Fairy Tail: Shinigami - Chapter 257: Bankai.

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[Sosuke Aizen. POV.]

The sand under my feet shifted as I pushed myself to stand, my senses sharpening, focused entirely on the figure before me. The very air seemed to hum with tension, with both of us on guard, gauging each other’s next moves. Adam’s spiritual energy still resonated through the atmosphere, evidence of the immense power he had just demonstrated.

His Zanpakuto… was a force of nature, holding a power that could arguably rival, or perhaps even surpass the inferno of Yamamoto’s Ryujin Jakka. A dangerous thought, but an honest one.

If I hadn’t honed my control over my spiritual energy throughout the years, if I had been even a fraction less precise, that technique would’ve been my end.

Watching him from across the distance, there was a clear message in his stance. He wasn’t afraid. And why would he be? With a Zanpakuto like that, the world bent to his will.

Yet, as foreboding as that thought was, a smile tugged at the corner of my lips. Because the more I witnessed Adam’s capabilities, the clearer the picture became. The raw spiritual pressure he exhibited, the unparalleled might of his Zanpakuto… It was all proving to be more than sufficient for what I had in mind for him.

Every clash so far, every display of power, was just further confirmation that Adam’s soul would be the ideal catalyst for what I was looking for. The Hogyoku’s true potential, its evolution, rested on souls of immense power. And in Adam, I saw more than just power, I saw the essence of the Soul King itself!

But it appeared that securing that outcome wasn’t going to be as straightforward as I would’ve wanted to be. It was evident now that underestimating him even a little would be a fatal endeavor. Every move from here on had to be calculated, precise.

I couldn’t let myself be caught by surprise. So far, I could deal with everything he was throwing at me, but that was only his Shikai.

I had no idea how powerful his Bankai was, meaning that I had to operate under the assumption that it was under my best interest to avoid being caught in its power.

There was always the Hogyoku, which I could use if things got complicated, however, using it without being connected to it completely wasn’t ideal, seeing as it would drain a considerable amount of my own power to generate the result I wanted.

The smaller the wish, the less the amount of energy it required. There was a lot one could do with a well worded desire, a lot if one knew how to interact with the Hogyoku.

I smiled at the thought.

Perhaps I was getting in over my head, thinking this fight would push me to the point I would need to use the Hogyoku.

Not that it mattered, even if he forced me to use the Hogyoku to escape what could be certain death. My Bankai would seal his fate, though I would prefer it if it didn’t come to that.

After all, there is a reason why I never use my Bankai. In most situations… it was more of a liability than anything else.

Again, I was getting in over my head, for reasons I didn’t quite understand for the lack of more information, he had yet to show any signs of intending to use his Bankai.

“This was fun,” Adam said, snapping me out of my thoughts. “But as much as I’m enjoying our clash, I’m ending it.”

Huh, perhaps I was wrong.

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[Adam C. POV.]

I was having fun, I truly was. And how could I not? He was the opponent most would dream of fighting.

However, during our exchange so far… one thing had become evidently clear, I had to finish this before it got out of my hands. Given enough time, he would learn how to counter me, he had shown that much with how he was dealing with me.

He was adapting just as much if not more than I was.

I had to end this.

“This was fun” I said as I held my Zanpakuto tightly and raised it to the sky. “But as much as I am enjoying this, I’m ending it.”

I could feel Aizen’s spiritual pressure change ever so slightly, his usual confident demeanor now replaced with a hint of wariness. His instincts, honed through countless battles, were undoubtedly alerting him to the drastic change in the atmosphere, the escalation in energy that heralded the shift in a battle’s tide.

“Bankai,” I whispered, and as I did, the space around us twisted, the very fabric of reality seeming to convulse in response to the monumental release of power. “Muryokusho.”

The sand beneath my feet became a swirling vortex, the white dunes shifting and changing as the landscape itself appeared to respond to my call.

My blade transformed and body transformed. Though, unlike my fight against Acnologia, the changes to my body were minimal this time, with the most prominent change being my eyes, which now had more than one black iris. My blade had also changed, losing her blade and hilt, turning into a weapon of undiluted space, a weapon that held the power to manipulate reality at my whim.

Aizen stood still, observing, gauging the transformation, and the power that now emanated from me. His face was calm, but I could see a glint of excitement, concern and something else in his eyes.

Taking a step forward. “Time to die.” As I brought my hands together, preparing to unleash my ultimate technique. I could feel the pull of the cosmos, the gravitational forces that held the universe together now at my fingertips.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait like I had during my fight with Acnologia.

While I had no doubts, I could end this without using that technique, it was within my best interest to end Aizen right away, making sure it was a permanent matter. At my current state, a stray thought, an uncontrolled movement, and I could inadvertently cause damage on a massive scale.

Such was the double-edged sword of my Bankai, especially now that I wasn’t bound to a mortal body.

“Abyssal Void.”

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[Sosuke Aizen. POV.]

“Abyssal Void,” Adam whispered, his voice echoing eerily in the barren expanse of Hueco Mundo.

Suddenly, the world around me vanished. The white sands, the fake sky of Hueco Mundo, the very air, all disappeared, replaced by an all-encompassing darkness that was suffocating in its intensity. It wasn’t just the absence of light; it was an abyss of nothingness, a void where existence itself ceased to be.

I was someone accustomed to sensing and manipulating spiritual energy, yet here, in this space, there was nothing to sense. No reiatsu, no time, no space. I felt… detached, disconnected from reality. Even Kyoka Suigetsu, my trusted Zanpakuto, was gone.

This was an environment where my senses were rendered useless. Every ounce of my being screamed at the unnaturalness of it all. It was, in every sense of the word, an antithesis to existence.

He was truly a terrifying individual.

To think his Zanpakuto would hold such an ability.

“In this void, you will meet your end, Sosuke Aizen,” I heard Adam’s voice echo throughout the void, in a way that couldn’t be described as sound traveling, but more of a feeling reaching me.

You used your trump card, Adam, now it’s my turn to do the same.

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[Adam C. POV]

As the aftereffects of my technique resonated, a certain stillness descended upon Hueco Mundo. The oppressive spiritual pressure that marked Aizen’s presence had dissipated, leaving nothing behind.

I had won.

For all his skill, smarts, and plans, I had killed Aizen, earning my way back home.

With Aizen obliterated, my mission here was complete. Meaning my time here was finally over. Taking a deep breath, I deactivated my Bankai as my blade returned to its sealed state.

The battle had taken its toll on me, despite how short it had been, both physically and mentally, but there was no time to rest. From afar, I could feel the others were still out there, locked in combat with Aizen’s army of Arrancar.

And while I had done my part, it was time to shift the focus and ensure our victory.

But just as I began to redirect my thoughts and energies, a cold, familiar voice shattered the stillness.

“Bankai.”

My heart froze. That voice. It couldn’t be…

Turning around, my eyes met the very much intact form of Aizen, standing amidst the white sand, his gaze locked onto me.

How?! How had he survived the Abyssal Void?!

Abyssal Void is a place where nothing could persist, he had been trapped inside for more than enough time to be destroyed into nothingness!

As my thoughts rushed through every possible explanation, I saw it… in his left hand, a small, brilliant orb, vibrating with power. The Hogyoku.

“Benikumo-kyo no eien no nemuri.”