Help! I am bound to Aizen!

Chapter 241

Aizen slid open the door to Kaelith’s study.

Inside the dimly lit room, Kaelith sat leaning forward in a chair, both elbows braced against his knees, chin resting on the backs of his hands. He looked deep in thought. Catching sight of Aizen, he blinked, then gave a slight nod.

“Sōsuke, good timing. Come in and sit.”

“…?”

Aizen studied him, suspecting an illusion, but found nothing of the sort. He pulled over a chair and sat facing Kaelith.

“What’s going on? Run into some trouble?”

Kaelith nodded, brow furrowed as though choosing his words carefully. Aizen waited patiently in silence. After a moment, Kaelith spoke:

“Sōsuke, would you consider joining the Yurei family? We may be only minor nobles right now, but if I make the effort, climbing back to mid-level or even upper-noble status won’t be too hard. I could give you all the power I have, and you wouldn’t even need to change your name. How about it?”

Aizen paused for a few seconds before shaking his head. “I’m sorry, Kaelith. You know I don’t like the spotlight. I much prefer being behind the scenes…”

“That’s your only reason?” Kaelith cut him off before he could finish. Straightening in his seat, he continued:

“Becoming a noble doesn’t conflict with remaining behind the scenes. You’re no less clever than I am—you could easily find a way to balance the two. The reason you’re turning me down is that, in your eyes, a noble title is an insult, isn’t it?”

Hearing that, Aizen finally betrayed a flicker of surprise. Looking at Kaelith’s earnest expression, he smiled faintly.

“I thought you never gave these matters any thought.”

Kaelith shook his head. “I didn’t, at first. After all, everyone close to me was either a genius like you or came from a prestigious family like Sōjun. Even those with weaker talent, like some of our friends, still lived at a level far above most. Places I couldn’t see felt like they didn’t exist at all.

“But lately…I’ve come to realize that’s not right. In Rukongai, there are children who can’t even find a single drop of water. Commoners who wear nothing but thin rags, even in this freezing winter. Even here in the Seireitei, countless people become fodder in the meat grinder in the name of the Five Great Noble Houses. This world has existed for a million years. Crawling on all fours for that long—shouldn’t we be further along?

“You saw these truths long ago, which is why you scoff at nobility. When I became a noble, you never once offered congratulations, because in your view, it wasn’t an honor—it was a stain.”

Aizen’s smile deepened. “Yes, Kaelith. I’m glad you’ve finally noticed. As expected…you truly are my friend.”

A rare gleam lit his usually composed gaze. He raised one hand, and in a flash, a soundproof barrier enveloped the room.

“As you said, the Soul Society has existed for a million years, but nothing’s really changed. Even the World of the Living, messy as it is, has outpaced us in many systems. Three main reasons lie at the root of this.

“First, Shinigami possess immense power. If personal might can solve any crisis—through spiritual pressure or Zanpakutō abilities—there’s no motivation to progress further. Those already in power, benefitting from the status quo, see no need for change.

“Second is our longevity. Strong Shinigami can live for a thousand, even two thousand years. In that same time, humans cycle through a hundred generations; each shift between the young and the old brings another chance for transformation. But for Shinigami, that’s only one or two generations. The pace of change barely registers.

“Lastly, there are the Five Great Noble Houses.”

At that phrase, Aizen’s eyes betrayed open contempt.

“Kaelith, do you know how the Five Great Noble Houses came to be?”

Kaelith thought a moment. “Appointed by the Soul King?”

In the anime, there wasn’t much detail about the Soul King, so he could only guess. Aizen’s tone was tinged with melancholy.

“The notion that ‘the Soul King appointed them’ is a nice cover story. Reality is far less pleasant. The Soul Society has existed for a million years. So what was the world like before that?

“A million years ago, the Three Worlds—Human, Soul, Hollow—were still one. Humans, souls, and Hollows all lived together. With no cycle in place, all spirits eventually merged into a single colossal Hollow that would bring about the end. To break that loop, the Soul King rose up. Using his godlike power, he destroyed that great Hollow, restarting the world’s cycle.

“Upon witnessing the Soul King’s power, the ancestors of the Five Great Noble Houses hatched a plan: separate the single world into three. Humans, souls, and Hollows would each reside in its own realm. Using the mutual pull and repulsion among them, souls would flow in a grand cycle.

“To accomplish this, the ancestor of the Shiba Clan—yes, that Shiba—went to negotiate with the Soul King, seeking his cooperation. Meanwhile, the Tsunayashiro ancestor seized the opening to attack the Soul King. He didn’t resist; he let them seal him, confine him, imprison him in the Royal Palace. Thus, his power became something they could control.

“With the Soul King’s power, the Five Great Noble Houses completed the separation into three realms: the World of the Living, the Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo. Ever since, they’ve enjoyed continuous authority. But their fear of the Soul King’s retribution never ceased. Even though he never fought back, they constantly worried he would one day break his bonds and take vengeance.

