I'm really not the number one slacker in Soul Society.

Then came a series of blinking instants.

The Hollows that were actively causing destruction were each struck on the head by the back of their Zanpakuto almost simultaneously, and immediately collapsed to the ground, their bodies stiffening, seemingly unconscious.

A refined-looking man wearing a vice-captain's armband stepped out from behind Gin Ichimaru. He raised his hand and casually parried one of Gundam 1's attacks with his sword. Then, he politely greeted Mima, who was standing in mid-air, saying, "It seems that my subordinate offended you. If you don't mind, I will apologize to you on his behalf."

"Yes, I know you."

Mima beckoned, and upon hearing his command, Gundam 1 immediately abandoned its stalemate with Aizen, retreated, and transformed back into a sphere in his hand.

Then, he tilted his head and nodded: "You must be the vice-captain of the Fifth Division, right? What's your name again?"

"Sousuke Aizen sends his greetings."

Aizen bowed and said, "I don't think I've ever seen anyone like you in Soul Society. May I ask you to introduce yourself, young lady?"

"Hey, I love people like you who are so polite." Mima clapped her hands with satisfaction. "You can call me 'Messenger'—"

Aizen's pupils contracted slightly, but he did not show any abnormality.

"Looks like you're this little brother's superior. How interesting. Is this some kind of experiment?" Mima landed on the ground and tossed out a bombshell with great interest. "Let me guess, you want to break down the boundary between Shinigami and Hollows?"

"..."

He didn't see the "Aizen shocked face.jpg" he expected; the latter simply raised his hand to push up his glasses, his expression still perfectly controlled.

However, there were some fluctuations in the tone of voice.

"As expected of the family that produced Kisuke Urahara." Aizen seemed somewhat sentimental. "You must be the 'messenger' who took the 'divine sword' a while ago."

"Oh?" Mima asked with a hint of curiosity. "The ability to easily control Gundam 1, the courage to research methods of 'breaking limits,' the keen sense to know the truth... Has the vice-captain of the Gotei 13 reached this level?"

"You flatter me." Aizen calmly sheathed his sword. "Your precise method of taking the divine sword in one strike is far superior."

"It was just a task assigned by the head of the family." Mima waved his hand casually. "If I remember correctly, such outrageous experiments are strictly prohibited in the Seireitei. The fact that you can remain so calm after I caught you in the act makes me suspect you have some kind of mysterious reliance on you... Is it your strength? Are you planning how to kill me?"

"It's undeniable."

Aizen readily admitted to the accusation, then changed his tone: "But I'm more curious as to why the messenger chose to appear before me so openly. In your words, is it some kind of mysterious reliance that gives you the confidence to stand before my blade?"

"Whoa, that's scary."

Mi Zhen waved her hand in front of her nose: "The murderous aura is overflowing."

"A proposal."

Aizen spread his hands and chuckled, "Since both sides feel that the other is fearless, why not sit down and talk?"

That's truly a high level of emotional intelligence...

"That's not bad."

Since Aizen had offered a way out first, Mima was naturally happy to follow suit: "Talking is a good thing. It is precisely because we humanoid races have the ability to communicate that we have been able to make the civilized world flourish to this day—Aizen Sousuke, you are quite an interesting fellow."

"you flatter me."

Aizen nodded humbly and said, "Given the current situation, I am at a disadvantage—I must admit that if you, Messenger, choose to expose me to the Seireitei, my actions will be greatly affected."

Mima rolled her eyes.

The entire Seireitei is under the control of Kyoka Suigetsu. If Aizen wants to, I could shout myself hoarse but I wouldn't be able to get a single word out. Right now, he's testing me by feigning retreat.

As expected, Aizen's next words also showed weakness: "In that case, let me play one of my trump cards first."

"That's interesting. Tell me about it?"

“I once explored the history of the Urahara family.”

