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((And thank you, Sakura, for solving that particular problem. Time for to be making preparations!))

Another spat of hacking coughs tore through Haru's chest as blood dribbled from his mouth. It was getting difficult to maintain his bankai with a wound like this, but he had to do something. They'd forced Aizen to use his trump card. In all likelyhood, Ikkimaru didn't stand a chance, even with Doki currently assisting him. They'd have to use it if they wanted any chance of victory. And victory they would have. Another presence appeared near him before a gruff, elderly voice said, "Still alive, eh? I suppose Aizen-sama can't be bothered to finish you off. I'll just have to do it myself."

Haru's vision was blurred as he opened his eyes before his gaze focused on the aged Arrancar he'd been fighting before, Barragan. "You're him, aren't you?...I recognize that reiatsu anywhere...even if I haven't felt it in almost a millenium." he said, turning himself over onto his stomach, holding a hand over his stab wound, "El Hueco Rey...the Hollow King. You've gotten weaker since I last felt you...but I suppose you'll have to do."

Barragan's brow furrowed at Haru's ramblings, incessent yet confusing all the same. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"I need to borrow you for a bit." Haru replied, looking up at the second Espada as Boshii Garandou opened its Nexus and began to draw him in.

With Aizen's zanpakuto broken in half, it was made much more suitable for the close quarters combat Ikkimaru was going for. The powerful downward chop at his left shoulder was blocked easily and held in place before a kick hurtled Ikkimaru away from him. A dome suddenly went up around them and the ground shifted beneath Aizen's feet, forcing him to shunpo back to avoid it. "Hadou #4: Byakurai." he said, firing a backwards shot at Doki.

A large burst of reiatsu flared out from Haru, Barragan's power now his own. He was still bleeding profusely, but he wasn't about to let this end on anything but their terms. "Ikkimaru...I think Aizen's had enough fun for one lifetime...How about giving him a proper send off?" he said, creating the hand sign for their ultimate kidou spell.

The preparations were made quickly, both men knowing exactly what to do. They must have practiced this spell hundreds of times, both knowing they'd one day need it. They knew one another's reiatsu levels and how to sync them better than any other captain and lieutenant in Soul Society. After Ikkimaru spoke the first half of the incantation, the sky within the dome starting to darken as storm clouds gathered and crackled with lightning, Haru immediately followed with, "...let thy retribution wash away the taint, descend from the heavens to pass your final judgement." Both then shouted in unison as they thrust their hands towards the sky, "Hadou #99: Seiryugekido!" Completely spent, Haru dropped to his knees to watch the outcome.

Aizen tangled with Doki for a while, fending off her feeble attacks with ease, but sensing a powerful surge of spiritual power. With a look towards the darkened sky, he watched as a shining blue dragon descended from the lightning charged clouds and leveled off at the ground, staring him down. For a moment, there was a stillness in which nothing moved, where even a heartbeat could be heard in the deafening silence. With a flash, the dragon shot forward, it's mouth opened to swallow Aizen whole. Spiking his reiatsu to its absolute peak, Aizen raised his broken sword to block the attack. The two powers clashed, the dragon pushing Aizen back as he tried to keep his footing, finally throwing the dragon's trajectory upwards. For a few brief seconds, he believed he had defeated the spell, but the dragon's serpentine body snaked around him, trapping him in it's powerful coils. When Aizen looked up, all he saw was the gaping maw of the dragon as it plummeted down and chomped down on him. An explosion of epic proportions whipped the sands around the gathered.

When the torrent finally dissipated, Aizen stood in the same spot, his clothing torn and bloodied, his mask broken, struggling to remain standing. He took a step forward towards the three that stood so defiantly in his way, stumbling but remaining on his feet. But, he didn't look at all angry or even in denial that this happened. In fact, he actually smiled. "So, this is what it came to...The strongest Shinigami Soul Society has to offer using the most powerful Hadou spell in existance...that's what it took to finally defeat the one who would stand in heaven...I suppose I can take pride in that much..." he said, taking another stumbling step towards them.

With a small growl, Haru grabbed what remained of Kyoka Suigetsu's broken blade and released himself from Ikkimaru's grip. Stumbling forward, he finally reached Aizen and stabbed him with the stomach. "No, Sousuke...you'll die stuck on a blade...just like everyone else...If you don't like it...I'll meet you in Hell...and we can settle up there..." Aizen spit up a mouthful of blood and leaned on Haru even as he leaned on Aizen, both sinking to the ground. With one last smile, Aizen said, "I look forward to it...old friend..." and dissipated into spirit particles. Haru sat on the ground, watching Aizen's spirit drift off into the air before finally falling back to the ground.

