Your Excellency Is Strong, but My Art Style Is Above Yours!

Aizen in the original work could be called a Perfect Shinigami, but without Kyoka Suigetsu, he would never have had the chance to develop in the early stages, nor would he have been so composed in the final battle.

Iori had yet to obtain his own Zanpakuto, so he could only devote all his energy to honing his reiatsu.

There was nothing much to say about this process. It was simply countless rounds of tempering!

Of course, bolstered by his talent and art style, his growth rate was vastly different from that of ordinary people. In just three or four days, he had already caught up to his current Reiatsu Limit, and only then did his progress finally begin to slow.

So what was his Reiatsu Limit now?

After the "Akame ga Kill!" and Tousen Kaname incidents, the art styles Iori had acquired, combined with his own foundation, had brought it up to "490."

And when it came to actual combat ability, he could fully compete for a Vice-Captain-level position!

Of course, without Shikai, he would not be able to convince anyone. Iori also had no intention of exposing his bizarre growth rate in public.

He needed a suitable reason to explain his sudden leap in strength. A life-and-death battle would be ideal. After all, this was the worldview of a hot-blooded manga; breakthroughs in battle had always been an extremely classic trope.

Fortunately, this was Soul Society. Opportunities like that were not in short supply...

Iori went to check on Kurotsuchi Mayuri's progress in advance. Although the eccentric scientist did not give him a friendly reception, the Reishi conversion device had been completed.

As agreed, he paid Kurotsuchi Mayuri for the goods, then quickly headed somewhere safe and secluded to enter the Dangai once again. From there, he jumped to "Akame ga Kill!", brought back Kurome's blood sample and the medicinal snacks, and handed them to Kurotsuchi Mayuri for analysis.

There was no great difficulty in making an antidote. Kurotsuchi Mayuri was even interested in producing an enhanced version of the modification drug, one that could improve the target's physical abilities while making them obey Iori's every command. But after considering it carefully, Iori refused.

After all, he had promised Akame. If he failed to bring back the antidote and instead returned with upgraded "candy"... it would make him seem like a person of questionable character.

Besides, throughout history, whether in novels or anime, using poison to force people to serve you was an extremely low-class move—except in the adult world.

While Iori waited for the antidote over the next two days, a piece of gossip began circulating through the Seireitei, and it caught his interest:

The negotiations with the Quincy remnants had broken down, and the higher-ups had decided to resort to force!

Drugs? Brainwashing? Hypnosis?

As everyone knew, the Seireitei had wanted to wipe out the Quincy clan for a long time.

The reason was simple: old grudges and new hatred~

Eight hundred years ago, Yhwach, the King of the Quincy, led an elite force in a surprise attack on Soul Society. The Seireitei suffered grievous losses. To deal with the war, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni formed the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, which was how the Thirteen Court Guard Squads system came into existence.

That battle was exceptionally brutal. Of the First Generation Captains, including Saitō Fuyōfushi, nearly half were killed, while the casualty rate among the lower-ranking squad members was even more staggering.

After that, the Bleach did not eradicate them completely. The Quincy still had descendants living in the World of the Living. But over the last hundred years, the number of Quincy had begun to increase at an alarming rate, leading to another problem:

Both the Quincy and the Bleach were dedicated to eliminating Hollows in the World of the Living, but their methods were completely different.

The Bleach had to maintain the balance of the three realms. Even if they slew a Hollow, its soul would return to the cycle of the three realms.

The Quincy, on the other hand, exterminated them in the literal sense. Any Hollow they shot would vanish completely!

One or two would not make much of a difference, but once souls began disappearing on a large scale, it would inevitably affect the balance of the three realms and might even destroy the world!

The hatred of the past, combined with the current conflict, meant the Seireitei was destined to be unable to tolerate the Quincy clan's continued existence. They had therefore begun preparing for a war of extermination against the Quincy long ago.

At first, the Seireitei had made some effort, hoping the Quincy would repent...

But clearly, "Quincy power" flowed through their veins. The Quincy could not refuse that instinctive behavior, so the negotiations naturally broke down.

For an organization of violence like the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, war was nothing unusual. The Eleventh Division had practically been reassigned as a vanguard suicide squad. However, this time their opponent was not a Hollow group, but the equally well-organized Quincy. They could not rush into battle and had to prepare seriously for a while.

—At the very least, they had to transfer the noble children who had been sent into the Thirteen Court Guard Squads to pad their résumés into logistics and support units.

Iori was somewhat surprised by the news, but after thinking it over, the second war against the Quincy did indeed take place around two hundred years before the anime's story began. It was not strange that he had run into it.

There might be an error of ten or twenty years in the timeline, but that was no big deal. He was merely a trainee candidate. Could this possibly affect him?

