"The last two matches..." Sōgo Shihoin murmured, " Hideki, just concede this battle! You're no match for that guy. We don't need unnecessary casualties."
" Lord Sōgo..." Although Hideki Ise longed to go to the battlefield and shed his blood for Sōgo Shihoin, since Sōgo Shihoin had said that he was no match for the enemy, then he was definitely no match for the enemy... There was no need to be stubborn; he should just admit defeat. He unconditionally trusted Sōgo Shihoin's judgment.
" Sōgo, are you admitting defeat?!" Sōsuke Aizen looked at Sōgo Shihoin, who had made Hideki Ise admit defeat, smiled slightly, and asked.
"Admit defeat?!" Sōgo Shihoin waved his hand dismissively. "I was just letting you win one round. It's pathetic to see you keep losing, so I let you win one round to cheer you up before you start crying..."
"Hahaha..." Sōsuke Aizen chuckled softly upon hearing Sōgo Shihoin's words. " Sōgo, you're joking. This next battle is the final showdown between us! Let's see if my strongest piece can defeat your strongest piece."
"I treat all my subordinates as my friends." Sōgo Shihoin head. "Unlike you, who always acts so self-righteous, treating your subordinates like pawns and so indifferent, every single one of my subordinates is incredibly precious to me."
"Hahahaha..." Sōsuke Aizen chuckled. " Sōgo, have you been playing house for too long that you can no longer distinguish between reality and illusion?! No matter how many weaklings there are, they can never become our companions on our journey. Even in the simplest matter of lifespan, the difference is vast. Would you call a pile of dust a companion ten thousand years from now?! Don't you find that ridiculous?!"
"Only those of us who can reach the same level can be called comrades. Those ants who can't even live for ten thousand years... let them go with the wind." Sōsuke Aizen believed he saw things very clearly. "So, Sōgo, why don't you join me in storming the Soul King Palace and becoming a true god in this world!?"
"From the moment I was born, there's been a swarm of flies buzzing in my ear... saying things like I should become a god~ blah blah blah..." Sōgo Shihoin's eyes were disdainful. "I'm already tired of that kind of talk, I'm sick of it. I wonder if you, Sōsuke, are as oblivious as those flies."
"Heh heh heh..." Sōsuke Aizen chuckled coldly, "Let's begin a new battle, Sōgo! I believe it won't be long before you agree with what I've said."
"No... I think that day will never come." Sōgo Shihoin waved his hand. "I'm very happy every day now, even if I'm not standing in the sky, I'm still happy."
"Hmph..." Sōsuke Aizen sneered, "A momentary pleasure is meaningless in the face of eternal greatness, in the face of standing high above and looking down upon all living beings."
On the arena, two impatient figures finally stepped onto the stage.
" Xiao Jiba, it's been a long time." Like a pure white boy Baraggan floated in the air, his hands behind his back, coldly looking at the enormous Ikomikidomoe.
"Hahaha..." Ikomikidomoe burst into laughter as he looked at Baraggan's appearance. "So your human form is just a snot-nosed little baby. No wonder you always spoke in such a childish voice before. Now I understand."
"You're still the same as before, always so fond of empty words..." Baraggan unleashed his full power, "I am the Emperor of Hueco Mundo! The King of Kings! The one and only being in Hueco Mundo!"
"Pfft, hahaha... One of a kind?" Ikomikidomoe laughed loudly, "An Soul Reaper of Hueco Mundo who's been ridden on the head by Hueco Mundo?! Hahahaha... Baraggan, it's been a thousand years, how come you've learned to tell jokes? Pfft, hahaha..."
"..." Baraggan fell silent after hearing what Ikomikidomoe said. "I have a cooperative relationship with Sōsuke Aizen."
"A cooperative relationship?!" Ikomikidomoe picked his nose... Oh, right, Ikomikidomoe doesn't seem to have nostrils. "Don't tease me, they all call Lord Sōsuke Aizen, why doesn't anyone call you 'sama'?!"
