Chapter 448 - 448: Aizen: I’ll Apologize on Their Behalf

Cyrus's arrival brought the raging battlefield to an abrupt halt.

The moment Starrk saw him, he immediately ordered the mindless Menos under his command to stop attacking.

The battle hadn't even reached a conclusion yet, so Cyrus appearing now caught him off guard.

Ulquiorra and the other Vasto Lorde who had been locked in combat with the Shinigami reacted much the same way.

The moment they recognized Cyrus, they silently disengaged and withdrew.

Standing perfectly upright in the middle of the battlefield, Cyrus slowly swept his gaze across the suddenly quiet surroundings.

The shock wave from his landing had deliberately forced the two sides apart, and judging by the result, it had worked rather well.

The Shinigami, however, were watching him with extreme caution.

His entrance alone, combined with the Hollows' immediate reaction to him, made one thing obvious.

Someone far more dangerous had arrived.

'An even stronger Hollow?'

That was the conclusion most of them reached.

Aizen, who had already met Cyrus, was far more curious about why he had chosen to reveal himself.

'Is he planning to fight?'

The Shinigami expedition had already suffered heavily, and Aizen would probably need to find some way to smooth things over once they returned.

But if this situation gave him another opportunity to learn more about Cyrus, the losses wouldn't necessarily be meaningless.

And if he could somehow expose Cyrus to Kyōka Suigetsu during the confrontation and successfully place him under Complete Hypnosis…

That would be the ideal outcome.

While Aizen considered those possibilities, the rest of the Shinigami had raised their guard to the absolute limit.

Unohana rose as well, her hand around the hilt of her Zanpakutō trembling faintly.

Not from fear.

From excitement.

The brutality of the battle had already stirred the murderous instincts she had suppressed for so long.

Now, with an opponent even stronger than the Hollows appearing in front of her, the urge to fight was becoming almost impossible to contain.

Byakuya lowered his sword and studied Cyrus, then glanced toward Soi Fon with a trace of concern in his eyes.

The Hollows' behavior told him everything he needed to know.

Whoever this masked man was, he stood above them.

Hueco Mundo did not care about rank, status, or empty ceremony.

Strength decided authority here.

Yet Cyrus had appeared, and every powerful Hollow—including those that had been fighting like maniacs only moments earlier—had immediately backed away.

There was a very real possibility that he was the target they had come to investigate.

The being responsible for creating the enormous forest.

And if that were true…

What would Soi Fon do?

That was what concerned Byakuya.

He had no fear of battle, but neither did he intend to throw his life away for nothing.

Exactly as he feared, Soi Fon's entire attention was now fixed on Cyrus.

Her eyes moved over him carefully as questions rapidly formed in her mind.

She had also reached the conclusion that Cyrus might have created the forest.

Yet something about him didn't fit.

There was no Hollow hole anywhere on his body.

That was one of the most unmistakable traits of a Hollow. No matter how powerful a Menos became, somewhere on its body there should be a hollow opening passing completely through it.

Cyrus had nothing of the sort.

More importantly, she couldn't sense the presence of a Hollow from him at all.

Still, if he really was their objective…

Soi Fon made her decision.

Her peripheral vision tracked the Hollows that had withdrawn to the edge of the forest.

"This battle ends here."

Cyrus finally spoke.

His voice was calm, yet every Shinigami heard it clearly.

"You are not welcome here. Leave."

Soi Fon's body tensed.

Before she could move, hands landed on both of her shoulders.

Unohana on one side.

Byakuya on the other.

But the next instant, the fitted fabric across Soi Fon's back tore open as brilliant light flared over her shoulder blades, spreading outward like wings.

Shunkō.

Whoosh!

Both Byakuya and Unohana's expressions hardened.

Soi Fon was already gone.

She appeared beside Cyrus in an instant, the stinger on her finger gleaming dangerously as she thrust toward him.

Boom!

Black lightning erupted from Cyrus without warning.

An overwhelming force exploded outward like a hurricane, sweeping across the entire battlefield.

Conqueror's Haki.

The sheer pressure crushed down on everything around him.

Shinigami and Hollow alike felt fear rise instinctively within them as that violent will bore down upon the battlefield.

Soi Fon never even touched him.

The eruption of Haki blasted her away before her attack could land.

"Get her!"

Byakuya and Unohana reacted without hesitation.

Reishi erupted beneath their feet as both captains rushed after the airborne Soi Fon.

Someone else was faster.

A figure wrapped in black lightning appeared behind Soi Fon as though teleporting.

Cyrus caught her by the shoulder with his left hand.

His right arm rose, Armament Haki coating it just as two Zanpakutō struck.

Clang! Clang!

Both blades slammed into his forearm.

The sharp metallic sounds echoed across the battlefield.

The attacks failed to penetrate.

But Byakuya and Unohana were both extraordinarily experienced fighters.

The moment their first strikes were blocked, they separated in opposite directions and attacked again.

Their target was Soi Fon.

Cyrus had her restrained, and both captains were moving to free her.

Soi Fon herself wasn't idle either.

Even with Cyrus gripping her shoulder, she twisted and stabbed toward his chest.

Suzumebachi, which had been fitted over a finger on her right hand moments earlier, was now on her left.

Whoosh!

Cyrus tightened his grip.

Then he used Soi Fon herself as a weapon.

He spun once, swinging her body in a wide arc.

Both approaching captains were struck and sent flying.

Crack!

Soi Fon's face went pale.

She made no sound.

"Hm."

Cyrus glanced at her.

"Used a little too much strength."

The entire exchange had lasted only an instant.

Yet the difference between them was already obvious.

Cyrus released Soi Fon and turned toward the two captains he had sent flying.

"I'm keeping this one."

His voice remained perfectly calm.

"The rest of you still have a chance to leave."

"Shoot to Kill, Shinso!"

Gin's voice rang out.

His blade moved even faster than the words.

The narrow sword shot toward Cyrus at extreme speed.

Cyrus simply raised a hand and caught it.

Gin's foxlike smile froze.

'What the hell?'

The terrifying speed at which his blade could extend was one of the core strengths behind his Zanpakutō—and at its highest level, even touched upon something that felt almost like a rule of its own.

Yet Cyrus had simply grabbed it with his bare hand.

Before Gin could process what had happened—

Crack.

Metal snapped.

Gin's body stiffened.

His spiritual presence visibly weakened as Cyrus casually tossed the broken section of blade onto the ground.

"It seems you've made your choice."

Cyrus spoke while looking directly at Aizen.

Aizen stood with his hands tucked inside his sleeves.

The eyes hidden behind his glasses were difficult to read, but the warm smile he had maintained throughout the expedition was gone.

That strength.

That method of fighting.

'This power really is worth studying.'

That was the thought running through Aizen's mind.

Then he withdrew one hand from his sleeve and wrapped it around the hilt of his Zanpakutō.

"Sir."

Aizen finally spoke.

"I'll apologize on their behalf."

His tone remained calm.

"Allow me to take them and leave. How does that sound?"

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