Then Iori received an "exciting" piece of news:

The formation of the World of the Living Expeditionary Army had left the Seireitei's defensive forces stretched thin. Therefore, a portion of the Soul Reaper Academy's elite students would be drafted into the squads immediately to ensure that the Seireitei's security remained intact.

And because of Iori's outstanding performance at the academy, along with the "good impression" he had left on the instructors, the teachers led by the Kendo Master had all strongly recommended Iori Aizen!

"Iori, the higher-ups have decided. Starting today, you are the temporary Ninth Seat of the 12th Division!"

"..." The youth wanted to speak, but stopped himself.

The instructor patted Iori on the shoulder, looking deeply concerned for his future. "The 12th Division generally does not go to the battlefield. They only handle miscellaneous matters in the Seireitei, but this is an important entry on your record.

"Once the war is over and you return to complete your studies, this experience might persuade a captain to directly offer you an official seated officer position... Work hard!"

"I-I definitely won't let down the teachers' painstaking efforts..."

Feeling the weight on his shoulder, Iori seemed to become a little more noble and righteous. His expression was especially solemn, though what he was thinking was the complete opposite.

What is going on? I was an honors student taking official subsidies while doing private work, and suddenly I've been reduced to a nine-to-five corporate drone earning a fixed salary? Thank you so much!

Although he was extremely unwilling, the instructors truly meant well. Iori could only blame his acting for being too convincing, leaving everyone with the impression that he was an overly ambitious workaholic...

This was why being a workaholic was no good!

Actually, I don't want to work myself to death. I just want to lie down and make money...

"The current captain of the 12th Division has just stepped down, and Vice-Captain Hikifune has taken over."

The Kendo Master clearly did not know much about Shutara Senjumaru's situation, so he glossed over the major matter of a captaincy change in a single sentence.

"As for the Vice-Captain position, seated officer Kurotsuchi Mayuri has been promoted to take it. You can go report to him later."

"Who? Kurotsuchi Mayuri?"

"Huh, you know him? That seated officer seems rather mysterious. I haven't heard much about him."

"Oh, I wouldn't say I know him."

Iori's mood suddenly improved. "But just from that name, I can tell he must be a kind and easygoing person!"

It was hard to describe Kurotsuchi Mayuri's expression when he saw Iori arriving to report in. It was as if he had suddenly realized that the malice of the world was targeting him.

"Here, the antidote you wanted." Kurotsuchi Mayuri did not waste words and directly brought it out. As always, Iori generously settled the payment.

This sort of thing could not be delayed. Even between old acquaintances, payment and goods had to be settled on the spot.

"Oh, right. I haven't congratulated you on your promotion yet." Seeing Kurotsuchi Mayuri's armband, Iori smiled and offered his congratulations.

To his surprise, Kurotsuchi Mayuri looked as though he had eaten something filthy. "That woman finished what she needed to do and went back, leaving a pile of mess for us to clean up. Then this war came along, and now I don't even have time for research!"

So Shutara Senjumaru had already returned to the Soul King Palace... Hikifune Kirio had succeeded her, so it did not differ much from the original work. He just did not know when Kurotsuchi Mayuri would be thrown into the Maggot's Nest.

At most, it would only be a few decades. By the time Urahara Kisuke took office, old Mayuri would have been in there so long he was practically growing mold~

As someone who valued loyalty and friendship, Iori naturally could not stand by and watch such a Brain of Wisdom be left idle, so—

"Mayuri, I've decided to make an additional investment and place a few more orders!

"Don't limit yourself either. Tell me about the wild ideas you usually have. I'll see what you've got and support you with everything I can.

"I'll figure out the money. What matters is speed. Develop whatever you can. Soul Society's technological advancement depends entirely on you!"

Holding the antidote, Iori spoke to Kurotsuchi Mayuri with complete sincerity. "Don't worry. I'll cherish these crystallizations of wisdom properly."

"Iori, you..."

Kurotsuchi Mayuri was genuinely surprised this time. This mentally unstable man, who had always been hated and despised by others, was being valued so highly for the first time.

That alone would have been enough, but what moved Kurotsuchi Mayuri most was that this youth had not treated him as a mere tool. He truly believed that Kurotsuchi Mayuri's mind held such immense value, and was even willing to spend money on bizarre ideas that had no practical meaning.

Not one of his previous patrons had ever been able to do that!

"It seems... you are slightly smarter than those idiots. At least your judgment is not bad."

Even so, he was still Kurotsuchi Mayuri, someone whose conquest difficulty ranked among the very highest in Soul Society. Though touched, he was not about to reward Iori with a CG.

"I'll give you a small discount."

Kurotsuchi Mayuri took another bottle of medicine from his wide sleeve. "This is a further-enhanced modification drug based on the sample you provided.

