Although Aizen now had an opportunity to demonstrate his power once again, the Arrancar found themselves somewhat displeased after witnessing his current circumstances.
Seeing their revered lord forced to maintain such a bound and restricted posture filled them with genuine anguish. Aizen's most devoted followers felt deeply uncomfortable with this humiliating situation.
This is our most respected Aizen-sama, they thought with burning indignation. How can he be expected to fight while trapped in such an embarrassing position?
They absolutely could not accept such treatment of their master!
Perhaps we should pray that Aizen-sama will find a way to break free from this chair's control, they hoped desperately. After all, Aizen-sama is so invincible—surely this pathetic restraint device from Soul Society cannot have any meaningful impact on his true power.
Remember, they reasoned, Aizen-sama is a supreme powerhouse who withstood even Ichigo Kurosaki's strongest attacks! How could a mere chair possibly bind someone of his caliber?
Naturally, they refused to believe that such a simple device could truly contain their lord's magnificence.
Meanwhile, the Quincy paid little attention to Aizen's situation, maintaining absolute confidence that their Majesty would ultimately defeat him without difficulty.
When that moment arrives, they thought with sadistic anticipation, it will completely shatter these Shinigami' pathetic hopes! We'll show them exactly how foolish it is to rely on Aizen. He cannot possibly reverse the war's outcome—Aizen will soon fall before His Majesty's overwhelming power.
This outcome is beyond all doubt.
With these conflicting expectations swirling through their minds, countless observers began awaiting Aizen's next battle, each side certain of their preferred result.
[The projection shifted to a scene that had become all too familiar to the viewers—the aftermath of the Soul King's death. Countless streams of the Soul King's corrupted black spiritual pressure began surging throughout Soul Society, desperately attacking every Shinigami in sight.
BOOM!
Every Shinigami present found themselves in a state of genuine panic as they struggled with all their might to resist these powerful dark torrents. The spiritual pressure had taken the form of countless black, humanoid figures. Though they appeared relatively simple in design, they contained terrifyingly destructive power that could make even experienced Shinigami feel instinctual fear.
It was clear that the Soul King's corrupted spiritual pressure harbored deep, abiding hatred for all Shinigami. These manifestations seemed determined to completely annihilate every Shinigami at any cost.]
The Shinigami watching this scene felt profound emotional turmoil. The actions that Aizen and others had taken regarding the Soul King had always been a source of great discomfort for them. The death of the Soul King was definitely something they found difficult to accept.
They had always firmly believed that Shinigami existed to protect the Soul King, and that the Soul King should naturally stand alongside them as their ultimate ally.
But now it seemed that assumption might be fundamentally flawed.
The Soul King that Aizen and Soul Society's enemies seek to kill appears to be nothing more than an imprisoned puppet, completely stripped of freedom and suspended within that crystal prison, they realized with growing horror. Is this tortured being really the Soul King we've been taught to revere? Is he truly the supposed master of the Three Realms?
These revelations threatened to completely shatter their understanding of reality! They found themselves questioning everything they thought they knew about the relationships between Shinigami and the Royal Guard, between the Royal Guard and the Soul King himself.
These fundamental questions desperately needed answers. Without clarity on these issues, they genuinely couldn't determine whether the so-called Soul King was truly worthy of their protection.
Do we, the Gotei 13, actually represent the side of justice? The doubt gnawed at them like a persistent wound.
These questions would continue to haunt their thoughts, refusing to dissipate for a very long time.
[In the current scene, countless captains began desperately working to eliminate the manifestations of corrupted spiritual pressure.
CRASH! BANG!
But these dark entities seemed impossible to defeat permanently—they appeared in dense swarms, constantly surrounding and overwhelming Soul Society's defenders.
The weaker Shinigami were quickly overwhelmed by the relentless assault, finding themselves in increasingly desperate situations.
They truly had no idea how to effectively combat these streams of corrupted spiritual pressure.]
Observing this chaos, the Quincy expressed tremendous satisfaction, believing this was entirely the Shinigami' own fault.
Who told them to act so excessively in the past? the Quincy thought with vindictive pleasure. It's because of their actions that the Soul King was imprisoned within the Soul King Palace. The Soul King is naturally the enemy of all Shinigami!
The Soul King should rightfully stand with us Quincy! There's absolutely no doubt about this truth.
After all, the Soul King shares the same origins as His Majesty. Therefore, everything we Quincy do represents the most correct course of action—it aligns perfectly with destiny itself.
With this unshakeable confidence, they continued eagerly anticipating the next scenes, wanting to witness just how humiliated and desperate the Shinigami would become.
[At this moment, the Shinigami were indeed struggling tremendously under the assault of these corrupted Soul King manifestations, creating a truly pathetic spectacle.
They employed every technique and strategy at their disposal to quickly eliminate these entities, but the effort remained incredibly laborious and seemingly endless.
Then, an unexpected voice cut through the chaos—one that none of them had anticipated hearing.
"Why must you chop away slowly with your zanpakuto like that?" the voice asked with casual disdain.
"That approach is far too troublesome and inefficient."
"Wouldn't it be much simpler to crush them all with spiritual pressure in a single breath?"
Every Shinigami present immediately turned their shocked gazes toward the source of the voice—Aizen, seated calmly in his restraint chair nearby.
Aizen had appeared on the battlefield!?
The entire Gotei 13 found themselves completely dumbfounded, barely able to process such an impossible development.
Seeing him there, they could only swallow hard, feeling their hearts leap into their throats with terror and confusion.
How could this man possibly be here? Did he somehow escape from Muken? What in the world is happening?
None of them could begin to imagine the circumstances that had led to this moment. They remained completely unaware that Head Captain Kyoraku had already authorized Aizen's release in advance.
Several Shinigami began trembling and shivering involuntarily at the sight of their former captain.
Observing their shocked expressions, Aizen found himself thoroughly enjoying their reactions. He turned his attention to the surprised Rukia Kuchiki and spoke with leisurely satisfaction.
"Rukia Kuchiki, it has been such a long time," he said, his voice carrying that familiar note of condescending friendliness.
"I haven't had the opportunity to speak with you since I departed Soul Society."
"And I've heard that you've been promoted to lieutenant. Congratulations are certainly in order."
"It seems your achievements in our previous encounter were greatly recognized by your superiors, enabling your advancement to vice-captain rank."
"I find myself genuinely pleased for your success."]