Originally,
the moment they saw Harribel's silhouette,
the entire Arrancar army of Hueco Mundo was immediately thrown into an uproar!
Every pair of eyes lit up with shock and joy!
"She's… not dead?!"
Nnoitra's pupils shrank.
From long before, he had assumed Harribel was permanently gone—
that she had exited the stage of the story completely.
He had never expected…
Not only was she alive and well,
She even fought one versus three, holding her ground with overwhelming force,
becoming the only surviving Espada on the battlefield!
And despite everything, she remained fiercely loyal, still fighting for Aizen at the very end!
It was unbelievable!!!
"So in that case, maybe Baraggan… or even Starrk… might still be alive too?"
"Maybe the video just hasn't shown their scenes yet—it's possible, right?"
Beneath the white bone-like helmet,
Ulquiorra's emerald eyes rippled with a rare emotion.
Although he remained silent through most of the events,
rarely expressing his opinions,
Still…
As the steward of Las Noches,
and as someone who never wanted to experience again the loneliness of being ostracized by his own kind—
forced to walk alone in the void—
Ulquiorra naturally hoped that more of his companions would survive in the future.
Moreover—
Harribel
was one of the very few true Vasto Lorde–class Arrancar in Hueco Mundo!
Having one more frontline powerhouse
meant that in the future, should Hueco Mundo invade Soul Society, or even the Soul King Palace,
their chances of victory would be much higher!!!
"Ya-re ya-re…"
"With three people fighting against all the Shinigami captains?"
"If the pure-blood Quincy saw this clip, they'd probably be drooling in secret, wouldn't they?"
Gin Ichimaru narrowed his eyes and smiled faintly,
not caring at all about the numerical disadvantage.
On the surface, it looked like they were the ones surrounded.
But in reality…
It was actually the Shinigami captains who were surrounded—
by Aizen alone!
However,
Just then—
While Las Noches was enjoying this rare moment of peace and unity,
Suddenly—
"Shunpo…!!!"
Up in the air.
Aizen's figure vanished from his spot.
With no warning whatsoever, he instantly appeared behind Harribel!
And then…
With the camera deliberately zooming in for a close-up at that precise moment…
The viewers could clearly see Aizen's hand movement—
He reached toward his waist.
It was obviously a pre-slash movement—
He was preparing to draw his blade!
"???"
"What… does that mean?!"
"No way… it can't be what I'm thinking, right?"
"Aizen… looks like… he's going to cut down the Tercera Espada!!!"
In that instant,
as the footage was revealed, the entire audience erupted!
Their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
No one had predicted this—Aizen was once again showing off with another stunning maneuver!
And this time,
the blade was aimed at his own ally!
He looked absolutely insane—
even his own subordinates weren't safe from his whims!!!
"Tch…"
"Hitsugaya Tōshirō…"
"Could it be that Aizen is trying to take care of your feelings? Since he one-shot you in the previous scene…"
"So to make things fair, he's gonna give your old opponent—the female Espada—one clean slash as well?"
"That way, you two are balanced out… aren't you?"
Zaraki Kenpachi grinned,
his single eye shifting to glance at Hitsugaya beside him, teasing him for once.
"..."
Hitsugaya was expressionless,
his eyelid twitching as he ignored Zaraki's twisted sense of humor.
But in his heart, he was deeply shocked!
Impossible…
Even in Aizen's eyes,
Arrancar and Hollows were nothing more than pawns—
sacrifices on his path to the Soul King Palace.
But still…
Harribel's strength was real.
As a Vasto Lorde Arrancar, she was a queen-level existence in Hueco Mundo.
Even in comparison to the vast and diverse forces of the Bleach world,
she was far from insignificant—
she could distract captains, split their attention,
and force them to waste stamina and reiatsu.
Yet now—
Such an important ally…
Aizen actually decided to cut her down without hesitation?
Was he out of his mind?
Or…
Was Aizen plotting something else behind the scenes?
Whatever the case,
Aizen's actions at this moment
left Hitsugaya and the other Shinigami captains completely baffled!
Arrogance.
Overconfidence.
Contempt toward the captains.
But even THAT wasn't enough to justify killing his own subordinate so casually!
Aizen was truly a monster!
No one could ever guess what this manipulative, calculating man was thinking!!!
————
Meanwhile.
Back in the video.
A white cape billowed in the wind.
