IDKjust
patreon
Chapter 367 B
🕑 Added 2025-06-03 15:05:01 +0000 UTCChapter 367
2-in-1 chapter: Aizen: Reflection Part 3
------------------------------------------
Seeing the parallel-world Aizen fuming beside him, the Aizen of this world suddenly felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
So this is what it feels like to piss someone off. No wonder a certain someone never tire of doing it.
It was like opening the door to a new world—but he knew better than to go too far. With a smile, he said:
“Just kidding. Let’s get to the point. Since you’re another version of me, and you've already completed our research, what exactly was your purpose in coming here?”
The parallel Aizen’s gaze flickered. He replied coolly:
“Purpose is a misconception born of ordinary thinking. For someone like me who has already touched the ultimate, I’ve surpassed such limited comprehension of life. My every word and deed is both cause and purpose.”
The local Aizen nodded knowingly. “Ah. So you went stir-crazy while locked up.”
“……”
The parallel Aizen took a deep breath. He was finding this other version of himself more and more disagreeable. Still, he maintained his composure outwardly.
“If that’s how you want to interpret it, I won’t stop you. After all, concepts like emptiness and annihilation are simply manifestations of life’s surface-level perceptions. Even if you are me, you haven’t yet grasped the ultimate power. You haven’t truly stood above the heavens—so it’s natural that you can’t understand me now.”
The Aizen of this world couldn’t help but sigh.
Was this guy really another version of himself?
He never knew he could be so pompous.
He shook his head and turned toward the laboratory monitor.
“Then—O exalted version of me who stands above the heavens—since you’ve walked this road before, do you have any thoughts on my current research?”
On the screen, streams of data scrolled rapidly. At the center was a simulated spherical object.
Seeing his counterpart's softened attitude, the parallel Aizen let the earlier provocation go and stepped up to examine the research progress.
And then his eyes twitched slightly.
He hadn’t realized it until now—but this world’s version of himself had already come incredibly close to the essence of Shinigami and Hollow souls. He was nearly at the stage of crafting the prototype of the Hōgyoku.
In his own world, at this same point in time, it was still just a vague concept.
Quickly scanning the research data, he couldn’t help but remark, “I didn’t expect you to be this far along. One more breakthrough, and you’ll have the prototype of the Hōgyoku.”
“However, your research still lacks sufficient soul data—particularly from high-ranking Shinigami and powerful Hollows. Without it, you’ll waste time on many detours…”
As he spoke, he began pointing out the flaws in this world’s Aizen’s work.
Under his guidance, the local Aizen’s eyes gradually lit up as he revised the data.
With each adjustment, the Hōgyoku’s theoretical model on the screen grew more refined.
Seeing this, the parallel Aizen remarked, “You’re far more fortunate than I was. When I experimented with the Hōgyoku, I had to conduct everything in secret. I lacked proper test subjects, and data collection was painfully slow.”
“Soul particle data from Hollows could be gathered by hunting in Hueco Mundo—but the soul data of seated Shinigami was seriously lacking.”
“If not for Kisuke Urahara discovering the nature of soul particles and researching the Hōgyoku in secret, it would’ve taken me at least another century to complete it.”
While adjusting the data, the Aizen of this world replied, “Don’t worry. Kisuke Urahara is no longer a threat.”
“But I’m surprised to hear he was also researching the Hōgyoku. Perhaps in this world, he got sidetracked with other matters and didn’t have the energy to pursue it.”
He pushed up his glasses. In his mind, he instinctively pictured Kaelith grinning slyly at Urahara.
The parallel Aizen gave no response.
“…By the way, I’ve been meaning to say—where did you get those glasses? The design is rather unimpressive.”
The local Aizen paused, then took off his frames.
“These? They were a gift from Kaelith.”
The parallel Aizen fell silent. He should’ve known better than to open his mouth.....But his curiosity couldn't be held back.
He took a long breath.
“Kaelith, huh? For you to speak so highly of him, my curiosity is only growing. Where is he? I’d like to meet him.”
The local Aizen replied casually, “That’s unfortunate. After we took Hueco Mundo, he returned to Seireitei. If you want to see him, you’ll have to go back to Soul Society.”
