Chapter 250: Aizen's Source Material
Rukongai, Secret Laboratory.
Aizen, clad in his Shinigami Uniform, stood expressionless before the operating table.
The blue light from the screen reflected off his glasses, forming a cold glare.
Not far away, inside a massive glass tank, hundreds of souls struggled as if trying to escape.
But... under Aizen's terrifying Reiatsu and the machine's guidance, these souls gradually merged together.
Without the slightest hesitation, Aizen made these souls collide with each other, inducing reactions.
Soon, the values on the screen began to skyrocket.
An unprecedented, unique power manifested before his eyes.
A flicker of excitement flashed in Aizen's eyes.
Could this power become the guiding beacon to fulfill his desires?
Under his guidance, these restless forces were gradually condensed into a red liquid.
Aizen collected the liquid in a test tube and tucked it into a small pocket inside his robe.
The materials were now ready; the next step was experimentation.
With a sense of anticipation, he left the core laboratory and entered the outer hall.
"Yo, you've worked hard. Want some water?"
A familiar voice rang out.
Aizen nodded and reached out to take it.
As he brought the cup to his lips, he prepared to share his recent findings.
Suddenly, he froze.
A bizarre chill crept up his spine.
It felt as if Satoru had stealthily climbed onto his back.
Satoru's skill in concealing Reiatsu was indeed impressive, and after donning the Shihōin Clan's spiritual robe, his Reiatsu fluctuations became almost undetectable.
But... no matter what, it was impossible for him to get this close without Aizen noticing in the slightest.
Hiding Reiatsu to such an extent meant the other party dared not let their Reiatsu be sensed.
In other words, it was likely not Satoru!
Without any hesitation, Aizen drew Kyōka Suigetsu and slashed to the side—
Clang!!!
To his astonishment, an arm rose to block his blade.
The skin on the forearm shimmered with a crystalline glow of Reiatsu.
Although this strike was made on the spur of the moment, bolstered by his immense Reiatsu, it was no less powerful than a full-force slash from an ordinary captain.
To withstand such a blow with bare flesh...
The coldness in Aizen's eyes slowly faded.
It was the real deal.
Only then did he have time to notice the changes in the latter's appearance.
Satoru was wearing a black cloak.
Unlike the previous plain black, undecorated style that made him look like he'd draped a bedsheet over himself, this cloak was quite dashing.
First, there was an additional layer of shoulder cape.
Though it was just an extra piece of fabric, it significantly boosted the style factor.
Next, there were the edges embroidered with dark golden thread, visible all over the cloak.
These dark golden patterns greatly enhanced the cloak's sense of mystery and opulence.
Under the cloak's hood, Satoru grinned at him.
"What's the matter, Sōsuke? Since when do you draw your sword on a friend right off the bat?"
Aizen ignored him.
Withdrawing his Zanpakutō, he asked curiously:
"What is this?"
"Oh ho, you actually noticed?"
Satoru wore a proud expression.
"Unlike someone who tries to cut people down the moment they meet... I, Satoru, have come this time with my latest research achievement!"
He raised his arms, allowing Aizen to get a better look at his acolyte-style cloak.
"This is the super Satoru cloak, meticulously developed and created by me!"
"Wearing this cloak allows one to defeat any sun monster... ahem, it allows one to completely conceal their own Reiatsu!"
Although he had already witnessed the cloak's remarkable effects, Aizen was still somewhat surprised by Satoru's introduction.
He had thought the Shihōin Clan's divinely bestowed weaponry was already unmatched in the world, never expecting there could be equipment even more formidable.
After pondering for two seconds, he nodded in understanding.
"I see... The Royal Special Forces, Ōshibori."
"If it's her, it's indeed possible for her to temporarily descend by crossing the various barriers between the Soul King Palace and the Soul Society through some means."
"As expected of you, to have even connected with the Royal Special Forces..."
Watching Aizen analyze the situation, Satoru widened his eyes.
Had this guy Sōsuke evolved into a higher-dimensional being capable of overlooking the entire river of history?
He hadn't said anything, yet Aizen had deduced this much?
Before he could collect his thoughts, he saw Aizen reach out excitedly.
"Take it off."
"...Huh?"
"Take it off now!"
"Not like this, Sōsuke!"
"Argh!!"
Amid Satoru's half-hearted resistance, Aizen quickly stripped off his cloak.
