Aizen shook his head and responded, "I'm afraid defending against such power is nearly impossible—and attempting to do so would be meaningless."
What represented a casual display from their opponent already exceeded their maximum capabilities. How could they possibly counter such force?
Without being able to discern Uehara Shiroha's true trump cards, Aizen refused to act rashly.
Outwardly, he maintained his characteristic calm composure.
Just moments ago, he had appeared impressively composed while shielding Tōsen and Gin from the attack, but the spiritual cost had been tremendous.
A few such attacks had rapidly depleted his Reiatsu, nearly exhausting his reserves completely.
Since reaching the pinnacle of Shinigami potential, this marked the first occasion where Aizen experienced this sensation of "spiritual bankruptcy."
Given his exceptional Reiatsu talent, the difficulty of withstanding these attacks spoke volumes. Anyone else facing Uehara Shiroha's onslaught would be reduced to ash within seconds.
Combat between Shinigami ultimately came down to a battle of spiritual pressure.
When Reiatsu proved insufficient, one could only compensate through specialized abilities.
But when confronting an opponent whose Reiatsu dwarfed your own, whose abilities demonstrated greater lethality, and who operated on an entirely different dimensional plane—what defense remained viable?
Beyond personal evolution, Aizen couldn't conceive of any method to counter this devastating technique.
The evolutionary path he had chosen was indeed correct.
In truth, regardless of its correctness, he had no alternative route available.
Aizen had left the Espada without choices, and now Uehara Shiroha had similarly backed him into a corner.
The sword strike his opponent had just unleashed had effectively severed all Aizen's retreat paths and contingency plans.
Now he could only advance forward. Nothing remained except the pursuit of the Soul King's throne.
He typically arranged such scenarios for others, never expecting to find himself similarly manipulated.
Just as he had orchestrated events for Ichigo Kurosaki, Uehara Shiroha now orchestrated his fate.
What profound irony!
Gin seized the opportunity to interject, "It appears this was merely a demonstration rather than a declaration of war. My old classmate seems to have other designs. Lord Aizen, should we accelerate our timetable?"
He recognized that Uehara Shiroha was deliberately maneuvering Aizen into a specific position.
Although Gin couldn't comprehend how his former classmate had attained such overwhelming power or what his ultimate objective might be, one thing remained obvious: Shiroha didn't consider them serious threats. It seemed all of Aizen's careful planning might already fall within Shiroha's calculations.
This realization proved truly terrifying.
The pressure now rested squarely on Aizen's shoulders.
"I understand, Gin," Aizen replied calmly. "Uehara Shiroha's existence represents precisely the opportunity I require. When the Hōgyoku fully awakens, transformation will follow. The final outcome remains unchanged—ultimate victory will be ours."
As he spoke, Aizen's gaze deepened, while internally he reasoned: "Uehara Shiroha demonstrates his power so overtly yet leaves me room to maneuver. This suggests everything proceeds according to some design! He clearly harbors profound skepticism regarding my plans! So what will the final result truly be? How genuinely exciting!"
In the Wandenreich, Yhwach emerged from his initial shock into bewilderment.
He believed he had allocated sufficient attention to Uehara Shiroha.
Not only had he included this young Shinigami on his list of six special war potentials, but he had positioned him as "number one" among them.
He had even utilized his newly awakened ability to repeatedly examine Uehara Shiroha's past and future.
This represented no simple undertaking.
Firstly, his power had not fully regenerated, meaning "The Almighty" had not completely awakened. Secondly, Uehara Shiroha differed fundamentally from ordinary Shinigami.
The past and future of most Shinigami appeared with perfect clarity in Yhwach's vision.
But everything surrounding Uehara Shiroha remained frustratingly vague—until reaching a certain temporal point, beyond which the man's future completely vanished from Yhwach's sight.
Despite such difficulties, Yhwach had maintained considerable vigilance regarding Shiroha, though the information he gathered remained disappointingly sparse.
Now it seemed his caution toward Uehara Shiroha was justified—yet still woefully insufficient.
The attack just unleashed in Hueco Mundo possessed enough power to threaten even Yhwach in his current, partially awakened state.
With his extraordinary perception and knowledge, he immediately recognized that this attack transcended Shinigami limitations—perhaps even surpassing the boundaries of mortal capability entirely.
This defied all logic.
Yhwach had always believed such power remained exclusive to "gods."
Even with The Almighty fully activated, he had only vaguely glimpsed the edges of this realm without fully accessing it. How could Uehara Shiroha possess such power?
More perplexing still, this particular Shinigami never appeared to train or strive for improvement—seemingly content with eating, drinking, and pursuing pleasure.
In truth, Yhwach had never successfully deciphered Uehara Shiroha's motivations or desires.
Initially, he hadn't considered this Shinigami particularly threatening.
Though the man possessed extraordinary talent, his character seemed lacking.
At that time, Uehara Shiroha had displayed no apparent ambition, exhibiting only appetites for worldly indulgences—rendering him seemingly harmless.
He represented an anomaly among Shinigami, apparently lacking both purpose and the dignified bearing typical of truly powerful beings.
If not for the fact that Yhwach had previously suffered betrayal, he likely wouldn't have placed such an individual on his watchlist at all.
His death a millennium ago had taught him to remain cautious, suspicious, and ruthless. When circumstances demanded sacrificing subordinates, one must do so without hesitation—for hesitation inevitably led to defeat.
Evidence had subsequently proven Uehara Shiroha far from simple. The man had soon revealed his fangs, adopting increasingly radical methodologies that differed completely from his earlier persona.
Judging from recent behavior, Uehara Shiroha demonstrated far greater decisiveness in killing than Yhwach's old rival, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni. One might reasonably describe him as quite the formidable adversary.
Possessing ambition and ruthlessness without corresponding strength would present little cause for concern.
But who could have anticipated this seemingly unremarkable individual would command such extraordinary power?
Clearly, Uehara Shiroha presented a far greater challenge than expected.
Combined with the scarcity of reliable intelligence, this opponent had become increasingly difficult to counter effectively.
Within the ice palace, addressing his assembled guards, Yhwach rendered his judgment:
"Uehara Shiroha represents a greater threat than anticipated. Fortunately, his interests and Soul Society's do not fully align. When war begins, we must pay special attention to this enemy."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Though several guards nodded in agreement, their eyes betrayed lingering disdain and rebelliousness.
Their attitude reflected genuine ignorance and fearlessness.
Residing within the Wandenreich, they could only sense the residual power of Shunkyō Bankai.
This power certainly felt formidable—indeed, upon careful consideration, it was objectively impressive—yet remained at a level where they could dismissively think, "I could achieve similar feats."
Unlike Yhwach, they lacked his terrifying insight, failing to recognize the true magnitude of Uehara Shiroha's capabilities.
Even if privately experiencing moments of anxiety, this didn't prevent them from holding their heads high with pride.
This arrogance and self-confidence had become integrated into their blood and souls.
They possessed legitimate reasons for such confidence.
Blessed with Schrift abilities and perfected Quincy forms, they feared nothing.
Besides, even if Uehara Shiroha possessed extraordinary strength, could he possibly exceed a fully awakened Yhwach?
With the blessing of Auswählen, they believed themselves capable of defying death itself—let alone facing mere Shinigami.
In truth, they regarded no Shinigami with serious concern—not even the supposedly strongest captain-commander Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni nor the Royal Guard.
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Marvel x Star Wars: Avengers in the Clone Wars
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