Chapter 16: Behind the Curtain
 
 
Watching the battle above me while remaining hidden from everyone, I immediately noticed that with the arrival of the fighters from Hueco Mundo, things were no longer looking good for the Espada. They were being steadily pushed onto the defensive.
 
It was especially bad for Barragan ever since Hacchi had joined the fight. He quickly figured out a way to mostly neutralize Barragan’s power by using Kidō, something he specialized in.
 
Harribel, on the other hand, was holding out for the moment, mostly because Hiyori and Tōshirō kept arguing with each other, their personalities clashing nonstop. Lisa was left as the only mature one in the group, which was honestly hilarious considering she was a shameless pervert who enjoyed reading porn in public without a shred of embarrassment.
 
Rukia and Renji had also joined that fight, but at their current level they weren’t particularly effective against Tier’s water abilities and mostly provided support.
 
Byakuya hadn’t joined any battle at all. Instead, he remained close to Unohana, guarding her while she healed the injured.
 
As for Kenpachi… Aizen had made quick work of him using the effects of his Zanpakutō. Poor Shinji ended up dealing with Kenpachi for a while, mistakenly believing he was attacking Aizen, only for the man to appear behind him and nearly cut him in half.
 
At this point, Unohana was probably treating him, if I had to guess. Not that I particularly cared.
 
My attention snapped back to Barragan’s battlefield as I saw him become completely surrounded by Kidō. Then Soi Fon fired her Bankai.
 
A massive explosion followed, obscuring everything from view.
 
‘Now’s my chance,’ I thought.
 
I teleported to the edge of the Kidō barrier, hidden from everyone’s sight, and used Beelzebuth to devour a tiny portion of it, just enough for my slime form to slip through.
 
Using flight magic, I moved quickly through the air toward the back of the lich-like Hollow, remaining undetectable to anyone who couldn’t sense magicules. Fully aware of his somewhat impressive control over time, specifically accelerated aging, I coated my body with Beelzebuth as a precaution.
 
Though as a truly timeless being, with my body never changing from my current looks, I don’t think his ability would have worked too well against me.
 
“Master is correct. In the worst-case scenario, he can just use Beelzebuth to devour his power before any real effect can happen like he is now.” Raphael supported my idea while sounding a bit smug.
 
Sending my partner a silent thanks, I focused and struck.
 
At the last possible moment, I shifted into my human form, my blade already mid-swing and coated in Battlewill, and cut him cleanly in half from shoulder to torso.
 
“Ggghk—! W-Who—!?” Barragan grunted, releasing his power instinctively as he turned his head and caught sight of me. His eyes widened in recognition.
 
“…You—!”
 
That was all he managed before Beelzebuth consumed him completely, time manipulation and all.
 
‘So much for your so-called invincible power. One down,’ I thought, a flicker of satisfaction rising in my chest.
 
I immediately reverted to my slime form and, using the lingering smoke as cover, teleported away and returned to hiding.
 
‘Good thing I already absorbed Harribel’s Fracción,’ I mused. ‘I can release them later once this is all over. That should at least earn me a few points in her books since I really don’t want to kill her if I don’t have to.’
 
Moving silently through the rubble of the city, unseen by all, I turned my focus to the next battlefield.
 
‘Now for Starrk,’ I thought. ‘And I need to make sure Lilynette survives. Someone has to be left in charge of Hueco Mundo after this war, and it sure as hell ain’t gonna be me.’
 
=====
 
With Soi Fon’s Group
 
Watching silently, and with a growing sense of trepidation, as the smoke slowly cleared inside the Kidō barrier, Soi Fon hoped that her final attack had been enough to kill her opponent.
 
After releasing her Bankai twice within a three-day period, when her limit was once, she was barely clinging to consciousness.
 
As much as she hated to admit it, even in the privacy of her own thoughts, Ōmaeda was the only reason she was still standing, his grip steady as he supported her weight.
 
Hearing the sound of Shunpō, Soi Fon turned and saw Hachigen Ushōda approaching, his expression tense. That alone set off alarm bells.
 
“What is it?” she asked immediately, bracing herself for bad news.
 
“Just after your attack landed, I felt a small opening form in my barrier,” Hachigen said, frowning as his gaze remained fixed on the area where Barragan should have been.
 
“Was it the Hollow?” Soi Fon asked, already on high alert and expecting a counterattack.
 
“No… I don’t believe so,” Hachigen replied, shaking his head. “The opening was far too small for the King of Hueco Mundo to fit through. It was… something else. I’m not sure what.”
 
Thinking about it for a moment, it didn’t take long for Soi Fon to reach the only logical conclusion.
 
“An unknown enemy,” she stated flatly.
 
“At this moment, yes,” Hachigen agreed. “Please prepare yourself. I’m about to bring down my technique.”
 