Mugoi and Aokashoten suddenly vanished as Halibel came down toward his head with her sword pointed down. He appeared above her and slashed at her with his very long and sharp claws. As the attack was thrown he suddenly stopped just before they would have made impact. The blue dragon looked down at the scene where Ikkimaru, Haru, and Doki were fighting Aizen and suddenly he heard the word "Seiryugekido" chanted. The Fourth Seat looked on in awe as his ethereal equivalent formed and crashed down onto Aizen. The azure dragon hadou spell, number 99, had only been performed a handful of times in the past and this was the first time Mugoi had witnessed it. Its power was impressive, no, amazing! Even with his bankai Mugoi would not be able to match such force. Of course, when the spell is cast by two of the strongest shinigami to have ever existed that proved to be no surprise. The fight with Aizen was over, but that didn't mean his fight with Halibel was over. He turned and slashed again at her more or less to keep her busy rather than to actually harm her. He would need to regroup if this fight were to end in success for him. Then he realized something. He had felt Haru and Halibel fighting earlier... Why was she still alive?

Ikkimaru nodded as Ulquiorra said his goodbyes. From what he'd seen and felt of all the Espada Ulquiorra was one of the stronger of the bunch, but he would be nothing in the path of most in his squad. There was but one more fight going on at the moment, but Ikkimaru would wait for it to finish. There was something else that he needed to do beforehand. His eyes drifted back down to where Haru lay. He instantly appeared at Haru's side and placed a hand on his shoulder after sticking his sword into the ground. It didn't look good. Nagaharu was bleeding profusely from the wound in his chest. Ikkimaru had seen this wound before, and now that Aizen's sword was no longer blocking the flow of blood it was only a matter of time and Ikkimaru knew it. "We did it, Haru, but there's still one last thing left to be done. You have to come with me to see off this age, this hell. Get up. Come on, we've come so far!" For a brief moment Ikkimaru's tone wavered a little, the only true sign of emotion he had right now. Over two thousand years of stern Captainship was hard to shake, his head would remain clear for the most part, but something deep inside hurt like hell with seeing his Lieutenant like this...

Stark stopped his game with Du'o as soon as he felt the 99th Hadou spell fire. His eyes widened a bit as he looked down with Du'o to see Aizen fall and dissolve into spirit particles. As Du'o left he simply stood there and watched in awe at the group of shinigami and the runaway Arrancar below. Even he would have trouble taking all of them, let alone the Captain. In the back of his mind he was glad that Aizen had stepped forward and stopped his fight with Ikkimaru. It was clear what the outcome would have been, at least to Stark. Even if Ikkimaru wasn't as strong as he was Stark most likely wouldn't have fought his hardest and judging on the reputation of the 14th Squad Ikkimaru would have taken advantage of that fact and Stark would be no more. With a deep breath Stark reached up and took frim hold of the skin on his left hand and ripped off the number 1 that had been tattooed there. He was a free man now, servant to no one. He was the strongest hollow in Hueco Mundo and the King was dead. "Great... they'll want me to be El Hueco Rey... Pah, fat chance. They'll never make me," he muttered uner his breath. Stark sat back down atop the pillar where his "epic battle" with Du'o took place. He didn't want to do anything right now. It had been a long day and now it was time for some rest.

Ichigo flinched as he felt a huge familiar aura dissapate, it was Aizen, and Ikkimaru seemed to be wittling, his Reiatsu flickering oddly. He stopped his attack for a split second, Then returning his mind back to the fight. He appeared a few feet away from Grimmjow. The attack he sent earlier dissipated inches from Grimmjow. Ichigo lowered his sword and looked to Grimmjow "Aizen's dead, Why don't we stop this?".

Haru's breathing was shallow as his comrades gathered around him, causing a small smirk to spread across his face. His true family had come to see him off. "Forgive me, captain, but it doesn't look like I'll be coming back with ******** figures...Somehow I always knew this wasteland would be my grave...Listen, Ikkimaru, there's something you need to know...Something I've been keeping from you since we were exiled...I know Yamamoto's weakness...Ryuujin Jaka isn't a normal fire-based zanpakuto...The fires that turn everything they touch to ash...those are etherial fires...the flames of the sun itself...every element has an opposite...Water has ice, earth has steel, air has poison...you need to use Ryuujin Jaka's opposing element in order to defeat it..."

Doki attacked Aizen again and again only to hae her attacks fended off like they were nothing. She shot a couple of venom fangs at him only to be unsuccessful in hitting their target. It was not all for naught though, as Ikkimaru and Nagaharu were able to cast the most powerful hadou spell known, and successfully kill Aizen. It wasn't over though. Haru was down and bleeding badly. She landed at his side and grabbed his hand, dropping to her knees as she did so. She leaned over him after he finished speaking and pulled his head into her chest in a rather loving embrace. Haru was like a brother to her and losing him now was close to unbearable. "Haru... we were supposed to get out of here. It was supposed to be all of us in Seireitei. How could this happen?" She asked, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. She blinked and looked up over to Zane, "Oxygen isn't needed for Ryuujin Jakka. As Haru said, it's ethereal fire, the fire of the sun. There's no oxygen in space. The fire produced burns on a pure fuel. My Bankai dome wouldn't do much against it..."