Restricted Death

Chapter 235 Arrogance
After receiving the letter's explicit confirmation, it was as if all sound suddenly vanished from the living room. The expressions on the faces of Kisuke Urahara, Shinji Hirako, and the others froze instantly, their expressions shifting between light and dark.

Furthermore, from the few words exchanged between Shin and Aizen, Kisuke Urahara pieced together a fact: Shin did indeed seem to have the idea of ​​uniting Aizen's forces.

But why wasn't Xin informed of such a significant event beforehand?
In the end, it seems that they are the ones who are least trusted.

Xin seemed to be able to read their thoughts, and spoke up before they could even formulate their questions: "I only just explained this to the captain. I didn't tell you before because I wasn't fully prepared myself."

This explanation eased the oppressive atmosphere slightly, but it failed to completely dispel the dark cloud hanging over everyone.

Kisuke Urahara tightened his grip on the paper fan, his sharp eyes, hidden in the shadow of his hat, piercing through the distance to lock onto Shin's face. He spoke, his tone chillingly calm: "How certain are you that all of this is true, and not just your own wild speculation?"

These people may all claim to not care about Soul Society, and they may all have legitimate reasons, but the responsibility flowing in their blood as former captains and vice-captains, and the instinctive mission to maintain the balance of the three realms, are something they cannot truly sever. When the fate of the three realms truly hangs in the balance, that sense of belonging is stronger than they imagined.

"Perfect." Xin's words were concise and to the point, without any hesitation or embellishment. The weight of those two words was immense, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake.

Hearing this, not only were Urahara and the others shaken, but even Aizen Sousuke, who had always maintained a calm smile, had a fleeting look of surprise flash across his deep eyes.

The members of the Visored exchanged glances silently. After a brief hesitation, they tacitly handed the decision over to Kisuke Urahara.

In the breathtaking silence, Urahara lowered his eyes, lost in deep thought, his brow unusually grave. After a moment, he raised his gaze again and looked at Shin: "What are your thoughts?"

"I'll listen to you," Xin replied simply and calmly.

Upon hearing this answer, Urahara's tense expression relaxed slightly. He gently shook the paper fan in his hand and slowly walked towards the sofa where Shin and Aizen were.

“What a pity.” Urahara’s tone was almost flippant, but beneath the flippant tone was a rock-solid determination. He looked directly at Aizen. “It seems that what you want is destined to remain unattainable. Although we do not know much about the Quincy, we are well aware that this so-called deal is nothing more than robbing Peter to pay Paul for us.”

"As Mr. Tachikawa just said, no one can remain uninvolved in this war, so this deal is inherently unequal, and we will not accept it."

The formulaic smile on Aizen's face gradually faded away with Urahara's resolute rejection.

An invisible pressure emanated from him, and the air seemed to freeze and become heavy. This caused the muscles on the backs of Hirako Shinji and the others not far away to tense up instantly. Their fingertips involuntarily pressed against the hilts of their swords, their eyes sharp, ready to draw their swords at any moment.

Aizen suddenly sighed, looking very regretful. "Shin-kun, I thought we could reach a consensus, not just on the Quincy issue. Don't you want to reach a higher level? The deal I'm talking about isn't just a simple transaction; we can build a completely new relationship."

Faced with Aizen's seduction, Shin merely responded with a cold sneer, mercilessly tearing away the pretense: "Aizen, you say I'm arrogant? Ha, your 'I'm the only one who's sober while everyone else is drunk' attitude, looking down on all living beings from a high place, claiming to be the only sober one who holds the truth, isn't this attitude in your bones also a manifestation of your extreme arrogance?"

The letter's sarcasm is as sharp as a knife: "The me you think I am is merely the me defined by your limited understanding."

Aizen didn't immediately refute, but instead stared at Shin with a deep, indescribably complex look. Then, he calmly stood up from the luxurious and comfortable sofa.

This seemingly simple action triggered a chain reaction, instantly tightening the nerves of everyone in the Visored Army, making the air feel like a fully drawn bow. Ishida Sogen unconsciously held his breath.

