A Godlike Figure

"Under this utterly corrupt class system, although she is alive, her suffering is a hundred times worse than death! Is this kind of agonizing existence the justice she desires?! Kaname Tōsen, is this the 'justice' you want?!"

Aizen's words were like sharp knives, instantly piercing through the fragile self-deception in Kaname Tōsen's heart!

Kaname Tōsen's body trembled violently. He gritted his teeth and growled in anguish, "What... what can I do? I'm just an ordinary Shinigami... I can't change the rules of this world!"

No, you can.

Aizen took a step forward, reached out, and gently patted Kaname Tōsen's shoulder:

"If you were powerful enough to disregard those ridiculous aristocratic privileges, you could easily pull her out of that quagmire and make her happier."

After saying that, Aizen looked directly into Kaname Tōsen's eyes and continued:

"So follow me, Tōsen. I will take you to break the limits of death, I will grant you the absolute power to trample these corrupt rules. And one day in the future... I will restore sight to your eyes, which have been dormant in darkness, and let you see with your own eyes the true scene of justice, free from pain and oppression!"

Power! The power to change Kakyō's fate! Even... the bait to restore the light!

Faced with this devilishly precise psychological offensive and enticement, Kaname Tōsen's last line of defense collapsed.

"I... am willing to follow you. As long as true justice can be achieved, as long as Kakyō can live a happy life, even if this path leads to hell, I will not hesitate!"

Kaname Tōsen one knee and lowered his stubborn head to the man before him.

Looking at Kaname Tōsen kneeling at his feet, Aizen's gentle expression vanished, replaced by a chilling smile.

The first and most loyal piece is now in place.

After successfully subduing Kaname Tōsen, Aizen devoted all his remaining energy to that ambitious research project that was capable of overturning the world.

Although he didn't have a public laboratory like the Twelfth Division as a cover, Aizen, with the support of Great Spirit Book Gallery Tsunayashiro Clan, secretly built his own laboratory in the wilderness far from Rukongai, using the top-secret information he had previously stolen from the "Rukongai".

"To break down the boundary between Shinigami and Hollows, a vast amount of highly pure Reishi are still needed as a catalyst."

Aizen stood in the dimly lit basement, looking at the half-finished product that had just condensed into a murky sphere, his eyes flashing with a frenzied thirst for knowledge.

To expedite the experiment, Aizen turned his attention to the countless souls of ordinary people in Rukongai.

The hunt unfolds in a clandestine manner.

Aizen was not a ruthless butcher; on the contrary, he was an extremely discerning artist.

In order to avoid attracting the attention of the Gotei 13 and the Stealth Force, his target was very clear: he only sought out "high-quality souls" with extremely high spiritual potential hidden in civilian areas.

Therefore, every now and then, one or two wandering spirits with the potential to become Grim Reapers would mysteriously disappear in the wilderness.

Such small-scale disappearances were simply treated as ordinary Hollow kills by the Thirteenth Division in the Rukongai of Rukongai's security records, and did not arouse any suspicion from higher-ups.

However, as the experiments progressed, Aizen encountered a bottleneck.

"No... the progress is still too slow."

Aizen frowned deeply as he looked at the remnants of souls on the experimental table that had collapsed and dissipated into Reishi due to the conflict of Reiatsu.

Even for a ryugun possessing the qualities of a Shinigami, the essence of its soul is still far too fragile. To cultivate 'matter' capable of breaking through the Shinigami's limits, even if thousands upon thousands of souls of this quality were added, it would be like throwing a stone into the sea—unable to produce a qualitative leap.

Then Aizen adjusted his glasses, his gaze turning completely unfathomable. "I need some kind of higher-level 'substance,' something fundamentally superior to ordinary Shinigami, to serve as the catalyst for this core."

At that moment, the image of that great being, who had been turned into a "human pig," recorded in the Great Spirit Book Gallery, resurfaced in Aizen's mind.

Soul King!

"Since the Soul King's physical body was dismembered millions of years ago, then somewhere in this Soul Society, or within some special soul, are there still remnants of the Soul King's body parts that have been scattered throughout the world? Hands, fragments of flesh, or perhaps... remnants of some kind of will?"

