-Only fools may willingly walk into a slaughter.
Aizen clicked his sword back in place in its sheath, his gaze dispassionate, his condescension beyond mere disappointment. There were certain words that could be used to describe the feeling of emptiness and isolation that one feels at the top, but none could describe it better than apathy.
"A power that allows you to convert your beliefs into reality is truly worthy of the word 'visionary,' but in the end, the strength of belief may either be feeble enough to delude oneself with a sense of mightiness and arrogance, or actually prove to be of worth."
He stared at the vacant eyes of the foe before him and gradually shook his head, a derisive sneer forming over the curvature of his lips.
"The mightier your pride, the greater your belief, but your worth has been found lacking, unable to discern that you've already denied the true reality. In which case, the means of your own power become your undoing. With a power like your own, what happens when you yourself mistakenly reject the truth and are unable to discern the machinations of a lie? How would your power of the visionary manifest this conundrum?"
Gremmy's body began fading piece by piece, soundlessly like melting ice, first from the feet, then the hands, then the body.
There was nothing more to be seen here, nor dwell over.
Aizen didn't deign the confrontation worth anymore of his attention, his mouth delivering the finality of a single conclusion.
"The answer is simple. You wipe yourself out of existence."
Gremmy Thoumeaux was gone as if he'd never even existed.
-A eulogy of death, despair, and defeat will come to the unwise. Only through resolution may true power bloom upon the tranquil lake of one's soul, unbothered, and bemoaned of all paltry trivialities.
The goal stood before him.
The key to be created and the sacrifices to be offered were no longer required.
The Palace lay before him, and all that decided the outcome of achieving his goal or not relied on nothing more than his own capability.
-If a caged bird hammers at the gates of its enclosure, surely one day through persistence and planning the lock would come undone through repetition and deterioration.
Power is influence, and intellect is the means to acquire.
He would remain a bird caged to the world's limitations and whims of an insentient doll no longer.
This was his defining moment throughout his lifetime, and he even had an ally to show for it. He refused to believe that he could fail when he was already so close.
Standing in silence, he gazed away from the Soul King's Palace and stared provocatively towards the sky where two giants of spiritual energy constantly clashed. Of course, neither of these giants had the leisure to pay attention to him in their conflict, but he had all the intention to closely scrutinize and exploit future advantages.
Waves of spiritual swords clashed against formless specters riddled with unblinking eyes.
Aizen could tell that there was a tacit agreement occurring between the two giants while testing the other's limits. Neither would push too hard or retaliate full fold.
They were both standing at an impasse.
In which case, who would be the deciding factors in this conflict?
Did he even need to consider who would be tipping the scales of this conflict?
An amused grin caused Aizen's lips to twitch upward. It had been a long time since he'd felt beneath an individual, let alone two. Still, he would play his part to his ally, as this feeling of mutual assistance was to his benefit.
"Are you done watching?" He suddenly called out to the air in the distant horizon.
A rush of dark spiritual energy congregated and formed into Yhwach's likeness. The only differences were the startling lack of eyes and the shroud of darkness that covered the original Yhwach.
"A spiritual double?" Aizen mused candidly. "Do you wish to deal with me yourself? How flattering, but you will not be able to have much of a fight if you were to remain so far away."
Indeed. This Yhwach had manifested in the area under the Soul King Palace's jurisdiction. Confident as Aizen was, he wouldn't venture forth into a world constrained by Yhwach's will without support to nullify any adverse effects.
"You think me a coward?" Yhwach spoke coldly. It may have been a double, but there was no doubt that it shared a conscience with the true Yhwach.
There was something about it that seemed slightly off, but Aizen was a man that never failed in his ability to accurately read people. Yhwach refused to get anywhere near him, and there was only one reason why.
"You've closed your eyes." He pointed out snidely. "Are you truly so cautious of someone such as I? Is the difference between you and I so worthy of your caution that you would remain so far and so indisposed?"
Tensions rose if only for a moment, but Yhwach snorted before letting out a hearty amused laugh. "You look down on me?" He stopped laughing, a hand reaching out towards the air and pulling in spiritual particles.
Aizen was unperturbed.
-Weakness is a sin, and everything taken for granted will one day shatter against this truth.
"Precisely," he had no intention of mincing words. "It's because you have stagnated by reaching the supposed zenith of your power while mine remains unfettered in its potential. You refuse direct combat as you know that you're susceptible at least in part to my prowess. As for that fool from earlier, did you end up seeing enough with that test?"
