Chapter 380: BSUS Chapter 383: Wailing

Just like a person who left home and forgot their keys, having no choice but to smash a window to get back inside.

Fragments of the sky swirled around Hiroe. Returning after several twists and turns did not bring him the joy it should have. He had only been gone for a short while, yet his “home” had unexpectedly turned into this.

The entire city was split in two. The upper half was completely peaceful, while the lower half resembled popped bubblegum, being slowly swallowed back up by that massive, crescent-shaped maw, revealing a satisfied smile.

However, such a smiling face was far too terrifying. It was a heavy smile bought at the cost of half of Karakura Town, including both the city and its people.

The only slight consolation was that this half of the town and the tens of thousands of people within it were not being destroyed, nor were they being prematurely sacrificed to forge the Ōken. Both the city and its people would pass through that massive Garganta and arrive at their destination—Hueco Mundo!

Hiroe shifted his gaze, stopping at the center of the remaining city. Seven Espada were currently pooling their Reiatsu. As long as he could interrupt them, he could put an end to this terrifying spectacle.

“It has been a long time since we parted at Sōkyoku Hill, Hiroe.”

“It hasn’t been that long, Aizen.”

Hiroe looked up from the pair of feet in front of him. Aizen wore a smile on his face, as if the man standing opposite him truly was an old friend he hadn’t seen in ages.

“But we have both undergone earth-shattering transformations. No, rather, I should say we have both broken free from our restraints. We ought to be able to face each other more at ease.”

“What you’re doing doesn’t make things easy at all.”

“Is this not something you prepared for long ago?” Aizen countered, then continued, “Just like back in the Seireitei, our conflict doesn’t necessarily have to end without a mutually beneficial outcome.”

“You want Inoue Orihime?”

Aizen nodded. He quite enjoyed the process of conversing with Hiroe. For the two of them, a consensus on many matters could be reached even before they met; words were merely the final result.

“Taking both Inoue and half of Karakura Town is going too far, Aizen.”

“What difference does one Inoue Orihime make to you?”

“Of course it makes a difference. You’ve already made me lose half; how could I possibly let you win?”

Aizen shook his head. “That is not something a hero who wishes to lead Shinigami, Humans, and Hollows should say. Or could it be that you know in your heart the brat you placed such high hopes in is unreliable, Hiroe?”

“Stop stalling for time, Aizen.”

Unwilling to stay entangled in the topic of Ichigo, Hiroe cut straight to the point. “I can let you take this half of Karakura Town, and all the Arrancar here can safely return to Hueco Mundo. All I want is the one human still down there.”

*A human?* Aizen chuckled softly. “Trading what already belongs to me for something else of mine is hardly a transaction.”

“Is that so?”

Hiroe’s gaze turned sharp. “Fighting in the Dangai, then using a forbidden spatial technique to shatter your spatial lockdown—my Reiatsu is indeed unstable, and I am far from my best. And with you here, even in my peak condition, I wouldn’t be able to do much against you in a short amount of time, let alone now. Therefore, you think I should be the one to make concessions.”

“Your judgment is as precise as ever.”

“But don’t forget, I have two Zanpakutō, Aizen!”

Hiroe reminded him of a fact that was easily overlooked. “Even if I’m not at my peak, I can do far more than you imagine.”

“Such as?”

“Such as killing a few Espada!”

As Hiroe spoke, his left hand suddenly gripped the hilt of Kōki. His entire aura flared like a drawn blade, radiating a piercing sharpness!

Aizen hadn’t forgotten that his opponent possessed a second blade, but his slight frown suggested he hadn’t expected Hiroe’s attitude to be so resolute.

It wasn’t hard to figure out. The abilities of Hiroe’s second Zanpakutō were bizarre and seemed capable of countering Kyōka Suigetsu, but it couldn’t support Hiroe in fighting without reservations.

However, the currently inconspicuous Kōki was different. Aizen clearly remembered that this very blade had blocked a full-power strike from Zaraki Kenpachi.

If Hiroe were to wield both Zanpakutō simultaneously right now, he could effortlessly discard a certain rationality in battle—trading his own safety for the lives of his enemies. Specifically, the lives of a group of enemies who currently couldn’t move.

At present, less than a quarter of that half of the city remained uncaptured. Even if the process was interrupted, it would make no fundamental difference to Aizen’s side.

But to potentially lose the Espada over this…

“You don’t want to have our final showdown right now, do you, Aizen!”

*Is it worth it…?*

“For a single human, is it worth it?”

“That is a question I should be asking you, the master of Las Noches, Aizen.”

Indeed, since Hiroe had already made his decision, it was worth it in his eyes. Aizen understood this, yet he couldn’t comprehend it.

“You wouldn’t kill them so easily.”

“I would!”

“Oh?”

Aizen didn’t think he had misjudged Hiroe, so this assertion surprised him quite a bit.

“They are currently your property. Destroying them is not an unacceptable outcome.”

“Hehehe, now that sounds a bit more like something a hero would say—a hero named Chōzuka Hiroe.”

Aizen seemed to sigh in admiration. With a push of his palm, he slid the slightly exposed Kyōka Suigetsu back into its sheath and turned around, leaving himself completely defenseless. “Go on, then. I, too, would like to see what kind of human could make you so serious.”

Yukio felt as though his body had melted. It wasn’t an illusion; his limbs were entirely devoid of strength, as if a mere gust of wind could blow him away.

The roof that had once supported him had become a part of his body. The two seemed to have been kneaded into an oil painting, or perhaps melted into a river, slowly, ever so slowly flowing into the pitch-black abyss nearby.

A hand, as if crossing the boundary between reality and nothingness, suddenly appeared in this painted world. It was unique; even as it was stretched out like smeared paint, it still possessed genuine power.

Then, it grasped him in its palm, rescuing him from this world hurtling toward despair!

Yukio’s tears seemed to be pulled out along with him. Through those bead-like teardrops, Hiroe’s figure was etched with absolute clarity into his mind.

“An unexpected brat.” Aizen stood beside Ulquiorra and the others, seemingly a bit disappointed. “The loyalty of a little puppy holds no substantial value, Hiroe.”

The city beneath their feet was still moving, and the distance between Hiroe and Aizen was closing. “But he isn’t a puppy, Aizen.”

“And you are equally not a mediocre human. Emotion is the power closest to falsehood.”

Finally, the oil-painting-like city was completely siphoned away, revealing a canvas of pure black.

“You will soon come to realize this, just as you will come to realize yourself, Hiroe.”

Aizen also gradually sank into the ground, as if nothing could prove he had ever been there.

*Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~*

Fierce winds howled through the gorge, and an endless sound like wailing echoed from beneath their feet, proving that Aizen had not only been here but had also ruthlessly stolen away a piece of the earth.