Betrayal

First Division barracks.

Yamamoto Genryusai accidentally broke the brush in his hand.

He couldn't remember how many brushes he had broken this month. Since Tokikaze took over as the Captain of the 9th Division, such incidents had become frequent.

Lately, he didn't even do his duties as a Captain, and instead immersed himself in his Clan business.

And even then, he still had to trouble Gotei 13.

However, Yamamoto Genryusai also knew deep down that it was not Tokikaze's fault. He could only blame his strangely bad luck.

Although annoyed, he still had to deal with it.

Secret orders were issued continuously, and Inner Court Troops rushed throughout Seireitei, delivering the emergency orders from the First Division to the various Divisions.

…

8th Division barracks, in front of the Captain's office.

"Wow, old man Yama actually lets me leave the Soul Society?"

Kyouraku Shunsui looked at the Inner Court Troop who suddenly appeared in front of him and muttered subconsciously, "This is too much of a coincidence. I can't help but suspect that the plan has been exposed."

Before the first-level orders were issued, he had already planned to use Kyoraku Clan's Senkaimon to go to the Human World on his own.

At the same time, in the Fifth Division barracks, the emergency orders were also delivered.

Soon, two figures stepped into the Senkaimon at the same time, and disappeared.

...

Human World, Karakura Town, on a plain.

Szayelaporro revealed his true form. His Reiatsu surged, almost completely suppressing Tokikaze. The surging purple light swirled above the sky, dyeing the entire plain a different color.

The feathers of the broken wind fluttered, making rustling sounds in the air. Tokikaze's Reiatsu and the wind enveloping Arashigane countered the purple Reiatsu in the surroundings.

Szayelaporro's strength sure was something.

Fissures-like ravines continued to expand, and even deeper layers of the ground cracked, gradually spreading downwards.

Releasing of all his Reiatsu alone had already caused such a severe damage.

"Now, the second act has begun."

Szayelaporro slowly opened his eyes, and rage could be seen within the golden-red pupils.

"I hope you won't die too quickly..."

As soon as the words fell, the tentacles beneath him surged frantically, blooming like flowers in front of him, and the purple light burst from the center where a massive Reiatsu gathered.

Cero!

"Pride of the Sky, Iron-walled fortress, Dragon roars, Lion's howl, Tiger's roar, Wolf's charge, Cut off the heavens and the earth before it collapses!"

Tokikaze quietly chanted the Kidou spell, instantly deploying Danku.

Although the momentum was slightly lacking, he did not believe that this battle would end in failure.

The purple pillar of light flashed across the sky as if a huge brush lightly painted on the clouds.

"Bakudo #81: Danku."

A Spoken-After Incantation Bakudo #81 stood tall on the sky, blocking the incoming Cero.

No matter how strong it was, Danku stood firm, protecting everything behind it without fail.

When the residual force of Cero gradually dissipated, Arashigane in Tokikaze's hand had been completely covered by the compressed wind.

The feathers of the broken wind transformed into spiritual particles, flowing into the blade, merging into the compressed wind.

Almost all of the Reiatsu was transformed by Tokikaze into an unstoppable wind breath. With perfect control, it underwent high-intensity compression, all completely integrated into the blade.

The originally silver-white blade instantly changed to a blue-white color, like blowing light wind.

Retsufu Arashigane, East Blade of Broken Sky!

Concentrating all the power of the wind on the blade, suppressing all special effects' radiance, imitating the trump card technique from Yamamoto Genryusai's trump card.

Tokikaze's face turned slightly pale, feeling that his Reiatsu was being sucked dry so rapidly.

Doing this took a heavy toll on him. It was even more draining than Yamamoto Genryusai's case

Fortunately, the power of this technique was strong enough!

The blue wind flashed in the pupils and Tokikaze locked onto Szayelaporro in the sky.

"Trust me, the second act won't last too long."

Tokikaze muttered to himself and reappeared above Szayelaporro's head using Shunpo.

"This farce will end soon."

Looking at Tokikaze, who he couldn't see coming, Szayelaporro felt wary, and his pupils contracted abruptly.

At this moment, he admitted that Tokikaze was dangerous.

All nerves on his body were telling him to stay away from the person in front of him.

Too late.

Szayelaporro instinctively used the four wings behind him and the tentacles below to defend against the impending attack.

Tokikaze raised her hand, and with a swift motion, the East Blade of Broken Sky, containing endless wind, slashed down, directly landing on the fleshy mass-like tentacle.

Buzz—

There was no deafening explosion, no howling gusts of wind.

At the moment the blade touched Szayelaporro, the enormous fleshy mass was instantly erased in the trembling, creating a huge gap between the two.

The sudden eruption of intense pain left Szayelaporro's mind blank. His golden-red pupils stared fixedly at Tokikaze in front of him, filled with an expression of disbelief.

No matter how hard he tried to figure it out, he couldn't wrap his head around the sudden strength Tokikaze suddenly exerted.

