Chapter 256 : Aizen Died?

In the midst of a desolate yellow desert, Yhwach trembled as he faced the man standing before him—a man with star-shaped pupils and a stern expression. This man was the Soul King.

"Father... Father." Yhwach's voice wavered with fear.

Yes, Yhwach, the ancestor of Quincy, was the Soul King's son. But this was not a happy family reunion. The Soul King did not greet him with love or compassion. His gaze was cold and distant, and Yhwach's fear grew.

The Soul King suddenly moved. He crossed the space between them in a single step, glaring down at Yhwach with a rage that burned through his icy demeanor.

"Why don't you die!" he roared, his voice filled with anger. "Why don't you die! Go to hell! Die!"

A massive shockwave followed his words, as if the wrath of a god had been unleashed. The bright sun darkened, clouds turned ominously dark, and purple lightning streaked across the sky. 

The sky seemed ready to collapse, signaling the Soul King's furious power.

Yhwach's face turned deathly pale. He shouted back, desperation in his voice, "It's not enough for you die—you want me to die too?"

His mind flashed back to a memory from his childhood. At the time, the Soul King had given him a glimpse of kindness, but that was gone now. He had to escape, to flee to a place where no one knew him. But his past caught up with him, as did Yamamoto Shigekuni's blade.

Now, Yhwach felt his throat tightening, a crushing pressure, and he couldn't breathe. He snapped back to reality, realizing the Soul King was gripping his neck with terrifying force.

"You betrayed me!" Yhwach screamed, his rage matching the Soul King's. He conjured his Quincy sword and thrust it toward the Soul King's chest, the air crackling with energy as the blade lunged forward.

No matter how many times he stabbed, the Soul King showed no signs of injury. His hands continued clapping without pause.

Yhwach's face turned a shade of deep purple. His eyes were bloodshot, and sweat beaded across his forehead.

Almost suffocating! He could feel the air choking him.

But as soon as that thought crossed his mind, Yhwach's consciousness snapped to attention.

Something wasn't right!

His body didn't need to breathe in the first place! This suffocation—it was an illusion!

The panic on Yhwach's face dissipated as he closed his eyes, his composure returning. In an instant, a dark shadow enveloped him, sprouting countless golden eyes from within its depths.

An unseen force took hold, and everything around him vanished in an instant.

When Yhwach opened his eyes again, he found himself back in the hall. His hands were clasped tightly around his own neck.

"Is this ability you created watching the Tsukuyomi from the world of Hokage?" he asked, his voice laced with disdain. "Use my own fears to create a scene where I'm afraid?"

"No, on second thought, it's not even that. It's my own mind generating this illusion. No wonder I didn't catch it at first."

"If it had gone on longer, I would've been forced to break my own neck, never realizing I was in an illusion."

"I've got to hand it to you, Aizen. You're a genius."

Yhwach let go of his neck and began applauding, his face showing a mix of relief and admiration.

But then, just as quickly, his expression shifted back to arrogance. He turned to Aizen, who stood bathed in moonlight, and chuckled. "Unfortunately, illusions always have loopholes. Unlike other Quincy, my existence doesn't rely on breathing."

"And with my ability The Almighty, no skill that I know of can harm me. You're out of your league. You lost this game."

Aizen's usually cool demeanor faltered, a slight frown crossing his face as he listened to Yhwach's words.

Seeing this, Yhwach's smile grew even broader.

"Why didn't you take advantage of Tsukishima Shukuro's power this time? Now, you can't do anything about it?"

Aizen didn't respond. He just pointed his palm toward the glass case, and Hōgyoku flew out, landing neatly in his hand.

"You'll get Xcution back when the time is right."

With those words, Aizen vanished with a flash of Shunpo.

However, Yhwach only chuckled.

"Did I say I would let you go?"

"At that speed, you can't escape."

Under the full moon, Aizen came to a halt, standing quietly in the sky before Yhwach, his gaze lowered, watching him intently.

