In the sea of life

You're just a minnow

Live your life

Insecure

A breeze lifted sand across the arid terrain. Gotenks tapped his foot and waited for his enemy to surface.

"Ah, give me a break." He threw his hands behind his head. "I don't have all day for him to get his shit together."

Gotenks strolled toward the crater and shouted into the air. "Are you kidding me?! Get out here and face death like a warrior! If you come out now, I'll make this as painless as-"

Aizen teleported beside Gotenks to impale him. Gotenks spun and blocked with his Bankai. The two fighters exchanged fiery stares as their swords scraped against each other. Sparks of energy danced around them.

Gotenks snickered. "Woah, take it easy. You're about to pop all the blood vessels in your forehead. Am I that much stronger than you?" He pushed Aizen's sword away and kicked his chest. After Aizen slid back, Gotenks straightened his posture.

"You're a too weak to be the god of this utopia you've been dreaming of," Gotenks said. "I doubt any sane person in Universe Six or Seven would choose to live under your rule. You don't care about anybody but yourself. All you care about is your self-centered goal to rule over everything, all for the sake of flexing your ego. Unfortunately, you didn't get so lucky today. All of your ambitions will end along with your life, but try again when you're reincarnated. Actually, scratch that. Your soul's probably getting sent to the deepest pit of Hell."

Aizen chuckled, which prompted the fusion to raise an eyebrow. "It's pitiful, Gotenks. You make all of your insecurities so obvious and easy to read. You use taunts to uphold the facade of confidence, but in reality, you're two scared boys that barely crossed into adolescence. I can feel your pathetic fear in all of your attacks. And allow me to make this very clear to you, in case I haven't already."

Aizen narrowed his eyes and dropped his smile. "I have become a god, and as a god, I must destroy anyone that tries to go against my will. So cherish these last moments of joy, because I will soon introduce you to oblivion."

The fusion pressed his lips together and nodded. In the next moment, he cut the distance and chopped off Aizen's arm. Aizen gasped as blood spurted from his wound. Before he retaliated, Gotenks landed an uppercut on his chin. An onslaught of strikes bombarded Aizen, capped off with a kick into the air.

He chased Aizen into the sky, and before Aizen regained control, Gotenks shot out three yellow rings from his palm. The rings surrounded and trapped him inside a yellow ball. Once gravity carried the ball downward, Gotenks punted it through the ceiling.

Now to test out Instant Transmission. He placed two fingers on his forehead and teleported high above the canopy of the castle. As the ball raced upward, he reached his hand out and fired a blue energy beam into it. The blast carried the ball down through the ceiling and exploded once it hit the ground. Gotenks dropped into Las Noches and kept his aerial view. Dust clouded his visibility.

Phase one of the plan is complete. Now let's see how you respond, motor mouth. It's time to push that Hogyoku to the limit.

An energy beam sped toward his face. Gotenks moved his head out of the way, but suffered a scrape across his cheek. He grinned and gazed at the rising energy signal from below.

Not bad, Sosuke. Not bad at all.

The dust cleared to reveal that Aizen had emerged from his Chrysalis state. Long hair draped down his back, and his pupils turned gray with encompassing purple sclera. His white shirt tore open to reveal his chest. His severed arm reformed from Gotenks' previous attack.

Aizen motioned Gotenks toward him. "Are you ready to continue?"

Gotenks raced down at Aizen to attack. The two clashed across the desert at speeds that even Gohan couldn't follow.

Though Gotenks held the initial advantage, the gaps in power eroded with time. Strikes that he landed in their initial bout were blocked and countered. He found himself matched against an opponent with equal strength that only grew stronger as time passed.

From the sidelines, Gohan summoned his aura to charge into battle.

"Don't even think about it," Gotenks said. "You're only gonna get in my way."

"But you can't do this on your own," Gohan said. "He's getting stronger and you're running out of time."

