"Aiyan Sōsuke."
"Aizen Sōsuke."
"I won't feel at ease until you die!"
Tsunayashiro Tokinada sat slumped weakly, as if completely drained by fear. His pale face was covered with tiny beads of sweat, his back soaked and dripping, his clothes completely wet — yet he didn't notice at all. He kept murmuring, repeating these words over and over again.
Suddenly.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed that the picture in the book in front of him suddenly changed, switching to a very familiar scene. At a quick glance, he seemed to have seen it somewhere before.
After looking carefully, his eyes suddenly shrank to the size of pinholes. The man who had just been sprawled out on the chair like a limp snake now jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"This is... the Central Underground Assembly Hall."
Tsunayashiro Tokinada stared at the scene in front of him.
How could he not recognize it? He had just passed by the upper level before entering the Great Spirit Book Gallery.
Central Underground Assembly Hall.
Seeing Brother Aiyan appear so close to him, even though it was only recorded in the Great Spirit Book Gallery, it still gave him the illusion that Aiyan was standing right next to him.
Just as he was trying his best to suppress this restless feeling, he suddenly heard the conversation between the two people in the picture.
"It's time to settle this account."
"If we let him go on the road, I think he would be extremely happy to know about it."
As soon as he saw this scene, the picture suddenly stopped and the sound cut off abruptly.
It seemed that the later history and further intelligence were still being recorded, and no picture had been generated yet.
However,
Before the picture and sound disappeared, the last conversation between the Aiyan brothers made Tsunayashiro Tokinada's entire body tremble, his heart skipping a beat violently.
"No! Aizen's Zanpakutō ability is Kyōka Suigetsu, the strongest illusion-type Zanpakutō... no, it's not just that anymore."
"Aiyan took Muramasa from Kōga and gave it to Aizen. After pouring soul essence into it, it evolved into the demon sword Muramasa, and even further evolved together with Kyōka Suigetsu."
"Although I haven't seen his Shikai, since he has already targeted me, is it possible that, just like Kōga, Hirako Shinji, and Kuchiki Ginrei, I've been watching this whole time without knowing it?"
"They want to deal with me, and they also know that I've been living in fear. Could it be that everything I'm doing right now is under their watch?"
Tsunayashiro Tokinada couldn't help but swallow hard, then began turning on the spot frantically, his neck twisting wildly, his eyes darting around the Great Spirit Book Gallery, as if he was afraid Aiyan might be standing right next to him.
"No, the Tsunayashiro family rarely moves around Seireitei, because they're responsible for managing the Great Spirit Book Gallery. They almost never even go to Gotei 13."
"Almost no one in the entire clan has ever seen Kyōka Suigetsu's release. It's impossible for Brother Aiyan to silently infiltrate the Tsunayashiro family and spy on me."
"Also, those two brothers are just humans, not gods. It's impossible for them to have a flawless plan, and it's even more impossible for them to know out of thin air that I launched a coup last night, killed all the heirs, seized the identity of first successor, obtained the qualification to enter the Great Spirit Book Gallery, and planned to move against them today."
Suddenly, a flash of clarity came to Tsunayashiro Tokinada's mind.
Combined with the information he saw about the Aiyan brothers, he realized that he had never had direct contact with them, meaning it was impossible for him to have been caught in Kyōka Suigetsu's Complete Hypnosis.
Then, even if Aiyan wanted to act against him, it wouldn't be so fast.
What he needed to do was to act first before the Sōsuke brothers could make a move and expose everything about them.
At that point, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, and even the enraged Gotei 13, would deal with them.
Thinking about this.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada let out a long breath, and his sweaty face finally showed an expression of relief.
"Are you looking for us?"
"Tsunayashiro Tokinada."
"No... you should be called the Young Clan Head of Tsunayashiro now."
In the silent hall, a voice sounded in Tsunayashiro Tokinada's ear.
The voice wasn't loud, nor was the tone serious, but when it fell into his ears it was like thunder exploding on the ground, causing his blood to surge and his heart to nearly stop.
"Illusion."
"This must be an illusion."
"The pressure... too much pressure."
Tsunayashiro Tokinada turned his stiff neck, following the direction of the voice. What he saw were only towering bookshelves and countless books — within this vast Great Spirit Book Gallery, there was no one else but him.
Seeing this, he gradually relaxed, thinking he had accidentally pressed a button on the central console, thus triggering an audio recording.
"No, maybe it isn't an illusion!"
"Look more closely."
"Young Clan Head Tokinada."
A different voice rang out again.
"Come out!"
"I know you're there."
"I recognize your voices."
Tsunayashiro Tokinada suddenly turned around, pulled out the Zanpakutō in his right hand, and stared ferociously in the direction of the sound:
"Aiyan Sōsuke."
"Aizen Sōsuke."
"Come out! Come out! Come out!"
Tsunayashiro Tokinada roared repeatedly, erupting dozens of bursts of Reiatsu from all over his body, looking as if he would destroy everything if they didn't come out.
At that moment.
Crack.
A sound like shattering glass echoed in his ears. Then, he saw cracks appear in the view before him, like cracks in a mirror. The cracks quickly vanished, as if they had never existed.
Immediately after.
In the Great Spirit Book Gallery, two more figures had appeared.
One leaned against a bookshelf, looking at him with interest.
The other stood with his hands in his pockets, looking at him and chuckling.
"It's really you!"
Tsunayashiro Tokinada's voice suddenly became extremely sharp, faintly revealing fear and panic.
Even though he was holding the Zanpakutō passed down through generations of the Tsunayashiro family, it still couldn't bring him any sense of security.
"We were right."
"Long time no see, Young Clan Head Tokinada."
Aiyan leaned lightly against the bookshelf, greeting Tsunayashiro Tokinada casually.
Unlike Tokinada's frantic and crazed demeanor, Aiyan's face was filled with a relaxed, bright smile.
"Impossible!"
"When did you get here?"
"Why didn't I notice at all?"
Tsunayashiro Tokinada met Aiyan's gaze, and it felt as though he was being stared at by a ferocious beast. His entire body tensed, and then his feet unconsciously stepped backward.
Before.
When Aiyan had just entered the Shin'ō Academy, Tokinada still had the confidence and arrogance of looking down from above, feeling he could crush them at any time.
Now.
After seeing the brothers' records in the Great Spirit Book Gallery, learning about their methods, deeply understanding their power — he no longer felt like he was facing powerful enemies, but rather a nightmare.
Even when Aiyan simply greeted him, it filled him with unease, as if he were facing a catastrophe.
...
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