The moment this bold conjecture appeared, Aizen trembled with excitement.

If he could find even a part of the Soul King's body, even just a piece of flesh and blood, the high-dimensional Reishi energy contained within would be enough to advance his plan by a significant step!

Thus, Aizen began to use Kaname Tōsen and his spies he had secretly cultivated in the Seireitei, searching the entire Soul Society for those special souls that might be hiding "Soul King Fragments," much like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Unfortunately, a million years is too long, and most of the body parts left behind by the Soul Kings have become untraceable due to reincarnation and the cycle of Reishi.

For a long time, Aizen's search yielded no results. Until one day...

As usual, Aizen, wearing a cloak that concealed his Reiatsu, personally conducted a covert investigation in Rukongai.

Just as Aizen was passing through a stinking slum alley, his superhuman perception suddenly detected a faint but ancient and pure Reiatsu aura amidst the extremely chaotic Reishi fluctuations ahead!

"This is?!"

Aizen's pupils suddenly contracted, and he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

Holding a black paper umbrella, he slowly turned his head, following the strange Reiatsu, and cast his gaze towards the end of the alley.

Under the eaves of a dilapidated, drafty house, huddled a ragged, emaciated little girl from the Rukongai.

The girl had striking long blonde hair, and although her face was covered in mud, it couldn't hide her beauty beneath the grime. She was shivering from extreme hunger and cold.

Her dirty little hands were tightly wrapped around her knees, and her gray-blue eyes, through the rain, revealed a tenacious will to survive like wild grass, like a frightened little animal, warily watching every passing shadow.

Seeing this, Aizen did not approach rashly.

As a schemer who pursues ultimate perfection, the greater the temptation he faces that could change the world order, the more chillingly calm he becomes.

Like a patient hunter, he stood quietly in the shadows of the alley, observing the girl carefully through the cold rain.

Aizen compressed his perception to the extreme, like an invisible scalpel, peeling away the girl's frail body surface bit by bit, probing into the deepest part of her soul.

"It's not Reiatsu generated by her own body... but some kind of 'foreign object' residing deep within her soul, something she was born with."

Aizen calmly analyzed the situation in his mind. As his perception deepened, the faint yet continuously emanating aura became clearer and clearer in his eyes.

It was a kind of fluctuation that did not belong to the realm of death gods or Hollows at all, but was as ancient and sacred as royal power.

"I see..."

After several minutes of repeated and rigorous Reishi verification, a ripple finally appeared on Aizen's perpetually calm face, and a burst of intense, almost tangible, fanaticism erupted from his eyes hidden behind his glasses!

"This is no ordinary Shinigami talent; this might be a fragment of the Soul King... hidden deep within the soul of this wandering spirit."

The raindrops pattered against the black umbrella, making a dull sound.

Aizen stood at a distance, looking down at the girl with a cruel smile, as if admiring a masterpiece nearing completion.

He needs to go back and prepare a perfect extraction ceremony to ensure the removal of this precious fragment without any mistakes.

"I'll reserve this final piece of the puzzle leading to the realm of the gods..."

The soft murmurs faded into the cold rain. Aizen gave the girl a deep look, then turned around, calmly holding his black umbrella, and slowly disappeared into the endless night of Rukongai.

Only an invisible yet deadly net has been quietly unfurled in this filthy mud.

Chapter 60 A God-like Figure

In the dimly lit underground laboratory, Sōsuke Aizen stood in front of a sophisticated instrument, looking at the report he had just finished compiling, a deep, unfathomable smile playing on his lips.

After several days of covert investigation and Reiatsu comparison in Rukongai, he finally reached a conclusion that satisfied him:

The girl lying in the mud, the completely different fluctuations emanating from the depths of her soul, most likely represent the remains of the Soul King that he had been searching for!

"Nature, or rather the fate of this world, really loves to play these cruel jokes."

Aizen adjusted his black-rimmed glasses, his gaze deep as he looked at the data on the report. After confirming the target, Aizen's scientific talent, comparable to Kisuke Urahara's, quickly came into play.

In a very short time, using some of the materials provided by the Tsunayashiro Clan, Aizen personally designed and assembled a small "Reishi Extractor".