" Baraggan... It's been a thousand years, how come you've become so lame?" Having Sōgo Shihoin Ikomikidomoe, Yotsuji's mouth was like a machine gun, rattling away... not only killing but also destroying the spirit.
"You..." Baraggan was furious. He looked at Ikomikidomoe, his anger burning.
"What do you mean, 'what do you mean?'" Ikomikidomoe with a disdainful look. "You're not convinced? Did I say something wrong? What do you have to be dissatisfied with?!"
"Do you know how I spent the past thousand years while you were holing up as emperor in Hueco Mundo?" Ikomikidomoe frowned slightly as he recounted his experiences over the past millennium to Baraggan. "Over a thousand years ago, when I was still in Hueco Mundo, I remember we were evenly matched for a long time. Neither of us could completely rule the entire Hueco Mundo. Eventually, I grew bored with the unchanging nature of Hueco Mundo. Then an idea came to me. You know I'm a man of action; once I had an idea, I put it into practice. I was all alone, all by myself! Holding two watermelon knives, I traveled from Hueco Mundo all the way to the eastern road of the Soul Society's Soul King Palace. With each strike of my blade, I felled that old geezer, Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, now hailed as the strongest Soul Reaper in the Soul Society for a thousand years..."
"Then, just as I was about to touch the Soul King, I encountered two unscrupulous old men who tried to trick and ambush me, the strongest Menos Grande in Hueco Mundo. They not only attacked me but also humiliated me, turning me into a broken sword and throwing me into the bottom of the forging pool, where I remained for a thousand years... a thousand years! How many thousand years does a Hollow have?! I hate it!" Ikomikidomoe recounted his story. "But thankfully, after a thousand years of tempering, I have shed the resentment in my heart. Now, only the determination to fight for my master Lord Sōgo Shihoin, remains. It was this determination that moved Lord Sōgo Shihoin, which is why I am able to fight you here!"
"Well, you're really something." Baraggan looked at Ikomikidomoe speechlessly. The current Ikomikidomoe was different from the Ikomikidomoe of a thousand years ago. The current Ikomikidomoe was just a sycophant... no, he should be called a Jiba... This Jiba had long lost the domineering spirit that once made him a worthy rival.
The once dominant force in Hueco Mundo has fallen to this state. Is this the decline of Hueco Mundo, or simply a change of times? It's truly lamentable...
"Enough with the nonsense!" Baraggan exclaimed, then gently clenched his fist in the air, and a massive battle axe appeared in his hand. "Fight me!"
"I can't wait any longer!" Ikomikidomoe smiled, then turned and winked at Sōgo Shihoin in the stands.
"Understood!" Sōgo Shihoin and gently waved his hand, making two watermelon knives for Ikomikidomoe.
"I'm fucking an expert." Ikomikidomoe, gripping a watermelon knife, his eye twitching slightly, said, "Do you understand that he once wielded two watermelon knives to slay the Soul Society?! Do you even know what an exaggeration is?! You bastard!"
"These are your weapons, Jiba?!" Baraggan looked at Ikomikidomoe's weapons and smiled slightly. "Just two watermelon knives?!"
"To deal with you, you idiot..." Ikomikidomoe lips twitched slightly, "Two watermelon knives will suffice."
"Heh..." Baraggan chuckled coldly, "You Jiba, take my big axe!"
"Damn it, what's wrong with Jiba? You want it but you don't have it yet!" Ikomikidomoe roared, grabbing two watermelon knives and charging at Baraggan's large axe, "You eunuch!!!"
"Ding~"
When the great axe in Baraggan's hand clashed with the watermelon knife in Ikomikidomoe's hand, it instantly sparked a series of dazzling sparks.
"Do you have it?" Ikomikidomoe roared, "Do you have it?"
"Whether I've done it or not, I don't need to tell you..." Baraggan looked at Ikomikidomoe with disdain, "You've become a lapdog, and you're still showing off to me all day long?!"
"Hello... you're impressive, you're not a lapdog!" The Ikomikidomoe looked at him with disdain. "How impressive are you anyway!"
"I'm better than you!" Baraggan roared, unwilling to back down.
