichi returned a relieved smile and playfully smacked him.

"If you two are done flirting" sighed Isshin "Please tell me that was it Kisuke. Because that thing's still going. How the hell's he gonna survive something like that?" He was soon joined by Nel, Tier, Ulquiorra, Starrk, the Tres Bestias and Grimmjow.

"Fuck do I know. Fuck, I didn't even think something like that was even possible" grunted the blue jaguar, awed by the explosion. "If he doesn't bite the dust after all that….."

"True…I never thought that just by combining out powers that way we could dish out something of that level" added Tier. "But still….I can already see a problem as to why it wouldn't work"

"Huh…? You surely jest, don't you Harribel-sama? There isn't anyone, not even Aizen as he was who could take on something like that and live! Even if he does, I would be surprised if he was capable of fighting at all" said Sung-sun skeptically.

"Why would you say it wouldn't work, Tia?" asked Nel.

"The answer is in plain view" said Ulquiorra, pointing to the barrier. "That barrier, although strong, was still created by Urahara Kisuke, a soul reaper. As strong as he is, we can still feel his spirit energy. But Aizen-sama is at a level far beyond that. If a barrier created by a 'weaker' soul reaper can withstand the brunt of such an attack, surely the chances of Aizen-sama surviving are a lot higher?"

"…maybe, but unlike those barriers, most of the force of our attacks are focused in the vertical direction. The barrier is only taking on a part of the damage" argued Starrk. "But still…you do have a point"

"That reminds me. You still haven't answered me, Ulquiorra" asked Tier. "…I still find it odd that you've decided to turn tail so easily. You justify it on the grounds that you've decided to side with Ichigo after he bested you, and that as a hollow, you've merely chosen to follow the one stronger than the one you followed. Honestly, I find that hard to believe. After seeing as he is now, can you really believe that Ichigo, a mere human boy can hold up to Aizen? And you still call him 'Aizen-sama', despite having defected. What's really going on, Ulquiorra?"

"….oh yeah…" said Apacci.

"…now that I think about it.." added Mila-Rose.

"I know Ruby believes in you and so for her sake, I turned a blind eye to it as well. But we would definitely appreciate if you can be clear about these things. For one, it's a good start for us to get trusting you without her words" added Nel.

"…..you are right to be concerned, but there is no need. While it is true that the reason for my defection was not simply because I was defeated, it is most certainly my primary reason for doing so. As for the boy, he is far stronger than Aizen-sama. Of that I am certain. What is missing however, is whether he has the potential to reach that state. Knowing Ruby Rose and the reason she chose to stay back, even you know better than I that there is none better than her to bring out that boy's latent powers" he answered.

"…..stronger than this….? You're kidding right…?" asked Apacci incredulously.

"You said siding with Ichigo was your primary reason. What's your other reason?" asked Tier.

"…it is nothing of importance. You could say that I am interested in path Aizen-sama's decisions takes him through. I was at his side because considering everything, it would not be so unnatural for me to aid him. But…..just as Ruby Rose was able to defy the one considered absolute, a part of the Soul King himself by just using her own power, I wanted to see if Aizen-sama can do the same, considering who he is" replied Ulquiorra. "And so, I decided that I wanted to see, if Aizen-sama can overcome his shackles as he was"

"Shackles? Who he is…? What does that mean?" asked Nel.

"It is irrelevant for our current predicament. I suggest we focus on the battle at hand. Because I am certain that Aizen-sama is still very much alive" he replied.

"…so then what? Kisuke, please tell me it's within expectations" said Yoruichi.

"…actually, there's another big problem. The thing is, it's not something you would normally realize but it's also plain obvious. Remember how I said I created something to seal Aizen's shikai? Within the boundary of this fake Karakura Town?" he asked.

"Yeah, and I'm surprised you were able to pull off something like that. Wait….dont tell me it has a time limit or something!" asked Isshin surprised.

"No, it's nothing like that. It's just that…."

His words were interrupted when the barrier shattered with a loud crack. There were no dust clouds considering that the sheer intensity of the explosion burnt away any dust or debris within the space of the barrier. The sky returned to its regular blue hue, although the clouds around the area directly above the barrier were still missing amongst an otherwise cloudy sky. The ground around where Aizen had been had been burnt black, and some parts of it were even molten. So much so that some of the sand around the area had been melted, turning them into a sort of glassy residue which was light green in color. But what caught their attention was the very center of the explosion site.

"Wh…what is that..?!" exclaimed Nel.

"There's something…moving there inside that molten puddle…oy….you don't think it's…!" asked Apacci shocked.

"…..I feared as much…" muttered Urahara.

At the very center of the site of the explosion, a gooey puddle was squirming and twisting, until something 'rose' out of it, a humanoid figure, one that was heavily warped. It used its hands to wipe off the molten rock and debris sticking onto its 'skin'. And when it did, they could all see the familiar white color of Aizen's outfit. Except, once a good portion of the molten material was out, they could tell that their attack certainly had its effect.

"Fucking monster….!" Snarled Grimmjow.

"I can't believe he survived that…!" grimaced Tier, clenching her sword.

"Still….it doesn't look like he got out of that one completely unscathed" remarked Nel. All over Aizen's body, there were lacerations, gaping wounds and places that looked as if they had been mauled in by something. But even those injuries were inherently strange. Instead of blood, they looked alien and otherworldly. For one, the 'insides' of his wounds were shimmering and colored deep purple, like deep space lit by countless stars. Many places on his 'skin' were cracked.

"What is….that…?!" questioned Sung-sun, shocked.

"…..good question" answered Starrk. "I don't even know….if he's anything resembling a soul reaper at this point. Or anything we know of"

"It's bad enough that we can't sense his reiatsu. It only makes him more alien" added Mila-Rose.

On the other end, Ukitake, Kyoraku and the rest were having similar reactions. But Aizen himself seemed to be looking at Urahara, seemingly uninterested in the others.

"How spectacularly done, Kisuke Urahara" he said, his voice distorted. As he moved towards them, more and more of his 'skin' was flaking and cracking. "You knew merely attacking with a lot of high energy attacks would not amount to much, after having seen what happened with them. Instead, you gathered a lot of high density reishi of different natures in one place. The Espada's ceros, the head captain's flames within Wonderweiss, Isshin's shiba's getsuga tenshou and you contained them within a barrier. After that, just before they all detonated, you used Kurohitsugi's high gravity to compress them all to a minuscule point in space, thereby fusing them forcibly and making them explode with an intensity much, much larger than what could be achieved normally. Something akin to a fusion reaction using reishi particles. 'The power of the sun itself', as I'd put it. If this had been me before I subjugated the Hogyoku, I would have most certainly died. But too bad, it won't be enough. You should have known the kind of strain it would take before you could even use Kurohitsugi. After all, you did use all those different kido spells, including the ones for the barrier. And you didn't use your spirit chant for any of them. I don't blame you however. If you did, you'd have exhausted yourself long before you even got to the point of using a 90s level hado. The limitations of being a Soul Reaper. Isn't that right?"

"….I suppose you'd have figured it out, wouldn't you have, Aizen? But what surprises me is that you were able to survive something of that caliber merely by using the Hogyoku to hollowfy yourself. I mean, sure, it can boost your abilities by 4-5 times but pardon me if I say so myself, that attack was much stronger than anything you should have been able to handle, even in that state" said Urahara slowly, lowering his hat.

"Hollowfy….? Aah….now I see. It appears that you are quite mistaken about something, Kisuke Urahara. Which is surprising, since you DID succeed in making and using an incomplete Hogyoku all by yourself. I simply assumed you would know" he replied.

"Know what..?" asked Yoruichi.

"Very well. It appears I'll have to explain here. Since things will be over soon enough, I suppose I can indulge you in one last thing, for the execution of your last attack. The Hogyoku's power is NOT to break the boundary between hollows and soul reapers as you so mistakenly believe. No. Think back to its origins, Kisuke Urahara. You and I know better than anyone what makes up the core of the Hogyoku. Considering that, did you really think its power could be something as mundane as that? That wouldn't make any sense. When you look at all of the feats the Hogyoku is responsible for, it all makes sense"

"I'm really lost here. Just what the hell are you trying to say?" asked Isshin.

"The Hogyoku's true power….is to grant the desires of its user, as long as the user has the potential to achieve it. You could think of it as a wish granting artefact. One that works as long as you have the potential to achieve what you ask for" he explained. More and more of the his 'skin' was flaking off and underneath, one could make out clear, human like skin.

"…..what….?" asked Isshin, confused.

"…." Urahara remained silent, and it was unclear whether he was at a loss for words because of shock or because he was thinking.

"Tha….there's no way something that overpowered could exist…! It's just….impossible!" argued Yoruichi.