"Tonight, both your life and Hōgyoku will stay with me."

As if declaring his judgment, Yhwach raised his fingers, and a torrent of blue arrows rained down, flooding the sky and hurtling toward Aizen!

Aizen quickly raised his palm:

"Bakudō No. 81, Splitting Void!"

In an instant, a transparent barrier appeared, absorbing the rain of holy arrows, causing a cascade of brilliant sparks. 

Seeing the attack, Aizen turned to flee in a different direction, but as he did, Yhwach was already there, standing behind him with a sinister grin.

"Your speed and strength are inferior compared to the likes of Yamamoto."

"Blood Vestment!"

In an instant, a web of intricate patterns, like a complex circuit, spread across Yhwach's body.

The next moment, the space vibrated, and Aizen only saw a blur of transparent ripples as his body was forcefully slammed downward!

No!

It wasn't a fall—it was Yhwach pressing Aizen's chest, driving him into the ground!

Boom!

The white sand dunes exploded on impact, revealing the hard rock beneath, which shattered with the force of the strike!

Yhwach stood above the debris-filled pit where Aizen was lodged, a smug smile on his lips:

"Is that all you've got?"

Moments later, a blinding blue-green light surged upward, forming walls of spiritual energy. At the top, massive hexagrams took shape.

Sanctuary Praise!

It was like a cascade of the sky crashing down, filling the sky with an endless deluge of holy arrows that engulfed Aizen completely.

The blue beam of light gradually faded into the night, its intensity dimming with each passing second.

In its wake, a vast area of sand was erased, leaving behind a barren, lowered landscape. 

The ground dropped by tens of meters, transformed into a flat, solid bedrock, as if an immense force had consumed it. 

Standing alone in this altered terrain was Yhwach, breathing heavily, but standing tall.

"It seems the injuries I sustained last time haven't fully healed," he muttered to himself, his breath still unsteady. "I actually feel a bit tired."

A slight smile crossed his lips as he glanced down at his open palm. There, resting in his hand, was a white bead emanating a faint glow, pulsing rhythmically like a heartbeat. Yhwach's voice carried a hint of excitement as he spoke to the small orb.

"Fortunately, Aizen is finally dead," he said. "But I must admit, you were quite the genius. With the Hōgyoku, I can achieve a whole new level of power."

Yhwach's excitement grew as he considered the possibilities. Being the son of the Soul King, he'd glimpsed a realm beyond what most could imagine. Hōgyoku, capable of breaking through one's limits, seemed like a pathway to that realm.

Aizen was dead, but Yhwach knew it wouldn't be long before the Soul Society sensed something amiss. He needed to leave quickly. 

With a wave of his hand, he conjured a shadowy portal in "Hueco Mundo," a different space designed to create a spiritual realm—the foundation of the Invisible Empire.

Yhwach stepped into this newly created space and, after stabilizing his spirit, took a deep breath. A moment later, a small opening appeared on his forehead, and the Hōgyoku floated upward before slipping into the gap.

As his skin closed around the orb, a unique wave of energy resonated through the space. Yhwach's joy was palpable—until it quickly transformed into confusion and suspicion. 

He felt his spiritual power being drained rapidly, as if Hōgyoku was consuming him.

"Is this part of the process?" he wondered aloud. "Or is it analyzing my spiritual signature?"

Before he could ponder further, a familiar voice echoed throughout the spiritual space, one that sent chills down his spine—the unmistakable laughter of Aizen Sōsuke, who should have been dead.

Yhwach's expression shifted to shock and disbelief. "Aizen Sōsuke! You're still alive? How is this possible?"

He had seen it with his own eyes—the holy arrow destroying Aizen's soul. Yet now Aizen's mocking voice rang out clearly.

"Did you really think you had seen through everything, Yhwach?" Aizen's voice taunted. "You're too arrogant. What you saw was only what I wanted you to see."

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