Bleach: The Invincible Slacker from Rukongai

What an excellent beginning—absolutely perfect! But it was too perfect, and that was the problem.

This time, Aizen was not blinded by power, nor did he allow himself to indulge in the intoxicating feeling of becoming stronger. This rate of improvement was so rapid that it was simply unreasonable and defied all logic.

Was such a thing even possible? Was he truly the Chosen One of destiny?

If Aizen hadn't been thoroughly beaten down by Ichigo Kurosaki, he might have almost believed such a grandiose notion. Mugetsu Ichigo had certainly hurt him deeply, but the defeat had also awakened him to harsh realities.

For the first time in his existence, Aizen had experienced the crushing sensation of being weak, helpless, and utterly hopeless. He still remembered that feeling vividly and would never forget the lesson it had taught him.

If an ordinary person had experienced such a devastating blow and such complete despair after rising so high, they would definitely have been psychologically crushed beyond repair. But Aizen was far from ordinary.

He had learned from his previous defeat and had become more cautious, more careful, and ultimately stronger as a result. Of course, Uehara Shiroha had also played a crucial role in this development.

The overwhelming pressure from Mugetsu-enhanced Uehara Shiroha was so intense that even Aizen remained alert and refused to become overconfident. Even when he had entered the Fourth Stage form once again, he still maintained perfect mental clarity.

He keenly sensed that there was something fundamentally wrong with the Hogyoku's evolution, and also with the very source of his newfound power. This abnormal increase in strength was being caused by the Hogyoku, but who exactly was manipulating the Hogyoku's responses?

In any case, this was not power derived from his own will, and it wasn't even entirely the Hogyoku's autonomous power. It felt as if there was another will pushing him forward, guiding the Hogyoku's actions, and even forcing the Hogyoku to evolve in specific directions.

This mysterious will was apparently even stronger than both him as a transcendent and the Hogyoku itself. It was as if there was an invisible hand controlling everything from behind the scenes.

The answer seemed increasingly obvious with each passing moment. From the beginning to the end, the only person who had possessed the opportunity to control the Hogyoku and influence this space was Uehara Shiroha.

At this crucial realization, he finally saw the truth behind everything.

"Uehara Shiroha, so it was you—it has always been you!" Aizen said with dawning comprehension: "I thought I had stimulated the Hogyoku's potential through my own willpower, and that it had begun to evolve again in response to my needs."

"But this is not the truth at all. This is merely an elaborate illusion. It is you who has been controlling the Hogyoku all along!"

"First you broke my kido seal, and now you've triggered the evolution that the Hogyoku desires most! How did you accomplish this? Why would you do such a thing?"

Aizen was genuinely stunned by Uehara Shiroha's outrageous and seemingly contradictory actions. It was incredible enough to have him unsealed, but then to also strengthen him further was beyond comprehension.

However, this was indeed perfectly consistent with Uehara Shiroha's unpredictable style. He was now beginning to suspect that Uehara Shiroha's ultimate goal might not simply be obtaining the Hogyoku for himself.

Otherwise, there would be absolutely no logical reason for his opponent to take such seemingly counterproductive actions.

"You really shouldn't have fused so completely with the Hogyoku!" Uehara Shiroha shrugged casually, displaying a "what can you do about it" expression and posture:

"Urahara Kisuke's decision to place the Hogyoku within Rukia was indeed a brilliant tactical move that left me with limited options. I can only say that it turned out to be a blessing in disguise for my plans."

"At that crucial moment, Rukia was technically the owner of the Hogyoku. And she trusts me completely and unconditionally. This gave me the perfect opportunity to... leave my mark."

Under the enhanced effects of the Mind Stone, he had easily placed a spiritual mark that belonged exclusively to him. Even after the Hogyoku had been fused with Aizen, this mark had remained firmly embedded within it.

Therefore, Uehara Shiroha had been able to slowly and methodically gain control over the Hogyoku until he possessed complete dominion over its functions.

He had to admit that after experiencing such a crushing failure, Aizen had indeed become far more difficult to deal with and had actually managed to realize the fundamental problem with his situation.

But even with this newfound awareness, his opponent had absolutely no way to counteract or escape the trap. Just like Aizen's situation—even though he understood there was something fundamentally wrong with the Infinite Dangai World, he still couldn't escape from its confines.

This was the straightforward crushing of superior strength, the absolute domination of the strong over the weak.

"I understand the situation now!" Aizen quickly regained his composure and spoke with renewed determination: "It seems that I have only one viable choice remaining. That is to continue evolving and growing stronger without limit."

"I must advance until I surpass whatever power you have embedded within the Hogyoku! I've declared that the Hogyoku belongs to me, and the final victory can only belong to me as well!"

At this moment, there was no other path available except unwavering confidence in his abilities. Even when facing Uehara Shiroha's overwhelming advantage, he was not going to surrender or give up.

Because Aizen firmly believed that the Hogyoku could create genuine miracles, that he himself could create miracles, and that he could break through all the contingency plans that Uehara Shiroha had left behind.

In this battle, he would not hold back even the slightest amount, and he intended to be completely aggressive in his approach.

"It would be rude not to reciprocate your attack! It's my turn now!" Before he had even finished speaking, Uehara Shiroha had completely disappeared from sight.

In truth, the moment Aizen had stepped into the Infinite Dangai World, his choices had ceased to matter in any meaningful way. No matter what decisions his opponent made or how much effort he expended, it would not affect the predetermined outcome of this confrontation.

In the face of absolute and overwhelming strength, any conspiracy, trickery, or clever strategy became meaningless. In civilized society, those who relied on violence were typically suppressed and controlled by established systems.

The reason for this was that violence and destruction represented everyone's most basic, fundamental, and direct abilities, and served as everyone's final resort when all else failed. Other rules, principles, or social structures would ultimately come down to questions of raw strength and power.

In the end, strength was everything that truly mattered—everything else was just elaborate conversation designed to avoid direct confrontations with those who possessed superior power.