Curiosity was enough to make the Shinigami temporarily abandon his plan to subjugate Baraggan.
Taking this powerful Hollow as a subordinate, seizing control of Las Noches, and eventually bringing all of Hueco Mundo under his influence were certainly worthwhile goals, but whatever was happening in the distance interested him far more.
Whoosh!
Two figures appeared on either side of Aizen.
Around them lay the bodies of Baraggan's followers, many already dead or badly wounded.
"Captain Aizen, what should we do next?"
The white-haired Shinigami beside him, Gin Ichimaru, spoke with his usual narrow-eyed smile as he faced Baraggan.
"Something much more interesting has happened."
Aizen's reply was light and unhurried.
"Strictly speaking, approaching it would be unwise, but I'm simply too curious to ignore it."
The three Shinigami spoke as though Baraggan were no longer worth acknowledging.
Their attitude, combined with the sight of his fallen subordinates, enraged the ruler of Hueco Mundo. Baraggan raised his axe and pointed the blade toward Aizen.
"Don't."
Aizen noticed the movement and glanced sideways at him through his glasses.
"We'll deal with you later."
That single look made Baraggan's body tense.
Before he could respond, all three Shinigami were gone.
…
Flames erupted across the desert.
The first Menos to arrive vanished inside them.
Even calling what remained "ashes" would have been inaccurate, because the fire left nothing behind at all.
The approaching Hollows showed no sign of hesitation or self-preservation.
They seemed to be moving entirely on instinct, continuing toward Cyrus despite what had happened to those ahead of them.
"Devil Fruit abilities work. Slashes work. Other forms of attack work too."
After testing his various powers, Cyrus nodded in satisfaction.
Everything he possessed functioned normally against these creatures.
With that confirmed, there was no longer any reason to hold back.
He gripped En and swept the blade around in a broad arc.
Fire spread across the desert almost instantly, racing all the way to the limits of sight.
A sea of flames descended upon Hueco Mundo.
The Hollows continued advancing through it, but none survived for more than a moment.
Their bodies burned away almost as soon as the fire touched them, while the inferno continued expanding toward the distant hordes that had been drawn to the area.
By the time Aizen and the others arrived, they were greeted by the sight of an endless blaze swallowing one Menos after another.
"Well, now."
Gin watched the flames roll across the desert and put on an exaggerated look of surprise.
"Could it really be that old man?"
Even as he spoke, his attention remained fixed on Aizen.
"Captain Aizen, if that really is the Captain-Commander, this might not be the best time to approach."
Aizen didn't answer immediately.
His eyes followed the direction from which the flames had spread.
"No."
There was a faint change in his voice, the first real sign of interest.
"It isn't the Captain-Commander."
"It isn't?"
Gin touched his chin while watching Aizen's back.
"So… are we going to take a look?"
"You two stay here."
Aizen raised one hand, leaving them with that instruction before vanishing.
"Well, all right then."
Gin tucked his hands into his sleeves, sounding helpless.
After a moment, he glanced toward Kaname Tosen.
"Who do you think it is? Aren't Zanpakutō supposed to be unique? Aside from the old man, who else could possess flames like these?"
Tosen naturally heard him.
He simply refused to answer.
Gin took the hint and fell silent.
With Tosen standing beside him, there wasn't much else he could conveniently do anyway, so he genuinely remained where Aizen had left him.
…
Cyrus had already noticed them.
The moment the three Shinigami appeared, his Observation Haki captured their presence.
When one of those figures suddenly began closing the distance at something resembling teleportation speed, genuine interest appeared on Cyrus's face.
Whoosh!
Aizen appeared in midair above the dunes, looking down at Cyrus below.
"Interesting."
"Interesting."
They spoke at exactly the same time.
Aizen paused while Cyrus laughed.
"So I didn't mistake you after all."
He studied the bespectacled man with open amusement.
"What is a famous Shinigami captain doing all the way out here?"
"Oh?"
Aizen descended and landed on a nearby dune.
"You know who I am? How intriguing. You seem familiar with my identity, yet I know absolutely nothing about yours."
His gaze shifted almost casually toward the distant Rose Hunter.
"Cyrus."
Cyrus gave him only his name while studying him in return.
So this was Aizen before the slicked-back hair.
Unfortunately, that still didn't tell Cyrus much about the exact point in the timeline.
Shinigami could live for centuries, after all, so appearances alone were nearly useless.
As for the two people who had remained farther away, Cyrus had already identified them as well.
"Then, Cyrus, would you mind telling me why you and your companions have appeared here?" Aizen asked.
"Forget that."
Cyrus raised one hand.
"You came because of this, didn't you?"
Flames gathered over his palm and condensed into a long sword.
Aizen's eyes immediately brightened.
"Fascinating."
He had been uncertain before, but now he could confirm at least one thing.
This was not the power of a Shinigami.
Nor was it Quincy power.
Cyrus had created the flames without manipulating the surrounding Reishi at all.
It was an entirely different system of power.
Aizen's attention locked onto the flaming blade with unmistakable interest.
Whoosh.
The fire disappeared, taking the sword with it.
Only then did Aizen look back at Cyrus, and the curiosity in his eyes had noticeably deepened.
"Have you encountered other Shinigami before?"
He had changed direction smoothly, probing for information without making the question seem overly important.
"Why should I tell you?" Cyrus replied.
Aizen paused, then smiled.
"Fair enough. Even a conversation can be regarded as a form of exchange."
His hand settled on the hilt of his Zanpakutō.
"You've shown me something of your power. It would only be polite for me to show you something of ours in return."
"No need."
Cyrus raised a hand.
Aizen stopped with his fingers still wrapped around the hilt.
"I am interested in the power of Shinigami."
Cyrus looked him over.
"But not yours."
"Why not?"
Aizen continued smiling.
"No particular reason."
Cyrus placed his fingers against his own cheeks and pulled the corners of his mouth upward.
"Your smile just looks too fake."
He demonstrated.
"Like this."
Aizen fell silent.
That was certainly a first.
He had spent years perfecting a pleasant, harmless smile that never looked out of place, and no one had ever criticized it quite so directly.
"My, that's rather unfortunate."
Aizen shook his head with the same gentle smile.
His hand slowly began drawing the sword.
"So…"
Cyrus's voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Are you trying to provoke me?"
Aizen's breath caught.
A crushing pressure descended without warning.
It resembled monstrous spiritual pressure, yet it was not Reiatsu.
Black lightning crackled around Cyrus as his Conqueror's Haki bore down on the surrounding space.
Even Aizen stiffened beneath the sheer weight of it.
"I was only joking."
Without the slightest hesitation, he slid the fractionally drawn blade back into its sheath.
"Since that's the case, I won't disturb you any further."
The harmless smile returned immediately.
Cyrus glanced at the obviously fake expression and waved him away.
The meaning could not have been clearer.
Leave.
Aizen's expression never changed. He offered no further argument and vanished with Shunpo.
Cyrus kept his Observation Haki locked onto him until Aizen reunited with Gin and Tosen.
Only then did he turn around and head back toward the Rose Hunter.