First Division Barracks.
Captain-Commander's Residence.
Yamamoto sat wrapped in bandages from head to toe. The imposing aura he once carried had faded somewhat.
His long white beard had been neatly trimmed again, and though his eyes were half-closed, an occasional sharp glint of scrutiny still flickered within them.
"Captain Shimo."
"I am in full agreement with your proposal."
He coughed lightly before continuing,
"At that time, I will accompany you to the underground assembly hall."
"In addition, Ukitake and Shunsui will go as well."
Shimo nodded with a faint smile.
"I only hope that the Central 46 do not make any… unpleasant decisions."
Yamamoto gave a slight nod but said nothing more. He waved his hand, signaling Chōjirō to relay the message to Shunsui and Jūshirō.
Two Hell Butterflies fluttered out of the First Division barracks.
Not long after, the two arrived.
Shunsui looked as relaxed as ever, but Jushiro's face was pale. Judging by his intermittent coughing, his condition was far from good.
Even so, he still answered Yamamoto's summons and came.
Yamamoto swept his gaze across the room and nodded.
"Since everyone is here, let us depart."
"I have already informed the Central 46."
The three exchanged glances and set off without further words.
...
Underground Assembly Hall.
The members of the Central 46 sat upon a high platform, their faces concealed.
Shimo curled his lips slightly and shook his head.
"Captain Shimo, you may release Aizen Sosuke now."
Several members of the Kidō Corps surrounded him, including the current Chief Kidō Officer, Chai Shengsi.
They had already prepared over a hundred layers of Kidō barriers in case anything went wrong.
Shimo nodded and traced his finger through the air.
As his finger moved, the space before him was torn open, revealing a deep, pitch-black rift.
Darkness churned within.
The next moment, as everyone held their breath—
A humanoid figure, barely discernible, appeared before them.
"Is that criminal Aizen?"
"With such a powerful seal, we can't even identify him by reiatsu."
"Should we reinforce the binding barriers further?"
"Wait and observe. Follow Captain Shimo's instructions."
"Captain Shimo, we cannot confirm this person's identity."
After a long silence, one of the judges finally spoke. His tone carried no arrogance.
Shimo glanced over and recognized him.
A judge from the Rukongai. It was from before so he could not remember the name.
His appointment had been closely tied to Shimo himself, which explained the respectful tone.
"It's fine."
Shimo pressed his finger against the seal.
"We only need to partially release it."
He turned to the other and instructed:
"Reinforce the binding barriers. Increase them to three thousand layers."
Without hesitation, the captain began issuing orders. The Kidō Corps immediately got to work.
Soon, the barriers were expanded to three thousand layers.
At that moment, Shimo partially released the seal on Aizen.
Buzz—! Crack—!
Countless cracking sounds echoed within the barrier.
Faint light began to emerge from the black humanoid seal.
"A new Central 46, is it?"
After a brief pause, Aizen quickly grasped the situation.
Contrary to expectations, he showed no madness or rage.
Instead, calm composure returned to him.
The chief summoned a chair made from Sekkiseki stone beside Aizen.
Shimo pressed him down onto it with a single motion.
"Shimo-kun, allowing these insects to judge me…"
Aizen's tone carried no anger.
"Is this your way of retaliating?"
Shimo responded casually:
"Isn't this exactly what you wanted?"
"Bakudō #99: Kin!"
"Bakudō #99: Bankin!"
He completely restrained Aizen to the Sekkiseki chair.
Straps and spikes bound his arms, while thick bands tightly secured his legs.
Throughout the process, Aizen did not resist in the slightest.
Seeing this, the Central 46 visibly relaxed.
From the reiatsu alone, it was now clear—
This was indeed Aizen.
After all, not just anyone could break through thousands of binding barriers with sheer spiritual pressure.
"Criminal Aizen."
The chief judge hesitated briefly before speaking:
"Do you acknowledge your crimes?!"
Aizen's exposed face showed a trace of surprise.
"Crimes?"
"How ridiculous!"
His arrogant words instantly ignited the entire chamber.
"Insolent traitor!"
"Even now, you act arrogantly?!"
"I propose the death penalty for this rebel!"
"Agreed!"
As the hall erupted into heated discussion, Shimo coughed lightly.
"My apologies, everyone."
"Given the extent of Aizen's fusion with the Hōgyoku, killing him would result in the complete destruction of either Soul Society… or the Human World."
The noisy hall fell silent at once.
No one dared propose execution again.
An awkward tension lingered among the Central 46.
"In that case, we must deliberate a new sentence."
The kido chief broke the silence.
Immediately, the Central 46 began openly discussing possible punishments.
Meanwhile—
Aizen paid no attention to his own trial.
Instead, he spoke again:
"Shimo-kun… seeing this scene, what do you think?"
Shimo glanced at him indifferently.
"Exactly what you're thinking."
Soon, the verdict regarding Sōsuke Aizen was finalized.
"Judgment, declared!"
One of the judges' voices echoed throughout the underground chamber.
"Former Captain of the Fifth Division, Sōsuke Aizen."
"You are hereby sentenced to imprisonment in the Eighth Level of the Underground Prison—Muken—for a term of eighteen thousand eight hundred years!"
Upon hearing the sentence, Aizen showed no reaction whatsoever.
His eyes lowered slightly as he spoke in a quiet voice:
"So this is how…"
"You intend to judge me?"
"How ridiculous."
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