Speaking Beautiful Words, Turning a Blind Eye

"My thinking used to be much like yours is now."

Aizen spoke frankly of what he had once believed:

"I believed there could only be one Soul King, so there could only ever be one absolute victor. Since I was determined to reach the top, anyone who stood in my way was an enemy I could never compromise with."

"And that's no longer true?!"

Oetsu Nimaiya shot back, his single eye sweeping over the carnage around them.

The Rebel Alliance had held an overwhelming advantage in numbers at the start.

But the outcome now looked hopeless.

The captains lay scattered across the ground, wounded or maimed. Only a handful could still stand, and even they were struggling to breathe.

As for the ordinary Shinigami, those brave enough to charge in had long since become corpses.

The rest had lost their nerve, thrown away their swords, and fled. The lunatics of the 11th Division were slaughtering them as easily as herding sheep.

On Aizen's side, meanwhile, Tōshirō, Retsu Unohana, and the others still stood where they were, watching. They barely had any dust on them and showed no intention of joining the fight.

Apart from Kenpachi Zaraki, who clung to Kirio like a mad dog, the others following Ross watched the farce with cold eyes.

"No. And that is why I find your outlook far too narrow."

Aizen shook his head with a soft laugh. His gentle face showed no reluctance to offer an explanation to those about to die:

"If the first Soul King found a way to ascend, then other ways to break through the limits must exist now. More importantly..."

A fervent light flashed in Aizen's eyes:

"Since Your Excellency Ross could descend from another world and reach ours, those who follow him can also break through the