"Oh but is it truly? Haven't you already seen such 'impossible' things yourself. Those Espada next to you are proof of that. And so are those humans. The reason Orihime Inoue, Tatsuki Arisawa and Yasutora Sado gained powers, despite being human and despite possessing no spiritual power whatsoever was because of the Hogyoku granting their wishes. My Hogyoku to be specific, before it fused with yours. The reason Rukia Kuchiki lost her powers to Ichigo Kurosaki was also because of the same reason. Because her guilt in not being able to save Kaien Shiba and seeing his likeness in his cousin Ichigo Kurosaki led her to unconsciously do something that would normally be impossible. The reason you were able to save the Vizards from becoming mindless beasts and into proper Vizards was because as its owner, turning them into proper Vizards was what YOU wanted. And so, your Hogyoku did exactly that. Which is why you thought that was its function. Because think about it, Kisuke Urahara. Breaking the boundary between hollows and soul reapers is fine by itself, but if it truly did that, why don't the Espada's zanpakuto have distinct personalities like Ruby Rose and Summer Rose? Or like Starrk and Lilynette? Why don't the Vizard's have inner hollows that have distinct personalities like Ichigo Kurosaki? Instead they are mindless beasts, separate from their zanpakuto spirits. Such a unique phenomenon is only possible because of the way the Hogyoku works. And all of it has transpired exactly as I envisioned" he explained.

It was a shocking revelation, to say that least. Certainly for Chad, Uryu, Ukitake, Kyoraku, Rukia, Renji, Byakuya, Isshin, Yoruichi and even the Espada themselves. The revelation that a good portion of their lives had been the product of being strung along by another man's whims was not the kind of thing one could simply accept.

"No….that can't be…..you're lying…! I don't believe you!" screamed Rukia.

"Those are some bold claims you know. It's like you're playing god or something" said Kyoraku.

"Aizen…..you'd toy and play with the lives of others to satisfy your own curiosity? Had you really fallen that far even before you betrayed the Soul Society? Was there even a point where you had second thoughts about anything you did?!" demanded Ukitake.

"I really don't see why you have any reason to complain here. If anything, I did you all a favour. I granted you all something that you could have never achieved by yourself. And my actions have only been beneficial to you. With it, you became stronger and gained the ability to protect that which you wanted to protect. You became a better individual. With it, you could find a way to make up for your own guilt and regrets and start over fresh. And with it, you gained power, authority and position that you would have never gained otherwise. Is that really so bad? Normally, you cannot gain anything without tremendous effort and sacrifice. And thanks to me, you have what you desired. You're here, alive and well" he said, looking at Chad, Rukia and then the Espada respectively. "But we are getting off topic here. What I really meant to say is, you misunderstood my metamorphosis to be hollowficitaion when in reality, it is more of a transcendence, past any one form known to the spirit world. Beyond Soul Reapers. Beyond Quincy or Arrancars or Espada. Yes. To a level that reaches the gods themselves. It's too bad, Urahara Kisuke. You once had the chance to reach such heights. But in the end, I am the one the gets to peer into a realm where you have no hopes of reaching" he said, the white fabric finally peeling off completely. Now, he looked identical to how he did before the white fabric covered him, albeit with longer hair, grey eyes and purple sclera.

"He's….changed form again" remarked Rukia, cautious.

"Shunsui…..you read anything.?" Asked Kyoraku.

"No….I still can't get a read on him. But….if what he said was really true…." Answered Ukitake.

"Then…..do you really believe he is some sort of god, captain?!" asked Renji.

"He mentioned something about 'the origins of the Hogyoku'. I wonder if it has something to do with that" said Byakuya.

"Hirako…..you've been with Kisuke for a while, right? Did he mention anything about the Hogyoku?" asked Kyoraku.

"No….this is the first I'm hearing about it as well" he answered.

Meanwhile, Aizen was merely observing himself once more, clearly satisfied by what he felt.

"I offer my sincere thanks, Urahara Kisuke. But of course, it was well within my expectations that it would come to this. Thanks to your last combined attack, it gave me the stimulus I needed to ascend to this level. After all, without a 'need' for evolving, the Hogyoku would not have been able to grant my desire of rising above said 'needs'. I knew the head captain and the others were vastly incapable of such a thing. And I knew you would use their failure to come up with something that far surpasses anything the other soul reapers could have conjured up. And thanks to that, I find myself here" said Aizen with a smirk.

"It was far from my intention, trust me" said Urahara, his expression dark.

"No matter, gratitude must be given where it is due. Now, I have free access to something I couldn't have used earlier in my limited form. No, that's not right. I could use it. It's just that I never usually needed to use it and when I did, it had its own limitations and shortcomings that I knew I couldn't use it to its fullest potential unless I surpassed my own self" he said, flash stepping to a higher elevation and then pointing his sword downwards said Aizen.

"He's gonna do something! Everyone, brace yourselves!" cried out Kyoraku.

"….Oh no…!" exclaimed Urahara, having realized what was coming to pass.

"Bankai, Ji-shi no Sekai, Kyoukasuigetsu" (Lit. Self-perceiving world, Mirror Flower, Water Moon)

The moment those words escaped Aizen Sosuke's lips, a tremor passed through everyone around him like an instinctual shiver. Urahara's fears had come to pass. He had come to realize it ever since he thought back to the potential problems in the intricate mask he set up over Aizen's shikai. Indeed, in the end, all he had accomplished was to seal away his shikai. Aizen's bankai on the other hand, had been a whole different issue. He did consider it of course, sealing away his bankai and shikai. But no one knew what it was. As Aizen himself put it, he had no need to use his bankai up until this point. And because of that, Kisuke Urahara had no way of sealing something that he had no information about.

Kyoukasuigetsu. 'Mirror flower, water moon'. A zanpakuto that mirrored his heart and his self better than anyone or anything. Aizen Sosuke was a being who sought to see it all, to experience it all. It was his calling. It was his desire. The desire to see it all. Be it an inanimate object like water. Or something living like a flower. Or the moon shining in the far reaches of the night sky. Whether it was something microscopic or macroscopic. And thus, as if to give form to that desire, his zanpakuto mirrored his desires and visions onto the real world for himself and anyone else to see. But in the end, his zanpakuto could not truly grant his desires. For they were nothing more than illusions, a replica of what could be. A desire that existed and at the same time did not. An empty reality. A prevalent dream. Things that could be seen, things that Aizen Sosuke yearned for but would remain out of his reach. And hence its name. That, was Kyoukasuigetsu. She was the only one he truly ever understood as much as she understood Aizen. They were of one mind and one soul. And his desires were hers.

And so, when Aizen Sosuke acquired bankai, his desire was given form in a step closer to reality. The moment he used his bankai, the way he saw the world vastly changed. He was no longer looking at the world as it showed itself to him, but rather, whatever his own eyes gazed upon was a world that belonged to him. A piece of the entire world for him to envision it as he saw fit. He could see the soul reapers, Espada, Kisuke Urahara, Isshin Kurosaki, Yoruichi Shihouin and the rest in a back drop of distance buildings, nearby dust, debris and rubble and a pale, blue sky with scarce clouds. And when he brought his hands together, forming a cup in front of his face, that entire world fit within the confines of his hands. From the perspective of his eyes, that was everything he could see. And whatever was within his field of vision, he could interact with, ignoring the laws of distance and perspective, and change it to fit an image that he saw fit.

And so, he reached out with his hands in front of him, 'grabbing' two buildings from the far distance, one with each hand. From his viewpoint, the buildings in the distance easily fit within his thumb and index finger. He grabbed them, uprooting them from the ground. And then, keeping them at each side in between the soul reapers in front of him, and brought his hands together, completely enveloping the soul reapers in between the two buildings he held in each hand.

*CRAAAAAASHH!*

The two buildings collided with a sickening crunch, crumbling to pieces as concrete, glass and other parts of the buildings fell down to the ground, and with it, the figures of the soul reapers, like flies that had been swatted. Without any say about their fates.

The Espada, Urahara, Yoruichi and Isshin could only watch in utter shock and silence. When Aizen reached out with his hands, it was as if their entire view warped, in a manner that didn't make any logical sense. And in the next, his 'hands' were holding onto buildings literally picked up from the background, which he then used to crush the soul reapers in front of them between his hands as he brought them together.

And with another, swift movement, Aizen turned his gaze towards the remaining fighters, and clapped his hands once, in a way that the Espada, Isshin, Yoruichi and Urahara were in between his palms when he did. As if crushing them in between his hands.

*CLAAAP!*

And they too, just like the soul reapers before them, simply dropped down like mosquitoes that had been swatted in between one's hands. In hindsight, he never really needed to use his bankai. At his current level, even his base abilities would have more than sufficed. He was fast enough and strong enough to have taken down all of his enemies by conventional means. But using his bankai did give him the chance to test its effectiveness at his current level.

"Hmph" smirked Aizen to himself and deactivating his bankai.

