In the vast sky above the replica Karakura Town, after attempting to provoke Hitsugaya Tōshirō with deliberately inflammatory words, Aizen maintained his silence when he observed the young captain refusing to take the bait.

His expression remained unchanged—confident, elegant, and utterly composed, betraying not the slightest hint of concern. Yet beneath this perfect facade, his internal state had grown increasingly complex.

If Uehara Shiroha hadn't been a factor in this conflict, Aizen could have executed his plans methodically, systematically eliminating his opponents one by one with surgical precision. On the surface, the current situation appeared unchanged—his grand design still unfolding according to schedule.

But Aizen had already raised his guard significantly. Consequently, he had implemented several contingency arrangements and adjusted his master plan to specifically delay The Visored's arrival.

Now, however, The Visored had escaped his diversionary tactics and successfully joined the primary battlefield. Yet Aizen showed no surprise whatsoever at this development—as if even their escape had somehow fallen within the parameters of his calculations.

Upon witnessing The Visored joining the conflict, the expressions of all present Shinigami underwent visible transformation. As they gazed upon the captains and vice-captains who had vanished from Soul Society a century ago, several active Shinigami captains displayed profoundly conflicted emotions.

A hundred years prior, these Masked Warriors had been their trusted comrades-in-arms, brothers and sisters bound by shared purpose. Later, through circumstances few understood, these same individuals had inexplicably become classified as dangerous fugitives. Now, reuniting on this battlefield, none could determine with certainty whether they stood as enemies or allies.

What a cruelly ironic twist of fate!

Aizen maintained his imperturbable composure throughout this reunion. The arrival of The Visored had been integrated into his strategic calculations from the beginning. He had originally viewed these individuals merely as experimental subjects and control groups for his research.

Just like the Ten Espada, the combat performance of these hybrid beings had deeply disappointed him. They were all fundamentally failures in his estimation! Both the transformed Arrancar and The Visored proved inferior to pure Shinigami in terms of combat efficiency and adaptability. They were functionally useless, their tremendous potential squandered through imperfect transformation.

"Captain Aizen, it seems that you'll need to handle this personally. I won't interfere with your fun~," Ichimaru Gin remarked with his characteristic fox-like smile, gracefully sliding away from the center of attention as if preparing to observe an entertaining spectacle from a safe distance.

This newly arrived group of Visored had clearly targeted Aizen specifically. Gin merely needed to wait patiently and watch events unfold.

Ichimaru Gin never seriously entertained the possibility that these exiles could genuinely threaten Aizen's supremacy. They couldn't even create a suitable opening for Gin's own planned assassination attempt.

Their fundamental limitation lay in their inability to counter Kyōka Suigetsu's perfect hypnosis, compounded by their insufficient raw strength. Except for himself, Gin believed no one present could successfully eliminate Aizen.

Uehara Shiroha, of course, represented the sole exception to this assessment. That man's abilities were so profoundly abnormal that conventional tactical analysis became meaningless when applied to him.

For now, Ichimaru Gin's immediate objective remained straightforward: observe carefully and identify potential vulnerabilities in Aizen's defenses that might be exploited at the critical moment.

Observing The Visored's unexpected arrival on the battlefield, Kyōraku Shunsui could no longer maintain his pretense of incapacitation. He flashed into position directly before The Visored and greeted them with calculated familiarity:

"Captain Hirako, it's been far too long. What brings you and your companions to our little confrontation?"

He intuitively believed that Hirako Shinji and his group did not represent hostile forces. If his assessment proved accurate, these former comrades should be valuable allies in the current crisis.

However, that optimistic scenario represented merely the most favorable possibility. As a precautionary measure, Kyōraku Shunsui opted for a cautious approach. At this pivotal juncture, facing several individuals of captain and vice-captain caliber, prudence was essential.

The possibility of a surprise attack seemed remote given the circumstances, but verification of their intentions remained necessary. Therefore, he could only emerge publicly and assess their motivations directly.

Kyōraku Shunsui deliberately addressed Hirako Shinji using his former captain title, thereby establishing his own position unambiguously. This deliberate choice of words signaled that he rejected Central 46's century-old judgment and refused to acknowledge any alleged criminality on Hirako's part.

He was publicly aligning himself with Hirako Shinji's faction—a politically risky but morally necessary stance.

"The human world is our home now. Where else would wanted fugitives of the Seireitei reside?" Hirako Shinji responded with his characteristic grin, revealing piano-key teeth.

"We no longer claim the title of captains—we're simply Visored seeking long-overdue justice. Rest assured, we aren't your enemies. We've come specifically to settle our accounts with that man."

With these words, he directed a pointed glance toward Aizen, who remained serenely observing from his elevated position.

"Aizen..." Muguruma Kensei, Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō, Aikawa Love, and the other Visored followed Shinji's gaze, their expressions hardening with barely contained hatred, teeth grinding audibly at the mere sight of their betrayer.

Hiyori, distinctive in her bright red track suit, radiated murderous intent so palpable it seemed almost visible—her hand twitching repeatedly toward her Zanpakutō as if she might launch herself at Aizen at any moment.

Once, they had all been captains and vice-captains of the Gotei 13, their futures blindingly bright, their social connections extensive, their lives filled with purpose and meaning. Through Aizen's intricate machinations, they had been transformed overnight into society's outcasts—universally hunted, their very existence criminalized, their lives perpetually balanced on a knife's edge.

They no longer held their captaincies or even their identities as Shinigami. Instead, they had become monstrous hybrids, their continued survival constantly threatened, everything they had built over centuries stripped away in an instant.

Throughout the intervening decades, they had indeed lived like cornered rats, huddled together in their underground sanctuary, desperately fighting to maintain control over their inner Hollows while evading Soul Society's hunters.

Aizen had orchestrated this entire tragedy—his evil masquerading as scientific advancement, his cruelty disguised as necessary experimentation.

Observing the righteous fury etched across The Visored's faces, Kyōraku Shunsui offered words of consolation:

"Don't despair—this conflict approaches its conclusion. We will overcome these challenges together. Aizen will face appropriate consequences for his actions; his escape is no longer possible."

His confidence stemmed not from blind optimism but from concrete assessment of their tactical advantages. Uehara Shiroha's demonstrated power had already exceeded Kyōraku's most optimistic expectations.

This remarkable individual happened to be his beloved relative by marriage. Even if personal considerations proved insufficient motivation, surely Uehara Shiroha would intervene to prevent Soul Society's annihilation for the sake of Kyōraku's niece, if nothing else.

As for Squad Zero sequestered in the Soul King Palace... The Soul King himself remained beyond reproach, his divine authority unquestioned. However, those ancient warriors who comprised Squad Zero represented an entirely different matter altogether—one that Kyōraku preferred not to contemplate at present.