Bleach: No cheat codes, he joined Aizen's side.

Chapter 211, Page 209: A Counterattack

Outside the maggot's nest, Aizen's body was paralyzed for a long time. Higashino Shuichi seized this excellent opportunity, slowly walked up and stabbed him. Just as Higashino Shuichi was about to deliver a second blow, the prolonged paralysis triggered the protective mechanism of the half of the Hogyoku on Aizen's body, and the paralysis effect on his body was lifted.

"Hmph, if I remember correctly, Shuichi, you like to set up a spiritual pressure shielding device before doing bad things. So, Kisaragi Shusuke, whom you personally trained, should also have this habit, right?"

Aizen realized he had overestimated himself and decided to get serious. A spiritual pressure somewhat similar to Hollow power rose from his body. It was a special technique that allowed Aizen to temporarily use Hollow power with his Shinigami body, using the Hogyoku as a medium.

Wang Xu’s flash!
A red Cero shot out from Aizen's outstretched right palm toward Higashino Shuichi, causing the ground to cave in and houses to collapse, as if nothing could survive under this terrifyingly high-density spiritual pressure!
Outside the maggot's nest, Aizen's body was paralyzed. Higashino Shuichi smiled and slowly walked up to him, then methodically inserted his Zanpakuto into Aizen's body. Blood was restrained, not gushing out, but Higashino Shuichi seemed to have no intention of stopping after that one strike.
The half of the Hogyoku on Aizen's body took effect, and the paralysis was lifted.
"Hmm, if I remember correctly, I should have this habit too, right?"

Aizen, who originally just wanted to see how strong Higashino Shuichi really was, decided to get serious.

The power of the void, the flash of the King of Void, a red phantom streaked across the sky, and the world seemed to fall silent for a moment.

Aizen discovered that his body had fallen into a state of paralysis for an unexpectedly long time.
Everything seemed like an endless cycle, the same scene playing over and over again, without end, until this time.
"Hmph, if I remember correctly, Shuichi, you like to set up a spiritual pressure shielding device before you do anything bad, so you... um."

Aizen realized something was wrong. Why did he feel like he had said the same thing many times?
Furthermore, he seemed to see that what followed was him demonstrating his latest scientific research results in front of Higashino Shuichi, relying on the Hogyoku and the relatively mature Shinigami-Hollow conversion technology, to unleash his Shinigami power, which was far more powerful than that of ordinary Shinigami, in the form of Hollow power!
It was that special void flash he named Wang Xu, a terrifying power that ripped through the sky.

That scene was familiar to him, yet somewhat strange.

Then, Aizen smiled and looked at Higashino Shuichi opposite him.

"That's the real reason you paralyzed my body, isn't it?"
The reason I can't remove this paralysis effect simply by using spiritual pressure is because it's not paralysis at all; it's that you made me think it was a paralysis effect.

Actually, it's because my body is so immersed in that false repetition that it can't break free, causing it to completely disobey my brain's commands. That's the real truth behind the so-called 'numbness,' isn't it?"

Every change has a cause, and every event has a traceable pattern. Moreover, no effort is ever wasted. This is the essence of Higashino Shuichi.

This is both one of Higashino Shuichi's strengths and his weaknesses.

If someone else had used this so-called technology, Aizen might not have been able to detect it for a while. However, because his opponent was Shuichi Higashino, and considering his previous unusual actions, Aizen easily convinced himself and thus pieced together a clear picture.

Although Aizen wasn't entirely sure exactly when he fell into Higashino's trap, he guessed it was when he slashed Higashino, and Higashino used his own body as bait to lower his guard.

Including the deliberate exposure of flaws at the beginning, and even protecting Kisaragi Shusuke's ability to use Shikai, looking back now, Aizen also guessed that it was all a bait thrown out by Higashino Shuichi.

What he meant by guarding against his illusions was merely the appearance that Higashino Shuichi wanted him to believe.

Higashino Shuichi's goal was to instill in him a subconscious belief that because he had to guard against Kyoka Suigetsu, he could not use Bankai or Hollowfication, and therefore his current state was unprecedentedly weak.