The tentacles and the wings that he boasted to be capable of easily withstanding a Vasto Lorde's Cero were effortlessly incinerated?

The bone-like white feathers became his last line of defense. Szayelaporro tried to twist his body to escape from the spot.

But Tokikaze was even faster than he had imagined.

Sword Technique: Extreme Sword Style

The sword style that Tokikaze had recently mastered had only one characteristic.

That was, speed!

A blue-white light flashed across the sky, like thunder roaring, unstoppable.

The blade descended, touching Szayelaporro's bone-like feathers. Another burst of surging wind erupted, breaking through the steel-like shell that couldn't even hold on for a second, and instantly tore it down.

Buzz—

The wind surged close, along with Szayelaporro's half body being wiped away. His figure streaked across the sky like a meteor, heavily falling on the plain.

Boom!

A deafening noise echoed at the edge of Karakura Town, and the terrifying storm's aftermath instantly swept across in all directions.

The surrounding area was devastated. Half of the mountains collapsed with a rumble, raising a cloud of dust, sinking into the ground.

"Hoo—"

Tokikaze gasped heavily and instantly canceled out East Blade of Broken Sky.

Just after two slashes, his Reiatsu had already nearly depleted. It sure was taxing.

If Szayelaporro wasn't dead yet, he would have to run away.

Continuing the fight wouldn't be wise.

As the dust subsided, a ragged figure staggered out.

"Cough, cough!"

The violent cough sounded. Szayelaporro spat out blood along with a few innards as he spoke.

"Too ugly..."

The upper torso was almost directly hollowed out. From the front, you could easily see the blackened feathers of bone behind him, sticking to the flesh like a corpse.

Even the white skull mask that symbolized his identity as a Menos was cut off in two, revealing a grotesque appearance.

With such injuries, if it were any other Menos or Soul Reaper, they would have long returned to hell long ago, but Szayelaporro still survived.

"Tsunayashiro Tokikaze."

He looked at the figure in the sky, "I'll remember your name."

"The second act has ended, but this show is far from over."

As he spoke, the hidden Garganta reappeared.

Countless grotesque white bone masks emerged from it, and the irrational roaring sounds echoed across the entire plain.

A massive golden square beam descended from the sky, directly covering Szayelaporro.

"The time has come."

The ground cracked, floated, lifting Szayelaporro's broken body towards the Garganta.

"Next time we meet, I'll definitely turn you into my experiment subject."

Negacion, the ability used by the Menos to save their companion.

Once covered by the beam, the target would be completely isolated.

Let alone at his current state, Tokikaze couldn't even break it if he was in his prime.

At this moment, behind Tokikaze, a traditional sliding door appeared, and powerful Reiatsu surged out from within.

In the next moment, two figures stepped out from it.

"Looks like we're a bit late."

Seeing Tokikaze who seemed to be still in one piece, Shunsui Kyoraku breathed a sigh of relief, then looked towards the distant Garganta.

The Vasto Lorde's strength was exceptional, and an average Captain should be no match against it.

Aizen walked to Tokikaze's side and considerately used a Kaido, helping her recover Tokikaze's depleted Reiatsu.

"Fortunately, Captain Tokikaze's injuries are not severe."

Shunsui Kyoraku rubbed his stubble, pointed to the figure inside the Negacion in the distance, and signaled:

"Is that the Vasto Lorde mentioned in the alarm?"

Tokikaze nodded in response, "He claims to be the sole researcher of Hueco Mundo, Szayelaporro Granz."

It had to be said that Aizen in disguise was indeed a trustworthy ally.

With a comprehensive mastery of the Zanjutsu and Kido, he certainly was reliable.

In just a few seconds, Tokikaze's Reiatsu had recovered almost half, giving him the strength to fight again.

"We'll look into him once we return to the Soul Society."

Looking at the gradually closing Garganta in the sky, Shunsui Kyoraku glanced at Tokikaze, "Now, I'm more concerned about how you managed to beat him like that?"

Tokikaze pondered for a moment and replied, "If I have to say, it was probably luck."

As a Vasto Lorde, Szayelaporro was indeed powerful, but compared to other Vasto Lorde, he was slightly weaker.

But if another Vasto Lorde appeared today, Tokikaze wouldn't have gotten away so easily.

"Now is not the time to focus on these things, Captain Kyoraku."

Aizen interjected from the side, "The impact caused by the arrival of Vasto Lorde in the Human World cannot be completely neutralized in a short time. We need to alter the memories of humans in the Human World at a large scale."

Although there were no humans living on the plain, the battle between Tokikaze and Szayelaporro had almost destroyed the entire plain, leaving devastation in its wake.

"Well, leave it to the 13th Division to handle this kind of thing."

Shunsui Kyoraku was indifferent, once again adopting a lazy demeanor, "They are professionals."

The 13th Division, as a purification Division, usually handled the chaos caused by Hollows in the Human World, as well as the work of sending newly formed souls to the Soul Society.

