Bleach: The Strongest Shinigami

Careless. Immersed in research that demanded complete concentration, Aizen had neglected to maintain his mental barriers.

He hadn't expected such derangement from Kōga — first murdering the Central 46, then unleashing Muramasa to wreak havoc in the Seireitei.

What was he trying to achieve?

Aizen mused that he couldn't fathom the thoughts of a madman, though perhaps Akira shared something in common with Kōga. After all, both were rather unhinged.

Looking at the familiar yet strange figure before him, curiosity flickered in his eyes.

Could Kyōka Suigetsu, now separated from him, truly match his power? Or might she even demonstrate more impressive results with her inherent abilities?

"Kyōka Suigetsu?"

"Mm." The woman gave a light hum, clearly reluctant to engage with Aizen.

The Zanpakutō Spirit, her consciousness tainted by Muramasa's influence, felt her dissatisfaction with her master growing ever stronger, fostering thoughts of independence.

Kyōka Suigetsu was no exception. As she observed Aizen's unperturbed face, maintaining its villainous calm, her gaze turned increasingly dangerous.

She couldn't comprehend it.

Why did other Shinigami treat their Zanpakutō as cherished companions or treasures beyond measure, sharing meals and quarters, living as one?

Yet her master, Sōsuke Aizen, showed not a shred of care. Even now, facing his rebellious Zanpakutō, he maintained that pure, unflinching composure.

And that analytical gaze was utterly detestable!

"Come, use your ability on me." Aizen smiled, "I'm curious to experience how the five senses alter under Kyōka Suigetsu's influence. It's relevant to my next research topic. Please don't refuse."

Kyōka Suigetsu: "?"

She wondered if Aizen's prolonged exposure to Akira had warped his mind.

To request hypnosis of his own senses — what sane person would suggest such a thing? Did he not realize that surrendering his senses would make him nothing more than a puppet?

Or had he already discovered ways to counter Kyōka Suigetsu's power?

As doubts flooded her mind, memories of Aizen's perpetual indifference ignited her fury.

Without hesitation, her form flickered as she struck at him!

Clang!

Unlike Akira's broad and powerful fighting style, Kyōka Suigetsu — sharing the same soul origin as Aizen — displayed elegant combat postures and techniques.

Her movements remained sharp, her blade creating silver arcs that shattered like ripples on a tranquil lake.

A hint of surprise flashed in Aizen's eyes.

After materializing, Kyōka Suigetsu's mastery of Zanjutsu rivaled that of an average Captain. Though her style differed from his own, her skill was remarkable.

As they fought, they moved away from the laboratory, eventually reaching the barracks' exterior.

The 12th Division had fallen into chaos.

Most Shinigami Officers, having focused solely on scientific research while neglecting their training, were thoroughly defeated by their materialized Zanpakutō. Only a few managed to regain control.

Throughout the division, countless battles like Aizen's raged on.

As the two clashed, Mayuri passed by, holding the completely immobilized Ashisogi Jizō.

He showed no interest in Aizen's battle — his upcoming research consumed his attention entirely.

Ashisogi Jizō released an anguished cry, as if facing its end.

Watching Mayuri's departing figure, a chill crept into Kyōka Suigetsu's heart.

Would she share the same fate if defeated?

The thought of Aizen's recent forbidden experiments filled her with panic, causing her sword swings to slow noticeably.

Noticing her hesitation, Aizen's brows furrowed slightly, then smoothed out again.

"Worried I'll treat you like Kurotsuchi treats his? No need to worry about such things. I value my own soul quite highly and won't harm myself unless absolutely necessary."

Hearing this, anger flashed in Kyōka Suigetsu's eyes.

From beginning to end, this person had never truly valued her — in his eyes, there was only himself!

"Shatter…"

⤫ Shikai: Kyōka Suigetsu ⥤ Initial Release: Mirror Flower, Water Moon! ⤬

A brief flash of light from the blade vanished instantly. Without reciting the release command or performing the fixed movements, she activated the permanent complete hypnosis.

