An Unjust World

The words of the King of Hueco Mundo caused Aizen's eyes to narrow, and the Zanpakuto in his hand finally stood upright.

Behind Aizen, Tosen Kaname, whose eyes were likewise unable to see, also assumed a defensive stance.

Only Gin Ichimaru, standing to the side with his eyes perpetually squinted, wore a smile.

"Oh my, oh my, it seems our Captain Aizen has made a rookie mistake! That's right, how could a skeleton possibly have eyeballs?"

Aizen no longer had the luxury of responding to Gin Ichimaru, for the Reiatsu of the King of Hueco Mundo opposite him was surging like a waking beast, skyrocketing several times over from a level only slightly higher than a standard Vasto Lorde.

To use the captains of the Gotei 13 as a comparison, it was as if he had surged from the level of Kyoraku Shunsui to that of Captain-Commander Yamamoto!

Coupled with the opponent's ability to ignore the effects of Kyōka Suigetsu, Aizen felt that he had indeed been far too reckless.

After all, this was the King of Hueco Mundo who had reigned from ancient times to the present; he was certainly not as easy to handle as those captains.

Furthermore... the opponent had called him by his name.

It seemed this King of Hueco Mundo had not spent his entire existence merely lording over Hueco Mundo, but had also extended his reach into the Soul Society.

Aizen's tone was no longer quite so condescending, though he still did not look up, merely glancing upward at the King of Hueco Mundo. "It was indeed my oversight, though I did not expect that the dignified King of Hueco Mundo, like Tosen, would be one born with a soul deficiency!"

Some humans are born blind, yet their souls are not necessarily blind. When they die and arrive in the Soul Society, they are often able to see.

It was extremely rare for a soul to be fundamentally incomplete like Tosen Kaname... which was why Aizen had taken him under his wing the moment he first showed promise.

But that the King of Hueco Mundo was such an existence was something Aizen had not anticipated.

Or perhaps the King of Hueco Mundo's eyes were simply his Hollow hole?

It was true that many Hollows had their Hollow holes located where their eyes should be, but surely not both eyes?

A Hollow should only have one hole.

However, the King of Hueco Mundo clearly had no intention of continuing along the path of Aizen's inquiry.

He simply extended a finger. "Return! My army!"

A powerful burst of Reiatsu erupted from his fingertip, and the three of them felt an intense pressure.

But this was not an attack!

When the pressure vanished, Aizen and his subordinates found themselves surrounded once again by a group of Adjuchas!

They were the very same Adjuchas that Gin Ichimaru and Tosen Kaname had slaughtered almost effortlessly using the power of Kyōka Suigetsu!

They... had been resurrected?

Even Aizen had not expected such a situation to occur.

"Who are you people?"

The Adjuchas whose head had been split open by Tosen Kaname's first strike lunged forward to swing a fist at Aizen once more.

It was precisely because of this that Aizen understood the power of the King of Hueco Mundo.

"Time reversal?"

Aizen swung his blade himself, cleaving the Adjuchas into thirteen pieces.

But the King of Hueco Mundo remained indifferent, snapping his bony fingers again; the remains of the Adjuchas vanished, and it returned to its original, lively state.

"No, it must be a reproduction of the past!"

Aizen remained perfectly calm. "It is not reversing time, merely recreating a specific moment from the past."

"Very keen observation!" The King of Hueco Mundo clapped. "Then, Captain Aizen, you say you wish to bestow power upon me—is it stronger than the power I already possess?"

What was Aizen's method? It was nothing more than using the Hogyoku to upgrade Menos into Arrancar!

To grant Hollows the power of Shinigami.

But when faced with a pure existence like the King of Hueco Mundo, how could the current Hogyoku possibly possess the power to turn him into an Arrancar?

It was just as Aizen had dared to use the power of the Hogyoku over fifty years ago to ambush the 9th Division Captain Muguruma Kensei, and in a single night, hollowify the 3rd Division Captain Otoribashi Rojuro, the 5th Division Captain Hirako Shinji, and the 7th Division Captain Aikawa Love... along with forcing the 2nd Division Captain Yoruichi and the 12th Division Captain Urahara Kisuke to flee the Soul Society.

Driving away six captains in a single night had not only verified the power of the Hogyoku but also paved the way for Aizen and his cohorts to ascend.

But even now, Aizen would not dare to attempt to hollowify Captain-Commander Yamamoto using the Hogyoku.

That would be nothing but suicide.

By the same token, the King of Hueco Mundo, who felt in no way inferior to Captain-Commander Yamamoto, would naturally be difficult for Aizen to manipulate.

Unless he were willing to accept Aizen's modification. But the process of becoming an Arrancar was extremely dangerous; without being beaten into submission, how could he possibly be willing to accept it?

At this moment, they had truly reached a stalemate.

Having revealed his true face before the King of Hueco Mundo, if the King were to counter-attack into the Soul Society, the mask Aizen had maintained for so long would be shattered!

"I see, it seems you do not!"

The King of Hueco Mundo settled back comfortably on his throne, and a resurrected servant Hollow brought him wine, which the King accepted.

"Then how about I offer you a proposal, Aizen Sōsuke?" The King of Hueco Mundo drank the wine of unknown composition, though it did not leak through the gaps in his bones. "I shall support you! I shall let you launch an attack upon that sky!"

The sky?

Seeming to hear a keyword, Aizen's expression changed instantly, the light in his eyes becoming incredibly piercing. "What do you mean?"

"It means exactly what it sounds like!" The King of Hueco Mundo looked at Aizen Sōsuke and said in a light, cheerful tone, "Isn't it just that you've learned the truth about the Soul Society? You want to change this unjust world? As long as your will remains unchanged, I am willing to give you all the support you require!"

The very foundation of the Soul Society, and even the Human World and the entirety of Hueco Mundo, exists upon an act of unjust treachery!

This is the primary reason behind all of Aizen's plans.

The only one who could resonate with that sense of "justice" in Aizen's heart was Tosen Kaname!

As for Gin Ichimaru...

Yet, Aizen had not expected the King of Hueco Mundo before him to make such a proposal.

"Why would you do this?" Aizen did not understand.

A Hollow, even the King of Hueco Mundo, why would he have such thoughts?

"Why?" The King of Hueco Mundo scratched his chin, "Because I have grown utterly disgusted with that rotting place called the Soul Society!"

As an ancient Hollow, or even an ancient Hollow who had once stormed the Soul King Palace... or rather, a transmigrator who had lived for countless years, he was already weary of this world!

This world held no secrets from him, yet relying solely on his own power, he was unable to reshape it.

The King of Hueco Mundo was truly sick to death of those pathetic wretches who had walled off the Soul Society like an iron barrel, living under the self-imposed rules of the wedge.

Now that Aizen had finally arrived in Hueco Mundo, he finally had a breakthrough!

"Aizen Sōsuke, regardless of whether you can replace that guy and reshape the entire world, I have only one small goal that you must complete!"

"Kill that old geezer Yamamoto!"

"Do you... agree?"