Chapitre 96: Gin Ichimaru

Swish!

Faced with Ailin's questioning, Sōsuke Aizen, who had already put away the "King's Key," did not respond at all and instantly used Shunpo to escape.

"You still want to run in front of me? You're really underestimating me, the captain of the 11th Division."

It had to be said that Aizen's current Shunpo skill was almost second only to Yoruichi Shihōin's. However, in front of Ailin, it was still not enough.

Swoosh!

Ailin's figure instantly flickered and appeared in mid-air, then kicked down towards the space in front of him.

In the next instant, Aizen's black-robed figure appeared beneath Ailin's foot, unable to dodge in time. Aizen could only cross his arms over his head to block Ailin's attack.

Boom!

This kick from Ailin directly sent Aizen crashing down like a falling comet. Aizen's body collided with the air, creating a ring of sonic boom clouds that expanded outward in circles.

Boom!

The ground was smashed into a large crater, kicking up a dust explosion dozens of meters high. Subsequently, a figure shot out from the dust cloud, rapidly fleeing from the ground.

"Oh? Still not dead? I can't tell if you have any strength left."

"Projection!"

Ailin raised his right hand high, pointing his index finger towards the sky. Instantly, dozens of Zanpakutō appeared floating behind Ailin's back. Then, under Ailin's control, they turned into streaks of afterimages, shooting towards the fleeing figure on the ground.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

One barrage after another, the Zanpakutō rained down like artillery shells, striking Aizen's position and forcing him to constantly use Shunpo to evade.

***

In the forest, a bush rustled and shook. A few seconds later, a silver-haired, squinty-eyed young man emerged from the bushes and slowly walked towards the pale yellow barrier.

Rangiku Matsumoto's childhood friend, Gin Ichimaru!

Seeing the unconscious Rangiku within the barrier, Gin clenched his fists tightly, biting his teeth until they drew blood.

It was because he had left Rangiku's side to search for food that she ended up in this predicament. Earlier, he had clearly seen that hooded man take something from Rangiku's body. Although Gin didn't know what it was, for that man to covet it meant it was something precious.

"I'm sorry, Rangiku. I failed to protect you. But Rangiku's possession, I will definitely, definitely help you get it back!" After taking a deep look at the unconscious Rangiku, Gin ran towards the direction of the explosions.

To retrieve Rangiku's possession, he needed power!

Whether it was the person who took Rangiku's possession or the one who came later to rescue her, they were Gin's hope for gaining strength!

When Gin ran out of the forest, the first thing he saw was Ailin standing high in the air and the black-robed figure being bombarded by countless blades as he fled in all directions.

***

"Tch, you really can run." Seeing that dozens of Zanpakutō had no effect on Aizen, Ailin's thoughts stirred.

Sizzle!

Instantly, blue Reiatsu condensed into weapons behind Ailin's back like lightning, covering the sky. The number was ten times more than before.

Swoosh!

Hundreds of Zanpakutō rained down like a downpour towards Aizen. Faced with this attack, Aizen finally took action. After all, Ailin's attack range this time was too large.

Even with his Shunpo, it was impossible for him to escape the range of these weapons before they landed on the ground.

"Bakudō #81 - Danku!"

Instantly, a semi-transparent yellow barrier, seven meters high and three meters wide, appeared in front of Aizen.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

One by one, the Zanpakutō projected by Ailin struck the Danku barrier, triggering a series of shockwaves.

However, although the number of Zanpakutō striking Danku was large, the attacks generated were still not enough to break through Danku's defense.

The 81st Bakudō, Danku, could almost be considered the highest level of defensive Kidō. Its full power could perfectly defend against attacks below the 89th destructive spell.

Of course, this didn't mean that Danku couldn't defend against spells above the 89th level. Rather, Danku could only defend against attacks coming from the front, making its defense too one-sided against spells above the 89th level.

The 90th destructive spell, Kurohitsugi, forms a black coffin of tremendous Reiatsu that completely surrounds the enemy, attacking them with countless blades within the coffin.

The 96th destructive spell, Ittō Kasō, raises a blazing fire blade from the ground, turning a radius of hundreds of meters into a scorched earth.

The 99th destructive spell, Goryū Tenmetsu, forms five massive dragons of Reiatsu, capable of destroying everything in its path.

As can be seen, almost all destructive spells above the 90th level are wide-ranging attacks, and Danku is not enough to defend against them.

However, those Shinigami specializing in Kidō could even use Danku as a blueprint to create even more powerful defensive barriers.

