Fate in Bleach: Unlimited Blade Works!-Chapter 319: Anti-Membrane

Facing Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's attack, a smile touched Aizen's lips. He didn't seem to care.

Because, in Yamamoto's eyes, Captain Ailin was Sōsuke Aizen!

As expected—

"Wait—"

"Head-Captain Yamamoto!"

"Captain Ailin!"

Amidst the captains' shocked exclamations, Yamamoto's attack wasn't directed at Aizen, but at Captain Ailin!

"Oh?"

Ailin glanced at Aizen. He had also wielded Kyōka Suigetsu for a time.

Therefore, when Aizen manipulated Yamamoto's senses, confusing him, Ailin had guessed Aizen's intentions. freewёbnoνel.com

It was nothing more than a ploy to buy time.

However, Ailin was also anticipating Aizen's growth. He decided to allow Aizen's scheme to unfold.

Yamamoto's attack was also within Ailin's expectations.

Facing Yamamoto's "Rend," Ailin didn't hold back. His Zanpakutō, radiating a chilling cold, clashed against Yamamoto's attack.

"Slash!"

BOOM!

A horizontal slash met a vertical slash! Yamamoto's Rend, infused with six-thousand-degree Celsius heat. Ailin's slash, infused with an endless chill.

Red and white spiritual pressures intertwined on Sōkyoku Hill, the clash of ice and fire resembling a miniature nuclear explosion.

The shockwave from their collision swept across the entire hill. It was fortunate that all the Shinigami present were captain-level.

Even the injured lieutenants, along with Ichigo Kurosaki and Shino Madarame, were shielded by Retsu Unohana, preventing them from being harmed.

BOOM!

The collision of Ailin and Yamamoto's spiritual pressures shattered Aizen's control over Yamamoto's senses. The world before Yamamoto's eyes returned to normal.

"Aizen!"

Yamamoto roared, turning his gaze towards Aizen.

He sheathed Ryūjin Jakka. However, despite his fury, he didn't attack Aizen.

If it were any other captain, they would have struggled to withstand his previous attack.

Having witnessed Yamamoto's actions, the other captains became wary. They feared that Yamamoto might mistake them for Aizen and attack.

Their gaze involuntarily shifted towards Zaraki.

Before they had arrived, Zaraki had fought Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen, three captains, alone!

If Zaraki attacked, could he hit Aizen?

"Tch, bugs. Don't look at me."

Zaraki's response disappointed the captains.

"I can only sense his attacks when he's attacking me. I simply counter his attacks. When he isn't attacking, I can't see him."

There was a hint of irritation in Zaraki's voice. His battle against Aizen had been the most frustrating fight of his life.

What he saw wasn't necessarily real.

Where he attacked wasn't necessarily false.

Zaraki hated this kind of fight.

But he had no choice. If they couldn't break through Kyōka Suigetsu's hypnosis, they posed no threat to Aizen.

In fact, if they attacked, they might even end up helping Aizen.

For a moment, both the Seireitei and Aizen's group were hesitant to act.

Aizen's group was primarily restrained.

Soi Fon and Yoruichi had Tōsen at swordpoint.

Kyoraku and Ukitake were guarding Gin.

And Aizen was surrounded by Zaraki, Yamamoto, and Ailin, the Seireitei's three strongest fighters.

None of them dared move, fearing they would trigger an attack.

While the Seireitei seemed to have Aizen's group cornered, they were hesitant to act, wary of Kyōka Suigetsu's ability. They feared that they might end up attacking their comrades.

Compared to the Seireitei, Aizen's expression remained unchanged.

It was as if he hadn't been defeated, even though he was surrounded by Yamamoto, Zaraki, and Ailin.

"It's time."

Suddenly, Aizen said something that confused the Seireitei.

It's time?

What time?

Just as they were wondering, something happened in the sky above, answering their question.

"Rip—"

"Shhh—"

Three black spatial rifts appeared above Sōkyoku Hill.

Several massive claws emerged from the rifts, then, like someone tearing through fabric, they ripped open three spatial gateways.

Garganta!

The Hollows from Hueco Mundo had opened Garganta within the Seireitei?

Through the three massive Garganta, the captains saw countless Gillian.

Several Gillian, dwarfing the others, squeezed their heads through the Garganta, their grotesque masks, long noses, black exoskeletons, and white bone spikes seemingly piercing the sky.

The captains were enraged.

All the buildings within the Seireitei were constructed from Sekkiseki. Furthermore, surrounding the Seireitei was a massive wall imbued with a powerful barrier—the Shakonmaku!

With the Shakonmaku, the Seireitei's spiritual pressure was concealed from the three worlds, even from the Hollows in Hueco Mundo.

Shinigami could only enter and exit the Seireitei through the four gates and the Senkaimon, portals created by the Seireitei.

There was no other way to directly enter the Seireitei.

Even Kisuke Urahara's Senkaimon, before he received permission from the Seireitei, could only send Ichigo Kurosaki and his companions to Rukongai.

But now, the Hollows from Hueco Mundo had opened Garganta within the Seireitei. This made the captains think of other incidents.

For instance, the Hollow that had infiltrated the Seireitei over thirty years ago, killing several members of the Thirteenth Division.

