Infinite Anime [318-319] (Patreon)

Chapter 318: Rampage

"Who was it that said we should rely on each other before? When it comes to the Zanpakutō, you're completely just relying on me…"

Aizen muttered under his breath. He'd forgotten how long it had been since he'd spoken to someone like this. This kind of relaxed conversation without masks put him at ease.

"Sorry to trouble you, Sōsuke. My Zanpakutō is a bit special—definitely tricky."

Gusion looked a little embarrassed. If he was being honest, his Zanpakutō awakening had pretty much been carried by Aizen from start to finish.

"I really can't help you, can I. Lie down."

Aizen's hand rested on Kyōka Suigetsu's hilt. "My Zanpakutō has awakened a new ability. It can cooperate with my hypnosis—should be more effective than before."

Gusion didn't call out the subtle change in Aizen's wording. Some things didn't need to be said aloud.

"Alright, I'm ready."

Gusion lay down. In theory, his Clear Mind lineage could immunize him to all control effects that met its criteria—Kyōka Suigetsu included. But right now his mental attribute was far below Sōsuke's, so the latter's ability could still take effect.

"Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu."

Aizen's low voice sounded. Kyōka Suigetsu entered shikai and began full hypnosis on Gusion.

His complete hypnosis could manipulate the five senses. But to help Gusion resonate with his Zanpakutō, Gusion had to fully cooperate—relax his spiritual pressure and let Aizen guide him.

He wasn't like back then, when his actual spiritual pressure towered over Gusion by several dimensions. Yet he found guiding him was still very easy.

For a moment, Aizen's gaze on Gusion turned complicated.

At that moment, under Aizen's guidance, Gusion once again entered that pitch-black soul space.

It felt like the last time he'd come here had been long ago.

He walked through the darkness of his soul space with no sense of direction, no sense of an end.

Walking and walking, he came upon a broken path. He looked down—an endless abyss.

Gusion emptied his mind and stepped forward, letting his soul-consciousness fall, as if diving, into the region his subconscious resisted entering.

When the wails reached his ears, Gusion lowered his gaze and saw the violet-black purgatory again. Endless violet-black flames churned in rivers of magma, the flames writhing like living things, devouring the air around them and roaring with deafening thunder.

The sky was smothered in thick smoke. Now and then, dark red lightning split the heavens, illuminating the anguished faces of the tormented souls.

Deep within the purgatory stood a colossal cage, towering amid magma and flame. Its structure was complex, layered upon layers like a grim castle. The cage was bound by thick, vine-like iron chains and locks, each chain seemingly imbued with magic, glimmering with a dim red light.

Countless vengeful spirits clung to and climbed the chains, as if they were bound to them, wailing unceasingly—their features contorted, their eyes full of resentment and despair.

Above the cage, sulfur and ash hung heavy. Endless storms raged overhead, lightning threading through them; each peal of thunder seemed to proclaim the majesty of hell.

Thunder, malice, and wailing intertwined, forming a requiem of purgatory that rang through this palace of iron and fire.

Step by step, Gusion crossed the lava river and returned to this cage that was both familiar and strange.

Last time he'd come, the cage wasn't like this—neither so massive nor so complex, and there weren't these vine-like chains coiling around it outside.

His intuition told him the prison had grown more solid, as if some invisible force had reinforced the seal on it.

Odd. That didn't match the typical traits of a Zanpakutō.

Logically, regardless of whether he'd high-handedly named the Zanpakutō, since he could enter shikai—and since the End Space had marked it as shikai—that meant he'd succeeded at shikai.

Therefore, he should be able to communicate normally with his Zanpakutō and develop bankai afterward.

As long as his spiritual pressure was sufficient, bankai should have come naturally. But after leaving the world of Bleach, he'd never managed to communicate with his Zanpakutō again.

To be precise, he'd never truly communicated with the thing inside the cage from the beginning; he'd only heard roars he couldn't understand.

Those roars carried fury and loneliness—despair laced with savagery.

"Hey, Mazuko, you can hear me, right?"

Compared to before, the one improvement was that Gusion had more autonomy in this place; he could act and speak freely, likely thanks to increased soul strength as his power grew.

Silence from within the cage was his only response, which irritated Gusion.

He kicked the tightly shut gate. Only the clang of steel answered; the gate didn't budge. It seemed impossible to open it with his strength.

But that was strange. If the Zanpakutō spirit inside the gate was imprisoned here, then in theory it couldn't come out on its own. And if its master couldn't release it, wasn't that a deadlock?
"Mazuko, answer me."

