Interlude: My Greatest Creation
Shiori Aizen POV
"A Quincy Fullbring... interesting." I said to myself, eyes fixed on the screen displaying images from the Human World.
By now, I must have watched this recording hundreds of times. And yet, how could I stop, when it was such a fascinating spectacle?
Kurosaki Ichigo, born from the union of the former 10th Division captain, Isshin, and a Quincy, was starting to show talent worthy of his lineage—and, more importantly, as a rare natural hybrid between multiple spiritual races.
I truly should thank Urahara Kisuke for interfering and making his birth possible.
Ichigo was born as a human because Captain Isshin was forced to live within a shell made of human souls, a special gigai designed to suppress White and ultimately allow him to conceive the boy with the Quincy.
Ironic, isn't it? That very choice played in my favor. Shiba Isshin, relegated to life in the Human World, could no longer return to the Soul Society, nor interfere, nor accuse me.
And everything aligned perfectly to give birth to my greatest creation. So, thank you, Urahara Kisuke. Your mere existence simplified my plan far more than you'll ever know.
Honestly, I thought it would take Ichigo much longer to awaken his latent powers. After all, until not long ago, he could barely sense spirits.
But it seemed the call of blood could not be ignored forever, given that he first unlocked his Quincy side. Though I couldn't help but wonder if some external force played a part in it.
The Quincy King...
It was a thought I couldn't ignore. But at that moment, my focus was on the boy fighting Hollows. He wasn't just battling them—he was training, refining his abilities in real time, turning the encounter into a proving ground.
I realized it right away, watching closely, as each of his movements, though still rough at times, grew steadily more precise.
He was surrounded by Hollows, yet showed no hesitation, as if his own power were guiding him toward the right action.
Most interesting of all was how his wings kept changing shape, becoming more familiar to him as he grew accustomed to this new power.
From what I could tell—without conducting deeper tests—he wasn't just drawing on his own Reiryoku to trigger transformations. He was also assimilating the ambient Reishi, granting him nearly absolute control over the Reishi within a localized zone.
This wasn't simply forming wings or performing basic transformations. No—he could literally shape the Reishi however he pleased, bending it to his will as if it were an extension of his own body.
Quincy are known for manipulating Reishi, yes, but even they have well-defined limits. What he was doing went far beyond. It was something… abnormal.
Something dangerously promising.
"He was improving. Fast. Far too fast." I thought, as I watched his wings merge into a single structure, beginning to warp into a massive bow.
Such a lovely little abomination 〰️
"What do you think?" I asked my current allies, leaning back comfortably in my chair.
"He's getting pretty good," Gin said after a moment, in his usual lighthearted tone. "A bit too good for a kid who's never fought before… and they called me a genius at the Academy."
Tōsen nodded slightly, his expression as unreadable as ever.
"If he keeps growing at this rate, he could become a real threat in the future."
I smiled faintly, still watching him on the screen.
"That's exactly what I want." I turned slowly toward them.
"I don't want a pawn. I want someone who can stand beside me when the time is right."
Gin raised an eyebrow. "An ally, or a replacement?"
"An equal." I returned my gaze to the screen. Ichigo was facing off against a small group of Hollows. His wings were transforming once again, blending with the ambient Reishi.
He controlled it better this time. He looked more confident.
"It would be a real disappointment," I murmured to myself, letting the thought drift on the air, "if in the end he failed to unlock all that latent potential inside him."
Tōsen, ever composed, answered without hesitation:
"As long as he remains under our control, he poses no problem."
"I don't need blind obedience," I replied.
"I need someone who understands the world as I do. Someone who chooses to follow me because they truly want to."
Gin smiled. "Then let's hope your little creation doesn't disappoint you."
"I hope so too," I concluded.
...
"Interesting."
"Truly... very interesting."
I must admit, Kurosaki Ichigo's arrival in Hueco Mundo caught me off guard. Even more so, the fact that he willingly immersed himself in the Forest of Menos.
If one of the other Seireitei captains had witnessed such a scene, they would have been shocked—perhaps even horrified. They'd have called him reckless, claimed venturing alone into the Forest of Menos was a suicidal act, devoid of logic.
But me? I knew exactly what he was looking for.
A challenge. A real one.
Something the human world, with its wandering and predictable Hollows, could no longer offer him.
