After confirming Satoru truly had no intention of interfering, Aizen sealed Kiganjō in a tank with mixed feelings.
As the preservation fluid filled the container and various Kido spells were applied, Kiganjō fell into complete slumber within the tank, becoming another specimen.
Looking at Kiganjō floating in the liquid, Aizen couldn't help but smile slightly.
With Kenpachi Kiganjō, his research would progress much faster.
Many experiments too dangerous for ordinary Shinigami could now be tested on Kiganjō.
The thought alone pleased him.
After securing Kenpachi Kiganjō, Aizen brought two chairs and sat facing Satoru.
Under Satoru's gaze, he explained the general situation of this laboratory.
In truth, even before enrolling in the Shin'ō Academy, he had conceived an idea.
If the essence of a Shinigami was simply a soul with powerful strength, then their power limit must be determined by their soul's potential.
After enrollment, he combed through countless texts in the academy's library.
Finally, Aizen confirmed his hypothesis was correct.
The stronger the soul, the more power it can contain, allowing one to advance further.
A new idea surfaced in his mind.
If he could gather enough souls and forcibly enhance their strength through massive resonance, wouldn't it be possible to artificially—scientifically—improve a Shinigami's innate potential?
After conducting several simple experiments, all yielding promising results, Aizen could no longer resist. He built this laboratory in the Rukongai.
At first, he only used the bandits and thugs from the outskirts of the Rukongai as test subjects.
But the strength of those ruffians was pitiful—even the slightest pressure could shatter their souls.
Left with no choice, Aizen turned his attention to Shinigami.
What happened next was all known to Satoru.
As he killed more and more rebels, Aizen's identity as the "Shadow Killer" grew increasingly infamous.
Especially after he recently assassinated the vice-captain of the 7th Division, the repercussions were particularly severe.
Thus, Aizen devised this plan to fake his death.
He didn't mention Kyōka Suigetsu, only saying he had used some means to make Gotei 13 believe he was dead, allowing him to escape.
Unexpectedly, Gotei 13 turned out to be the rebels, completely derailing his plan.
After listening to Aizen's explanation, Satoru stroked his chin.
"I have a question."
"Go ahead," Aizen nodded.
Satoru adopted a serious expression:
"Sōsuke, why did you cross half of Seireitei in the middle of the night just to kill the vice-captain of the 7th Division?"
"Did he offend you, or did he play some crucial role in this incident?"
Aizen: "…"
He stared at Satoru for a few seconds, then sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Interpret it however you like… Fine, let's just say he offended me."
Hearing this, Satoru's face lit up with understanding.
As expected of the true boss of the Shinigami—this ruthless, vengeance-driven demeanor was kind of cool.
Aizen swiftly changed the subject: "Satoru, your spiritual pressure… has it broken through to the third level of Reiō?"
At this, Satoru couldn't help but reveal a somewhat eerie smile.
"Yeah, it has."
Earlier, when he was rushing toward the Rukongai, he had still felt a little uncertain.
If Old Man Yamamoto sent a strong captain, he and Aizen might not be able to win.
Unexpectedly, halfway through their journey, the system suddenly notified him that Aizen had broken through to Third-Class Reiō.
Now, he had nothing to fear at all.
Third-Class Reiō was the dividing line between captains and vice-captains.
Though neither he nor Aizen had achieved Bankai, the sheer spiritual pressure from Third-Class Reiō alone was more than enough to stand against an ordinary captain-level opponent.
Working together, there was truly nothing left to fear!
Hearing Satoru admit it outright, Aizen wore a somewhat moved expression.
Just when he thought he had finally outpaced Satoru, this guy once again proved with his strength that there was still plenty of room for him to strive.
After this battle, he and Satoru had essentially laid all their cards on the table.
From a rational standpoint, he didn't like this feeling.
Since childhood, he had always hidden ninety percent and revealed only ten.
Even when training and sparring with Satoru before, he had held back thirty percent of his strength, never letting Satoru fully grasp his true power.
This sensation of laying everything bare, holding nothing back—it was unfamiliar, strange.
But… he had to admit, at this moment, he suddenly felt a little lighter.
Having someone who knew the fruits of his efforts, someone he could speak freely with—it really was quite nice.
Especially since this guy was an oddball, so there was no need to worry about any danger that might arise from him knowing these things.
Looking at Satoru, Aizen was in a rather good mood.
"Look forward to it, Satoru. Once I achieve results, I'll let you share in the spoils of victory."
Hearing Aizen's words, Satoru wore a thoughtful expression.
After a moment, he cautiously replied, "I'll wait and see how it turns out first."
Aizen's experiments… if nothing went wrong, would ultimately lead to the Hōgyoku.
The most direct effect of the Hōgyoku on a Shinigami was Hollowfication.
If Hollowfication could make him as cool-looking as Ichigo Kurosaki, that wouldn't be so bad.
But if he was unlucky and ended up with a mask like that pink-haired fat guy, his hard-earned reputation would be ruined.
Power is temporary, but looks are forever.
In the world of Shinigami, once your looks take a hit, your luck is basically over.
He couldn't afford to take such a risk lightly.
Seeing Satoru's reaction, Aizen assumed he wasn't optimistic about the experiment.
He smirked.
In that case, he'd just have to produce results sooner.
Then, he'd make Satoru regret his skepticism.
After discussing the lab, the two turned their attention to how to handle the aftermath of Kenpachi Kiganjō.
The Seireitei had sent a captain, but he had never returned.
In the entire history of the Soul Society, this would count as a major incident.
After a few seconds of thought, they both looked up at the same time.
Aizen raised an eyebrow, signaling for Satoru to speak first.
Satoru grinned. "Didn't he defect to the rebels? In that case, let's make sure his identity sticks."
"You're good at disguising with Kidō. Think of a way to impersonate Kenpachi Kiganjō and expose his identity."
"After all, the real one is already in your hands—it's not like he can jump out and refute you, right?"
Watching Satoru speak so casually, Aizen couldn't help but smile.
In the past, he really hadn't noticed.
This guy, Satoru, had quite the potential for villainy.
He nodded and stood up.
"Alright, leave it to me."
On this day, Sōsuke Aizen and Satoru officially formed an alliance.
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