Aizen's face remained emotionless, the faint hint of a cold smile at the corner of his lips, as he greeted her:
"Harribel…"
"Lord… Aizen?!" Harribel snapped back to awareness and turned to face him.
She sensed something—
a strange, unsettling aura—
and her emerald eyes flickered with doubt.
And then—
The camera suddenly slowed down.
Zoomed straight into Aizen's face.
And played his next shocking line word for word:
"Unfortunately… you're useless now."
"That's enough. Forcing you all into meaningless sacrifices won't change the outcome—I've made my judgment."
As he spoke, Aizen turned sideways.
The cold, overwhelming spiritual pressure he released
weighed down from above as he looked at Harribel.
Indifferent. Merciless.
"I put great effort into taking you Espada under my command…
And yet… not a single one of you can compare to me."
The moment those words fell—
Aizen's eyes sharpened.
The zanpakutō Kyōka Suigetsu in his hand pierced toward Harribel without a shred of hesitation!
"SHRING—!!!"
The blade fell.
Blood sprayed.
A deep cut tore across Harribel's waist, so deep it nearly reached bone.
Aizen struck in one clean motion—
No hesitation, no wasted motion whatsoever.
As if…
In his eyes, Harribel wasn't even worthy of being called a tool.
Just an insignificant ant who did not deserve to follow him—
let alone be counted among his subordinates.
And when this scene was broadcast in full,
it landed with the force of a narrative nuclear bomb.
The shockwave was indescribable—
It hit the viewers directly in the soul, shaking the Bleach world once more!
And this time,
the ones who were the most emotional—
the ones whose hearts broke the hardest—
were the Arrancar army.
Every Hollow and every Arrancar was completely dumbfounded!!!
"Ah?!"
"What the—?!"
"Lord Aizen… what is he DOING?!"
"He actually attacked his own subordinate! And he even said the Espada were trash?!"
"Damn it… this scene—there's no way it's fake?!!"
In that instant,
Las Noches was filled with shouts of shock and disbelief.
The sound waves were so intense
it felt like they could blow the roof off the palace!!!
It was clear that
all the Hollows and Arrancar present,
after watching the footage,
were shaken to their core!
Their worldviews were blown apart!
Completely overturned!
And worse… their loyalty toward Aizen had been severely shaken!!!
Yes—
Even though the ranking videos had influenced them deeply—
After so many rounds of rankings, the Hollows had come to see Aizen as a wise and invincible king.
Even hotheads like Yammy and Grimmjow
had slowly let go of their grudges against Aizen,
finally standing on the same side, no longer fixated on the fact that he was a "Shinigami."
However—
What had just happened—
Aizen backstabbing Harribel, mocking all the Espada, and declaring every one of them trash—
instantly shattered the Arrancars' hearts!
Damn it—
I treated you like a boss!
And Aizen turns around and treats us like we're not even worthy to be his dogs?!
He didn't even bother pretending!!!
Aizen, you monster!!!
"Tsk tsk tsk…"
"Captain Aizen, do you see this?"
"The actions your future self takes… have already enraged the masses, you know…"
"Honestly, even I was shocked after watching. I never expected you to act like that."
Gin Ichimaru's eyes curved as he glanced around,
fully absorbing the fury on the faces of the Arrancar.
A mocking smile tugged at his lips.
Then he turned to Aizen, deliberately provoking him.
And this time—
Gin wasn't being duplicitous.
He truly had not expected Aizen to do something like that on the battlefield—
in front of all the Shinigami captains no less.
A single swing—
Executing Harribel before everyone!
Especially that line:
"Even all of you Espada combined can't compare to me alone!"
Hearing it—
was overwhelmingly domineering.
It radiated absolute supremacy and left one stunned, yet somehow… it felt entirely fitting.
With Aizen's strength…
There was no way to refute such words!!!
But doing this…
was undeniably a betrayal.
Once exposed, the consequences were obvious—
It would deal a massive blow to the morale of the Arrancar army!
And also…
Aizen's own authority—
his nigh-absolute dominance in Las Noches—
would be severely impacted!
Sure enough—
As one of the people most directly involved,
Harribel was the first to erupt!!!
Beneath her golden bob-cut hair, her expression—first shock and disbelief—
froze for a whole minute before twisting into anger.
She roared, demanding answers from Aizen:
"Lord Aizen!!!"
"I demand a reasonable explanation!!!"
Harribel was furious.