Gusion ordered again, waiting for feedback from within.

In Gusion's perception, ten minutes passed with no response from the cage.

He grew even more puzzled. He clearly could use shikai; both the ability and the form of the Zanpakutō in shikai were clearly related to this Mazuko.

That meant he could indeed draw on the power of the Zanpakutō—or rather, the power in the depths of his soul. So why couldn't he even open the door now?
Just as Gusion turned to head back and discuss the problem with Sōsuke, movement came from behind.

Gusion turned back in surprise, only to see the massive cage trembling. Thick ash fell from it, hitting the ground with a choking scent.

Amid the trembling, the tightly sealed gate opened a crack.

The crack was so small not even a pinky could fit through, but with the magma's glow from the purgatory he could still make out the figure inside.

Just like in his memories: the majestic demon god bound tight by chains. The chains were cold and heavy; each link was inlaid with ancient runes that shone with a biting light.

The demon god's skin was covered in scars—the marks of countless ages of struggle and ordeal. The violet-black eyes had long lost their former glory, now emanating a cold and cruel gleam, as if even endless ages couldn't erode its hatred.

At the instant it met Gusion's gaze, the demon god opened its fearsome jaws and roared as though challenging the firmament—but its voice was swallowed by the winds of purgatory. The magma's bellowing mingled with its roar, yet could not drown the sorrow in its heart.

Its limbs strained against the chains, trying to break the shackles. But the chains seemed to grow in strength with it; no matter how it struggled, it could not break free.

Eventually, it grew still again, curling into the black-gray shadows. Time had lost meaning here; every moment was eternal torment, every breath an interrogation of the soul.

Within the cage, the demon god's shadow, cast by the outer world's magma glow, seemed especially lonely.

When it met Gusion's eyes again, an image flashed through Gusion's mind: a land he'd never seen, uncanny and desolate.

As if baked by searing heat, the ground was covered in black residue. From it jutted absurd, sharp protrusions—whether tendrils or some plant—adorning that dim, monochrome world.

A long, black silhouette stood upon the land, with a slightly shorter shadow at its side like a retainer, both gazing over a post-apocalyptic world.

The power that had once made myriad worlds tremble was gone; only the desolation after splendor remained.

The next moment, a bell seemed to thunder by Gusion's ear, and the image shattered like glass.

His consciousness returned to the purgatory space. A gale swept through the world, churning endless sulfur and magma into a beautiful doomsday spectacle. Firelights, like fireflies, rose into the sky, yet could not reach any heaven that didn't exist.

After long spirals, the extinguished sparks turned to ash and fell upon the top of the cage, like heavy sins pinning it down.

As the ash piled up, the slightly opened gate gradually shut.

Before it fully closed, Gusion heard the Mazuko's voice for the first time. It was a language he couldn't understand, but he could tell it wasn't a meaningless growl—it was speaking to him.

The stream of sounds crashed into Gusion's mind, making his consciousness shudder and his very soul-body nearly collapse.

At the critical moment, a surge of flame rose in the magma world and washed over him, instead stabilizing his soul-body.

When he opened his eyes again, Gusion was drenched in sweat and panting. His gaze met Aizen's, who looked equally surprised.

"Gusion-kun, what exactly did you see during the Zanpakutō resonance?"

Aizen asked, curious.

"What's wrong? Did something change outside?"

Gusion was baffled. He couldn't say he'd gained nothing—he had met the Mazuko after a long time—but he was still totally at a loss.

Aizen's expression lacked its usual calm. He said solemnly, "Gusion-kun, take a look around."

Gusion raised a hand to his brow, suppressed the headache, and scanned the surroundings. His eyes widened in growing shock.

Everything in sight had disappeared. The cave they'd been in and the gray rock mountain above had vanished entirely.

Not only that, beneath them yawned an incredibly deep pit. It stretched in all directions as far as the horizon.

Gray sands were pouring into the pit. Some frenzied energy lingered in the ground. Visibly, it was like clusters of violet-black flames burning, corroding the Hollow World.

Looking closer, he saw multiple tears in Sōsuke's shihakushō and obvious bloodstains on his body.

"This is…"

Gusion's headache intensified. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Was that… me?"

"Gusion-kun, I already had a hunch back in school, but your Zanpakutō is more dangerous than I imagined."

Aizen said gravely, using Kaidō with one hand to treat his wounds.