Then, without looking back, he carried the cloak and returned to the laboratory.
Satoru shook his head and followed him inside.
"Sōsuke, you're lucky to have a friend with as good a temper as mine. Anyone else would have already stabbed you in the gut and released a super-potent toxin inside."
"Don't worry. Anyone with such intentions would have already fallen under Kyōka Suigetsu's control long before they could get close to me, making it impossible for them to harm me."
As he spoke, Aizen carefully placed the cloak under a microscope and began examining its structure.
The fabric, patterns, weaving technique...
Every detail could hold secrets.
Studying this cloak wasn't just about attempting replication—more importantly, it was about observing Ōshibori's ability style.
Someday in the future, he and Satoru would inevitably face the Zero Division in battle.
When that day came, today's observations would prove useful!
While Aizen conducted his research, Satoru walked over to the previous experiment table.
"Look, but don't touch."
Aizen didn't even turn his head, completely focused on his work.
"Is that any way to treat a wise man?"
Satoru grumbled discontentedly.
He picked up a nearby folder and skimmed through Aizen's experiment records.
After flipping through a few pages, he couldn't help but grimace.
Damn... using so many souls so casually.
Most of these were probably ordinary civilians from Rukongai.
Though he understood Aizen's methods, it still felt somewhat unsettling.
The subsequent experimental data became incomprehensible to him.
He only vaguely grasped that Aizen had likely made breakthrough progress.
If this were in the world before his transmigration, they could have swindled a hefty amount of research funding.
Musing about such trivial matters, he found a large chair to lounge in and comfortably fell asleep.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Satoru felt someone nudging him.
Opening his eyes, he saw Aizen standing before him.
"Let's go to the Eleventh Division."
"...What for?"
"To help a certain kill-but-don't-bury fool teach his subordinates."
Aizen's voice remained completely flat.
Satoru thought for two seconds before realizing who Aizen was referring to.
He chuckled and jumped down from the chair.
Thanks to Aizen's relentless efforts, both their current strength levels were far beyond what they used to be.
The long journey between Rukongai's border and Seireitei now took them less than an hour to complete.
Entering the Eleventh Division's gates, they made their way to the training grounds amidst the bowing greetings of the division members.
Kenpachi Zaraki, Komamura Sajin, Kaname Tōsen, Madarame Ikkaku, Ayasegawa Yumichika—they were all here.
Oh, and the girl with short golden-orange hair.
Compared to before, Rangiku had changed a great deal.
First, her tattered clothes had been replaced by the red and white uniform of Shin'ō Academy.
Her once-dirty little face was now clean and pretty.
The biggest change, however, was in her brown eyes.
Back when she was wandering the Rukongai, Rangiku's eyes had always been filled with vigilance and tension.
Like a frightened little creature, always ready to flee.
But now, the girl's gaze was firm.
The fear she once held had gradually given way to brightness under a better life.
Seeing Satoru, Rangiku lifted the corners of her mouth.
She raised a hand and waved at him.
"Satoru! Over here!"
Satoru clicked his tongue.
Walking up to Rangiku, he patted her on the head.
"You little brat, no sense of respect."
"I'm a professional Shinigami, a proper working adult."
"You're just a student—at least call me 'senpai' when you address me, got it?"
Rangiku rubbed her head, displeased.
"Cut it out! I heard you dropped out of Shin'ō in less than a year. By rights, you shouldn't even be of graduation age yet!"
"Dropped out? That's called early graduation!"
Satoru fumed.
"Yo, boss!"
Zaraki, carrying his sword on his shoulder and grinning widely, walked over.
He had missed Satoru terribly.
Just the thought of Satoru's wild, unrestrained blade cutting into him made him tremble with excitement.
A few days without being cut felt like Satoru was crawling under his skin—he couldn't stand it.
"Lord Satoru!"
Tōsen hurried over and bowed to Satoru.
Even after all this time, he remained the most reverent member of Satoru's group.
If not for Satoru's strict prohibition, he would have knelt on one knee every time they met.
"Satoru, here to play at the Eleventh Division?"
Yachiru popped up from somewhere and clung to Satoru's back.
Satoru nodded. "Yeah, the Eleventh Division is really warm and welco… huh?"
Mid-sentence, he sensed something off.
Pulling Yachiru down, he flicked her forehead.
"Here to play" at the Eleventh Division? Seriously?
