Bleach: Watch Closely, This Is How You Use a Zanpakutō-Chapter 256: A Higher Dimension

Finally, the chance to avenge His Majesty Baraggan has arrived.

Can that guy withstand such a terrifying blow?

Charlotte and Nnoitra, each harboring their own thoughts, turned their gazes to the center of the explosion caused by the sword pressure. A subtle gleam flickered in their eyes.

"Look, Masatsuki, this is my true strength. You were far too arrogant!"

Aizen wore a satisfied smile, leisurely gazing at the severed sky and earth before him.

Even without releasing his Zanpakutō, he had unleashed such devastating destruction!

This power had already surpassed Captain-Commander Yamamoto!

Of course, it still couldn't compare to Ryūjin Jakka, but that was irrelevant.

He would become a being that stood alongside the gods!

"Masatsuki, I doubt you've ever witnessed power like this. Your weak imagination limits your understanding!"

He suddenly ran a hand through his hair, smoothing the longer strands, his tone carrying a trace of disappointment.

"I was ready to hear you sing my praises and declare me king, but it seems I won't get that chance."

"There's still a chance... but I'd rather hear you sing my praises instead."

A familiar voice cut through the smoke.

"Honestly, I'm kinda jealous of your Bankai ability, Hairspray Hand. My hair's too soft—I can't switch up my style as easily as you do!"

As the smoke cleared, a familiar figure emerged, causing Aizen's eyes to widen in shock.

There, standing firmly in place, was Masatsuki Aozaki. The sword pressure that had cleaved the sky and earth was crumbling in his hands!

"He... he just crushed that sword pressure with his bare hands!?"

Charlotte's eyes widened in disbelief, his body trembling unconsciously.

Aizen was even more shaken.

His sword pressure—caught by hand!?

Masatsuki Aozaki had taken the full brunt of his attack after entering his Third Fusion State and stopped it outright!

This sword pressure's Reiatsu far surpassed the level of any Shinigami!

Even the most powerful Captain-level Shinigami, even those who had broken past the limits of their kind and mastered Hollowfication—

Against this overwhelming force, they would be nothing more than ants, crushed effortlessly!

Yet Masatsuki Aozaki had blocked it with his body alone!?

How was this possible!?

Aizen swallowed hard, an unfamiliar sensation creeping over him.

It was as if... Masatsuki Aozaki had transcended the limits of existence itself!

He had the distinct feeling that Masatsuki Aozaki stood high above him, gazing down like a god looking upon a mere mortal.

No... This couldn't be real.

It had to be an illusion!

"You should already understand why this is happening, shouldn't you?"

Masatsuki Aozaki casually crushed the remnants of the sword pressure in his palm. A faint trace of green Reiatsu flickered before vanishing completely.

Aizen's expression stiffened.

Masatsuki Aozaki smiled faintly and spoke softly.

"It's potential. You should know that the Hōgyoku's true power is guiding potential. Our evolution is built entirely upon that foundation."

"You're saying... that your potential exceeds mine, so your power surpasses mine?"

Aizen stood frozen, as if his very soul had been shaken, his head lowering slightly.

He had once rejoiced at finding a being on equal footing—only to realize now that he was the one who wasn't worthy?

How could this be?

What a joke.

Aizen let out a quiet, self-mocking laugh.

"Have you figured it out?" Masatsuki Aozaki asked.

"In truth, it was only after witnessing your evolution that I finally confirmed it...

The same evolution—but I stand at a higher dimension. And I can reach even higher!"

The moment he finished speaking, pure white Reiatsu erupted from Masatsuki Aozaki's body.

It was almost tangible, like a shimmering silver veil draping over him. Then, the Reiatsu began to shift and morph continuously until it transformed into an endless, breathtaking spectacle.

Accompanied by an ethereal, melodic resonance, the magnificent scene unfolded before everyone's eyes, like a grand and vivid tapestry unfurling across the heavens.

In the blink of an eye, the entire sky seemed to be torn apart by invisible, colossal hands!

And in the presence of this realm—like the very birthplace of the world itself—all living beings instinctively bowed in awe and reverence.

The remaining Arrancars, once arrogant and unruly, had long since lost their bravado.

Faced with such an overwhelming sight, they couldn't even muster the emotions of shock or fear.

Their minds had simply... stopped functioning.

The spirits howled, and even their souls trembled!

Nnoitra struggled with all his might to move, but his efforts were utterly in vain.

Before an existence that transcended dimensions—a being like a god descending from the heavens—resistance was meaningless.

At that moment, a clear and almost cheerful voice rang in Nnoitra's ears.

"Alright, alright, looks like this farce has gone on long enough."

"Go on and join the others down below. They've been waiting for you."

Yet, the moment he heard that voice, Nnoitra's pupils shrank to pinpricks.

That voice—it was familiar. It sounded just like the woman who had been slaughtering them earlier.

That woman... she was terrifying.

How could she remain completely unaffected in this situation?

He would never find out.

A sharp pain flared in his neck, and then his vision tilted as the world around him began to fall away.

...

"Impossible!!"

Aizen suddenly let out a crazed roar, wildly swinging his blade.

"Masatsuki—how is this possible...!?"

But before he could finish, his vision blurred.

Masatsuki Aozaki vanished like a phantom, disappearing from sight in an instant!

Aizen frantically glanced around, but there was nothing—just an all-consuming sense of impending doom creeping into his heart.

Without the Hōgyoku, this fear could no longer push him to evolve.

Instinctively, Aizen raised Kyōka Suigetsu in front of him, seeking protection.

After all his years as a Shinigami, the only thing that offered him any sense of security now was the very Zanpakutō he had never trusted.

And yet—

Aizen's eyes widened in shock as he felt it.

First, a sudden loss of control.

Then, an overwhelming force struck his arm, robbing it of all sensation.

A broken sword spun through the air, catching the moonlight before reflecting its glow onto his stunned face.

Kyōka Suigetsu—severed!

Before he could react, an unimaginable force slammed into him, sending him hurtling backward like a cannonball.

He skidded across the ground like a discarded marble in a child's game, crashing down, bouncing up, then crashing again—over and over.

Under the weight of absolute power, he was completely powerless—helplessly tossed through the battlefield.

In an instant, Masatsuki Aozaki moved.

Using the Shinsoku movement technique, he closed the distance in an instant.

Blade flashes filled the sky, an endless cascade of lethal brilliance!

Blood splattered.

Bones shattered.

Organs ruptured.

His flesh was even scorched by the searing heat of the sun itself!

Every strike was a deathblow, relentless and merciless, turning the surrounding landscape into nothing but ruin.

Yet, despite the unrelenting destruction, Aizen's body continued to regenerate.

...

(40 Chapters Ahead)

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