Their actions often caused some impact in the Human World, and if noticed by humans, they would generally alter the humans' memories.

"That's true." Aizen smiled, "The members of the 5th Division will also help."

As he spoke, Shunsui Kyoraku had opened the Senkaimon again. He needed to report the situation in the Human World to Yamamoto Genryusai and inform the professionals to collect the residual Reishi from the battlefield.

"Captain Tokikaze, are you not coming with us?"

Aizen invited, "My Kaido is mediocre. It's better to have Captain Unohana check on you again."

Tokikaze pointed to the edge of the distant mountains, "The war still needs to be concluded there. If you want to stay and help, I don't mind."

"Cut me some slack." Shunsui Kyoraku gestured to his Captain haori and said, "You can't possibly ask me to participate in a war against the rebels while I'm wearing this outfit, right?"

"The Kyoraku Clan has just barely survived the hot water."

The Kyoraku Clan was currently sparse in terms of its members, with the only one worthy of attention being Kyoraku Shunsui himself.

If he were to get involved in the power struggles among the nobility, the fate of the Kyoraku Clan might become even more tragic.

The Senkaimon opened and closed as the two hastily departed.

Watching their figures disappear in the light, Tokikaze stood in place, silently pondering.

At the moment when Aizen appeared, he clearly sensed something unusual.

The Reishi surrounding him exhibited rare inertness, slightly less active than the spiritual particles in the atmosphere.

"Spiritual Particle Affinity?" Tokikaze thought, "Could this be the ability of Kyoka Suigetsu?"

Having interacted with Aizen multiple times before, he had never noticed any changes in the nature of his Spiritual Affinity.

But with the increase in spiritual particle affinity, perception, and changes in spiritual particle form also enhanced, giving Tokikaze a sense of regained clarity.

It was under these circumstances that he sensed the anomaly in the Aizen he just met.

Perhaps, it was not the real Aizen!

Tokikaze shook his head, deciding not to dwell on this matter any longer.

Whether it was the real Aizen or not was not that important.

He was already finding it challenging to defeat Szayelaporro; facing Aizen head-on would probably be a hundred times more difficult.

"Let's deal with the remaining aftermath first."

Be it Aizen or Urahara Kisuke, who immediately escaped the moment the Senkaimon appeared,

After the battle with Szayelaporro, Tokikaze realized that his current strength was not sufficient.

In addition to diligent training, perhaps he should find ways to become stronger.

Glancing at the ravaged battlefield, Tokikaze headed towards the edge of the plain, ready to assess the survivors of the war.

Most of the nobles near this plain had been knocked unconscious by Szayelaporro's overwhelming Reiatsu.

Fortunately, the Menos Grande that had arrived earlier from the Garganta had already perished in the aftermath of the battle. Otherwise, it would have been a complete massacre.

After counting the survivors and a brief rest, Tokikaze opened a Senkaimon leading to Tsunayashiro Clan.

Watching the familiar glow, tears welled up in the eyes of those present.

Finally, they could go home.

The Human World was too terrifying, and they vowed never to return.

The arrival of Szayelaporro undoubtedly brought immense trauma to the fragile hearts of these nobles.

Faced with the terrifying Reiatsu like a collapsing sky, they were like insects, completely powerless, only able to await the suffocating sensation akin to an impending apocalypse to engulf them.

If given the choice, they would prefer to spend their entire lives in the Soul Society. At least, beings of Vasto Lorde-level, such as Szayelaporro, wouldn't casually appear in the Soul Society.

...

Soul Society, Tsunayashiro Clan mansion, 38th courtyard.

With the blossoming of the Kido light, figures streamed out of the Senkaimon before being taken to Coordinated Relief Station.

After experiencing such a war, those people were nearing their limits both physically and mentally. Without timely treatment, they feared they would break down entirely.

Regarding the outcome of this war, Tsunayashiro Akizuki expressed great satisfaction. The rebel forces were entirely eradicated, and although there were a few unexpected incidents, the casualties on their side were within an acceptable range.

However, he soon noticed something amiss. "Where is Tsunayashiro Tokinada?"

The only response he received was a disdainful sneer from Tokikaze.

"Before that, I'm more curious about which idiot released Tokinada in the first place?"

Tsunayashiro Akizuki suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Could it be that Tokinada has joined the rebel forces?"

"Not really."

Tsunayashiro Akizuki breathed a sigh of relief. "As long as he din't joined the rebels, there's room for maneuver, and the problem isn't significant."

Tokikaze nodded, lifted a cup of tea served by a servant, and drank it all in one gulp. "He just ordered Tokieda to attack me. After his plan was exposed, he even personally attacked me."

"Attacking the head of the main family… As a member of a branch family – I believe I don't need to say much about such a crime, right?"

As the words fell, Tsunayashiro Akizuki felt his vision darken, with no bright future in sight. His once brilliant life seemed to have come to an end in an instant.

It was all because Tokinada had forcefully ended his period of house arrest against the majority's objection and participated in the war.