Or the Hollow that had appeared within the Tenth Division eighteen years ago, resulting in the disappearance of Isshin Shiba.

It seemed that everything was connected.

The one who had exposed the Seireitei to Hueco Mundo was Sōsuke Aizen!

BOOM!

Before the captains could vent their fury, yellow light descended from the three Garganta.

BOOM!

Just as they were about to be enveloped by the yellow light, Soi Fon and Yoruichi quickly retreated from Tōsen, escaping its grasp.

The yellow light engulfed Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen, along with a portion of the ground beneath them, slowly lifting them towards the Garganta.

"Don't even think about escaping!"

Soi Fon cried out. Based on what Yoruichi had told her, if they could capture Aizen and his group, they could clear Yoruichi's name.

After all, unlike Urahara, whose research on Hollowfication had been exposed, Yoruichi's only crime was trespassing into the Central 46 chambers and freeing prisoners.

Now that they had captured the criminals, how could Soi Fon let them escape?

She unleashed her full power.

"Bankai—"

Her spiritual pressure exploded, and the Suzumebachi on her fingertip grew larger under her reiatsu.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Besides her Zanpakutō, Soi Fon's spiritual pressure transformed into countless ribbons that pierced into the ground, anchoring her body.

"Jakuhō Raikōben!"

Sizzle...

The captains gasped as they saw Soi Fon's Bankai.

Soi Fon had been the captain of the Second Division for over ninety years.

However, when she became captain, she didn't reveal her Bankai. Instead, she had displayed her mastery of "Infinite Shunko," a technique that rivaled Bankai. This had earned her the approval of five captains, including Head-Captain Yamamoto.

It was the first time in decades that Soi Fon had released her Bankai before others. It was also the first time the captains had seen her Bankai.

Looking at the strange yellow missile, the captains had mixed reactions.

While its appearance differed greatly from their understanding of "weapons," they couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

It was clear that Soi Fon's Bankai possessed formidable power.

Ailin was among those who sensed the threat.

Of course, he didn't feel threatened, but Soi Fon's Bankai was different from the one in his memories.

Jakuhō Raikōben's shape hadn't changed much.

What had changed was its size.

In Ailin's memories, Soi Fon's Jakuhō Raikōben was only about 1.4 meters long, roughly the same height as Soi Fon.

But the Jakuhō Raikōben before Ailin now was at least 2.5 meters long.

Its increased size meant that its power was undoubtedly several times greater than in Ailin's memories!

This made Ailin realize that perhaps it was time to update the Zanpakutō within Unlimited Blade Works.

Under his influence, the captains' strength had increased considerably.

Naturally, their corresponding Zanpakutō should also be upgraded.

As everyone watched, Soi Fon struggled to lift her Jakuhō Raikōben, aiming its sights at the yellow light engulfing Aizen.

BOOM!

The recoil sent Soi Fon crashing into the ground. The impact created a massive crater on Sōkyoku Hill.

However, the captains ignored Soi Fon. Their gaze was fixed on the yellow missile as it collided with the yellow light.

BOOM!

A massive explosion erupted, sending a mushroom cloud hundreds of meters high into the sky.

The powerful shockwave shattered the Gillian who had squeezed their bodies through the Garganta, their forms dissolving into spiritual particles.

Even the Gillian hiding within the Garganta were killed by the aftershocks.

However, there was no shortage of Hollows in Hueco Mundo.

Even though many had been killed by the shockwave, the other Gillian quickly surged forward, eager to enter the Seireitei and feast.

It seemed that there was a force behind them, manipulating the Gillian, making them open Garganta and send down the yellow light, but preventing them from entering the Seireitei.

As the smoke and dust cleared, the captains saw that the yellow light was unharmed. They couldn't help but sigh.

"Damn it!"

Seeing that her attack had failed, Soi Fon ignored her injuries. Her spiritual pressure surged.

"Bankai—"

Like Gin Ichimaru's Bankai, "Kamishini no Yari," Soi Fon's Bankai, "Jakuhō Raikōben," also concentrated her spiritual pressure into a single, devastating attack.

However, while Kamishini no Yari was a point-to-point attack, Jakuhō Raikōben was a point-to-area attack.

The previous attack had depleted most of Soi Fon's spiritual pressure. To activate her Bankai again, she would need to expend even more spiritual energy.

"Enough, Soi Fon!"

Yoruichi suddenly appeared beside Soi Fon, grabbing her hand and stopping her.

"That yellow light is 'Anti-Membrane,' a technique used by the Hollows in Hueco Mundo to save their comrades.

Anti-Membrane isolates the space within the light from the outside world. In other words, while we can still see Aizen and the others, they are no longer in the same dimension as us. Any attack we use here won't reach them."

"But, Lady Yoruichi, we were so close..."

Soi Fon looked at Yoruichi tearfully.

"Lady Yoruichi, I had my blade at their necks! We were so close to capturing those criminals. Why?!"

"It's alright, Soi Fon."

Yoruichi pulled Soi Fon into an embrace and comforted her. "You see, I'm standing here right now, and the other captains haven't attacked me. As long as they don't attack, the Seireitei's ban on me is meaningless."