Even now, in the footage, the deep bleeding wound around her waist remained painfully visible.
And that one line—
broadcast to the entire world:
"Harribel… you're no longer useful—"
stabbed directly into her pride.
It shattered the dignity of the Shark Empress.
Her heart cracked.
Her eyes dimmed, her emotions flaring in a mix of humiliation and rage!
Like a woman betrayed by the man she once admired!!!
And at that moment—
as Harribel shouted her question—
all the Hollows and Arrancar turned their shocked, confused gazes toward Aizen as well!
They all wanted an answer.
They wanted Aizen to explain himself.
Otherwise…
all their newly rebuilt trust and admiration
would collapse right back into hostility.
In response—
Upon his throne,
Aizen showed no expression, but a faint smile appeared.
Yet that smile never reached his eyes—
it was icy and razor-sharp.
He lifted his hand lightly,
and a surge of wind pressure exploded from his shoulders,
instantly silencing Harribel's outrage and suppressing the restless energy of the Arrancar.
Even the air within Las Noches froze in place.
Only after doing this—
Aizen spoke slowly, his voice calm but carrying undeniable authority:
"Do not forget…"
"The footage played in the ranking video is merely a fragment of a past timeline—events that have already occurred."
"But now—
with the advance appearance of Squad Zero,
and Yhwach,
and the pure-blood Quincy of the Invisible Empire…"
"With all these hidden forces revealed ahead of their intended time—
I have already changed my mind.
I have abandoned the original plan."
His explanation wasn't long.
He didn't reinforce his voice with spiritual pressure,
yet in the absolute silence,
every single word resounded clearly into the ears of all present.
Instantly,
another uproar erupted.
The entire Arrancar army blanched:
"Changed the plan? What does that mean?!"
"Do you not understand?"
Aizen leaned back on the throne.
One hand supported his head while the fingers of the other tapped gently on the armrest:
"The Shinigami and the Gotei 13 are no longer the highest priority."
"That is because—
even without Hueco Mundo making any move,
in the future, the pure-blood Quincy…"
"…will be unable to hold themselves back due to time constraints—
and will launch another Thousand-Year Blood War against the Shinigami."
Suddenly, everything clicked.
"That's right…"
"Lord Aizen is right!"
"Compared to us Hollows, the Shinigami and the Quincy—because of Yhwach—are the ones in true conflict!"
"Their two races are destined enemies—completely incompatible!!!"
"So why should we be stupid enough to fight the Gotei 13 now,
just to let the Quincy take advantage of the situation later?"
"Brilliant! Lord Aizen truly sees further than anyone!!!"
In just seconds—
All their anger and doubt vanished.
The expressions of the Arrancar shifted from realization—
to fiery-eyed devotion.
When they looked at Aizen again,
it was as if they were gazing upon the chosen leader of their race.
"Lord Aizen, wise as always…"
"We misunderstood you! We failed to appreciate your intentions!"
"You were trying to prevent meaningless sacrifices
and were thinking of all of us the entire time!!!"
In that moment,
the Hollows and Arrancar self-brainwashed instantly.
They no longer cared about Aizen calling them trash.
And the truth was—
Aizen wasn't wrong.
Even if all the Espada combined their power,
Aizen could suppress them with spiritual pressure alone.
If not—
Hueco Mundo would not have been conquered so easily,
turning into Aizen's personal backyard.
More importantly…
Because the timeline had shifted—
and because Yhwach, the Head Captain, and Squad Zero were now engaged in fatal conflict—
the centuries-old struggles between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society,
in comparison, were mere skirmishes.
Just the natural balance between the three realms.
But the Shinigami and pure-blood Quincy—
because of the ranking videos—
were destined to collide violently in the future.
Either invade early,
or be exposed early.
In short—
Aizen's words awakened them.
The Espada and the other Arrancar realized their true future mission—
Lie low in Hueco Mundo. Grow stronger in the shadows.
Wait until the Thousand-Year Blood War pushes Soul Society into utter collapse—
THEN emerge and seize everything.
This way—
Their casualties would be minimal,
and not a single Espada would die prematurely.
And—
Every Hollow and Arrancar
would have guaranteed future relevance and screen time.
In the end—
Aizen truly was the only one worthy of leading them.
Hueco Mundo's real savior!!!
At this moment,
this scene only made the Arrancar army worship Aizen even more!!!
(End of Chapter)
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