Kyōka Suigetsu retreated to the side, blade lowered with its tip pointing to the ground, her cold gaze fixed directly on Aizen.

After being hypnotized, Aizen showed no signs of noticing anything unusual. His five senses continued receiving information from the outside world as before.

Noting his confusion, Kyōka Suigetsu spoke calmly.

"You've merely become my captive. The real command hasn't been given yet."

As the words fell, two identical figures materialized at Aizen's sides, both holding blades and dressed in plain clothes.

"Have you grasped my true power?" Kyōka Suigetsu's voice came from both sides, "This is true complete hypnosis in its real sense. Sleep forever in your confusion!"

Two frost-gleaming blades descended toward Aizen simultaneously.

Clang!

The sound of clashing metal echoed, and Kyōka Suigetsu stared in shock at the blocked killing blow, her eyes wide with confusion.

The complete hypnosis was broken? Impossible — it must be luck!

She burst backward, and several more identical figures appeared at Aizen's sides, surrounding him completely.

Scattered Reiatsu erupted from the blades, countless brilliant lights weaving a great net that covered Aizen's position. Yet the expected panic didn't appear, and his expression remained terrifyingly calm.

Clang!!

Another clash of blades rang out.

An incomprehensible scene unfolded as Aizen precisely blocked Kyōka Suigetsu's strike, his posture relaxed, showing not the slightest strain.

"How is this possible?!"

Her eyes widened in growing confusion. Though she knew every method to break her own ability, she couldn't comprehend what was happening.

Aizen hadn't touched the blade, and their Reiatsu was similar. How could the complete hypnosis have no effect on him?

"Curious?" He said calmly, "Why your ability doesn't work on me?"

Kyōka Suigetsu didn't answer, gritting her teeth as she stepped back, trying to avoid his gaze. Yet no matter what she did, Aizen's eyes remained fixed on her with unwavering precision.

"When I first mastered Shikai, I pondered a question: What would I do if someone used the same ability — or one similar — against me? Would I let myself become their puppet, or surrender everything?"

He shook his head.

"Back then, with my limited knowledge, I could only think to overwhelm them with Reiatsu. But now that you've used this ability against me, I see my concerns were groundless."

Kyōka Suigetsu furrowed her brow deeply, still failing to grasp his meaning.

Aizen didn't mind — his time with Akira had given him patience for dealing with slower minds.

"Reiatsu matters, but wisdom is paramount." He smiled, "Kyōka Suigetsu's ability requires vast knowledge and microscopic control. What appears flawless to you has countless flaws to others. Take the Kyōka Suigetsu on my right — her clothes' hem and earrings differ subtly from yours."

Kyōka Suigetsu instinctively looked to check. When she spotted the discrepancy — one too minute for normal eyes to detect — she felt the breath leave her lungs.

Was he even human?

In that moment, she who had claimed to know everything about Aizen realized she'd only scratched the surface.

No one could truly see into this man's core.

{T/N: Just our dear and loved priest.}

"I've collected almost enough data." Aizen walked slowly toward Kyōka Suigetsu, raising his Zanpakutō, "The game ends here, Kyōka Suigetsu."

"No, it's just beginning!" She retorted defiantly, vanishing from beneath his blade and fleeing toward the barracks' exterior.

Since she couldn't deceive Aizen with hypnosis, she would turn her powers on others. The Soul Society was vast — surely someone could defeat him.

She was certain that others wouldn't be able to resist complete hypnosis through mere observation as Aizen had.

As countless candidates flashed through her mind, she settled on one familiar figure.

This is the one!

A look of determination crossed Kyōka Suigetsu's beautiful face as she headed straight for the Rukongai.

Watching her departing figure, Aizen felt a slight foreboding. After a brief hesitation, he gave chase.

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

"This guy's still chasing me!"