"Special war potential indeed." Yhwach's shoulder shook as he grunted in amusement. "Have I seen enough? I have. I now have a better understanding of how your abilities work by hypnotising an enemy's five senses to the point of mental breakdown. Moreover, it demonstrates a fine layer of finesse and comprehension regarding the mind and psyche to thoroughly convince a recipient of the illusion. Few if any would be able to be your match once caught in your sword's snare."
Aizen raised a brow, feeling the changes in the air while Yhwach leisurely pointed his finger and tore a space in the void.
A bang resounded, followed an inflow of wind and pressure and that forced his clothing to billow fiercely behind him. He hummed in thought.
"You don't appear overly worried by your tone. You're confident, your very demeanor screams so. Sill, I didn't take you as one to give praise to an enemy." Aizen let out a breath, the Hogyoku suspended over his chest within his Shihakusho glowing a bright azure.
-Only through combat may evolution weed out the undeserving.
A fight with a strong adversary? He welcomed it, but Yhwach made no move to close the distance and spoke instead.
"On the contrary, I admire those with enough skill and determination. Yamamoto was one such example, but he's grown soft, worthless. So much so that the man I once knew surely died on that day a thousand years ago. No matter, I will acknowledge your strength, but you'll soon learn the consequence of painting a target upon yourself. Let's see how you deal with this?"
Instantly, Yhwach flicked a finger up, and in the space where spiritual energy was congregating, dozens of armed Quincy manifested. However, one fact became clear upon a single inspection.
How discouraging.
Aizen's features grew steely. He was left with only the common drabble.
None of the Quincy in front of him exuded anything close to a level of strength equal to a Captain-Class Shinigami or Hollow. Rather, their demeanors and overall presence was severely underwhelming.
Was this a joke?
He considered things carefully, but there was no way Yhwach was really making light of him. Yhwach couldn't afford to with Yhwach's hands full dealing with Shirou.
So why?
Was it simply because Yhwach wouldn't risk deploying his strongest troops this early on? It was plausible as Aizen had no qualms with slaughtering them where they stood should they come to face him.
"Disappointed?" Yhwach let out a laugh.
It was like Yhwach could read what he was thinking, granted, he wasn't exactly masking his annoyance.
"But these individuals aren't quite as they seem," Yhwach continued.
You mean disposable? I fail to see the difference. Aizen's eyes narrowed, his lips curling.
The gazes of the summoned Quincy refused to draw anywhere close to his form. It was almost amusing if not for the fact that he expected more from this.
-A drop descends upon the tranquil surface of a lake, ripples distorting the image of the moon reflected above.
He was no longer amused.
The white glow of power around him resembled the likeness of the overhead stars. He was the world and the beginning. A master fated to decide what one may hear, smell, touch, feel, and see.
Before Gods, before Kings, He alone stands at the top.
"You believe that getting passed me is as simple as whether or not you choose to stare upon my sword?" His tone was sharp, his spiritual pressure lethal in its intensity. "If you only serve as a means to hinder my growth, then so be it. There will be no compromise nor consideration."
The oppressive aura blanketing the area was suffocating, but even still, many of the summoned Quincy failed to register the gravity of facing him.
They who hid in the silence, and remained in the shadows do not know of terror and their inadequacy.
"We know of your capabilities, and without them, you are nothing!" They hollered and hawed in their ignorance. "This farce is over, Shinigami!"
-Waters release their undulation, obscuring the calm.
Shunpo.
"Indeed." It was too fast. Too quick. "It is over."
Blood spurted out of the nearest Quincy's neck followed by ten more in an instant.
The spiritual energy that exuded from him was like a mighty ocean that swept away any and all resistance. Just as the waves ebb to and fro, the land must give and break.
"Don't look at him!"
What do you fear? What makes you run?
The blade light of his sword stabbed and slashed, not a trace of emotion across his face.
"Don't look? Haven't you already?" He brandished his sword, and all at once, the Quincy who had been valiantly keeping their gazes firm noticed him vanish entirely.
It wasn't a question of when he'd used Kyouka Suigestsu, but when had he not?
His figure was like a phantom, broad and ruthless.
Bodies fell one by one, plummeting from their platforms of spiritual energy. It was almost too easy. The difference was staggering, but then the impossible seemed to happen.
He swung his sword down, his fingers gripping the hilt of his sword and aiming the slash.
The Quincy across from him that had been reduced a scant seven suddenly dodged, craning her head back and saving it from decapitation.
They saw through it?
