Meeting Samael changed everything for Aizen. He no longer desired that old dream of ruling the heavens. Now, the only thing occupying his mind was traveling through countless worlds.
His thirsty soul screamed for the unknown, for the endless knowledge of the infinite possibilities hidden in this vast multiverse.
He no longer had any attachment to this world. It didn't matter what happened to him; the only thing he wanted was to break the boundary between Shinigami and Hollow with the power of the Hōgyoku.
After that, it would be time to absorb the Soul King. By devouring him, he would become an absolute god—omniscient and omnipotent. But even that wasn't enough.
To go beyond the Soul King, he had to absorb everything: the world of the living, Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and even the mysterious Hell.
He wanted to become a singularity, a point that shatters all dimensional barriers and returns to the beginning of creation—to millions of years ago, when death and life were one, when pure chaos reigned and order was nonexistent.
He wanted to step into the primordial sea, into the age before the emergence of the Soul King.
Becoming the most unique existence, a living singularity, was his ultimate goal—even if he had to sacrifice all living beings to achieve it.
Now that he had seen the light, how could he endure the darkness? Now he knew there were endless worlds beyond his own universe.
How could he settle for this limitation? That's why everyone and everything were merely steps for his ascension to higher dimensions.
Aizen was grateful to Samael. He had given him a higher perspective, a greater purpose. Even his desire had grown—his desire for evolution.
When he saw such a perfect being, his entire existence longed to become like him. But alas, even the Hōgyoku couldn't elevate him to that level.
The Hōgyoku—this so-called wish-granting device—actually had many limitations. It wasn't a miracle machine, but merely a guide.
It wasn't something that could break logic and make the impossible possible. Aizen, as the creator of its prototype, knew this better than anyone.
Even if the Hōgyoku could grant endless evolution, it still couldn't bring him to Samael's level.
It was like a three-dimensional being trying to evolve to become equal to a four-dimensional one. Was it possible? No. The difference lay in dimensions.
No matter how powerful a three-dimensional being became, it would still remain within the bounds of its own dimension—from the perspective of a four-dimensional being, it was nothing more than an ant.
That's why this plan was necessary for Aizen: to travel through parallel worlds, to pass through endless time and space, and ultimately become a being like Samael.
Aizen's thoughts were interrupted by Samael's entrance. He looked at this outer god—sad, withdrawn, and melancholic.
"You're not yourself, Samael kun. Are you okay?"
His voice was gentle and friendly, but curiosity shimmered in his eyes. What could disturb an all-powerful god like this?
"It's nothing... just a small problem," Samael replied in his usual tone.
"It's been a hundred years since I came here, yet I still don't understand you, Aizen." Samael paused. "Why do you keep a ticking time bomb like Gin Ichimaru around?"
Aizen smiled. "Of course you wouldn't understand, Samael kun. To me, Gin's revenge is interesting... I want to see how far he'll go. I want to crush his hope in the end."
Then he continued: "But in return, I understand you well. Sometimes you're kind, sometimes cruel. You love playing with the ants around you. You act like a human, trying to show that one human can deceive everyone... everyone except me."
Samael stared at him.
"In reality, you're degrading humanity—maybe you do it unconsciously. You're arrogant, Samael kun. You don't even consider weaker beings alive. The world around you is just a game, and you are its center."
Aizen paused. "But that's natural. You're a god—with infinite power and absolute knowledge. Empathizing with weaker beings is hard for you. That's also why you're interested in me... because I'm like you."
Aizen's words stunned Samael. For a moment, he froze.
"Do I really unconsciously look down on everyone?"
The truth was, divinity had slowly changed his mind, so subtly that he hadn't even noticed. His humanity had surrendered to the glory of godhood.
"Truly... divinity is a terrifying thing. I didn't even realize I was changing."
Then he looked at Aizen. "Thank you... your words helped me realize something."
Aizen:
Aizen tilted his head. What exactly had he realized?