Facing Haineko's assault, Rangiku remained calm despite her surprise.
She centered herself, elevating her Reikaku to its peak.
Once she perceived Haineko's trajectory, Rangiku swung her blade forward-
Whoosh!
A slash over two meters tall flew from her sword, racing toward her opponent.
"Heh!"
Haineko snorted disdainfully, flicking her wrist. A massive cloud of gray mist erupted from her palm, forming into a gray slash that collided with Rangiku's.
Boom!
The tremendous impact sent both attacks spinning against each other in a stalemate.
"See that, big-boobed woman!"
Delighted that her mist had blocked Rangiku's attack, Haineko laughed triumphantly, "Your slashes are useless against me now!"
In their inner world, Haineko had always lost easily because her mist couldn't withstand Rangiku's slashes, making her no match for her master.
But now, with Captain-level 3rd-Class Reiryoku, the quantity of 'ash' she could generate had multiplied, along with its density and controllability.
Moreover, Haineko's ash wasn't primarily for attack or defense… its true function was 'positioning'!
Wherever her ash reached, she could slice anything by simply swinging her hilt.
This meant within her control range, Haineko could damage enemies instantly, regardless of distance.
As Haineko swung her right hand downward, the gray mist blocking Rangiku's slash erupted with tremendous force.
Thousands of cutting energies burst from the mist, shattering Rangiku's attack completely.
"Not bad at all!"
Rangiku's eyes lit up at the display.
For any Shinigami, Zanpakuto's Ability was crucial advantages.
Between opponents with equal Reiatsu, the one with stronger Zanpakuto's Abilities would prevail.
Previously, Rangiku had considered Haineko relatively weak… even among 4th-Class Reiryoku Lieutenants, she'd felt inferior.
Only through decades of swordsmanship training under Kyoya's insistence had she truly unlocked Haineko's potential.
Now, seeing Haineko's performance, she realized that achieving Bankai would make her Zanpakuto even more powerful!
Soon, she might rival even veteran Captains!
After destroying Rangiku's slash, Haineko continued channeling Reiatsu into massive gray mist that tornadoed toward Rangiku.
"Cat Round Dance!"
Cat Round Dance was Haineko's wide-area attack.
Without swinging the hilt, it merely trapped enemies within the tornado.
But once Haineko swung her hilt, the tornado would become a storm of countless blades, shredding everything within range!
Facing this large-scale assault, Rangiku didn't dare underestimate it.
She whispered her release command-
"Growl, Haineko!"
Whoosh-
Instantly, her Zanpakuto's blade dissolved into ash-like particles that swirled around her, forming a spherical shield.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom-
Feeling the pressure from the surrounding ash, Rangiku knew her defense would soon break if she didn't act.
Even just Cat Round Dance posed serious threat with 3rd-Class destructive power.
"Dance!"
As Rangiku swung her hilt downward, a storm of countless slashes erupted from her, tearing through everything in range.
Even Haineko's massive ash tornado was instantly shredded by the slash storm.
...
"Lieutenant Matsumoto's Zanpakuto Ability is truly enviable..."
Watching the battle, Kisuke pressed down his hat to prevent it from flying away in the spiritual winds.
"Indeed."
Kyoya nodded agreement, "But it's only through her swordsmanship breakthrough that she's fully utilized her Zanpakuto's potential."
"Otherwise, Haineko would remain a rather ordinary Zanpakuto."
"True."
Kisuke acknowledged Kyoya's point.
Haineko's ability to cut wherever her ash reached wasn't particularly outstanding among Zanpakuto's Abilities.
The fine particles meant individual cuts weren't powerful either, leaving Rangiku without decisive finishing moves.
Against any opponent, she could only rely on quantity to achieve lethal damage.
One could call Haineko a budget version of Senbonzakura.
But after reaching Great Swordsman level, Rangiku could unleash thousands of slashes simultaneously through the ash particles.
Though each micro-slash was small, they remained genuine slashes capable of cutting steel.
Small in size but immense in quantity… when Rangiku released her Zanpakuto and directed the ash toward enemies, every hilt swing unleashed a flood of slashes to overwhelm them.
The current battle demonstrated this perfectly.
Though Rangiku's Reiatsu was far weaker than the manifested Haineko's, she was actually suppressing her Zanpakuto's Spirit.
The swordsmanship breakthrough belonged to Rangiku, not Haineko.
Shared memories didn't equate to shared 'level'… this was the swordsman's personal understanding of 'the sword', surpassing mere technical skill.
Haineko could only fight back thanks to her 3rd-Class Reiatsu, allowing her to condense slashes to counter Rangiku's attacks.
But this accelerated her Reiatsu Consumption.
