In this crossover world, let's not even mention beings like Great Red or the Infinite Dragon God, who shatter all tiers of power.
Just consider the chief gods of various pantheons, or the multitude of deities—any one of them outclasses Aizen by far.
So in this world, Aizen really isn't much of a powerhouse.
Morpheus could tell that the guy was at best a bit stronger than Rihan, but not by a wide margin.
In Bleach, Aizen carried himself with immense prestige, but the ceiling of that series is what it is—far, far below a host of gods and devils.
That's why Morpheus was curious: how exactly had Aizen detected his arrival?
The gap between him and Aizen wasn't just a little; it was vast.
To put it bluntly, Morpheus could suppress Aizen with a flick of his finger, yet after sneaking in, he'd somehow been spotted by the man. It was utterly absurd.
Even though Morpheus hadn't employed any potent magic, merely concealing his presence.
In response to Morpheus's question, Aizen replied calmly, "It wasn't that I discovered you, sir; rather, you revealed yourself."
"What do you mean, I revealed myself?"
Morpheus asked curiously, hoping Aizen would provide an explanation.
Aizen said, "Your technique for hiding your presence is truly exquisite, but you didn't conceal your malice, which is how I detected you."
So, Aizen had sensed his malice and thus uncovered his whereabouts.
Morpheus narrowed his eyes at Aizen, realizing he'd underestimated him.
True enough, he hadn't hidden his malice.
But given Aizen's level of strength, he shouldn't have been able to detect it.
Yet the facts proved otherwise: Aizen had indeed picked up on his malice, and from there, realized he'd infiltrated the room.
This was enough to show that Morpheus had indeed underestimated Aizen.
But detected or not, it didn't matter; Morpheus wasn't concerned.
He raised a hand to erect a barrier, enveloping the entire room, and said to Aizen, "I came to see you today because there's something I want to ask."
Aizen's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, then he smiled and replied, "Whatever questions you have, sir, I'll answer them fully."
"Not long ago, I was attacked by a Hollow—one that had been created through special means."
Morpheus stated plainly, "I read its memories and found that the one who created it was Urahara Kisuke. But from what I know of Urahara Kisuke, this seems like someone framing him."
"Do you know who that someone is?"
Aizen chuckled. "So you suspect it's me, sir."
Morpheus hummed in affirmation. "We're both intelligent people, and I don't feel like beating around the bush. I'll just ask you straight: was it you?"
"No," Aizen shook his head, answering decisively. He wasn't taking the blame for this.
"How can you prove it?" Morpheus asked, not buying Aizen's word alone.
Though Urahara Kisuke was slick and full of lies, he was still more trustworthy than Aizen.
Aizen smiled and raised his right hand, displaying a mark.
Upon seeing it, Morpheus couldn't help but be shocked.
The mark was all too familiar—so familiar that for a moment, Morpheus didn't know what to say.
This was the mark of Morpheus's believers.
Every one of his followers bore a similar mark.
But what puzzled Morpheus was why it appeared on Aizen; it made no sense.
He didn't recall ever taking Aizen as a believer.
Wait...
In that instant, Morpheus suddenly thought of a possibility.
In this super-stitched-together world, methods to return to the past weren't limited to just one.
If nothing else, the Bone-Eater's Well behind the Higurashi Shrine could send someone back to the Sengoku era, kicking off the Inuyasha storyline.
So, could this Aizen be a believer he'd taken in the past?
Morpheus rubbed his temple. "Interesting. You're a believer I took in the past?"
Aizen nodded. "That's right, my lord. During the Sengoku era, I was ordered to the human world to gather stray souls and send them to Soul Society. That's when I encountered you and became your believer."
"It wasn't until today that I met you again, my lord."
Morpheus scratched his head. "I don't know what mindset my future self had when taking you as a believer, but since you're one of mine, I naturally won't doubt you."
Now Morpheus finally understood why Aizen could sense his malice.
As his believer, connected to him, it was normal to detect it.
In contrast, Morpheus hadn't realized right away that Aizen was his believer.
That was a lapse on his part.
He didn't suspect the mark was faked by Aizen, as it was Morpheus's unique insignia—no one could imitate it.
Not other gods or devils, and certainly not Aizen.
"Thank you, my lord." Aizen bowed.
Morpheus waved it off, tempted to ask Aizen what exactly had happened when he'd gone back to the past. But on second thought, the future was fun precisely because it was uncertain.
If he knew what would happen, it would be too boring.
With his strength, no matter what occurred in the future, he could handle it—there'd be no tragedies.
So, asking or not didn't really matter.
Instead, he could leave some mystery to look forward to.
Aizen said with a smile, "Actually, there's someone else I'd like you to meet, my lord."
Morpheus replied, "This person wouldn't happen to be another believer of mine, would they?"
"You're perceptive as always, my lord. Please dispel the barrier."
Aizen requested.
After Morpheus retracted and dispelled the barrier, Aizen sent a message via Hell Butterfly.
Before long, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," Aizen said.
The door to the room was pushed open, and a beautiful girl entered from outside.
She had dark eyes, an oval face, and sleek, raven-black hair in a hime-cut style, usually tied with a plain white hair ribbon. Her features were delicate and refined.
She wore a white-and-red miko outfit, her cherry lips lightly pursed, her expression resolute yet tinged with melancholy.
This outfit was all too familiar.
Wasn't this Kikyo?
Good grief—after going back to the past, he'd apparently turned Kikyo into one of his believers as well.
Upon seeing Morpheus, Kikyo looked surprised but immediately bowed to him. "Kikyo greets the divine lord."
Aizen said, "Kikyo is now my adjutant, the vice-captain of the Fifth Division."
Morpheus was utterly baffled. Kikyo as Aizen's adjutant, vice-captain of the Fifth Division? Then what about Hinamori Momo? Where was she?
Perhaps under Hitsugaya Toshiro.
Come to think of it, the two were childhood friends; it wasn't impossible.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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