The mask is ripped clean off. Aizen steps forward not as a fallen captain, but as the architect of everything, calm, surgical, untouchable. His betrayal detonates Soul Society from the inside, revealing centuries of manipulation and a plan that stretches far beyond Rukia’s execution. Gin and Tōsen fall into line behind him, and the balance of power tilts violently.
Ichigo charges in, raw and furious, but power alone is not enough against a mind that has already moved ten steps ahead. The Hōgyoku becomes the prize at the center of the storm, and Aizen’s escape marks the end of the Soul Society arc and the beginning of a far more dangerous war. Volume 25 is revelation, rupture, and the moment Bleach shifts into something darker and grander.