He looked around one last time in hopes of seeing those he thought would be here by now. But after a minute of waiting, he knew nothing was coming his way. It was honestly a bit underwhelming. But they weren't his true objective in the end. And if not now, he knew he would have to face them eventually. And he would rather face them when they were ready than prematurely.

"You sure did a number on them, Captain Aizen" came Gin's voice from behind. "Still…..they don't really look dead to me. I can see some of them stirring"

"It doesn't matter. They can just stay there, unable to do anything and watch as their misguided ideals and world crumbles in front of them" acknowledged Aizen

"Hmm….well, if you say so captain. Still, there's something I don't get captain. Those two buildings you uh…picked up, for a lack of a better word, I can still see them there. I was quite certain you used them to defeat the Soul Reapers. So then how come they're back there?" asked Gin.

"Naturally. At its core, the nature of a zanpakuto does not change, be it Shikai or Bankai. And mine is based on realities as perceived by those that fall under the effect of my zanpakuto's abilities. So, what you saw, what they saw and what I saw were all real, in our perspectives. After all, what is 'real' for sentient beings such as soul reapers, quincy and arrancars is simply the signals interpreted by the brain. And the effects of my bankai are applied only to those who can perceive it. And their body makes them believe that what they saw was real. For example, I could pick out the moon from the sky and throw it at them. And they will be made to perceive it as real. But the real moon remains where it is, unaffected" explained Aizen.

"Ah I see. In a sense….it's a more complex variation of your shikai's complete hypnosis. Now I almost feel sorry for them. They probably had no idea what happened. Still…..this means there's no one left here. If I may ask, what's our plan now? This IS the fake Karakura town after all. Should I go ahead and destroy those pillars to bring back the real Karakura town? But if you ask me Captain, I think it would be best if we use a Senkaimon to go to the Soul Society and create the King's key there. After all, the Royal Palace is closer from there than from the World of the Living" suggested Gin.

"True. Then that's what we shall do. In the end, it won't matter because once we're out of the confines of this place, the masking effect created by Kisuke Urahara on Kyoukasuigetsu should be undone as well" said Aizen, raising his sword but not before it was stopped by Gin's hand.

"I do feel bad for hiding away all this time, captain, while you took care of all of them. Atleast let me help here" he said.

"…..Gin…"

*SCHIIINNN!*

*KLAAAAANG!*

Within a fraction of a second, the sounds of steel striking something solid rang out, and Gin Ichimaru's composed smirk turned upside down when he noticed Aizen's unmoving gaze calmly holding his zanpakuto in place with his free hand. There were several things Gin wanted answers to at that moment, but no matter what he wanted to ask or say, nothing would come out of his mouth. He was so shaken aback that he didn't even try prying his zanpakuto away from Aizen's grasp.

"You waited centuries for this moment. In all that time, you never let your bloodlust slip even for a single moment. And even now, when you attempted to strike me, you covered your emotions completely. You spent all those centuries being my subordinate, completely making everyone, including myself, believe in your unquestioned loyalty. And you did it so naturally that there would be absolutely no reason for anyone to notice. You were never blindly loyal like Momo and Tosen were and you were never openly rebellious like the Espada. Which made you seem all that more genuine. You even got me to let you hold Kyoukasuigetsu in such a natural way that it wouldn't seem off, all so that you could be immune to the effects of my bankai in case I had it active. Very well done, Gin. Of all that have pointed their blade at me, yours came the closest. And you did so without being blessed with the abilities the others possessed, using nothing but your sheer perseverance, wit and tenacity. Very exemplar. As a subordinate, none have been your equal" said Aizen calmly.

Aizen's voice was completely devoid of any ill intent. In fact, he even sounded somewhat downcast and disappointed. As if he knew this would be coming but hoped it was just his imagination. Gin could feel nothing but dread. No, it wasn't the fact that he was most likely going to meet his maker for his transgression. It was the fact that all of his work had been for nothing. He had betrayed the Soul Society, betrayed her, watched her look at him solemnly as he left the Soul Society right in front of her and while he had never taken the lives of innocents, he had still sided with someone who brought about the deaths of so many who trusted in him. And he had borne it all so that he could do what he had always planned to do in case nothing else worked out. But now…..it was all in vain. In the end, he was even beginning to ask himself why he even waited for so long. After all, even if he did land a hit, even if he did manage to leave a piece of his blade within Aizen as he stabbed him in order for its deadly poison to corrode away at his body, Gin was but a simple soul reaper. Aizen was a being far beyond anything that could be called mortal. It probably wouldn't have worked anyways, given the Hogyoku's abilities.

"It's really too bad, Gin. I never questioned your loyalty. But you made the mistake to assume that I would relax my guard around anyone, even around my own trusted subordinates. In the end, it simply shows that despite the many long years you served me, you never really did understand. I've always been well aware of your zanpakuto's true abilities, Gin" said Aizen, to which Gin gave a light gasp. "So, in the end, not telling me about it was unfortunately, your biggest mistake. But at the very least, I can commend you for your perseverance and your tenacity. I truly regret that this is what it comes down to"

Gin didn't even have time to comprehend his words. All he felt was immense regret, and he could see several moments of his wasted life flash before him. He felt unworthy for even demanding such a thing, but from the smallest corner of his heart, he merely wished that he could apologize to Rangiku in person for everything.

*KLAAAAANG!*

Instead of searing pain and the sensation of warm blood staining his body and clothes, a sharp sound rang out as steel met steel, followed by the faintest scent of roses and plum blossoms.

"You're really a hopeless case, Gin"

Gin slowly opened his eyes, seeing Aizen's Kyoukasuigetsu locked with the familiar looking scythe of Ruby Rose.

"Ruby….san…?" he called out slowly.

"So, you're finally here, Ruby Rose. Summer Rose" said Aizen. "I've been waiting for you to show up. Although….you're quite late. And I don't see your siblings here with you"

"Yeah, there've been some change in plans, Aizen. But I'll deal with you in a bit. I have something to say to this fool here" said Summer, parrying Kyoukasuigetsu and lifting up Gin. "You utter numbskull! What were you thinking?! You really thought that would've worked against him?!"

"Th…I….."

"If you really wanted to help, you should've approached us from the beginning! You know, mom always kept telling me that there was something different about you. I was skeptical at first, but seeing how you never really mistreated any of us, I was beginning to think what mom said might not be so far-fetched. But I had no idea THIS is what was going on in your mind all this time!" she shouted. "Who the hell prepares to die with such a pathetic and yet satisfied expression on their face?!"

"Ruby-san….that's…"

"Look" she said, sighing. "I have no idea why you decided to go against him. But maybe you were never really on his side to begin with. I don't know. Honestly, I wish you had opened up a bit more, trusted some of us a little bit more. My mom for one. She's always good at that sort of thing. She might've been able to help you. But for now….just hold on to your life a little bit longer. You can tell me everything after I'm done with him. If you try anything like that again, both mom and I will make sure we get to you before Aizen does. And from all that regret and guilt I'm sensing, I'm guessing there's more to your story than it appears. If you really wanted to make up for something, start by thinking how you can do it while alive" said Ruby, throwing Gin away from themselves. Then, she faced Aizen. There was a subtle shift in the air around her.

"Just hold on for a bit more will you, boya? I'm just going to quickly check on the others and see what your mischief has done to them. Don't worry, I'll be here soon enough to spank you silly" said Summer, tilting her head.

"Are you really sure it's such a good idea to be this carefree even now? Surely even you must realize the repercussions of-"

"Oh please" scoffed Summer. "I know you can, but you won't. Do YOU really want to finish me off when my back is turned? After boasting about ascending beyond the level of mere arrancars and soul reapers? It would make you so uncool. In fact, it's my advice to you. Don't. It would make your whole makeover so pointless. And I know you'd think it would be such a big pity. So, stay right there boya. I'll be right back" she said, disappearing with a quick flash step.

"Hmph" said Aizen, smiling to himself. That's how she was. Even in front of him as he was now, she looked at him no differently as she did before. She never wavered and she never flinched. And she would continue to do so no matter how far ahead he reached. And she was right on point. It would be quite unbecoming of him to strike at her. It would be far too pointless when it was more interesting to face her head on. He didn't particularly mind. He was in no particular hurry after all. And, watching her go on about her ways was interesting in its own way too.

Summer quickly scoured the battlefield, checking each one she came across. To her relief, they were all just unconscious. Sure, some were more injured than the others, but being alive by itself was a big thing. She did stop by Tier, Nel, Grimmjow, Starrk, the Tres Bestias, Rukia, Chad and Uryu longer than she did with the others. Out of them, only Urahara was remotely conscious.

"Kisuke!" she called out, lightly shaking him. "Oy!"

"….Su…summer-san…..?" he rasped. "…..ah….this is….quite the sorry…state I'm in…"

"It's fine, don't talk too much. I'll try and see if I can get help. Where's Yachi?" asked Summer.

