If not for Holy Banner's protection, engulfing all of Karakura Town in its golden light, half the town would have been swallowed by the Meidō Zangetsuha's spatial rift, dragged into the depths of the underworld.
Hellblade Cong Yunya, had even opened a portal to Hell in the World of the Living. When the Hell Dragon Break is unleashed, everything would turn into the dead.
And the weapons that followed were no weaker than those three.
In fact, their destructive power surpassed even Tessaiga, Bakusaiga, and Cong Yunya
They were torrents of spiritual energy, coalescing into blades of light.
Rebel Against My Beautiful Father!
Fantasy Sword - Demonic Falling Star!
The Wheel of Fortune!
The Reins of the Heroic Spirit!
…
Urahara and the others were witnessing a magnificent spectacle of Bankai.
After seeing so many of Ailin's Mod Soul's Zanpakutō unleashed, they couldn't help but glance at the swords at their own waists.
Especially the Visored captains.
Shinji Hirako was fine. After all, he was quite satisfied with his Zanpakutō's ability.
But Kensei Muguruma, Love Aikawa, and Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi were feeling a bit emo.
Compared to those Zanpakutō, their own were practically trash!
No, maybe not even trash. They were so embarrassed that they hardly dared to call their Bankai "Bankai."
While they had been protected by Holy Banner's golden light, preventing them from fully witnessing the destructive power of those Zanpakutō, the sheer spectacle was enough to tell them that if they were struck by those attacks, they wouldn't stand a chance.
Look at Aizen's Mod Soul. He had practically given up, making no attempt to defend himself, simply allowing those powerful Zanpakutō to attack him.
However, the Zanpakutō's actions seemed more like a cruel game, their attacks were deliberately missing Aizen, using only the shockwaves to inflict damage.
It was as if they had agreed that each of them would get a turn to strike, one after another, until Aizen's Mod Soul was finally destroyed.
"I don't know why, but after seeing this, I don't hate Aizen anymore. In fact, I even feel sorry for him," Lisa Yadōmaru, the former lieutenant of the Eighth Division, remarked.
The other Visored nodded in agreement. But then, Hiyori Sarugaki suddenly froze, her eyes widening in realization. She leaped up, ripped off her sandal, and smacked Shinji Hirako across the face.
"Hey, what are you doing, Hiyori?!"
"Hmph, I should be asking you that, Baldy!"
Hiyori head-butted Shinji, shouting, "Get a grip, Baldy!"
She pointed at Aizen's Mod Soul, who was being pummeled in the sky. "That's not the real Aizen up there. He's just a copy!"
"Instead of thinking about how to improve your strength so we can take revenge on the real Aizen, you're feeling sorry for him? He's that strong, why would he need your pity? It's more likely that he's sitting in the Fifth Division captain's office, feeling sorry for us!"
"Damn it!"
Hiyori's words jolted the other Visored back to reality.
The one who had harmed them, who had driven them to their current predicament, wasn't this pathetic copy being beaten up in the sky, but the original, Sōsuke Aizen, residing in the Fifth Division barracks.
They were feeling sorry for this imitation being pummeled by Captain Ailin, while the real Aizen was probably feeling sorry for them, a bunch of pathetic rats.
Their mindset shifted.
Just because Captain Ailin could effortlessly toy with Aizen's Mod Soul didn't mean they could do the same.
In fact, simply observing Aizen's Mod Soul in action had highlighted the vast chasm between their strength and Aizen's.
Perhaps only Shinji Hirako, with his Zanpakutō's unique ability, might stand a chance against Aizen.
They all looked at Shinji with their hopes resting on his shoulders.
Shinji, seeing their gazes, knew he couldn't afford to joke around anymore. He understood that he had become their pillar of support.
If he admitted that he wasn't confident in defeating Aizen, that he couldn't avenge them, it would shatter their spirits. They might even succumb to their inner Hollows, transforming into true Hollows.
With that in mind, he slapped Hiyori's head, pushing her down, and looked at them seriously.
"Don't worry, everyone. While Aizen is stronger than we imagined, I can still fight him. Once I release my Zanpakutō, Sakanade, before he can adapt to its ability, I'll give him a taste of his own medicine."
