Chapter 309: Aizen: That's It?
Hearing Aizen's words, Satoru instantly became wide awake.
When he underwent Hollowfication before, Aizen had recorded a video.
Although the camera was shattered halfway through by Reiatsu shockwaves, just the beginning portion showed how spectacular the battle was.
In his Hollowfied state, he displayed power far more terrifying than usual.
After all, during normal sparring sessions with acquaintances, he'd always subconsciously hold back, never fighting with lethal intent.
But Hollowfication was different—it didn't matter if you were male or female, familiar or stranger. You'd just be... ahem, just a piece of meat before Hollowfication.
Even a man as deep-thinking and self-restrained as Aizen would be no exception.
"Kehehehe..."
Satoru grinned, emitting a righteous laugh.
"Finally, I'll get to see Sōsuke fighting like a beast at full power."
"I've been waiting for this day for so long!"
"Come on, show me how magnificent Sōsuke looks when dominated by instinct!!"
Aizen: "..."
Watching the excited fool, he suddenly felt some regret and wasn't so keen on conducting this experiment anymore.
...
...
Under the night sky, the silver sea of sand.
All of Hueco Mundo's top combatants had gathered here.
Last time, when Satoru underwent Hollowfication, he chose the dome of Las Noches as the venue.
The aftermath of the battle directly destroyed half of Las Noches, which still hasn't been fully repaired to this day.
This time, Aizen wisely chose a location far from Las Noches for his Hollowfication.
Here, even if all hell broke loose, it would at most just stir up more sand.
Watching Aizen standing in the center, Starkk swallowed hard.
Last time when Satoru went berserk, they all nearly got wiped out even when fighting together.
What scene would Aizen's Hollowfication bring this time?
He looked around.
Apart from Satoru who looked delighted, everyone else was serious and tense.
Compared to last time, their biggest advantage now was probably being more mentally prepared.
Remembering the devastation of the previous battle, no one dared to let their guard down.
This suppression battle centered around Aizen would likely be an unprecedented great war in Hueco Mundo!
Under everyone's gaze, Satoru took a glass sphere from his pocket and approached Aizen.
Aizen slightly frowned: "Be careful, this is..."
"Hey, it's just a stone with some abilities."
Satoru waved his hand, interrupting Aizen.
"?" Aizen's face darkened, about to educate the clueless fool on the spot.
But before he could speak, he saw Satoru reach out and press the Hōgyoku against his forehead.
"O Hōgyoku! Show me your true power! Make this guy before me learn Hollowfication!!"
"Satoru, I..."
Aizen was so angry he wanted to curse.
But halfway through his sentence, a powerful energy surge flowed from the Hōgyoku into his body.
Under the impact, he lost consciousness.
Seeing Aizen's upper body go limp like a puppet with its strings cut, Satoru nodded with satisfaction.
Based on video experience, this was exactly how the first step of Hollowfication should manifest.
He casually tossed the Hōgyoku away into the distance.
Kisuke Urahara, who had been waiting there all along, quickly reached out to catch it.
Upon receiving the Hōgyoku, Urahara wiped away a cold sweat.
Across all Three Realms, Satoru was probably the only one who would casually use the Hōgyoku and then toss it aside like that.
This was the damn Hōgyoku... Even its most basic ability could mass-produce the strongest army.
What other powers it might unleash later remained unknown, but they certainly wouldn't be weak.
Such a divine object—any normal person would enshrine it, only bringing it out for the most critical moments. Who would treat it so carelessly?
"Everyone! Prepare yourselves!"
Tier Harribel called out loudly.
The Arrancars drew their Zanpakutō one after another, ready for battle.
The next moment, under everyone's watchful eyes, Aizen lifted his head.
A deathly white mask covered his face.
"ROAR!!!"
Aizen opened his mask's mouth, filled with white teeth, and let out a soul-shaking roar.
It's coming!
Nelliel's gaze sharpened.
Seeing the Hollowfied Aizen turn his gaze toward her, she knew she had been chosen as the first target.
She tightened her grip on her Zanpakutō and opened her mouth to begin her Resurrección.
But before anyone could act, a figure was seen charging toward Aizen.
Satoru leaped into the air, twisting his waist and retracting his fist—
Triple · One Bone!!!
