Chapter 476 - 476: Conflict Erupts in the World of the Living—Yamamoto vs. Aizen

Urahara Kisuke had no interest in responding to Mayuri's mockery.

By now, he fully understood how serious the situation was.

Back at Urahara Shop, Soi Fon's account had made it clear that something major had happened, but the danger had still felt somewhat abstract.

After all, how much worse could things possibly get than whatever Aizen was planning?

Now, surrounded by huge numbers of busy Shinigami and several captains, Urahara finally had his answer.

So many Shinigami had gathered that the very space of the World of the Living was beginning to destabilize.

It was the result of excessive Reishi concentration.

The effect wasn't particularly noticeable in Soul Society or Hueco Mundo, but the World of the Living was different.

Too much spiritual matter gathered in one place could cause irreversible damage.

That was one reason Soul Society strictly restricted Shinigami from using Bankai in the World of the Living.

"We need to move faster."

Shunsui stood nearby with his hands tucked into his sleeves, his eyes unusually serious beneath his straw hat.

"We don't know when that man will arrive, but Hollows are already appearing in much greater numbers than usual. Several of them are high-level Menos."

Urahara nodded silently.

"Why do you think he's doing this?"

Ukitake asked.

"Who knows?"

Byakuya's expression remained cold.

"What matters is preventing catastrophic damage to the World of the Living."

He had worn that same expression ever since Rukia was abducted, and no one felt like provoking him over it.

"And that man isn't the only problem."

Komamura Sajin stood nearby with his helmet removed, anger plain on his face.

"There's also Aizen."

Tosen's betrayal had clearly shaken him badly.

"Enough talking."

Unohana's voice suddenly cut in.

"Several Vasto Lorde-class Hollows have entered the World of the Living."

Every captain's expression sank.

So it had begun.

The entire reason they were rushing to create a second Karakura Town was to avoid exactly this situation.

If a large number of Menos fought openly here, even killing them all would leave the World of the Living devastated.

The captains exchanged glances.

Then several vanished at once.

Urahara and Mayuri remained behind.

They had more important work to finish.

…

Battles between Shinigami and Hollows erupted throughout Karakura Town.

To ordinary residents, however, none of it made any sense.

Buildings suddenly exploded.

Streets collapsed.

Strange accidents broke out one after another.

It looked like a string of supernatural disasters.

Aizen and Tosen had already entered the World of the Living without attracting attention.

They followed behind the Arrancar, using the chaos those Hollows created to draw the Shinigami away while they pursued their real objective.

"It has begun."

Tosen spoke quietly.

"Find her."

Aizen showed no urgency.

"Judging by her appearance, she should be a student."

Tosen turned to leave.

"Once you find her, do not engage anyone."

Aizen stopped him with one final instruction.

"Return to Hueco Mundo immediately."

"My presence here was never particularly secret. They may already know I've come, so the actual retrieval will have to be handled by you."

Tosen's expression became serious.

"Yes, Lord Aizen."

After he left, Aizen continued walking at an unhurried pace.

Far ahead, a tremendous explosion sent civilians running in panic.

To Aizen's eyes, the truth was obvious.

A Shinigami and a Menos were fighting above the blast zone.

"Cyrus probably told them I was coming."

Aizen murmured to himself.

It was only a feeling, but he had begun to understand Cyrus well enough to trust it.

Overwhelming strength had given Cyrus absolute confidence.

Most of what was happening now barely seemed important to him.

And if Cyrus wanted events to become more entertaining, what would he do?

Naturally, he would tell the Shinigami that Aizen was coming to the World of the Living, then sit back and watch the resulting battle.

Who won in the end probably didn't matter to him at all.

A short while later, a burst of scorching Reiatsu confirmed Aizen's suspicion.

Cyrus possessed terrifying fire abilities, but he wasn't skilled at manipulating spiritual power.

This Reiatsu could only belong to one person.

The Captain-Commander had personally entered the World of the Living.

"The replica Karakura Town isn't even finished, and he's already releasing that much Reiatsu."

Aizen turned toward the source.

"So he came looking for me."

Yamamoto was doing exactly that.

He had deliberately released his Reiatsu in the World of the Living to force Aizen into revealing himself.

And it worked.

The moment Aizen realized he had been found, his hand moved to his Zanpakutō.

He drew Kyōka Suigetsu.

There was no point avoiding the confrontation now.

If Cyrus wanted a show, then Aizen might as well give him one.

Besides, Aizen had rarely allowed himself the luxury of fighting Yamamoto seriously.

For years, his plans had required him to conceal his true strength.

Possessing overwhelming power while constantly pretending to be mild and unremarkable was hardly satisfying.

Now that an opportunity had presented itself, Aizen was willing to indulge.

Not recklessly, of course.

He was never the type to let excitement override reason.

Since his location had been exposed, every eye would naturally turn toward him.

That would make Tosen's mission much easier.

"Aizen!"

Yamamoto's voice thundered across the area.

Only afterward did his blurred figure appear in front of Aizen and solidify.

The Captain-Commander held his Zanpakutō ready.

"Surrender."

For once, Aizen actually laughed.

His stern expression broke completely.

"Hahaha! Captain-Commander, are you joking?"

He looked around.

"In the current situation, you're asking me to surrender?"

Numerous Shinigami had already appeared nearby, though none dared approach. They watched from a distance.

Aizen's smile faded.

"Or are you simply that confident you can defeat me?"

"Hmph."

Yamamoto understood perfectly well how absurd the demand sounded.

But he was an old-fashioned man.

Issuing a final warning before attacking was practically part of the procedure.

The moment his snort faded, he appeared in front of Aizen.

His sword swept horizontally.

Clang!

The expected sight of Aizen being cut down or blasted away never came.

Aizen raised Kyōka Suigetsu vertically and stopped the strike.

His expression showed no strain.

"So you truly were hiding your strength."

Yamamoto's flames erupted.

Aizen vanished inside them.

Then the figure within the fire dissolved like a reflection on water.

The real Aizen appeared off to the side, perfectly unharmed.

"I was."

He smiled calmly.

"But only because my goals required it."