"…..It's fine, Summer-san…..I just need a quick breather….but rather than that….it's best if you don't worry about us and just focus on Aizen…he's become far…..stronger than I could…"

"Yeah….I noticed" replied Summer.

"…he really pulled the wool over my eyes…..never thought the Hogyoku would….Summer-san…..I've already set up things for that….I'll leave it to you and young Ichigo….to" said Urahara, before falling unconscious. She sighed and then placed a hand on Urahara reassuringly. "Don't worry Kisuke. We'll stop him" She then went over to Tier, Nel, Grimmjow, Starrk and the Tres Bestias one last time before heading back to Aizen.

"Sorry about that. Anyways…where was I again? Oh yeah….as I was saying, looks like someone's gotten quite the costume change" commented Summer. "If you ask me, you looked a lot nicer before. You've also been up to some mischief I see" As she observed him and the pulsating rock embedded in Aizen's chest, she could feel a strange pull of sorts from her eyes. She could feel something calling. It was a sensation so very similar to when her silver eyes would activate. And Summer swore she saw the Hogyoku react to her eyes. But it was gone almost as soon as she felt it, leading her to believe that she likely only imagined it. Because when she tried to slowly activate her eyes again, nothing happened with the Hogyoku. That weird sensation was absent as well. It was the same as all of the previous times she or Ruby had set eyes on the Hogyoku.

"I could say the same about you, Summer. So that's your daughter's resurreccion" said Aizen. "How fascinating. Your hell reishi, soul reaper reishi and hollow reishi are perfectly in balance as compared to before. Your power is significantly stronger than before too. The added rose petals and scent of plum blossoms is a bit too much if you ask me, but a rather welcome sight"

"Hmm, why, thank you. I'm glad it falls to your tastes, boya. Though…I'm sure you could recreate that same effect with your Kyoukasuigetsu, couldn't you?" asked Summer.

"But that wouldn't make it real, now would it? Still, do tell me what your ressurreccion is called, wont you? But I can already guess. Gueparda….am I right? Going by how resurreccion names of the rest of the arrancars go…."

"Mhm.." nodded Summer absentmindedly.

"And? Now that you're here, what do you plan to achieve? As I said earlier, I will take what I want. You arriving here changes nothing. In fact, even at your current level, you are no stronger than Harribel. Kisuke Urahara and many others tried to stop me, only to fail spectacularly. Don't tell me you plan to do it by yourself"

"She isn't alone"

Aizen narrowed his eyes, looking behind him from where the voice originated.

"I thought it was odd that you arrived alone, Summer. Now it makes sense. So we meet again, Ichigo Kuro-"

"Kari! Yuzu! What are you both doing there with Ichi?!" demanded the ex-rose huntress, with Ruby taking over this time. "I thought I told you to stay back at Hueco Mundo! And where's Tsuki?!"

"Ah…I told you she'd be mad, Yuzu" said Karin in a matter of factly way.

"Ahahaha…..she didn't even ask about Onii-chan…." Chuckled Yuzu awkwardly.

"It's fine, nee-san" answered Ichigo. "We asked Tatsuki to help get all of the others back to Unohana-san and Orihime. From what I hear, Tatsuki, Karin and Yuzu got Pesche to open a garganta for them. Dondochaka opened one for me after I left shortly after. Both of them should be with Unohana-san as well. But I thought this might be better. You've had this burden on you for so long. This time, we won't let you shoulder anything on your own, nee-san. And…..I won't let anything more happen to anyone. That I promise. Not to you, the other soul reapers or your family. But…..I'm not saying that I'll do this all by myself either. I'm confident at my level right now, but you still have more experience than me. And Karin and Yuzu could learn from it as well. So, I'll be depending on you as well, nee-san. And where you're lacking, the three of us can support you"

Ruby sighed exasperated, but gave up trying to ask anything further, knowing that it would be pointless to push the matter any further. But the other thing that convinced her to do so, was how calm and composed Ichigo appeared to be, along with Yuzu and Karin. There was no doubt they had seen what had happened so far. They probably heard about what happened from Unohana too.

And yet, here they were, remaining strong. But that wasn't all. Despite expecting it, she couldn't help wonder at how much Ichigo had changed in such short notice. Just minutes before he was still in the middle of his meditation. And now, he looked completely different. Physically, he looked similar to how he looked when his inner hollow had completely taken over with noticeable differences. For one, his mask was completely absent. His hair was longer than its usual self, but only reaching up to his shoulder blades. The red tuffs of fur around his neck and wrists were still present, as were the red tribal tattoos on his face. But those same red tattoos split off from his chin, branching out throughout his body in the form of blut markings. One of his eyes was coloured yellow with black sclera while the other was the same, usual soft brown colour. Tensa Zangetsu was different as well. The four prongs on its cross guard extended far more than it usually did, with the shape of the guard becoming sleeker and more abstract. The chain was also far longer, extending and spiralling around his right arm over his black sleeves. And the blade itself had blut like engravings on it.

But more than his physical appearance, what shocked Ruby more was his presence. It was so…intimidating. So overwhelming. And she couldn't sense his spiritual pressure at all. There was absolutely nothing. She could sense Karin, Yuzu and while she could sense something very vague from Aizen, she couldn't feel anything with Ichigo's reiatsu at all. But over all that, to her, Ichigo's presence was reassuring.

"You truly have…..grown" she sighed with a melancholy smile. "Alright. You win. Let's finish this, Ichigo. Karin. Yuzu"

"I didn't expect you to be surprised at their arrival, considering it was you who wagered on Ichigo Kurosaki. But putting that aside, you'll finish this, you say? At your current level? I have no idea what you did during the time you were in Hueco Mundo, but it is quite apparent you failed where I succeeded, Ichigo. For one, I can't sense anything. Even if you were hiding your spirit energy, I will still sense it. However, from you, I don't get anything. I can read them clear as day. And their level is a far cry compared to where I stand currently. I'm disappointed. I suppose I was expecting too much from you. After all, you're nothing but a human being at the end of the day. That is a limit you will always have. And the same could be said for you, Karin. Yuzu. You both should be much stronger than this. No, I suppose given your limits, you did what you could. In the end, it still paid off. What this means is that my progress….my evolution was simply more superior to yours. Very well then. Before finishing this once and for all, maybe I can show you what you should have been aiming for. Perhaps after I'm done with the Royal Palace, you just might come to evolve as well, one day" said Aizen.

"Nee-san, I'm gonna go in first" said Ichigo, paying no heed to Aizen's words. "I hope you can keep up" he said.

"Heh, don't be getting too confident now Ichi, it'll come back to bite you once day! And I'll have you know, Yoruichi and I used to compete to see who was faster and I'm still ahead of her there. So don't be getting too ahead of yourself just yet, little brother! As for you girls, stay close to me and follow my lead, alright? Even with all our power we probably wont be able to do anything to Aizen if we fought directly, but I'll teach you that power isnt everything. So pay close attention!" said Ruby, dashing ahead herself with Karin and Yuzu following closely behind.

The battle began with Aizen initiating a series of power strikes which Ichigo had no trouble parrying. With each swing of their swords, gusting winds would rage from the sheer force of the impact. When Ichigo parried upwards, clouds above them parted. Anything nearby like buildings or other remaining debris would be sent flying at supersonic speeds. Yuzu set up her bankai's protective field around herself, Karin and Ruby.

"I see what you did now" said Aizen, flicking his sword in a roundabout manner and slashing at Ichigo's midriff, which Ichigo broke with a simply upward swing. "You've substituted reiatsu for physical strength. Normally such a thing would be impossible. But the quincies do have an ability that works exactly in that manner. Blut Arterie. But in their case, it is more of a temporary augmentation. In your case however, you incorporated your quincy reishi into a permanent form of enhancement, all because you can't use reishi as effectively and also because you have an opposing force within you, that of a hollow. It's evident from how your hollow markings branch out in the form of blut markings, as well as those on your zanpakuto. But it is crude and primitive at best. As you can see, not only has it cost you any quincy abilities you may have had, but you don't even have a mask anymore. All you have is that single eye to show some semblance of your former abilities. A sacrificial, self detrimental form of evolution is all that you have to by!" he said once more, forcefully parrying Ichigo's sword again. "But I'm different! Unlike you, I still retain all of my previous skills, abilities and attributes and was able to evolve into a more perfect form than any known soul reaper, arrancar or quincy! And this is only the beginning of what I can accomplish! In the end, all of you will just watch in despair as your world crumbles while I continue to reach beyond"

"Tell me Aizen" said Ruby, initiating a series of powerful swings with Crescent Rose. Aizen's movements were fast enough to avoid Ruby as fast as she was. But she was hardly outpaced herself, evident from the few times Aizen did block her scythe. "What then? You become the most supreme, powerful being in the entire world and then what? In the end, there wont be anyone that can even stand beside you. They would be physically incapable. There wont be anyone who can understand you. Because nobody can imagine the kind of being you would become. Is that really what you want?!"