"Besides its original effects, as long as you drip a drop of Body Fluid rich in reishi into it, the person who takes it will be branded with your mark at the soul level. They will develop an instinctive desire to be close to you and obey you like a hatchling.

"However, be aware that it is meaningless against Bleach. It only works on ordinary souls or living humans of average strength."

"Huh?"

Iori accepted the medicine and frowned. "What do you mean by this? Do I look like some despicable person who uses drugs to control others?"

As he spoke, the youth tucked the modification drug and the antidote into his pocket, then held out his hand to the mad scientist again.

"While you're at it, give me a brainwashing device too."

Kurotsuchi Mayuri: "..."

Let Iori Suffer, Let Kurome Bear the Blame

Iori was a gentleman—at least, that was what he considered himself.

Though he enjoyed drug-control, hypnosis, and brainwashing stories when reading adult doujinshi, fantasy was fantasy and reality was reality. If he actually carried out that kind of operation in real life... he could not accept it on a moral level.

But honestly, a Sister Complex was indeed extremely tempting, especially when Iori possessed every necessary condition and success or failure depended entirely on a single thought of his... Maintaining his composure was an enormous test of self-control.

At that moment, as Iori struggled between heaven and man, it felt as though two little figures were whispering in his ear.

One was a little demon holding a trident, with a tail and ram horns. In a seductive voice, it whispered, "Wasn't all that diligent striving so you could live As One Pleases?

"Now is the time to remove your disguise. Starting with this pair of sisters, let lust consume you!"

The other little figure had angel wings on its back and spoke with righteous severity—

"Yes, yes!"

"Hmm? Iori, are you listening to me?"

"Huh?"

Snapping out of his inner struggle, Iori blinked and looked at the cloaked girl across the dining table. "Sorry, what did you just say?"

"Has something happened recently? You seem distracted." Akame, who was in disguise, did not answer immediately. Instead, she asked about Iori's situation with concern.

"It's nothing." Naturally, Iori would not reveal his little thoughts. "I've just been running around everywhere for these things lately, so I'm a little tired."

As he spoke, he took off a long box nearly as tall as a person from behind him and set it on the table, making the sturdy wooden table creak as though it could barely bear the weight.

From the moment Iori entered, this pure white long box of unknown material had drawn the attention of everyone in the inn's main hall. But after someone recognized Iori, they reminded one another and quickly turned their eyes away, deliberately avoiding that table.

Akame glanced at the box, then looked at Iori with guilt. "You've really worked hard... I hadn't held out much hope, but I never expected you to actually obtain it... I don't even know how to thank you."

Naturally, she assumed Iori's exhaustion was entirely due to his efforts to obtain the antidote. Already quite grateful to him, Akame now felt even more uneasy.

"Good thing you didn't say, 'I have no way to repay you, so I can only offer myself to you.'"

Iori deliberately joked, "Otherwise, I wouldn't just be losing money—I'd have to throw myself in as well. You sisters would be getting far too good a deal~"

"...I'll assume you're joking."

Akame was clearly restraining herself from getting angry, but if one looked closely, they would see that her ears had turned slightly red.

"Don't get any ideas about Kurome!"

Oh? Did that mean I could get ideas about you?

"Don't be so nervous. I'm not going to use this favor to pressure you. Besides, there are plenty of beautiful women preparing to offer themselves to me. I don't lack one more."

"...Plenty?"

Akame's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. "Are you popular with women?"

"You want to know?"

"Urgh!"

Before he could anger Akame any further, Iori turned over the Seireitei-style white box, pressed down on the Yin-Yang symbol in the middle, and slowly rotated it once. A faint reishi glow flashed through the seams, and the box then opened from the side.

This was the conversion device made by Kurotsuchi Mayuri. It could freely convert its contents between the two states of "matter" and "reishi," controlled by the Yin-Yang symbol in the center. Even more remarkable was the outer box itself. No one knew what Kurotsuchi Mayuri had done to it, but it could change form by itself according to the surrounding environment.

Though it still could not perform Reishi transformation on living people as Urahara Kisuke would in the future, this box could absolutely be considered a piece of black technology. The money had definitely been well spent~

...After opening the box, Iori hesitated for a moment, but ultimately took out the antidote and decisively handed it to Akame, telling her the exact dosage and precautions.

Next came the brainwashing device, which resembled a sleep mask. Iori even gave it a special explanation. "Considering your feelings, I did not choose a type with excessively strong effects.

"It can sort out chaotic thoughts, delve into the subconscious, and give mental suggestions to the target.

"I believe Kurome's feelings for you are very strong. They have merely been distorted by outside forces. Follow the instructions in the manual, and you can gradually correct her twisted personality, awaken her Sister Complex nature, and slowly train her into a tsundere little sister who can't live without her big sister~"