Although this instrument was being used for the first time and had not been tested on live subjects, Aizen had absolute confidence.

This instrument can act like an invisible scalpel, cutting directly into the core of the soul and perfectly extracting the "Soul King Fragment." As for what happens after the fragment is extracted...

Aizen's eyes remained completely unmoved.

He knew very well that with the girl's current frail vital signs, once her soul core was so violently stripped away, her fate would most likely be a soul collapse, instantly turning into Reishi and dissipating into the air.

Aizen then placed the extractor, which gleamed with a cold metallic luster, into a specially made sealed box.

"On the path to the realm of the gods, some sacrifices are unavoidable. Though your life was short and humble, I will remember your existence forever."

At this moment, Aizen's tone was frighteningly calm.

Now that everything is in place, a flawless theft plan has been formed in Aizen's mind.

As a meticulous person, Aizen would never personally go to Rukongai to take action at this crucial moment; he must ensure that he has an absolutely perfect alibi.

Moreover, the target was just a starving girl who had no chance to resist. This kind of low-level task, which was as easy as taking candy from a baby, did not require his personal involvement at all.

Therefore, Aizen contacted Kaname Tōsen through clandestine channels.

He instructed Kaname Tōsen secretly hand over the "Reishi Extractor," along with a coordinate map showing its specific location, to three low-level Shinigami who had recently been recruited.

Just in case, Aizen even made a very "cunning" little disguise in an inconspicuous corner of the device.

After explaining everything, Aizen acted as if nothing had happened and appeared at the Fifth Division's barracks right on time.

Fifth Division, Captain's Office.

The newly appointed captain, Shinji Hirako, was sitting behind a large desk with her legs crossed in a completely unladylike manner, flipping through a World of the Living fashion magazine that she had somehow acquired.

Not far in front of him, at his adjutant's desk, Sōsuke Aizen sat upright.

With focused expression, he wielded his brush with fluid grace, efficiently reviewing the mountain of complex official documents belonging to the Fifth Division.

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on Aizen's gentle face. By all accounts, he was a diligent and impeccable assistant.

However, Shinji Hirako's dead fish eyes would occasionally peek at Aizen's figure through the edge of the magazine.

"This guy named Aizen... he's too perfect," Shinji Hirako muttered to himself.

From the moment he took office as the Fifth Division Captain, Aizen handled everything flawlessly, whether it was dealing with the problems left behind by his predecessor or dealing with unexpected situations within the division.

He always wore that humble smile, never competed or fought for anything, and could even defuse the difficulties posed by some veteran team members with a smile.

However, the perceptive Shinji Hirako always sensed a chilling "fakeness" about Aizen!

It felt like wearing a perfect mask, locking your true self away in an abyss.

"This guy is definitely not right. Beneath his gentle exterior, there's some kind of monster lurking."

Because he sensed this danger, when Aizen applied to become the vice-captain of the Fifth Division with his impeccable resume, Shinji Hirako did not hesitate and immediately exercised his captain's privilege, approving Aizen's promotion!

Shinji Hirako's logic was simple and brutal: Since you are a dangerous element, rather than letting you cause trouble in other squads out of my sight, I'd rather put you in the place closest to me!

"Vice-captain, you'll be with me, the captain, every day. As long as you're under my nose, I'd like to see what trouble you can cause."

Shinji Hirako turned a page in the magazine, a playful, cold smile playing on his lips.

Aizen, who was engrossed in reviewing official documents, also had a subtle smile playing on his lips.

How could he not know what Shinji Hirako was thinking? However, Shinji Hirako thought that keeping him by his side was "monitoring," but he didn't know that for Aizen, who had already completed the hypnosis ritual, this was precisely the best shield for Aizen to clear himself of all suspicion and create a perfect alibi.

"Captain, I have completed the review of this patrol schedule for Rukongai. Please take a look." Aizen stood up respectfully and handed over the document.

"Ah, put it there. Thanks for your trouble, Aizen." Shinji Hirako yawned lazily.

The two, each wearing a mask, maintained this eerie "harmony" in the brightly lit office.

Meanwhile, in the 78th district of Rukongai, "Inuzuri," a place extremely far from Seireitei...

A brutal operation to capture the blonde girl has officially begun.