“They used secret arts to trap him in an impossible state—both alive and dead. Then they severed his arms that governed ‘forward’ and ‘stillness.’ Even that wasn’t enough. Over many ages, they cut out his heart, amputated his legs, tore out his organs—removing them one by one from his body. They scattered every fragment of his power across the Three Worlds so it would never reunite.

“By whittling down the Soul King’s strength, they fabricated a ‘king’ they could control. And those who sealed him—who profited from his power—became the earliest ruling class of the Soul Society. That’s the real reason the Five Great Noble Houses reign eternally. It’s also the wretched truth of the Soul King’s existence.”

Kaelith was left speechless for a long time. He had no reason to doubt Aizen’s words; with Aizen’s investigative abilities, he wouldn’t speak of this unless he were certain. Though Kaelith had glimpsed the darker side of nobility, he never imagined such a repulsive history behind it all. They would do that to a being who willingly offered his strength, going so far as hacking him apart and scooping out his organs?

After a prolonged silence, Kaelith regarded Aizen. In the anime, he’d never really understood why Aizen—an accomplished captain leading a comfortable life—insisted on rebellion. Especially that famous line: “The vacant throne of heaven ends now.” Indeed, if the Soul King was just a mutilated hostage sustaining the Three Worlds, he wasn’t really a “king” at all. Aizen, with his personality, could never accept that once he knew.

He also recalled Aizen’s words to Urahara Kisuke after his defeat by Ichigo Kurosaki. Aizen had scorned Urahara, accusing him of knowing the truth yet doing nothing. Back then, Kaelith had assumed Aizen was just raving in delirium. Now it all made sense. Over the course of his life, Urahara must have uncovered the truth as well, but he’d chosen to accept it. For someone like Aizen, that was intolerable.

Kaelith suddenly felt like laughing. Beneath that calm exterior, Aizen was still a bit of a dreamer at heart.

In the country Kaelith had lived in before he transmigrated, someone who devoted their entire life to confronting injustice—especially one that didn’t personally affect them—had a special name.

A Hero

Raising his head, he looked at Aizen. “Sōsuke, since you’ve laid all this out, you must have a plan.”

“Indeed.” Aizen lifted his chin slightly. “Kaelith, I’m determined to change everything. The Soul King relinquished resistance, so let me—” He paused, then looked at Kaelith and smiled. “Let us resist in his place. Kaelith, you become the new Soul King. Then you can reshape it all. Nobility, darkness, injustice…we’ll put an end to it here!”

The instant he finished, Kaelith’s face twisted with reluctance, and he shook his head vigorously, like a drenched dog shaking off water.

“No, no, no. Count me out. The very idea of sitting on some glittering throne, with a bunch of Shinigami bowing at my feet, makes my skin crawl.”

Setting aside how boring that would be, it would also ruin his dream of making the Soul Society his personal paradise. Gaining a harem by wielding the Soul King’s authority was nothing compared to the thrill of winning it on his own.

He glanced at Aizen and grinned. “You’re better suited to that position than I am, Sōsuke. You’re always so aloof anyway—why not go be lonely on a nice, cold throne?”

Aizen narrowed his eyes. Some friend indeed.

Rising to his feet, he said with a trace of exasperation, “Enough of that. Forget becoming Soul King—right now, we can’t even control the Soul Society. According to the texts, there are four fearsome Royal Guards in the Soul King’s Palace, collectively known as the Zero Division. Their strength surpasses the entire Gotei 13. In other words, to stand a chance, we must grow more powerful. Once you can stand toe-to-toe with Captain-Commander Yamamoto, then decide if you want to be Soul King.”

Kaelith wore a skeptical look. “That’s impossible—my teacher is invincible! I’ll grant that the Royal Guard might surpass the Gotei 13 aside from him, but beyond the whole Gotei 13 including my teacher? I don’t buy it.”

Aizen shook his head. “I’m not entirely convinced either, but if we’re serious about confronting them, we have to be prepared for the worst. The longer the game, the more we have to anticipate every outcome. One wrong move, and it’s all over.

“Honestly…I never thought I’d discuss such matters openly.” A slight smile tugged at his lips as he looked at Kaelith. “Life is full of surprises, isn’t it? Let’s keep moving forward together, Kaelith.”

With that, he dismissed the soundproof barrier and turned to leave. He was in high spirits; luck had certainly been on his side in meeting Kaelith. But before he could slide the door open, Kaelith blurred into motion, blocking his path.

“…?”

Aizen raised an eyebrow. Kaelith flashed him a grin.

“Sōsuke, don’t leave just yet. You showed up at the perfect time. The Shin’ō Academy group is back—they need a teacher. Why don’t you give them a lesson?”

Aizen closed his eyes, feeling his blood pressure rise. Here they were, fresh from discussing grand secrets and grand ideals—only to be derailed by trivial chores. Maybe meeting Kaelith wasn’t such a blessing after all.

But then, a sudden idea came to him. In the expectant gaze of Kaelith, Aizen’s expression shifted into something rather sly.

“Kaelith, I think there’s someone else more suited to that job than me. You’ve been letting him hide for quite a while…it’s time we drag him out. I can help.”

With that, he smiled meaningfully.