Chapter 135: An Offering to the King
"Let's go, woman. Because of humanity's ignorant resistance, Lord Aizen has been kept waiting long enough."
With those cold words, Ulquiorra and Shion vanished, leaving behind only the dozens of stunned, speechless shinobi and samurai of the Land of Demons.
A dark stain remained on the ground. A lingering trace of malevolent spiritual energy hung in the air. Scarlet blood, sacred bones, and grotesque corpses all announced the grim conclusion of the tragedy.
Whoosh!
Not far from that sea of bones and blood, on a steep mountain peak, Ulquiorra and Shion rematerialized. From this vantage point, the figures of the remaining warriors below looked as tiny and insignificant as ants.
Ulquiorra stood atop the peak, his cold gaze sweeping over the scene below, a flicker of disdain rising in his emerald-green pupils. With his extraordinary vision, he could clearly see the panic gripping the samurai. The dazed, bewildered expressions on their faces struck him as utterly ridiculous.
"It is over, humans. You have already failed. Cease your meaningless struggles."
"Because the sun... has fallen into our hands."
Ulquiorra glanced at Shion, his voice devoid of warmth. "By Lord Aizen's design, only you can unlock the seal on the Sprite's body. Therefore, you will come with me. You will offer your power to Lord Aizen."
"Y... yes..."
Shion's voice trembled, as faint as a mosquito's hum. Under Ulquiorra's indifferent stare, she felt all the strength drain from her body. Her limbs grew weak, and she trembled uncontrollably.
All her former vitality and poise had vanished, replaced by unprecedented panic. Her once bright and clear eyes were now dim, revealing only despair and terror.
"Do not be afraid. Do not be sad. Do not entertain any strange thoughts." Ulquiorra's words were merciless. "You have no power to escape from here."
"To shatter a shinobi legion and take you away... such a thing is nothing more than a game to Lord Aizen."
"Whether it succeeds or fails, the moment Lord Aizen set his sights upon you, your destiny was already sealed."
Ulquiorra's final statement shattered the last of Shion's defenses. The delicate young maiden could no longer maintain the noble posture expected of her. Her clear, moving eyes welled with tears of grievance; crystal drops traced paths down her tender cheeks before falling to the ground.
Plip.
Plip.
The teardrops fell weakly. Shion bowed her head in despair and wept, a picture of utter misery.
As the legacy of the previous Shrine Maiden, she was the princess to all the common people of the Land of Demons, a jewel cherished by the Daimyo. She was like a flower raised in a greenhouse, growing up carefree in a paradise, never having had to face the harsh realities of the outside world.
But the winds of fate had shifted, and destiny had finally played a cruel joke on her.
The mysterious stranger. The ruthless, bloody slaughter. Things and people that should never have intersected with Shion's life had crashed into her world. It was all so sudden, like the lighthouse on a dark sea vanishing, leaving the path ahead shrouded in impenetrable darkness with no end in sight.
She was utterly isolated.
It was then that Ulquiorra did something that surprised Shion.
He reached out and gently touched her chin, lifting her tear-streaked face until their eyes met.
Shion stared, stunned, at Ulquiorra's flawlessly handsome face. It was a face that any innocent girl would find hard to resist. A pity, then, that it showed no emotion, only a chill that crept into one's bones.
No matter how she looked at it, Shion could not comprehend how such inhumanly indifferent eyes could exist in a living being. It was simply appalling.
"Woman, wipe your tears." His voice was flat. "My reason for doing this is not pity for your crying. I act only because Lord Aizen does not like his possessions to be... marred."
"Do you understand?"
This cold, rhetorical question held a strange, compelling power that instantly stifled Shion's sobs. She took a weak step backward, breaking contact with his hand.
"Let us go. We have wasted too much time already."
Ulquiorra's hand returned to her shoulder, and the two of them vanished once more.
Aizen stood in tranquil silence on the previously remote and desolate hill, his gaze calm and inscrutable.
Suddenly, a slight fluctuation rippled through the space behind him, and two figures materialized.
Ulquiorra. Shion.
Sensing the spatial disturbance, Aizen's brow furrowed slightly.
"Ulquiorra," he said without turning, his voice laced with a subtle, lazy amusement. "The time taken to complete this task seems... somewhat protracted."
Aizen turned slowly, a faint, knowing smile gracing his lips. No matter the time or place, his every movement exuded an innate, noble elegance.
"Lord Aizen," Ulquiorra replied without pretense, "the ignorant resistance of humans prolonged the process slightly."
"It is of no consequence," Aizen waved a dismissive hand. "It is remarkably difficult to use just the right amount of force to crush an ant without obliterating it entirely."
He smiled faintly and finally turned his full attention to Shion.
Bright eyes. An exquisite figure. A proud bearing. Alluring curves. Coupled with that pure, beautiful face. By any measure, Shion could be called flawless.
"You are... the Shrine Maiden of the Land of Demons, are you not?"
The seemingly simple question carried an undercurrent of chill that made her heart palpitate with fear.
"Y-yes... I am."
Shion shuddered, her voice becoming halting from sheer panic.
"Then, let us dispense with pleasantries." Aizen's tone was conversational, yet it brooked no argument. "Shion. Take us to the sealed grounds. We require the Sprite's body."
He showed no concern for the young maiden's distress, instead offering a gentle, almost benevolent smile. This contrast of indifference and gentleness only flustered Shion's heart further. She couldn't fathom how two such completely different temperaments could coexist so perfectly within one person.
At that moment, Ulquiorra took a step forward, positioning himself directly in front of Shion.
"Look at me, woman," he commanded.
"Now, tell me. For whom do your mind and body exist?"
Shion looked up blankly, her voice a hollow whisper of utter despair. "They... they exist for... for Lord Aizen... and his will."
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