Bleach: Watch Closely, This Is How You Use a Zanpakutō novel Chapter 65

Chapter 65 - 65: The Soul King is a Puppet of the Nobles

A minute later, Masatsuki Aozaki stood frozen in front of the laboratory door. As it slid open, his gaze fell upon a towering, irregularly shaped black sphere, nearly the size of a person.

"This... is Aizen-sama's research?" Masatsuki swallowed hard, unable to conceal the greed in his eyes.

Aizen had always known exactly what kind of person he was.

"That's right," Aizen replied with a calm smile. "This is the result of decades of research."

The lab was silent—no one else was present. The only sound was Aizen's voice, echoing against the sterile walls.

"Decades ago, when I first became the Lieutenant of the 5th Division, my Reiatsu had already reached the first rank of Spirit Power."

"Even so, I never stopped pushing myself. I continued to train relentlessly until, thirty years ago, I reached my current level."

"But I couldn't find joy in it—because from that moment on, the path forward became unclear. No matter how much I trained, my Reiatsu never grew stronger. Even my Zanpakutō, fully released, could no longer elevate my power."

"Eventually, I understood. This is the limit of a Shinigami's existence. Not due to any external restriction, but because of the fundamental nature of what we are."

Masatsuki, already captivated, instinctively asked, "So Aizen-sama intends to break this limitation?"

Aizen's eyes gleamed with subtle approval. Slowly, he spoke:

"Yes. To surpass these limits, I have spent decades of my life, sacrificing the Souls of hundreds of Shinigami and Rukongai residents with the potential to become Shinigami, to create this beautiful jewel."

"With it, one can transcend the boundaries of a Shinigami and evolve into a higher existence."

Masatsuki furrowed his brows, lowering his voice. "If this 'jewel' is so important, isn't showing it to me so easily a bit... reckless? When exactly did I earn your trust?"

"Don't forget what we have done together, Masatsuki. I witnessed it with my own eyes."

"That was not just killing. It was a direct violation of Seireitei's greatest taboos."

"If our crimes were ever exposed, even the Captain-Commander himself would never grant you mercy."

"We are walking the same path now—a path with no way back. That is why I trust you."

Aizen smiled faintly. "Besides... if you have the power to take this 'jewel' from me, I wouldn't mind letting you have it."

Masatsuki scoffed inwardly. If I had the power to take it, I wouldn't need your permission.

Strangely, Aizen's words had put him at ease. He let out an irritated huff, making no effort to hide his displeasure.

Aizen paused, seemingly caught off guard by the display of defiance, but instead of reacting with anger, he merely smiled.

"Come closer. Feel its power for yourself."

Masatsuki obeyed, stepping forward until he was right in front of the glass enclosure. He raised his palm, aligning it with the so-called "beautiful jewel," studying it closely, trying to sense anything extraordinary.

To be honest, he didn't see the beauty in it at all.

It was just a giant lump of coal.

"What do you think?" Aizen asked.

Masatsuki shook his head, disappointed. "Honestly? A little underwhelming. I don't feel anything special from it."

Aizen chuckled. "That's to be expected. Right now, this 'jewel' is nothing more than a mass of collected Souls."

As he turned his gaze toward the glass container, he suddenly found himself reevaluating the object inside.

It really was... quite ugly.

For the first time, Aizen felt something oddly similar to embarrassment—like a child eagerly showing off their prized toy, only to have their friend react with complete disinterest, even disdain.

That thought alone left him strangely unsatisfied.

He shook his head.

"No, it's not even a true collective."

"There are too few fragments of the Soul King, preventing the souls from fully merging."

"On top of that, external Reishi are drawn toward the fragments, reacting with the Reiatsu of the souls within the Hōgyoku and disrupting its formation."

"At best, it's just a crude pile of souls, forcibly compressed together."

"This thing is hollow—an imitation with no real power."

Masatsuki Aozaki tilted his head. "So, in other words, this isn't a failure. It can still be refined, right?"

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