"Sit back and relax, Gohan. I still have an ace in the hole."

Forced to trust Gotenks' confidence, Gohan powered down and continued to watch the battle.

Far away from Las Noches, the Garganta opened wide, and the group from the Soul Society leaped out from the void. Once Ichigo's foot touched the sand, he stayed in stride toward the castle. The others followed close behind.

Even from a great distance, Ichigo sensed Gotenks and Aizen's power levels and longed to throw himself into the fray. The sand slowed him down and tempted him to soar into the air, but he couldn't leave the group behind. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to them.

"Itsigo!" Ichigo's ears perked. He turned to see Nel, Dondochaka, Pesche, and Bawabawa all greet him from afar. He returned a yell and a wave with a big smile.

While Ichigo lost his focus for a moment, Soi Fon caught up to him. "Are you serious? Not only are you slowing us down, but you're also endangering our lives by shouting and giving away our position. If you're going to lead, then at least stay focused."

Ichigo snapped his head around and picked up his pace. "You're right. Sorry about that."

Five minutes passed before the group arrived near the entrance of Las Noches. However, before they entered the castle, they passed by an enormous crater. Ichigo approached this landmark, but when he ran past at an angle that let him view the bottom, nothing inhabited it but sand. He averted his eyes and focused on what lay ahead.

While Soi Fon kept her attention on their destination, Toshiro voiced his concerns. "Ichigo, Grimmjow isn't in there. We need to discuss a plan in case we're blindsided."

Ichigo kept his head fixed on the entrance to the castle. "It's alright. He won't come after us."

"So he's our ally now? How can you be sure that a member of the Espada is going to betray Aizen?"

"I wouldn't say he's an ally, but I'm almost positive that we all share the same goal. Besides, Trunks' dad seems to trust him, and he was nice enough to not kill us in Karakura Town. For now, I think it's safe to say he's the least of our worries."

Toshiro withheld his apprehension as the group entered the castle. They made their way through twists and turns to step out into the inner desert of Las Noches. Once everyone arrived, Captain Unohana and Isane erected a Kido barrier to mask their visibility. Though the barrier alleviated some of the pressure from Gotenks and Aizen, their overbearing power thickened the air and made it difficult to breathe.

Rukia trembled at their might. "This spiritual pressure… It's otherworldly."

Renji stood next to her, mouth agape with incredulity. "I never expected to feel something like this in my life. It doesn't even seem real."

"Their speed is incredible," Shuhei said. "Every time I try to spot them, they've already changed places several times."

Though Soi Fon tracked the battle better than others, she grew frustrated at her inability to see anything but flashes of light. Her fists tightened while her eyes bounced in all directions.

While Ichigo kept his gaze glued on the fight, Toshiro stepped next to him. "Are you able to see what's going on?"

"Just barely," Ichigo said. "I can follow them for a little while, but then I end up losing them. What about you?"

"About the same; probably less than you. But can you sense that?"

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah. Aizen's getting stronger."

"So what do we do? Are we just going to stand here?"

"For now. You've probably sensed that Goten's brother hasn't jumped in yet, either, so Gotenks is being stubborn, or he's still got something planned. Let's wait and see what he'll do before we act."

Fists and Zanpakuto collided throughout the air. However, Aizen's increased speed kept Gotenks at bay.

"What's the matter?" Aizen asked. "Nothing to say now? Didn't you plan to make me admit I'm a loser?"

"Just you wait," Gotenks said while he dodged slashes from Kyoka Suigetsu. "My plan's still in motion."

Gotenks slipped past Aizen's sword and struck him in the face. Aizen recovered, then retaliated with a fist to the stomach. After Gotenks doubled over, Aizen fired an energy ball into his face. Gotenks thrust his hands in front of his face, and expanded ball pushed him toward the ground. Though his feet sank into the sand, Gotenks booted the ball back toward his enemy. Aizen teleported behind Gotenks and swung his sword toward his shoulder.