BOOM!!!!
Before Hollowfied Aizen could even strike, Satoru's fist slammed into his chest, sending him flying backward like a colossal wave erupting across the sea. He tore through the desert, kicking up a massive sandstorm in his wake!
With a loud laugh, Satoru chased after Aizen's trajectory.
Nelliel: "..."
She had been ready to release her Resurrección, but now she stood frozen in place.
In the blink of an eye, Satoru and Aizen had vanished beyond the horizon.
What should they do now?
Tier Harribel quickly urged, "Follow them!"
Gripping her Zanpakutō, she took the lead, rushing in the direction the two had flown.
After sprinting across the desert at top speed, the group finally caught up with them.
They saw Aizen standing in a massive sand crater, roaring in fury as he swung his Zanpakutō wildly.
Before him, Satoru flickered back and forth, occasionally finding an opening to slip past the sword's defenses and land a heavy blow.
The residual energy from their clash caused the sandpit to sink deeper and deeper, with the surrounding quicksand unable to fill it in time.
"ROAR!!!"
Aizen swung his Zanpakutō in a horizontal slash.
The speed was so immense it became invisible to the naked eye.
All the Arrancars could see was the chilling gleam left in the blade's wake.
But before the strike landed, Satoru had already dissolved into scattered particles of light, vanishing into the air.
Aizen's slash hit nothing.
On his other side, Satoru reappeared, delivering a whip kick to Aizen's head and sending him flying once again, skipping across the desert like a stone on water.
Smack!
Aizen, "skipping" across the sandy sea, struggled to regain his balance.
But before he could recover, Satoru—wearing a ferocious grin—glided low across the ground, closing in on him.
Under the stunned gaze of Hollowfied Aizen, Satoru pulled his arms back like a fully drawn bow.
"Triple · Two Bone!!!"
BOOM!!!!
Aizen, surrounded by an explosive ring of white shockwaves, crashed once more into the sandy sea.
In the distance, Starkk watched the scene, utterly dumbfounded.
"That powerful Lord Aizen… completely helpless?"
"How is this possible… Has Lord Satoru become invincible?"
Kisuke Urahara shook his head.
"In terms of Reiatsu alone, Aizen is actually stronger right now."
"If Lord Satoru weren't here, all of us would likely be wiped out by Aizen in under a minute."
"However… at their level, pure Reiatsu alone can no longer decide the outcome."
Watching their frenzied battle, Urahara sighed with emotion:
"Lord Satoru excels at this kind of fighting—surrendering completely to instinct, battling purely for the thrill of it."
"For him, this kind of passionate, unrestrained brawl maximizes his power."
"As for Lord Aizen… Hah."
He shook his head, both amused and exasperated.
Aizen's approach to combat was either to overwhelm his opponent with sheer Reiatsu, not bothering with intricate tactics, or to constantly strategize mid-fight, devising multiple new plans every second, setting up dozens of steps ahead to steer the battle toward his desired outcome.
The former was utterly useless to Satoru.
The latter was outright banned after Hollowfication and couldn't be used.
Thus, this mindless Hollowfied state was nothing but a power-boosting buff for Satoru.
For Aizen, it was merely a debuff that suppressed his performance.
Thinking this, Kisuke Urahara felt somewhat emotional, but also reassured.
Victory was already decided.
...
...
An endless expanse of calm lake surface.
The sky reflected in the lake water, making it impossible to tell whether one was standing on the lake with the sky above, or standing on the sky with the lake above.
For someone who loved beautiful scenery, simply standing here could occupy them for an entire day.
But Aizen was not in such a mood now.
He held his Zanpakutō, looking at the kimono-clad woman not far away.
"Kyōka Suigetsu, you are no match for me."
"Hand over the power of Hollowfication."
The kimono-clad woman held her Zanpakutō, her body covered in wounds large and small, glaring at him with anger in her eyes.
"Sōsuke Aizen… do you look down on me so much?"
Aizen shook his head. "You are my Zanpakutō, one with me from the start. What is there to value or look down upon?"
"As my blade, you should have absolute confidence."
"Or perhaps, unlike me, you are the type who enjoys belittling yourself?"
Kyōka Suigetsu sneered.
"Sōsuke, you probably think that since my Reiatsu is on par with yours, I cannot use illusions on you."
