Aizen stood above them, looking down at everyone calmly. "Everyone's here. Quite lively.
Am I late?"
In an instant, every eye turned to Aizen.
"Damn you, Aizen—you killed Hitsugaya and Hinamori, slaughtered all of Central 46. Are you betraying the Soul Society?" Komamura shouted grimly.
Aizen Sōsuke smiled faintly. "Komamura, don't make it sound so ugly. Everything I've done is simply the price for pursuing my goals."
The Shinigami present erupted in fury.
He'd killed so many people for his own ends—and still acted as if it pained him.
Aizen's performance enraged most of the Shinigami there.
From the broken ground nearby, Renji Abarai suddenly burst out. "Aizen—you killed Hinamori and nearly got Rukia executed! Die!"
Seeing Rukia rescued had eased his mind.
His fight with Ichigo had been duty as a lieutenant. Afterward, he hadn't intervened further.
But learning Rukia had nearly been executed—all Aizen's conspiracy—fury consumed him.
"Roar, Zabimaru!"
His Zanpakutō extended like a serpent, slashing toward Aizen.
But the next second—
Boom!
Renji's Zanpakutō shattered instantly. Blood gushed from his body.
"Abarai, you'd best not attack. Stepping on an ant without crushing it is very difficult to control. As your former superior, I can't bear to kill you," Aizen said calmly.
Then someone else moved—Komamura.
Behind Komamura, an arm wielding a massive blade appeared. The great sword descended on Aizen.
Boom!
Many present were stunned.
Aizen had blocked Komamura's blade with a single raised finger.
"Aizen—I will never forgive what you've done!" Komamura roared.
But then Aizen raised two fingers and murmured, "Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi."
A black cubic space appeared, swallowing Komamura whole.
When it vanished, Komamura reappeared before everyone—covered in wounds, blood pouring out, collapsing powerlessly to the ground.
"You're still far too weak for me," Aizen said with a faint smile.
Hearing that, Lin Xuan couldn't help remarking, "Tsk tsk. When it comes to showing off, no one in the Soul Society can touch Aizen."
Lin Xuan thought of another person who loved showing off just as much.
He wondered—put them together, would there be a showdown of who could flex harder?
That would be worth trying.
For now, Lin Xuan wasn't in a hurry. He kept watching.
Ukitake had already carried Komamura away.
He stared at Aizen grimly. "Aizen, after all you've done—what is your purpose?"
Aizen didn't stop him. He smiled. "Heh.
No harm telling you. Everything I've done is simply to break the limits of death."
Most present were stunned.
"That's right. Shinigami Hollowfication. Hollow Shinigami-ization.
Both can break boundaries and reach higher realms."
"To achieve this, I've conducted many experiments. All failed in the end. But Kisuke Urahara succeeded—he created the Hōgyoku, a substance that can break the boundary between Shinigami and Hollow."
His gaze fell on Rukia Kuchiki. "The Hōgyoku—Urahara hid it inside you."
"Originally, I planned to use the Sōkyoku's extreme heat to destroy your soul and obtain the Hōgyoku."
"But circumstances changed. To ensure I got the Hōgyoku safely, I took another approach—I extracted it from your body in advance."
He pulled a blue-purple sphere from his robes, wrapped in a transparent barrier.
Then he looked at Lin Xuan with smug satisfaction.
Lin Xuan froze.
What the hell—this plot development is different from the original!
Because of his influence, Aizen had already extracted the Hōgyoku from Rukia's body early.
Meaning Aizen's goal was already achieved.
He came here as the victor—to grandly announce his entire plan to everyone.
In short, he came here to show off.
"Every world really does have its show-offs."
Lin Xuan sighed inwardly. Facing Aizen's provocative gaze, he suddenly smiled.
Showing off is a disease. It needs treatment.
He flipped his palm. A round blue-purple sphere rested in his hand—identical to the Hōgyoku in Aizen's grasp.
"Nani?"
Aizen, who'd maintained perfect calm and looked like he held every card—his eyes went wide.
----------
T/N:
You'll also get 5 extra chapters just for being a free member!
Access 60 chapters in advance on my Patreon: [email protected]//allbluestories