Aizen's Spiritual Pressure didn't fluctuate in the slightest. His control over his Reiryoku was absolute, making the Shikai release appear entirely unremarkable.
"So this is... Kyoka Suigetsu?"
Lu Li stared in feigned awe at the Zanpakuto in Aizen's hand. The blade reflected the moonlight perfectly, exuding an elegant, mysterious aura.
Internally, Lu Li didn't feel any different. He had no idea if he was actually hypnotized or not.
Prompted by the thought, he covertly pulled up his system interface. For the very first time, he fully appreciated the absolute diagnostic utility of the Terminus Space.
Under his [Character Details] tab, a brand new negative status effect had appeared.
[Negative Status: Complete Hypnosis]
Effect: The Explorer is currently caught within the Complete Hypnosis of Sosuke Aizen's Zanpakuto, Kyoka Suigetsu. All five of your physical senses are now subject to absolute manipulation.
Note: Any individual who witnesses the Shikai release of Kyoka Suigetsu becomes a permanent captive of its spell. From this moment on, whenever Sosuke Aizen releases his Zanpakuto, he can subject you to any sensory illusion he desires.
Note: This status can only be actively deactivated by the wielder of Kyoka Suigetsu.
"I won't demonstrate the specific illusions my Zanpakuto can create, as it is just the two of us here," Aizen said smoothly, holding the blade horizontally near his face. The moonlight glinted off the steel, illuminating his warm smile.
"The purpose of this was simply to show you the release process and help you grasp the trick to Shikai. Tell me, Lu Li... when you attempt to commune with your blade, what is the primary obstacle you face?"
Lu Li pondered for a moment before deciding to give Aizen a rough outline of his situation.
"I see a purgatory..."
After Lu Li finished his description, Aizen's brow furrowed slightly. This was the first time he had ever heard of a soul projecting such a bizarre, apocalyptic mindscape.
"So you are saying, this entity—which we presume is your Zanpakuto spirit—rejected you and violently expelled you from your own soul?" Aizen asked, clearly perplexed.
Lu Li nodded. "It roared, and a gale literally blew me out. I was completely powerless to resist."
He had attempted Resonance several times since that night. Bizarrely, he had never been able to return to that fiery purgatory. Every subsequent attempt had resulted in him staring blankly into the endless, pitch-black void.
"This might be a manifestation of subconscious resistance," Aizen analyzed carefully. "Generally speaking, a Zanpakuto is a direct reflection of one's inner soul. It is a part of you. If you were violently expelled, it wasn't the Zanpakuto rejecting you; it was you actively rejecting the acquisition of its power."
Lu Li looked completely baffled. He pointed a finger at his own chest.
"Me? Rejecting power?"
Aizen's analysis felt utterly absurd. Lu Li was a rabid martial arts fanatic constantly striving for the absolute pinnacle of strength. Why on earth would his subconscious reject an ultimate power-up?
Aizen nodded, his frown deepening as the situation grew more complex.
"Lu Li, you mentioned you grew up in the slums of Rukongai. Did you experience any severe psychological trauma during your childhood? For instance... did you accidentally lose control of your strength and kill someone deeply important to you?"
Lu Li shook his head adamantly. Unlike native Soul Reapers whose lifespans stretched for centuries, his entire existence had only lasted twenty years. He had trained under his master for as long as he could remember.
His master had painstakingly instilled in him the discipline of a true martial artist. Lu Li possessed absolute, surgical control over his own strength, and he fundamentally despised using his power to bully the weak.
As for accidentally killing someone? Absolutely impossible. Yes, he had killed many men. But none of them were accidents. He had slaughtered them with extreme, focused prejudice.
"Then this is highly peculiar..." Aizen muttered, stroking his chin. "Perhaps you did experience something similar, but to protect your own sanity, your subconscious completely repressed the memory?"
"Impossible," Lu Li firmly denied. "I trust my memories implicitly. Sosuke, just focus on figuring out a way to get me back to that inner dimension."
"If you wish to force a deep-dive resonance, I might actually be able to assist you. It is highly possible that you are simply too anxious and unable to properly relax your mind, creating a mental block," Aizen suggested gently. "Have you ever heard of hypnotherapy?"
