Confronting Aizen

Liu Hao looked at him quietly, his smile unchanged. He simply asked in return, "What makes you think that I'm naive too?"

Aizen didn't answer immediately. He simply stood there quietly, as if appreciating an interesting question.

Then he spoke. His voice was still gentle, but it carried a certain calmness, as if he were revealing the truth. "Aren't you naive?"

He took a step forward, his composed gait causing the atmosphere on the entire battlefield to freeze. "Back in Soul Society, you angrily disrupted your plans because I conducted Hollowfication Experiments on Renji."

His gaze locked onto Liu Hao, as if trying to see right through him. "You took the Hōgyoku that you originally intended to give me, trying to slow down my progress in obtaining the complete Hōgyoku."

He gently shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of regret, as if looking at a willful child. "Isn't it because of youthful naiveté?"

Liu Hao listened quietly, his expression unchanged.

He simply replied, "Perhaps."

He shrugged, his tone still casual. "After all, hatred can cloud judgment. Take Kaname Tōsen, whom you just killed, for example. Wasn't he your loyal subordinate precisely because of hatred?"

Upon hearing this, Aizen's smile deepened, "So, you admit it? You're naive too... aren't you?"

Liu Hao tilted his head slightly, a gesture identical to Aizen's. A half-smile played on his lips, "Naive? I don't really think so."

He paused, his tone carrying a casual, almost factual quality. "I was just a little temperamental. I was angry and wanted to cause you some trouble. But now it seems..."

He shrugged. "It just didn't work out."

Aizen chuckled softly. His laughter carried a hint of amusement, as if he were watching an entertaining performance. "So, back then, you wanted me to leave, even going so far as to hand over the Hōgyoku to me..."

His gaze sharpened, like a drawn blade. "Isn't it because you're confident... you can defeat me when we meet again?"

Liu Hao frowned as he looked at Aizen, his voice devoid of any emotion. "What exactly... do you want to say?"

Aizen didn't answer immediately. He simply stood there quietly, his gaze sweeping over Liu Hao from head to toe like a hunter scrutinizing its prey.

Then he spoke. His voice was still gentle, yet it carried a confident calmness, as if he were revealing some earth-shattering secret. "What is it that gives you confidence, that makes you think... I'm bound to fail?"

He paused, his tone becoming more meaningful. "From your actions in Soul Society, I've made some... somewhat surprising discoveries."

Liu Hao's brows furrowed slightly.

Aizen looked at him, his smile deepening. "You seem... to know something about the future."

Liu Hao's eyelid twitched uncontrollably.

That was an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible movement.

But Aizen saw it; his smile deepened. "You know many things about the Three Worlds," he continued, his voice like a cold stream slowly seeping into Liu Hao's heart. "So you did a lot... things you felt you should do."

He took a step forward, his composed gait carrying an indescribable sense of pressure. "In researching your past, I discovered... you are truly, truly naive."

He raised his hand, his fingers twitching slightly as if counting something. "For example, Rukia sister. You were the one who brought her and Rukia together, weren't you? And you were the one who healed her frail body, weren't you?"

"For example, Shiba Miyako. If she hadn't stepped down from the Third Seat early, she'd probably be dead by now. After all, she's no match for Metastacia. By the way, because of her, the team led by the Third Seat is full of nobles with bad records."

"For example, Ichigo Kurosaki's mother. She seemed to have lost her power when she fought a Hollow, and your power saved her."

For example, the Quincy families of the World of the Living. They should have gradually perished in the Soul Society's purge, but you secretly protected them.

He withdrew his hand, his gaze fixed on Liu Hao, his smile gentle and compassionate, "After removing your influence from these events, I made a simple calculation."

He paused, his tone becoming ethereal, as if stating an undeniable fact. "Without you, they... almost all of them would be dead. You changed their fate at crucial moments, or through your early intervention."

He tilted his head slightly, his smile becoming even more meaningful, "You wanted to save many people, and you did, didn't you?"

After hearing Aizen's words, Liu Hao stood there quietly, looking at Aizen with no expression on his face.

But deep within those eyes, some extremely complex emotions were churning.

After a long silence, he finally spoke. His voice was low and calm, devoid of any emotion. "So what? What are you trying to prove with all this?"

