Unohana Retsu felt a cold sweat trickle down her temples—something she had not experienced in a long time.
"As expected of you… It seems I am no longer your match. But that's fine."
While healing herself with Kaidō, she continued, "I'll get straight to the point…
"At the captains' meeting, you accused Aizen Sōsuke of conspiracy. Do you have any evidence to prove it?"
"There is no evidence," Akira replied without hesitation. "Because of Kyōka Suigetsu's hypnosis ability, even if you go to Central 46 now, you won't find their bodies.
"If you truly want proof, just wait until tomorrow—Rukia's execution is then, correct?"
Unohana paused for a moment, her brow furrowing.
"What do you mean?"
"Aizen's goal is Rukia," Akira explained. "By then, he will have to make a move.
"This means he won't have the time or focus to maintain Kyoka Suigetsu over the Central 46 underground chamber."
Kyōka Suigetsu's hypnosis isn't an infinite-range, fully automatic effect. Otherwise, Aizen wouldn't have needed Tōsen Kaname and Ichimaru Gin to take turns standing guard before."
Unohana listened, but another question surfaced in her mind: Why is Aizen targeting Rukia Kuchiki?
"It's still hard to believe…" she muttered. "Even so, the idea that Aizen could have hypnotized the entire Gotei 13 is absurd."
"Absurd?" Akira asked. "Would it be more reasonable for Aizen to gather you all and openly demonstrate his ability?"
Unohana fell silent, a realization dawning upon her.
"…I see. That was Kyōka Suigetsu's Shikai initiation. The moment you see it released even once, you are bound by its hypnosis for life."
Her expression darkened. After a moment, she asked, "Then why did you kill Tōsen Kaname?"
"I already explained the reason. But haven't you realized something?"
Akira's voice was firm as he stated, "Kyōka Suigetsu's hypnosis only takes effect if you see its Shikai.
"That means the blind Tōsen Kaname was never affected—yet he still chose to stand by Aizen and play along."
A cold chill ran down Unohana's spine. If that was true, Aizen's deception ran deeper than she had ever imagined.
If not for Akira, the entire Gotei 13 would have been left completely in the dark.
Of course, that was only assuming his claims were true.
"…In the end, this is still only speculation."
"Besides, you've already defeated nearly every captain. No matter what you say, the Captain-Commander won't believe you."
After a pause, Unohana added, "However, I personally believe your words have value. If you have no intention of continuing to fight me, allow me to leave so I can investigate this myself."
She was not pleading for mercy—it was a request, one made as a former comrade.
Akira raised his hand in a subtle gesture. Unohana's expression softened with gratitude before she leapt into the air, vanishing into the sky.
At this point, Akira had achieved his goal. There was no need to force Unohana's hand.
"Aizen's farce is nearing its end. Meanwhile, I've had my own fun toying with the Gotei 13…
"…And the rewards for survival keep piling up."
From beginning to end, it appeared to be Aizen's strategy.
But in truth, everything had been under Akira's control.
The situation had not spiraled out of his control. On the contrary, Akira had turned it to his advantage, emerging as the biggest winner.
"Huh? Eh…???"
In the distance, Kurotsuchi Mayuri stood frozen in shock as he watched Unohana Retsu walk away on her own.
Having distanced himself earlier to avoid getting caught in the clash between two monstrous fighters, Mayuri had missed the conversation between Akira and Unohana. But now, the sight before him made no sense.
"What? What just happened? Why did Unohana simply leave like that?! And Akira actually let her go?!"
For a moment, Kurotsuchi Mayuri almost suspected that Unohana and Akira had struck some kind of secret deal…
Before he could dwell on the thought, a chilling sensation ran down his spine. His entire body stiffened, like a small prey animal suddenly caught in the gaze of an apex predator.
"He… He can see through the poisonous mist and track me?!"
A piercing, ice-cold stare cut through the lingering fog, locking onto Mayuri with lethal intent.
"Now, you're the only little insect left…"
Akira's voice was devoid of warmth. "Your disgusting little scheme wasn't bad, but I saw through it easily. I was just occupied with Unohana earlier and couldn't act."
"What—?!"
Before Mayuri could react, a raging storm erupted from Akira's blade.
"Barrier of the Wind King!"
The unleashed hurricane swept through the battlefield, rapidly dispersing the noxious mist. But Akira wasn't finished. In a single fluid motion, he conjured another blade of divine radiance and pointed it directly at Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
In the next instant, the storm shifted—driving the remaining poison straight toward Mayuri!
"Damn it—!"
Horror flickered across Mayuri's face. But before he could escape, Akira raised his hand, and a bolt of divine lightning erupted forth—a judgment as swift and merciless as the will of the heavens.
"Boom!!!"
The explosion tore through the poisoned mist, engulfing Mayuri in a devastating inferno.
As the battlefield fell silent, Akira finally allowed his tensed expression to relax. His body swayed unsteadily.
"Cough…!"
A few mouthfuls of blackened blood spilled from his lips.
"Even though I have an elemental body and can't die from poison… it still affects me to some extent."
His vision blurred for a brief moment—one of the reasons he had chosen not to continue fighting Unohana earlier.
"Well… a single night's rest should be enough to recover from this."
Just as he steadied himself and prepared to move forward, three figures suddenly blocked his path.
Kurosaki Ichigo, Ishida Uryū, and Shihōin Yoruichi—fresh from their training—had returned.
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