The spiritual pressure around Aizen showed no noticeable fluctuations. Clearly, his control over his own reiatsu was exceptional, and even his Shikai appeared calm and unassuming.
"So this is… Kyōka Suigetsu?"
Kurosaki Rei gazed at the Zanpakutō in Aizen's hand with admiration. The blade reflected the moonlight streaming in through the window, mysterious yet elegant.
As for himself, he didn't feel anything unusual at all. He couldn't even tell whether he was already under hypnosis.
Thinking of this, Kurosaki Rei subconsciously glanced at his personal menu and, for the first time, truly appreciated the advantages of the space system.
Because on his personal status screen, an extra debuff had appeared.
Negative Status · Complete Hypnosis:
The Explorer is already under the complete hypnosis of Aizen Sōsuke's Zanpakutō, Kyōka Suigetsu. All five senses have been controlled.
Note: Anyone who has witnessed the release of Kyōka Suigetsu will forever become its captive. Once bound to Kyōka Suigetsu, regardless of when Aizen releases his Zanpakutō, he can induce illusions in the target.
Note: This status can be解除d voluntarily by the wielder of Kyōka Suigetsu.
"I won't demonstrate the specific abilities of my Zanpakutō," Aizen said calmly. "After all, it's just the two of us here. What I want to show you, Rei-kun, is the process of release—and to help you grasp the key to Shikai."
As he spoke, Aizen held Kyōka Suigetsu horizontally before his face. The blade reflected the moonlight, illuminating his features.
"Rei-kun, since you're unable to achieve Shikai right now, what do you think is the biggest problem you're facing?"
Kurosaki Rei pondered for a moment, then decided to roughly explain his situation to Aizen.
"I saw purgatory…"
After listening for a while, Aizen frowned slightly. This was the first time he had heard of such a strange phenomenon deep within a soul.
"Rei-kun, are you saying that the existence you suspect to be your Zanpakutō rejected you and expelled you?"
Aizen asked.
Kurosaki Rei nodded. "It roared once, and I was blown away by the wind. I couldn't resist at all."
He had tried many times after that, but strangely enough, he could never reach that purgatory again. Each resonance attempt only led to endless darkness.
"This may be your subconscious resisting…" Aizen analyzed. "Under normal circumstances, a Zanpakutō is a part of one's soul—essentially a reflection of the heart. Being expelled doesn't mean your Zanpakutō rejected you; it means you are rejecting this power."
Kurosaki Rei was a bit confused. He pointed at himself.
"Me? I'm rejecting power?"
He felt Aizen's analysis was somewhat absurd this time. He was a fanatic of martial arts, someone who pursued the pinnacle of strength. How could he possibly resist gaining power?
Aizen nodded, frowning slightly, sensing that the situation was troublesome.
"Rei-kun, you said you grew up in Rukongai. Did you experience any psychological trauma as a child? For example… accidentally killing someone important to you?"
Kurosaki Rei shook his head repeatedly. Unlike the people of Soul Society, whose lives were long and drawn out, his entire life amounted to just twenty years. From the moment he could remember, he had been training under his master.
His master taught him the qualities a martial artist should possess, as well as many principles for conducting oneself. He had always exercised good control over his strength and never bullied the weak because of it.
As for accidentally killing someone—absolutely not. He had killed people, but never by accident. When he killed, it was with clear intent.
"Then this is truly strange…" Aizen murmured. "Or perhaps something similar happened, but to avoid losing your sanity, you forced yourself to forget it?"
Kurosaki Rei shook his head again. "Impossible. I trust my own memory. Sōsuke, just help me think of a way to reach the depths of my heart again."
"If you want deep resonance, I can help you with that," Aizen said. "Rei-kun, you might simply be too impatient. Your mind isn't relaxed enough, which is why you can't resonate properly. Have you ever heard of hypnotherapy?"
Kurosaki Rei's expression turned odd. At this moment, Aizen felt more like a psychologist speaking to a patient. He clearly thought Kurosaki Rei was some kind of trauma-ridden case.
Hypnotherapy my ass—I'm already hypnotized by you, alright?
Wait. Hypnosis?
Kurosaki Rei's eyes lit up as he suddenly understood Aizen's intent. In a sense, Aizen's ability could genuinely be of great help to him.
Aizen was a genius. He understood the principles behind awakening a Zanpakutō and knew the key points. If he used hypnosis to control Kurosaki Rei and guide him into resonance, it might really allow him to awaken his Zanpakutō!
"Sōsuke, you know hypnosis too?" Kurosaki Rei asked.
The acting still had to be done. He couldn't very well say, I know Kyōka Suigetsu's real ability—hurry up and hypnotize me.
"A little," Aizen replied. "Rei-kun, take the resonance posture first. Relax."
Aizen sat cross-legged across from Kurosaki Rei, meeting his gaze, Kyōka Suigetsu resting horizontally on his knees.
Kurosaki Rei didn't hesitate. After sitting down, he placed his hand on his Asauchi.
"Next, keep your eyes on my Zanpakutō. I'll gently sway it, and you must relax yourself…"
Aizen put on a convincing act, guiding Kurosaki Rei step by step.
"That's right. Now close your eyes. Imagine that you've already entered your soul space…"
After that, Kurosaki Rei could no longer hear Aizen's voice.
He realized that he had once again arrived at the depths of his soul space, standing before the abyss.
Taking a step forward, accompanied by a sensation of weightlessness, Kurosaki Rei marveled at how hypnosis was actually effective.
Before long, he once again arrived in purgatory, standing before the cage.
The dark-red gate stood wide open. The pitch-black demon god stared silently at Kurosaki Rei.
Within those eyes were countless complex emotions—rage, despair, mockery, loneliness, and a faint, almost imperceptible… longing.
In the next instant, a violent wind surged forth. Before Kurosaki Rei could once again ask the demon god for its true name, he was blown away.
"Rei-kun! Rei-kun! Kurosaki Rei, wake up!"
A familiar voice reached his ears. When Kurosaki Rei opened his eyes, he found himself drenched in sweat, lying on his bed, with Aizen shaking him vigorously at his side.
"Sōsuke? What happened?"
Kurosaki Rei felt a headache coming on. As he sat up, he glanced outside the window—it seemed almost dawn. Yet he clearly felt that from the moment Aizen hypnotized him to the moment he was blown out, only a few minutes had passed.
"I'm not sure either," Aizen said, confusion also evident in his eyes. "After I hypnotized you, you fell asleep very quickly. At first, your spiritual pressure was relatively stable, but later it became abnormally violent. There was even a faint purple-black reiatsu emanating from your body."
This hypnosis session had completely exceeded Aizen's understanding of the soul. He was indeed the guide of the hypnosis, but he couldn't see what Kurosaki Rei had seen.
Based on his understanding of Zanpakutō Shikai, he guided Kurosaki Rei to communicate with his inner self deep within the soul. According to his theoretical analysis, even if Kurosaki Rei couldn't awaken his Zanpakutō, at worst it would simply refuse to reveal its true name, and he would wake up soon enough.
But in reality, after entering that strange state, Kurosaki Rei failed to wake up for a long time. Even the usually composed Aizen began to feel uneasy.
It wasn't that he was particularly worried about Kurosaki Rei. Rather, what he and Kurosaki Rei were doing was essentially a "forbidden" experiment. If something were to happen to Kurosaki Rei in the dormitory, the secrets Aizen carried would no longer be hidden—and that would affect his grand design.
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