Chapter 854: [854] : Holding Back an Ocean

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Aizen glanced at the captains charging him and unleashed the power of Kyoka Suigetsu. In an instant, they all turned their attacks on Old Man Yamamoto.

In their eyes, the Captain-Commander had become Aizen. The complete hypnosis was, for all intents and purposes, unbeatable. It could make you see a speck of dust as a dragon, or a cliff as flat ground.

No matter how many enemies he faced, with the power of Kyoka Suigetsu, Aizen could handle them with ease.

Of course, Kyoka Suigetsu was useless against Shin, so Aizen attacked Shin directly. Since Shin had already shown his intention to fight, Aizen decided to strike first.

The blade slashed towards Shin, but before it could land, it was blocked by Shin’s Hyōrinmaru. Then, in an instant, Aizen and Kyoka Suigetsu were frozen solid.

The chilling air made everyone keep their distance from Shin. Even Aizen, after being frozen, had to expend considerable effort to break free.

"Aizen, you’re still too green."

Shin said to Aizen.

He didn’t mind taking a shot at Aizen’s pride. Of course, he wasn’t attacking Aizen because he was annoyed by his posturing. He was doing it to motivate him.

Only by giving Aizen enough pressure would he be driven to improve his strength as quickly as possible. And Aizen’s method for improving his strength was the Hōgyoku.

Only the Hōgyoku could allow Aizen to get stronger the fastest. Shin’s job was to push Aizen to create the Hōgyoku as soon as possible.

"Is that so, Captain Shin? You shouldn’t underestimate me either." Aizen’s face was cold, devoid of any smile or emotion.

This was the real Aizen, with his true personality—cold and ruthless.

"Underestimate you? No, you’re mistaken. I have never underestimated you."

Would Shin underestimate Aizen? Of course not. Aizen was admirable in some aspects. Honestly, there weren’t many who could compare to Aizen.

Urahara Kisuke might be his equal in intellect, but only in intellect. In other areas, he was probably far inferior to Aizen.

For one, he wasn’t ruthless enough, and his ambition wasn’t as great. Of course, perhaps Urahara Kisuke simply didn’t have the same aspirations as Aizen.

"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 doll of mud. Unite. Repulse. Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness—Hadō #90. Kurohitsugi!"

After taking a few steps back, Aizen used Kurohitsugi. This time, he was facing Shin, so he used the full incantation.

The non-incantation version had been able to take down Komamura Sajin in one hit, and that was only at one-third of its power.

"<Hyōchū Tōrō!>"

The moment the black coffin appeared, it was shattered by Shin. Countless ice projectiles, like a flock of birds, swarmed towards Aizen.

"He shattered my Kurohitsugi in an instant." Aizen hadn’t expected his full-incantation Kurohitsugi to be shattered so easily.

Even though he knew he was no match for Shin, at this moment, Aizen still felt a sense of powerlessness.

"You’re the first person to make me feel powerless."

Aizen said.

Even against the explosive combat power of the Captain-Commander, Aizen hadn’t felt much fear, because he knew he could handle it.

But when facing Shin, Aizen suddenly felt powerless.

Kyoka Suigetsu was his greatest trump card, but it was useless against Shin.

As for Kidō, Zanjutsu, Hakuda, and Hohō—the four basic skills of a Shinigami—he was no match for Shin in any of them.

If he could surpass Shin in one area, Aizen wouldn’t feel so powerless.

At least he would feel he could still handle it. But the most terrifying thing was being completely outmatched by Shin in every aspect.

"Hearing you say that, should I feel honored?"

Shin said with a smile.

In fact, in Shin’s eyes, Aizen was just a little monkey that could be killed at will.

"You don’t seem to have any intention of killing me."

Aizen could feel that Shin was holding back. He was going easy on him. No, to be precise, he was holding back an entire ocean.

If he hadn’t, Aizen would have been dealt with long ago.

"That’s right. I have no intention of killing you right now. So you should leave while you can, before I suddenly change my mind," Shin reminded Aizen.

If Shin changed his mind, Aizen would surely die.

Of course, even for the sake of the Hōgyoku, Shin wouldn’t change his mind. Right now, Shin was afraid of accidentally using too much force and killing Aizen.

To quote Aizen’s own philosophy, the strength needed to step on an ant without crushing it is difficult to control. Shin didn’t know how much force Aizen could withstand.

"Looks like I’ll have to retreat early."

Aizen looked at Shin, who had suddenly reined in his attack. Though he didn’t know what Shin was planning, this was indeed his chance. If he didn’t seize it, he might really be left here.

He hadn’t completed his plan yet; he didn’t want to die here. He gave Shin a deep look, memorizing his face. Aizen didn’t say any harsh words.

Saying harsh words at this moment would be pointless. Aizen wouldn’t be so classless as to do that.

"Gin, Tōsen, it’s time for us to leave," Aizen said to Ichimaru Gin and Tōsen Kaname.

Just then, the Garganta—a spatial rift used by Hollows—opened, and a beam of light from the Menos Grande enveloped the three of them. This was a technique used by the Menos Grande to rescue their comrades.

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At the same time, the effect of Aizen’s Kyoka Suigetsu also ended. He had actively dispelled it. Kyoraku Shunsui and the others stared at the heavily injured Old Man Yamamoto, their eyes wide with shock.

Yamamoto’s expression was grim. In his eyes, Aizen had used a clone technique to attack him, but in a blink of an eye, it had suddenly turned into the captains of the various divisions.

It was clear he had been tricked by Aizen. Was it the power of Aizen’s Zanpakutō? Before, Aizen had said his Zanpakutō was a water-type.

Now, Yamamoto no longer believed it. He had a rough idea of the power of Aizen’s Zanpakutō.

Aizen, at this moment, didn’t introduce the ability of his Zanpakutō. He looked at everyone in the Gotei 13. At this moment, inside the Negación, Aizen was practically invincible.

Because he was now in another dimension, even if Yamamoto attacked, he couldn’t hit him. Unless Shin acted. At this point, Aizen was completely safe.

Because Shin still needed Aizen to help him create the Hōgyoku, he wouldn’t attack him.

"Everyone, the next time we meet will be when we start the war," Aizen said to the captains.

Aizen also knew that a battle between them was inevitable. This was unavoidable. But this battle would have to wait. Now that he hadn’t yet researched the complete Hōgyoku, Aizen wouldn’t fight.

"That guy Gin... is he really siding with Aizen?" Matsumoto Rangiku looked at Ichimaru Gin, her eyes filled with disappointment.

"Aizen, you brat." Veins popped on Yamamoto’s forehead, but he couldn’t do anything to the current Aizen.

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