"C-Captain Aizen?! Y-You're actually alive!"
The moment Momo Hinamori saw the captain she worshipped return from the dead, she became overwhelmed with emotion. She even ignored Unohana Retsu and Isane Kotetsu lying on the ground, as well as the corpses scattered throughout the Central 46 Chambers. Throwing open her arms, she rushed forward, trying to embrace Aizen as she normally would.
But before she could take two steps, the wary Toshiro Hitsugaya stopped her. "Momo! Don't go over there! We need to figure out what's going on first."
"What's going on?"
Momo Hinamori instinctively glanced toward a dark corner of the Central 46 Chambers and immediately covered her mouth in horror at the gruesome sight.
Dozens of corpses lay strewn about the small room, their deaths horrific. Nearly all of them had been nobles who normally looked down on everyone else.
In addition, the half-dead state of the captain and vice-captain of the 4th Division seemed to tell the story of what had happened not long ago.
"Aizen! What exactly is going on here?" Toshiro raised his head and demanded sharply.
At this moment, even if he had been stupid, he would have realized that this was most likely a play staged by Aizen himself.
Aizen stroked his chin and put on a thoughtful act. "Hmm... How should I explain it? You can understand it as me growing tired of playing the kind-hearted gentleman all day. I was planning to change my image, like this..."
In an instant!
He crossed the distance between them and drove his sharp Zanpakuto through Momo Hinamori's body from behind. Scarlet blood slowly ran down the blade, dripping onto the floor and forming a large pool.
"C-Captain Aizen?!"
The intense pain made the poor girl convulse uncontrollably. Her face was filled with disbelief, and her