Gotenks snatched Aizen's wrist. "Alright, playtime's over."

Ice encased Aizen's blade and arm. Gotenks turned and smashed a heel into his jaw, creating space between them. A flash of spiritual pressure allowed Aizen to destroy the ice.

"I wanted to see how much stronger you'd get after I kicked your ass for a bit, and you didn't disappoint," Gotenks said. "Now it's time to start phase three, albeit with a slight adjustment. I'm done hearing you spew your bullshit, so I'll kill you instead of waiting for you to admit defeat."

Aizen grinned. "There seems to be one issue that you've overlooked. You've wasted too much time, and now you don't have the power to stand against me."

Gotenks widened his stance. "It's funny how fusion works. This merged body allows me to do plenty of things that I can't do separately. Sit back and watch while I show you how doomed you were from the start."

Sand dispersed once Gotenks summoned his aura. Electricity accompanied expanded muscles. Veins protruded from his head and neck. With a loud shout, Gotenks' body enveloped itself in light and sent a shock wave throughout the castle, forcing everyone inside to brace themselves.

Once Aizen uncovered his face, his eyes shot open. Long, golden hair flowed down Gotenks' back while the hair on his eyebrows disappeared. The thick, blue aura of God Ki continued to wrap itself around his body as electricity sparked close from his being.

Everyone inside Las Noches marveled at his power. Even Gotenks couldn't believe it.

That worked? Holy shit, that worked. Hehe, I'll call this one Pseudo Blue 3.

With his full might on display, Gotenks plotted his last assault. He needed to end the fight soon, but he also had to keep his attacks contained. One misfire could kill his allies or it could destroy the soul container. Still, he to make sure Aizen and the Hogyoku wouldn't regenerate.

Gotenks strolled forward with a glare. "What's wrong, Sosuke? The way you've been talking, you seemed as if you were above something like fear, but I guess that's not true at all. Now I've uncovered what you're really afraid of: inferiority."

"Fool!" Aizen said. "A child can't stop me. This world is mine to rule."

"I don't have much time left, so if you don't mind, I'm gonna cut our dialogue short."

Before Aizen responded, Gotenks closed the distance and kicked Aizen into the air. He chased his enemy and bounced him around the battlefield with unguardable strikes that concluded with an overhead fist. Aizen crashed into the sand but sprung to his feet. Gotenks soared down from above, Aizen hurled a volley of energy blasts to slow him down.

The fusion dodged every blast and flew past Aizen. Aizen swiveled, but the elongated chain of Tensa Hyoringetsu wrapped itself around his throat. Gotenks rotated in place to him lift and spin him around. After he gained enough force, Gotenks launched Aizen across the sand and fired three Galactic Donuts. The rings surrounded Aizen and bound his movements. Gotenks stretched his hands out and charged two blue energy balls in each palm.

"Final…" He slammed his palms together and brought them to his hips. The energy balls merged and expanded. Yellow electricity danced around the sphere.

"Kamehameha!" A massive beam of energy fired toward Aizen, who struggled to break free from the rings. In desperation, he released all of his strength and shattered the Galactic Donuts. Aizen shot his hand out to counter the blast, but Gotenks appeared behind him with his Bankai raised above his head.

"Ryusenka!" He carved his ice-coated blade into his Aizen's back and froze his body. Gotenks inverted his grip on Tensa Hyoringetsu's hilt and forced his remaining energy into the blade. He bared his teeth against an outward surge of black and red energy.

"Burn in Hell!" Once the previous energy wave drew close, Gotenks heaved his blade upward at Aizen's body.

"Getsuga, Tensho!"

The energy from his sword collided with the Final Kamehameha to burst into an enormous mass of fire. Gotenks vanished into the blast as intense waves of heat and vicious winds spread throughout the desert. Unable to hold his ground, Gohan, along with Goku and Vegeta, were hurled away. Even with Danku and Santen Kesshun to defend themselves from the explosion, the group near the entrance still found it difficult to hold their position.