He was the captain of the Eleventh Division! Even if he stepped down someday, he'd still be the former captain—a figure like an emperor emeritus!
After stepping down, he planned to remain in power for another four years. They could just wait their turn!
Under Aizen's direction, everyone began their training.
As they practiced, Aizen observed quietly.
When he noticed issues, he noted them down, summarizing problems and improvement plans.
This terrifying ability to tailor instruction to each individual earned the admiration of everyone in Satoru's group.
When it was Rangiku's turn, Aizen approached and watched her calmly.
Under his gaze, Rangiku gripped her sword and slashed at several Kidō-created dummies.
In previous training sessions, Rangiku had performed excellently, so this time he had intentionally increased both the number and defensive strength of the Kidō dummies.
Sure enough, under the sudden increase in pressure, Rangiku was visibly more strained than before.
In less than two minutes, the girl's movements began to falter slightly.
Seeing her cornered by three dummies, Aizen shook his head almost imperceptibly and prepared to end the session.
However, at that very moment, under his somewhat astonished gaze, Rangiku's expression suddenly shifted from slightly flustered to utterly calm.
She gripped her sword with both hands and swung it forward violently.
The instant the silver blade light flashed, all three Kidō dummies before her shattered into pieces!
"Hmm...?"
Aizen narrowed his golden eyes, focusing on Rangiku's fingers.
Satoru moved closer.
"By the way, Sōsuke, this is your first time seeing this ability of hers, isn't it?"
"First-year students have relatively little combat training, mostly theoretical classes, so I previously had her train with Sōjun."
"Back then, it was precisely because I witnessed this move of hers—powerful enough—that I considered recruiting her for the Eleventh Division..."
Just as he was explaining, Aizen suddenly interjected:
"Soul King Fragment."
"...?"
Satoru was taken aback.
Aizen murmured softly: "She carries a fragment of the Soul King within her."
"And it's a rather large fragment at that!"
"Her left index and middle fingers, from the fingertips to the second joint."
"Her right thumb, index finger, and pinky, from the fingertips to the first joint..."
"All of them are tightly fused with the Soul King Fragment!"
"The integrity is remarkably high, and the energy fluctuations are distinctly perceptible."
"One could say she is 'the fingertips of the Soul King'!"
Upon hearing this, Satoru couldn't help but reveal a look of astonishment.
He had always assumed that this timeline's Rangiku, perhaps due to his "butterfly effect," had encountered some strange opportunity, granting her this miraculous skill.
Never did he expect it to be a Soul King Fragment!
After a brief moment of shock, sudden concern washed over him.
He knew Aizen had been continuously searching for Soul King Fragments to use as experimental materials.
To Aizen, Soul King Fragments were crucial, the key to progressing to the next stage.
But... if obtaining such a fragment meant stripping it from someone close to him, Satoru would never accept it.
He looked at Aizen, pondering how to dissuade him.
However, before he could speak, Aizen suddenly turned his head with a faint, mocking smile and looked at him:
"What, are you afraid I'd secretly make a move and snatch that fragment from the child's fingertip?"
Satoru blinked, remaining silent.
Seeing his expression, Aizen tilted his head back slightly and let out a soft, derisive snort.
He pulled a piece of paper from his robe and casually tossed it toward Satoru.
Satoru reached out and caught it, opening it curiously.
After reading for a moment, his eyes filled with astonishment.
The paper contained rough records.
Listed were the identities and origins of experimental materials used in recent years.
Those souls he had originally believed to be ordinary commoners from Rukongai were actually all ronin, ruffians, bandits, and the like.
In the lower thirty districts of Rukongai, such individuals were plentiful, more than enough to meet the experimental demands.
However, specifically targeting these people required significantly more time and effort.
Satoru had thought that, given Aizen's nature, he would never bother going to such lengths.
Unexpectedly...
Noting Satoru's expression, Aizen said calmly:
"Even for ordinary experimental materials, I've sourced them in a way you'd find acceptable—using those who deserved their fate."
"As for finding Soul King Fragments, there are many methods. According to ancient texts, the Five Noble Clans shattered the Soul King into extremely fine pieces, scattering them across the world."
"With determination, one can always gather a sufficient quantity."
"Why would I need to fill the gap with your subordinate's soul?"
Seeing Aizen's haughty demeanor, Satoru was first taken aback.
Then, he couldn't help but laugh.