"Had #63: Raikh (Fiery Lightning Howl)."
The instant the words left his lips
A beam of golden lightning exploded from his palm.
BOOM!!
The roar of the blast echoed through the heavens!
The talismans were obliterated on impact. The beam didn't stop thereit slammed directly into Midoriko's barrier with brutal force!
Vmm!
The golden shield quaked violently, struggling to hold.
Midoriko's brow furrowed. She quickly raised her hand, reinforcing the barrier with more power.
Then the lightning gradually faded. The trembling of the barrier eased and finally came to a stop.
Seeing this, Midoriko let out a breath of relief.
But her gaze toward Aizen had changed.
She already knew from how the other Espada treated him, that he wasn't someone ordinary.
But only by facing him directly did she truly understand how strong he was.
Her eyes dropped to the Zanpakuto in his hand.
At a glance, it looked plain. Unremarkable. Like any other sword.
But she had learned how Zanpakuto worked.
Shikai and Bankai
And Aizen? He hadn't even used his sword yet.
"Whew"
Midoriko exhaled slowly, eyes steady with resolve.
She and Aizen were not on the same level.
But it wasn't hopeless.
With her soul-targeting abilities, she should still be able to hold her own.
With that in mind, she tightened her grip on the golden chain in her hand and stared Aizen down.
"Oh?"
Aizen noticed her stance, pausing with amusement before flashing a smile.
"Now that's... a good look."
That smug tone, that air of superiority.
Midoriko's eyes narrowed. Her voice dropped cold and sharp:
"Bind."
Clatter-clatter-clang!
The golden chain in her hand suddenly sprang to life as if it had a will of its own, shooting forward toward Aizen.
Clang! Clang!
Aizen shifted ever so slightly, casually batting away each chain strike with graceful flicks of his Zanpakuto.
It looked effortless.
Then with another casual flick of his Zanpakut, he spoke softly: "Shatter Kyka Suigetsu."
Midoriko narrowed her eyes, locking her gaze on Aizen's every move, trying to understand his Zanpakut's ability.
But
"Nothing happened?"
She blinked, confused.
"Oh? You really think so?"
A voice rang out suddenly.
Midoriko's eyes snapped wide as she instinctively spun aroundand there he was.
Aizen.
Right behind her.
She didn't hesitate. With a flick of her wrist, eerie, glowing talismans shot forward without warning.
Shhkkk
The paper charms pierced Aizen's body, burning energy hissing as the air filled with the scent of scorched flesh.
His eyes widened in disbeliefthen, thud. He collapsed into the sea, lifeless.
"...???"
Midoriko stared, stunned. "That's it?"
"It's over just like that?"
That was way too easy.
This guy was supposed to be the ruler of Hueco Mundo?
"Huh?!"
Off in the distance, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez's eyes practically popped out of his head.
"No way! Aizen-Sama he just died?!"
Across the battlefield, however, Ulquiorra Cifer stood motionless, unshaken.
And not just him.
Baraggan Louisenbairn, Coyote Starrk, even Tier Harribelnone of them looked the least bit surprised or emotional.
—
No.
Something was wrong.
Midoriko's brows furrowed. Her instincts screamed at her.
That's when she heard Nel's voice shout:
"Watch out!"
Nel's cry tore through the tension like a knife. Midoriko's hair stood on end as an icy chill ran down her spine.
She twisted her body on reflexonly to find Aizen's blade already swinging down toward her face.
Shhk!
A sickening sound rang out as the blade cut through flesh.
But strangely, there was no blood. Just two bloodstained paper dolls drifting gently to the ground.
"A decoy?"
Aizen raised an eyebrow, withdrawing Kyka Suigetsu as he eyed the falling papers with interest.
"Now that's a fascinating ability system"
So different from the Shinigami.
A hundred meters away, Midoriko reappeared, drenched in cold sweat. She took a deep breath, eyes locked on the red tint spreading across the sea.
"Confused?"
Aizen's voice echoed againeverywhere and nowhere all at once.
Her eyes sharpened. Something in the air had changed.
She leapt backwardjust in time.
Aizen's form flickered back into sight.
Midoriko didn't hesitatethree talismans flew from her hand, glowing gold and wrapping around Aizen's limbs like chains.
They didn't pass through him like an illusion.
They bound him.
Physically.
Just like a real body.
But Midoriko wasn't fooled. After everything she'd seen, she knew better than to believe Aizen was that easy to trap.
StillShe had to try!
While he was bound, she conjured a deep violet flame in her palm and hurled it at him.
