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The Espada meeting ended almost as quickly as it began.
It really did feel like Aizen had only gathered them just to introduce Ryo.
And, well… that was exactly what he'd done.
Aizen's only real goal had been to make sure the Espada met Ryo.
Ryo knew that much already.
As for Aizen's whole "He's equal to me" bit—that was just flair, really. Nothing more than a casual declaration dressed up like a power move.
But after actually meeting Aizen in person, Ryo finally understood what it meant to exude an aura of absolute authority in every word and gesture.
This man was like an illusion—like Kyoka Suigetsu itself—calm, composed, and yet every little move seemed part of a deeper calculation. As if he was always planning five steps ahead.
That's exactly why Ryo couldn't help but comment that Aizen must be exhausted living like that.
The halls of Las Noches stretched on in silence.
Ryo walked side by side with Aizen, while Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen followed behind, not saying a word.
"If I want to enter Soul Society, I'll need a method to get in, right?"
Ryo had already begun planning his next move. After understanding how influence worked in this world, it only made sense to head straight for the main stage—Soul Society—and build his presence there.
But from what he recalled, neither Hollows nor humans could just waltz into Soul Society. There had to be some kind of spiritual conversion process involved.
Not that he knew how to do it himself—but standing next to Aizen had its perks.
So he asked directly. No need for small talk or playing nice—both of them knew that'd be a waste of time.
"You're right," Aizen said, not even bothering to ask why Ryo wanted to go. He simply nodded and explained, "Whether it's a Hollow or a human, entering Soul Society safely requires spiritual reprocessing. It's to avoid any harmful disruption to the environment there."
Ryo frowned slightly at that.
"So Hueco Mundo and the human world don't cause any problems?"
"Not at all. Hell doesn't either," Aizen replied with a soft smile.
That made Ryo chuckle. "So Soul Society's the odd one out, huh?"
The world of Bleach had four main realms: the Human World, Hueco Mundo, Hell, and Soul Society.
And out of all of them, only one needed this special "spiritual filtering" process.
That wasn't just a red flag—it was a neon sign saying "Yo~ there's something fishy going on here."
Aizen smiled knowingly. "More accurately, it's because of the Soul King."
Hearing that, Ryo couldn't help but let out a low whistle. "Ah, so we're talking about a man-made world, huh?"
The other three realms worked just fine. So why was Soul Society so unstable?
The answer was simple: it wasn't naturally formed.
It was manufactured.
That was the real truth of Soul Society.
A world created by human hands.
"Exactly," Aizen said, and his smile faded into something colder, more hollow. "Soul Society... is a world built on lies."
Ryo could see the hostility in Aizen's eyes whenever the Soul King was mentioned—but he didn't care. Instead, he grinned.
"You mean the Soul King—the guy who got all his limbs chopped off, his guts hollowed out, and got turned into a glorified magical battery?"
"Of course," Aizen replied with icy disdain. "A god who has denied even the right to think for himself has no reason to exist."
Ryo let out a laugh. "You really just hate the guy, don't you?"
The Soul King—the so-called only god of the four realms: Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, the Human World, and Hell.
The Gotei 13, the Royal Guard, and the Central 46 all existed purely to protect him.
But what was he really?
A mangled corpse sealed in crystal, drained of his organs, stripped of consciousness—barely more than a puppet.
It was surreal.
Was he a god? Or just a prisoner?
Was the Royal Guard truly his protector, or just his warden?
All the major laws of Soul Society were handed down in the Soul King's name… but if the Soul King couldn't think, who was really making those calls?
It was the kind of twisted logic that almost made Ryo laugh out loud.
It reminded him of the Earth's old times.
The Kings, untouchable. The nobles, untouchable. The commoners? Forever crawling.
And under the name of the Soul King, the masses had to kneel and beg for blessings from a lifeless god.
But the really ironic part?
Aizen… was one of those "commoners."
And maybe that was the whole reason he wanted to kill the Soul King and burn Soul Society to the ground.
He respected strength, yes—but he had no respect for a puppet. And even less for the clowns who pulled its strings—the Royal Guard.
That thought made Ryo grin.
"You know, I think you'd make a damn entertaining Soul King."
Aizen, for once, chuckled. The frost in his eyes thawed, just a little. "I happen to agree."
This man who believed himself a god was absolutely convinced he'd do a better job.
And Ryo? He didn't doubt it either.
Behind them, Gin and Tosen were practically holding their breath.
A man-made world. The Soul King as the root of Soul Society's instability. A world built on lies.
Aizen wanted to replace the Soul King.
And Ryo—this unknown wild card—actually agreed with him.
The implications were terrifying, the scale of their conversation world-shaking. It didn't take a genius to realize how dangerous this alliance was.
And yet, Ryo and Aizen spoke like they were casually chatting about the weather.
It sent chills down both Gin and Tosen's spines.
But Gin's thoughts were deeper.
(So this… this is what Aizen really thinks? He's never said a word of this to me or Tosen. Was it because he didn't want to… or because he didn't think it mattered?)
Gin glanced at Ryo, eyes narrowing into slits.
(But in front of this man… he lays it all out.)
And in that moment, Gin recalled what Aizen had told the Espada earlier:
"He is my equal."
It wasn't just a statement to get the Espada to treat Ryo with respect.
It meant Ryo and Aizen were on the same level.
Ryo didn't seem to notice Gin's inner turmoil. He just smiled and said:
"Well, that settles it. This 'spiritual modification' needs to be our top priority."
He had figured out the fastest way to beat the Bleach world.
Topple the Soul King.
And on that front, he and Aizen really were the same kind of monster.
The Soul King? An untouchable god?
What a joke.
We were born free—so who the hell dares sit above us?
.
.
.
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(A/N: A wise man once said, "If I had to choose between eliminating the oppressors or the obedient slaves, I would choose the latter—because without them, the former would never have existed.")
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