The remnants of the blast flowed in the shape of a mushroom up to the ceiling. Gohan pushed himself from a thin layer of sand, then pulled Goku and Vegeta out by their wrists. He set them down, then lifted his eyes to the air. A silhouette came into view behind the cloud of smoke. Once he sensed who it was, he beamed with joy.

Above the sand, Gotenks exhaled into his base form. "That concludes my lesson on how to save the world in style. And now, the Harbinger of Death, Gotenks, can take his leave."

His body glowed, then separated back into Trunks and Goten. The duo withdrew their Zanpakutos, and the smoke cleared to reveal a giant pit in the sand.

"Woah, check out that bad boy!" Goten said. "I can't even see the bottom of that thing."

Trunks stared downward with him, hesitant to share in his excitement. "Are you sure we got him?"

"Of course we did! I bet the Soul King's sending him down under as we speak."

"Yeah… the Soul King. About that-"

"That was amazing, you guys!" Gohan yelled from afar. "When did you learn to use Super Saiyan 3 with your god Ki?"

"Um, just now," Goten said. "We kinda got lucky there."

"Either way, that last attack was the greatest thing I've ever seen. And Goten, you didn't tell me you learned Instant Transmission on your own."

Goten chuckled and threw a hand behind his head. "It's still a work in progress, but I'm just glad it got the job done." He turned toward Trunks and stuck his fist out. "Couldn't have got the W without you."

Trunks gave in and bumped his fist. "Thanks. If it wasn't for you, I would've been minced meat by now."

Goten set his sights on the tower in front of them. "How about we get those souls back now? Then we can go find where the others are. After what we just did, I bet you a certain someone is dying for you to make your grandiose declaration of love."

With crossed arms, Trunks stuck his nose in the air. "Hmph. And I'm sure Yoruichi won't be able to get her hands off of you once I tell her how valiantly you fought."

Goten's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"

"I knew it!" Trunks belted out in laughter. "I knew you were into her. Every time you come to Kisuke's, you can't take your eyes off her."

"I uh- just- I…" Trunks cackled as Goten shoved him away. "Shut up!"

Distant from the two Saiyans, the group of Soul Reapers all stared at the silent battlefield in awe and disbelief.

"It's… it's over?" Toshiro asked. After two and a half years of waiting to see Aizen die, he found it hard to believe that the moment had come.

"I can't sense his presence at all," Ichigo said. A smile crept over his face. "I'll go check things out just to be sure."

"Ichigo!" Shinji called. Ichigo stopped and turned toward him. "Don't go anywhere just yet. Let's wait a few minutes before we move."

Ichigo crossed his arms, but relented to Shinji's request. Though Gotenks hit Aizen with everything he had, their enemy had an uncanny ability to survive fatal attacks. If Gotenks defeated Aizen for good, then waiting a few moments to celebrate wouldn't hurt.

Inescapable bloodlust sucked the air from their lungs. Cold shivers ran down their spines to accompany unparalleled terror.

Before Goten and Trunks lowered their eyes to the pressure below; before Gohan could move his lips to alert them, purple energy bubbled from the crater and detonated. The duo guarded against the blast, but they both gazed down with wide eyes and quivered jaws. A figure rose from the hole and landed on the sand. Sosuke Aizen bore eyes of fury at the speechless half-Saiyans.

Suppressed feelings of humiliation and frustration rushed forth. Aizen let out a scream that echoed throughout Las Noches. A pillar of energy erupted from this body and shot through the roof. Trunks and Goten fell back several meters before they reestablished their bearings. Everyone in the castle shielded themselves from the overwhelming force of Aizen's energy.

The beam of light faded, and Aizen emerged in his butterfly form. His monstrous power forced everyone and everything in Hueco Mundo to tremble in fear. His energy far surpassed Gotenks', rendering an already impossible fusion useless.