Clicking her tongue in irritation, Soi Fon pushed Ōmaeda away and straightened under her own power just as the Kidō barrier dissolved. At the same time, the smoke from her Bankai finally dispersed.
 
Ready for anything, she instead found herself staring in confusion.
 
“…What?”
 
“W-Where did the Espada go?” Ōmaeda blurted out, voicing exactly what they were all seeing.
 
There was nothing.
 
Instead of seeing a dying Espada, which was what she hoped after putting so much effort into finishing up the Hollow, what instead greeted them was empty air and no trace whatsoever of the Espada they were battling.
 
While part of her wanted to believe her attack had simply erased everything, Soi Fon wasn’t foolish enough to accept that explanation. At the very least, there should have been a body left behind. Her Bankai wasn’t capable of completely erasing a being of that caliber, especially one whose power revolved around decay, not annihilation.
 
“Soi Fon-san,” Hachigen said carefully, scanning their surroundings, “it appears your instincts were correct. A third party most likely intervened.”
 
He paused.
 
“The question is… what did he do to the Espada? Did they rescue him or finish him off?”
 
“Tch,” Soi Fon muttered, her jaw tightening. “As if worrying about Aizen wasn’t enough.”
 
=====
 
Back With Caius
 
Hidden once more from everyone, I waited patiently as the battles above Karakura Town raged on, biding my time until the right moment.
 
Once Starrk finally stopped holding back, I acted.
 
Timing it carefully, I managed to devour one of the ghostly wolves he had summoned. Since they were created by splitting his soul, each one carried a fragment of it within. That way, even if I somehow failed to save Starrk, I could—well, Raphael could—use the soul fragment I had absorbed to restore him later.
 
Hopefully Lilynette too.
 
That was a last resort, though. So I waited.
 
His defeat played out just as it had in canon. Shunsui delivered the final blow, sending the Primera Espada crashing toward the ground, not far from my position, thankfully.
 
‘Alright. Let’s do this.’
 
I wobbled my way toward him, unconcerned about being seen. From the looks of things, Aizen was done playing around, and both Shunsui and the Visored had already rushed off toward his location.
 
As I reached the fallen Primera, I noted that Starrk was still alive, for now. He lay there staring weakly at the sky, not moving, not even acknowledging my presence.
 
“Have you come to finish me off?” he muttered quietly, his voice resigned, eyes never leaving the heavens above.
 
I regarded him in silence for a moment before answering honestly.
 
“In a way.”
 
“Then do it,” he said immediately, closing his eyes. “I could really use a long rest after that fight.”
 
“Very well,” I replied, preparing to activate my Ultimate Skill. Seeing no reaction from him, I added one last thing.
 
“I hope you like being in charge~”
 
That finally got his attention.
 
He cracked one eye open, confusion flickering across his face, then his eyes widened as I swallowed him whole, devouring him with Beelzebuth.
 
‘Begin analysis immediately, Raphael. See if you can restore Lilynette’s soul as well,’ I instructed as I wobbled away toward my final target, already aware that Aizen was about to betray her.
 
“At once, Master,” Raphael replied instantly before falling silent to begin her work.
 
‘And then there was one,’ I thought, glancing toward the still-raging battle where Harribel fought on in the distance.
 
‘I was right… she’s beautiful.’
 
=====
 
Aizen’s POV
 
Watching as his enemies fell one after another under the might of his power, Aizen couldn’t help but feel pleased. Despite some small mishaps, namely the arrival of the Captains who were supposed to remain trapped in Hueco Mundo, everything was still, more or less, proceeding according to his plans.
 
After defeating his former Captain, Shinji Hirako, Aizen turned and smiled amusedly at the shocked and terrified expression on Kurosaki Ichigo’s face.
 
“What’s the matter, Ryoka boy?” he asked mockingly. “Things not going the way you expected?”
 
The orange-haired teen answered with nothing but a scowl, gritting his teeth as he prepared to confront him head-on.
 
As Aizen observed him, his thoughts drifted to a far more interesting subject.
 
Caius Aurelius.
 
A being unlike any he had encountered in his long life, and that was saying something. Aizen was intimately familiar with every dirty secret Soul Society had buried over the centuries, yet there existed no record of anything even remotely resembling the strange slime. Assuming, of course, that slime truly was his original form.
 
Perhaps only the Soul King came close.
 
…And even that comparison tasted like ash in his mouth for even thinking of that thing.
 
The creature was no Quincy, no Human, no Hollow, no Shinigami, no Sinner, nor any known combination of them. And yet, he wielded Hollow powers as naturally as breathing, having acquired them after devouring them in a manner similar to Aaroniero Arruruerie.
 
Unlike the weakest of his Espada, however, Caius appeared capable of fully integrating every ounce of strength and every ability he consumed.
 
Such an ability was truly monstrous.
 
If he continued to grow at this pace, there was no telling what heights of power he might eventually reach.
 
