A Way to Avoid Kyouka Suigetsu

Liu Ziyun reached out and gently placed his hand on Ichigo Kurosaki's shoulder. The movement seemed casual, yet it carried an undeniable force. With a slight pressure from his fingers, he pushed the stubborn orange-haired boy, who was trying to stand at the front, back a few steps.

Ichigo Kurosaki staggered, wanting to say something, but seeing Liu Ziyun's calm, still eyes, he swallowed back the words he was about to utter. He silently stepped aside, relinquishing the battlefield to his teacher, to the man who was about to confront the King of Hueco Mundo.

Liu Ziyun around to face Sōsuke Aizen.

The two were separated by tens of meters, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment. The Hueco Mundo shone down from above, casting long shadows on the ground between them. Those shadows swayed slightly in the wind, like two snakes about to clash, probing each other's weaknesses.

"Captain Aizen," Liu Ziyun's voice broke the silence, calm and composed, with a faint, enigmatic smile, "It's been a long time."

"Yes," Aizen's voice was equally calm and composed, a subtle, enigmatic smile playing on his lips. "It's been a long time, Fifth Seat, Ziyun."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was as clear as a tolling bell, echoing in the Hueco Mundo, empty desert. That calmness wasn't feigned; it was a genuine, heartfelt serenity.

For Sōsuke Aizen, the vast majority of things in this world were not worth his attention—he had seen too much, experienced too much, and controlled too much. In this world, the number of people or things that could truly concern him was very small.

Liu Ziyun his head, his smile deepening, and a cunning glint flashed in his deep eyes, like a chess player setting a trap, waiting for his opponent to make a move.

"Captain Aizen," his voice held a hint of mockery and probing, "Do you have any questions for me?"

Aizen was silent for a moment. His gaze lingered on Liu Ziyun's face, and something flickered slightly in his eyes—not anger, not vigilance, but a hint of curiosity and inquiry.

He had met too many people and controlled too many people, but Liu Ziyun was one he could never fully understand. This man always appeared where he shouldn't have, always knew things he shouldn't have known, and always made choices he shouldn't have made.

"A problem?" Aizen's voice remained calm, but with a hint of barely perceptible interest. "No problem. However—" He paused, his smile deepening, "You've come right up to me like this, aren't you afraid I'll hypnotize you with Kyouka Suigetsu?"

This question caused everyone in the distance to involuntarily hold their breath. Kyouka Suigetsu —that Zanpakuto that could Complete Hypnosis Zanpakuto opponent, that weapon that struck fear into the hearts of countless Soul Reaper.

Aizen was able to remain undetected in Soul Society for hundreds of years thanks to the power of this sword. Once hypnotized by Kyouka Suigetsu, you will never trust your senses, never be able to distinguish between reality and illusion, and will forever live in the dream woven by Aizen.

Liu Ziyun's expression remained unchanged. He still wore that cheerful smile, as if Aizen was merely asking him about the weather, rather than threatening to use his strongest abilities against him.

"I'm terrified," he said, his voice laced with exaggerated fear, but it was so contrived and overtly performed that it was obvious he was joking. "Otherwise, how could I have been 'blind' before Captain Aizen joined the team?"

He emphasized the words "blind," and a meaningful glint flashed in his eyes.

Aizen's smile froze for a moment. Then, he smiled—not the formulaic, polite smile he had shown before, but a genuine, heartfelt smile. It carried a hint of appreciation, a touch of helplessness, and a dash of excitement at meeting a worthy opponent.

"It seems you really aren't afraid."

As soon as he finished speaking, Aizen began to release his Reiatsu.

That power was like a dormant volcano suddenly awakening, like a sealed ocean suddenly bursting its banks. Reiatsu surged from Aizen's body, sweeping outwards and tearing the surrounding air, distorting and deforming it. The ground began to crack, pebbles began to bounce, and fine cracks appeared on the distant Stone Pillars under the impact of that Reiatsu.

The Reiatsu is still rising.

He grew stronger and stronger, so strong that even the Soul Reaper in the distance involuntarily took a few steps back. Their faces were filled with shock and disbelief—they knew Aizen was strong, but they had never imagined he would be this strong.

The intensity of that Reiatsu far exceeded the limit of an ordinary Captain-level Soul Reaper, and could even rival that of Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai —the man known as the "strongest Soul Reaper in a thousand years."

"This... how is this possible..." Renji Abarai's voice was hoarse and trembling. His body trembled slightly under the pressure of the Reiatsu, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Rukia Kuchiki didn't speak, but her hand was already on the hilt of Sode no Shirayuki, her knuckles turning white from the pressure. Her face was as pale as paper, but in her large purple eyes burned an indomitable flame.

But Liu Ziyun stood still, motionless.

His expression remained unchanged, still that same grinning look, as if Aizen's Reiatsu, capable of changing the very heavens and earth, was nothing more than a gentle breeze to him. The hem of his robe fluttered slightly under the impact of that Reiatsu, but his body remained as steady as a rock, without even a furrow of his brow.

Aizen's Reiatsu reached its peak—the power was so strong that the air began to shriek and the ground began to tremble violently. But Liu Ziyun remained calm and composed, without a trace of panic or fear.

Aizen looked at Liu Ziyun, a complex light flashing in his eyes—admiration and surprise. This man, in the face of his Reiatsu, which was enough to make most Soul Reaper kneel and beg for mercy, was so calm and composed.

"It seems," Aizen's voice held a hint of seriousness, "That I underestimated you, Ziyun, the Fifth Seat."

Liu Ziyun chuckled, a smile that carried a hint of smugness, a touch of cunning, and a hint of unfathomable depth.

"Let me emphasize this," his voice laced with a hint of mockery, "because of your problem, Captain Aizen, I'm no longer the Fifth Seat. Heh heh—" He paused, a sharp glint in his eyes, "But, Captain Aizen, haven't you noticed the problem yet?"

Aizen's brow furrowed slightly as his mind raced, recalling every detail related to Liu Ziyun —from their first meeting to every battle and every conversation. He had been lurking in the Soul Society for hundreds of years, observing and controlling it for hundreds of years.

He had seen every potential Soul Reaper and assessed every possible threat. But Liu Ziyun, the man who called himself the "former Fifth Seat of the Fourth Division," was never on his radar.

That's impossible.

Given the strength Liu Ziyun displayed, his composure in the face of Aizen's Reiatsu, and his unfathomable Zanpakuto abilities—such a person could not be ignored. Even if one were momentarily distracted, it would be impossible for him to go unnoticed for so long.

Especially recently, Liu Ziyun's behavior has become increasingly flamboyant and unreserved, as if he is intentionally trying to attract his attention.

"Yes," Aizen's voice remained calm, but with a hint of contemplation, "There is indeed a problem. With your strength, there's no way I wouldn't have noticed. Even if I hadn't been paying attention for a moment, it's impossible that I hadn't discovered it for so long. Especially recently—you haven't seemed as discreet as before. Did you do something, Ziyun?"