Aizen fixed his eyes upward at Goten. Unable to fathom the abyss of energy his foe harbored, Goten fell victim to intimidation. Meanwhile, Aizen raised his pointer and middle finger above his head.

From several meters away, Trunks snapped to attention and raced toward his friend. Gohan couldn't react in time to reach his brother.

They both shouted out to him. "Move!"

Goten's eyes lit up, but Aizen waved his arm downward and released a slash of energy onto him. A blood-curdling cry pierced the air when the attack reached its target.

Trunks halted as the energy raced past the tip of his nose. Had he reacted even a microsecond sooner, Aizen would have sliced his skull in half. However, Trunks stared in horror. From the shoulder joint down, Goten's left arm vanished. The slash even grazed his thigh, carved into the ground, and scorched the sand it touched.

The attack missed the Soul Reapers, but its length stretched far beyond Las Noches and carried out into the depths of Hueco Mundo. Goten plummeted out of the sky with his shoulder clutched. Once he hit the sand with a groan of agony, Trunks rushed to his side.

Gohan's blood boiled at the sight of his brother's injury. He teleported in front of the two, ready to face Aizen alone. "Damn you! So you used your second wish for immortality."

"Why waste a wish on something that the Hogyoku could easily grant me?" Aizen asked. "My first wish to Shenron was to grant me a device with the capability of absorbing the number of souls I needed to create the Oken. I considered immortality for my second wish, but I used it for something more practical. Why don't you witness it for yourself, Gohan?"

Gohan stayed alert while Aizen pointed his sword at him. However, when a hundred clones of Aizen surrounded him, he gasped.

The clones smiled and spoke in unison. "I wished for Kyoka Suigetsu's powers to be enhanced. With this power, I can make you experience anything that I desire."

Aizen snapped his fingers and made the clones disappear. However, a host of clouds filled the sky and blocked the sun's rays. Raindrops sprinkled on his body, then poured down all around him.

"Your future lies behind you," a voice said from above. He turned his head and gasped at what he found. Trunks and Goten laid lifeless and bloodied in the rain. Their organs spilled out of their bodies. Aizen desecrated their faces beyond recognition. Though the morbid scene damaged his composure, he tried to reassure himself that it was all an illusion.

He spun back around and almost collapsed to his knees at what laid before him: the decapitated heads of his mother, his wife, and his daughter. The sound of laughter echoed in the surrounding space. Gohan screamed and powered up to his limit. Before he locked onto Aizen's energy, however, Aizen broke the illusion and kicked him in the ribs, causing him to tumble into the sand.

Trunks and Goten leaped to their feet to attack, but Aizen sent Goten away with a punch to the face, then chopped Trunks on the nape of his neck. Trunks fell to his hands and knees, but Aizen met him with a ruthless kick to his midsection. He grasped his abdomen while Aizen stood over him.

"Do you remember when I said you threw away your chance to kill me?" Aizen asked. "I wasn't being hyperbolic. I obtained immortality once the Hogyoku awakened during our fight. If you waited for your friends to join, you might not be in this position right now. The only person you have to blame for your failure is yourself."

From an outstretched hand, Aizen charged energy into his palm. Paralyzed with terror, Trunks stayed in place while the ball grew in Aizen's hand. When Aizen prepared to fire, a fuchsia-colored energy beam hurled down from the sky. Aizen withdrew his attack and dashed away.

With his knees in the sand, Trunks remained puzzled. A Galick Gun? Is that-

The person glided down in front of Trunks and kept their attention on their foe. "Grimmjow?"

Transformed into his Segunda Etapa form, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez fixed his focus on Aizen. "Get off your ass before I kill you myself. And wipe that stupid look off your face while you're at it."

Trunks jumped up and summoned his sword to his back, while Aizen turned his attention to his former subordinate. "So, Vegeta couldn't bring himself to finish you. And now you came to betray your leader. As an Espada, I expected you to know better."

