— — — — — —
Inside one of the palaces of Las Noches...
Ryo stood before a pristine white door, his eyes showing a glimmer of curiosity.
"Hm? So this is the Reishi Henkanki, spirit particle converter?"
"Correct," Aizen replied calmly, pushing up his glasses. He glanced subtly at Ryo, a hint of curiosity in his gaze.
"It's designed to convert the bodies of Hollows or humans into a reishi-based form—so they can survive in the Soul Society's environment."
"To be honest, I'm curious whether it can convert your divine power too."
At the mention of "divine power," Gin Ichimaru, who was standing nearby, slightly widened his eyes—but quickly returned to his usual fox-like smile.
Neither Ryo nor Aizen missed the slip, but neither called him out on it.
Looking at the door, Ryo thought of his divinity and how it could amplify and adapt to all sorts of blessings. He chuckled.
"Sounds like it's worth a shot."
Reishi—spirit particles—were the basic building blocks of power in the Bleach world.
They made up everything outside the physical world and were the source of every kind of energy.
So naturally, Ryo was curious to see if his divine power could be transformed into reishi too.
If it worked, he might even be able to harness the power system of this world.
"How do you use it?" Ryo asked.
"Just walk through the door," Aizen said, already shifting his attention to the computer linked to the gate.
Clearly, he was interested in the data that would come from Ryo's conversion.
"Well, that's convenient."
Ryo smiled and casually strolled toward the white gate.
The door was about half a meter thick—hefty for a door, but to Ryo, it was just two easy steps.
Step. Step.
He walked through it like it was a casual stroll in the park.
And in that instant—
The entire world trembled with a low hum.
A sea of crimson, darker than blood, erupted and engulfed the palace like an abyss devouring light—obliterating every other color.
It was Spiritual Pressure—actual, physicalized Reiatsu.
Inside the room—
Gin and Tosen instinctively gripped their Zanpakutōs. Cold sweat dripped down their faces.
"Whoa, whoa... Is this for real? That level of Reiatsu..."
"It rivals Starrk... Maybe even more," Tosen muttered, gritting his teeth, his face pale.
Coyote Starrk—the Primera Espada.
The only one who became an Arrancar on his own, without needing the Hōgyoku. His Reiatsu was so immense, he had to split himself just to exist.
Even other Vasto Lorde-class Hollows couldn't get near him without being crushed into spirit particles instantly.
By Reiatsu alone, even Aizen admitted he was inferior to Starrk.
And yet...
Right now, Ryo's Reiatsu was not only matching Starrk's—it was surpassing it by a huge margin.
"If this keeps rising..." Gin's usual smirk faded, his expression turning grim.
If Ryo's Reiatsu increased any further, Gin would have no choice but to use his Bankai just to survive.
Otherwise, he'd be crushed to death by it.
But just as he was seriously considering releasing Bankai—
The pressure vanished.
Just like that.
"Phew~" Gin let out a breath and smiled like nothing happened. "Man, I almost thought I was gonna die."
"Did it fail, Lord Aizen?" Tosen asked, still catching his breath, eyes filled with concern.
But then he noticed something shocking.
Aizen... was smiling.
"No, you've misunderstood, Tosen."
Aizen adjusted his glasses, his voice as calm and confident as ever.
"The Reiatsu didn't disappear."
Tosen froze.
And then Aizen's next words made his face go pale.
"It simply surpassed your current dimension."
Gin was speechless.
If Ryo embodied the terror of power, then Aizen was the terror of the unknown.
This man saw something beyond comprehension—and smiled.
What kind of lunatic does that?
Uh yes, it's Aizen.
...
At the center of the hall...
"Haah..."
Ryo exhaled slowly.
Golden flames—dense and physical—drifted in and out with his breath, wrapping around his body like a mist.
They were solidified reishi—his Reiatsu, fully materialized.
Thanks to the divine control granted by his Divinity, Ryo slowly drew the Reiatsu back into himself, compressing and mastering it bit by bit.
That's right.
His divinity enhanced everything—power, soul, body... even control.
This was the sheer dominance of a "divine core." It was why the divine title was considered one of the most treasured Gifts in the Little Garden.
It wasn't just raw power. It was complete, all-encompassing strength.
The only thing it couldn't amplify was the heart—a trait unique to each individual.
Watching Ryo swiftly bring such monstrous pressure under control, Aizen pushed up his glasses and mused aloud:
"So this is what it means to possess Divinity..."
"Yep," Ryo replied casually, now completely composed. "With your abilities, I don't think it'd be hard for you to obtain a divine core too."
"Oh? I'm flattered," Aizen said with a soft chuckle. Then, with a spark of curiosity in his tone, he added:
"I wonder what would happen if I enhanced the Hōgyoku with divinity."
"You'll have to find that out for yourself."
Ryo shook his head, uninterested. Research and experiments weren't really his thing. Aizen's scientist mindset? Not something he could ever really understand.
Stretching his neck, Ryo pinched his arm. It was still flexible, but there was a noticeable toughness to it now.
"Looks like you've got Hierro now," Aizen observed with a small smile.
As he spoke, Ryo casually dug a fingernail into his own arm—slicing down almost to the bone.
But within a single breath, the deep gash completely healed.
"You've got high-speed regeneration too." Aizen smiled even more.
Ryo frowned at the wound for a moment, then finally smiled.
Just as he thought—now that he had a reishi-based body, his divine core had upgraded it on a biological level.
In the Little Garden, divinity amplified all blessings.
And apparently, that rule still applied here in the Bleach world.
Ryo shook out his hand and looked over at Aizen.
"I think I'm gonna need a Zanpakutō."
"I was just thinking the same thing," Aizen replied with a smile. Then he turned and said:
"Let's go. We're heading to the Soul Society."
He paused, then glanced back with a faint grin.
"Just in case, you'll be introduced as the 10th Seat of the 5th Division—my new assistant, Ryo."
"Heh. That would be fun."
Ryo laughed.
"Am I free to mess around a bit?"
"No problem," Aizen said coolly. "Once we're in the Soul Society, I'll keep Kyōka Suigetsu active at all times."
"Oh? Kyōka Suigetsu, huh? Mind if I take a look at it?"
Ryo tilted his head, genuinely curious. He wanted to see whether that broken ability of Aizen's had any effect on him.
Gin looked like he wanted to scream.
Who the hell asks to be put under Kyōka Suigetsu?! Don't they know once you're caught in it, you're done for?
But Aizen just shook his head.
"Pointless."
"In the end, battles between Soul Reapers come down to Reiatsu. No matter how strong the ability, if your reishi isn't enough to support it, it simply won't work."
"And besides, I know far too little about your divine core's parameters. Even if I tried to cast Kyōka Suigetsu on you, I wouldn't be able to create a convincing illusion."
Ryo raised an eyebrow. "So you know you can't take me down, and you still want to team up? That confident, huh?"
"We're friends, aren't we?" Aizen said with a smile.
"Whoa, hold on. 'Like-minded partners' is fine. But calling us friends? That's giving me the creeps."
Ryo rubbed his arm—and sure enough, goosebumps.
"Any other questions?" Aizen asked with his usual serene expression.
Ryo shrugged.
"Yeah. You really are the embodiment of pride, huh?"
Aizen Sōsuke—this man had arrogance carved into his very bones.
.
.
.