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

Chapter 323, Section 321: The world flips, and Aizen stands above all the heavens.
"To be honest, Aizen's aesthetic sense is still on point. At least Hueco Mundo has become much prettier since he moved in!"

—Excerpt from Kyoraku Shunsui's memoirs

When Shuichi Higashino arrived at the newly built Las Noches in Hueco Mundo, it was late at night.

Of course, this is an artificial night.

Everything inside the entire New Las Noches Palace, including the virtual sky and day and night, is governed by Aizen's will.

In order to welcome a certain uninvited guest, Aizen deliberately shortened today's Las Noches day.

However, when Aizen saw the appearance of the newcomer, his expression became somewhat unnatural.

For some reason, ever since his body was completely fused with the Hogyoku, Aizen found it increasingly difficult to control the expressions on his face.

If it were in the past, Aizen would have been able to remain at least outwardly calm upon seeing this guy who exuded the aura of Shuichi Higashino but had the face of Yhwach.

"I don't remember you having such a perverse sense of humor. And this ability to change appearance, could it be that you learned it from the Spirit King's Palace?"

With the blessing of the Hogyoku, Aizen was quite certain that he had not fallen under any strange illusion, so it was obvious that Higashino Shuichi in front of him had used other methods.

Why can't you broaden your thinking a little more?

Aizen-sama~

Shuichi Higashino wasn't surprised that Aizen knew his identity.

Because when he entered Hueco Mundo, he had already used his original spiritual pressure to greet Aizen.

If Aizen could question himself based on something as trivial as his appearance, then he wouldn't deserve to be called Aizen.

"Oh?

So, did you kill Yhwach and intend to take his place?
Or perhaps you are Yhwach himself, merely having stolen some of the power of my former incompetent subordinate?

As Aizen spoke to Higashino Shuichi, he used his will to seal off the small palace where he and Higashino Shuichi were located.

Then he let his spiritual pressure surge outwards like a raging torrent of steel.

For Aizen, both of the scenarios he described were possible.

After all, at this point in time, if you count the days, Higashino Shuichi should not have been in the Invisible Empire for very long, less than half a year.

In just six months, both Higashino Shuichi and the former Quincy King...

Both sides have the potential to eliminate the other.

Deep down, Aizen naturally hoped that the person in front of him could be Higashino Shuichi.

But only if the other party could be the real Yhwach.

Aizen felt his own heartbeat.

That seems to be a pretty good result.

It's a pity that Higashino Shuichi knew Aizen so well.
Having worked together for so long, how could Higashino Shuichi not know what Aizen was thinking?
The reason he exposed his spiritual pressure first was to prevent Aizen from fighting him without thinking.

The Aizen of the past would most likely never have done something like this.

But with Aizen now fully integrated with the Hogyoku, Higashino Shuichi couldn't say for sure.

"Stop fooling around, Aizen Sousuke. I didn't come here to fight!"

Higashino Shuichi directly revealed his true colors.

If it weren't for the fact that Gin Ichimaru is still alive in Hueco Mundo, and that Shuichi Higashino refrains from actively exposing Gin Ichimaru, this toy that Aizen deliberately left behind, in order to maintain his tacit understanding with Aizen, he wouldn't be able to do so.

Shuichi Higashino didn't need to put in that much effort at all.

It was precisely to prevent Ichimaru Gin from discovering anything during his visit and thus deducing something.

Higashino Shuichi had no choice but to go through all this trouble.

This wasn't because Higashino Shuichi was still worried that Ichimaru Gin would scheme against him or get in his way.

That's something that could never happen.

For Shuichi Higashino now, killing Gin Ichimaru would be as easy as crushing an ant.

What Higashino Shuichi was worried about was that if he led Ichimaru Gin in a direction that was not originally in Aizen's plan, or if he was forced to take action to kill Ichimaru Gin ahead of time, this toy that Aizen had raised for more than two hundred years would be gone.

Will Aizen turn against me?