As the dust settled, Ailin gazed at the intact Danku and stretched out his right hand. The Zanpakutō projected by Ailin were the lowest-grade ones from his innate barrier.

Even with the added power of Ailin's Reiatsu, the force of these projected Zanpakutō was only about the same as a destructive spell in the 30s.

However, just because the projected Zanpakutō couldn't break through Danku's defense didn't mean Ailin couldn't.

"Hadō #92 - Hyōga Seiran!"

Instantly, Ailin's right hand released an incredible chill. This cold froze the moisture in the air, forming a raging icy torrent that swept towards Aizen with tremendous speed.

Hyōga Seiran, this Kidō spell, was one that Ailin learned from "Koga Kuchiki" two hundred years in the future through his Zanpakutō, Muramasa.

As Ailin recalled from Koga's memories, he had used this 92nd destructive spell, Hyōga Seiran, to break through Byakuya Kuchiki's Danku.

Here, Aizen's Danku was naturally no match for Ailin's Hyōga Seiran either.

Crack crack...

The unparalleled chill spread across the pale yellow barrier, and eventually, under the onslaught of the icy torrent and frozen air, Aizen's Danku shattered.

Boom!

Countless shards of ice and frozen air froze the surroundings in a thick mist. When the mist dissipated, Ailin shook his head at the empty ice mountain before him.

Aizen was really too evasive, wasn't he? In this round of confrontation with Ailin, he had only used Shunpo and one defensive Kidō spell throughout.

He didn't reveal any information about himself at all. If Ailin didn't already know it was him, who could have connected this person to the Vice Captain of the 5th Division?

Seeing that Aizen had already fled, Ailin didn't bother paying attention. Earlier, he had sensed the spatial disturbance, indicating that Aizen had escaped through a Garganta. Otherwise, with his speed, there was no way he could have escaped from right under Ailin's nose.

After a few flickers, Ailin returned to where he had first encountered Aizen. With a wave of his hand, he dispelled the barrier protecting Rangiku Matsumoto. Ailin held his hand above Rangiku's body, and green healing light enveloped her.

Soon, Rangiku's injuries were healed under Ailin's treatment. However, Ailin also discovered that, perhaps due to his arrival causing Aizen to forcefully extract the "King's Key," the damage to Rangiku's soul was far more severe than he had imagined.

If Rangiku's soul injury wasn't treated in time, she might end up like Haruko before, with her soul gradually withering and dying.

Not long after, hurried footsteps and breathing rapidly approached.

"Huff, huff..."

Unable to find the one who had harmed Rangiku, Gin quickly returned and saw the Shinigami who had driven away the attacker squatting beside Rangiku, enveloping her with a green light.

"Hey, you purple-haired brat, did you see what that man did to this little girl?"

"Ah?"

Suddenly being questioned by Ailin, Gin raised his head, took a few deep breaths to calm himself, and then replied, "I don't know. I only know that man took something from Rangiku's body."

"Is that so? No wonder my healing Kidō isn't having much effect on this little girl."

Upon hearing Ailin's words, Gin immediately panicked, "Mr. Shinigami, does that mean Rangiku is in trouble?"

"How could she not be in trouble?"

Ailin shook his head and carefully examined Rangiku. "A part of this little girl's soul has been taken away, causing a deficiency in her soul. It's a severe injury. If it's not treated in time, there could be a risk to her life."

"What?"

Upon learning from Ailin that Rangiku's life was in danger, Gin became flustered. Immediately, he dropped to his knees before Ailin, "Mr. Shinigami, I beg you, please save Rangiku. As long as you can save Rangiku, I'll dedicate my life to you."

"Hey, you brat, what do you take me for I'm the captain of the 11th Division of the Gotei 13. Would I refuse to save someone in need or demand favors in return?"

Glancing at Gin, Ailin continued, "However, this little girl's injury is a bit troublesome. Her soul has been partially taken away by someone. To recover, that missing part of her soul needs to be restored. Taking someone else's soul to repair hers would mean saving one person by harming another. I can't plunder someone else's soul just to heal this little girl."

"No, there's no need for you to plunder anyone's soul, Captain. Please, Captain, use my soul to restore Rangiku's." Gin kowtowed heavily before Ailin, pleading with him.

"Oh? Use your soul?"

Ailin purposefully frowned, "Little guy, do you know the severe consequences of losing a part of your soul? If it's not handled properly, you could die."

"No matter what the consequences, I can endure them. Please, Mr. Shinigami, take my soul to heal Rangiku."