A few minutes earlier, Ichigo flew through the dimension between Seireitei and the world of the living at high speed while carrying his father on his shoulder.

In this place between dimensions, time didn't flow, and due to Aizen destroying this place's cleaner, which was supposed to prevent exactly that, Ichigo stayed here for multiple months, allowing him to learn a new technique that would help him against Aizen: The Final Getsuga Tensho.

Fortunately, Ichigo managed to more or less learn it and only needed a little longer to be able to display the technique's full power. However, even without access to the full extent of the technique's power, Ichigo was confident that he could deal with Aizen until he reached the point where he could make his final move.

Unfortunately, the word "final" in "Final Getsuga Tensho" was literally the last Getsuga Tensho he would ever use, as using it would remove his Shinigami powers. Nonetheless, he was willing to make that sacrifice if it meant defeating Aizen.

So, minutes later, Ichigo reached the real Karakura Town, where he knew Aizen was currently at. He had feared that Aizen might have done something to his friends who stayed in Karakura Town, but after quickly scanning the town, he realized that neither his friends, his two little sisters, nor his mother experienced any harm, with most of them being simply asleep.

Next, he was about to look for Aizen, but he quickly found that to be unnecessary, as he noticed two colossal explosions in the distance, which were accompanied by two frankly disgustingly powerful Spiritual Pressures.
'Even at this point in time, she somehow can keep up with Aizen, huh? What a monster.'

Shaking his head with a wry smile on his face, Ichigo gently put his unconscious father on the ground before speeding toward Aizen's current position. And, as he was flying, he could only sigh in relief as Yuna apparently confronted Aizen outside the town, preventing causalities.

Feeling the air getting colder as he approached the fighting duo, Ichigo frowned deeply, hoping that this confrontation wouldn't have any negative impact on his hometown, and moments later, he finally arrived at the battlefield.

"Those are some good eyes, Ichigo. Seems like you have finally overcome your own doubts."

Hearing Yuna's words, Ichigo only gave her a nod of acknowledgment while internally being rather annoyed. He was fully aware of his own doubts regarding this whole situation, and he was also aware that he had some doubts about defeating Aizen.

Now that he had reached his current state, his confidence had soared, but despite that, Yuna still indirectly pointed out that he previously had the eyes of a coward, which he knew was true but didn't like to hear.
So, that being the case, Ichigo decided to only briefly acknowledge Yuna before focusing on Aizen, confidence and determination burning in his eyes.

"Mhh? I'm unsure what kind of evolution you were going for, but it seems you failed. I feel nothing from you, Kurosaki Ichigo. What a disappointment."

Hearing Aizen's words, Ichigo's confidence soured even further as he realized that Aizen wasn't capable of sensing his power, making it clear that Ichigo had ascended to a level beyond Aizen's.

He also offhandedly noticed that Yuna was giving Aizen weird looks for dismissing his current strength, which meant that she was likely capable of sensing his current state, making Ichigo really wonder what kind of creature she was. After all, not even Aizen could fathom his power, so how could Yuna?

Obviously, what Ichigo wasn't aware of was that Yuna had experienced much higher levels of power in her previous lives, so the realm Ichigo was currently in was far from what Yuna couldn't perceive.

"I don't care what you think, Aizen. Let's fight. I finish this fight... within an instant."

Ichigo's confidence soared even further as he pointed his blade at Aizen with an indifferent expression. However, as he was fixing his gaze on Aizen, a weirded-out expression appeared on his face.

'Wait a second, what's with Aizen's current looks? Obviously, he went through multiple evolutions due to the Hogyoku's influence, but what is it with his current form? No matter how I look at it, isn't he a little too feminine?'

Briefly thinking about it, Ichigo's gaze landed on Yuna, who smirked at him while giving him a wink, causing a shiver to go down his spine.

'She did something, didn't she? Honestly, I'm kind of curious how she managed to pull off something like this, but I don't dare to ask. Who knows? If I appear to be too interested in this, she might actually make me her next target.'

Ichigo swiftly ignored whatever had happened to Aizen in favor of finishing this fight. However, before he could attack, he heard Yuna again speaking to him.

"That state you are currently in... it isn't permanent, is it?"

Since Yuna could feel his current strength, which was even surpassing her own, she couldn't help but wonder how exactly Ichigo managed to power up so much. However, instead of asking about that, she was much more curious about the truth about his current powerup. Even with her own knowledge and methods, she was certain she could not develop a technique that would allow Ichigo to alleviate him to his current level of strength in such a short time and without massive drawbacks.

That being said, Yuna quickly concluded that whatever Ichigo had done to himself would have massive repercussions that might even possibly cost him his life.

Frankly, Yuna's relationship with Ichigo was rather shallow, but if whatever he was currently doing would cost him his life, she would intervene. Doing so might carry some risks, but stopping Ichigo's technique, whatever it was, was something Yuna had some confidence in.

As for defeating Aizen afterward, it wouldn't be easy, but if she were to use a move or two that damaged herself as well, she was certain that she could do something about that as well.