Given the fragile cooperative relationship between him and Aizen, Higashino Shuichi felt it was better to avoid trouble.

"So, the Quincy King almost destroyed Soul Society, forcing Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni to sacrifice several First Captains before he could barely seal Yhwach."
"You killed him?"

However, no matter how much Higashino Shuichi said, Aizen's focus remained on something else entirely.

"Why are you so certain that I killed Yhwach, and that he is not still alive?"

Higashino Shuichi almost instinctively wanted to ask that question.

But when the words were on the tip of his tongue, Higashino Shuichi hesitated.

Given that the other party is Aizen, it is not surprising that he could make such a guess based on various clues and the information he had.

Asking such a question would not only fail to make him appear any more impressive, but would also expose his foolishness in front of Aizen.

How could you even ask such a childish question!
And so on.

However, after only a moment's hesitation, Higashino Shuichi still asked the question in its entirety.

There's no other reason than to use his own stupidity to highlight Aizen's wit.

After all, it's Higashino Shuichi who needs Aizen's help right now. Is there a problem with trying to make Aizen happy?

There's absolutely no problem!

What's more, he has always spoiled Aizen like this!
This was true in the past, it is true now, and it will be true in the future if necessary!

As expected, Aizen was shocked to hear such a question coming from Higashino Shuichi's mouth.

He suddenly felt as if he had traveled back more than two hundred years.

Back then, Shuichi Higashino wasn't the legendary Soul Society he is today; he was just a lowly fourth division vice-captain.

He wasn't the Lord of Hueco Mundo, but an unknown member of the Gotei 13, a mere squad member.

Back then, Shuichi Higashino liked to question himself about the reasons behind his surprising judgments.

Each time, Aizen would patiently explain to Higashino Shuichi, his most favored subordinate at the time, with a smile.

This time, it is no exception.

"That's because if Yhwach hadn't died, I don't think he would have let someone who trespassed into his slumbering place with ill intentions just swagger out of the Shadow World."

"I wouldn't, and Yhwach would never!"

Aizen was indeed unaware of what was happening within the Wandenreich.

If he knew, he would definitely send Aizen a share of that omniscient and omnipotent ability.

Aizen was simply viewing things from the perspective of a king. Some things can only be felt by becoming a king.

Therefore, Aizen doesn't blame Higashino Shuichi for not being able to think of it.

Because Shuichi Higashino did indeed have a chance to become the King of Death.

Unfortunately, Higashino Shuichi gave up on himself, willingly going to that desolate hell to accept punishment.

"I see."

Higashino Shuichi nodded as if he had been taught something, just like always.

He knew that Aizen would appreciate his actions.

After all, they've reached the level of strength that he and Aizen have achieved.

The pursuit of ordinary material things has long lost its original meaning.

For Shuichi Higashino, perhaps he still wants to stick to his original aspirations.

But for Aizen, face is the only thing that never fades.

Especially now, in front of Higashino Shuichi, being able to make Higashino Shuichi bow his head would definitely make Aizen happy for quite some time.

You might even wake up laughing in your dreams tonight.

It can be said that through working with Aizen for so many years, Higashino Shuichi has long since completely grasped Aizen's mindset.

As for his own face?

How much is face worth?

As long as Aizen is happy to help him and doesn't cause him any trouble, Higashino Shuichi is willing to give Aizen any amount of face.

Anyway, he only lost face, but didn't lose anything in terms of substance. On the contrary, he felt a kind of joy from getting something for nothing.

This can only be described as a win-win situation.

Aizen and Higashino Shuichi each got what they wanted.

With such a good start, it was natural that Higashino Shuichi would not refuse Aizen's small requests later on.

After all, Aizen and Higashino Shuichi are still in an alliance.

With Higashino Shuichi having already given Aizen a way out, Aizen had no reason to actively seek out Higashino Shuichi to cause trouble.

Aizen wasn't such a petty person.

But no matter how much Higashino planned, he couldn't have foreseen that this "petty" person would have to take in Kisuke Urahara as a variable.