Fwoosh
The fire hit him dead-on.
"Aaaaarghhh!!"
A scream ripped through the air as Aizen's flesh blackened and peeled away like burning bark.
Midoriko suddenly pulled backsomething was off.
That scream was too perfect.
It felt scripted. Like he was acting.
And sure enough, the charred "Aizen" suddenly snapped his head uphis mouth twisted into a horrifying grin.
"Your ability it's quite the spectacle."
A low whisper rolled out as the scorched figure casually patted out the lingering flames.
Midoriko's eyes went wide.
Wait.... Wasn't he a spiritual being?
Shouldn't her powers have torn through him?
Why didn't they work?!
As the thoughts raced through her head
CRACK!
The sea erupted violently. The sky beneath her feet shattered like glass as seawater surged upwardthreatening to drag her down into a watery abyss.
Midoriko's heart pounded.
No way
Aizen was controlling Ingvild's ocean?!
That couldn't be right!
But the rush of water, the salty pressureeverything felt terrifyingly real.
She struggled against the current, searching desperately for Ingvild Leviathan.
If anyone could reclaim control over the sea, it was her.
But Ingvild looked just as shaken.
"Wh-what? Why can't I control it?!"
Ingvild stared at the churning ocean, completely baffled.
From the other side, Midoriko caught this and her expression twisted in shock.
She knew Ingvild's powers well. She owned the sea.
And now? Before she could think further
"Had #33Skatsui (Pale Fire Crash)!"
A blazing fireball tore through the air toward her.
Midoriko dodged instinctively.
But then the fireball curved in mid-air.
"What?!"
Midoriko blinked. She quickly raised a barrier
BOOM!
The impact slammed her back, forcing her across the battlefield. The shield barely held, but the searing heat still licked at her skin.
Sweat trickled down her forehead.
But what worried her most was how strange Aizen's powers were.
"Tch"
She clenched her jaw.
Just what the hell was happening?!
.
.
.
It Really Should End Here
After some time...
Midoriko lay on the ground, clearly defeated after being toyed with by Aizen until her magic ran out.
Even when she used Devillizationher power akin to that of a SatanAizen, empowered by the Hgyoku, still toyed with her effortlessly.
"You've done well, all things considered."
Aizen's tone was calm as ever, even as he offered what sounded like praise.
But to Midoriko's ears, those words only stung with mockery.
"Oh, is that your victory speech?" she shot back with a sneer.
Aizen shook his head. "It's admiration for the courage of the weak."
The weak, huh
"Tch."
He really knew how to piss people off with just a few words.
But he wasn't wrong.
Right now, standing before Ssuke Aizenshe was weak.
And there was nothing she could say to deny it.
Aizen looked at her with mild interest, then slowly raised his Zanpakut.
Kyka Suigetsu shimmered with ominous violet patternsnow fully synchronized with the Hgyoku.
"We've played long enough. This game should come to a close."
After experiencing Midoriko's energy and the nature of her powers firsthand, he couldn't wait to see what came next.
Whether she'd become a Shinigami a Hollow or something else entirely
An Arrancar?
Who knew?
What would happen when her unique energyso different from Reishiand her soul-based abilities reached their next stage?
Abilities that could interfere directly with the soul even manipulate it on a fundamental level.
Oh man...
It thrilled him.
It brought back the same feeling of excitement he'd had when he first discovered the Hgyoku.
And so he wasn't going to wait any longer.
With a sudden Shunpo, Aizen appeared right in front of Midoriko, blade raised high above his head.
Without hesitationhe swung it down.
"Midoriko!!"
Nelliel's eyes widened in horror as she launched herself toward Aizen.
But
Ulquiorra Cifer stepped in her path.
"I won't allow you to interrupt Lord Aizen's moment."
...
With no interference, a cold wind blew across the edge of Kyka Suigetsu's blade.
Midoriko's black hair fluttered in the breeze. She raised her chin slightly, staring at the edge of Aizen's swordnot with fear.
Not with panic.
Not even the slightest emotion crossed her eyes.
"Had she given up?"
That was Aizen's first thought.
But something felt off.
A strange feeling tugged at the edge of his mind.
Why? Why did he feel this way?
And thenHis eyes narrowed.
The corner of Midoriko's lips was liftedjust a bit.
Was she smiling?
Seeing that faint smirk, Aizen suddenly felt uneasy.
His grip on Kyka Suigetsu tightened instinctively.
Why was she still smiling?
What had he overlooked?
But he was surehe hadn't missed anything.
So then was she bluffing?
As he debated with himself
CLANG!