However, before Yuna could make any drastic decisions, Ichigo resumed speaking, informing her about the nature of his powerup.

"Currently, I'm in a state that is about to unleash the Final Getsuga Tensho. In this case, the word "Final" is meant literally, as I will use all my power after using it."

The moment Ichigo finished his explanation, Yuna couldn't help but frown deeply. For a cultivator, losing your power was a fate that was pretty much as bad as death, but Ichigo was not a cultivator. In fact, he only had his powers for about a year, as such, making him not especially attached to them.

Obviously, if there were a chance for Ichigo to keep his powers, he would take it, but Yuna could clearly see that Ichigo had already made his decision.

"I see; in that case, I won't stand in the way of your resolve. Show me what you can do, Ichigo."

"Of course!"

The moment Ichigo affirmed Yuna's words, his Spiritual Power rose even further, escalating far beyond what even Yuna had, reaching a whole new level.

Seeing Ichigo's power rising even further, Yuna whistled while looking impressed.

"As expected of a one-time-only attack. That's a lot of power."

Ichigo didn't comment on Yuna's words, but Aizen couldn't help but be dumbfounded by what he saw. After all, even now, he still couldn't feel any Spiritual Power in Ichigo, but considering it was so densely wrapped around Ichigo's body that it was even possible to see it with the naked eye, there was no doubt that Ichigo still possessed his Spiritual Power.

'How is that possible? Why can't I still not feel his power? Don't tell me... he is on an even higher level of evolution than me...'

Unaware of Aizen's thoughts, Ichigo's power skyrocketed further and further, and after reaching the peak of his power, he revealed a new form. Now, his whole body was covered in his dense black Spiritual Power, making it look like black clothing was covering his whole body, while even his hair had turned black from the Spiritual Power coating it.

"The Final Getsuga Tensho is for me to become Getsuga itself."

Following those words, Yuna gave Ichigo's current form a close inspection and instantly noticed that his Zanpakuto was gone.

She gave it an even closer look, and after thinking about the situation and Ichigo's words a few seconds longer, she realized what exactly had happened to him.

'He fused with his Zanpakuto. This final attack uses all the dormant power within his Zanpakuto to deal one lethal blow, and in the process, his Zanpakuto's power will be fully depleted, making it go dormant.

However, neither his Zanpakuto nor his Zanpakuto Spirit will be destroyed in the process, so there should be a way to reawaken his power.

Guess I'll look into it when I have some time~'

Unaware of Yuna's thoughts about how it might be possible to return Ichigo's power to him, Ichigo raised his hand to prepare his attack, while Aizen was freaking out due to the realization that Ichigo was very likely on a higher level of existence than him.

"IT CAN'T BE POSSIBLE!!! THAT JUST CAN'T BE!!! NO HUMAN CAN SURPASS ME!!! THAT'S JUST NOT..."

"[Mugetsu]"

Unbothered by Aizen's rant, a thin black blade entirely made out of Spiritual power appeared above Ichigo's hand, and while Aizen was still going crazy, he slashed it down, turning the world black.

Outrageous amounts of Spiritual Pressure exploded out of Ichigo's blade, covering everything with his dense black Spiritual Power and, more importantly, slicing vertically through Aizen as if his body was made out of butter, creating a deadly wound.

The moment his attack stopped, Ichigo felt a wave of fatigue washing over him, causing his knees to buckle. However, before he could fall, Yuna appeared next to him and supported his body.

"Nice move, Ichigo. It's a pity it was only a one-time use move. Otherwise, I would have liked to give it a spin as well."

Hearing Yuna's words, Ichigo could only smile wryly while wondering if Yuna had actually seen what kind of damage his attack did and how that could have translated to her wanting to experience the same, but Yuna's next words made him pause.

"A pity it still wasn't enough."

"Wha..."

"Hahaha, you lose, Kurosaki Ichigo!"

Surprisingly, Aizen's body, which Ichigo had cut in two halves, regenerated, knitting itself back together with the power of the Hogyoku, and moments later, Aizen managed to stand up again.

"Look, Kurosaki Ichigo. Can you see it? My Zanpakuto is disappearing. That means that the Hogyoku no longer deems it necessary for me to have one. Just like you, I'll fuse with my Zanpakuto! Just like you, I will become one with its power! No! I'LL EVEN SURPASS YOUR POWER!!!"

While Ichigo was trying to put up a resistance, which he failed at, Yuna only shook her head as Aizen's sanity seemed to be deteriorating further and further.

'Well, they say that women are less rational, so I guess it can't be helped that as further he transforms into one, the more irrational he gets~'

[So you are just going to act like that isn't your fault? Don't think for even a second that I don't remember how you asked him to give you the Hogyoku briefly. I don't know what you did, but I know you did something at that very moment.]

'Well, that sounds a lot like a baseless accusation. Got any proof?'

[As if I would need any proof to claim that you went out of your way to mess with someone just for the sake of messing with them.]

'That's... actually quite a good argument. Oh well, yeah, I f*cked up the Hogyoku when he handed it over to me~'

[As expected.]