Aizen chuckled softly. In that laughter lay a calm, unwavering certainty, as if he had seen through everything. "What I want to prove is... you, Liu Hao, your so-called 'confidence,' your so-called 'chance of victory,' your so-called 'plan'..."

He paused, his gaze sharpening like a knife. "It's all based on your 'knowing the future'."

"But..." He took a step forward, his voice like the tolling of a judgment bell. "How do you know that the 'future' you know is necessarily real?"

"So what?" Liu Hao stood quietly in place, his gaze calm as still water, staring Sōsuke Aizen, who seemed to have seen through everything.

His voice was flat and even, simply uttering those three words as if waiting for the other person to continue this long-running conversation about fate and the future.

Upon hearing this, Aizen's smile deepened. His deep eyes gleamed with a calm and confident air, as if he had already grasped the entire game. He took a small step forward, his posture elegant and composed, as if he were not on a smoke-filled battlefield, but in a quiet tea room, enjoying tea and discussing philosophy with an old friend.

"So, Liu Hao," his voice was as gentle as ever, yet it carried an indescribable penetrating power, as if revealing the truth. "All your methods, all your arrangements, all the pieces you've laid out, are nothing more than preparations made in advance based on what you 'know'."

He raised his hand, his slender fingers twitching gently, as if tracing an invisible path. "You pay so much attention to Ichigo Kurosaki... this boy who is half- Soul Reaper, half-human, half-Hollow, this contradictory entity with multiple powers mixed within him... presumably, he is the key figure you've identified as the one who can defeat me, isn't he?"

Liu Hao did not answer, but listened quietly.

Aizen's smile deepened, "But look at him now."

His gaze shifted to the boy not far away, who gripped the pure white Zangetsu tightly, whose left eye shone with golden light, and who had a Hollow horn on his forehead. His tone carried a hint of amusement, as if he were appraising an unfinished work of art. "His strength is indeed impressive. Compared to when we met in Soul Society, his progress is remarkable. To reach such a level in such a short time is truly remarkable."

He withdrew his gaze and focused it back on Liu Hao: "However, this level... is still far from being able to defeat me."

He paused, his tone becoming more meaningful. "So, what is your final trump card?"

He tilted his head slightly, a movement elegant and composed, yet carrying an indescribable sense of oppression. "Are you betting that I'll let him go because of my arrogance? Are you betting that I'll wait for him to grow to the same level as me, and then personally verify his strength?"

His smile deepened, carrying a knowing glimmer of understanding that seemed to see through everything. "And then, in the end... I will be defeated by him?"

Liu Hao listened quietly, his expression unchanged. He simply spoke, his tone still calm as still water. "Oh? So how do you plan to resolve this?"

Aizen chuckled softly upon hearing this. His laughter was gentle and composed, yet it sent a chill down one's spine. "How to resolve this?"

He slightly raised the Kyōka Suigetsu in his hand, the blade reflecting a hazy light in the sunlight. "Wouldn't it have been better to just take them out beforehand...?"

His voice was casual, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary, like discussing what to have for dinner or what the weather would be like tomorrow.

Liu Hao looked at him, a faint, meaningful smile slowly curving his lips, "Can you handle it?"

These four simple words, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, have stirred up ripples.

Aizen's smile froze slightly, then deepened. A barely perceptible, almost ignited excitement flickered in his deep eyes. "Try it... and you'll see?"

The moment the words fell, the atmosphere of the entire battlefield seemed to be suddenly gripped by an invisible giant hand, freezing to an extreme.

The air seemed to have turned into a viscous liquid, making each breath difficult. The wind stopped, the dust settled, and even the faint groans and gasps in the distance were completely swallowed up in this moment.

The members of the Gotei 13 — Shunsui Kyōraku, Jūshirō Ukitake, Soi Fon, Tōshirō Hitsugaya, and Sajin Komamura —moved almost simultaneously. Their figures flashed like Ichigo Kurosaki, instantly appearing in front of Kurosaki Ichigo and forming a semi-circular defensive formation, firmly protecting the boy with the golden left eye and a hollow horn on his forehead behind him.

The Visoreds — Shinji Hirako, Kensei Muguruma, Haku, Love Aikawa, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi Lisa Yadōmaru, Hachigen Ushōda —also did not hesitate. Despite their battered bodies, they stood shoulder to shoulder with the Soul Reaper, blocking Ichigo Kurosaki from Aizen.

