No Cheat in Bleach ? Watch me help Aizen then.
Chapter 172: A Brief and Inglorious Life

Chapter 172: A Brief and Inglorious Life

High atop Mount Fūryū, watching a group of shinigami break through the encirclement below, Neliel Tu Odelschwanck tilted her head and asked curiously,

"Those shinigami... aren’t we going to stop them?"

She had noticed that Gin Ichimaru, who held overall authority over the Hollows deployed for this mission, showed no interest in stopping the escapees. Just pulling a few more Gillians from nearby would easily close the breach.

"Why bother?" Gin replied with his usual slitted grin. "Don’t forget, the goal this time is to eliminate Shiba Kaien. Whether the others live or die is irrelevant.

Unless you want to go deal with them yourself?"

Nel waved both hands quickly. "Nah, not interested."

Becoming one of the Espada had its perks—mostly fewer annoyances in Hueco Mundo. Most Hollows backed off at the sight of her rank. But as for caring about Aizen’s schemes? She couldn’t care less.

Halibel, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes meaningfully at Gin, just about to speak—when suddenly, the Reishi curtain isolating Mount Fūryū from Soul Society tore open.

Someone had forcefully ripped through it from the outside.

"Looks like the prey has arrived~" Gin’s voice curled with amusement.

No one had stepped through yet, but Gin already knew who it was.

There were only two shinigami in Soul Society capable of locating this spatially severed zone and brute-forcing an opening in such a short time.

One was Aizen Sōsuke.

The other—Higashi Shuuichi.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi? Too slow—he’d need time to analyze the coordinates.

And since Aizen was the architect of this entire operation, there was no way he’d crash it like this. That left one answer.

Sure enough, the next moment, emerging through the torn sky, fully Hollowfied—was Higashi Shuuichi.

He hadn’t come in response to Kaien’s distress signal.

As the test’s creator, Shuuichi had every reason to return promptly after healing Yushima Oushi. Any delay would arouse suspicion.

But there was a deeper reason: the appearance of Sakanade Kairai, the rogue agent hidden in the mist of uncertainty.

That had forced Shuuichi to contact Aizen directly.

Kaien could be killed at any time—just not now.

If Kairai’s unseen backers made a move during the chaos, the entire balance of Soul Society could collapse into turmoil.

And Aizen agreed.

He didn’t want a broken Soul Society—he wanted one to reshape. Destroying it prematurely would only backfire.

So—for once—he held back.

But such a retreat couldn’t be seen coming from him. If Aizen suddenly called off the operation, Gin would get suspicious.

That’s where Shuuichi came in.

When Aizen shared this ridiculous reasoning, Shuuichi didn’t even bother hiding how hard he mentally facepalmed.

You wanted to keep Gin around to toy with him?

Well now look. Cleaning up your mess, again.

And so, Shuuichi had rushed back after treating Yushima, storming into the battlefield with precision timing.

Luckily, when he arrived, Kaien was still trading barbs with the newly appointed Decima Espada, Aaroniero Arruruerie.

God bless trash talk.

But any thought of diving down to rescue Kaien directly evaporated.

As soon as Shuuichi breached the barrier, Gin, Halibel, and Nel formed a triangle around him mid-air.

"Ichimaru Gin!" Shuuichi roared, fury flashing in his eyes. "So it’s true—you’re in league with the Arrancar! And yet old man Yamamoto and Shunsui still defend you like fools!"

Truth be told, when Aizen said he had a surprise waiting, Shuuichi had imagined many things.

He never expected Gin to show up in broad daylight, unmasked and smug.

Was this idiot seriously dreaming of taking him down with Halibel and Nel?

Maybe if it were Starrk instead of Halibel, maybe.

But with this team? He’d be better off surrendering.

Still, Shuuichi donned his righteous fury mask. Gotta keep the performance going.

"That’s right!" Gin laughed manically, arms wide. "It was all my trap, Higashi Shuuichi! You’re just a clown dancing on my strings! But fret not—your performance ends now!"

The melodramatic proclamation set off warning bells in Shuuichi’s mind.

Too much bravado.

Was Gin provoking him on purpose? Trying to bait him?

Shuuichi didn’t know. But with his power, he could afford to gamble.

"You want a show? I’ll give you fireworks."

He dismissed his Hollowfication—and incanted:

"Hadō #91: Senjū Kōten Taihō!"

In a flash, a massive orb of compressed light formed in his palm, spinning, humming with devastating energy—before releasing a barrage of blinding beams.

The sky exploded.

Halibel managed to defend—barely. She was his ally, after all. Most of her barrage was flashy but weak.

Nel wasn’t so lucky.

Ten beams punched clean through her torso, creating smoking craters.