“The Hōgyoku research is at a critical stage—and now that I have your data, I foresee a major breakthrough. I can’t accompany you.”
The parallel Aizen didn’t mind. “No problem. I can go alone. I know Seireitei well.”
“However, before I go—after hearing everything that happened in my world, I’d like to ask you: what do you intend to do now?”
The local Aizen paused his adjustments. For once, he showed a genuinely contemplative expression.
The lab fell silent.
The parallel Aizen wasn’t impatient. He waited calmly.
Roughly ten minutes passed before the local Aizen finally looked up and said:
“To be honest, your previous plan was already near flawless. The only reasons it failed were two unexpected variables. First, you underestimated Kisuke Urahara. Second—Kurosaki Ichigo.”
“Let’s not talk about Urahara. In this world, he probably won’t end up opposing me. But even if he does, with the intelligence you’ve provided, it’ll be hard for him to pose a serious threat again.”
“But Kurosaki Ichigo… even from your description alone, I can sense he’s different. His growth trajectory feels too deliberate—as if he was destined to oppose us. That requires careful thought.”
The parallel Aizen nodded gravely. “So you sensed it too. Yes… while in Muken, I carefully reviewed the circumstances of my failure. Kurosaki Ichigo truly is exceptional—so much so that I struggle to find the right words to describe him.”
“If I had to say, just as you put it… it feels like there’s some unknown force propelling him forward.”
“Destiny.”
The local Aizen said that word suddenly.
“…What?”
The parallel Aizen was caught off guard.
The local Aizen explained, “Something Kaelith told me once. In the history of an ancient country in the human world, there were people whose fortune defied explanation—who always emerged unscathed from danger and accomplished unbelievable feats. People like that were said to carry the ‘Mandate of Heaven.’”
The parallel Aizen frowned, pondering deeply. His voice was uncertain: “You mean… the Soul King?”
The local Aizen’s eyes gleamed with appreciation. As expected, conversing with himself required far less explanation.
He nodded. “Exactly. The Soul King is the keystone of the Three Realms—the origin of all things. Judging by your failure, I suspect our understanding of the Soul King is still incomplete.”
Regarding the Soul King, whether in Soul Society or Hueco Mundo, only a scant few truly understood.
His existence had been deliberately erased by the original Five Great Noble Clans.
Even among the captains of the Gotei 13, knowledge was minimal.
Aizen himself had only pieced the truth together from scattered records.
But after hearing about the experiences of the Aizen from the other world, he began to suspect that his understanding of the Soul King might be flawed.
“The Soul King, huh. An intriguing hypothesis. It’s a shame I’m sealed in Muken—if I weren’t, I’d definitely investigate it further when I returned.”
The Aizen from the other world was clearly interested.
The Aizen of this world replied, “It’s only a hypothesis. Our knowledge of the Soul King is far too superficial. Even the noble clans themselves, after countless ages, have lost much of their documentation. They think they know the truth, but what lies behind the curtain… even they may not grasp.”
“But as for your current situation, I have a different take.”
“Oh?” The other-world Aizen feigned curiosity.
The local Aizen saw through his performance without the slightest ripple in his expression:
“It’s simple. You’ve repeatedly claimed that you’ve obtained power beyond the heavens, and that you’ve fully fused with the Hōgyoku.”
“Do you truly believe that someone like you—who has surpassed the limits of a Shinigami—could actually be bound by a place like Hell?”
“Rather than being sealed in Muken, isn’t it more accurate to say you choose not to leave?”
The other Aizen offered a meaningful smile. “Who knows?”
The local Aizen continued: “One more piece of intel—recently, Kaelith discovered a group hiding in the shadows of Seireitei, led by Yhwach. They call themselves the Wandenreich.”
“I don’t know how things are in your world, but if it’s anything alike, they’ll make their move sooner or later.”
“Yhwach… the Quincy King from a thousand years ago?” the other Aizen asked, gently touching his chin.
Coming to this world was proving more fruitful than expected.
Dozens of thoughts flashed through his mind. He curled his lips slightly—seems like there would be plenty to keep him busy upon returning.
