Today's release is here!
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After my brief encounter with Aizen, I returned to Tibel’s lair, my mind churning over the fact that Sosuke Aizen was... well, gender-bent. It was a shocking twist I hadn't seen coming, but on the other hand, it made me even more grateful that Tibel hadn't undergone a similar change. If Tibel had been a man...
“I probably would have killed her.”
Seriously, if Halibel were a guy, I would have slaughtered and devoured him without a second thought. That’s just how jarring this whole gender-swapping thing is. Usually, in these tropes, even a macho man turns into a girl prettier than a k-pop idol, but if a woman became a man... well, he might be a pretty boy, but I’m not sure I could have kept my sanity intact around him.
“Tibel.”
Flinch!
“Where have you been?”
As I stepped inside and called out for Tibel, I felt the three Adjuchas shudder. Tibel’s voice was as stiff and formal as ever. Since I’d just come back from a slaughter, the faint, lingering scent of carnage and my heavy Reiatsu caused the three subordinates to shrink back in terror. Tibel, of course, remained as stoic as a statue.
“I went to visit the 'former' king.”
“...Did you kill him?”
“Yeah. But it wasn’t a meaningless sacrifice. By killing him, we’ve secured peace for ourselves.”
“...Even so, Ruel. I do not like sacrificing others.”
Tibel, whose Aspect of Death is Sacrifice, is incredibly sensitive to the concept of dying. In a way, we’re like oil and water. To me, death is an absolute concept without much sentiment; I kill because I choose to. But to Tibel, death is sacrifice—an act of giving up oneself for another. That’s why she hates the idea of unnecessary killing.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Death isn’t the end. You know that too, don’t you, Tibel?”
“.......”
For a Hollow, death isn't a finality. If killed by a Soul Reaper, they are purified. If devoured by another Hollow, they live on within the predator. We exist in a cycle where death is merely a new beginning. I only truly realized this after becoming a Hollow myself. The Adjuchas I just butchered, Baraggan, and everyone I’ve hunted since the start—they all exist within me. Not that they can ever hope to seize control or possess my body. Their souls and flesh have already been ground down into raw power for my own spirit.
“Tibel, there’s something I need to tell you... no. It can wait.”
“What is it?”
“There’s something on my mind, but it’s not an immediate concern.”
I considered telling Tibel and her trio about Aizen, but decided to bury the thought for now. After all, if Tibel and the others want to become Arrancars, they’ll eventually need Aizen’s power. Even if I warn them now, they’ll likely have to join forces with that person in eleven years anyway. There was no need to spill the beans this early.
“Not yet, at least.”
Knowing how dangerous Aizen is, I let the thought simmer. If I show even a moment of weakness, I’ll be the one getting eaten. I have to stay sharp. If things turn south, I’ll have to move in for the kill instantly, before Kyoka Suigetsu or the Hogyoku can even be activated. Well, that’s a problem for the future. No need to stress about it today.
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Throw! Throw! Throw!
A lot of you seem pretty confused by Aizen's appearance. I want to explain in detail, but I can't say too much because of spoilers. Just think of it simply: Aizen, wielding an incomplete Hogyoku, is making temporary trips to Hueco Mundo to use the Hogyoku’s power to create Arrancars. If 'bisexual' or 'gender-bent' is too weird, think of it as a 'remolding.' Like they're being stamped out by the Hogyoku.
Also, remember the former 3rd Espada who was demoted? If you think about when they were kicked out, it makes sense that Aizen was coming to Hueco Mundo to make Arrancars long before the main story started.
And since some of you said it wasn't a 'serial release binge,' I'll drop the term. I'm cool like that! From now on, I'll post one chapter a day.
So please don't complain that the chapters are short. I'm writing and posting these while squeezing in time during my part-time job. Today I was going to post two, but because of the comments about the binge, I just wrote one short one. Don't complain about the length. That's how it is when you're writing in your spare time. I can't sit at a computer and do nothing but this all day. I have to work, too! Because I'm cool like that!
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