"Why should I impede myself for the sake of others who cannot measure up to what I can do? The purpose of life is to evolve. To progress. Everything in the universe is evolving, growing and changing. I have no need for anyone who cannot keep up with what could be considered the law of the universe itself" said Aizen.

"Bakudo #79 Kuyo Shibari. You're wrong, boya" said Summer, stopping Aizen momentarily and then using that split second to wrap Aizen with Crescent Rose's chain. "Evolution is one thing, but there is also another thing just as important. And that's the fact that you can't do anything alone. That's why social structures exist. That's why we have families, friends and people we depend on. Because there are just some things we can't do alone. Even if that something is staying alive. And…..why? Who said that one can't understand you if they aren't at your level? Don't you think that's a bit contradictory to what you said about nothing being impossible for you? If you can become this strong, then, surely you can sympathize with those weaker than you and have them understand you as well, if you just tried? And why do you assume that being like others means lowering yourself?"

"Those are just petty words woven into a convincing argument to back up your statements. Fancy wordplay that has no actual meaning. The kind of thing you'd expect weaker beings such as humans to use because they have no other means of comprehending and accepting instances they have little power over. Don't think you can analyse me with that kind of menial reasoning, Summer! I shall stand above anyone that intends to rule over me. That is all. Nothing more, nothing less. A victor should always decide how the world should be, not accept what it for what it is. To submit to someone or something is nothing more than the mentality of a loser who doesn't even try to fight and establish their own thoughts and ideologies over the ideologies of another!" snapped Aizen, using a burst of reishi to loosen and free himself from the chains, as well as the kido spell. Then, he used a powerful swing to send Summer slamming into Yuzu, at the same time parrying Karin who struck down at Aizen using her blut arterie and Quincy völlständig.

"….Boya….in the end, you were also once a human being. Don't forget that. And even souls in the soul society come from human beings. You're rejecting your own origins, in a sense. And…..being ruled over by someone doesn't mean that you're bound to said person. You and I prove that. You may be stronger than me, many times more so than I can ever be. But I still hold my own opinions, my own ideologies and stand by them as firm as I always have. That won't change no matter who's in charge of the world. Submitting to someone's ways of life isnt surrendering and learning to live with yourself despite how the world works and who rules it is not submitting yourself to the world either! Because that is the opposite of giving up! It shows that you're willing to remain strong in face of any obstacle that comes your way and hold on to your beliefs no matter how weak you may be physically compared to others. But I can see that you really don't want to hear what I'm really trying to say. Fine. Sometimes…..you can only learn these things the harder way" said Summer in response.

Their exchanges continued in silence after that, with the majority of the fighting done by Ichigo while Ruby, Karin and Yuzu would join in between.

"I've seen enough. Any more of this is pointless. All this proves is that even banding together, you still fall short, which merely proves my point even further. You've lasted this long from sheer luck and my own interest in your growth. Suffice to say, I doubt anything will change as long as you continue to hold on to those beliefs of yours. Watch as I easily shatter your blade Ichigo, and then perhaps you'll rethink your thoughts" said Aizen, his sword seemingly shining as it swung down on the orange haired soul reaper.

*KLUUUUNG*

A metallic sound rung out, with a huge shockwave sped out behind Ichigo as the entire force of Aizen's swing was passed straight through Ichigo and behind him, with no noticeable effect on the orange haired soul reaper. The force generated from Aizen's swing had been large enough to level everything behind Ichigo. And yet, the orange haired soul reaper only had a sympathetic expression on his face, which was a stark contrast to Aizen's expression of utter shock.

"He….he caught it? My blade that I swung with my complete intent behind it? This human boy with no reishi….?!"

"You know…..I didn't say anything since I don't know much about what you've gone through. Nee-san's life did teach me that there's always more to someone's story than it may appear in the beginning. And unlike nee-san, I can't read emotions. So I thought I too would try to understand why you're doing what you're doing. But it seems that neither of us seem to be able to understand each other, even after crossing blades after all" remarked Ichigo.

"…was that supposed to be your attempt at rubbing in the fact that you caught my blade Ichigo? Is that it?! Are you suggesting that I do not understand you simply from the fact that I seem surprised by you catching my blade?" sneered Aizen.

"No" said Ichigo calmly. "It's not because of that. It's because you seem to be under the wrong impression since the beginning and keep convincing yourself you know why that is. I caught your sword because my current power is greater than yours. My current speed, reflexes and physical strength are greater than yours as they are now. As I said, I thought I would try and understand you by lowering my ability down to your level. Because there wouldn't be any point if I finished you off just like that. So, you see, your assumptions were wrong after all. And that also shows that you really didn't understand the real reason as to why someone who was as 'advanced' as you couldn't even take care of a simple 'human' like me"

"Isnt that enough proof, Aizen?" asked Ruby. "Doesn't this tell you enough that there are times we can understand each other despite our different origins and there are times when we simply can't no matter how we try to step into each other's shoes? Isnt it quite conceited to say that you feel bound and suffocated by those you haven't even tried to understand?!"

"Leave it Ruby-nee. If this guy could be convinced with words, he wouldn't be like this after all the time he spent with Summer-san, you, your family back at Hueco Mundo and all of his previous allies in the Soul Society" said Karin.

Aizen continued to remain wide eyed and then narrowed his eyes. "Fascinating. So you're telling me that all of my aforementioned assumptions and knowledge of you are flawed simply because I failed to comprehend a single instance of miraculous happenstance?! Don't patronize me! Chance is a very real factor that can cause things such as miracles to happen, be it in something as small as the quantum world or in something as massive as the universe itself. And it was by pure chance that your abilities momentarily exceeded mine. Don't talk as if you've gained victory, Ichigo Kurosaki! And don't pretend you understand better than I do with your limited minds and reasoning, Ruby Rose! I am a being that transcends them all! One that won't leave anything to chance and takes control of my own desires with my own hands! And that will be what I use to render those 'miracles' of yours completely useless!" declared Aizen, raising his hand up in the air with the index finger pointed upwards. "Seeping crest of turbidity! Arrogant Crest of-"

*SHAAAACK*

"Sorry, Aizen" said Ichigo, now standing right in front of Aizen, his sword slick with blood. There was a cross shaped wound gouged deep into Aizen's body. The kido spell disappeared as soon as he'd started it. "I would've gladly taken on whatever kido you were planning to unleash. But I don't think Ruby-nee or my sisters would've survived that, and I couldn't guarantee that I could break your kido before it hit them. So, I decided I'd just do this instead. I hope you've realized it now, Aizen. It wasn't a miracle back then and it wasn't a miracle now. And no matter what happens or what you do, you can be sure we'll stop you, Aizen. But as you are now, I myself can stop you where you stand"

Everything froze for an instant after that, and the frazzled expression on Aizen's face was back. Before anyone else moved even a muscle, Aizen's form disappeared, reappearing a few feet away, with a cautious look on his face, clutching his wounds.

"Boya….please. Let's just stop this" said Summer, looking at him with a pained expression. "See…? As strong as you are, you still feel fear and you still instinctively protect your life when you see danger. You may think you've become a higher being, but these things tell you that you're still as human as anyone else. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. No matter how much you want to reject that, it will always be engraved as a part of you. You'll only find peace once you accept that"

Aizen's expression grew graver and his entire body was quivering, the expression of rage on his face accentuated his hollow like eyes and the Hogyoku that was ominously glowing. The wounds on his body were bubbling and closing up, like it did on a hollow.

"I see now" he said with a low growl. "You think you can lecture me just because you caught my sword. You think you can deny me and my ambitions just because you managed to wound me. Is that it?! DON'T BE SO FULL OF YOURSELVES!"

The sky was filled with a primal, rage-filled roar that was very much a contrast to his calm and composed demeanour from earlier. His entire body 'cracked', and reishi began to pour out of the Hogyoku in his chest, forming a massive pillar that filled the skies wit ha deep violet hue. The pillar sent out gusting winds, making Ruby, Karin and Yuzu brace themselves and squint from the sheer amount of reishi that was being generated by Aizen. His entire form changed, morphed, until it no longer resembled something that looked entirely human. And then, the light was gone, replaced only by what was engulfed within it. Standing there, was Aizen, his appearance now drastically different. In this form, Aizen had a hole in the center of his chest with a cross in the middle of it. The form-fitting white robe which enveloped Aizen in his past two forms lengthened, and flared out at the ends. His irises vanished, as well as his eyebrows. There was a diamond-shaped object embedded in his forehead. But the most prominent feature were the three sets of butterfly-like wings.

"Wh….what is that….?! Is that….really Aizen…?!" exclaimed Yuzu fearfully.

"Urgh….he's become even creepier than before…" remarked Karin, grimacing.

