GA: Chapter 160 – Only the Weak Fear the Strong; Aizen's Smile
The anime version of Angel Yan—when she became queen, she had still been too young. More precisely, her thinking had still been rooted in the identity of a "warrior."
Because Holy Kesha's existence had been the absolute, unquestioned leader of all angel civilization. They had worshipped Kesha without reservation, never once imagining they themselves might become the angel queen. Naturally, that aspect of her was deeply underdeveloped.
Even the current Angel Yan—for her to become a truly qualified ruler of a civilization, even with Holy Kesha's guidance, would require a long and considerable time.
Fortunately, angel civilization had ample time to wait for Angel Yan to grow.
Aizen was different. He already possessed every qualification for kingship.
If the victor of his battle with Kurosaki Ichigo had been him—what the Bleach world would have become was an open question.
Sacred Guard Left Wing: "Quite a merciless assessment."
Angel Yan glanced aside at Bai Xuan's words, but from them, it wasn't hard to read how he regarded Aizen Sōsuke.
The Oldest Godslayer: "Even Bai Xuan describes him this way. My curiosity grows."
Ordinary Group Owner: "It's roughly as Bai Xuan described. Honestly, in anime there are plenty of characters who can match Aizen—they're all creations of their authors, after all. Aizen just happens to have left the deepest impression on me."
Ordinary Group Owner: "Compared to Marquis Voban and the Sacred Master—Aizen really is the more troublesome one!"
Sacred Master: "???"
The Oldest Godslayer: "???"
Ordinary Group Owner: "Don't misunderstand—I'm not saying you two aren't intelligent."
Ordinary Group Owner: "It's just… never mind, once I post the Bleach memory copy you'll understand."
Su Yunqing wasn't sure how to explain it. She sorted through her memories and uploaded the Bleach world's memory copy to the chat group.
"Ding—the Group Owner has uploaded a memory copy."
Ordinary Group Owner: "It's quite a long story—you'll probably need some time with it."
Ordinary Group Owner: "Also—@Fifth Division Captain, shouldn't you say something? You've been lurking this whole time. Are you compiling information on all the group members?"
Ordinary Group Owner: "Have you already started calculating your moves?"
Fifth Division Captain: "…"
In the Bleach world, within the Seireitei.
Aizen, who had been observing the chat group while cross-referencing information in the memory copies, paused his movements slightly. A faint smile curved the corner of his mouth.
"So I've been noticed."
"Though that was inevitable."
He adjusted his glasses, his expression warm and unhurried.
"A cross-dimensional chat group, spanning countless worlds—only one person from each world can be chosen."
"That I was selected makes me fortunate, in a sense."
The smile at Aizen's lips grew.
"The world I inhabit is a created world. I am nothing more than a created character."
"That is the truth of things. I was simply a frog in a well."
"A Group Owner who is a transmigrator, knows my identity, and holds some form of authority within the chat group—though not particularly powerful in terms of strength."
"A Child of Nature favored by planetary consciousness, wielding natural authority, destined to become a god—also a transmigrator."
"And then the author who learned of my identity because of the transmigrator's appearance…"
"My identity and information cannot be hidden. But knowing their personalities—they may be wary of me, yet they will not fear me."
"God Slayers, demons, angels, Giants of Light, a Kamen Rider who places himself at the center of everything like the sun itself… how would beings like these ever come to fear a single person?"
The clear lenses of his glasses caught the light. Aizen's smile was entirely pure—pure to the point of being unsettling.
Only the weak fear the strong.
They might be wary of Aizen because of the intelligence, patience, and scheming he demonstrated—but they would never feel genuine fear.
Fifth Division Captain: "The Group Owner need not worry that I'll do anything to the members here. In terms of raw power, quite a few in this group surpass me."
Fifth Division Captain: "Kyōka Suigetsu would have no effect on them either."
Fifth Division Captain: "And schemes require power as their foundation."
Fifth Division Captain: "Besides—from a long-term perspective, cultivating good relationships with the group members serves my interests far better, doesn't it."
Ordinary Group Owner: "I understand all that—but you're still Aizen."
Ordinary Group Owner: "You might find all sorts of ways to probe the chat group's boundaries, circumvent its rules, and produce some kind of influence on us that falls outside what the group's systems would flag."
Child of Nature: "…"
Child of Nature: "You seem to be fixating on Aizen's behavior to an unusual degree. You've developed something almost approaching fear of him."
Child of Nature: "Even if Aizen genuinely moved against someone in the group, it wouldn't be you."
Ordinary Group Owner: "Why not?"
Child of Nature: "Would you trust Aizen?"
Ordinary Group Owner: "Of course not—I'm not an idiot."
Child of Nature: "Would you fall in love with him?"
Ordinary Group Owner: "That's getting absurd. How could I possibly fall in love with him?"
Child of Nature: "Then do you have the kind of potential that would make Aizen take notice of you?"
Ordinary Group Owner: "I should… I'm the Group Owner, after all."
Su Yunqing felt a twinge of uncertainty as she said it.
Child of Nature: "If your authority amounts to nothing more than a thirty percent discount, you hold no value to Aizen whatsoever."
Child of Nature: "Your potential is not higher than anyone else in this group."
Child of Nature: "And you won't trust him, so you can't be used by him. There's nothing about you that Aizen would find worth his attention."
Child of Nature: "In other words—Aizen would never bother focusing on you."
Child of Nature: "So what exactly are you afraid of?"
Ordinary Group Owner: "I…"
What am I afraid of?
When she thought about it—there really wasn't anything to be afraid of.
When the sky falls, taller people hold it up. She was just an ordinary Group Owner, with power sitting at the bottom of the group's rankings.
She was the Group Owner, sure—but the chat group, that infuriating thing, hadn't given her any extra privileges to speak of.
As for the group members—why was she even worried about them?
Did they need her worrying about them?
Her worrying accomplished absolutely nothing anyway. Given that—what was there to worry about?
Bai Xuan had laid it out plainly, and it really did seem to be that way.
Child of Nature: "In the future, this group will inevitably welcome people even more cunning than Aizen, more scheming, more threatening to the members. What will you do then?"
Child of Nature: "Rather than fear and wariness—focus on improving your own strength."