Kisuke's words stopped Aizen in his tracks.
He had always considered this possibility. His research on the Hōgyoku began with its primary purpose — enabling users to evolve to higher levels. After countless calculations and attempts, its effectiveness was undeniable.
Yet subsequent research revealed that the Hōgyoku's power extended far beyond evolution. It functioned more like a wish-granting device, materializing the deepest thoughts and desires within people's hearts.
Though limited by the user's potential, its power remained among the most extraordinary forces ever witnessed.
Working with Kisuke and Mayuri, Aizen discovered another crucial component at the Hōgyoku's core, beyond the souls of Shinigami and Hollows—
The Soul King's fragments.
And so everything led back to one inevitable point: The Soul King.
After a moment of silence, Aizen lifted his gaze to Kisuke, a slight smirk playing on his lips:
"Kisuke-kun, are you really willing to place all your hopes on Akira?"
Kisuke: "..."
He suddenly understood why this guy could get along with his Captain — while their intelligence might be inversely proportional, their hearts were equally dark!
⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬
First Tower, Highest Palace.
Having received the summons, Akira rushed in excitedly, calling out to Jugram at the head position:
"Jugo, I'm here! Where's Yhwach?! I can't wait to have an audience with His Majesty!"
Jugram: "..."
How does this look anything like someone preparing for a royal audience?
He grew worried — with Hashirama's personality, if Yhwach were to forcefully order him to act against his principles, would it spark conflict between ruler and subject?
If that happened, what should he do?
Jugram hadn't realized that if this were his old personality and way of thinking, he would have immediately executed anyone disloyal or harmful to Yhwach.
But now, he was once again wavering on the scales. Just like Bazz-B and Yhwach back then.
"When you see His Majesty, curb that reckless personality of yours, and don't say anything disrespectful. Otherwise, even I won't be able to save you." He said earnestly.
Akira nodded, "I understand."
Though he said that, seeing his eager expression, Jugram's concerns only grew more serious. Hopefully things wouldn't develop beyond the point of no return.
"Follow me." He took a deep breath, rose from his seat, and walked toward the back of the palace.
Akira's eyes lit up as he followed closely behind.
The two passed through a deep corridor, undoing several protective spiritual arts along the way, until an ink-black massive doorway appeared at the end of their vision.
"His Majesty's sleeping quarters are located in the deepest part of Silbern." Jugram trusted him completely, holding nothing back, even regarding secrets unknown to the Schutzstaffel.
He took out his medallion, aimed it forward, and chanted an incantation softly.
As shadows surged behind them, Akira suddenly noticed this guy's shadow connecting with the doorway ahead. Before he could react, the great doors thunderously opened.
"Let's go." Having completed all this, Jugram tucked away his medallion and walked straight into the profound darkness.
Yhwach sensed the door opening and people entering.
One was his most familiar Jugram Haschwalth, and the other must be Hashirama Senju, whom his Imperial Adviser highly praised and who had brought prosperity to the empire.
Though Lille Barro and Gerard Valkyrie were dead, the empire had new blood flowing in, which might not be a bad trade-off for these losses.
Let's meet him first. If his strength is adequate, he could be promoted to the Schutzstaffel.
Just as Yhwach was thinking this, he slowly opened his eyes. When he saw what was before him, his heart — only recently recovered after nine hundred years — stopped dead.
What a fierce expression!
A pair of black eyes gleamed brightly, studying him up and down as if observing some animal.
Seeing this scene from below, Jugram's heart also skipped a beat. He knew Hashirama was bold, but never imagined he would be this absurd!
Kid, aren't you afraid Yhwach might react by immediately Auswählening you?!
Their eyes met, and the atmosphere grew tense. Just as Yhwach showed signs of impatience, Akira seemed to sense something. He quickly retreated to Jugram's side and flashed a smile upward.
"Your Majesty, please forgive my rashness. That was purely accidental, I absolutely meant no disrespect!"
Hearing these words, Jugram wore a ghostly expression as he stared at the person beside him in shock.
So you actually know how to speak properly!
Yhwach took a deep breath but didn't dwell on what had just happened. He had more pressing matters to address.
"You must be Hashirama Senju?" He placed both hands on his throne's armrests and spoke in a deep voice, "Haschwalth has told me of your merits. As for your abilities, they need proper evaluation. Others' accounts are ultimately theoretical."
Hearing this, Akira perked up, "Does Your Majesty want to test my capabilities?"
Yhwach: "?"
How was this person completely different from what he had imagined? With such a reckless personality, how did he manage to lead the empire back to prosperity?
"No need. Simply demonstrate the abilities you possess." Yhwach said deeply, "I will make my own judgment."
"That works too." Akira agreed straightforwardly, without hesitation.
Though he possessed various mixed powers, he was a genuine Quincy. He wasn't worried about revealing any flaws before Yhwach — BG9 had verified this point.
Under two curious gazes, he demonstrated his spiritual arts, and bursts of brilliant light exploded in the deep darkness.
When everything was finished, Yhwach's expression was somewhat peculiar.
Not because Akira wasn't strong enough, but because he was too strong — strong enough to exceed his expectations.
If he had had such a Quincy assisting him back then, they might have been able to kill Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto and completely conquer Soul Society.
Moreover, the young man before him hadn't taken much of his power. Even the power of the Schrift largely came from within himself.
Most importantly, the soul connection remained. This meant he could perform the Auswählen on Hashirama at any time, taking all his power.
What a good child... Having figured out the key points, Yhwach's gaze toward Akira softened.