"….what is this….?" Asked Summer to herself. "…..my eyes…..they're reacting again…..to the….Hogyoku…?" As before, her eyes were drawn to the Hogyoku, as if pulled in by some inescapable allure. No, that was wrong. It was as if the Hogyoku was the one being pulled towards her eyes. Like it was seeking it out. Like it was calling her. But as before, it was gone the moment Aizen's focus shifted to those in front of him.

"A major aspect of evolution is fear. Earlier, I feared being tied down to the rules of this world, which is what stimulated my evolution before. You were right, Summer Rose. I did fear. For the first time ever, I felt a more primal, instinctual fear. The fear that in your current state, your life could be forfeit, just like that, before you even know it. So, thank you, Ichigo Kurosaki. Thanks to you, I have now truly become a transcendental being. And now, I can truly crush you where you stand and it will all be thanks to you for helping me ascend to this state" said Aizen, his voice calm and confident once more. Ichigo merely sighed.

"You can use whatever tricks you want, Aizen. But to be honest, I'm getting tired of your arguments. If you'll keep evolving, keep regenerating, then I'll just keep beating you until you can't anymore" declared Ichigo. "Here I…..we come, Aizen. Let's just finish this already"

Ichigo closed in on Aizen while Ruby followed after. When their swords clashed, the forces generated this time around were many times greater than when they had locked blades before. But there was another significant noticeable difference. The moment their swords struck, the blut like engravings on Tensa Zangetsu were glowing red, as were the tattoos on Ichigo. In that instance, Ichigo's hollow like eye had returned to its regular colour as well. And then, they were gone, with Ichigo's body returning to how it looked before. At first, Aizen thought he imagined it. But after a few clashes, he knew he did not imagine what he saw.

"Blut arterie…?! But that's impossible! I still can't sense any reishi on him, so how is it that he is able to use a technique that uses reishi?! And…how is it that he is able to use a technique that requires such an advanced level of reishi control?!" thought Aizen to himself. Whatever the case, Ichigo was still as much of a significant threat as he was before. Because he was able to match Aizen blow for blow. And to his surprise, he was matching him in speed as well. However, Aizen didn't let himself be worried just yet, for he was sure that he still had the edge. After all, they were merely just getting started. His current level was far above his previous form. And Ichigo hadn't changed. If anything, Ichigo being forced to use such measures told Aizen that he had indeed grown stronger to a level where Ichigo had to deal with him using unfamiliar techniques. Heights of desperation, he thought to himself.

"Hado #88, Hiryuu Gekizoku Shinten Raiho!" chanted Aizen. An enormous stream of lightning bolts tore and rent their way towards Ruby, Karin and Yuzu. The lightning bolts continued to explode and strike for a few seconds. When the dust cleared, Aizen was surprised to see a pale blue transparent dome cover Ichigo, Ruby and the twins, with blut vene markings running along its surface, which shattered and disappeared after Ichigo's appearance returned to how it was before.

His thoughts were interrupted when Ruby, Karin and Yuzu closed in from the other side. At first, Aizen almost payed no heed to them, for he was sure that even at their best, nothing they did would even touch him as he was now. But the danger didn't come from Ruby or Summer themselves, but rather how much of his attention they demanded despite not being as much of a threat to them compared to Ichigo.

"Urgh...this looks impossible...he's too much for us, Ruby-nee" said Karin.

"Nothing we do has nay effect on him...unlike Onii-chan, our current level is nowhere near enough to help him" said Yuzu. But Ruby reached out to her siblings, holding their hands gently.

"Might isn't always what determines a win or loss. Back when I was in Hell, when I was jsut a Vasto Lorde, I was in situations where I was forced to fight beings that were many times as resiliant and tougher than I was. And yet, I made it through. So you see, there's always a way. But it's something you learn with experience. Here, for now, just follow my lead, ok?" she said, using her Sonido to guide them and instruct them on how to move about and maneuver better.

Which was something that definitely something that surprised Aizen. Because Ruby was holding herself up against his current form. Naturally she was supported by her siblings, but that in itself was a feat to praise. She switched between using Yuzu's bankai as an active damper against physical attacks, as well as her arrows to augment her own balas that she would use to distract Aizen while she worked in tangent with Karin and her powerful attacks, often combining her blut arterie boosted getsuga tenshou with her own cero oscuras blasts. But Ruby's primary strategy had definitely impressed Aizen. Ruby was in control while using hollow techniques such as cero oscuras, cero granada, gran ray cero and bala but then immediately switched to Summer when using kido and soul reaper techniques. And she used those techniques for more than just offense. For example, using balas to generate additional speed when using Sonido. Or using Cero Granada as a makeshift distraction. All while teaching her siblings on how to use their own techniques in a similar manner, like substituting balas with quincy arrows for the same effect or combining them with simple kido spells such as Shakahou for additional power, or using their flash step in a more efficient manner and other such tactics. And when using Crescent Rose, Crescent would immediately take control, moving erratically and in a more primitive and frenzied manner, putting off Aizen and using that opening to deal a little damage in that short fraction of a second before switching back to Ruby and using her enhanced Sonido to move both herself and Karin out of harm's way.

"Don't be lookin' away now!" came Ichigo's voice, but sounding distorted and raspy. This time, the tribal markings on Ichigo's body were more like the ones he bore while his inner hollow had gone on a frenzy, and both of his eyes were coloured yellow with black sclera. There were two angled horns protruding from his head. Charging in between those horns was a giant, glowing ball of reishi, crimson in hue. Aizen barely managed to dodge the gran ray cero launched by Ichigo but not before being attacked immediately from behind. This time however, Ichigo's appearance changed again, with the horns and hollow eyes gone, and the tribal markings resembling the markings of blut arterie. Tensa Zangetsu was also glowing with a red hue. Once again, Aizen barely managed to avoid the blow and parry it, but Tensa Zangetsu cut through anyways, slicing away at a part of his arm.

"Gran Ray Cero…?! Once again…he uses techniques that can't be possible unless he has reishi! How…?! Why?! Why can't I sense anything…?! I can sense the reishi coming from his attacks themselves, but why can't I sense his actual reishi?!"

"What's wrong, Aizen? Feeling a bit tense?" asked Ichigo, his form once again back to its 'neutral' look. "You look like you have something eating away at your mind" he asked, parrying away his sword again, sending Aizen a few steps back.

"…..Hmph…..hm hm hm hm….I see now" he remarked to himself. "You're doing the same thing Ruby Rose is doing, aren't you? You're switching rapidly between your zanpakuto spirits just as Ruby Rose, Summer Rose and Crescent Rose keep switching places between each other to use techniques that best suits their natures. And by doing so, you're throwing your opponent off because each one of you have different styles of fighting. It becomes almost impossible to adjust, especially at the speeds you move at. It's a unique advantage granted to only you four, since you were never trained as a soul reaper or granted hollow powers normally. No, unlike anyone else, you four were given zanpakuto spirits. Spirits that have their own experiences, minds and styles of fighting and abilities. It's like having multiple processors in a computer which enables it to run many different functions at once without affecting each other. It also explains why you were able to use techniques that you could never use before. But it's pointless!" said Aizen. "Once I know that, I can easily adapt to it in no time! Because your form changes with your zanpakuto spirit, it's easy to determine what's coming next"

"Honestly….I have nee-san to thank for that. I'm really just copying what she did. But the hard part of this was to convince them. If not for nee-san and Summer-san, it wouldn't have worked out. But if you really think you've gotten me figured out, you're dead wrong, Aizen" said Ichigo, lifting Tensa Zangetsu above his head. The pattern engraved on the blade was glowing red as before, but this time, Ichigo's appearance was his initial 'neutral' appearance with the single hollow eye. An ultra dense pillar of reishi was enveloping Ichigo. Another glowing white broadsword materialized in his left arm. One that had a cross shaped guard. Ichigo brought down Tensa Zangetsu, as if he was firing a getsuga tenshou, which left a crescent shaped dark maroon coloured trail as it was swung down. And then, using the glowing sword, he swung it horizontally, creating a horizontal, crescent shaped arc of pure white reishi, which also created five shining arrows placed horizontally and two strings from the ends that connected to the hilt of the glowing sword. And then combining the two swords, he thrust it forward, with the tip of the two swords intersecting with the cross section of the two crescent shaped arcs. And then, at the tip, a massive orb of crimson reishi began charging. He then slowly drew the swords back using his arm, like he was firing an arrow. The reishi pillar around Ichigo then subsided, sending a pulse of reishi outwards like a miniature shockwave.

Aizen could only watch astonished and speechless as all this was happening right in front of him. His thoughts were going wild, and he could feel his hands shaking as he was trying his best to compute what was happening.

