Omniverse: The Martial Artist

There was no noticeable fluctuation in the spiritual pressure around Aizen. Clearly, his control over it was incredibly precise, and even his Shikai felt calm and unassuming.

"So this is… Kyōka Suigetsu?"

Hao gazed in awe at the Zanpakutō in Aizen's hand. The blade reflected the moonlight from the window, elegant and mysterious.

Yet, he didn't feel the slightest bit strange. He had no idea if he was already under hypnosis or not.

Thinking that, Hao instinctively glanced at his personal system menu—and for the first time, realized just how useful the spatial system really was.

Because on his personal status screen, a new debuff had appeared:

Negative Status: Complete Hypnosis

The Explorer is now under the complete hypnosis of Aizen Sōsuke's Zanpakutō, Kyōka Suigetsu. Your five senses are currently being controlled.

Note: As long as you've seen Kyōka Suigetsu's release even once, you'll forever become its prisoner. Once that happens, any future releases by Aizen will automatically induce illusions.

Note: This status can only be removed by the wielder of Kyōka Suigetsu.

"I won't demonstrate the actual effects of the Zanpakutō," Aizen said casually. "Since it's just the two of us here. What I do want to show you, Hao-kun, is the process of release—and help you grasp the knack for unlocking your own Shikai."

As he spoke, Aizen held Kyōka Suigetsu horizontally in front of his face. The moonlight shimmered along the blade, casting a soft glow across his features.

"Hao-kun, right now, what do you think is the biggest obstacle stopping you from achieving Shikai?"

Hao paused for a moment, then decided to explain his situation briefly. "I saw… a purgatory."

After listening to Hao's description for a while, Aizen's brows furrowed slightly. This was the first time he'd heard of such a bizarre phenomenon deep within someone's soul.

"Hao-kun, are you saying that… the entity that might be your Zanpakutō rejected you and kicked you out?"

Aizen asked, sounding surprised.

Hao nodded. "It roared at me… and I got blown away by the wind. I couldn't resist at all."

He had tried again many times afterward, but strangely, he could no longer reach that purgatory. Every time he tried to resonate with it, all he could see was endless darkness.

"That might be your subconscious resisting…"

Aizen analyzed calmly, "Normally, a Zanpakutō is a part of your own soul—basically a reflection of your inner self. Being rejected doesn't mean the Zanpakutō is refusing you. It means you are resisting the power it represents."

Hao looked confused and pointed at himself. "Me? I'm resisting power?"

He felt like Aizen's interpretation was off. He was a martial arts fanatic—someone who pursued the peak of strength. Why on earth would he resist gaining more power?

Aizen nodded, frowning slightly, sensing the situation was trickier than expected. "Hao-kun, you said you grew up in the Rukongai, right? Did you go through any psychological trauma as a child? Something like… accidentally killing someone important to you?"

Hao immediately shook his head. Unlike the slow-paced aging of native Soul Society residents, he'd only lived for twenty years. Ever since he could remember, he'd been training under his master.

His master had taught him what it meant to be a true warrior—and how to be a good person. Hao had always controlled his strength well, never using it to bully the weak.

As for accidentally killing someone? That had never happened. Sure, he'd killed people—but never by mistake. He only killed when he meant to kill.

"Well, that's strange…"

Aizen fell into thought. "Or maybe… something similar did happen. But to stop yourself from losing your mind, you forced yourself to forget it?"

Hao shook his head. "Impossible. I trust my memories. Sōsuke, just help me think—how can I reach the depths of my inner world again?"

"If you want to resonate deeply, I can help you," Aizen replied. "Hao-kun, it's possible you're just too anxious. You're not relaxed enough in your mind to achieve resonance. Have you heard of hypnotic therapy?"

Aizen asked calmly.

Hao gave him a strange look. At this moment, Aizen looked more like a therapist talking to a patient—he was clearly treating Hao like some trauma-stricken weirdo.

Hypnosis therapy, huh…? Hao thought, Seriously? I'm already under your hypnosis, man.

Wait—hypnosis?

Hao's eyes lit up. He finally understood what Aizen meant. In a sense, Aizen's ability could be extremely helpful to him.

Aizen was a genius. He understood the principles behind Zanpakutō awakening very well and also knew the tricks involved. If he could hypnotize Hao into resonating, maybe he could really help him awaken his Zanpakutō!

"Sōsuke, you know hypnosis?"

Hao asked, though he was clearly playing dumb. He couldn't exactly say, "I already know what Kyōka Suigetsu really does—go ahead and hypnotize me."

"A bit," Aizen said modestly. "Now, Hao-kun, get into the resonance posture. Try to relax."

He sat cross-legged facing Hao, Kyōka Suigetsu resting across his knees.

Hao didn't hesitate. He sat down properly and placed his hands on his asauchi.

"Now," Aizen instructed, "keep your eyes on my Zanpakutō. I'll begin to sway it gently. You need to relax…"

He went through the motions with a calm, professional air, step by step guiding Hao. "Yes, just like that. Now close your eyes. Imagine yourself entering your soul space…"

From there on, Hao could no longer hear Aizen's voice. He found himself once again deep within his soul space—standing before the abyss.

He stepped forward. The feeling of weightlessness swept over him, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly: Hypnosis actually worked!

Before long, he once again arrived at the purgatory and approached the prison cage.

The deep crimson doors stood open. The dark demon inside met Hao's gaze in silence.

Its eyes were filled with complex emotion: fury, despair, mockery, loneliness… and a barely perceptible sliver of longing.

In the next instant, a violent wind surged.

Before Hao could even ask the demon's name, he was blown away once again.

---

"Hao-kun… Hao-kun! Hao, wake up!"

A familiar voice rang in his ears. Hao opened his eyes to find himself drenched in sweat, lying on his bed. Aizen was next to him, shaking him vigorously.

"Sōsuke? What happened?"

Hao's head ached a bit. As he sat up, he glanced at the window—it looked like dawn was approaching. But to him, it felt like only a few minutes had passed from when Aizen hypnotized him to when he got blown out of the inner world.

"I'm not sure either," Aizen replied, his eyes showing a rare bit of confusion. "After I hypnotized you, you quickly fell asleep. At first, your spiritual pressure remained stable… but then it became extremely violent. You even began emitting traces of purple-black spiritual energy."

This hypnosis session had gone far beyond Aizen's understanding of the soul. While he had acted as the guide, he had no idea what Hao actually experienced inside.

He had used his understanding of Shikai awakening to try and help Hao communicate with his inner self. Even if Hao didn't awaken his Zanpakutō, Aizen figured the worst outcome would be that the Zanpakutō simply refused to reveal its name. Hao should have woken up soon after.

But instead, Hao had stayed trapped in that strange state for far too long—enough to make even the ever-composed Aizen nervous.

Not because he was overly concerned about Hao's safety—but because, technically, what the two of them were doing was an illegal experiment. If anything happened to Hao in the dorm, Aizen's secrets might be exposed—and that would jeopardize his grand plans.

°°°

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