However, while he was studying the newcomer, Akira was also studying him.
This mustached freak in front of him didn't seem as strong as imagined. Maybe he should try to blast him?
While he was pondering this, Yhwach broke the silence, his voice carrying additional authority, "Lille Barro is dead, leaving the position of Captain of the Schutzstaffel vacant. Since you've demonstrated the necessary talent, you shall take up this position."
Jugram showed no surprise from the side, as this scene was within his expectations.
Akira, however, was somewhat taken aback. But his strong mental fortitude allowed him to quickly recover, and with a grin, he proclaimed:
"I obey your command, Your Majesty…"
⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬
"So, when are we going to pull in the net?" Akira asked lazily from the sofa, not bothering to lift his head, "If this keeps up, I'm going to inherit this Wandenreich."
Aizen frowned, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes. He had anticipated something like this, but hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.
It had only been a few days since they eliminated Lille Barro when Yhwach awoke and appointed this prodigal son as Captain of the Schutzstaffel.
From their conversations, he had learned that Yhwach would sleep for increasingly longer periods until his complete awakening — a situation caused by the deaths of the Sternritter members.
Akira had explained that Yhwach could distribute his soul to others and reclaim it through Auswählen. What he reclaimed wasn't just the soul he had bestowed, but everything the recipient possessed—
Life and soul. This was the fundamental source of his power.
During his time in the empire, seven Knights had fallen by Akira's hand. Among them were the elite: Lille Barro, Gerard Valkyrie, and Gremmy Thoumeaux. Yhwach's current power might even exceed what it was a thousand years ago.
If he were to replenish the Sternritter's ranks and gather enough intelligence about Soul Society, he might launch the war immediately.
"There's no rush." Aizen said thoughtfully, "Before launching the war, Yhwach will make thorough preparations. Several crucial matters still need addressing, and he won't declare war on Soul Society before resolving them. During this buffer period, we also need to formulate appropriate countermeasures. I assume you wouldn't want casualties on either side?"
Akira grinned, "You know me well, Sōsuke."
After spending this time together, he had discovered that the Quincy weren't inherently evil. On the contrary, they were just a group of innocent, pitiful people.
Among the Quincy were many who loved life and yearned for peace and beauty. It would be tragic if such a group were to be exterminated.
Aizen nodded and continued, "After all our efforts, we've devised the most appropriate plan — albeit the most troublesome one. I've studied Kagerōza Inaba's results carefully and found that replication isn't particularly difficult. The key lies in the materials."
Akira furrowed his brow, stroking his chin.
Aizen ignored someone's attempt to use an organ he didn't possess, and continued:
"We need more... Soul King fragments."
⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬
"Damn it, Grimmjow is still chasing me!"
In the World of the Living, a young man frantically fled through the streets, stirring up fierce winds that forced passersby to cling to nearby buildings.
In a dimension invisible to normal humans, a blue-haired man laughing maniacally flew rapidly through the sky.
"Running is useless, come fight me already!"
As his words fell, a Cero blast shot out, destroying the road ahead.
Left with no choice, the young man released his Reiatsu and shot up into the sky. He grabbed the cross pendant from his neck, and with a flash of light, the pendant transformed into a massive two-handed broadsword.
Without hesitation, the young man swung backward to his right.
Clang—
The sound of clashing metal brought a shocked expression to his face.
Grimmjow held up his blade, his smile fierce and savage.
"Don't bother with these meaningless attacks. I'm a man who's survived countless ambushes — danger detection is in my very instincts! Besides, your attack isn't even a thousandth as strong as the God-King's!"
As the words left his mouth, the young man felt a terrifying force through his two-handed broadsword, as if he'd slammed into a mountain.
With an explosive sonic boom, he was blown away, crashing through a building mid-air before creating a massive crater in the ground, shock waves rippling outward.
Just as Grimmjow approached to inspect the damage, an intense green light blazed from the ruins. A deep green crescent-shaped energy blade shot skyward, hurtling toward him.
But before the attack could connect, a large hand reached out and — to the young man's disbelief — firmly gripped the energy blade.
Grimmjow grinned, thoroughly satisfied with his display.
This is the power of an Arrancar Vasto Lorde!
Crack!
His fingers tightened, crushing the energy blade and triggering an explosion. Smoke filled the air as the shock wave erupted like a tsunami, sending debris flying.
Witnessing Grimmjow's overwhelming strength, despair crept into the young man's heart.
Was this the final destiny of a Fullbringer?
Seeing his opponent's hesitation, Grimmjow's last shred of patience vanished. He swung his blade casually, splitting the ground with a massive fissure.
⤫ Sonído ⥤ Reverberating Turn! ⤬
The young man's pupils contracted as Grimmjow — the self-proclaimed strongest warrior of Las Noches — suddenly materialized before him. Acting on pure instinct, he swung his broadsword violently, unleashing an even more powerful energy blade that tore through the air with a deafening roar.
Disappointment crossed Grimmjow's face as he casually sliced through the energy blade. He'd hoped this trip to the World of the Living would offer a worthy fight, but his opponent proved pathetically weak.
Whatever, this is getting tedious. Time to end it.
Under the young man's despairing gaze, the light of a Cero locked onto him, and then—
Boom!
The intense energy blast knocked him unconscious instantly, leaving him charred black in the deep crater.
Grimmjow walked to his side, sheathed his sword, and took out a communication device to input:
"Fullbringer, Kūgo Ginjō. Capture successful..."
⤫⤬⤫
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