Inevitably, Rangiku would emerge victorious.
"Captain Gin," Kisuke said, "it seems their battle will continue for some time."
"Could you tell me about Aizen's hypnosis ceremony now?"
"The sooner I understand his methods, the better I can prepare countermeasures."
Gin looked toward Kyoya.
He'd come to the living world primarily to keep Rangiku out of Aizen's schemes.
Having avoided encountering Aizen, his main goal was already accomplished.
Sharing intelligence with Kisuke didn't bother him… after all, he'd already claimed Aizen's life in his mind. Some information exchange meant little.
Kyoya gave a slight nod.
Aizen's abilities would become known to Kisuke eventually anyway.
Even with this knowledge, Kisuke could only wait for Ichigo's birth and guide his growth to counter Aizen.
Seeing Kyoya's approval, Gin stopped keeping Kisuke in suspense.
"Aizen's hypnosis ceremony is his Zanpakuto's release."
"Anyone who witnesses the moment Kyoka Suigetsu is released will have their five senses controlled by Aizen."
"The moment it was released?"
Kisuke mentally reviewed Aizen's behavior in Seireitei.
Aizen was the 'acknowledged' 'good guy' among Gotei 13's Shinigami.
He frequently appeared to rescue division's members by releasing his Zanpakuto when they encountered enemies.
Moreover, he regularly taught at Shin'o Academy, guiding students' curiosity toward Zanpakuto before 'reluctantly' releasing his at their requests.
According to Aizen, this gave students close experience with Zanpakuto release to assist their Zanzen.
Now Kisuke realized this was Aizen systematically hypnotizing all Seireitei's Shinigami and trainees.
Over nearly a century, Aizen had undoubtedly completed his plan to 'completely hypnotize' all of Seireitei.
With Aizen's meticulousness, visiting the academy four or five times yearly, each new class fell under his control before even joining the Gotei 13.
Kisuke could only feel grateful that Aizen's ambitions were grand and methods precise.
That, and Yamamoto's intimidating presence.
Otherwise, with smaller ambitions than replacing the Soul King, Aizen might have taken control of Seireitei long ago.
Kisuke glanced at Kyoya.
He wondered if Kyoya had left Seireitei to form the Revolutionary Army precisely because he knew about Kyoka Suigetsu's ability and realized the Gotei 13 was compromised.
Perhaps he intended to use the Revolutionary Army to counter Aizen someday.
Kyoya remained unaware of Kisuke's speculation.
Otherwise, he might have laughed aloud.
While Aizen posed a serious threat to Kisuke and Yamamoto...
To Kyoya, present-day Aizen was no threat at all.
Yes, Aizen was powerful.
But no one could deny he shared Rangiku's weakness.
Kyoka Suigetsu was a supportive Zanpakuto.
In direct combat, it didn't enhance Aizen's offensive capabilities.
Kyoya firmly believed that besides Kido, Aizen's strongest attacks were his Master Swordsman level flying slashes.
Compared to others, Aizen's attacks were 'lethal'.
But Kyoya?
Over recent decades, he'd ventured into Hueco Mundo, completed the [Shichibukai] Achievements from his One Piece Achievement System, and gained numerous rewards.
He'd nearly fully assimilated all these gains.
His Buccaneer bloodline had been replaced by the stronger [Giant] lineage. Though his size remained normal, his internal composition now rivaled Giant's Royalty.
With his size reduced hundredfold, his muscle and bone density reached hundred times that of Giant's Royalty.
Moreover, his strongest [Steel Balloon] physique had reached its limit through weighted training.
Even Kyoya himself couldn't damage his body now… such was his defensive power.
To put it bluntly, even if Kyoya stood still letting Aizen attack him, Aizen would exhaust his Reiatsu before Kyoya felt more than tickling.
Currently, only two things in the Bleach World concerned him:
First, the sharpest Zanpakuto, [Sayafushi], which is forged by Nimaiya in the Soul King Palace… the blade even its creator couldn't make a sheath for. Whether it could penetrate his defense remained unknown.
Second, Lille Barro of Yhwach's Schutzstaffel with his [X-Axis] ability that pierced everything, which is likely another capability that might harm him.
As for others...
Including Yamamoto's [Zanka no Tachi], Kyoya felt he could withstand it now.
He might get injured, but definitely wouldn't die!
As for the Revolutionary Army, Kyoya's original purpose was simply achievement farming.
Sensing the outside light to estimate their time in the living world, Kyoya called to Rangiku: "Rangiku, we've been here nearly an hour."
"If you don't hurry, you'll face special training when we return!"
"Ah, no way!"
Rangiku shuddered at the threat, tearing her attention from admiring Haineko's power.