CHAPTER 464: CHAPTER 464: WORLDS APART

Masatsuki Aozaki’s figure darted swiftly between buildings, as elusive as a spirit flitting through a field of flowers—appearing out of nowhere, and vanishing just as suddenly.

His pristine white haori billowed in the wind, his entire presence radiating an air of otherworldly grace. His elegant movement felt less like a human’s and more like a divine being descending into the mortal realm.

But just as he moved between the tall walls, his body suddenly halted.

As if sensing something, he came to an abrupt stop and looked up.

From behind a wall as pale as paper, two figures slowly emerged.

Leading the way was a man in a black Shihakushō draped with a white haori. His hair was loosely tousled in soft brown curls, and a wooden badge symbolizing a Lieutenant hung from his sleeve.

It was Sōsuke Aizen.

Following behind him was Chōjirō Sasakibe, the former 1st Division Lieutenant, wearing a short-style haori and a neatly kept black mustache.

Watching the two men walk slowly forward and stop before him, Masatsuki Aozaki blinked.

What was this?

A Lieutenant-led rebellion?

Sōsuke Aizen wore a faint smile as he met Masatsuki Aozaki’s gaze.

"As I thought... you really can see through our true identities."

There was a hint of surprise and admiration in his tone.

"You’re not carrying any 12th Division detection equipment, and I don’t see any other captains nearby—yet you could so easily tell whether we were real or not."

"This has made me quite curious. I truly want to know—how did you manage it?"

Masatsuki Aozaki narrowed his eyes, coldly staring at Sōsuke Aizen. The chill in his gaze was completely undisguised.

His voice was cold enough to freeze the air.

"Hmph. If I want to do it, that’s all that matters."

Facing Masatsuki Aozaki’s openly hostile stare, Sōsuke Aizen gave a small smile, waving a hand casually as he replied in a light tone,

"Don’t look at me like you’re ready to devour me. It’s not like I became this way by choice."

"Besides, my existence is temporary. This body is ultimately too weak."

"And this encounter of ours will be like a shooting star in the night sky—just a fleeting moment in your long life."

In his understanding, Masatsuki Aozaki had never looked at Sōsuke Aizen with such eyes before.

Yet Reigai Aizen could clearly feel the revulsion in that gaze.

"If the world is destroyed, there won’t be any long life to speak of. So, you’re certain that Kagerōza Inaba will fail?"

Masatsuki Aozaki’s voice was calm and detached, as if speaking to a corpse.

"Of course. I’m no different from the Aizen you remember—including his sharp mind."

Under Masatsuki Aozaki’s piercing gaze, Aizen spread his hands and smiled with confidence. Intelligence gleamed in his eyes.

"Kagerōza Inaba is far too inferior. His failure is inevitable, just as your victory is assured."

"You really are as smart as Aizen. But no matter how smart you are, you’re still a pawn. That’s just pathetic."

Masatsuki Aozaki narrowed his eyes, a mocking smile curling at the corners of his lips.

His gaze was sharp as a blade, as though he wanted to pierce through Aizen’s eyes and into the very depths of his soul.

Reigai Aizen Sōsuke gently shook his head, a trace of subtle helplessness flashing through his eyes as he spoke with a light smile.

"You really are Masatsuki Aozaki. But I’m not like the others. I’ve already managed to shake off part of Kagerōza Inaba’s influence."

There was pride in his tone, but also an undercurrent of resignation—an acknowledgment of the shackles he still couldn’t break.

"Knowing you’re going to fail, why come here at all? Don’t you find your actions ridiculous?"

"What is this, some kind of tragic heroism—charging in despite knowing you’ll lose? You don’t seem like that kind of person."

Masatsuki Aozaki let out a cold laugh.

His eyes brimmed with contempt and disdain, as if he were looking at an overconfident clown.

Yet Aizen wasn’t provoked. Instead, he smiled faintly and replied softly,

"Because I have my own reasons."

His voice was low, magnetic.

"I just wanted to see for myself what kind of person this so-called Masatsuki Aozaki really is, in the little time I have."

Then Aizen’s eyes turned slightly cold, as if a trace of disappointment had crept into his gaze.

"To be honest, I’m a little let down."

"As expected, I surpass the original... but someone like me can only exist for ’a fleeting moment.’"

There was a hint of frustration and regret in his voice.

"It’s unfair, isn’t it?"

Masatsuki Aozaki didn’t answer. He simply sneered.

"Hahaha... You really aren’t Sōsuke Aizen. You’re far beneath him."

He looked at the imposter, a condescending smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"I’m beneath him?" Reigai Aizen Sōsuke frowned, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.

"Do you know where you fall short?" Masatsuki Aozaki’s voice was thick with mockery.

"Where?" Reigai Aizen pressed.

Masatsuki gave a laugh, bold and scornful.

"For starters, if the real Sōsuke Aizen were standing here, he wouldn’t be calling me Masatsuki Aozaki!"

The moment he said it, Masatsuki burst into laughter—mocking, unrestrained, and brimming with derision.

Reigai Aizen frowned again, completely unable to grasp what Masatsuki meant.

Just as he opened his mouth to ask, Masatsuki’s figure vanished on the spot.

In the next instant, Reigai Aizen felt a surge of overwhelming pressure slam toward him.

He looked up sharply—Masatsuki Aozaki had appeared right in front of him, almost as if he’d teleported.

Masatsuki’s right hand was clenched into a fist, his arm drawn taut like a fully strung bow.

As he moved, a crushing force gathered in his fist, whipping the air into a violent roar.

Then—with explosive momentum—Masatsuki drove his fist forward, slamming it toward Reigai Aizen!

That punch carried devastating power, as though it could obliterate everything in its path.

Reigai Aizen’s eyes widened. Inwardly, he marveled at Masatsuki’s speed and strength.

Faced with such a sudden, ferocious assault, he didn’t even have time to react properly. He could only raise his arms in a rush, trying to block the fatal blow.

But... he couldn’t.

His arms were instantly crushed.

The violent shockwave from the collision of Reiatsu erupted outward.

...

Inside the 1st Division barracks, Masatsuki Aozaki—guided by righteousness—held a girl protectively with one arm, shielding her at close range.

A soft breeze brushed his face.

He looked up, gazing out the window at the rustling leaves being swept by the wind.

"So the battle with Enrakyōten has already begun?"

"But to be able to replicate Aizen... His Reiatsu is probably a bit weaker than it was before he fused with the Hōgyoku."

"I didn’t expect them to pull this off."

"Looks like the materials used were different from the other Reigai."

"But compared to Aizen’s soul, his body is still too fragile—it won’t hold out for long."

With just a slight expansion of his senses, he grasped the Reigai’s true condition.

Its Reiatsu was vastly inferior to the real Aizen’s.

From the moment of creation to the moment of death, it could last at most half an hour—no more than that.

But even the real Aizen wouldn’t pose much of a threat against Enrakyōten.

After all, even without accounting for her other abilities, her Reiatsu was still synchronized with Masatsuki Aozaki’s.

With such overwhelming force, even without tapping into her Zanpakutō, she could overpower the majority of enemies below Yhwach.