"From this day forth, address me as His Majesty the Emperor... I am your sovereign, the Emperor of the Hollow Spirit Empire..."
Aizen's magnetic yet authoritative voice slowly settled over the field.
Not far in front of him, Sasaki hurriedly prostrated himself on the ground. The tension on his slightly excited face eased somewhat as he shouted in an incomparably loyal voice.
"Sasaki pays respects to His Majesty the Emperor!"
As Sasaki's words rang across the field, some of the ninjas behind him stirred uneasily, seeming to look down on his actions.
But they soon had no mind to continue dwelling on it.
At Aizen's side, Jirobo also hurriedly knelt and bowed to the ground. The fat on his fleshy face trembled, yet his expression was full of reverence as he said.
"Paying respects to His Majesty the Emperor!!"
Not only him—the others from Las Noches standing elsewhere also seemed to realize something on their own. One after another, they knelt upon the ground and devoutly lowered their heads in Aizen's direction.
"Rustle... rustle..."
That series of perfectly synchronized movements gave the surrounding ninjas quite a fright, and they feared that the members of Las Noches were about to join the battle as well.
However, when they looked over, they found that while the situation was not quite that bad, it was hardly any better.
Whether it was the expressionless Ulquiorra, the savage-looking bald giant Yammy, or the faintly aloof Starrk, all of them now wore devout expressions as they dropped to one knee and deeply lowered their heads toward Aizen.
On a hill not far away, Kaname Tosen, his eyes covered by a strip of black cloth and his face somewhat dark and conflicted, moved his lips slightly. In the end, he heavily knelt upon the ground, his expression