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"In reality, the Soul King is merely a puppet of the Nobles!" Aizen Sōsuke stated with conviction.
Aozaki Reiji put on an exquisite act, exclaiming in shock, "What!?"
Aizen affirmed, "The Soul King is a puppet of the Nobles; he became a puppet millions of years ago!"
"This is the truth I uncovered after reading the Tsunayashiro Family's inscription."
He nodded gravely, then whispered,
"According to the hidden history of the Tsunayashiro Family, their ancestors attacked the Soul King and sealed him within crystal."
"The ancestors of the Tsunayashiro Family feared that the Soul King, who did not retaliate, would break the seal and destroy them."
"So they severed the Soul King's limbs, hollowed out his internal organs, stripped him of his power, and scattered the Soul King's power throughout the lower realms."
"They continuously weakened the Soul King's power, solely to create a 'King' that would be easy for them to control."
"However, although he was reduced to a mere torso, the Soul King did not actually die; instead, he fell into a contradictory spiral of neither life nor death."
"The ancestors of the Five Great Noble Houses, in order to separate the Three Realms, used the Soul King's almighty power as a wedge, transforming the chaotic world into the current Soul Society, Human World, and Hueco Mundo, the Three Realms."
"This is the true history!"
Aozaki Reiji's heart was calm, but on the surface, he was utterly astonished.
He swallowed, then after a moment of silence, said, "It seems the source of the Tsunayashiro Family's madness is their ancestors... They truly were reckless, daring to do even such a thing!"
Aizen teased, "Do you pity the Soul King?"
Aozaki Reiji waved his hand, "How could I? The Soul King isn't worth pitying. Isn't all of this his own doing?"
"How so?" Aizen Sōsuke became interested and asked.
He was becoming more and more interested in Aozaki Reiji; even his views on the Soul King were surprisingly consistent with his own.
"If I remember correctly, the Soul King possesses the great power of being Omnipotent and Omniscient. How could he not know that the Tsunayashiro Family's ancestors would ambush him?"
Aozaki Reiji chuckled awkwardly:
"Because he tacitly allowed the actions of the Tsunayashiro Family's ancestors, that's why they were able to successfully seal him."
"This was his own choice; there's nothing to pity."
"Indeed," Aizen Sōsuke said, "People must always take responsibility for their choices."
Aozaki Reiji leaned against the glass wall, his arms crossed, and said casually, "So, the 'Gem' is missing the scattered power of the Soul King?"
"That's right, the Soul King's fragments are scattered throughout the world," Aizen Sōsuke replied, "I found these fragments in a small portion of Souls, which is the foundation for completing the 'Gem'."
"Is that so..." Aozaki Reiji looked around casually, "So you now have a way to find the Soul King's fragments?"
"What you're saying... is indeed correct."
That one sentence instantly made Reiji tense up, but Aizen continued to speak to himself:
"Do you remember what I said? The Tsunayashiro Family wants to create a 'King' that is easy to control?"
"They not only have this idea, but they are also putting it into practice."
"The Tsunayashiro Family is trying to collect the Soul King's fragments to create an even weaker the Soul King."
"To achieve this goal, the Tsunayashiro Family researched for many years and finally found a group called 'Fullbringers' in the Human World."
"Fullbringers are super-powered individuals who can extract the Souls from matter and strengthen them with their own spiritual power."
"This is the ability granted to them by the Soul King's fragments!"
"Our next targets are them."
"Huh!?" Aozaki Reiji said impatiently.
"You're not joking with me, are you? Do you know how many people there are in the Human World? Finding people in the Human World, even if these people are special and have superpowers, is like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"No, you don't need to worry about the Fullbringers in the Human World; I will personally investigate the situation when I have time."
Aizen shook his head and said,
"Your task is to pay attention to Shinigami in the Seireitei who possess special abilities."
"the Soul King's fragments do not only appear within Human World humans; fragments obtained in the past were found within Shinigami and Rukongai residents."
"The probability of finding fragments within Souls in the Soul Society is low, but it's not zero."
"You serve in the Second Division, and the Onmitsukidō's power is spread throughout the Seireitei. This task is most suitable for you."
"But I'm just a jailer," Aozaki Reiji said with a mournful face, trying to decline.
Aizen's lips curled into a disdainful sneer: "Don't think I don't know about your relationship with Captain Shihōin."
Aozaki Reiji raised an eyebrow, "I didn't realize you cared about such gossip?"
Aizen smiled and said, "There's no need to pay special attention. With all the mischief you two cause in the Seireitei, I doubt there's anyone who doesn't know your reputation as the 'Black and White Fiends'."
"I have that nickname?" Aozaki Reiji lowered his head, pulled open his collar, and looked at the back of his hand and his chest.
Hmm, quite white. The 'black' one must refer to Yoruichi.
"Alright, since it's for our future, I'll take care of this matter. Just don't forget what you promised me."
"Of course."
Aizen nodded slightly, glancing at the large Reishi computer next to him.
"All the data on the experimental Souls are there. I'll give you access; you can view them freely, which might help with your task."
Aozaki Reiji walked to the computer, his fingers dancing rapidly across the keyboard like leaping spirits.
He suddenly saw a familiar figure but couldn't recall where he had seen him before.
"This person looks a bit familiar!"
Aizen looked intently at the large computer screen and sneered:
"That's a Freshman from the Shin'o Academy last year. I remember he was in your class. He has excellent aptitude and a the Soul King's fragment in his body, which has been a great help to my research."
The computer screen flickered, and simultaneously, the Souls' data began to play like a slideshow.
These faces felt both familiar and strange to Reiji; some he had never seen, and some whose Souls he had personally extracted.
One by one, their faces were distorted, their angry pupils seemingly coming alive, staring directly at him, as if to drag him into hell.
Aozaki Reiji expressionlessly flipped through the data, ignoring the sorrowful anger of these Souls.
He had long been prepared, walking on a path adorned with blood, heading towards a sky throne built from bones.
Aizen stood beside him, watching him, then looked at the wide computer screen, silent, as if he too was recalling his actions over the years.
However, his emotions were the same as Aozaki Reiji's: neither sorrow nor joy.
But at that moment, they heard footsteps coming from the metal floor outside, making a "tap-tap-tap" sound, like the turning of an ancient clock hand.
As the clock hand stopped turning, the laboratory door was opened from the outside.
A man with brown skin, wearing Shinigami robes, and with medium-length, naturally curly purple hair with a blunt cut, walked into the laboratory.
"Tosen..." Aizen turned his head.
"Lord Aizen," the brown-haired man responded.
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