"If I had known better, I would have let him live a few more seconds."
Knowing that his Zanpakutō was so advanced and had been cultivated to the point of evolution, Aiyan couldn't help but glance at Tsunayashiro Tokinada at his feet. Tokinada's body and torso had been blasted into shreds, leaving only his head intact. Seeing this, Aiyan felt much better — though part of him still thought it had been a bit of a mistake.
Too sloppy.
There was nothing wrong with beating Tsunayashiro Tokinada until only his head and a handful of Zanpakutō fragments remained. But before that, he could have tested the evolved Kōfūin.
"Yes, the Soul King exists only to be dominated."
When Aizen heard his brother's words, full of disdain for the Soul King, he didn't find them strange at all. Instead, he nodded in agreement.
"Take this Enrakyoten and melt it to make the Hōgyoku."
"If there's anything left, leave some for me."
"I'll feed it to Matsumoto Rangiku."
Before Kōfūin had evolved, Aiyan hadn't paid much attention to Enrakyoten. Now that Kōfūin had evolved, he didn't care about this Zanpakutō at all — even if it was the ancestor of Tsunayashiro's lineage.
It didn't matter to him whether Aizen fused Enrakyoten to create a Hōgyoku or did anything else with it.
"Mm."
Aizen nodded, but in his heart, he decided that after returning, he would split Enrakyoten into two parts and restore one half to the Soul King's Hakusui (Soul Sleep). He would then use only half of the Soul King's power to create the Hōgyoku and leave the other half for Aiyan to feed Matsumoto Rangiku.
If it had been before, he never would have considered doing this.
In the past, Aizen had believed that placing even a fingertip of the Soul King into Matsumoto Rangiku's body was both a tremendous gift and a terrible waste — let alone returning half of the Soul King's Hakusui (Soul Sleep).
But now, it is different.
In his eyes, Matsumoto Rangiku was simply Aiyan's Hōgyoku. Unlike Aizen, however, Aiyan was too lazy to feed it regularly, so he allowed Matsumoto Rangiku — the Hōgyoku — to continue existing in the form of a Shinigami.
Feeding her with half of the Soul King's Hakusui (Soul Sleep) was the same as feeding the Hōgyoku in his own hand.
There was no such thing as waste.
"Aizen, it's time to go."
Aiyan withdrew his gaze from Tsunayashiro Tokinada.
It was just a sword test.
There would be plenty of opportunities in the future; there was no need to rush.
"Before that, we need Kōga to help us one more time."
Aizen reached out and touched Tsunayashiro Tokinada's lifeless head.
In an instant, a large amount of white spiritual substance seeped out from Tokinada's seven orifices, gradually forming into a Menos Grande mask.
"Let's go!"
After completing all of this and erasing every trace left at the scene, the two of them began walking toward the exit.
Clang
Just as they arrived at the door of the Great Spirit Book Gallery and were about to leave, two Zanpakutō suddenly protruded from the air to their left and right.
The cold blades appeared out of thin air like ghosts and pressed against their necks.
"Sinner Aiyan Sōsuke."
"Sinner Aizen Sōsuke."
"I don't think either of you will be going anywhere."
As the cold voice echoed through the Gallery, another hand stretched out from the air, just like the Zanpakutō before. With one swift motion, it tore off the dark gray cloth covering the body and threw it to the ground.
"Hikifune Kirio."
Aiyan glanced behind him from the corner of his eye and saw a purple-haired Shinigami wearing a captain's haori, whose beauty rivaled that of Matsumoto Rangiku.
Astonishingly, it was the captain of the Gotei 12th Division, Hikifune Kirio.
"Your destination is either hell or Muken — whichever eternity you prefer."
On the other hand,
Behind Aiyan, whose neck was also pinned by a Zanpakutō, a skeletal arm stretched out from the air and peeled off another piece of dark gray cloth.
What followed was a Shinigami with six skeletal arms, ornate golden hairpieces on her head, and a delicate, slightly pale face.
"Shutara Senjumaru."
When Aizen saw her face clearly, a flash of solemnity and surprise crossed his eyes behind the framed glasses.
It seemed he hadn't expected to encounter the duo from Division 12 in the Great Spirit Book Gallery.
She was also the only female member of the future Royal Guard (Zero Division).
"Surprised?"
"But I advise you not to move that hand."
"Unless you don't want it anymore."
Shutara Senjumaru glanced at Aizen, who, despite the blade at his neck, actually tried to reach for Kyōka Suigetsu.
Tsk.
As soon as she finished speaking, a white robe was already draped over Aizen's body.
At the same time.
The six skeletal arms behind her each held needles and threads, and in the next instant, they turned into afterimages, wrapping around Aizen.
In an instant, Aizen's entire body was pierced by Reiatsu needles and threads.
"That's better."
"For someone as dangerous as you, it's best if you can't even move a finger."
"Don't you agree, Aizen Sōsuke?"
Shutara Senjumaru pierced all of Aizen's limbs, including his fingers and toes, then lowered her Zanpakutō.
"You probably wouldn't want me to use similar methods on you."
"Shinigami hero!"
"Aiyan Sōsuke."
On the other hand,
Hikifune Kirio stared coldly at Aiyan, her eyes burning with searing anger.
That was the fury of someone who had been deceived and manipulated.
"It seems you already know."
Aiyan glanced at Aizen, who was immobilized by the threads and needles, his hand that had been reaching for his Zanpakutō also frozen in place.
"Kidnapping the captain of the Fifth Division; orchestrating Kōga's fall and the Zanpakutō rebellion; murdering Kuchiki Ginrei in the Confession Palace; using the Kuchiki clan for Hollow experiments; killing Kuchiki Ginrei, Hirako Shinji, Kōga — and dragging them all into your schemes."
"Aiyan Sōsuke."
"If you mean these crimes, then yes — we know them very clearly."
Hikifune Kirio shouted each word sharply and precisely.
With each crime she listed, her voice grew colder. By the end, her killing intent echoed throughout the Great Spirit Book Gallery.
"Also, the murder of the Tsunayashiro family heir."
Shutara Senjumaru's voice was equally frigid.
Though, unlike Hikifune Kirio, she didn't want to flay the Aiyan brothers alive purely out of personal betrayal or she had deep bonds with Hirako Shinji and the others.
"In my memory, I don't recall leaving any flaws."
"Theoretically, you two shouldn't have had the ability to see through everything."
"No, not 'shouldn't' — absolutely couldn't."
Aizen frowned slightly, trying to understand how Hikifune Kirio and Shutara Senjumaru had managed to break free from Kyōka Suigetsu's illusion and expose them — or if it was because of the pain from the Reiatsu threads piercing his body.
"It's better if you don't speak."
"Otherwise."
"I'm afraid I won't be able to resist killing you before you even stand trial."
As soon as Shutara Senjumaru heard Aizen try to speak, her already foul mood turned even worse.
Pff.
One of her skeletal arms opened its fingers, flicked the Reiatsu thread, and directly pierced Aizen's throat.
It didn't kill him — but it did make him lose the ability to speak.
...
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