Gusion had gone berserk for only 19 seconds, and Aizen had nearly been killed by the rampaging Gusion.

Between life and death, he hadn't held back at all. But forget waking Gusion up—in that state Gusion was a furious warrior Aizen had never seen before. Every move seemed driven by animal instinct, yet also carried an unfathomable profundity.

It was almost a crushing force, shattering all of Aizen's methods. Just as he thought he'd be cut down by the rampaging Gusion, Gusion's Zanpakutō halted at his throat, then his arm fell limply, and he returned to normal.

"Sorry to trouble you, Sōsuke. Let me help."

Gusion apologized and used Kaidō to heal Aizen. In Kaidō, he was even more adept than Aizen, who'd only dabbled.

The two cleared a patch amid the ravaged battlefield and sat. As Gusion tended Aizen's wounds, he was deeply shaken.

He'd discussed things openly with Aizen before; Sōsuke hadn't hidden much. Based on Gusion's own estimates of attributes, he suspected Aizen was at least peak fourth-tier, and very likely a fifth-tier powerhouse already.

And yet he'd beaten Sōsuke up like this?

What was the deal with his Mazuko?
What kind of secret was hidden within himself?
Gusion wasn't stupid. Though he wasn't good at deduction, he didn't think this was a Zanpakutō problem; it was an issue of his soul's very nature.

He'd started with a normal asauchi. It was only after he communicated with and activated the power within his soul that Mazuko formed as his Zanpakutō.

In the end, the demon god in the depths of his soul should have existed before he ever entered the Space.

At that point, a chill ran down Gusion's spine.

The world he was born in appeared normal. Compared to most Space explorers, he came from a later timeline Earth, which, due to different causal changes, had developed into what they called a cyberpunk world.

In his world, there was no supernatural power. Everything could be explained by science.

And his grandpa's old martial arts novels only fed his fantasies of strength—at most, mountain-cleaving warriors. They were widely regarded as fiction anyway.

In such a world, even as a martial prodigy, he'd be nothing more than a formidable fighter. Gusion didn't think he had any direct link to supernatural power.

Yet the Mazuko in his soul seemed to conceal power beyond his imagination. Just a simple attempt to communicate had transmitted enough power through his body to nearly kill Sōsuke.

Forget supernatural—this was hard to explain even in the Space. He'd never heard of any explorer spontaneously erupting with power that overwhelming from nothing.

Chapter 319: Three Paths to Bankai
"Dangerous as it is, I'm very interested in your bankai, Gusion-kun. It's not common to have a bankai that boosts you that much."

During treatment, Aizen commented on Gusion's earlier state.

In Aizen's view, for Shinigami, a big power-up upon bankai was normal—five to ten times was common. But Gusion's case was different.

It wasn't just spiritual pressure increasing. Aizen had observed calmly during the fight: besides spiritual pressure, Gusion's arm strength and a slew of basic physical metrics had also increased. That wasn't something you saw in ordinary bankai.

Moreover, the magnitude of Gusion's increase was simply too great—far beyond typical bankai multipliers.

"You think what I just used was bankai?"

Gusion found it strange. He'd only tried to talk to the Mazuko in his soul's depths. He still didn't know what the Mazuko had said.

While treating him, Sōsuke had described his state: wrapped in violently raging violet-black spiritual pressure, forcing Sōsuke to the brink in just nineteen seconds.

If not for some lingering instinctive awareness that had made him stop in time, Aizen might no longer be in this world.

But per Sōsuke, Gusion's Zanpakutō's appearance hadn't changed. He didn't think that counted as bankai.

And if that was his bankai, he'd rather not have it. Power he couldn't control was poison no matter how strong.

Most importantly, if he wasn't personally fighting, where was the fun?

"Your Zanpakutō's form didn't change, but aside from bankai there's no way to explain that sudden surge in spiritual pressure. To be frank, though I'm only a lieutenant, my spiritual pressure ranks among the captains."

Aizen said, coughing up a mouthful of blood—he'd been hit hard.

Gusion increased his Kaidō output. Inwardly he thought, Sōsuke, you're too modest. Other than the Captain-Commander and an unleashed Kenpachi, no one likely surpasses your spiritual pressure.

"A bankai without a form change—has that ever happened in Soul Society?"

Gusion asked.

"Not to my knowledge. But you're special, Gusion-kun. It's not impossible. As for developing your bankai, I think you should proceed cautiously."

Aizen brushed grime from his shihakushō with spiritual pressure. "I was going to help you get a Tenshintai."