[Gahaha~]

While Aizen was continuing to rant, a spike made out of Spiritual power suddenly grew out of his chest, confusing him.

"What the hell is this!?"

Before anyone could answer that question, more and more spikes appeared all over Aizen's body. He attempted to do something to stop whatever was going on, but no matter what he did, nothing helped.

"Kido!? When did you..."

He couldn't finish that sentence as Urahara Kisuke suddenly appeared with a smirk on his face.
"Looks like it finally activated~"

"Urahara Kisuke. Is this your doing!?"

"Indeed. Earlier, when I bound you with Kido, I secretly layered another spell in the one I used. I knew that after you fused with the Hogyoku, you would be almost impossible to kill, so I came up with a spell to seal you permanently."

"Seal me? What a joke! Can't you see that I'm still evolving further!? No matter what kind of seal you created, it won't do anything!"

Unfortunately for him, the moment those words left Aizen's mouth, his form changed yet again, but this time, he became distinctively more human while he simultaneously felt a lot of power leaving his body.

"W-What is this!? WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS!?"

Seeing Aizen's crazed form, while briefly wondering why the Hogyoku had decided to turn him into a woman, Kisuke shook his head.

"Unfortunately, that's not how it is. The reason the seal activated in the first place was that you were weak enough for it to work. Or rather, it activated because you are no longer strong enough to rule over the Hogyoku; It no longer recognized you as its master."

Hearing Kisuke's explanation, Aizen was briefly dazed before seething fury exploded out of his body.

"URAHARA KISUKE!!!"

Aizen struggled to get out of the seal Kisuke cast on him, but no matter what he did, nothing helped, so all he could do was continue to curse at Kisuke.

"I DESPISE YOU!!! WHY, WITH A MIND AS BRILLIANT AS YOURS, DO YOU ACCEPT THE CURRENT SITUATION!? WHY DO YOU CONTINUE OBEYING THAT THING!?"

Kisuke was about to answer Aizen, but before he could do so, Aizen continued yelling while his gaze landed on Yuna.

"AND YOU, YUNA UZUMAKI, YOU LOOKED THROUGH THE ARCHIVES OF CENTRAL 46 AS WELL, RIGHT!? YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE SOUL KING AS WELL!!! WHY IS SOMEONE LIKE YOU WILLING TO SERVE UNDER THAT THING!?"

Hearing those words, Kisuke couldn't help but flinch. Frankly, this was something he was a little afraid of: Yuna getting to know about the Soul King. With her free-spirited personality, there was no way she would serve under someone, especially not the almost lifeless husk that was the Soul King.

However, to Aizen and Kisuke's surprise, Yuna only tilted her head in confusion before she started talking with a weirded-out expression on her face.

"Serve? What are you talking about, Aizen? I don't serve anybody. Whether it's you, Seireitei, or whoever else wants me to serve them, I'll annihilate them, no questions asked.

Yuna Uzumaki is below no one and above everyone.

There might be some figurehead sitting on a random throne somewhere tugged away in Seireitei, but I don't give a sliver of a shit about him. If, somehow, that useless puppet decided to become my enemy, I'll simply slay it and everyone it sends after me."

Hearing Yuna's opinion in regards to the Soul King, Aizen was briefly stunned, incapable of understanding what he had just heard.

For him, the Soul King was a disgusting existence that was seated above everyone else, seemingly ruling all of creation, but to Yuna, he was just some random king who didn't bother her in the slightest.

Seemingly, the only reason why Yuna had not yet killed him was simply because she didn't care about him. Obviously, this kind of indifferent attitude dumbfounded Aizen, while Kisuke could only sigh in relief.

Frankly, Yuna's attitude toward the Soul King wasn't optimal, with her clearly stating that she would go for the kill if she had to, but it was still better than the worst-case scenario, where she was hell-bent on killing him.

"BULLSHIT!!! ACCEPTING THE STATUS QUO IS THE ATTITUDE OF A LOSER. A WINNER SHOULDN'T ACCEPT HOW THE WORLD IS BUT HOW IT SHOULD BE!!!"

It took a few seconds, but Aizen finally managed to get out of his daze. Since Yuna didn't seem to care about what the current situation was, he came to the conclusion that Yuna simply accepted everything as acceptable, not wanting to cause a stir.

However, that wasn't how she thought at all.

"Haa? Loser and winner? Of those two, isn't it obvious that I'm a winner? Of all the people I know here, my harem is the biggest, so it's only obvious that I'm a winner.

As for the Soul King, I don't understand why you even care about that thing. Do you want to take its position as a ruler? Why would you do that? Do you know how bothersome it is to rule over something? You'll actually have to do work!"

At that very moment, Aizen realized just how different Yuna was from him. While he desired power and authority, Yuna, as the degenerate she was, was only interested in expanding her harem, not caring about anything else.

"I see, so it's like that."

The moment Aizen's words of understanding echoed over the battlefield, Kisuke's seal fully activated, sealing Aizen away for a long time.