"That's clearly reishi enveloping him..…that's his own reishi manifesting outwards…but….I still can't sense him. I've transcended beyond any mortal soul could. One that could be considered to be at a higher dimension. And just like how a two dimensional being could never interact with a three dimensional being, just like how humans cannot see electromagnetic radiation beyond the visible spectrum unless they evolved to sense light beyond visible light, no mere soul reaper, arrancar or quincy can detect my reishi unless I lower it to a level they can perceive. Does that mean…..that he's at such a level that even I cannot…?!"

Aizen gnashed his teeth violently.

"Don't be absurd! That can't possibly be the case! You're just a mere human! You can't surpass me! Inconceivable! Unacceptable!" he roared.

"Here Ichi" said Ruby, coming up to him, aligning herself with her brother's right arm. "Your aim is a bit off. Keep it this way. With this much power, you need to account for the recoil, especially when using long distance ranged attacks" she said, slowly placing her arm against Ichigo's until it was where it needed to be. "Gran Ray Cero Oscuras" she said, blending in her own technique within the orb at the tip of the swords.

"Here, Onii-chan" said Yuzu, coming up to him and stabilizing his arm and correcting his posture. "You've never used bow and arrows before. So let me help" And along with that, she swung Mangetsu horizontally along the line of the horizontal, white coloured crescent shaped reishi. "Getsuga Tenshou"

"It probably won't be much compared to what you have here, Ichi-nii. But I just don't want to feel like we didn't do anything. Getsuga Tenshou" said Karin, swinging vertically and adding to the deep maroon coloured crescent shaped reishi.

Ichigo let out a small chuckle. "Thanks….everyone. Heh, I'm not even sure what to call such a combined mess of attacks, but if you think up of something, feel free to let me know" he said, launching the attack forward. Aizen could barely react before the attack passed cleanly through him, bifurcating him horizontally, vertically and in all manner of different ways and then finally exploding in a cross shaped explosion that gouged out the very landscape itself. The land continued to burn with a 'X' shaped mark, with the reishi reaching up to the sky. Ichigo, Karin, Ruby and Yuzu were certain they saw Aizen's body disintegrate, atleast most of it. They continued to watch in silence as the attack continued going, until it eventually died down on its own.

"…..So….that's it huh…?" asked Ichigo to himself.

"….it's over….finally" Said Yuzu to herself.

"…..wait…I…I don't believe it…!" exclaimed Karin, her eyes fixed several meters away from where their combined attack had landed. Lying there, by the ground in a curled up position was no doubt Aizen, his form now looking even more ragged than before. His wings were gone, and his body was still cracked and severed at many places. But almost instantly, every wound on his body closed up. The four instantly made haste, using flash step to go over to where Aizen was. Upon closed observation, they saw that his form was even more twisted than before. His body was still covered in white fabric and his eyes were still hollow like with purple sclera and grey irises. But one half of his mouth was covered by what appeared to be hollow like teeth. He slowly got up, holding his sword up to them.

"You've failed yet again…..Ichigo Kurosaki, Ruby Rose…." He muttered slowly. "Even with that, you failed to finish me off. And you will never be able to….ever. I can't be killed. After subjugating the Hogyoku, I'm as good as immortal. You can keep trying and trying, but eventually, you'll just exhaust yourself. And I'll keep evolving each time you come close"

"Ichi-nii…..you can still take him on right…?" asked Karin, gulping.

"What are you saying, Karin-chan! Of course, Ichi-nii can…!" argued Yuzu, but Ichigo was sweating himself.

"I didn't think it would be this bad…..dammit….that really was all that I had….if that didn't defeat him…then….I don't think anything will….I can hold him off still but...I don't think anything we do will really defeat him..." He said. "And if he evolves again, I don't think we can even hold him off for too long….dammit!"

"No….!"

"Watch closely, Ruby Rose! Summer Rose! Ichigo Kurosaki! It's over!" The Hogyoku on his chest was glowing yet again.

But at that moment, another bright flash enveloped Aizen. A godly light. It was her last ditch effort. She'd ruled it out since the beginning, since it was a power that only worked against hollows and the creatures of Hell, none of which Aizen was. But she just had to try. What was strange however, was that same feeling she got when she looked at the Hogyoku all those times before. Except now, that pull felt a lot stronger. Almost as if things just slid into place. As the light enveloped Aizen Sosuke and the Hogyoku, Aizen Sosuke felt an inescapable urge as his eyes were drawn to the ethereal radiance emitted by Ruby Rose's eyes. And then, he could see. The true meaning behind the radiance. A power that surpassed all. An authority above all else. Just beyond the image of the ex-rose huntress. In an act of subservience, the Hogyoku pulsed in submission to that authority that was far beyond himself, far beyond anything in this world, far above the Soul King himself. As if in an act of praise, the Hogyoku was showing it to him. The face behind that authority. And Aizen Sosuke could see. The form of a man with a golden radiance far beyond anything he could have comprehended if not for the Hogyoku. With horns in the shape of antlers. And eyes that mirrored the eyes of the ex-Rose Huntress. And through the Hogyoku, he was made to understand, to comprehend that which he couldn't see before.

"A being…..even higher than….the Soul King…..?" he asked himself, riddled with shock. "That…that can't…that's IMPOSSIBLE! It can't be!"

Ichigo, Karin and Yuzu were only confused by the whole set of events. It was clear from Aizen's face that his eyes were looking elsewhere seemingly disturbed and surprised by what he was seeing. At that moment, the white fabric enveloping Aizen started peeling away, revealing normal skin beneath. His appearance was returning to the form it was before he subjugated the Hogyoku.

"Wh….what…?! What's happening..?!" exclaimed Aizen, shocked and distressed as he watched his transformation unfold. "No….it can't be….the Hogyoku….you're recognizing her…..that thing….as your master…despite I being the one who created you….?! That's can't be…! It's absurd…!"

Right then, several cross shaped beams of light pierced Aizen from the inside out.

"Gah….! Wh…what is this…?! A seal….?! Who….? When did….?!" growled Aizen.

"So it's taking effect" said Summer. "That's a seal I developed during my days here in this world. You're not the first immortal I've faced before. I knew that if I ever had to face her or someone like her ever again, I would need a way to incapacitate them. Of course, my version was very incomplete. But thanks to Kisuke, I could finish a completed version. Heh, but to be fair, he was more than happy to develop such a powerful seal. He shot one half of the spell when he fought you and I shot the other half when we fought. You didn't realize it, did you? When you fought all those soul reapers, Urahara-san and us, you were slowly but surely taking damage. Bit by bit, you were being weakened. And now that you've been weakened this much, that seal is finally acting up. But color me surprised, I honestly didn't expect my silver eyes to react like that with the Hogyoku. I doubt it would've worked if I had tried it earlier. I suppose….it only reacted this way now because you've been weakened to this degree"

Aizen groaned in pain as the seal dug further into his body, forming large crosses over his back and slowly enveloping him. With an expression riddled with defeat, he made an effort to look up at Summer as he was being slowly enveloped by the seal.

"So….this is checkmate….is that it..?" he asked slowly, grimacing. His voice sounded done, as if he knew there was nothing he could do to escape his fate. "Summer Rose….you, who won't allow yourself to be bent by the whims of fate, you, who stood your ground in front of that thing in Hell for a million years...why would you lower yourself to such a degree, despite possessing such power and authority?! Why would you subject yourself to the rules of this world, despite having the power to defy them, despite how much this world and its ruler have trampled over you and your daughter?!"

"You know boya…..you were so blinded by greatness, of wanting to be above everyone else, wanting to always keep reaching further and further that you never came to realize that it was a desire that would never be granted. Like a pot that couldn't be filled. The same as human greed. In fact….even if you would have succeeded, the real victor would've been the one who could find happiness and satisfaction in the little things. Things that could be obtained and perceived" remarked Summer sadly. "And you're wrong. These eyes are good and all, but what use is such power and authority if it can't give me what I want? After all, in the end, I couldn't even escape Hell even with these eyes. It was my daughter who did. Sometimes, things may look spectacular, but its only later you realize how mistaken you are, and how much it makes you look past things that are really valuable"

"That's an easy statement to make when you don't have to feel the utter agony I feel Every. Single. Moment. I imagine myself being under that thing! You and Kisuke Urahara! With your ability and your intellect, you can defy the whims of chance and fate and yet! You still choose to go on about your mundane, unchanging lives, simply living by accepting things for what they are! What meaning is there in such a constrained existence?!"

