Bleach: Watch Closely, This Is How You Use a Zanpakutō-Chapter 255: The Final Evolution

Just as Aizen reeled in shock, Masatsuki Aozaki's figure vanished like a phantom, disappearing in an instant.

A moment later, he reappeared, seemingly passing right through Aizen as if he had teleported.

"Jōkaku Enjō."

Masatsuki murmured softly, and his Zanpakutō shone with a blinding light.

"Apologies... but I've already cut you."

As his words fell, his Zanpakutō slid smoothly back into its sheath.

The motion was fluid, effortless, without even a hint of hesitation.

A moment later, a charred wound suddenly appeared on Aizen's body.

It was a faint, almost imperceptible slash—so fine that, without careful inspection, it would have been nearly impossible to notice.

And yet, that seemingly insignificant cut sent a wave of unprecedented fear surging through Aizen.

Even with the heightened perception of his Second Fusion state, he had been completely unable to track the attack!

"...Masatsuki... you..."

The mask on Aizen's face suddenly shattered, revealing an expression of utter disbelief.

He stared down at the flickering flames spreading across his body, his face frozen in shock.

He could feel pain.

He had been cut.

And worse—he hadn't even been able to react before it happened.

But... how? How was that possible?!

...

At that moment, a massive pillar of fire erupted from Aizen's body, surging skyward as if it intended to set the entire world ablaze!

"So... so powerful!"

"Aizen-sama... has been killed?!"

"How is this possible?!"

The Arrancars beneath the throne froze in stunned silence, their movements coming to an abrupt halt as they stared, dumbfounded, at the scene unfolding before them.

Among them, Nnoitra and Charlotte, both high-ranking Arrancars, were even more shaken.

As former attendants of Baraggan, they understood better than anyone just how overwhelmingly powerful Aizen was.

This was the man who had single-handedly subdued both Baraggan and Szayelaporro through sheer strength.

Yet now—this nearly invincible existence had been slain in a single strike by that young man.

"Damn it!"

Charlotte collapsed to his knees at the base of the throne's steps, clenching his fists in frustration.

His resentment wasn't for Aizen—it was for Baraggan, the king he had loyally served.

He had witnessed Masatsuki Aozaki effortlessly crush Baraggan's skull with his bare hands.

And now, Aizen had fallen as well.

Who was left to avenge his king?

...

"The battle was decided in an instant..."

Nnoitra muttered in disbelief.

"This guy is terrifying. Makes me want to fight him myself!"

He had expected a drawn-out clash, a battle worthy of someone Aizen had deemed important.

In his mind, the moment these two men faced off, an earth-shattering fight should have erupted—a prolonged, breathtaking duel.

Perhaps, in the end, Baraggan could have seized the opportunity to strike down Aizen while both warriors lay battered and broken, reclaiming his throne.

But the reality?

Baraggan was dead.

Aizen was dead.

And it had all ended in an instant.

"Nnoitra, it's far too soon to be talking about victory or defeat."

Just as Nnoitra stared in shock, Aizen's voice rang out once more.

From within the raging inferno, he emerged—his body twisted into an unnatural posture, completely shrouded in black, as he slowly clawed his way out.

Incredibly, he was still alive.

His resilience was nothing short of monstrous.

Not only that, but the cocoon-like shell encasing his head had begun to peel away.

Crack—

In the blink of an eye, countless fractures spread across Aizen's face.

Then, the hardened shell—once as unyielding as steel—crumbled like fragile porcelain, scattering into dust.

The chrysalis phase had ended.

A monstrous Reiatsu erupted like a tsunami, sweeping in all directions.

The sheer magnitude of it was suffocating—so overwhelming that everyone present felt an unprecedented sense of impending death.

But the difference between their levels was simply too vast.

Their bodies, unable to process the sheer scale of Aizen's Reiatsu, instinctively shut down their senses—rendering them numb to the crushing force that should have reduced them to nothing.

Aizen's eyes gleamed with exhilaration.

Panting heavily, he slowly straightened himself.

He could feel it.

His power was undergoing a complete metamorphosis.

His Reiatsu surged upward, climbing at an unprecedented rate—without limit, without end.

His very soul was reshaping itself, fusing and evolving in a way beyond comprehension, pushing him toward a higher plane of existence.

The Third Fusion State—Hōgyoku Completion.

"...How can this be...?"

The stunned voice broke the eerie silence.

It came from Aizen himself.

Lowering his gaze, he looked down at his chest.

The once flawless Hōgyoku was now covered in intricate fractures.

He reached out, as if to touch it—

But just as his fingers neared the surface, the entire gemstone shattered with a deafening crack!

The fragments of the Hōgyoku scattered in all directions, bursting apart like a beautiful yet tragic display of fireworks.

For a moment, Aizen stood there in a daze, staring at the empty void in his chest.

Then, after a long pause, he slowly raised a hand to his face—

And began to laugh.

A strange, eerie laugh that echoed through the battlefield.

"...Has he lost his mind?"

Masatsuki Aozaki muttered to himself as he watched Aizen's crazed laughter.

Tilting his head slightly, he studied his expression, searching for any hint of clarity behind that madness.

He knew Aizen's potential was far from reaching its limit.

In the original timeline, Aizen had ascended to a fifth stage of evolution.

Yet here, the Hōgyoku had collapsed at the third phase.

Clearly, something had interfered.

And Masatsuki knew exactly what that something was.

It was him.

From the moment Kōga Kuchiki had informed him that Aizen was investigating him, Masatsuki had anticipated this confrontation.

He knew Aizen was no fool.

The moment the Shinigami Research and Development Institute was breached, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi's research stolen, his suspicions had been confirmed.

But he had prepared for this long in advance.

While he wasn't an expert in scientific research, Masatsuki had been involved in more than a few experimental projects.

And with Mayuri's help, it hadn't been difficult to make a few modifications along the way.

He had let Aizen take the research freely.

Placed it right in the open, practically inviting him to steal it.

And so, the moment Aizen used it—

His Hōgyoku would be flawed from the very start.

...

"Hahahahahaha! I understand now!"

Still laughing, Aizen slowly removed what remained of the mask on his face.

Then, he turned to Masatsuki and flashed what appeared to be a genuine smile.

"Masatsuki, I really must thank you. Without you, I wouldn't have reached this point. Letting you live was the right decision after all."

His voice was calm—almost warm.

Yet beneath it lurked something unreadable.

Before the words had even finished leaving his lips—

Aizen vanished.

In the blink of an eye, he reappeared directly in front of Masatsuki.

His blade flashed, striking down with terrifying force, aimed straight at his opponent.

Sparks exploded on impact, dazzling and blinding.

The ground beneath them split apart.

And even the sky itself—was torn open.

"...That sword pressure...!"

Charlotte and Nnoitra sucked in sharp breaths, their pupils contracting in unison.

As Adjuchas-class Arrancars, they had encountered plenty of powerful Shinigami before.

They had witnessed all kinds of Reiatsu—felt the weight of a Captain's blade firsthand.

But this—

This was on an entirely different level.

This was not something mortal hands should be capable of wielding.

...

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