However, Aizen didn't even glance at them; he simply raised his hand and made a light sweeping motion in the air in front of him—

"Hey!"

The space was torn apart like fragile cloth! A deep, twisting, pitch-black crack appeared out of thin air on the polished living room floor, and a dense aura of emptiness surged out wildly.

Black cavity.

He, a grim reaper, has already mastered this ability!
Then came the sound of footsteps breaking the silence, and more than ten figures, with an aura that was either lazy, arrogant, cold, or wild, slowly walked out from the rolling black mist.

A quick glance at the letter revealed that they were all broken masks!

Moreover, it seems that all ten blades have gathered. Xin's gaze was mainly focused on a few people, while the rest of the figures should be their subordinates.

The 1st Espada: Koyatai Stark.

The 2nd Espada: Barragan Ruisenbon.

The 4th Espada: Tia Harribel.

The 8th Espada: Zomary Lulu.

The 9th Espada: Szayelaporro Granz.

And, number 10, Yammie Rialgo!
These people are not much different from the Espada in Shin's original memory. Inel is still in office, and most of the Espada's numbers have been moved one place backward from "original".

Aaroniero Erurueri, who should have been in the ninth seat, died at Shin's hands long ago.

The moment these Arrancars, representing the pinnacle of Hueco Mundo, appeared, the immense spiritual pressure emanating from their bodies without any concealment struck the nerves of every living being in the living room like an invisible hammer!
Despite being prepared and knowing that Aizen had many powerful Hollows under his command, the presence of the three Arrancar—Koyate Stark, Barragan Ruisenbon, and Tia Harribel—still far exceeded their expectations.

Is someone of this caliber also Aizen's subordinate?

Aizen's own strength...

Some people swallowed hard, a chill running up their spines.

So many powerful spiritual pressures collided and intertwined in this space, making the originally spacious and luxurious living room feel cramped and the air so thick it was suffocating.

As the butler of Ishida Sogen, the owner of this place, Ishida Sogen's face at this moment only showed a numb acceptance of reality.

Koyat Stark has the appearance of an unremarkable middle-aged man, seemingly quite ordinary. Of course, this "ordinary" appearance is predicated on ignoring the immense sense of oppression he unintentionally exudes.

He looked listless, absentmindedly touching the back of his neck, and asked in a slightly tired voice, "Why did you suddenly call us over? Did Nelliel and the others fail?" His tone revealed a hint of confusion and a faint worry.

Aizen remained calm as he gently removed his glasses. His thumb rubbed the lenses, and with a slight push, the glasses shattered. The shards drifted silently onto the thick carpet, as if simultaneously removing a gentle mask. Aizen Sousuke's undisguised, icy sharpness and highly aggressive aura were instantly revealed, his overwhelming presence creating an immense, oppressive pressure on everyone present.

He finally cast a deep, disappointed, resolute, and perhaps slightly regretful gaze at Xin, then turned away without uttering another word, his figure disappearing straight into the bottomless black cavity.

"Stop!" Just as Aizen's figure was about to completely disappear into the darkness, Shinji Hirako finally couldn't hold back and gritted his teeth as he roared angrily!

Tia Harribel silently moved slightly, blocking Aizen's path, and coldly watched the crowd.

She is a blonde woman with a hotter figure and outfit than Nelieel. She has brown skin, emerald green eyes, and her upper body clothing and huge mask cover half of her face and only half of her breasts, making her bust appear fuller and more eye-catching.

Aizen's figure vanished completely, and the open black cavity quickly closed as if it had never existed, leaving only a room full of terrifyingly powerful Arrancar and an ominous aura that lingered in the air.

As if in response to Cortaya Stark's earlier words, Halibel coldly said, "With these guys, how could it be possible?"

She didn't seem to believe that Neluel and the others had been defeated.

Kothael Stark seemed to notice something, his gaze fixed on Gin Ichimaru. He instinctively wanted to ask a question, but then stopped abruptly.