A sharp metallic clang echoed through Hueco Mundo.
The blade that should've sliced through her soulwas stopped.
Caught effortlessly between two slender fingers.
"We really should end it here."
A calm voicesmooth, unhurried, but laced with a quiet authoritycut through the air.
Aizen's eyes snapped down.
The tip of Kyka Suigetsu was caught between two fingersbelonging to someone he didn't sense approaching.
Someone who, just seconds ago, didn't exist in his perception.
"How?"
Aizen's brow furrowed, genuinely startled.
"Lynn-Sama!" Midoriko said softly as she knew Lynn was watching the fight from the Devil Piece.
Then she snapped, "Lynn-sama, don't look at his sword..."
"Late."
"You've already fallen under my illusion." Aizen said with a gentle smile.
"I see it," Lynn said quietly. "The illusion. The angles. The false layering."
He stopped an arm's length from Aizen, looking him dead in the eye.
"I don't need to use any of my immunity skills," he continued.
"Because I don't process reality the same way you do."
Aizen felt pinned in place, unable to move, as he watched Lynn reach forwardslowly, deliberately, as if mocking himand press a hand to his chest.
The Hgyoku pulsed once.
Then it slid free, like it had been waiting for him.
Lynn held it in his palmcalm, quiet.
Aizen's hand reflexively moved to the now-empty space in his chest.
"I'm this weak?" he muttered.
Lynn finally looked up, a faint smile playing at the corner of his lips.
"Of course not," he said. "You're incredibly strongSuper Devil level, the kind of power that stands at the top in any world. It's just... you happened to meet me."
Aizen fell silent for a moment, then narrowed his eyes at Lynn.
"Well then what do you want from me? I assume you're not here to kill me."
"Yup," Lynn said with a casual nod, returning the Hgyoku to him without hesitation.
"Ssuke Aizen, I'm here to give you a job."
.
.
.
Reality Devil
"A job?" Aizen's eyes narrowed.
Lynn raised a hand, and in his palm appeared a small piece
"This is a Devil Piece," Lynn said. "It's a creation of my worldmy way. With it, I can reincarnate you as a Devil and let you join my Familia. You keep everything you are and gain access to magic and other powers."
Aizen's gaze flicked between the piece and Lynn. "Magic, huh? Like Nelliel."
Lynn nodded. "Magic. Evolutionary. World-traversing."
A pause.
"You've hit your ceiling here, Aizen. You've seen it. Felt it. But if you join my Familia, you get something you've never truly hadfreedom to grow."
Aizen looked down at the piece, then back at Lynn.
"And the price?"
"You become one of mine," Lynn said simply.
"Under you?"
Lynn smiled faintly. "Technically. I don't leash talentI let it rise. And I'll leave this world to you. You'll just need to bring it under the Familia."
He paused, his tone calm but firm. "You can rule it however you wantwhether that means becoming the next Soul King, or even the god of this world. Other worlds are the same. I'll open the path before you."
Aizen went quiet again. The idea of bowing to someone disgusted him. But this wasn't submission. This wasn't chains.
This was a path.
To power. To knowledge. To other worlds.
The Hgyoku in his chest pulsed againthis time not in resistance, but in resonance with the piece Lynn held out.
The Devil Piece hovered just inches from Aizen's chest, waiting.
—
[Aizen Ssuke]
Rank: Super Devil
Position: Rook
Master: Lynn Valifer
Stats:
Strength: I0 Agility: I0 Endurance: I0 Magic: I0
Position Skill: Supernatural Body
Unique Skills: [Absolute Hypnosis], [Perfect Hgyoku], [Reiatsu Overload], [Reishi Total Control], [Reality Devil]
[Absolute Hypnosis]
Through Kyka Suigetsu's perfected resonance, Aizen can trap targets in a multistage illusion so deep, even Super Devil perception cannot distinguish reality.
Can hijack sensory input across multiple dimensionssenses, memories, and spiritual pressure alike.
[Perfect Hgyoku]
Boosting all stats exponentially beyond conventional tiers.
Draws out one's inner power according to the user's will.
Possesses near-immortality on par with gods.
[Reiatsu Overload]
By concentrating his Reiatsu, Aizen can erupt a shockwave that tears through barriers and scorches souls within a 200meter radius.
Any opponent caught at pointblank range risks immediate core destabilization.
[Reishi Total Control]
[Reality Devil]
Reality Shaper:
Aizen can touch or wave his hand over any non-sentient object and transmute its material into something else (e.g., steel glass pure water ash) within a 10-meter radius.