Lu Li gave Aizen an incredibly strange look. Aizen sounded exactly like a modern psychiatric doctor trying to coax a traumatized patient.
Are you seriously treating me like a mental patient right now?
And hypnotherapy? Buddy, you've already permanently hypnotized me!
Wait... hypnosis?
Lu Li's eyes suddenly lit up. He instantly understood Aizen's angle. In a twisted, ironic way, Aizen's terrifying Zanpakuto ability was exactly what he needed!
Aizen was a peerless genius regarding the mechanics of Zanpakuto awakening. If Aizen utilized Kyoka Suigetsu to actively guide Lu Li's consciousness past his own mental blocks, it might actually force a successful Resonance!
"You know hypnosis, Sosuke?" Lu Li asked, playing along. He obviously couldn't just say, I know exactly what your sword does, now hit me with your mind-control magic.
"I dabble," Aizen smiled modestly. "Assume your meditation posture, Lu Li. Try to relax."
Aizen sat cross-legged opposite him, Kyoka Suigetsu resting across his knees.
Lu Li didn't hesitate. He assumed the lotus position and rested his hands lightly on his Asauchi.
"Now, focus entirely on my Zanpakuto. I will slowly sway the blade. Keep your eyes on the steel, and let your body relax..." Aizen began, his voice dropping into a soothing, hypnotic cadence, expertly guiding Lu Li into a trance.
"Yes, just like that. Now, close your eyes. Visualize your consciousness detaching from your body, sinking deep into your soul space..."
After that, Aizen's voice faded entirely.
Lu Li found himself standing before the infinite abyss once more.
He took a step forward. As the violent sensation of weightlessness consumed him, he mentally cheered. The hypnotherapy actually worked!
Within moments, he crashed back into Purgatory. He immediately strode across the molten earth, stopping right before the colossal, rune-covered cage.
The dark crimson doors were already wide open. The pitch-black Demon God stared out at him in absolute silence.
Within those sunken, abyssal eyes swam a terrifying maelstrom of emotions: seething rage, suffocating despair, mocking disdain, eternal loneliness... and a microscopic, almost imperceptible flicker of deep longing.
Before Lu Li could even open his mouth to demand a name, the catastrophic gale erupted, violently blasting him backward into the void.
...
"Lu Li! Lu Li, wake up!"
A highly familiar, incredibly tense voice snapped him back to reality. Lu Li shot his eyes open, gasping for air. He was lying flat on his bed, drenched in a cold sweat. Aizen was leaning over him, gripping his shoulders and violently shaking him awake.
"Sosuke? What happened?"
Lu Li winced, his head throbbing with a massive migraine. He sat up and glanced toward the window. The sky outside was completely bright. Dawn had already broken.
What the hell? It felt like I was only in Purgatory for a few minutes!
"I have no idea," Aizen replied, his usual flawless composure fractured by genuine bewilderment. "You fell into a deep sleep almost immediately after the hypnosis began. At first, your Reiatsu fluctuations were perfectly stable. But as the night progressed, your Reiatsu became unimaginably violent. A terrifying, purple-black spiritual pressure began leaking from your body."
This hypnosis session had completely shattered Aizen's understanding of spiritual mechanics. He was the initiator of the hypnosis, yes, but he couldn't see what Lu Li saw in his mindscape.
He had utilized his profound mastery over Shikai awakening to forcibly guide Lu Li's consciousness deep into his own soul. Based on all existing soul theory, even if Lu Li failed to awaken his Zanpakuto, the worst-case scenario was that the blade simply refused to yield its name, and Lu Li would wake up shortly after.
But instead, Lu Li had slipped into a bizarre, comatose state and refused to wake up. For the first time in a very long time, Aizen had actually panicked.
He wasn't particularly worried about Lu Li's well-being. He was panicking because they were technically conducting "illegal" spiritual experiments inside an Academy dormitory. If Lu Li accidentally imploded or triggered a massive spiritual anomaly, the ensuing investigation would instantly expose Aizen's deeply guarded secrets, completely ruining his grand, centuries-long master plan.
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