"But what's wrong with such a lifestyle?" asked Summer, chuckling. "I don't think you realize it yourself. Or perhaps you do, and you've simply forgotten. But the times you and I spent pondering over Hell, talking about silly things such as tea, cookies, using Tia's resurreccion to create water tanks or even talking about your unnatural tendencies when it came to ruling over the Espada were indeed fun times. And back then, you were filled with life and you had a certain...spark. And trust me, I could tell. You were genuinly happy. But in the end, your obsession to be above all, to obtain control of everything drove you to discard things that made you really formidable. Your human way of thinking and using the cards you were dealt with in resourceful ways to overcome challenges that were far beyond your limits. I'm sure doing so also made you forget that obsession of yours. Because you would've been too preoccupied in trying your best to live your life as best as you can with what you had already. But today you lost because you threw away those things in pursuit of something vague, something abstract and something that was nothing but never ending agony. After all, you didn't even use your bankai, did you? No, you were so preoccupied in showing how superior this 'transcendental' power of yours was that the very thought of using something 'lower' like a bankai made you forgo that decision. Despite that, you still enjoyed fighting Ichi and my darlings didn't you? Sure, you were frustrated when they started getting the better of you, but a part of you enjoyed having your abilities tested to their limits, something nobody could provide for you before. Kinda like an expert gamer finally finding a game that matches their level. They get frustrated during the difficult bits, but the hope of overcoming a challenge like that is something that you could only enjoy as a human being. Ironically, if you hadn't thrown away your humanity like that, you would've won. And I'm sure if you had only tried to understand those around you as I did, at the very least, you wouldn't be suffering all by yourself" remarked Summer sadly. "However, it's as you say, boya. In the end, the victor decides how the world should be. And following that rule, you should have no complaints when we stay the way we are. Isn't that right? And personally, I like your look the way it is now. That 'nice, nerdy look' you had was a pleasant sight to see. Your evolved forms on the other hands were a major downgrade. And here I thought the Hogyoku was supposed to give you upgrades" she chuckled lightly. The seal had almost covered him up now.

"…...Heh...even at the bitter end, you never change" replied Aizen with a smile. "But still, even now, I cannot find myself agreeing with you or sympathizing with you. My goals, my ambitions and my plans. They were all perfect. With each step calculated and guaranted to give the results I wanted, with nothing left to fate. I lost because of you, the only unknown factor in all of this. An unknown factor whose effects dates back to a 1000 years ago, something that I realized far too late. However, I have not fallen so far as to go back on my own words. I shall concede to you today as the victor. This is also a way to learn from and evolve, and do things better the next time. After all, I do have an eternity to think about such things. But know this, Summer. One day, you will realize that you'll come to regret those very rules that you fought so hard to protect and then on that day, you'll finally understand the things that I did" he said, before turning to Ichigo, Karin and Yuzu. "And you, Ichigo Kurosaki, Karin Kurosaki, Yuzu Kurosaki. I will admit, things may not have gone as I envisioned, but to reduce me to this state is still something to commend you for. You may take pride in it. Revel in it. But perhaps next time, you can take up your blades not as my or Kisuke Urahara's game pieces but rather as yourself. And that time, I will truly enjoy battling with more than just our blades" he smirked with a tone of finality, before the seal completely covered him up, following which it quivered, wrapped around, condensed and compressed itself until it was just slightly bigger than the Hogyoku. It fell down to the ground with a dull thud. Aizen Sosuke's voice was completely silent after that. Summer Rose walked over to the small, cross shaped seal that contained Aizen, picking it up.

"You know boya, for all your planning and scheming, you and Kisuke are really similar. But there's one difference between you both. You leave nothing to chance. You have this big, grand plan that spans many centuries and numerous other people and numerous other schemes that compliment it. And then you go to any lengths to make sure things happen exactly as you planned. You never leave things to anyone. You simply act. But as you said, the problem with such a thing is someone like me, whom you don't expect to show up. But Kisuke...he's different. Unlike you, he prepares for everything. He doesn't try to control fate, he leaves things to it. He prepares for the worst and hopes for the best. He's never the person in control. That always depends on the others he puts his trust on. And because of that, he can counter almost anything, even if he's not the one in control. So truly, his approch is the one that truly defies fate. And in the end, that's what won the battle today. A group of people that fate simple decided to connect together through many centuries coming together to defeat one that tried to defy it. That's what I wanted to tell you. That sometimes, if you simply let yourself go with the flow, it's exactly what you need. I did understand you boya. Much more than you think. But in pursuit of your own ambitions, you have cause many others insufferable pain. And for that, there's no excuse. No ambition should come at the cost of the lives of others. And you've played with far too many lives to let it slide. Take that time your immortality gives you to sit down and reflect on everything, and what is really the best path for you to take" said Summer, before returning to the kids.

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So a double chapter this week! Hope you like it! We're almost there, the Winter war is finally over! Now there's only a little bit of the aftermath left to explore before we move on to the next arc!

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Now you may be wondering, what's up with Ichigo's form? Is that his full power? How did it work?

The answer is, it's not. It's explained better in the next chapter, but what you saw was essentially Ichigo using his powers similar to Ruby did. Now I based Ichigo's Quincy powers on Yhwach's base Quincy abilities, since, you know, Old Man Zangetsu looks an awful lot like Yhwach as he was 1000 years ago. In this fic, I've decided to link it to Yhwach deeper than in canon. But to answer the previous question, let's just say that Ichigo had a talk, a deal with his Zanpakuto spirits. This was already hinted at the earlier chapters where Hichigo proposes that he and Ichigo have a pact regarding his abilities. There's nothing to say he didnt do the same with Old Man Zangetsu. Again, more on that in the next chapter.

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Alright, I thought I should explain Aizen's bankai here, since it might be a bit difficult to comprehend. The closest and best way to explain it is 'Perspective Manipulation'. You'd find a better explanation online since it would have illustrations to explain it. But imagine this. Remember all those optical illusions you come across? Like someone picturing the moon going through a basketball look or someone pretending they're holding the moon in their hands by having the right angle and perspective from their camera? On photo, it appears real but it's nothing but an optical illusion that appears to be real only from that perspective. But imagine if someone could actually do that for real. Aizen's bankai is very similar. Basically, from his 'perspective', he can manipulate things the way he wants, like literally catching things in the background and picking them up, interacting with them as if he can reach them. But Aizen's ability is essentially 'illusions that feel like reality'. So this kind of logic defying, reality defying effect is only felt by those within the range of his bankai and those in his line of sight (after all, they have to be within his sight since it is Aizen's perspective that matters). And Aizen's bankai makes it so that those that are within the effects of his bankai feel the effects of all the things that Aizen changes in his perspective as if they were real. But for those on the outside and in the 'real' world, nothing has really changed. It was merely an optical illusion that felt so real that it was indistinguishable from reality.

TL;DR version, it's a sort of reality bending optical illusion type ability that feels real to those within the bankai's influence.

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Response to reviews:

Argorok: Thanks! Things went a differently as you can see. But the battle is now done! We're almost done with this arc.

L4 of the WEST: Well…..quite a bit happened as you read! True true, because in canon many were still left alive so it feels like a lot.

I see! I'm glad to know it's been going well and hope you continue writing! I'll be sure to let you know if I do check it out sometime. It can be a bit hard given my own time-pressed schedule, but I'll be sure to let you know.

Spellflame: Thanks a lot, I'm really glad to hear it!

firewyrn2: Not sure who Reidak is, but pretty sure Nnoitora would absolutely floor Hazel. The power scales are just too different. I know. He really was just a victim of consequence. That's why the deeds that Aizen did as he manipulated others are far worse than him just killing people straight.

The-Killer40513: Yes of course! Maybe not immediately, but characters from bleach will eventually enter Remnant and vice versa.

rama alif: Thanks! Glad you like it!

Ninguem248: Thanks a lot!

ranjira1988: And this chapter was a bit delayed but has a lot more stuff in it, so hope you enjoyed it!

Lucian Naruto: Oh she will. Eventually.

Fregreg: No she wont have them. The scars were psychological. So they were gone after Ruby found her peace.

Vedahzii: Thanks! Well…it was kinda late? But also kinda in time? Depends on how you look at it I suppose!

RandomName3064: Thanks but as you saw, there was a lot more to Aizen v everyone I suppose! True. He would have been. If not for that magic, wish granting stone called Hogyoku. I tried to do my best with the fight, hope you liked it!

Xeno01: Yeah, there was no debate there. Yoruichi held her own against Aizen in his second fusion form (albeit without actually damaging him much but even base form Aizen was much stronger than the likes of Nnoitora and Isshin by himself overwhelmed Aizen without even using his shikai. So I think Yoruichi won that one pretty easily.

Yeah….Aizen did face everyone and really the only thing that saved him was that magic stone on his chest. Otherwise, he would've been toast long back. And indeed, Ruby + Summer were the only ones that could get through to him, along with Urahara. Fundamentally the only two people who could ever understand him.

Well, she still has way more experience than Ichigo ever will, but she's not as strong as Ichigo is. I know, it may not be so fair, but that's just how it is. But she gained things a lot more precious than pure fighting strength because of her suffering.

Yes indeed, it's almost here now, real soon! Oh Raven is gonna get her share of pain for sure. She does need to be taught a lesson after all. Believe me, rather than her power, it's Ruby's mindset and how much she has learnt and changed that will make the remnant arc much more interesting. But I won't deny that her power will be important as well. As always, thanks for the review!