Dozens of eyes were fixed on the white figure standing opposite.

Sōsuke Aizen stood there quietly, watching these people he had once betrayed, hurt, and regarded as ants, now fiercely protecting the boy like a mother animal guarding her cubs. His face still wore that calm and unhurried smile, as if all of this was nothing more than an interesting performance.

He turned his head slightly, his gaze passing over the Soul Reapers and the Visored blocking his way, landing on Liu Hao. In that gaze was a hint of amusement, as if he were looking at an interesting toy.

"Oh?" His voice was as gentle as ever, yet it carried an indescribable, almost mocking tone. "Liu Hao, is this your arrangement? To have these people block my way, so as to buy that boy time to grow?"

Liu Hao stood quietly, his face expressionless. He simply spoke, his tone as calm as if he were stating something trivial. "How could that be?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki Visored members blocking Ichigo's path. "They just felt... what you said earlier made a lot of sense. That's why they reacted spontaneously."

Upon hearing this, Aizen chuckled softly. His laughter was gentle and composed, yet it sent a chill down one's spine. "Yes..."

His gaze swept over those familiar faces once more: Shinji Hirako, Shunsui Kyōraku, Jūshirō Ukitake... Each one of them was someone he had worked with, someone he had fought alongside, someone he had betrayed, someone he had treated as a pawn.

"When they heard what I said, they all thought— Ichigo Kurosaki, is the key person you left behind to deal with me." He paused, his smile becoming even more meaningful, "However, they overlooked one thing."

His gaze returned to Liu Hao, becoming deep and sharp. "You... Liu Hao... are the most important person."

The moment he finished speaking, he vanished.

It's not Shunpo, not Sonído, but a pure, extremely fast movement that surpasses the limits of visual perception!

The Soul Reaper and Visored who stood in front of Ichigo Kurosaki didn't even have time to react, or even to blink.

Sōsuke Aizen has already appeared in front of Liu Hao!

He was no more than three feet away from Liu Hao!

His Zanpakuto was already raised high!

One slash and it's down!

This strike had no fancy techniques, no dazzling moves, just the simplest, most direct, and most lethal blow!

This strike contained all his fear, all his regard for, and all... his killing intent towards Liu Hao, this "variable"!

The blade tore through the air with a sharp whistling sound, slashing down fiercely towards Liu Hao's head!

That was a lightning-fast strike!

The Soul Reaper who were blocking Ichigo Kurosaki's way didn't even have time to turn around!

As Ichigo Kurosaki's pupils contracted sharply, he tried to rush to his aid, but it was too late!

It was so fast that everyone's hearts were in their throats!

However, just as the blade, so fast no one could see it, was about to touch Liu Hao's head...

Liu Hao moved; he simply raised his right hand casually.

That hand, devoid of any Reiatsu or defensive Kidō, was simply and casually shooing away an annoying mosquito...

He raised his head, and then gently closed his five fingers together.

Smack

A soft sound.

The Zanpakuto enough to slice through mountains, cut through steel, and destroy everything, was caught by Liu Hao with his bare hands!

The blade was firmly held in his palm!

It didn't budge an inch!

Aizen's pupils contracted slightly at that moment.

He looked at the knife that Liu Hao had caught with his bare hands, at the hand that wasn't even scratched, and for the first time, a hint of undisguised shock appeared in his deep eyes.

"Shocked?" Liu Hao's voice was as calm as if he were asking about the weather. His face remained expressionless, but his eyes became incredibly deep at this moment, as if they could devour all light.

Aizen didn't answer, he just looked at him quietly.

Liu Hao continued, his voice still calm, yet carrying an indescribable certainty, as if stating a predetermined fact. "Ichigo's growth will indeed surpass yours. I knew that from the very beginning."

He paused, his gaze deepening. "But the time is too short. The price to pay for him to grow to a level capable of defeating you in such a short time... is too high."

A barely perceptible, complex emotion flashed in his eyes. "I don't want to do that."

Aizen listened quietly, the shock on his face slowly fading, replaced by his ever-present, unhurried smile. He looked at Liu Hao, his tone carrying an indescribable amusement, as if he were looking at an intriguing riddle. "So..."

His voice remained gentle, yet tinged with a hint of probing. "Are you prepared to personally... defeat me?"