Ten years of peaceful time passed quietly by Sōgo and the others.
" Sōgo, have you heard? That kid who graduated from the Shin'ō Academy in just one year passed the captain's exam yesterday and is now the captain of the Third Division."
The Second Division Captain's Room was more like a palace than a captain's room. Sōgo was sitting on a futon, eating clean grapes from a bowl on the side table. The peaceful hall was suddenly broken by the appearance of Shaoling Fon.
"A kid who graduated from the Shin'ō Academy in just one year? Who is that?"
Sōgo put down the grapes he was holding and asked in a rather puzzled tone.
He genuinely doesn't remember this matter, which was nothing more than a trivial thing to him.
"It seems his name is Gin Ichimaru."
Seeing Shaoling Fon's Sōgo expression, Aya explained.
"Forget it, whoever it is, it's none of my business anyway."
Sōgo waved his hand gently at Shaoling Fon. He was completely uninterested in these matters. Even if the Captain-Commander were to be replaced tomorrow, he wouldn't feel a thing. As long as these things didn't concern him, that was enough.
" Sōgo, you really don't care about these things~"
"I've been completely overwhelmed lately because of all the work with the Second Division."
Shaoling Fon looked at Sōgo with a helpless smile. Sōgo had always seemed completely uninterested in the various personnel changes in Soul Society. He usually left all the social interactions of the Shihoin Family to his younger siblings, and even the job of Second Division Captain was handed over to her.
"Hahaha... you guys can handle this little thing!"
I believe in you!
After Sōgo what Shaoling Fon said, Sougo gave her a thumbs up; he trusted Shaoling Fon completely.
I don't really have much confidence in myself.
Shaoling Fon sat down next to Sōgo and smiled bitterly.
"Huh?"
"How could you lack confidence in yourself? My Little Fon is the best! You know, with her Little Fon Bankai, she could easily be a captain in any other division. To be honest, it was rather selfish of me not to recommend Little Fon for the captain's assessment, because I realized I couldn't live without Little Fon (who would do the work without Shaoling Fon? Lilynette?)."
Sōgo held Shaoling Fon's hand and spoke earnestly.
"Huh?!"
"What you're saying bothers Sōgo a little."
After hearing Sōgo's words, Shaoling Fon's face instantly turned red.
" Little Fon, you must have confidence in yourself. You... are the best!"
Sōgo held Shaoling Fon's soft little hand tightly, freely releasing his charm.
"I... I... I still have work to do."
With her face as red as a red apple, Shaoling Fon stood up stiffly, like a robot, and then strode out of the Second Division barracks.
"Shy Shaoling Fon is also cute."
Sōgo looked at Shaoling Fon, who had emerged stiffly, and gave her a thumbs up, a shy but positive review!!!
Meanwhile, just as Sōgo was relentlessly unleashing his charm to win over a capable part-time worker, Ran was also releasing his own charm.
"Submit to me!"
The Fifth Division Captain, Sōsuke Aizen, the Captain of the Ninth Division, Kaname Tōsen, and the newly appointed Third Division Captain, Gin Ichimaru, with just these three captains, swept through the entire Hueco Mundo with overwhelming combat power!
Standing Sōsuke Aizen was a Vasto Lorde- level humanoid Menos Grande with long golden hair. He was the current acting king of Hueco Mundo, named Yylfordt Granz. He was the part of Szayelaporro Granz that split off from his own body, the part belonging to his brother. Because it was just a simple split, it did not grant him any of the power belonging to the Arrancar. Therefore, when it first split off, it was just an ordinary Adjuchas- level Menos Grande. However, Szayelaporro believed that Adjuchas- level Menos Grande were completely insufficient to dominate and control Hueco Mundo, so he used a large amount of resources to help Yylfordt evolve into a Vasto Lorde- level Menos Grande.
However, even Vasto Lorde- level Menos Grande was meaningless in front of Aizen; the difference in strength was simply too great.
"Hehehe... I am indeed no match for you, you are free to kill me! But this Hueco Mundo is far more complicated than you think. The strongest Menos Grande are not in Hueco Mundo. When those monsters return, you will be torn apart like a rag doll!"
Yylfordt Granz chuckled softly, his voice growing louder and louder.
"Presumptuous!"
With a soft shout from Kaname Tōsen, he and Gin Ichimaru each held their Zanpakuto to Yylfordt Grant's neck.