“Useful information. I’ll keep that in mind. But for now, I’d like to tour Soul Society a bit,” the other Aizen said with a smile.
“You want to go now?” the local Aizen asked.
The other Aizen nodded, raising his transparent arm in front of him.
“Yes. But remember—I came here as a consciousness, crossing over through the power of the Hōgyoku. I don’t belong to this world.”
“In theory, no one in this world should be able to see me, and I can’t directly affect anything either.”
“It’s not a good feeling. There’s no sense of reality or participation.”
The local Aizen raised an eyebrow. “Then how can I see you? And… what exactly are you planning?”
The other Aizen laughed. “Perhaps because we’re interdimensional counterparts—there may be a deeper connection between us.”
“As for my plan—it’s simple. I want you to help me craft a special gigai.”
“A gigai?”
“Yes. It’s a soul container developed by Kisuke Urahara that lets Shinigami function in the human world. But I’m not a conventional soul—I’m a consciousness construct. I’ll need to tweak the formula. Shouldn’t be hard for you.”
…...............................
.........
.
Soul Society, outer Rukongai, District 79.
A remote location, hidden by a concealing barrier.
Inside a house veiled by the enchantment stood rows of carefully arranged instruments, categorized materials, and biological chambers.
It was a laboratory—established by Aizen many years ago.
At this moment, a pitch-black rift suddenly tore open inside the lab. The tear widened into a garganta. From within stepped a man wearing a standard Shinigami uniform, glasses, and a Fifth Division Vice-Captain’s badge on his waist.
He glanced around, confirming the lab was empty before stepping out of the garganta.
“Heh. A Rukongai lab... quite nostalgic.”
As he exited, the garganta slowly faded. His eyes gleamed with reminiscence.
Back in the day, he had indeed established a lab here in Rukongai—over a century ago.
As his power grew, and he eventually became captain of the Fifth Division, many remote labs had been abandoned.
This man—was the Aizen from the other world.
At Las Noches, he had passed on the key techniques for crafting a gigai to his local counterpart, who then extracted some reiryoku to create a unique type of gigai—a Reishi Gigai, usable only by someone like him.
Thus, he gained a physical body in this world.
The only flaw: this body was fragile—unable to withstand much power.
Still, he was satisfied.
He scanned the room briefly, then stepped out of the lab.
Outside, it was utterly quiet. Not a soul in sight.
Adjusting his glasses, he chuckled. “District 79, huh. Very cautious.”
As the greatest manipulator Soul Society had ever seen, he was deeply familiar with Rukongai. Just by observing his surroundings, he could tell exactly where he was.
Back then, he had frequently come to Rukongai to collect souls for his experiments.
But even in his own world, he’d never hidden himself this deep—not as far out as District 79.
He’d only ever used District 78.
After orienting himself, he headed toward Seireitei. As he passed through several districts, life slowly began to stir around him.
On either side of the path, in front of dilapidated homes, emaciated souls huddled in silence—lifeless, wearing thin, grimy rags.
It was the dead of winter, and bitterly cold. He saw some huddled in broken shelters, clinging to stray bits of straw for warmth.
Many of them wouldn’t survive the season.
But Aizen remained unmoved. Calmly, he walked toward Seireitei.
In his own world, he had seen far worse.
Now, such sights stirred nothing within him.
Hearing his footsteps, some souls raised their heads weakly to glance at him, then lowered them again, numb.
A Shinigami in such a remote district should have caused a stir.
But they had long since been starved, frozen, and stripped of all hope.
A lone Shinigami—what did that matter to them?
Aizen kept walking.
These lower-ranked districts were nearly indistinguishable from one another: lifeless souls everywhere, dulled and nearly devoid of identity, little different from walking corpses.
Even the lowest-ranking Shinigami avoided coming here.
For over a million years, nothing in Soul Society had changed. The souls here were left to rot from the moment they arrived—used only to maintain the balance between the worlds.
Everything Aizen saw mirrored what existed in his own world.
He sighed quietly.
As expected—Rukongai, in any world, was equally despairing.
But as he stepped into the lower-numbered districts, signs of life slowly began to appear.
