Clap!
After being pierced through the body by Aizen's sword, Yamamoto instead showed an expression of a successful plan, then suddenly extended his left hand and grabbed Aizen's sword-wielding arm.
"Aizen Sosuke... this old man has caught you!" Yamamoto said in a deep voice.
"How interesting. What can you do even if you catch me? And... are you sure the hand you caught... is really mine?" Aizen asked expressionlessly.
But Yamamoto said with great certainty: "Of course! Whether by sight or by touch, it is without a doubt your arm. And... most importantly, this old man can still recognize the Reiatsu of the Zanpakuto piercing my body."
"Aizen, you said I lost my chance. But in fact, the opposite is true... all of this was to create this opportunity!"
"—Ennetsu Jigoku!!"
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Dozens of towering pillars of fire erupted from the earth, forming an enclosed space that surrounded both Yamamoto and Aizen. The sheer scale of Yamamoto's attack moved even Aizen.
"This move is called [Ennetsu Jigoku]. If these dozens of towering fire pillars are gathered together and detonated instantly, their power can turn an area several times the size of Karakura Town to ash in an instant."
"Although limited by the barrier surrounding the entire Karakura Town replica, the power of the explosion will only be confined within Karakura Town. But precisely because of that, the explosive power will instead be further enhanced..."
"My earlier actions were all to create this opportunity, to trap you inside," Yamamoto said.
"You set this up while Hitsugaya Toshiro and your subordinates were occupying me just now? How... treacherous and cunning," Aizen said sarcastically.
"Hmph! Whether it's treacherous and cunning or despicable and shameless, if it can eliminate you, this old man will use any means necessary!" Yamamoto said coldly. "Aizen... you and this old man will go to hell together!"
"Is that really alright, Captain-Commander?" Aizen asked in return. "As you said, the power of Ennetsu Jigoku after the explosion can level the entire 'Karakura Town'. But if that happens... your subordinates will also die without a burial place, won't they?"
"No... at the very least, Toshiro has the strength to survive. And as long as Toshiro survives, the Gotei 13 will not fall. Soul Society will still have hope..." Yamamoto said in a heavy tone.
"Is that so? As long as Toshiro-kun survives, you don't care about the lives of the others?" Aizen mocked.
Yamamoto put away the trace of sorrow on his face and said indifferently: "This is the price that must be paid for victory. And I'm sure... they were already prepared for this. Because, to die in order to slay a great evil... this is the very will of the Gotei 13!"
"Then... go die with that so-called will of the so-called Gotei 13!" Aizen sneered.
Whoosh!
As soon as Aizen finished speaking, a figure suddenly appeared behind Yamamoto.
"Ah... wu..."
The suddenly appearing figure made an indistinct sound and then attacked Yamamoto.
Sensing the movement behind him, Yamamoto swung his Zanpakuto, wreathed in blazing flames, behind him.
But unexpectedly, the figure reached out, ignored the flames on the sword, and directly grabbed Yamamoto's Zanpakuto.
Moreover, after being grabbed, the flames burning on the blade of Yamamoto's Ryujin Jakka were extinguished.
Seeing this, a flicker of shock crossed Yamamoto's face. He then adapted, abandoning his flame attack and instead reinforcing his powerful physical strength onto the Zanpakuto.
Bang!!!
After using brute force, Yamamoto blasted his opponent from the sky into the ground.
Then Yamamoto also landed on a building below, looking at the distant figure blasted into the ground, deep in thought.
"Why... did the flames of Ryujin Jakka disappear..."
"Let me tell you..."
Perhaps seeing Yamamoto's inner thoughts, Aizen's voice suddenly rang out: "Your Ryujin Jakka is the Strongest Fire-type Zanpakuto, that is beyond doubt. In fact, among all Zanpakuto, only Toshiro-kun's Hyorinmaru can compare with it..."
"In a head-on fight, you, called the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years, should also have combat power surpassing mine. However..."
"If a Hollow abandons all other abilities and strengthens only one... even the strongest Zanpakuto can resist it."
"And he..." Aizen looked at the figure that appeared again and said: "Wonderweiss... is one of only two modified Arrancar I created using the Hogyoku. His Resurrección is called... [Extinguir]. He is an Arrancar I specially crafted to seal your Ryujin Jakka."
"You said... only one of two modified Arrancar?" Yamamoto seemed to realize something and asked.
"Exactly. As you thought, there are two modified Arrancar. The other is named Phoenix. He was created to seal Toshiro-kun's Hyorinmaru. Toshiro-kun has already seen him in Hueco Mundo..."
"Oh, by the way..." As if remembering something, Aizen said with a playful expression: "Actually, back in Hueco Mundo, after witnessing Phoenix's ability, Toshiro-kun immediately guessed that there were two modified Arrancar, and that I would use the other to deal with your Ryujin Jakka."
"Even after Toshiro-kun escaped Hueco Mundo and returned to this battlefield, he immediately reported the matter of the modified Arrancar to you, telling you to be careful and not let the modified Arrancar seal your Zanpakuto. However..."
"The pity is... Toshiro-kun didn't seem to notice at the time that you had already been hypnotized by me, and that his report about the modified Arrancar was heard by you as something else entirely. So... you still fell for my trap, and your Zanpakuto's ability was sealed."
Earlier, the moment Toshiro escaped and returned from Soul Society, Aizen had anticipated that he would surely inform Yamamoto about Wonderweiss. So he immediately activated Kyoka Suigetsu's ability, manipulating Yamamoto's five senses, making him hear Toshiro's report about the modified Arrancar as something else entirely.
And although Toshiro had sensed something off about Yamamoto's condition at the time, he hadn't thought much of it. So ultimately, Yamamoto still couldn't escape the result of having his Zanpakuto sealed.
"I see... so Toshiro was explaining about the modified Arrancar to me at that time?"
Hearing Aizen's words, Yamamoto also recalled that his condition had indeed been off then. But similarly, he hadn't thought much of it, simply attributing it to some emotional fluctuation from seeing Toshiro return safely from Hueco Mundo.
"Well, at this point, there's no use saying this to a dead man. You have no way out anyway..."
Perhaps because sealing Yamamoto's Zanpakuto had been too easy, making him lose his threat, Aizen waved his hand with some lack of interest: "Well then... farewell, Yamamoto Genryusai..."
As Aizen's voice fell, Wonderweiss, in his Resurrección, once again fearlessly charged at Yamamoto.