In the vast, empty hall, Sōsuke Aizen sat high upon the Throne, watching the members of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kaneda Yūichirō, and Muzan Kibutsuji below with a gratified smile, as though greeting old friends he had not seen in years.
"Welcome to Las Noches. That was quite an exciting battle. I never imagined you would grow so much in just a few months. You truly opened my eyes."
Facing the man before him, Kaneda Yūichirō unleashed his spiritual pressure with a thunderous surge and flashed a cold, bloodthirsty smile. "Aizen, you will die here today!"
Sōsuke Aizen's smile remained unchanged, but contempt filled his deep eyes. "You may have obtained Akihiko's power, but did you really think that would be enough to defeat me?"
Tears streamed from Gyomei Himejima's eyes as he spoke, his face filled with grief. "Millions of lives in this country were lost because of you. You are evil incarnate, and you must be eliminated here!"
Sōsuke Aizen spoke with utter indifference. "The strong prey on the weak. That is the law of the world, is it not? I shared my power with a select few merely to change this dull, tedious world. To restore peace to the world, only absolute power can suppress all resistance and discontent, just as it does now.
"Humans have slaughtered one another for millions of years-for wealth, women, land, survival... They kill for all manner of reasons, and the dead number far more than a few million. By laying all those sins at my feet, aren't you giving me far too much credit?"
"Sophistry!" Gyomei Himejima snorted. The ground rose high, forming a stone giant that swung its fist at Sōsuke Aizen.
Sōsuke Aizen merely smiled. Drawing Kyōka Suigetsu from his waist, he gave a light slash toward Gyomei Himejima.