Hui was anticipating a battle that would push him to his limits, regardless of his opponent.
Amidst this anticipation, the "plot" continued to unfold.
Only this time, the story deviated from the original.
In the original work, Aizen investigated Urahara Kisuke's past and learned that the Hogyoku was within Rukia Kuchiki.
Through various schemes, he ultimately obtained the Hogyoku during Rukia's execution.
Now, because of Hui, Aizen had defected from the Soul Society prematurely, making it impossible for him to acquire the Hogyoku using the original method.
Yet, the Hogyoku still fell into Aizen's hands.
He possessed exceptional intellect and had already formed a rough hypothesis about the Hogyoku's location based on various clues.
After his last battle with Urahara Kisuke in Karakura Town, his hypothesis was confirmed, leading him to devise a new strategy.
Although his Kyoka Suigetsu had been broken, it was Hui who had achieved this feat. For other Shinigami, Kyoka Suigetsu remained effective.
Therefore, despite defecting from the Soul Society, infiltrating the Gotei 13 remained an incredibly simple task for Aizen.
Manipulating the naive Rukia was child's play for him.
Thus, after a series of maneuvers, the Hogyoku within Rukia finally ended up in Aizen's possession.
Somewhere in Hueco Mundo, three figures stood in the void, their gazes fixed on the world below.
All three were men. One was tall and handsome, with a faint smile playing on his lips.
Flanking him were a silver-haired man and a purple-haired man.
They were Aizen Sousuke, Gin Ichimaru, and Kaname Tosen.
After obtaining the Hogyoku, they immediately came to Hueco Mundo.
After all, Aizen needed a relatively safe place to merge with the Hogyoku.
The Soul Society was naturally out of the question.
Despite having Kyoka Suigetsu to allow him free access, Aizen couldn't predict what changes he would undergo or what kind of commotion he would cause during the fusion process.
If the disturbance was too great, his location would be exposed.
Although he held the Shinigami of the Gotei 13, and even the entire Soul Society, in disdain, Aizen wasn't arrogant enough to believe he could defeat all the Shinigami in the Soul Society before merging with the Hogyoku.
Therefore, the Soul Society wasn't a suitable location.
As for the World of the Living.
That mysterious human, the one who shattered all his pride, the one whose name had become taboo among the Soul Society's strongest, resided there.
In his current state, he was no match for that human.
However... being unable to face him now didn't mean he wouldn't be able to in the future!
"I truly look forward to our confrontation."
Aizen muttered to himself. With the Hogyoku from Rukia, combined with his own prior research, he believed that once he fused with this power, he would undoubtedly become strong enough to reclaim his pride.
Beside him, Gin immediately understood who Aizen was referring to.
He simply remarked, "I heard that last time, that guy severely injured all the Captains, Lieutenants, and seated officers... Truly he's powerful."
"Indeed. Perhaps his power transcends that of a Shinigami, or maybe it's just a notch above the Captains' level but still within the same tier."
Aizen spoke, feeling a pang of regret.
He had escaped too quickly last time and missed witnessing the ensuing battle.
He was also unaware of just how strong that mysterious human was or what specific abilities they possessed.
"The most troublesome aspect is their ability to be immune to damage. I sensed a spatial fluctuation from that ability, leading me to speculate that this mysterious human possesses the power of space."
Tosen Kaname spoke, his tone grave.
Not just him, but Gin and Aizen also grew serious upon hearing this.
The power of space wasn't rare.
Many Shinigami's Bankai involved spatial manipulation, and they themselves possessed the ability to tear open space.
The power of space seemed almost commonplace in this world.
However, they were speculating about an ability, not a technique.
Their own offensive capabilities were more akin to techniques, fixed and predetermined methods.
They could utilize the power of space, but they couldn't dictate how they used this power, employing alternative methods to manipulate it.
Yet, that mysterious human seemed capable of manipulating space, possessing the ability to control it!
"It's certainly a troublesome ability... It seems we need to prepare some countermeasures specifically for him..."
Gin said, glancing at Aizen while inwardly contemplating how to... kill the man beside him.
"Let's deal with Hueco Mundo first. We don't know what that person's objective is, but he seems to have gone silent again, as if waiting for something. He might not reappear in the short term."
Gin continued, holding back from making a move.
The situation wasn't ripe yet; he lacked the certainty of success.
"He's waiting for an opponent."
Aizen suddenly spoke.
"I saw loneliness, arrogance, and solitude in his eyes.
"I once possessed such a gaze; I understand it well. Besides, hasn't he already stated his goal? He simply seeks to be thoroughly entertained."
Recalling his brief encounter with Hui, Aizen spoke with conviction.
Although they had barely exchanged a few words and hadn't spent much time together, he saw a reflection of himself in Hui.
Aizen knew they were the same kind of person.
"An opponent?"
Tosen murmured, carefully considering Hui's words and actions at the time.
"Now that you mention it, it does seem that way. He's a terrifying human, capable of single-handedly challenging the entire Soul Society in search of an opponent, and actually winning.
"However, it's rather absurd that such a powerful individual remained unknown to us, unknown to the entire Soul Society, for so long."
Gin said, his eyes slightly unfocused.
"It doesn't matter where he came from or what his past holds. Since he needs an opponent, I shall become his opponent."
Aizen's confident voice rang out..
Although being forced to reveal himself was indeed humiliating, it was due to his inferior skills, being suppressed by the other party's abilities, and falling victim to their scheme, which shattered all his prior plans.
But this didn't make him hate Hui. On the contrary, Aizen was excited.
Hadn't he also been this lonely in the past, yearning for a worthy opponent?
Now, that opponent had appeared.
"We will meet again soon."
Gazing down at the Hueco Mundo below, Aizen's eyes were filled with the image of Hui.
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