Make sure to check my Patre.on out if you want to support me and want to read advanced chapters: Patre.on.com/VQuintessence
[31 Chapters in Advance on Patre.on]
...........
Chapter 46: Darkness Spreads I
...........
Akashi blinked, his voice serene as he said, "I want all the darkness for myself to grow stronger, but I also don't want there to be darkness other than within me... Make of that what you will."
Indeed, what Akashi experienced in his previous life made him lack empathy, all the darkness inflicted upon him by others turned into detachment.
And that stayed true even when he found himself in this world. That's why he deprived the higher-ups of the Creed of free will.
He simply couldn't find it in himself to trust another human being, and only allowed them their freedom back recently when gained something he could trust, The First Eldritch... So, himself.
It's thus strange that It's Kurayami; that which granted him such dark powers; Is what gave him a little empathy although it didn't manage to impact his selfishness.
However, now Akashi faces the challenge that comes in the form of the Voices. They help him, but they seek to drive him insane and make him worse than he ever was.
"What a curious thing, to weaponize virtue under the guise of vice," Aizen commented, attentive to Akashi's reaction.
"Hm?" The comment certainly surprised Akashi, 'Me? Masking good intentions behind bad ones?'
He pondered a moment before shaking his head. It didn't feel accurate to him, and Akashi is very honest with himself.
Aizen seemed to be merely testing him, and Akashi's reaction satisfied him, "We've strayed enough for the main topic. I'm very interested in what you think, so continue... What do you think is the source of stagnation?"
"How do I say this..." Akashi looked thoughtful for a second, soon continuing, "The world of the living, Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, Hell; none of them seem to function properly."
"They feel like the product of a child's imagination. A neat little map scribbled in crayon, saying: this is how souls should be sorted. But then that child grew up, forgot the drawing, and left it behind. Now the whole system is rusting."
He folded his hands.
"I don't know if the nobles want it this way. Maybe they're just scared. Maybe they think if anything changes, they'll lose control. I don't know, but it should be something similar."
Then there was silence, a long silence before Aizen spoke, and his voice carried a rare note of emotion. Admiration.
"You have seen deeply, Akashi. Deeper than most ever will. I truly admire your mind," Said Aizen.
Whether that admiration was real or not, Akashi couldn't tell at all.
Akashi turned to him, "Thank you... I think I spoke enough. I think I know your goal, but I still want to hear it."
Honestly, Akashi from the start never bothered to play mind games with Aizen.
He found that just being frank works best for him instead of unnecessarily playing with fire.
With a composed stride, Aizen closed the distance, his presence doing all the talking.
It was as if he turned on an aura called charisma, so strange to the point that Akashi had to wonder if he used Kyoka Suigetsu.
"I want to end the lie," He said, "The Soul King is no god. He is a corpse. A still-living corpse used as a lynchpin for a world of puppets. I want to overthrow him. Not to destroy the world, but to rebuild it; properly. Without lies. Without fear. A world that works."
Akashi didn't hesitate.
"Then I'll stand with you."
A long silence passed. Aizen reached out a hand.
"Welcome to our side."
Akashi took it.
Their hands clasped, a quiet pact forged in the sterile light of that hidden chamber.
Tōsen approached and placed a hand over his heart, very formal, "Then we walk forward together."
He eyed Akashi like a kindred spirit. He trusted Aizen's vision and fully believed the sentence by which he described Akashi.
To weaponize virtue under the guise of vice.
No, it's not just that. He admires Akashi for how far he thought ahead. For seeing so much more darkness than him.
Only Gin lingered at the back, arms crossed, his smile sharp and hollow.
Tōsen turned to Akashi. His movements were formal, graceful; and perhaps even reverent.
"I will show you the heart of our vision," He said, tone candid, "Few have walked these halls with open eyes. You're one of them now."
They exited the chamber through a hidden corridor that spiraled downward into the darkness.
As they moved, the air changed; not colder, but heavier. Spiritual pressure hung in the atmosphere like dense fog, not threatening, but unnatural.
The spiritual concentration here was too high.
The walls gave way to obsidian stonework laced with veins of faintly glowing reishi conduits.
The corridor opened into a vast laboratory, dimly lit, but immaculate in design.
Transparent glass chambers lined the walls, filled with fluids of pale blue or faint green. Some held specimens; partially formed Hollows twitching as if dreaming.
Others contained reconstructed limbs or hybrid organs, pulsating softly, suspended in containment fields.
Tōsen led him calmly, "Most of what you see here are the fruits of Aizen-sama's pursuit to understand the evolution of souls; Hollow, Human, and Shinigami alike."
One chamber held a grotesque sight: a Hollow fused with a dead Shinigami's body, still wearing a tattered black uniform.
It was writhing, halfway through transformation, its mask fracturing as if caught between identities.
Akashi could see the fusion was failing, the hollow basically living in suspended animation.
Nearby, a table held open scrolls filled with anatomical diagrams of Vizard masks, annotated with precise details; how long it took before the Hollowfication process failed, among other things.
Across another table, intricate blueprints showed mechanical arrays shaped like sekkisekki latticework; devices designed to trap or suppress spiritual pressure.
"Much of this is still experimental," Tōsen said, leading him further in, "But they are necessary paths, all for the sake of a better world."
Then they reached it; a smaller chamber, circular, almost sacred in its layout.
At the center floated a sealed container, the air around it thick, humming with incomprehensible energy.
Tōsen stood still. "This is the Hōgyoku."
Akashi stepped closer, his pupils narrowing instinctively. The object within looked like a small sphere of crystallized light and shadow, pulsing in irregular rhythms.
It was dormant, but its presence was undeniable; like a sleeping god curled into a singularity.
"It is Aizen-sama's greatest work," Tōsen said, "A miracle born from wisdom and desire for evolution."
Akashi stared, "Aizen left it here?" That surprised him. He thought he'd have it with him at all times.
Tōsen did not answer directly, "To reshape the world is not to destroy it. It is to understand what binds it, and cut those chains."
Akashi shrugged off Tōsen's odd behavior. The latter's words were like that of a riddler which exists in every story.
'Is it even real? And why does he trust me so much?' Akashi had to wonder, finding it difficult to believe.
In the world of Kyoka Suigetsu, what you see to be real may be merely an illusion. So it's likely that he doesn't trust him at all, but merely trusts his abilities... Understandable.
Tōsen finally turned to him, "There's much more to see, and much more to do. But Aizen-sama wanted you to see the truth first. You can come here to learn and observe if you wish... Aizen-sama will soon have a task for you."
Akashi's answer was silent, taking a deep breath. He has finally joined the villain camp.
How things will turn out, he didn't know. For now, all he knew was that he needed more rest, his mind and body both still exhausted from pain and strain.
----------------------------------------------
[ 500 Power Stones For An Extra Chapter!]
----------------------------------------------