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A minute later, Aozaki Reiji stood stunned in front of the laboratory door. The door opened, clearly revealing a man-high, irregularly shaped black sphere.
"Is this what Aizen's research is?" Aozaki Reiji swallowed, his greed undisguised.
Aizen Sōsuke had long known what kind of person he was!
"That's right." He smiled and nodded, "This is the result of my decades of research."
There was no one else in the laboratory, silence reigned, and only his voice echoed in the room.
"Decades ago, I had just become the Fifth Division Vice-Captain, and my Spiritual Pressure level reached First Class Spiritual Pressure."
"Even so, I never gave up on improving myself, and continued to train diligently until thirty years ago, when my Spiritual Pressure reached its current level."
"But I couldn't be happy, because from then on, I couldn't see a path forward. No matter how I trained, my Spiritual Pressure didn't increase by a single iota, and releasing my Zanpakuto could no longer bring me an increase in Spiritual Pressure."
"Later I understood, this is the end for Shinigami. There is no other reason for this situation, it is precisely due to the limitations of Shinigami as a life form!"
Aozaki Reiji was excited and asked at the opportune moment: "So Aizen wants to break this limitation?"
Aizen Sōsuke's eyes held appreciation as he slowly said:
"Yes, to break this limitation, I spent decades and used the Souls of hundreds of Shinigami and Rukongai residents with Shinigami potential to create this beautiful gem."
"With it, one can transcend the boundaries of Shinigami and become a higher-level life form!"
"Since this 'gem' is so important." Aozaki Reiji frowned and whispered, "It's probably not good to show it to me so easily, when did I earn your trust?"
"Don't forget what we've done, Reiji, I saw you do it with my own eyes."
"That's not just murder, it's violating the taboos of Seireitei."
"If our crimes are known to Seireitei, Captain-Commander would not spare you either."
"We are walking side by side, on a path of One Goes Without Return. This is why I trust you."
"What's more…" Aizen Sōsuke laughed, "If you have the ability to take the 'gem' from me, it's not impossible for me to give it to you."
Nonsense, if I had the ability to snatch it, I would have already, why would I need your permission?
Perhaps influenced by the emotion in Aizen's words, Aozaki Reiji was no longer as nervous. He snorted ungraciously, showing no respect to Aizen.
Aizen paused, surprisingly tolerating his insolence and not getting angry, merely smiling and continuing:
"Come closer and look, feel its power."
Aozaki Reiji obediently walked forward, extending his palm through the glass, aiming it at the "beautiful" gem, scanning with his eyes, and feeling with his heart.
He couldn't see where this gem was beautiful at all; it was clearly just a giant lump of coal.
"How does it feel?" Aizen asked.
Aozaki Reiji shook his head, disappointed, "A bit disappointing, I didn't feel any power at all."
"That's normal, because this 'gem', for now, is just equivalent to a collection of Souls."
Aizen said with a smile, turning his head to look at the black sphere in the glass container, and suddenly realized that it was indeed a bit ugly, even feeling a sense of shame.
It was like a child excitedly sharing his favorite toy with his friend, only for the friend to be completely uninterested, even somewhat disgusted.
This made him feel a sense of loss.
He shook his head.
"No, it can't even be considered a collection."
"The Reio's fragments are too few; these Souls cannot fully merge."
"Also, external spiritual particles are attracted by the Reio's fragments, reacting with the Spiritual Pressure of the Souls within the Hōgyoku, interfering with its formation."
"It can only be considered a forced accumulation of many Souls."
"This thing is just a facade, without any magical power."
Aozaki Reiji asked: "So you haven't failed, and this thing can still be perfected, right?"
"Precisely." Aizen turned his head, his heart stirred slightly, regaining his confident expression of everything being under control, and said: "This is also why I came to you. This Hōgyoku still lacks the most crucial material."
"This is just the beginning… if I have the right materials, I will definitely be able to complete it!" He said to himself.
This was the first time he had the idea of proving himself in front of someone; it didn't seem like a good sign.
He suddenly felt that after discovering this man's talent, he had changed.
If he were facing others, his thought should be how to hide his emotions, not to have this inexplicable competitive spirit.
Aozaki Reiji was completely unaware of Aizen's rich inner monologue, and touching his chin, he tilted his head and asked: "What material?"
"Reio's fragments." Aizen paused, saying each word distinctly.
Without the inspiration of the "Reio's fingertip," you already know the materials needed to create the Hōgyoku?
As expected of you, Aizen Sōsuke!
Aozaki Reiji's eyes widened, and he feigned surprise, exclaiming loudly:
"Did I hear that right, Reio's fragments?"
"Is the Reio referring to that Reio?"
"What are Reio's fragments? The body tissue of that existence?"
What if your talent is slightly better than mine, I am ultimately superior in intelligence and temperament… Seeing Aozaki Reiji's boisterous appearance, Aizen couldn't help but feel a little smug:
"It is indeed that Reio who resides high in the heavens."
"And you guessed correctly, Reio's fragments are the Reio's body!"
"But how could the omnipotent Reio…" Aozaki Reiji could only follow his words.
"Do you want to know? Let me tell you the truth of the world, Reiji!"
The glasses on Aizen's nose reflected a sharp glint, and a faint smile played on his lips.
"In previous experimental materials, I discovered a material that the 'gem' craves."
"To find out what it was, I infiltrated the Tsunayashiro Family, who know all the history of Soul Society."
"Finally, I obtained some scattered information, not only understanding what it was, but also learning the truth of Soul Society."
So Aizen hasn't been to the Great Spirit Book Corridor yet… Aozaki Reiji mused.
The Great Spirit Book Corridor is a mysterious place, located beneath the Central 46's deliberation chamber.
It is a vast and systematic database that records a series of major events and secrets of Soul Society from ancient times to the present. Due to its importance, this place is usually inaccessible.
Moreover, the ability of this database is very strange; it is independent of the Shinigami's will, forcibly collecting and recording all events and information in Soul Society, but it can be deceived by phenomena hidden by illusions.
Although Aozaki Reiji didn't understand why Kyōka Suigetsu could deceive a machine.
But undoubtedly, Reiji, who also possessed the power of Kyōka Suigetsu, could do the same as Aizen and deceive this strangely capable Great Spirit Book Corridor.
Seeing Aozaki Reiji's thoughtful expression, Aizen chuckled softly, then said with feigned seriousness:
"Actually, the Reio is just a puppet of the nobles!"
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