Luckily, as Espada No.3, Nel was a regeneration specialist. Her Hollow biology and mastery over Hierro and Cero-curative techniques kept her alive.

As for Gin—he parried every beam with Shinsō, his Zanpakutō, its unique extension and contraction slicing through the energy like threads of silk.

But Gin didn’t notice the second attack—hidden in the smoke, hidden in the Reiryoku shockwaves—Shuuichi swung his blade:

Fuzan!

Not the internal variant—Ura-Fuzan—but the classic Yamamoto-style: an overwhelming pressure slash, large enough to split mountains.

It tore the land in two.

The entire Mount Fūryū cleaved open.

Down below, shinigami fleeing for their lives suddenly saw the space above—previously veiled by Gin—now exposed.

"That’s Lord Shuuichi!"

"Shuuichi-sensei!"

"Captain Higashi?!"

Kaien Shiba’s crushing pressure vanished.

"You’re finished, Aaroniero!" Kaien bellowed. "Our reinforcements are here—your dreams of killing us end now!"

"Multiple Mizuten Tatsumaki!"

Kaien slammed his trident into the ground—summoning over a dozen water twisters, each capturing a Hollow within.

It was impressive—but Aaroniero just sneered. With a flick of his tendrils, the attacks dissolved.

But Kaien wasn’t trying to kill him. Just stall.

As per Squad Thirteen’s standard engagement tactic—restrain first, let the heavy hitter clean up.

"Carriage of thunder, bridge of spinning wheel..." Kaien began chanting Rikujōkōrō.

But his target vanished.

Aaroniero ignored Kaien—flying straight toward the sky, toward Shuuichi.

"So it’s you, Higashi Shuuichi! You killed my predecessor, Atidice, didn’t you?! Ha! I’ll fulfill his unfinished will!"

Even Halibel frowned at that.

What the hell was Aaroniero doing?

Did he forget the mission?

Aizen’s orders were clear: kill Kaien.

Not chase after Shuuichi like a lunatic.

Only one person smiled: Gin.

He’d known Aaroniero wouldn’t obey Aizen.

After all, who’d been whispering in Aaroniero’s ear since his birth, feeding him lies and stories of Shuuichi’s near-defeat at Atidice’s hands?

Gin, of course.

He had no faith in Halibel or Nel to hold Shuuichi.

But Aaroniero? A childlike mind obsessed with victory? Easy to manipulate.

And now, charging upward, Aaroniero opened his chest—revealing rows of glowing test tubes.

"Your abilities, your spirit particles—they’re all mine, Higashi Shuuichi!

Mu-Mang! (Negation of Light)"

One vial shattered.

And in that moment, Shuuichi felt it—his Reiryoku nullified.

He began to fall.

Like gravity had reclaimed him.

He couldn’t stabilize, couldn’t hover. Even his Zanpakutō trembled.

The tubes in Aaroniero’s chest contained his past data—from Atidice’s fight.

Originally, Shuuichi’s Reiatsu was far beyond Aaroniero’s. But this time, the Espada had been boosted.

Szayelaporro had rigged the battlefield—feeding the Reishi from the Garganta into Aaroniero like fuel.

Just for this moment.

Shuuichi couldn’t use Bankai. He couldn’t even hover.

Aaroniero laughed, triumphant.

Gin smiled slyly in the distance.

But Halibel’s face darkened.

"Resurrección—Emperatriz Tiburón." (Queen Shark)

She released without hesitation.

Her target was not Shuuichi.

But Aaroniero.

He had gone rogue.

Yet even her speed couldn’t match what came next.

A crimson Cero tore through the sky—ripping half of Aaroniero apart in an instant.

Mysterious fluids spilled from his ruined form.

Gin turned away with a knowing grin.

"Oops... guess I forgot to tell you, Aaroniero... Higashi Shuuichi doesn’t only wield shinigami powers. His Hollow form? Just as terrifying."

He hadn’t isolated the space above to hide from Soul Society.

He’d done it to hide Shuuichi’s Hollowfication from Aaroniero.

And now—he paid the price.

Shuuichi hovered above, fully Hollowfied, skeletal armor gleaming like a king returned from the underworld.

"Atidice had Baraggan helping him. What do you have?"

His voice was ice.

Aaroniero tried to retreat—turning to Halibel in desperation.

But she just looked once at Shuuichi, sighed, and nodded respectfully—before vanishing.

Nel followed suit, already gone.

Abandoned.

Alone.

Aaroniero’s voice trembled. "I... I’ve been discarded?"

And then, a blur.

Shuuichi flashed forward—shunpo sharp as thunder.

He didn’t say a word.

Just drove his Zanpakutō into Aaroniero’s chest.

A clean, final strike.

Thus ended the brief and inglorious life of Aaroniero Arruruerie.