If Akshan takes opponent Guardian Angel and then dies, does Guardian Angel go back to opponent trash or base?

Ruling: Guardian Angel Interaction with Akshan

When an Akshan that has stolen a Guardian Angel dies, the Guardian Angel is destroyed and sent to the trash.

Sequence of Events

1. Replacement Effect: The Guardian Angel possesses a replacement effect ("If I would die, kill Guardian Angel instead..."). When Akshan takes lethal damage, this effect triggers automatically to prevent the death.
2. Destruction: Because the replacement effect is applied, the Guardian Angel is destroyed and sent to the trash instead of Akshan dying.
3. Control Effect: If the Guardian Angel were not destroyed (e.g., if the replacement effect was unavailable or overridden), the control-change effect would end when Akshan leaves the board. In that scenario, the Guardian Angel would become unattached and be recalled to its original owner's base during the next Cleanup, per Rule 435.1.

Important Nuances

• Death vs. Destruction: The Guardian Angel is sent to the trash specifically because its replacement effect triggers upon the unit's death. If Akshan were to leave the board through a method that does not constitute "dying" (such as being banished), the Guardian Angel would not be destroyed and would instead be recalled to its original owner's base.

Note: I could not fully verify this ruling against the retrieved rules.