"I'll kill you right now, you who insulted Lord Aizen."
Kaname Tōsen spoke, he prepared to make his move and cut off Yylfordt Grant's neck.
"Stop! Kaname Tōsen."
Just as Kaname Tōsen make a move, Sōsuke Aizen grabbed Kaname Tōsen's shoulder.
"What are you saying, Lord Aizen! This Menos Grande is spouting nonsense and should be torn to pieces!"
Kaname Tōsen angrily declared that in his heart, Aizen was light, electricity, and the only myth.
" My Kaname, I've already told you, please stop. I hope you won't make me say it a second time."
Aizen looked at Kaname Tōsen quietly and spoke calmly.
"I... I'm sorry, Lord Aizen! I overstepped my bounds."
Kaname Tōsen hearing Aizen's words, Tosen's forehead was immediately covered in sweat, and he quickly retreated.
"It's alright, I know your loyalty, but this Menos Grande can't die here. It's a Vasto Lorde- level Menos Grande, it's extremely valuable."
Sōsuke Aizen spoke, he walked directly in front of Yylfordt.
"What, you want me to submit to you? I suggest you save your breath!"
Yylfordt looked at Aizen, who was talking to himself, with disdain in his eyes.
"I think the Menos Grande you're referring to are those 'people' who follow Sōgo, right?"
However, what awaited Yylfordt next was Aizen's the Explode.
"What... what did you say?"
A flicker of panic crossed Yylfordt's eyes; he couldn't believe how Aizen knew about this.
"It seems that what I thought was indeed the case."
Sōsuke Aizen saw Yylfordt's surprised expression and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"Oh no..."
Yylfordt knew he had completely exposed Szayelaporro and his group.
"So, wouldn't you like to have a form that's almost human, just like those Menos Grande who follow Sōgo-kun?"
Sōsuke Aizen continued to manipulate Yylfordt.
"You mean you have a way to turn me into Arrancar?"
After hearing Sōsuke Aizen's words, Yylfordt asked in surprise.
"I see, so that form is called Arrancar'?"
Aizen now knew what the human-like posture of the Menos Grande following Sōgo was called.
Damn it.
Yylfordt covered his mouth in shock; he was now beginning to regret having a mouth.
"Of course, I will give you the power to achieve that pose."
After hearing Yylfordt's words, Aizen smiled.
"You? You think you can do this?"
Yylfordt simply didn't believe that Aizen the power to help him evolve; he knew all too well how many Soul Reaper his brother had killed in his quest for evolution.
"Of course, with me... and 'it'."
After hearing Yylfordt's words, Aizen nodded slightly, then took out a bead that shimmered with brilliant light.
"This is..."
Yylfordt felt the immense power emanating from the bead, his eyes widening in disbelief. He knew that if he possessed this bead, he could definitely Arrancar. It was as if he instinctively wanted to obtain the bead; his evolutionary instincts began to the Roar incessantly.
"This is truly amazing."
Yylfordt sighed. He knew that Szayelaporro had killed almost an entire squad of Soul Reaper to create a power similar to the one before him, but the purity of what Szayelaporro created was incomparable to that of this bead. It was hard to believe how many Soul Reaper had been used to make this bead.
"So now, do you submit before this absolute power?"
Aizen smiled slightly at the ecstatic Yylfordt, then grasped the bead in his hand, concealing all the light emanating from it.
"No! Please give me strength!"
Upon seeing the vanished bead, Yylfordt, who craved power, uttered a sound of resentment.
"So what are you going to do?"
Aizen asked Yylfordt a question.
" Yylfordt is here to meet Lord Aizen!"
The golden-haired humanoid Menos Grande finally knelt at Aizen's feet.
"Hmph... Very well, Mr. Yylfordt, your choice is wise."
Aizen looked at the kneeling Yylfordt and chuckled softly, his gaze towards Yylfordt like that of a master looking at his dog.
"If Lord Aizen urgently needs combat power, there is an incredibly powerful Menos Grande on the ceiling of Hueco Mundo. He was originally the true king of Hueco Mundo."
Yylfordt introduced Aizen to the man who was enjoying the moonlight alone high on the ceiling.
"Oh?!"
After hearing Yylfordt's words, Aizen's eyes flashed with interest; he was interested in any powerful combat force capable of becoming his subordinate.
