Fresh crimson blood slid from the blade's tip, sketching an elegant yet lifeless painting across the ground.
Aizen stood before the corpses, wearing a gentle yet distant smile. Beneath the moonlight, the silver-haired Shinigami stood behind him, his eyes half-lidded and his mouth slightly open like a white serpent's. He spoke slowly.
"Lord Aizen, are we really giving up on Hueco Mundo? If I remember correctly, it was an important part of your plan."
Hearing Gin's question, Aizen shook his head slightly. Half his body was shrouded in shadow, as though even the moonlight could not pierce that darkness. His gentle voice rose, carrying a faint trace of amusement.
"Hueco Mundo? Gin, it was never an important part of my plan. Perhaps at the beginning, I truly believed that after being altered by the Hogyoku's power, those Arrancar could become sharp blades in my hand. But in reality, even all those Arrancar combined would not be able to withstand a single blow from me. They would be useful enough against ordinary captains, but against those few... frankly, no number of Arrancar would make any difference."
"They were merely a somewhat interesting encounter during a long experiment, nothing of practical significance. They were never an irreplaceable part of the plan. As for the time we needed to hide before the Hogyoku was successfully developed? If I wished, we could have stayed beneath the First Squad barracks."
Gin smiled as he listened to Aizen, speaking in a slightly exaggerated tone.
"Is that so~ Then I can rest easy. My apologies, Aizen. I worried too much."
"No. Thinking deeply is the fundamental difference between us and beasts. You did well, Gin. How is Tosen progressing?"
Gin nodded and replied to Aizen.
"As for Tosen Captain, he has already used a portion of the