He wanted to be tested, forced to surpass his limits.
"Truly..." My hand lifted almost on its own, brushing the screen that projected his face.
The way he moved, how he followed the massive flow of Reishi in Hueco Mundo, the focus in his eyes as he sought to make progress with his powers.
He was beautiful.
It wasn't just about aesthetics—though his battle-worn and tense expression was very much to my liking. No, what truly fascinated me was his ability to transcend limits, to rewrite the rules of what should be impossible, to embody a new form of existence.
The more I watched him, the more the desire to have him near grew inside me.
Not as a toy, nor as a puppet to manipulate.I wanted him at my side—as an equal.And I wanted to share with him a vision no one else had ever dared or been lucid enough to understand.
Especially to make him see the world as I do: flawed, stagnant, stubborn in maintaining a fake balance, devoid of evolution.
Ichigo is different.
He is change.
And maybe, just maybe...
He could understand me.
He could see me not as a monster, not as a traitor, but as what I truly am—a being who has surpassed imposed limits, like him.
In that moment, we could dethrone that thing from its seat: a being that is nothing more than an empty symbol, built to represent the hypocritical, corrupt order of the Soul Society, solely to perpetuate their stagnant control.
But my thoughts were abruptly interrupted by an unexpected scene that immediately captured my attention.
Two unusually shaped Hollows—they looked like twin birds, one surrounded by a crimson aura, the other by blue lightning-like sparks—were desperately trying to survive against a group of Adjuchas who had encircled them like a pack of hungry wolves.
Too weak to survive in such a cruel place.
It was clear: they were about to be slaughtered.
And no one would care enough to stop it.
No one… except him.
Ichigo saw them. And without hesitation, he threw himself into the fray.Not out of pity. Not for justice.He did it simply because he couldn't stand still. Because even in a world like this, he acted according to his own instinct.
He placed himself between the two small Hollows and the aggressors, and in an instant, annihilated them with a Cero—charged with fierce, uncontrolled power, tearing through the sand and air with a terrifying hiss.
I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. 'I didn't know he could already do something like that.' A slow smile formed on my lips as I saw how effortlessly he shattered the very balance of this universe.
After the clash, the two Hollows stared at him.
They weren't used to being saved. Not by someone stronger. Not by someone who asked for nothing in return. They were uncertain—staring at him, trying to figure out whether he was a savior or just a new, greater, and more unfathomable threat.
Ichigo, however, didn't say anything grand. He didn't threaten them, didn't interrogate them. He simply gave them a brief nod.
He said something, but unfortunately, I couldn't make out his words—yet, from how the two kept staring at him as he walked away, frozen, stunned, it was clear that whatever he said had touched them.
Then he turned and left, leaving them behind.
I remained silent for a moment, mentally storing every detail of what I had just observed.
Especially his ability to open a Garganta with such ease—something rarely seen even among the Vasto Lorde. A skill like that, executed without hesitation, was a clear sign of how far he was progressing.
"Not bad, Kurosaki Ichigo," I thought, a pleased smile on my lips.Oh yes. The moment had finally come—when my little experiment truly began to bloom.
I cast one last glance at the twin Hollows. If they survived, I wouldn't mind subjecting them to the Hōgyoku's influence in the future.
[Interlude]
"Am I on time?" I asked, glancing around the meeting room. Some of the captains had yet to arrive.
But… Kenpachi is nowhere to be seen.
Did he get lost again?
"You're perfectly on time, Captain Aizen… unlike someone else," murmured Ukitake with a light smile as I approached and took a position not too far from him. From there, I could comfortably observe everyone else present.
Today he seemed in good health...
I understood perfectly who he was referring to. I had already placed that captain on my mental list of potential problems. Not only was he still hiding his Bankai, but he was also the kind of person willing to do anything to achieve victory.
"Well, Commander Yamamoto doesn't seem bothered by the delay… so I suppose he's fine with it," I commented with an understanding nod, trying to maintain that relaxed yet aware demeanor I had learned by observing Shinji Hirako in his days as a captain.
I glanced around again, calmly scanning every face in the room. Truth be told, I still had doubts about the real reason we had been summoned.
And perhaps, subconsciously, I was watching Yamamoto's reactions. I wanted to see if there was something more behind this encounter, even though I had my own theories concerning a certain hybrid.