"Unfortunately, you guessed wrong."
"This is the inner world, my domain… Since you barged in without permission, be prepared to pay the price!"
"Is that so."
Aizen showed no reaction, simply waiting to see what his Zanpakutō would do.
Under his gaze, Kyōka Suigetsu's figure suddenly vanished.
Before him appeared a figure.
It was him, bound by black Reiatsu restraint bands like a mummy, with no facial features exposed, sitting on a judgment seat.
All around, furious roars echoed:
"Sōsuke Aizen! Conspiring to rebel, betraying the Seireitei! Sentenced to Muken Prison for ten thousand years!!"
"Confiscate the Hōgyoku! Confiscate all research results! All placed under the jurisdiction of Central 46!"
"Hmph… But, bound by Reiatsu restraint bands like this, he probably can't see or hear anything anymore."
"Take him away! Throw him into Muken!"
"Let him spend ten thousand years alone, unable to see or hear!"
Shinigami rushed forward, dragging him toward the prison.
On the Central 46 judgment bench, someone recited the chronicle of his life.
From killing and collecting experimental materials during the rebel army period, to later controlling Hueco Mundo and expanding his influence…
All these were things he had done.
And now, they had become talking points for Central 46 to mock him after his defeat.
Listening to the judge recite each charge, Aizen merely smiled and shook his head.
"Boring."
"Is this your method to disturb my mind?"
"If so, I must say, as my Zanpakutō, you are truly unqualified."
"First, such an end is one of the possibilities I had long prepared myself for. Even if it truly unfolded before my eyes, it would merely be what I must face after failure—nothing significant to me."
"And second…"
He chuckled softly.
"Though I'm reluctant to admit it, with that guy around, I would never be reduced to a mere prisoner of Central 46."
"Take away this boring illusion quickly. Don't lower your own standing with such things."
As he spoke, the illusion gradually faded into the air.
In its place stood a man wearing the Eleventh Division Captain's Haori, revealing a manic grin.
Satoru pointed his Zanpakutō at him from a distance:
"Sorry, Sōsuke."
"Everything before was just lies to deceive you."
"Friendship, trust—they were merely tools to use you."
"If I hadn't done this, why would you have obediently helped me conquer Hueco Mundo and willingly shared your power with me?"
"As for now... you've served your purpose."
"The heavens don't need two kings. It's time for you to exit the stage!"
Seeing Satoru before him, Aizen sighed helplessly and raised a hand to his forehead.
"If you're trying to use this fool to break through my mental defenses, at least give him lines that only an abnormal person would say."
"This kind of logic that only normal people possess simply doesn't apply to him."
"Not only does this fail to break my mental defenses, it actually makes me feel completely disconnected from the scene..."
As if responding to his request, the Satoru before him disappeared once more.
Aizen found himself somewhat intrigued for once.
He sheathed his sword and, imitating a certain someone's habit, crossed his arms over his chest, waiting to see what other tricks Kyōka Suigetsu could conjure.
Then he saw his own figure emerge again on the distant lake surface.
This version of Aizen held his Zanpakutō, his body covered in tattered wounds everywhere.
His Shinigami Uniform showed signs of being scorched by flames, along with various slashing wounds.
Before him stood two figures.
One was Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
His blade burned with flames, battle intent boiling over, his upper garments removed—clearly in the throes of battle ecstasy.
The other was a bald monk with somewhat blurred features, likely a manifestation Kyōka Suigetsu had casually created based on information Aizen had previously heard from Satoru.
This undoubtedly referred to the leader of the Zero Division, Hyōsube Ichibe'e.
Seeing this scene, Aizen shook his head.
How boring.
Was this meant to make him realize he was no match for Yamamoto and Hyōsube?
Of course, he had known this all along.
Just as he was about to voice his sarcasm, he saw Yamamoto and the monk charging toward "himself."
The overwhelming killing intent left no doubt—they intended to eradicate him completely.
But at that moment, a figure stepped in front of "himself."
Satoru.
That guy revealed a ferocious grin, drew his Zanpakutō, and advanced to meet the two.
Upon seeing that sword, Aizen's expression finally changed.
He took a deep breath.
"Kyōka Suigetsu... you bastard!!"