"Tenshintai?"

Gusion blinked. He vaguely remembered seeing a similar term in the manga but couldn't recall clearly.

"It's a new gadget from the 12th Division's R&D—still a prototype with many issues. It'll probably take a future genius to perfect before the Gotei 13 can use it widely."

Aizen explained. "Their pitch is that the device forcibly traces the true body of the Zanpakutō and manifests it. The original intent is to let Shinigami quickly learn bankai: defeat the manifested true spirit, and you learn bankai."

He paused, then put it in terms Gusion would grasp better. "Mm… basically to make your Zanpakutō submit to you."

To unlock shikai, a Shinigami must "speak with" and "synchronize with" their Zanpakutō. That's true for all. Aizen wasn't sure Gusion had done that.

But the fact that Gusion-kun could use shikai was undeniable. He thought maybe Gusion's talent was so overwhelming he'd forcibly called on the Zanpakutō's power.

Not impossible. Aizen knew of Shinigami who'd unlocked shikai yet didn't know their Zanpakutō's true name—or only half of it, even calling it wrong—yet still used its power.

He figured Gusion-kun was similar. Troublesome, but solvable.

By Aizen's original plan, they'd try the Tenshintai—have Gusion force a "manifestation" and "submission" of his Zanpakutō—so he could learn bankai.

As for whether he could win, given Gusion's combat talent, Aizen thought a blunder was unlikely.

But now…

"Then get me one to try?"

Gusion perked up. He knew what Aizen meant now: Urahara would later perfect it, which Ichigo used to learn bankai.

"Better not…"

Aizen looked at Gusion helplessly. "Your bankai is too dangerous. Are you sure, if you manifest it, you can make it submit?"

Gusion thought for a moment. "Then forget it. I'll raise my strength first."

Sōsuke's warning made him realize the risk. Ichigo's Zangetsu was also extremely powerful, but Zangetsu wasn't actually Yhwach. He liked Ichigo and embraced him.

That's why Ichigo could pass Zangetsu's test and master bankai.

But if Gusion used the Tenshintai to release the Mazuko, it might well be a monster capable of killing Aizen. That would be game over.

"Let's take the normal route. I'll share my insights on developing bankai. Generally, once your spiritual pressure meets the mark, a decade or two of training is enough to bankai. No need to rush."

Aizen suggested.

Gusion glanced at Aizen curiously. "By the way, Sōsuke—if you have insights, you must have mastered bankai, right?"

One of Bleach's unsolved mysteries: what exactly is Aizen Sōsuke's bankai? It had nagged at Gusion; curiosity clawed at him like a cat.

"My bankai?"

Aizen smiled mysteriously. "Interested, Gusion-kun?"

Gusion nodded quickly.

"Then I'll show you. In fact, you already saw it—just not consciously."

Aizen rose, flexed his freshly healed body, and slowly drew the Zanpakutō at his waist. "Bankai…"

...

One minute later, Gusion sat on a boulder looking thoroughly glum, like a fish that'd lost all motivation after satisfying its curiosity.

"Sōsuke, how long did it take you to learn bankai from when you started practicing?"

Back to business after witnessing Sōsuke's bankai, Gusion asked.

"More precisely, about two months."

Aizen answered. In truth, back at the Shin'ō Academy his spiritual pressure had already been enough to start bankai training, but he focused on fundamentals instead and didn't develop bankai.

And his shikai ability was domineering enough that he hadn't felt pressed to rely on bankai's power.

After Gusion vanished on a mission, he wanted more power to go to Hueco Mundo and confirm Gusion's life or death—so he learned bankai. If nothing else, bankai increased the output of spiritual pressure, which greatly boosts combat strength in a pinch.

Nowadays, he didn't care much about bankai. He'd sensed a ceiling to Shinigami. If he could surpass that limit one day, he wouldn't need the power of bankai.

And if he hit the peak limit of Shinigami spiritual pressure, neither shikai nor bankai would raise his upper limit. Bankai's significance to him would be even smaller.

"That's a terrifying record. I'll do my best."

Gusion sighed. Normally, learning bankai took a decade or two—but those who could learn bankai weren't normal Shinigami. They were the Gotei 13's geniuses, captain-class.

And Sōsuke had mastered it in two months—monstrous talent.

Gusion didn't get discouraged. He'd noticed the Mazuko problem, but believed there'd be a way forward. He now had a new idea for unlocking bankai.

