Chapter 200: Anomaly

Karakura Town!

The Human World had also changed because of the videos.

The entire city was now gripped by panic. The location where Ichigo Kurosaki's home had once stood had been placed under particularly heavy surveillance, with large numbers of soldiers in hazmat suits using various instruments to investigate the area.

High above the city, Aizen looked down at the scene, a mocking smile curving across his lips.

How could ants living in a two-dimensional world ever perceive the three-dimensional one?

In the next second, he vanished with Shunpo.

Before long, Aizen appeared inside an unfinished building and knocked several times on the door before him.

A few seconds later, the dilapidated door opened, and a girl with twin ponytails poked her head outside.

Dissatisfaction covered her face, and she seemed ready to complain.

But the instant she saw Aizen, every expression on her face froze completely. The words she had been about to say became lodged in her throat!

At that moment, an impatient voice came from inside the room.

"Riruka, why are you standing there? Hurry up and bring the delivery inside!"

"Hey, you aren't secretly eating the sushi, are you?"

"Damn it, I knew—"

Inside the room, a boy sitting beside a round table with a handheld game console stopped speaking when the door was pushed open.

In the next second, a bespectacled man walked past the stiff Riruka and entered the room, giving everyone a gentle smile.

"My apologies for arriving so abruptly. I seem to have forgotten to bring a gift."

"Sushi, was it? I'll remember that, although I don't yet know which kind you prefer."

No one inside the bar-style room answered!

Giriko Kutsuzawa, Moe Shishigawara, Yukio Hans Vorarlberna, and the others all stared at him in terror!

At that moment, they finally understood why Riruka had reacted that way!

Aizen!

Aizen had come looking for them!

Everyone immediately went on high alert!

Kūgo Ginjō, dressed in a fur-collared coat, rose to his feet. He gripped his greatsword tightly and asked in a deep voice:

"Sōsuke Aizen, have you returned to the Seireitei?"

Aizen adjusted his glasses.

After witnessing so many more powerful beings and worlds, he had restrained his former arrogance. He had once again put on the black-framed glasses he used to wear, as well as his former haori.

Naturally, there was no squad number printed on it.

"Not at all."

Aizen smiled.

"There is no need for you to be so nervous. I did not come here to kill any of you."

"I have only one purpose."

Ginjō tightened his grip on his sword and asked solemnly:

"You want us to follow you?"

"That's impossible. Just because I abandoned the Soul Reapers doesn't mean I'll join Hueco Mundo!"

After refusing, he hurriedly continued:

"And I advise you not to start a fight!"

"You might not be able to kill all of us within thirty seconds. If the battle produces even the slightest disturbance, the Seireitei will inevitably detect it!"

"If the Captain-Commander or even Ichibē Hyōsube arrives and another battle breaks out, both sides will suffer. Aren't you afraid Yhwach will take advantage of the situation?"

After saying this, he stared nervously at the man before him.

This was the best argument he could think of.

If Aizen still refused to listen...

Then perhaps joining him would be better after all.

Staying alive was what mattered most!

In the next second, Ginjō saw Aizen suddenly clap his hands.

Aizen smiled.

"Kūgo Ginjō, you've improved considerably compared to a century ago."

"If you had possessed this much intelligence back then, Ukitake would never have driven you away."

"However..."

"You've misunderstood."

"I have no interest in the remnants of the Soul King's power within any of you."

"My target is only one person."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed toward Shūkurō Tsukishima, who had remained quietly seated in the corner with a book in his hands, seemingly uninterested in everything and completely unconcerned by the danger!

Ginjō immediately understood Aizen's objective.

Changing the past to destroy the future!

That was Tsukishima's power—and one of the keys to defeating Yhwach!

He fell silent.

It was obvious that Aizen would never willingly abandon the chance to obtain such an ability!

But at that moment, everyone suddenly saw Tsukishima rise to his feet.

Everyone tensed, preparing to...

Run away at any moment.

However, in the next second, Tsukishima calmly said:

"I'll go with you, Sōsuke Aizen."

Then he turned toward the stunned Ginjō.

"Consider it repayment for taking me in all those years ago."

"There's no need to say anything else."

"Let's leave it at that."

The moment he said this, Yukio and the others released heavy sighs of relief.

This was the best possible outcome.

Ginjō, however, sat back down with a somewhat lonely expression.

Tsukishima nodded toward everyone before walking up to Aizen.

"We can leave now."

A satisfied smile appeared on Aizen's face.

He turned around and lightly pointed with one finger. A Senkaimon immediately appeared in the corridor outside.

But at that exact moment!

Tsukishima's previously calm face suddenly twisted into a savage grin, and the black number 002 appeared on his left cheek!

In an instant, the book in his hand opened by itself. Countless words flew from its pages, transformed into a sword, and pierced straight through Aizen's chest!

And it was not over!

Under Aizen's stunned gaze, countless characters crawled across the blade before spreading over his entire body!

At that moment, the sound of a video game starting rang out!

Blackness mixed with glowing green lines spread rapidly from beneath Yukio's feet. In the blink of an eye, it swallowed everything around them and transformed the area into a seemingly endless game space!

Then pixelated symbols appeared from thin air and descended upon Aizen!

They were debuffs!

One hundred times weakness!

One hundred times Spiritual Power depletion!!

One hundred times pain!

One hundred times gravity!

Tick!

Tick!

The sound of a clock suddenly rang out!

A circular clock appeared above Aizen's head. Its hour and minute hands remained motionless, while the second hand continuously cycled between zero and one!

At the same time, flames ignited!

The number 009 appeared on Shishigawara's face. Flames burned around both his fists, while his eyes seemed to contain flowing magma!

A scorching chain formed between his hands and wrapped tightly around Aizen's body!

Black, tattoo-like numbers also appeared on the faces of Riruka Dokugamine, Kūgo Ginjō, and the others. Their abilities had clearly evolved, and each of them unleashed their power to suppress Aizen!

In a single second, the entire situation was reversed!

This place had been a trap from the beginning!

Even their previous expressions had all been an act!

The sudden change caused shock and fury to appear on Aizen's face!

Yet he could not move, nor could he release the Reiatsu within his body!

Every time he was about to break through the restraints in the following second, everything returned to its original state!

At that moment, footsteps echoed from the darkness in the distance.

Someone slowly approached.

Only when he entered the range of the yellow flames did his silhouette finally become visible!

"Yhwach..."

Aizen forced the name through clenched teeth, his voice filled with fury!

Yhwach approached with intense mockery written across his face.

"Heh. Was it deceiving those fools in Soul Society that gave you such confidence?"

"Or did your victory in the video make you conceited?"

"Sōsuke Aizen, you actually dared to come looking for them alone."

"How foolish."

"Tell me..."

"When it comes to the Soul King's power, which of us understands it better—you or me?"

When the previous video ended, Yhwach had arrived in the Human World and detected this group in less than ten seconds!

Afterward, he bestowed Schrift numbers upon them and forcibly brought them under his control!

The reason he had not killed them was because he intended to use them as bait!

He had simply never expected the first person lured into the trap to be Sōsuke Aizen rather than those Soul Reapers from Soul Society.

To be honest, he was somewhat disappointed.

"You..."

Aizen was both shocked and furious, yet he could no longer speak.

However, deep within his eyes, an unreadable glimmer flashed for an instant—one that no one else noticed.

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