"Let me go up and take a look."
Aizen spoke softly to Yylfordt.
"Yes, Lord Aizen, please come this way."
As Yylfordt led the way, a glint of cunning flashed in his eyes. He was also thinking of using the original king of Hueco Mundo to test Aizen's true strength. If Aizen died like that... then that jewel that held such irresistible allure for him would be his.
Led by Yylfordt, Aizen and his two companions took an elevator to the top of the ceiling, a world of perpetual darkness.
In the endless darkness, a boy wearing a white crown, naked, exuding a holy and noble aura like an angel, with white skin, white hair, and a pair of crimson eyes, sat quietly on a throne made of countless skulls of unknown creatures, a stark contrast to his holy appearance. From his high position, like a god, he looked down at Aizen and the others who were walking up to the ceiling.
"Hey, Lord Aizen, this Hollow seems a bit different from the others."
Gin Ichimaru stared in shock at the naked boy sitting on the throne, who looked just like a human. He said to Aizen, "If it weren't for the ominous Spiritual Pressure emanating from him, I would have doubted that the person in front of me was not a Hollow, but a human who had mistakenly entered Hueco Mundo."
"Yes, I saw silver."
Unlike Aizen, Gin Ichimaru did not lose his composure. He nodded slightly, still wearing a smile on his face.
"..."
The boy looked at the group of people in front of him without saying a word from beginning to end.
However, the next second, Aizen's eyes trembled slightly. Under the boy's gaze, his right hand suddenly disintegrated, first the skin, then the flesh, then the bone, and then everything was reduced to nothing by the power of time.
"Who gave you permission to look me in the eye?"
At that moment, the boy finally spoke.
"Is that so? A power that can age all things? And it works without needing to be touched, just by seeing it? What a powerful force!"
Just as the boy was indifferent to all living beings, Aizen, who had lost his right hand, suddenly vanished from his spot and instantly appeared beside the boy, smiling as he looked at him.
"Um?!"
The boy looked at the unharmed Aizen, his eyes trembling slightly. But the next moment, he pulled a huge double-edged axe from the skeletal throne beneath him.
"Disappear, you foolish Soul Reaper!"
The boy wielded a massive battle axe, completely disproportionate to his small frame, and swung it at Aizen.
"Boom!"
With a gust of air, Aizen was instantly cleaved in two by the boy's strike. Not only that... a huge gash, a kilometer long, was slashed through the entire ceiling, and the shockwave ripped directly from the desert-filled ceiling down into Hueco Mundo below.
Several Adjuchas that were looking up from under the ceiling were instantly cleaved in two, and the next second, they turned into skeletons and then shattered, as if they had never existed in this world.
"Snort!"
The boy held the enormous battle axe in one hand, clearly possessing terrifying strength completely disproportionate to his small stature.
"Clap clap clap..."
"Excellent strength."
Just when the boy thought he had defeated Aizen, Aizen, who had been clapping incessantly, suddenly appeared behind him, praising the boy's terrifying power.
"Um?"
The boy turned around and looked at Aizen, who was completely unharmed. This time, he was utterly dumbfounded and stood there in deep thought.
"State your name!"
Finally, the boy spoke. His voice was unusually hoarse, completely at odds with his appearance, making him sound like an old man in his seventies or eighties.
" Sōsuke Aizen!"
"May I ask your name?"
Aizen readily gave his name, and then asked.
"I am the ruler of Hueco Mundo, the only myth in Hueco Mundo for millennia, standing atop countless Menos Grande, the only Menos Grande above the ceiling, the invincible Emperor of Hollows! Baraggan Louisenbairn!"
Before saying his own name, the boy rattled off a long list of titles, finally pronouncing his real name at the very end.
Yes, the naked boy in front of him is none other than Hueco Mundo Emperor who was defeated by Sōgo many years ago. Baraggan, who was originally just a skeleton, has finally undergone a complete change after fighting with Sōgo's hair for nearly a hundred years. He is as if he has been reborn and has come to understand the true meaning of time!
As for how he did it? The answer is simple: he was assimilated by Sōgo's hair! Yes, it wasn't that he spent a hundred years winning against Sōgo's hair, but rather that single strand of Sōgo 'Sōgo repeated pushing of his limits... eventually won against him.
(End of this chapter)