He thought there were three paths to bankai, each with pros and cons.

First, the one he felt most likely to work. It was just a hunch, but he'd noticed a hint in the Mazuko's details for a long time:

Feed the Mazuko with his own soul. This would greatly increase the Mazuko's growth, but it was extremely dangerous—he'd been warned to use caution.

So he'd never fed it with his own soul. Slowly grinding growth by cutting enemies worked too. Beyond any unknown side effects, he couldn't accept having defects in his soul after feeding it.

Because of that, though this route seemed the easiest per his intuition, he wouldn't take it unless absolutely necessary—life or death.

Second, as Sōsuke said: take it slow. Keep getting stronger. When he hit fifth-tier, maybe he could force bankai. Whether that would work was unknown.

Given the time remaining in this world and his main quest penalties, this seemed like a suboptimal path.

Third, a sudden idea born from what just happened and his experiences in the Space. He didn't have a precise plan yet—he'd have to feel his way forward.

"Gusion, what happened? Did an enemy come?"

At that moment, Nel flew in from afar. Seeing the devastation, she was shocked.

Dondochakka and Pesche followed behind her, yelping at the sight of the battlefield.

With Aizen providing coordinates, Nel had easily found the two Hollows. She just hadn't expected a war zone a few hours later.

"It's fine. We just ran a little experiment."

Gusion explained.

Aizen straightened his clothes. "I'll leave Hueco Mundo to you, Gusion-kun. I can't be absent from the team too long. We'll follow up via the item you gave me."

"See you, Sōsuke."

Gusion knew Aizen wasn't one to dawdle, so he didn't try to keep him. Aizen had plenty to arrange back in Soul Society, and Gusion couldn't stay in Hueco Mundo forever. Sōsuke would open the path there first.

By the time Gusion finished his business in Hueco Mundo, Aizen would be ready, and Gusion could return with no worries.

"Gusion, aren't you going back with your friend?"

Nel watched Aizen depart, puzzled by Gusion. She'd wondered if she'd miss him when she returned—but it seemed he wasn't leaving with Aizen.

Ulquiorra, who'd just landed behind Nel, also looked to Gusion for an answer.

"Things are complicated in Soul Society. As a missing person, it's not convenient for me to go back yet. I'll operate in Hueco Mundo for a while."

Gusion said, dusting off the sand. "If you don't mind, we can keep working together."

"Of course I don't mind."

Nel smiled and patted Dondochakka's round head. "Dondochakka, Pesche—right?"

Creatures with reason were closer to humans. And all beings close to human hated loneliness without exception.

Traveling with a new friend made Nel happy.

"Don't be so quick to agree."

Gusion glanced at Ulquiorra as well. "You too, Ulquiorra. You should hear what I plan to do in Hueco Mundo before deciding."

"No matter your decision, I wish to stay by your side—until I understand what a heart is."

Ulquiorra's voice was calm. He wanted to watch Gusion do things he couldn't understand; that was why he wanted to follow.

"Gusion, what are you going to do?"

Nel asked, puzzled.

The wind stirred gray sand, lifting traces of the lingering violet-black energy into the air. It brushed Gusion's hem like blooming dark purple flowers, then scattered behind him into a gauzy amethyst mist.

Facing the reishi breeze of Hueco Mundo, Gusion said solemnly to Ulquiorra and Nel, "I'm going to rule Hueco Mundo."

"Huh? Do you know what you're saying?"

Nel stared at him like he was a fool, shocked.

Ulquiorra was calm. He merely found Gusion's new plan interesting. He felt he could now distinguish between "boring" and "interesting."

"I said I'm going to rule Hueco Mundo."

Gusion repeated, "I'm serious."

Whether for Sōsuke's request or as a Pioneer, unifying Hueco Mundo would earn him many benefits—it would help his actions later.

"But, did you forget being hunted by Baraggan before? You might not like hearing this, but you're not his match. And I don't want to see you use some do-or-die method just to beat him."

Nel said worriedly. "Can't we live peacefully in Hueco Mundo? You're a Shinigami—why be king of Hueco Mundo?"

"There are many reasons. I'll say the one that matters to you. If I overthrow Baraggan and rule instead, this place will be more orderly. At least there won't be senseless massacres by Baraggan's armies."

Gusion explained. "For that, I want to recruit more rational allies."

Before Nel could argue, Ulquiorra spoke first. "Mr. Gusion, if you seek powerful Hollows, I know a place that might have a Vasto Lorde."