Chapter 853: [853] : Reign Upon the Frosted Heaven

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Shin watched the clash between Aizen and Old Man Yamamoto with keen interest. Aizen hadn’t used Kyoka Suigetsu, likely wanting to see how he measured up against the Captain-Commander.

"Aizen’s that powerful?" Yoruichi watched, a flicker of disbelief in her eyes.

He wasn’t winning, but the fact that he could go toe-to-toe with the Captain-Commander at all spoke volumes.

The truth was, no Shinigami had ever questioned the strength of Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni. He was, without a doubt, the strongest of them all.

Many were stunned by Yamamoto’s power. Though he was hailed as the strongest Shinigami, few had ever actually seen him in action.

"Aizen hasn’t even played all his cards yet. Otherwise, Old Man Yamamoto would have a hard time dealing with him," Shin said to Yoruichi.

Of course, Shin wasn’t suggesting that Aizen was stronger than Yamamoto. In terms of raw power, Yamamoto was clearly superior.

If he were to use his Bankai, Zanka no Tachi, even Aizen with Kyoka Suigetsu would have to keep his distance, not daring to get close.

But Yamamoto wouldn’t use his Bankai lightly. He was no longer the man who would do anything for victory.

This meant he had a weakness. If Yamamoto were to fight without holding back, few in the entire Shinigami world could defeat him.

But with his new-found reservations, he was easier to handle. Of course, without sufficient strength, you couldn’t hope to challenge him in the first place.

"I don’t think I could beat Aizen right now."

Yoruichi carefully assessed Aizen’s strength and came to a clear conclusion.

"You’re right. You couldn’t beat him now. If Aizen didn’t use his Zanpakutō, you wouldn’t be much weaker than him. But once he does, you wouldn’t stand a chance."

Shin explained to Yoruichi. The current Yoruichi was no slouch; though slightly weaker than Aizen, she had already surpassed the average captain.

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"Captain-Commander, I’ve grown tired of this," Aizen said to Yamamoto.

Having gauged the old man’s strength, Aizen had no desire to continue.

Of course, he still didn’t know how powerful Yamamoto would be if he used his Zanpakutō.

As the strongest fire-type Zanpakutō, Ryūjin Jakka’s power was something Aizen couldn’t yet predict. It was likely even stronger than he imagined.

But Aizen wasn’t afraid. As long as he completed his plan, he would have no fear facing Yamamoto in the future.

After retreating, Aizen’s gaze shifted to Shin, and his expression turned truly grave.

Whether he admitted it or not, he knew he couldn’t face Shin right now. Aizen was keenly aware of this.

"Why are you looking at me? Thinking of a little sparring session?" Shin asked, raising an eyebrow at Aizen.

Aizen immediately shook his head, his face once again adorned with that gentle smile.

"Captain Shin, now is not the time. Besides, I would rather not see us become enemies. In fact, we share a common foe."

"No, we don’t."

Shin knew who Aizen considered his enemy now—the Soul King. But Shin knew the truth about the Soul King and had never considered him an enemy.

"I think you should be helping your subordinates right now. I’m sure you don’t want to lose a few of them."

Reminded, Aizen’s gaze shifted to Ichimaru Gin and Tōsen Kaname. Since Yamamoto was dealing with Aizen personally, Kyoraku Shunsui and the others had turned their attention to Gin and Tōsen.

"<Hadō #90. Kurohitsugi!>"

In an instant, Captain Komamura Sajin was struck down, defeated in a single blow. And Aizen made it look effortless.

"Impressive," Shin applauded.

"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu!"

Having drawn his Zanpakutō, Aizen was getting serious. Of course, he had no intention of killing all the captains of the Gotei 13 right now.

There were still things Aizen was wary of, such as Shin, who seemed to be just watching from the sidelines. Aizen knew Shin had destroyed the Sōkyoku.

The destructive power of the Sōkyoku was not to be underestimated. Aizen was confident he could destroy it as well, but not as easily as Shin had.

And then there was Old Man Yamamoto. That was another person Aizen had to be wary of. Aizen was afraid he would use his Zanpakutō.

Aizen had managed to gather some information on his Zanpakutō. He might not know much about the Bankai, but he knew plenty about the Shikai.

In fact, the Shikai of Ryūjin Jakka was incredibly powerful, even stronger than some Zanpakutō’s Bankai.

"You know, I’m still technically a member of the Gotei 13. It wouldn’t look good if I didn’t make a move."

Shin drew his sword and said to Aizen.

"Captain Shin is going to act?" Aizen, who was about to deal with Kyoraku Shunsui and the others, his expression instantly became grave.

"Yes. How could I not? Reign Upon the Frosted Heaven, Hyōrinmaru!"

The moment he completed his Shikai, everyone felt a chill that could freeze everything. This was the Zanpakutō he had copied from Hitsugaya.

The weather changed, and snow began to fall from the sky. The snow was heavy, and in the blink of an eye, the ground was covered in a layer of white frost.

"What do you think of this man-made snow?" Shin asked Aizen with a smile.

"Hitsugaya Tōshirō’s Zanpakutō?" Aizen was surprised when he saw Hyōrinmaru, but his expression quickly returned to its calm state.

Even his own Kyoka Suigetsu was in Shin’s possession. Seeing him with Hitsugaya Tōshirō’s Zanpakutō wasn’t particularly surprising to Aizen.

Aizen might not have been surprised, but the others were. Seeing Shin use the power of Hyōrinmaru, they were completely stunned.

"Why can Captain Shin use Captain Hitsugaya’s Zanpakutō?"

"Didn’t the rumors say Captain Shin’s Zanpakutō was a fire-type? Was the intel wrong?"

Some couldn’t help but mutter to themselves. Seeing Shin use Hyōrinmaru was too unexpected for them.

"I’ve experienced the power of Hyōrinmaru before. I have to say, Captain Hitsugaya is a far cry from you. He can’t even begin to unleash Hyōrinmaru’s true power."

Aizen said faintly.

Indeed, Hitsugaya Tōshirō struggled to unleash the power of Hyōrinmaru. As the strongest ice-type Zanpakutō, was it really that much weaker than the strongest fire-type, Ryūjin Jakka?

No. In fact, the power of Hyōrinmaru was no less than Ryūjin Jakka’s. It was just that the wielder of Hyōrinmaru was too weak, which made others think Hyōrinmaru was weaker than Ryūjin Jakka.

If one could unleash the full power of Hyōrinmaru, it could truly go toe-to-toe with Ryūjin Jakka. As someone who possessed both Zanpakutō, Shin had the most authority on this matter.

Just the Shikai alone could make one feel an extreme cold. If Shin swung his sword, he could freeze everything. With Bankai, Shin could even freeze time.

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