Once such an impression is formed in one's mind, it will only deepen as Higashino Shuichi is pushed further and further by his own actions.

Until the very end, Aizen remained steadfast in his belief.

In this way, who would have thought that Higashino Shuichi, who seemed to be at a disadvantage and was being suppressed by him, was actually plotting to assassinate him?

Aizen almost forgot that what Higashino Shuichi was best at was pretending to be the prey and then hunting down those who thought they were the hunters.

"The travel potion from the past, when you were cutting me, as my body destroyed and your Zanpakuto was retracted, slowly entered your body."

To Aizen's surprise, Higashino Shuichi gave a reply.

However, Higashino Shuichi only gave a name without explanation, which is the best explanation. This shows that Higashino Shuichi tacitly accepted Aizen's guess.

When Aizen realized that all of this was a scheme set up by Higashino Shuichi, and that he didn't know how many trump cards Higashino Shuichi was hiding, he hesitated for the first time in the face of Higashino Shuichi's sudden answer.

He was pondering why Higashino Shuichi, who had always been a one-man show in this battle, silently and focused on fighting, would suddenly answer him.
What new thing is Higashino Shuichi planning this time?

Is he guiding himself?
He was using those words to make me accept the fact that I am still under the influence of this drug?

So, we need to look at it from the opposite perspective. Because I saw through the effects of that drug and broke that cycle, my body is not currently under the influence of paralysis, nor will it be. The drug has lost its effectiveness, and I no longer need to worry about falling back into the cycle of consciousness. I just need to be careful not to let him inject the drug in strange ways again!

In an instant, Aizen seemed to see through everything about Higashino Shuichi. This subordinate, whom he had almost personally watched grow step by step to his current strength, indeed possessed extraordinary combat wisdom. These subtle strategies in battle could always inadvertently influence the overall situation.

Unfortunately, he was an insurmountable mountain in her eyes.

Aizen had no interest in what Higashino Shuichi was secretly plotting behind the scenes. Just as Higashino Shuichi had guessed, Aizen would not have any pity for Higashino Shuichi or his plans unless he exposed himself to all the Shinigami in Soul Society.

Cero - The King of Hollows' Flash!
A torrent of crimson spiritual pressure swept towards Shuichi Higashino.

It was a familiar scene, but with an unfamiliar outcome.

It was clearly impossible for Shuichi Higashino to withstand Aizen's Cero without using his Bankai.

However, in that brief glance from Aizen, a smile appeared on Higashino Shuichi's lips.

With the infinite regeneration ability brought by the fragment of the Spirit King's fingernail as his support, Higashino Shuichi dared to fight against the odds in a short period of time.

Faced with Aizen's Cero, Higashino Shuichi's choice was to "fly away on the blast!"
Using all the spiritual pressure he could muster at the moment, he concentrated it in front of him and let the Cero smash him away!

Aizen's lips twitched.

Well, he really didn't expect things to develop this way.

He almost forgot that Higashino Shuichi's goal was not to defeat himself, but to escape from the nest of maggots.

Therefore, struggling with himself here, regardless of who wins or loses, means that for Higashino Shuichi, every minute he drags on increases the danger.

To be honest, if Aizen were in Higashino Shuichi's position, he would have chosen to do the same. But why is he so unhappy about it?

Looking back, he realized that the scene was more like a maggot's nest of broken walls and ruins than a scene of utter devastation. It seemed that he, the captain of the Fifth Division, would have to go to the First Division to apologize later.
However, we can't blame him. Who knew that Higashino Shuichi's subordinate, Kisaragi Shusuke, could break through the Shihōin family's sacred bandage with his Baku-yō-tō?

It's perfectly normal that a captain with only average strength couldn't beat a high-ranking captain like Higashino Shuichi, who could take on five captain-level Shinigami decades ago, and with Kisaragi Shusuke, a captain-level Shinigami who could seal the release of his Zanpakuto, beside him!
As Aizen was thinking this and preparing to leave, the color of the sky changed.

No, to be precise, the world has changed.

Night turned into day, and the maggot's nest became a house in the real world, as if afraid that Aizen wouldn't know he had stepped into a new space.