Aizen remained unperturbed. Once could be a coincidence, but when he tried again, all seven of the remaining Quincy managed to shift out of the way. Moreover, their output of spiritual energy was steadily climbing.
"Auswählen," Yhwach's voice echoed, and blue pillars of light enshrouded many Quincy as their bodies disintegrated.
The seven before him grew even stronger.
How odd. Still, what was the use in power if they weren't capable of using it effectively against him?
He attacked, but was once again evaded, this time, he noticed the glow of thin threads over their bodies.
His gaze glanced sharply up at Yhwach's double overseeing the battle from up high near the Soul King's Star Palace. From Yhwach's hands, numerous thread-like bands almost invisible to the eye were cast out.
Strands? He observed closer and noticed them wrapped around the bodies of the seven Quincy.
"I see," he murmured.
He'd heard of this particular Quincy technique before. A last resort sort of technique that could force disabled or injured body parts to keep moving and maintain optimum battle strength. In this case, threads wrapped all around the seven and directed their moves.
Marionettes.
"A clever ploy," Aizen remained expressionless, but inwardly he was clicking his tongue.
Things had just gotten troublesome. Although Yhwach had his eyes closed, there was no doubt in Aizen's mind that Yhwach could still sense him, and thus direct the seven. And with Yhwach directing these seven Quincy personally, it didn't matter if Kyouka Suigetsu took affect on them or not.
Suddenly, he could understand why Yhwach wouldn't have sent out his strongest Sternritter anymore. None of them would have willingly allowed themselves to be mere disposable puppets.
"You've lost, Shinigami," Yhwach stated flatly. "Your strength will dwindle, and mine will only continue to grow. You can feel it can't you? The strength of these seven is rising astronomically. You can handle them now, but what about when they equal you in spiritual power?"
Aizen gave no comment. Instead, he watched as a torrent of swords blasted through the air and towards the seven. However, each sword was intercepted by black specters.
Aizen hummed in thought while glancing only once at Shirou and shaking his head.
This was Aizen's matter to deal with.
"Lost? No," he smiled, neither hurried nor pressed. "From the start, my victory conditions differed from yours, so go ahead and wait until these seven reach my strength."
Yhwach's features tightened, his brows creasing if only for a moment. "Time? It's hardly been a few hours at most."
This was true. A scant few hours meant nothing in the grand spectrum of things; however, it was an eternity for those who were too weak to help who they most cared for. Considering the devotion and feelings most Hollows had for their lord, a few hours would be enough.
Aizen could feel the air within Hueco Mundo's space gradually tearing to reveal a dark corridor between dimensions.
Yhwach frowned, but Aizen paid no heed and continued his conjectures.
"Presumptuous as it may be to assume, you are the invader here; the enemy threatening the livelihood of everything that the Lord of Hollows has ever built." Aizen casually withdrew his spiritual energy, saving it for when it would matter.
He snorted in displeasure. "Oddly enough, if this were a play or story of some sort, you'd be considered the villain and me, a hero perhaps? How utterly revolting, but no matter. I wouldn't be considered the only hero in this case, and this is what matters-"
"Are you patronizing me?" Yhwach cut in, the smirk on Aizen's face enough of a provocation to determine that nothing he was saying had any factual relevance.
This was banter. Worse off, it was baseless and spoken purposely to annoy.
But Aizen remained unperturbed and continued his analogy.
"You see in my observation and conflicts against these supposed 'heroes,' my research has pointed to a fundamental and conclusive fact-"
"Enough of this. Your confidence in those that had mere hours to obtain a qualitative increase in strength is utterly ridiculous."
Even the Wandenreich had to wait a thousand years to garner the strength to launch and continue this blood feud.
"Maybe. Maybe not," Aizen neither agreed nor disagreed, remaining calm as if speaking from experience. "But it's worth noting nonetheless."
It was almost unnerving. Yhwach resisted the urge to sneer. "What?" he forced out.
"Don't you understand, and you best remember it well."
A Garganta opened above Hueco Mundo and several figures began walking out.
Aizen felt a wave of spiritual energy and pressure that nearly rivaled his own. For a moment, even his lips twitched indignantly as a concept that surpassed reality and all expectations reared its ugly head.
"Heroes are bullshit."
Thanks for reading, and sorry for smaller update! I had an exam in the morning which drained a lot of my energy, and then I still have a group meeting tomorrow in the morning. This chapter just felt grueling while working between exams, but at least it's out.
Next update: Fate Parallels and Beyond the Gate
P a treon. com (slash) Parcasious
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