Aizen shifted his gaze toward the Seireitei: "The four noble families betrayed the Soul King because of their lust for power. Since then, Tsunayoshi, Shihouin, and the Kuchiki family have all gotten what they wanted, but the Urahara family's way of existing remains unchanged—you have even been constantly shrinking your power. To this day, only Urahara Kisuke remains active within the Seireitei. So what is the point of betrayal?"

"...Hmph, continue."

“This is not a deduction, because the answer is obvious.” Aizen’s smile widened. “The reason the Urahara family participated in the rebellion was because they ‘accepted the Soul King’s decree.’ So instead of taking advantage of the power vacuum, you gradually withdrew from the stage of history.”

“A smart man.” To avoid giving himself away, Mi Zhen simply shrugged noncommittally. “In that case, let me hear your conclusion.”

"'Messenger' is a very special position. Its full name is 'Messenger of the Spirit King.' It is the only profession among all the forces in the Three Realms with 'Spirit King' as a prefix. In the era before the Spirit King fell silent, the messenger's words represented the Spirit King's will. Therefore, this profession never appeared again after the Spirit King became the wedge—and now, Miss Messenger, you have appeared!"

Aizen's usually calm eyes finally showed a hint of excitement: "This represents many possibilities, such as the Urahara family changing their strategy of concealment, or it being a case of acting arbitrarily, but I tend to lean towards another answer."

"..."

"The Spirit King's will has reappeared, hasn't it?"

Chapter 45: A Look in Their Eyes Confirms They're Here to Cause Trouble

The correct answer was obtained through the wrong process...

Aizen, you truly live up to your reputation.

"one question."

After a moment of silence, Mima held up one finger. "Consider this a test. If your answer is correct, the conversation can continue."

Aizen responded without flinching, "Please speak."

So Mima flipped her raised finger downwards, pointing it towards the ground.

What is hiding in the shadows?

Aizen readily replied, "The Quincy."

Aizen knew it after all.

As expected, but it's still quite remarkable.

From the limited perspective of a comic book reader, Mima once thought that all the information about the Wandenreich was top secret, but that was not the case.

The library of the Shinigami Academy openly displays information about Quincy.

It includes general abilities such as Shadow Domain, Blood Armor, Chaotic Armor Puppet, and Holy Servant.

Even specific individuals who appeared in the Gotei 18 war a thousand years ago, or even... that rumor.

"The Quincy King spent nine hundred years restoring his heartbeat, ninety years awakening his will, nine years regaining his power, and then using nine days to seize the world."

This legend... no, it should be a prophecy, came from the mouth of a Quincy captured a thousand years ago. The small group of pure-blooded Quincy who were wiped out eighty years ago also believed in this, so the saying that "the Quincy are planning to make a comeback" has been circulating on a small scale in the academic circles of the Gotei 13.

However, going further and speculating that the Wandenreich has not been wiped out and is lurking in the shadows of Seireitei is somewhat beyond the scope of the discussion.

Whether Aizen discovered it through investigation or speculation, it demonstrates the breadth of his knowledge.

This also explains another question—

Why did he choose to launch the rebellion two years before Yhwach's awakening?

Besides the fact that his plans were already complete and he had accumulated enough power, Aizen was probably also on guard against the Quincy King who was rumored to have "made everything in the world exist so that he could take it all." That's why he planned to take the throne of the Soul King before the 999-year countdown ended.

That's interesting...

"Oh? You actually got it right?"

Mi Zhen clapped her hands excitedly: "Looks like my opinion of you needs to be upgraded another level!"

"It seems we have some things in common in terms of what we know." Aizen's smile softened slightly. "Let me guess: the Urahara family is also preparing for the future, isn't they?"

“Indeed.” Mima looked up at the high-altitude sky above the Seireitei. “The ‘offspring’ of Lord Rei-ou was not killed by Yamamoto Genryusai. The Gotei 13 should know this best, but you trusted Ryujin Jakka’s power too much, to the point that you lost your ability to make rational judgments.”

"On this point, Miss Messenger and I can agree."

