"I went back to the Soul Society once during that time, mainly to prepare an identity for Lord Rosse," Aizen replied with complete candor, his face carrying that warm, spring-breeze smile of his.
He genuinely hoped Rosse would go to the Soul Society.
No matter what kind of changes or variables Rosse might bring, it would definitely stir things up there.
And only when the Soul Society was in chaos could Aizen achieve his ultimate goal.
"Oh? And what identity did you prepare for me?", Rosse showed interest.
"A powerful man who appeared in District 78 of the East Rukongai. You're said to be a descendant of a minor noble family who fell into decline and ended up in the Rukongai. I've already written out your backstory, and, entirely according to your likeness, it's been imprinted into those people's memories and recorded within the Great Spirit Book Corridor," Aizen said with a smile.
"Your Kyoka Suigetsu can also alter memories?", Rosse asked in surprise.
"Just a small trick. They're only ordinary souls, if you wanted to modify their memories, Lord Rosse, it would be nothing difficult for you," Aizen replied carelessly.
It wasn't some high-level technique to begin with, and besides, it had nothing to do with his Zanpakuto.
"Tch! I'm not that precise at manipulating reishi," Rosse said with a grin.
Whether in the Soul Society or Hueco Mundo, both were worlds made of spirit particles.
A strong soul was hard to tamper with, but if they were just ordinary souls, modifying their reishi was effortless.
Not only changing memories, even turning a person into a three-headed, six-armed being would be possible.
The modification itself was simple; the hard part was leaving no trace.
Any alteration would leave behind marks, and Aizen wasn't the only powerful being in the Soul Society.
To change things so subtly that not even the altered souls could sense it, that required an extremely refined control of reishi.
"Just some petty tricks. This is the Asauchi I've prepared for you. Perhaps it may help you grasp the power of a Shinigami," Aizen produced a sword and handed it to Rosse.
With his position in the Soul Society, obtaining an Asauchi was an easy matter.
And to become a Shinigami, the simplest way was to forge one's own Zanpakuto.
As long as one possessed a personal Zanpakuto, even without graduating from the Shin'o Academy, one could be directly recruited into the Gotei 13.
And if one mastered Bankai, there was even the chance to become a captain outright.
With Rosse's skill, even without mastering Bankai, faking its appearance would pose no problem.
"What do I need to do?", Rosse merely grasped the hilt and immediately sensed how special the sword was.
In his perception, the Asauchi felt like an extension of his soul. If he injected his spiritual pressure into it, he should easily be able to transform it into his own Zanpakuto.
But since a professional stood before him, Rosse didn't try it directly.
He didn't think Aizen would trick him anyway. It was just an Asauchi, easily examined in full.
Rosse could tell, this was an entirely ordinary Asauchi, with no hidden traps at all.
"According to the teaching of the Shin'o Academy, you infuse your soul into the Asauchi and constantly communicate with it. That's how it becomes your own Zanpakuto," Aizen said, adjusting his glasses. He paused briefly, then added:
"But since the souls of Hollows and Shinigami are fundamentally different, if you infuse an Asauchi with a Hollow's soul, nothing will happen. So—"
Before Aizen could finish showing off, he saw the Asauchi in Rosse's hand suddenly transform, its blade growing slender, the hilt turning deep blue, and wave-like patterns forming along the guard.
"This is?"
A flicker of astonishment flashed in Aizen's eyes.
He hadn't expected that merely by handling it a little, Rosse had turned the Asauchi into his personal Zanpakuto.
"Was that hard to do?"
Rosse shrugged, sliding the Zanpakuto into his waist.
Whether or not he communicated with it, injecting his spiritual pressure to merge it with his soul, wasn't that as easy as lifting a hand?
A Hollow's soul? His wasn't a Hollow's soul at all.
In essence, his soul belonged neither to Hollow nor Shinigami, it was the purest form of spiritual power.
Simply put, he could be either.
He could fire Cero and use Sonido, but also wield a Zanpakuto and perform Kido.
"As expected of Lord Rosse!"
Aizen suppressed his urge to study him and smiled in admiration.
If he weren't no match for him, he would have loved to dissect and study Rosse properly.
In Aizen's view, Rosse was already a fusion of Hollow and Shinigami, the very direction Aizen had always been pursuing.
Indeed, Rosse had walked ahead of him.
Before Aizen even understood how to combine the powers of Hollow and Shinigami, Rosse was already preparing to study Shinigami techniques.
Aizen felt a touch of pressure, but even more, exhilaration.
"I am not alone on this path!"
To have a companion on the same road, nothing could be more thrilling.
He wasn't afraid of Rosse going farther after mastering Shinigami knowledge. In fact, he hoped Rosse would reach the heavens themselves.
If Rosse surpassed the Soul King, that would only prove the correctness of Aizen's path.
And someday, he too would catch up, stand as Rosse's equal, and face him in their ultimate battle.
That was Aizen's ambition after meeting Rosse, and at this moment, it burned even more fiercely.
"The sword's name is Purifier, a water-type Zanpakuto. It can control the flow of water in combat and also heal through water," Rosse said casually, smiling faintly.
"A water-type Zanpakuto, is it?", Hearing that, Gin Ichimaru and Tosen Kaname instinctively glanced at Aizen.
After all, according to the Gotei 13's records, Captain Aizen's Zanpakuto was also of the water type.
"A water-type Zanpakuto isn't bad. With Lord Rosse's abilities, you should easily mimic the effect of a Bankai. We can recommend you as a captain of the Gotei 13," Aizen said with a slight smile.
He didn't believe Rosse's words, of course.
The type of Zanpakuto, let alone its name, most likely, both were made up.
"The Gotei 13 is the strongest organization among the Shinigami, right? The captains should be the ones standing at the very top?", Rosse asked with feigned curiosity.
Still, he truly knew little about the Soul Society's current state, and needed Aizen's explanation.
"That's correct," Aizen nodded and began to explain in detail:
"The Soul Society is governed by the Seireitei, which oversees 80 districts each in the North, South, East, and West Rukongai. The Seireitei is the gathering place of Shinigami, co-managed by the noble Central 46 and the Gotei 13."
"So you gave me a noble identity?", Rosse said with a half-smile.
Earlier, Aizen had described his cover story. Rosse was said to be the descendant of a minor Seireitei noble whose family had fallen into ruin and moved to the Rukongai.
"That's right. With a noble identity, my arrangements go much more smoothly. And as for becoming a captain, there are three ways."
"The Captain's Examination, Captain Recommendation, and Challenging the Current Captain."
"Challenges to the current captain can only be made in the Eleventh Division, the combat division. If Lord Rosse prefers, that's the simplest path."
"The Captain Recommendation requires the signatures of six captains and at least three additional votes from the remaining ones. That's the hardest path, and one I can't manipulate."
"As for the Captain's Examination, it must be conducted under the witness of the Head Captain and three other captains. If you're willing to enter the Tenth Division, I can arrange for the Central 46 to recommend you. Then you'd undergo the examination before the Head Captain."
Aizen spoke with his usual serene smile, explaining every method with apparent sincerity.
[T/N: I have released a new novels set on Type-Moon universe: "Playboy Watchman of Camelot". Search it by name, it is not in this account. Do give it a try. Have a great read~ I have also pinned it below.]
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