"A faint, murky emblem, an untamed and arrogant talent; a surge, a denial, a paralysis, a moment, hindering eternal slumber. The crawling Iron Princess, the self-mutilating clay doll, combining, rebounding, extending to the ground, know your own powerlessness, Hado No. 90, Black Coffin!"

A soft chant echoed around the space, and it was easy to recognize that it was the voice of Shuichi Higashino.

He didn't run away; instead, he changed his posture and came back to fight!
To be honest, I'm very happy.

At least that's true for Aizen.

"With your level, Shuichi, even if you chant it completely, this level of Kido wouldn't be effective against me!"

Aizen was willing to give such a sweet treat to the sensible Higashino Shuichi, as a way of making up for the great risk he had taken to turn back and fight alongside him.

So Aizen simply stood there, letting Higashino Shuichi envelop him in the enormous black coffin.

He knew that doing this was a huge risk. Even though he had now figured out the tricks that Higashino Hideichi had used before, who knew what other tricks Higashino Hideichi was hiding?

Aizen believed that Higashino Shuichi must have had it, otherwise, given Higashino Shuichi's personality, he would never have turned back without a certain degree of certainty.

However, Aizen trusted his own judgment more, believing that Higashino Shuichi was no match for him!

Even if we take a step back and assume that Higashino Shuichi really has the ability to take advantage of his carelessness and threaten his life, the current Higashino Shuichi cannot afford the cost of killing a Shinigami captain and Aizen Sousuke. Tosen Kaname, Ichimaru Gin, the Arrancar in Hueco Mundo, and the mess in Soul Society are all things that Higashino Shuichi cannot handle at the moment.

Therefore, he had no worries.

Consider it a small reward for my subordinates.

It can only be said that Aizen's guess had many problems, but the conclusion unexpectedly came to be on the right track.

Higashino Shuichi cannot kill Aizen right now. He needs to keep Aizen as a higher-level candidate to replace the Soul King, and as an insurance policy for his future elimination of Yhwach.

But that doesn't mean that Shuichi Higashino doesn't intend to give Aizen an unforgettable memory.

After all, he was just Aizen in his basic form, who hadn't mastered the complete Hogyoku or fused with it. Where did he get such arrogance?

Inside the pitch-black coffin, Aizen snorted coldly, preparing to shatter the Kido he utterly despised with a single strike. Then he realized that his spiritual pressure had become extremely abnormal.

If his spiritual pressure in his normal state is 10, then at this moment he can feel that his spiritual pressure limit is about 9, and the spiritual pressure he can release is less than 6, and this value is decreasing at a visible rate.

"The black coffin has this effect?"

Aizen frowned.

No, that's not right, it's not a black coffin!
Aizen raised his head and looked up at the darkness above—this was the special space!

Higashino Shuichi pulled himself into this space, certainly not to keep their battle a secret from the outside world.

Because the same effect can be achieved with the previous spiritual pressure shielding barrier.

Following the logic that Higashino Shuichi would never do anything meaningless, this new special space must have a reason for its existence.

Aizen believed that absorbing his spiritual pressure was probably Higashino Shuichi's goal.

After all, the battle between Shinigami is a battle of spiritual pressure.

In theory, as long as one reduces one's spiritual pressure to a certain level, then Higashino Shuichi can completely overwhelm one, and even ignore one's Kyoka Suigetsu based solely on the intensity of spiritual pressure.

Unfortunately, all of this is only in theory.

because
Aizen silently raised his arm and pointed forward. The half of the Hogyoku on his body shimmered with light, and countless spiritual pressures overflowed from it, filling the void in Aizen's body.

Wang Xu’s flash!
The huge black coffin had a wide-open opening.

Aizen stood proudly in mid-air, looking towards Higashino Shuichi, who had reappeared in his field of vision.

"The idea is good, but in my opinion, it's not as effective as those gadgets you used before. As for spiritual pressure, I can have as much as I want!"

"Really? Then I hope you're telling the truth~"

Higashino Shuichi raised his hand, and the earth shattered, from which five azure dragons roared into the sky.

The Ninety-Nine Chapters of the Hakado: The Five Dragons Transform and Annihilate, I Appear Once Again!

(End of this chapter)