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Shin watched them bicker, a smirk playing on his lips. They didn’t have the nerve to attack him, so they were starting to turn on each other instead.

"And here I thought you were supposed to be the fearsome ones," Shin asked, his tone deceptively mild. "Why the hesitation?"

At that moment, Shin seemed to be eagerly waiting for them to make a move. The other Espada remained still, their gazes on him growing even more wary.

As for Gin Ichimaru, he was far too clever to act rashly. He wouldn’t make a move on Shin without absolute certainty of success.

Besides, Gin felt that Shin Uzumaki’s existence was a necessary evil—after all, he was the only person who could make even Aizen feel threatened.

’If I could use Shin Uzumaki’s power to get rid of Aizen, that would be perfect.’

Of course, Gin knew the chances of that happening were slim.

"Just because you won’t attack doesn’t mean I won’t. So, prepare to scream."

As Shin spoke, he raised his hand. The power of a Cero gathered in his palm, and he fired it straight at Coyote Starrk.

Even with Starrk on high alert, it didn’t matter. The Cero that erupted from Shin’s hand was impossibly fast, forming and firing in less than a thousandth of a second.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The Primera Espada, Coyote Starrk, took the full force of the blast. He was thrown to the ground, critically wounded and out of the fight for now.

"What??"

The remaining Espada were left completely stunned. If they had been afraid of Shin after he effortlessly dispatched their comrades before, seeing him one-shot the Primera Espada, Coyote Starrk, filled them with a genuine terror of his power.

Though they resented Starrk for holding the top position, they all knew just how powerful he was. Otherwise, he never would have become Number 1.

"Your power... has it really grown to this extent?"

Starrk, lying on the ground, struggled to look at Shin. When they had last fought, he hadn’t felt this level of terrifying power.

Now, Starrk felt that Shin’s power was even more monstrous. The reality, however, was that Shin’s strength hadn’t increased at all. He simply hadn’t been serious during their last encounter. If Shin had truly gone all out against Starrk, he would have been erased from existence long ago.

’How can Shin Uzumaki use a Cero?’ Gin was filled with endless questions. What baffled him most was Shin’s ability to use a Hollow technique.

As for one-shotting Starrk, while shocking, it wasn’t enough to leave him speechless. The power of a Hollow and the power of a Shinigami were supposed to be fundamentally opposed. Could one person possess both?

At that moment, Gin couldn’t help but think of the Arrancar, who possessed the power of Hollows but had also gained the Zanpakuto abilities of Shinigami. Their Resurrección was no different from a Shinigami’s Shikai.

Then there were the Vizards, like Shinji Hirako. They were once Shinigami who had gained Hollow powers and the ability of Hollowfication. But they had all become Arrancar through Aizen’s Hogyoku. And Shin Uzumaki?

’Shin Uzumaki wouldn’t rely on Aizen’s Hogyoku, would he? And Aizen would never give it to him.’

After all, Gin knew how much Aizen valued the Hogyoku. He had even considered destroying it to get back at Aizen, but he never had the chance. Even if he had, he wouldn’t have been able to destroy it. The Hogyoku wasn’t so easily broken. If it were, Kisuke Urahara would have destroyed it long ago.

"We have to attack. If we don’t, he won’t spare us either."

Ulquiorra Cifer, the Cuatro Espada, said to his comrades. Among the Espada, he was probably the most popular.

"Enclose, Murciélago!"

"Rot, Fornicarás!"

"Crush, Gamuza!"

"Pray, Santa Teresa!"

They all released their Resurreccións and charged at Shin in unison. Faced with the combined assault of the Espada, Shin was completely unfazed.

"Hunt them down, Los Lobos!"

Shin copied Starrk’s Resurrección, dual pistols materializing in his hands. He then unleashed an Infinite Cero Salvo.

Countless Ceros shot out from the twin guns, instantly overwhelming the other Espada. Shin controlled his power, ensuring that the only ones killed were Nnoitra Gilga and Szayelaporro Granz.

As for why he singled out those two for death? The reason was simple: he found them particularly irritating.

"You’re all so fragile. I wasn’t even serious, and you’re already down for the count. How am I supposed to have any fun?"

Shin’s gaze shifted to Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen. When he had attacked, he had only targeted the Espada, ignoring the other two.

"Captain Shin, I’m no match for you, so I surrender," Gin said, immediately raising his hands. He had no intention of fighting Shin right now. He didn’t even consider using his Bankai. Shin had already used his Zanpakuto, Shinsō.

He probably knew what its abilities were. Gin didn’t want to reveal its true power to anyone else. After all, Shinsō’s ability was the weapon he was saving to use against Aizen. It was truly a fearsome weapon, with a poison that could dissolve anything. If Aizen hadn’t had the Hogyoku at that moment, he would have been killed by Gin’s surprise attack, and everything would have been over.

Gin surrendered, but Tosen would not. Tosen faced Shin, and though he was blind, his senses were incredibly sharp.

"Cry, Suzumushi!"

This was Tosen’s Zanpakuto, a sensory-based weapon that could affect an opponent’s senses. It was an extremely powerful Zanpakuto.

"Bankai! Enma Kōrogi!"

Knowing that his Shikai was no match for Shin, he immediately unleashed his Bankai.

A black sphere enveloped both Shin and Tosen, forming a massive barrier.

Inside this barrier, everyone except the one touching the hilt of Suzumushi would lose their senses of hearing, sight, smell, and even their ability to sense spiritual pressure. Only the senses of touch and pain remained.

In other words, inside this space, one would become blind and deaf, even losing their ability to sense spiritual pressure. At this point, Tosen, who was already blind, could use other means to defeat his opponent.

"In this place, you can only be slaughtered by me." Tosen was extremely confident in his Zanpakuto, certain he could defeat Shin.

"To be honest, your Zanpakuto is very strong, but its weakness is also very obvious," Shin said calmly.

The Zanpakuto was powerful, but Enma Kōrogi’s greatest flaw was that its barrier was incredibly weak. A powerful enough attack would shatter it, instantly dispelling the Bankai.

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