At this moment Baraggan and Ikomikidomoe were like two children, slashing at each other, one slashing at the other, the other punching at each other, constantly attacking each other.
" Lord Aizen... I don't quite understand..."
Gin Ichimaru, who had been keeping a close eye on the battlefield, raised his hand with a smile towards Sōsuke Aizen.
"Is there a problem, Gin?"
Sōsuke Aizen looked at Gin Ichimaru, who had asked the question, and smiled slightly.
" Lord Aizen, why isn't Baraggan using his power?!" Gin asked, voicing his own question after Aizen responded. "If Baraggan were to use his seemingly invincible power, I think even that Ikomikidomoe wouldn't be able to withstand it!"
" Baraggan's abilities, huh?" Sōsuke Aizen smiled slightly. He was actually quite curious as to why Baraggan didn't use his almost invincible power...
Even before he achieved immortality, Baraggan's power to manipulate time was extremely troublesome for him; the power to age people and eventually turn them into bones... simply put, it was arguably the most bizarre power in Hueco Mundo.
"Don't understand yet?" Sōgo Shihoin glanced at Sōsuke Aizen and smiled slightly. "Why doesn't Baraggan use his power? The answer is simple... because Baraggan's power is completely useless against Ikomikidomoe."
"It didn't work?!" Sōsuke Aizen asked curiously. "I'd like to hear the details."
" Ikomikidomoe won't die of old age." Sōgo Shihoin smiled slightly, answering Sōsuke Aizen's question.
"He won't die of old age?!" Sōsuke Aizen was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, "Hahaha... Interesting."
"That's right, Ikomikidomoe won't die of old age." Sōgo Shihoin. " Ikomikidomoe is special; he grows stronger indefinitely with the passage of time, so the power of time doesn't leave a single trace on him. Instead, it makes him even stronger."
"That old man Baraggan and Ikomikidomoe are old acquaintances. They've been fighting for thousands of years and know each other inside and out. So they wouldn't knowingly waste their energy on someone whose abilities are useless against them," Sōgo Shihoin continued. "What appears to be ordinary hand-to-hand combat is actually their most effective attack."
"Is that so?!" Sōsuke Aizen nodded. "So that's how it is..."
Just as Sōsuke Aizen was about to finish speaking, a knife pierced his heart.
"This is... Shinsō?!" Sōsuke Aizen slowly lowered his head, looking at the Zanpakuto that had pierced his heart, his brow furrowing. "Gin, I always thought you were a smart person. I imagined countless scenarios of you attacking me, and you never did. In the end, I never expected that you would attack me when I was at my peak."
" Lord Aizen... what are you talking about?" Gin Ichimaru raised his hands. "I didn't do anything!"
"Not you?!" Sōsuke Aizen stared at the empty hand holding Gin Ichimaru, then at the gaping hole in his own chest, his gaze hardening. "Then who was it...?"
"Null!"
Before Aizen could think further, he suddenly felt his body sink. This was the ability of Kidō-type Zanpakuto, a gravity-doubling ability. As far as Sōsuke Aizen knew, he only knew of one Wabisuke Izuru Kira, the lieutenant of the Gotei Third Division. And coincidentally, before Gin Ichimaru defected from Soul Society, the division he led was the Gotei Third Division.
"That's strange, Gin Ichimaru..." Sōsuke Aizen looked at his slashed chest with unwavering composure. "If it wasn't you who betrayed me and attacked me, then who was it? I'm just curious, Gin, when did you contact the Gotei 13, and when did you hide Izuru Kira...?"
" Lord Aizen..." Gin Ichimaru raised his hands high, "Would you believe me if I said this had nothing to do with me?!"
"None of your business?!" Sōsuke Aizen frowned, then seemed to realize something and relaxed his brow. "I see... so that's how it is? Heh heh heh... Sōgo, you really have a good dog~"
"Ugh... I never expected this to happen." Sōgo Shihoin shook his head, then changed the subject, "But, Sōsuke, if you can't even beat one of my subordinates, then you're really pathetic!"