"You know you've had this coming for a long time, you piece of shit. And don't you dare call me an Espada anymore. I refuse to be associated with anything that has to do with you."

"After all the things I've done for you, this is how you choose to repay me?"

"All the things you've done?!" Grimmjow bared his teeth. "You killed me and turned me into a Hollow for one of your experiments. Then you suppressed my memories and made me roam the desert for decades. And then you used me to betray our race on Sadala. The only thing I'm gonna repay you with is my claws deep inside your throat."

From behind, Goten stepped next to Trunks and tried to catch his throat. Trunks spun and tried to help him. "Are you okay? You don't have to face him if you're not ready."

Though Goten winced in pain, he drew his sword. "I'm fine, but all I can think about is beating his smug face in, even if it's the last thing I do."

Gohan teleported behind Aizen with a hand clutched at his side. However, he leaned forward into his fighting stance. The four of them released their full power, but Aizen stood unamused at their combined strength.

"At first, I had to deal with the barbaric nature and foolishness of the Saiyans," Aizen said. "Afterward, I forced myself to endure the complacency and corruption of the Soul Society. Now, I must stand all of your obstinate attempts to protect this disgusting world. I will make an example out of each one of you to ensure that no being dares to defy me again. Any pleas for mercy shall fall on deaf ears. I will violently torment you all, just as ignorance has tormented me for centuries."

Goten, Gohan, and Grimmjow fixated on the attack, but Trunks' anxiety took hold of his thoughts. He sensed that Goku and his father were still unconscious, and the Saiyans stood no chance against their foe. There would be no benefit to add Ichigo and Toshiro into the mix. Combat would only stall the inevitable.

Ichigo, Soi Fon, everybody… This is all my fault. It's too late for any of us to stop him.

We're all gonna die here.

A/N: A few (million) things to share this week:

I haven't addressed this before, but… let's talk about power scaling. I'm going to add a note in my first chapter, but I'll also say a little something here, too. It goes without saying that DBZ, let alone DBS, dwarfs Bleach in terms of power. If you've read up to this point, you've probably already seen that I'm not interested in nerfing the Dragon Ball Universe. More so, I buffed Bleach to bring them somewhat to Dragon Ball's level and used things like the Hogyoku to make Aizen and the Espada legitimate threats. Even still, Fullbring Bankai Ichigo in Chapter 5 only scales to SSJ2 Trunks.

Why did I do this? Well, I thought it would make the story a bit more interesting, and I still wanted characters like Yamamoto to be respected for their power. Other than him and few others, the Saiyans still overpower most of the Bleach Universe.

Sorry if I just ranted… my bad. Honestly, I've only had this issue brought to my attention one time months ago, but I see plenty of people discussing it when talking about crossovers in general, and it kinda fed into my insecurities about this fic as well. Just thought I'd say something just in case I get future comments about this issue.

Anyway…

Happy Friday and Happy Juneteenth!

100,000 words in a year! WOOOOO!

Changed "Getsuga Tenshou" to "Getsuga Tensho". Just a minor thing I thought I'd note.

This chapter ended longer and a bit darker than I initially anticipated, but I think it truly sets the tone for what's to come. In my personal opinion, the next chapter is going to be intense. Definitively, Chapter 23 will be titled "Divine", named after yet another Korn song.

Shoutout to "phuxeds" on FFN. They left a comment on Chapter 10 asking if Grimmjow died. Initially, I told them no, but after much thought, it wouldn't make sense if he was alive and an Arrancar. So, thank you for your comment. Much later down the line, I'll probably elaborate on Aizen more.

As always, thank you for reading! I always appreciate anyone who takes the time to read what I write, and I always welcome engagement. Talk to me, yall! If you feel inclined, let me know what you liked or didn't like. Anyway, have a great day, and I'll see you in the next chapter.