In the boundless desert, the landscape was a complete mess as far as the eye could see.
Severed limbs and massive pools of crimson blood painted a tragic picture of hell.
Grimmjow adjusted his condition and charged back into the battlefield directly in his Resurrección state, attempting to display the true demeanor of the Panther King once more.
However, the moment his Reiatsu erupted, a pristine white figure suddenly intruded into his line of sight. A pure white blade was raised high, slashing down with the speed of lightning.
A terrifying, immense force, accompanied by a suffocating wind pressure, poured entirely into the Panther King's body. The impact sent him flying into the air instantly, triggering a deafening sonic boom amidst the sandstorm.
In midair, Grimmjow's vision went black, and he uncontrollably vomited large mouthfuls of blood.
His slender, streamlined body was tossed about like a ragdoll by the fierce winds. In an instant, he was covered in wounds, his blood splattering in all directions.
Such an exaggerated display of combat prowess left Urahara Kisuke, who had been commanding the battle, utterly dumbfounded.
He had known for a long time that Aizen was strong.
But he never expected him to be strong to such an absurd degree.
Although Hollowfication would enhance a Soul Reaper's strength to a certain extent, it still depended on the Soul Reaper's own foundation.
The reason Aizen was so terrifying largely depended on himself.
He was supposed to be just a scientist.
The heavy curtain of rain swept up silver-white sand, swirling wildly in the gale.
"Lilynette, three hundred meters to the back right, Gran Rey Cero!"
Urahara Kisuke remained expressionless, focusing all his attention entirely on Aizen.
Without any hesitation, the moment she heard his voice, Lilynette flicked a trail of blood with a backhand motion, pouring all her Reiatsu into her dual pistols.
The Gran Rey Cero erupted, transforming into an azure canopy that covered an area of several kilometers to the back right.
Boom!
The area swallowed by the Gran Rey Cero erupted with a muffled roar, like the violent beating of heavenly drums.
Immediately after, the silver-white desert trembled violently. Countless grains of silver sand soared into the sky, vibrating restlessly in the air.
When the wave of dust dissipated, a transparent barrier spanning over a thousand meters stood tall in front of them.
Like an indestructible fortress wall, it completely blocked the incoming Cero beam.
Naraku Sora's eye twitched.
Using Black Coffin for attacks and Dankū for defense.
*So this guy only likes Kidō that are perfect for showing off. He really etched being stylish into his very instincts, hasn't he?*
Aizen's Hollowfication was different from previous Hollowfication experiments in every aspect.
Aside from being able to cast Kidō purely on instinct, even his appearance differed from other Hollowfied Soul Reapers.
Normally, during a Hollowfication experiment, a Soul Reaper would become more beast-like, growing white bone armor over their body and donning a hideous, demon-like mask. Some even grew tails.
But Aizen was different.
His appearance reminded Naraku Sora of the second stage of Aizen's fusion with the Hōgyoku from the original timeline.
But if he had to be specific, there were subtle differences.
For example, his overall form looked much more streamlined. The mask was just a mask; it didn't completely envelop his hair.
Ultimately, this was just Hollowfication, not a necessary stage in his evolutionary process.
Watching Aizen constantly flickering amidst the intertwining pillars of light, Naraku Sora seriously doubted that the man had lost his sanity at all.
Seeing that the Gran Rey Cero had no effect, Lilynette gritted her teeth, preparing to go all out and use [Infinite Reload Gran Rey Cero] to suppress Aizen.
However, this move required a brief charging period, and she wasn't sure if the others still had the strength to fight.
Just as she was thinking this, Ulquiorra Cifer, whose wings had been forcefully torn off, finally recovered and arrived to provide timely support.
A Lanza del Relámpago, crackling with arcs of electricity, shot forth and accurately struck Aizen's back.
The powerful impact instantly engulfed the pristine white figure.
"Now's your chance, Lilynette!"
Urahara Kisuke joined the battlefield at the perfect moment. Without any hesitation, he immediately activated his Bankai, forcefully stitching together the fallen, defeated soldiers.
His ability wasn't very suited for launching main attacks against an opponent of this caliber.
But in terms of support capabilities, he absolutely didn't lose to any Soul Reaper from Squad 4.
Figures that should have fallen stood back up one after another. Even Komamura Sajin let out a terrifying roar, activating his Bankai once more as his crimson Reiatsu surged and burned like fire.
At the same time, Lilynette unleashed a torrent of Ceros that felt like the descent of the apocalypse, directly distorting the night sky of Hueco Mundo and completely eclipsing the moonlight.
The sky instantly turned a pale blue, resembling an inverted ocean.
The others also unleashed their strongest techniques, attempting to completely end this battle of vastly disparate strengths.
However, just as the attacks closed in.
Aizen actually lowered the Reishi longsword in his hand, looking as if he had completely given up resisting.
Naraku Sora frowned, a bad premonition rising in his heart.
Before he could make a move, the heavy sound of grinding metal echoed amidst the wildly surging torrent of Reiatsu.
"Seeping crest of turbidity. Arrogant vessel of lunacy! Boil forth and deny! Grow numb and flicker! Disrupt sleep! Crawling queen of iron! Eternally self-destructing mud doll! Unite! Repulse! Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness!"