Kōga was extremely irritated, occasionally throwing back Hadō spells — either Gaki Rekkō or Kongōbaku.

But it was all futile. The flames and lightning exploded against his pursuer's body, only forcing him back a short distance without causing any wounds.

And his Shunpo speed was ridiculous — it wouldn't take long before he caught up again.

The moment Kōga showed the slightest lapse, black chains would strike like hunting vipers.

These chains were Akira's Zanpakutō. Though their killing power was ordinary, when combined with his nearly monstrous close combat ability, even Kōga's self-proclaimed talent wasn't enough to handle it.

Earlier, he had tried to engage in Zanjutsu, only for Akira to show him what true swordsmanship was. Hakuda proved even more devastating — one punch had nearly finished him off.

Now he could only fight while retreating, waiting for Muramasa to complete his mission so they could deal with this troublesome opponent together.

After several rounds of inscribing Kidō patterns, Akira's resistance to spells had become nearly impenetrable. Even a Hadō like Shakkahō couldn't break his defense unless infused with massive Reiatsu.

His specialty was being tough and durable.

After witnessing this foundation, Kōga had completely abandoned the idea of fighting him head-on.

Watching the continuously flickering figure ahead, a trace of impatience flashed in Akira's eyes.

Though Kōga was formidable — a direct fight might cost him dearly — the man refused to engage, constantly fleeing. Since his debut, Akira had never encountered such a cowardly opponent.

Just as he was thinking this, a white figure silently appeared behind him.

Kōga, sharing a mental connection with Muramasa, showed a fierce expression on his face, as if seeing the light of victory.

'Use the Bankai ability on him, Muramasa!'

Without hesitation, Muramasa thrust his hand through Akira's chest from behind.

However, in the next moment, the poor Spirit stood dumbfounded, his eyes lifeless, as if he had lost all purpose.

"You fool, what are you doing?!" Seeing this, Kōga exploded with rage.

The opportunity he had worked so hard to create — this imbecile had let it slip away.

Akira turned his head, a vicious grin spreading across his face, and without a word, countered with an Ikkotsu. The purple flame-wrapped bone strike landed squarely on Muramasa's face.

⤫ Genshiki-ryū: Ikkotsu ⥤ Origin Style: Single Bone! ⤬

In an instant, his features distorted — facial bones shattered, flesh charred and disintegrated.

Muramasa went flying, drawing a perfect parabola through the sky before crashing into the ground, creating a deep crater.

Kōga's mouth twitched at the sight. He had expected Muramasa might fail, but not this catastrophically.

Fortunately, as a Zanpakutō, such external injuries meant little — as long as his master lived.

He called to Muramasa in his mind.

A hideous figure materialized beside him, like a fierce demon. His white coat was blood-soaked, his face no longer human. Indigo Reiatsu arose, healing his wounds.

"Why didn't you use your ability on Kisaragi just now?" Kōga demanded, his voice thick with displeasure.

Muramasa's expression was peculiar as he gazed at his master with an indecipherable look and answered vaguely.

"That was just an accident."

He resolved to keep what he had witnessed locked deep within, never to be revealed to another soul.

The scene Akira had somehow planted in his memories was beyond outrageous! Muramasa would stake his life that he would never commit such acts against his master.

⤫ Kongōbaku ⥤ Adamantine Blast! ⤬

Without warning, Kōga launched a new round of attacks at Akira.

He understood perfectly that failing to defeat this formidable opponent would render all his ambitions meaningless.

A massive golden-red fireball approached, its scorching presence baking the earth.

"Muramasa, seize the opportunity!"

At his master's command, Muramasa vanished and reappeared directly at Akira's side.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes — since memories posed a problem, he would simply circumvent them.

"Awaken, Zanpakutō!"

Spirit Manifestation, activate!

The next moment, Muramasa's vision blurred, and the world before his eyes changed...

⤫⤬⤫

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