A thought flashed through his mind: Could Gin's current identity be a carefully orchestrated move by Aizen? Stark, who was well aware of Aizen's style, immediately chose to remain silent, swallowing his question to avoid speaking rashly and disrupting Aizen's possible plans.

Just as Haribel finished speaking, and Stark's doubts were still fresh, an even more arrogant and domineering voice rang out in the hall. An unusually large and muscular old man, wearing a crown-shaped mask, strode forward without any hesitation the moment Aizen left, and with an air of entitlement, plopped down in the very spot where Aizen had just been sitting—the main sofa! The thick sofa creaked under the weight.

"In that case, now everyone will follow my orders." His attitude was the most domineering among the various Arrancar, and his arrogance that placed him above everyone else was almost tangible. However, apart from his subordinates, no one responded to him.

Similarly, no one refused.

This is Barragan Ruisenbon, the former king of Hueco Mundo, a figure with a long history, even comparable to Captain-Commander Yamamoto.

Barragan Ruisenbon's gaze first fell on Shin, who was sitting opposite him. Seemingly dissatisfied with Shin sitting next to him, his aged eyes drooped, and an extremely terrifying spiritual pressure suddenly erupted, causing the entire house to shake.

Hirako Shinji instinctively whispered, "Tessai, Hachigen!"

This is within the city of Seireitei, and the spiritual pressure of this level that erupts here is enough to crush any human in the surrounding area!
Tetsuzai and Hachigen simultaneously clasped their hands together and immediately unleashed a Kido Barrier, a semi-circular light shield that enveloped the Ishida family's residence.

The Masked Army and the others finally couldn't hold back any longer under this pressure, and... *clang clang clang*

All the Zanpakuto were drawn, and the atmosphere in the hall immediately became tense.

Barragan Ruisenbon paid no attention to the actions of the others. His eyes were fixed on Shin, who remained motionless under his violent spiritual pressure. After a moment, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, but with a hint of contempt.

"Oh? Not bad."

He asked bluntly, "Are you the leader of all of you?"

Shin simply glanced at the guy indifferently and slowly said, "I'm sorry, Ishida, I've caused you so much trouble lately."

Geo Weiger, a subordinate officer standing to the side of Barragán, was the first to be angered. He pointed at the letter and shouted angrily, "You bastard, how dare you disrespect the great His Majesty Barragán!"

Ishida Sogen didn't express much negative emotion about this; it seemed more like he accepted the current situation.

Many of the Arrancar also focused their attention on Xin, probably because they had heard what Barragan had just said that Xin was the leader of this group.

In addition, Shin's seat was indeed on par with Aizen's.

Kothael Stark suddenly scratched his head: "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

He had barely finished speaking when his subordinate, Lilynette, kicked him. "You jinx!"

Tia Helibel stared coldly at Xin. She really didn't want to believe that the four Arrancar, led by Neluel, had been defeated. But if they hadn't been defeated, where would they be now?

Shin then got up from his seat and walked to Urahara Kisuke's side, looking at Hirako Shinji and the others.

"are you ready?"

Kisuke Urahara glanced at him sideways: "Preparing...what?"

Shin's blatant disregard for the Arrancars caused the Arrancars present to frown and reveal a hint of anger. These people were among the very elite in Hueco Mundo, while this guy was just a Shinigami from Soul Society. What gave him the right to be so arrogant?!
Just then, the communication device on Xin's body suddenly went off.

Shin took it out under the watchful eyes of Kisuke Urahara, Shinji Hirako, Yoruichi Shihouin, and others. Kisuke Urahara noticed that this was not the one that could be used to contact them.

Of course it wouldn't be that model. Those two were set by Kisuke Urahara to only allow targeted communication; no one but Urahara could make the call.

It seems obvious who is calling the letter now.

The members of the Masked Army suddenly fell into a strange silence, even though such a silence was really inappropriate in this situation.

The message was sent to the telegraph machine, and the speakerphone was turned on.

A voice, belonging to the current captain of the Third Division, Shiba Kaien, echoed throughout the entire hall.

"Letter, open the barrier; we are outside."

(End of this chapter)