Aizen found it infinitely amusing to watch the Captains interact with him, utterly unaware that the being who appeared to be nothing more than a somewhat powerful human was, in truth, a monster lurking beneath the surface. He was certain that once Soul Society learned the full extent of Caius’s abilities, they would stop at nothing to erase him from existence.
 
That is of course if they somehow managed to survive after he was done with them.
 
In fact, Aizen might have been concerned himself, if not for the Hōgyoku now fused with his being. True immortality, coupled with strength that continued to evolve without limit, left him confident in his eventual victory.
 
The most amusing part, however, was that the boy didn’t seem particularly fond of Soul Society either.
 
That alone worked greatly in Aizen’s favor.
 
Perhaps… when the time came, he could even extend an offer. An alliance, of sorts, when the inevitable confrontation with the Royal Guard arrived in the short future.
 
He still did not understand how Caius had managed to conceal his presence so completely upon arriving in Karakura Town, but in the end, Aizen found himself unconcerned. Even if all of his subordinates were defeated, even if Gin were to betray him—
 
He would still emerge victorious.
 
The Hōgyoku ensured that.
 
His attention was drawn back to the battlefield as the Head Captain stepped protectively in front of Kurosaki Ichigo, releasing his Shikai. In response, towering geysers of flame erupted from the ground around the city, bathing Karakura Town in hellish light.
 
All thoughts of the fascinating slime left Aizen’s mind as he clashed with Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, one of the few beings alive who posed a genuine threat to him.
 
Fortunately, that was precisely why he had brought Wonderweiss Margela along, to seal away the old Captain’s flames and drastically reduce his power and threat level.
 
And for a time, everything went exactly as planned.
 
As Aizen watched Yamamoto brutally pummel Wonderweiss before finishing him with Sokotsu, a satisfied smile touched his lips. Another piece had fallen into place just as he had envisioned.
 
With Wonderweiss’s death, Yamamoto should have been forced to sacrifice himself to contain the flames released earlier in the battle.
 
Only… that didn’t happen.
 
After Aizen lightly mocked the old man and explained the function of Wonderweiss’s Resurrección—Extinguir—Yamamoto immediately grasped the situation and prepared to leap over Wonderweiss’s body.
 
Then both of them awkwardly paused.
 
Wonderweiss’s corpse was gone.
 
Even more perplexing, Yamamoto’s flames did not erupt and consume the city. They remained sealed, as if the Arrancar were still alive, or as if something else had intervened.
 
“I don’t know what happened,” Yamamoto said at last, turning back toward Aizen with a grim expression carved into his scarred, weathered face, “but it doesn’t matter.”
 
A harsh smile tugged at the old Captain’s lips.
 
“It’s time I made good on my promise and kill you, boy.”
 
Aizen frowned inwardly as he readied himself. With Yamamoto’s flames still sealed, the chances of defeat were minimal, but Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto was not a man to be underestimated. Caution was still required.
 
Just before they clashed, the image of a slime surfaced briefly in Aizen’s mind.
 
A being that devoured others and claimed their abilities as its own.
 
Wonderweiss had, without question, been dead.
 
And there was only one presence on this battlefield capable of making him disappear so completely.
 
‘It seems I slightly underestimated you, Caius Aurelius,’ Aizen thought, a trace of amusement curling beneath his calm.
 
=====
 
Back With Caius
 
Slinking back into hiding after pulling a stunt like that, I couldn’t help but chuckle quietly to myself after witnessing the genuinely perplexed expressions on both Aizen and Yamamoto.
 
I’d been a busy little slime while Aizen casually tore through every Captain, Lieutenant, and Visored in sight. As much as I planned to kill the man and devour him—Hōgyoku included of course—I had to admit, watching him dismantle the Gotei with such ease was… impressive.
 
Honestly, it looked even better in person than it ever did through my fragmented memories.
 
While Aizen was busy rickrolling everyone, I’d taken the opportunity to reach Harribel and absorb her into my stomach for safekeeping, giving Raphael the time she needed to run a full analysis. Harribel marked the last Espada Raphael still hadn’t examined, and I was eager to see what she could extract from her abilities.
 
If past results were anything to go by, it was going to be good.
 
After all, every ability she’d refined so far had only made me stronger.
 
“You flatter me, Master. It is my duty to serve you,” Raphael replied, her voice carrying a faint trace of embarrassment.
 
‘That doesn’t mean you don’t deserve my thanks for working so hard,’ I shot back with a small smile.
 
She fell silent after that, apparently unsure how to respond.
 
Turning my focus back to the present, my thoughts drifted toward the battle ahead.
 
‘Looks like my turn’s coming up soon. I’ll finally get to test myself against Aizen,’ I mused calmly. ‘But with you at my side, Raphael, I’m not worried. That arrogant bastard won’t even know what hit him… right?’
 
“Correct,” she replied, still embarrassed, but firm. “No one is stronger than Master.”