"Is that so?!" Sōsuke Aizen, "Is that what you think?! Sōgo."
"No matter what I think..." Sōgo Shihoin shrugged lightly, "I've already seen through you."
"Is that so? That's a real shame!" Sōsuke Aizen's expression suddenly changed. "While it is indeed earlier than I expected, it's clear that this body is no longer usable."
"..." Sōsuke Aizen raised his hand and gently touched his cheek...
The next second, Sōsuke Aizen took out a pair of colored contact lenses from his eyes.
"Sizzle sizzle..."
Crimson lightning flashed between Sōsuke Aizen's eyes.
"Does Sōgo Shihoin understand now? This is nothing but an avatar." Sōsuke Aizen smiled slightly at Sōgo Shihoin. "Now for the quiz: while this Gigai of mine is chatting with you, where is my true self?!"
"Admit it! Sōgo Shihoin! You've lost this round!" Sōsuke Aizen shouted. "The moment you discovered that this body of mine was Gigai, my true form had already defeated the Gotei 13 and was heading towards the Soul King Palace."
"Oh... Sōsuke, you're a real cunning fellow." Sōgo Shihoin knew Sōsuke Aizen was up to no good, and now it seemed he was right. "He actually tried to fool me with a Gigai?!"
"Hahahaha..." Sōsuke Aizen seemed to have been suppressing his emotions for too long; his tense nerves finally relaxed at this moment. " Sōgo Shihoin, all's fair in war, so don't blame me. Besides, Sōgo, I've reminded you several times before, but you're just too slow. Oh, and let me just say this: everyone you killed before the battle was Gigai..."
"Is that so?!" Sōgo Shihoin silently looked at Sōsuke Aizen, his face showing not a trace of surprise.
"Goodbye, Sōgo!" Sōsuke Aizen said, snapping his own neck.
"So you're Gigai too?!" Sōgo Shihoin looked at Sōsuke Aizen, scratched his cheek, and then, as if suddenly remembering something, looked at the only three living members of Sōsuke Aizen's team, Gin Ichimaru.
"No, no, no..." Gin Ichimaru shook his head repeatedly, feeling the pressure from Sōgo Shihoin's gaze. "I'm Mahito."
Gin Ichimaru spoke, he deliberately widened his eyes to prove that he wasn't wearing colored contact lenses.
"You were dumped by Sōsuke Aizen?!" Sōgo Shihoin looked at Gin Ichimaru and suddenly burst out laughing, "Hahaha..."
"..." Gin Ichimaru somewhat awkwardly, "I guess Lord Aizen discovered my plan?! So he simply excluded me from their plans."
"Your plan?" Sōgo Shihoin looked at Gin Ichimaru curiously. "What's your plan?!"
"I originally planned to invest in Lord Aizen..." Gin Ichimaru shrugged. "Now it seems that my plan was seen through by Lord Aizen from the very beginning. What a pity."
"Hahahaha..." Sōgo Shihoin chuckled slightly, "You're too green. Even I could sense the faint killing intent lingering around you."
"Uh..." Gin Ichimaru was a little embarrassed. After all, I hadn't studied professional assassination techniques and couldn't compare to your Second Division.
"Hahaha... That's lame." Sōgo Shihoin first mocked Gin Ichimaru, then his expression turned cold. "But, isn't Sōsuke Aizen a little too arrogant?!"
" Ikomikidomoe, Baraggan, your battle ends here. I'm going to teach that Sōsuke Aizen a lesson first." Sōgo Shihoin slowly rose from his seat and gave the order to Ikomikidomoe and Baraggan.
"Are you ordering me around? Do you think I'm still the same person I was a hundred years ago? Do you think I'm afraid of you?"
Baraggan roared at Sōgo Shihoin.
"No rebuttal allowed!"
Sōgo Shihoin stared coldly at Baraggan and spoke in a chilling voice.
"Um... Baraggan felt a slight tremor Sōgo Shihoin's cold gaze, then muttered softly, 'Why are you yelling so loudly? It's not like people can't hear you...'"
Five thousand~
(End of this chapter)