The Visored  

Boom!

"Playing rough, are we?"

"Ailin," watched the mushroom cloud rise in the distance. "These guys… They don't seem to care about the humans in this world."

Having inherited the original Ailin's memories, this "Ailin" understood that in the eyes of the Soul Society, humans were the least respected beings in existence.

The Hollows of Hueco Mundo simply saw humans as food. Expecting them to treat humans as equals was absurd. Who would elevate their food to the same status as themselves?

Just as in Ailin's previous life, humans stood atop the food chain. Even their calls for animal conservation were merely a pragmatic attempt to maintain their environment.

The Shinigami, self-proclaimed guardians of the world, viewed humans as a mere link in the cycle of souls. They, too, never saw humans as equals.

Rather, they treated them as resources.

For instance, to ascend to the Zero Division and reach the Soul King Palace, one needed to create an "Ōken." Only those who possessed an "Ōken" were permitted to reside within the palace.

But how was an "Ōken" created?

By slaughtering hundreds of thousands of humans living within an area exceeding one reiri, collecting their souls, and using them as materials to forge a "Soul King Bone" to replace one's own.

That was the price of creating an "Ōken."

The "Ōken" was a "Soul King Bone" essential for those with insufficient spiritual pressure to survive in the Soul King Palace. Fusing with an "Ōken" would grant a Shinigami a significant power boost.

The Shinigami residing in the Soul King Palace weren't the "Divine Soldiers" created by Senjumaru Shutara. They were ordinary Shinigami from the Seireitei, summoned to serve the Zero Division, to clean and maintain the palace.

To move freely within the palace, they, too, required "Ōken."

Even if their "Ōken" were inferior to those wielded by the Zero Division, they would still require the souls of at least a few thousand, even tens of thousands of humans to create.

Therefore, even if there were only a hundred Shinigami in the Soul King Palace, assuming each "Ōken" only required five thousand souls, that would mean five hundred thousand humans had been senselessly murdered.

The members of the Zero Division, excluding Ichibei Hyosube who didn't require an "Ōken", each needed at least a hundred thousand human souls to create their respective "Ōken."

This meant the entire Soul King Palace was built upon the "sin" of a million human lives.

Sadly, no one remembered this sin. No one sought justice for those million souls.

After all, in this world, strength was the only truth that mattered. And that truth was held by Hollows, Shinigami, Quincy…

But never by humans.

Humans were nothing more than a link in the cycle of souls.

Tessai Tsukabishi's barrier swiftly contained the commotion caused by Isshin Shiba, its transparent walls was preventing ordinary humans from witnessing the battle. Those who had been drawn by the sound of the explosion wandered around for a while before returning to their homes.

Humans were so easily manipulated.

Ailin remembered that as human technology advanced, the damage caused by Shinigami and Hollow battles had become increasingly difficult to conceal. Humans had started to attribute these events to "supernatural phenomena."

To prevent their existence from being exposed, the Shinigami had invented a device: a memory-altering device. This device, emitting a bright light, could erase the memories of any human who witnessed a "supernatural event" and replace them with a fabricated explanation.

No matter how absurd the explanation, the human would accept it as truth. It demonstrated the Shinigami's arrogance.

They couldn't even bother to come up with believable excuses. Even a fabricated memory of an airplane crashing into a wall, as absurd as it might seem, would likely amuse them.

Just like now, two powerful beings were battling nearby, yet those humans remained oblivious.

…

Boom!

The sound of an explosion echoed through an abandoned warehouse, causing several shadows within to stir.

Click.

A switch flipped, and fluorescent lights flickered to life, illuminating the warehouse. Eight figures stood within.

The Visored.

"Hey, Baldy, that explosion… It sounded like it came from Urahara's direction." Hiyori Sarugaki frowned at the distant mushroom cloud.

"Hah? Hiyori, are you blind? That's Urahara's territory, of course it came from there."

"But that spiritual pressure clashing with Urahara… It feels like Isshin Shiba, the captain of the 10th Division."

"Yes, it's him Kensei Muguruma nodded. "While we haven't interacted much, I've attended a few captain's meetings. I'm familiar with his spiritual pressure."

"What are they doing? Why is Isshin Shiba fighting Urahara?"

"Has the Seireitei discovered us? Have they sent assassins to eliminate us?"

"Hah! Impossible!" Shinji Hirako laughed. "There are four captains among us, including myself. The Gotei 13 would need to send at least half their captains, led by a few specific individuals, to stand a chance…"

He suddenly stopped, looking grim.

The other Visored captains—Love Aikawa, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, and Hachigen Ushoda—mirrored his reaction.

"I spoke too soon. It seems it's not the Gotei 13 who wants to eliminate us, but you, Aizen."

"What? Aizen?"

The other Visored, hearing Shinji's words, instantly drew their Zanpakutō and glared at the shadows behind him.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Footsteps echoed from the darkness, accompanied by a wave of oppressive spiritual pressure. The Visored, even now, couldn't forget the humiliation and suffering they had endured at Aizen's hands decades ago.

If not for him, they wouldn't be in their current predicament.

As the footsteps approached, a figure emerged from the shadows, illuminated by the harsh glare of the warehouse lights. It was "Ailin," his face adorned with a deceptively gentle smile.

"Well, well, long time no see, Captain Hirako. And Captains Ōtoribashi, Aikawa, Yadōmaru… It warms my heart to see you all again."

His mocking tone enraged the Visored.

"Aizen!"

Hiyori was the first to attack.

"Chop him down, Kubikiri Orochi!"

Her Zanpakutō transformed into a massive cleaver with a serrated blade. She swiped her hand across her face and a single-horned bone mask materialized over her features.

"Die, Aizen!"

Her voice, now a distorted, dual-toned echo, resonated with fury as she charged towards "Ailin" with incredible speed.

"Hiyori, wait!" Shinji, fearing for her safety, chased after her.

"Ailin" made no attempt to dodge. He simply raised his left hand, extending his index finger.

Clang!

Hiyori's Kubikiri Orochi clashed against his finger, a sound like metal striking metal echoing through the warehouse.

But to everyone's horror, her powerful attack hadn't even scratched Ailin's skin.

What kind of defense was that?

Before they could react, "Ailin" bent his finger that had blocked Hiyori's attack, and the two knuckles pressed against the blade of Kubikiri Orochi.

"Hmm?"

Hiyori felt a surge of unease, though she couldn't understand what "Ailin" was doing. She tried to pull her Zanpakutō back. But to her shock, it wouldn't budge!

Looking through the hollow sockets of her mask, Hiyori saw that "Ailin" had trapped Kubikiri Orochi between his thumb and index finger.

"Damn it!"

She was enraged. She couldn't even overpower two of his fingers? Red spiritual pressure erupted from her body.

"Chop him down, Kubikiri Orochi!"

Her Zanpakutō glowed with a crimson light in response to her fury.

Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!

Kubikiri Orochi extended rapidly, its segmented blade growing, each section a massive cleaver, forming a serpentine coil that encircled "Ailin." It tightened, as if attempting to crush him.

However…

Snap!

With a single flex of his fingers, "Ailin" shattered Kubikiri Orochi.

The segments of the blade, having lost their connection to the hilt, clattered to the ground, lifeless.

"Impossible!"

Hiyori stared in disbelief. Her Zanpakutō had been destroyed!

"Ailin" pressed his index finger, the one that had crushed Kubikiri Orochi, against Hiyori's forehead.

"Hadō #1 - Shō!"