I must admit, the old man kept exceeding even my most optimistic expectations. And yet, that didn't mean I could afford to let my guard down.
My thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the sudden arrival of Captain Shisui, followed almost immediately by a curt reprimand.
"Let us begin." The Commander's voice echoed with authority throughout the room.
I suppose we won't be waiting for the last stragglers.
Instinctively, I straightened slightly. His reiatsu – so dense, so heavy – accompanied by words so simple yet definitive, always managed to make him seem larger, more inevitable, than he already was.
For my plans, he remained the most dangerous element. An obstacle I could not yet afford to face directly with his overwhelming strength.
Well, he is the Captain-Commander for a reason.
Fortunately, his near-fanatical respect for the rules imposed by Central 46 – particularly the one forbidding the use of his Bankai – still gave me a margin of safety.
I just needed him not to use it. Not yet. Even I wouldn't walk away unscathed… at least not until I had completely assimilated him and bent him to my will.
My Hōgyoku was technically complete, but something was missing. Perhaps Kisuke Urahara's prototype contained what mine lacked: that spark, that necessary imperfection to make it perfect.
Yes. That might work.
When plans begin to form in your mind, you must set aside doubt. Hesitation is a luxury to be postponed. The completion of the Hōgyoku is my top priority.
I must feed it with Urahara's creation to fully awaken its latent potential. As it is now, it will never be enough to break the rules of this world.
Yet if the two Hōgyoku were to be fused, then yes — they could transcend every limit. They could fulfill the deepest desires, become the very embodiment of will.
"Captain Mayuri," the Captain-Commander finally said, addressing Urahara's successor. "Report." He paused for a moment, clearly torn between multiple thoughts, then stepped forward with his usual theatrical flair.
"Our division has been detecting anomalies in the human world for some time now," he reported. "Spikes of reiatsu at captain-level. Repeated. Intense. But we've still been unable to precisely locate the source."
"How sure are you?" the Commander asked in a flat tone.
Mayuri scoffed, irritated. "Don't ask such stupid questions. Of course I'm sure."
"Mmm…" The Commander grunted, giving a small nod.
"Perhaps we should send a lieutenant to investigate," I proposed casually, even knowing the suggestion would provoke a reaction.
"No!" exclaimed Sui-Feng before I could even finish. "I volunteer to go!"
Ah, of course. Yoruichi's faithful little hound couldn't resist the chance to hunt. I wondered whether Ichigo was ready to face someone like her.
I doubted it. Her speed, combined with the lethality of her shikai, left few chances for anyone not used to fighting at that level.
"I agree with Aizen," Captain Hitsugaya intervened, arms crossed. "For an initial investigation, we can't afford to be too hasty in our decisions."
I gave Hitsugaya a small nod of gratitude.
He was the easiest captain to manipulate.
"We should send a full team, in complete accordance with the laws and restrictions imposed," declared Kuchiki Byakuya, his voice cold and unshakable. "Only then can we operate freely in the human world while maintaining the order and integrity of our mandate."
Predictable. Far too much so.
Captain Byakuya is the perfect embodiment of blind nobility: loyal to the rules to the point of self-destruction, so imprisoned by form that he forgets substance. Always ready to wield the law like a weapon, but incapable of seeing the enemy for what it truly is.
"I don't believe that's the most prudent path to take," I responded in a calm, reflective tone, letting two fingers slowly glide along my chin as if immersed in deep analysis. "To act with such haste without even having concrete information would only expose us needlessly. In my view… it's not yet time for direct action."
Lying? No, it wasn't necessary. One simply had to bend the truth. Manipulating the conversation required subtlety, not force. Words, whispered with the right intonation, could slip into others' thoughts like sweet poison.
And I was already seeing the effects.
"Tell us what you have in mind, Captain Aizen," Yamamoto Genryūsai interjected, his heavy, impassive tone weighing on me as his ancient, unrelenting eyes settled on mine.
Perfect.
Everything was aligning. Every move I had anticipated was unfolding one after the other, like pieces of a grand design.
I needed only one thing: time.
And now, ironically, it was they who were giving it to me.
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Chapter- 16: Shocker - Chapter- 17 (Incoming)
Chapter- 23: Your Ass Will Be Mine
Chapter - 8: New Hunt - Chapter - 9: Past unknown
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