Aizen stopped laughing, his eyes hidden by the gleam of his glasses, but the hint of regret in his voice was so obvious: "Enemy, friend, even the Captain-Commander himself is obsessed with his power. The throne of 'Strongest Shinigami' is just too high, so high that he can't see the situation on the ground."

"very good."

Mima clapped loudly again and laughed a few times: "Coming for a walk today was really the right thing to do. I need a clear-headed guy like you."

"So, Miss Messenger, you've come to speak with me with a purpose in mind." Aizen pushed his glasses up a little and smiled elegantly. "I'd like to hear the details."

"Well, since you've shown your hand first, I can't be impolite. Let's get straight to the point—Aizen Sousuke, are you interested in cooperating with me?"

Aizen raised an eyebrow slightly: "Oh? Cooperation?"

"Let me explain my purpose first."

“You must have heard of that prophecy: the Quincy King will return 999 years after his death and take over the world.” Mima spread his hands. “Although it’s regrettable, it’s not a religious belief of the Quincy, but a future that will actually happen.”

"I see. I've made similar guesses before, but this is the first time I've gotten a definite answer."

"Do you know about a ritual called 'sanctification'?"

“I’ve heard about it.” Aizen nodded and said, “According to the captured Quincy, the Quincy King can bestow his power upon his subordinates through an ability called ‘Soul Transfer,’ and then take it back when needed, which is known as ‘Holy Transfer.’”

“Not quite accurate, but the meaning is right.” Mima’s tone became slightly more serious. “For Quincy, there is no such thing as ‘followers’ and ‘kings’. All non-pure-blooded Quincy are resources that provide Yhwach with power. He bestows the seeds of power upon his subordinates, and then takes them back after they have taken root, sprouted and grown. So a Quincy is ‘one person is one clan’—for more than eight hundred years, he has been growing stronger by relying on the support of his entire clan. When he regains his will, even Yamamoto Genryusai will probably no longer be his match.”

"So, Miss Messenger is preparing for this?"

“That’s right, but that’s the final part. What I want to talk to you about are the prerequisites.”

"Oh?"

"In conclusion, my mission this time is to 'find a collaborator'." Mima smiled. "The reason has already been explained: the Quincy King will take everything after he awakens, and if we wait until then to prepare, it will be too late."

Aizen understood: "I see. So I'm just a candidate for evaluation?"

“I spent a lot of time understanding the violent organization, the Gotei 13, and the result… was somewhat disappointing.” Yama shook his head. “Yamamoto Genryusai is a respectable man. He rebuilt the Gotei 13, which was once a group of assassins, into a true shield for the Gotei 13. However, he was too conservative and could not accept a disruptive change in a short period of time. He was unwilling to resolve the real contradictions, which meant that he was destined to be defeated by the Quincy King.”

Aizen's eyes gleamed strangely as he tentatively asked, "Judging from what Miss Messenger said, you seem to be planning... to overthrow the existing order?"

“Let’s skip the probing,” Mima said with a smile. “When I first saw the situation here, I thought the person in charge would be a research fanatic like Shutara Senjumaru or Kurotsuchi Mayuri. While such people can certainly accept changes without any obstacles, for them, the most important thing is always the truth itself, not anything external. It’s pointless to talk to them about things like world order.”

"—You are different. It is obvious that you treat the pursuit of truth as a means rather than an end. The smell of an ambitious person is overflowing from you, but the investigation results show that you are usually a refined and kind gentleman."

Chapter 46: Reaching a Consensus

Yama stared into Aizen's unwavering eyes and said, "The conclusion is quite clear. Just as you said yourself, you intend to overthrow the existing order, right?"

“Excellent deduction.”

Aizen seemed completely unconcerned that his true identity had been exposed. He simply smiled and clapped his hands repeatedly, saying, "Truly admirable."

The two, each with their own ulterior motives, seemed to have reached some strange consensus, exchanging glances and bursting into laughter.

"I need collaborators with several qualities."

After laughing, Mima continued, "First and foremost, it's about having strong power, because power only belongs to violence, and a weak collaborator will only hold me back."