Chapter 564 - 564 Tozansho

"What! Aizen!!"

Seeing Aizen suddenly appear, Rangiku and Ashido were both shocked.

"Oh, Lieutenant Matsumoto, Third Seat Ashido, hello to you too."

Aizen greeted Rangiku and Ashido as if they were close friends.

But Rangiku and Ashido only looked at Aizen with extremely grave expressions and did not respond.

"Ah well, how troublesome. Although I knew there was a high chance of running into you by coming to Hueco Mundo, I didn't expect you to show up so quickly."

Toshiro said, sounding very troubled.

"Well, I can't help it. Your strength, Toshiro-kun, is just too great. And the Espada are my loyal subordinates. I really can't just stand by and watch them die at your hands. Ulquiorra's death already caused me great pain. I cannot accept the sacrifice of any more comrades."

Aizen said with a compassionate expression.

"Comrades? That word sounds ironic coming from you. What you're really worried about is that if too many Espada die, there will be no one left to deal with the Gotei 13's Captains, isn't it?"

Toshiro sneered.

"Well, who knows?"

Aizen smiled gently, neither directly denying nor confirming Toshiro's guess.

"Well, whatever. It doesn't matter. Your sudden appearance this time suggests you come with ill intent."

Toshiro tightened his grip on his Zanpakuto.

"Not at all. We are old friends who have known each other for decades, aren't we? 'Ill intent' is too strong. It's just that when I left Soul Society last time, you and I had a friendly spar. You truly live up to your title as Vice-Captain-Commander... your strength far exceeds us mere Captains. Even I was left somewhat battered. Since my own strength has improved a bit recently, I simply wished to spar with you again."

Aizen said with a smile.

"You want to spar with me again? It seems obtaining the complete Hogyoku has improved your strength considerably. That's fine. Since I came to Hueco Mundo, I naturally prepared myself for battle. This time, I won't just leave you 'somewhat battered' like last time."

Toshiro said in a deep voice.

Although Aizen's sudden early appearance was somewhat unexpected, since Toshiro had come to Hueco Mundo, he had naturally prepared to fight Aizen.

Previously, after arriving in Hueco Mundo, Toshiro had let others handle almost all the fights, rarely fighting himself. Even when he was forced to act personally, he conserved his Reiryoku as much as possible.

The reason for this wasn't just that the enemies he encountered weren't worth his effort. More importantly, he didn't want to waste even a sliver of his Reiryoku, wanting to face the fight with Aizen in the best possible condition.

"Rangiku! Take Nel and Ashido and get as far away as possible! Remember! As far as you can!!"

Toshiro said to Rangiku with an extremely serious expression.

Honestly, Toshiro wasn't confident of victory against Aizen, nor was he confident he could protect Rangiku and the others while fighting him.

So, he had to let Rangiku take Nel and Ashido far away to avoid the battle's aftershocks.

"Yes, Captain!!"

Rangiku didn't say anything about staying to help. She knew very well that a fight with Aizen was not something at her level to interfere with. The best she could do was to take care of herself, Nel, and Ashido, allowing Toshiro to fight without worry.

Rangiku looked around at the environment. She saw only ruins and flat sandy ground... nowhere seemed safe.

Once Toshiro and Aizen started fighting, these places would be the first to suffer from the raging battle's aftershocks. So, Rangiku held Nel in her arms, grabbed Ashido, pushed off the ground with her feet, and leaped into the air.

"Then, let's begin our fight, Aizen!!"

Toshiro pointed his sword at Aizen, his aura soaring.

Shing—

Facing an opponent like Toshiro, Aizen didn't act arrogant. He directly drew his Zanpakuto.

"Ha!"

Toshiro shouted loudly and was the first to charge at Aizen with his sword.

Seeing this, Aizen didn't back down and swung his sword to meet him, intending to withstand Toshiro's attack head-on.

Clang—!!!

The swords clashed, sparks flying.

Simultaneously, a powerful shockwave of Reiatsu swept in all directions.

Boom! Boom!! Boom!!!

Ruins, yellow sand, and boulders alike were all annihilated by the shockwave from their collision.

With their swords locked, neither could gain the upper hand for a moment. Toshiro looked at Aizen, so close, and said gravely: "I see. Reiatsu of this intensity... it seems obtaining the complete Hogyoku has indeed increased your Reiatsu considerably."

"Naturally. On the other hand, Toshiro-kun, since our last parting, your strength doesn't seem to have increased much."

Aizen smiled.

"Hmph! It's more than enough to deal with you!"

Toshiro snorted coldly.

With that, Toshiro was about to attack Aizen again.

"Hmm?"

Just then, as if sensing something, Toshiro looked up and saw Nnoitra heading towards Rangiku and the others in the sky.

Shunkuho!

Toshiro abandoned Aizen and used his fastest speed to dash into the sky.

Swish!

Toshiro flickered and appeared directly in front of Nnoitra.

"You foolish, reckless thing!"

Toshiro roared angrily and slashed directly at Nnoitra, who was trying to take advantage of the situation to attack Rangiku and the others.

Clang!

The sound of clashing swords rang out. Aizen suddenly appeared and blocked Toshiro's attack with his own sword.

Scrape...

Although Toshiro's Zanpakuto was blocked by Aizen, an invisible blade of energy fell on Nnoitra's head. Nnoitra's Hierro, reputed to be the hardest among all generations of Espada, was easily breached. A horrific bloodstain appeared on his forehead, as if his entire head had been split cleanly in two.

However, although the bloodstain on Nnoitra's forehead looked terrifying, the injury itself wasn't too severe.

Most of the force of Toshiro's attack had been blocked by Aizen. The remaining sliver of force, though it passed through Aizen's block and hit Nnoitra's head, was exhausted after breaking through the defense of Nnoitra's Hierro, the hardest among Espada.

So, it didn't severely wound or kill Nnoitra.

Nnoitra, realizing what happened, wiped the blood flowing from his forehead and quickly retreated, not daring to stay near Toshiro.

Blocked by Aizen, Toshiro didn't have the chance to pursue and finish off Nnoitra.

Toshiro frowned, then suddenly raised his right foot and kicked at Aizen.

While Aizen held his sword in his right hand to block Toshiro's Zanpakuto, he simultaneously used his left hand to meet Toshiro's kick.

Bang!

A dull thud sounded, and then both Toshiro and Aizen flew backwards.

Swish!

Using the recoil, Toshiro executed a backflip and appeared beside Rangiku and the others.

"Captain! I'm so sorry, we made you..."

"Don't worry about that now!"

Toshiro waved his hand, interrupting Rangiku's words, and chanted: "Bakudo #73: Tozansho!"

Instantly, an inverted, pyramid-shaped blue space appeared in mid-air, enveloping Rangiku and the others.

Then, Toshiro flickered and charged at Aizen again, pulling the battlefield back to the ground.

The 73rd Bakudo, [Tozansho], not only has strong defensive capabilities but can also serve as a medical space.

Because fighting Aizen would make it difficult to protect Rangiku and the others, Toshiro used this Kido to help them withstand the battle's aftershocks, allow the injured Ashido to recover properly, and defend against the looming threat of Nnoitra.

After some consideration, he applied this Kido for them.