Hearing Shinji's words, the Visored breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Shinji's ability was, in their eyes, their only hope of defeating Aizen. And they weren't wrong.
During the battle of Karakura Town, Shinji had released Sakanade. Before Aizen could adapt to its power, Shinji had managed to injure him.
Sadly, the difference in their spiritual pressure was too great. While Shinji's attack had landed, it had only broken Aizen's skin. He hadn't even managed to sever an arm.
Once Aizen had adapted to Sakanade, he had been swiftly defeated.
Urahara and Yoruichi exchanged glances.
To be honest, they didn't hold out much hope for the Visored's revenge. The gap in strength was simply too vast. However, this desire for vengeance was what kept the Visored going.
The Hollow reishi injected into their bodies, the constant fear of being consumed by their inner Hollows, if not for a strong will, a burning desire for revenge, they would have long since succumbed.
Mastering "Hollowfication" had undeniably enhanced their strength. But it had also exposed them to the influence of their inner Hollows.
After all, the Hollows within them were born from the reishi injected by Aizen, not like Ichigo Kurosaki, whose Hollow and Quincy powers were nurtured alongside him.
Ichigo's Hollow and Quincy powers were imbued with his mother, Masaki Kurosaki's love. Therefore, both White and Zangetsu existed to protect him. Their methods, however, were different.
Quincy Zangetsu didn't want Ichigo to gain power and attract the attention of Yhwach, fearing that Ichigo might be killed by "him."
Therefore, Quincy Zangetsu had always suppressed Ichigo's strength, hindering his growth.
White Zangetsu's method was to help Ichigo better control his power, to unleash its full potential.
When Ichigo had become consumed by Quincy Zangetsu's illusion of power, White had intervened, using tough love to guide him.
After beating some sense into Ichigo, he had declared, "I am Zangetsu."
Sadly, even after losing his powers, Ichigo hadn't fully understood White's words.
It wasn't until he had regained his powers, entered the Soul King Palace, and had his Zanpakutō reforged by Ōetsu Nimaiya that he had finally understood the truth.
But even then, Ichigo, though acknowledging that White was his true Zanpakutō, felt a deeper connection to Quincy Zangetsu.
Therefore, with Ōetsu Nimaiya's help, he had forged two "Zangetsu."
One White Zangetsu, and one Quincy Zangetsu.
Only Masaki Kurosaki's love could have nurtured such powerful Hollow and Quincy powers that existed to protect her son.
The Hollow powers within the Visored, however, were genuine Hollow powers, waiting to consume their souls the moment they showed weakness.
Fortunately, the Hollow reishi Aizen had injected into them was only from Gillian-class Hollows. As long as the Visored remained strong-willed, the Hollows within them would simply serve as amplifiers, boosting their strength.
Boom!
Boom!
In the sky, powerful beams of light crisscrossed, leaving trails of destruction.
Under the relentless assault of those Zanpakutō, Aizen's Mod Soul was now covered in blood.
One after another, the Zanpakutō returned to Unlimited Blade Works. Finally, only a single, unremarkable Zanpakutō remained before Aizen's Mod Soul.
Seeing that final Zanpakutō, a smile touched Aizen's lips.
Dark Iron!
Ailin's Mod Soul, possessing his original's memories, naturally understood the origin of this weapon.
It was the Zanpakutō his original had created after witnessing Shūkurō Tsukishima's power at the Shin'ō Academy. He had planned to train his entire life, honing it into a single, devastating attack.
His original, after merging with his past self's memories, had successfully forged this Zanpakutō.
To die by this blade… Aizen felt it was a fitting end. After all, this Zanpakutō was wielded by the one most qualified to kill him.
"Come!"
Aizen spread his arms wide, as if embracing the world, and closed his eyes.
Urahara and the others looked up at the sky.They knew this was Aizen's final curtain call. And the one to deliver the final blow would be the last remaining Zanpakutō.
What kind of power did it possess?
White spiritual pressure emanated from the blade. But to their surprise, its spiritual pressure wasn't particularly strong.