Back in the present, Higashino Shuichi stands alone in the Shadow World, surrounded by a group of Death Gods closing in on him, as well as the spirit residing in the soul and power of the first captain.

"I think I forgot to tell you, I'm not the only one who has feelings for you!"

These words, like a signal to smash a cup, instantly stirred up a huge wave throughout the entire shadow world.

Kisuke Urahara, Yoruichi Shihouin, Shunsui Kyoraku, and the others all looked down in shock.

Beneath the dark, shadowy ground, a massive surge of spiritual pressure surged forth.

That's a whole world!

The moon, the city, the mountains, the flowing water, the decaying wood.
Everything began to turn upside down in the entire shadow world at this moment.

"Aren't you curious about the changes I made to my empire after you broke into it?"

Kisuke Urahara! "

Higashino Shuichi's gaze turned cold as he looked at Urahara Kisuke with icy eyes.

And around him, the group of death gods, even if they wanted to attack Higashino Shuichi, simply couldn't, because most of their energy had to be devoted to resisting the entire world that was pouring down on them!
The same goes for Kisuke Urahara.

He is indeed a wise strategist, and so far, he has never suffered a loss in any area.

Even in his past clashes with Higashino Shuichi, if Yoruichi Shihouin's being framed wasn't considered a mistake by Kisuke Urahara.

So, Kisuke Urahara actually had the upper hand in his confrontation with Shuichi Higashino at one point.

After all, Higashino Shuichi had painstakingly orchestrated a grand scheme to legally and legitimately obtain the key from the Ishida family.

However, Urahara Kisuke intercepted the deal, and in the end, Urahara Kisuke and Tessai almost lost their lives there.

Those were probably one of the few times that Higashino Shuichi faced a life-or-death situation.

However, Kisuke Urahara did not expect that the "Yhwach" in front of him seemed to have anticipated that he would be lying in ambush here, and had prepared in advance to gamble everything and play such a big game with him.

Even without Higashino Shuichi's explanation, Urahara Kisuke already had a deep understanding of the Wandenreich's mountains and rivers through Higashino Shuichi's previous impersonation of Kabuto Takuya.
It's immediately obvious that this world, which is about to be reversed, is Yhwach's lair, the invisible empire that should have already moved to the depths of the shadow world!

"To flip and overlap the deeper world into the original world, which was originally the site left after your division, the operation is not very difficult."

However, such a brutal transfer will likely leave the entire Invisible Empire in pieces.

Kisuke Urahara also has to resist the oppression from the entire world, so his responses are limited.

Even though he didn't have many words to say, Kisuke Urahara still managed to hit the nail on the head and shut down Shuichi Higashino's attempts to show off.

All I can say is that fighting enemies like Kisuke Urahara and Sosuke Aizen is really not very fulfilling.

Even if you spend a lot of time and energy and successfully outmaneuver them, it's still the same.

Because they can almost always figure out the key to the whole problem immediately and point it out.

Higashino Shuichi even suspected that if he had spoken any slower, he might have been silenced from even asking Urahara Kisuke his question.

In any case, Shuichi Higashino could never find the fun in fighting someone like Kisuke Urahara.

But there was one exception.

He stood atop the ice palace, which had begun to collapse due to the forced flip, and descended into this shadow world along with the flipped-up world.

Like a true emperor.

"As expected of you, Kisuke Urahara, you were able to figure everything out in an instant."

"And what about me?"

At this moment, even the world, which was still struggling to resist the collapse, including Kisuke Urahara and all the Shinigami, all looked up at the heavens with utter shock.

What that man couldn't do in Soul Society, he did in this Shadow World!
He said he wanted to stand above all the heavens.

And now, he stands atop the collapsed ice palace, at the pinnacle of the world, looking down upon the Grim Reapers below.

Isn't it also a kind of standing above all the heavens?

Aizen Sousuke

No one expected that it would be him standing there!

And that's not all. Aren't those guarding Aizen the Espada of Hueco Mundo?
(End of this chapter)