Golden pupils looked up, flashing with a suppressed excitement.
He had completely abandoned all defense, using himself as the price to unleash a full incantation.
Aizen pointed a single finger at the sky.
"Hadō #90: Black Coffin!"
A mighty black torrent rose from the desert over a radius of dozens of kilometers, sweeping even the distant Naraku Sora and Urahara Kisuke into it.
Like a bursting dam, it poured out, instantly covering everything in sight.
"Wait, why am I also included in..."
Urahara Kisuke turned pale with fright, attempting to manipulate Kannonbiraki Benihime Aratame to dig a tunnel for himself.
However, before he could put his idea into action, the terrifying torrent of gravity crashed down upon him, making his vision go black.
By the time he could see the night sky of Hueco Mundo again, the battlefield was littered with bodies.
Most were severely injured and had completely lost their combat capabilities.
Even Urahara Kisuke and Kurotsuchi Mayuri were covered in wounds, looking incredibly miserable.
The only one left completely uninjured was Naraku Sora.
It wasn't that Aizen had recognized his identity and shown mercy, but rather that his thick outer skin simply couldn't be breached by a wide-range Black Coffin.
If it had been a single-target Black Coffin, it might have been possible to break through Naraku Sora's Hierro defense.
After dealing with the others, those golden pupils instantly locked onto the only person still standing in his line of sight.
In the next second, the pristine white figure wearing the bone mask appeared in front of Naraku Sora.
The golden, slit-like pupils stared intently at the man before him, surprisingly not launching an attack right away.
Just as Kurotsuchi Mayuri thought that the friendship between the two had influenced the Hollowfied Aizen, a punch was thrown without warning, detonating a white shockwave in the air.
An unreserved Single Bone.
Boom!
The two fists collided, and the shockwaves shot into the sky.
Seeing this scene, Urahara Kisuke, who was lying on the ground, looked stunned.
*Why didn't he use Kidō or Zanjutsu when fighting Naraku Sora, but instead chose to clash fists?*
*And looking at this, it seems both of them are using Head Captain Yamamoto's Single Bone.*
*Could it be that even in a Hollowfied state, Aizen is unable to resist Naraku Sora's intelligence-lowering aura?*
Looking at the golden, slit-like pupils before him, the corners of Naraku Sora's mouth curled up.
"Sōsuke, the same trick won't work on me!"
As his words fell, he closed the distance, charging into Aizen's attack range. Then, lowering his stance slightly, he directly unleashed an unreserved Iron Mountain Lean.
A suffocating power erupted instantly, sending the pristine white figure flying away.
Naraku Sora stretched his arms. Flames of Reiatsu flared up, and his body emitted the terrifying sound of a bowstring being pulled taut as magma-like patterns surfaced on his muscular physique.
Scorching heat permeated the air wildly.
In the next instant, thunder roared.
Accompanied by a sweeping shockwave, Naraku Sora vanished from his spot, leaving behind only a straight streak of lightning that lashed the silver sand and carved a pitch-black scorch mark.
A boundless mirror world.
The calm surface of the mirror reflected colorful scenes, as if the outside world had been sealed within the glass.
Aizen stood on the mirror, gazing indifferently at everything before him.
"Are you curious?"
"Curious as to why your ability has no effect on me."
In the distance on the mirror's surface, a woman wearing Arrancar clothing stood in place. Her face revealed her unwillingness to accept defeat as she tightly gripped the Zanpakutō in her hands.
Just a moment ago, the instant Aizen entered his inner world, she had forcefully hypnotized him with the backing of Hollowfied power.
However, the effect was not as good as expected.
Or rather, it had no effect at all.
Kyōka Suigetsu, which was invincible in Aizen's hands, had become completely useless in hers.
"Actually, right when I first mastered Shikai, I pondered a question."
"If someone were to use an ability similar to Kyōka Suigetsu against me, what should I do?"
"Should I let myself be played with in the palm of their hand, or should I surrender and give up resisting?"
Aizen shook his head.
"With my reservoir of knowledge at the time, I couldn't think of a suitable solution right away."
"But after personally experiencing the so-called Complete Hypnosis, I realized that my previous worries were unnecessary."
Kyōka Suigetsu frowned deeply, seemingly unable to understand these words.
Aizen didn't mind this. Spending so much time with a certain someone had caused him to develop an immunity to idiots.
Coupled with his understanding of Naraku Sora, he knew very well that the situation outside was completely under control.
Therefore, he had plenty of patience to explain it to her.
Treating this so-called Hollowfication as a training session wasn't a bad idea either.
"Actually, Kyōka Suigetsu's Complete Hypnosis isn't as strong as you imagine, or rather, I should say—"
"It's very weak."
Aizen said with a calm expression, "Without the corresponding reservoir of knowledge and microscopic control over details, the so-called Complete Hypnosis is full of flaws in the eyes of others."
"In this regard, you still have a long way to go."
"The game ends here, Kyōka Suigetsu."
Looking at that face without a single ripple of emotion, a sense of powerlessness rose in Kyōka Suigetsu's heart.
Fighting against such a monster, she truly couldn't see even the slightest hope of victory.
But fortunately, she still had one last trump card.
Just as Aizen prepared to end this Hollowfication experiment, the world before his eyes suddenly changed.