Fairy Tail: Shinigami - CH221 (Patreon)
Content
[Adam C. POV.]
There's a certain agony in the realization that cherished moments, treasured memories, the very fabric of a life believed to be lived, were all a mirage. A cruel, painstakingly crafted illusion.
I stood there, in the endless white of Hueco Mundo, grappling with the weight of that revelation.
Every laughter shared with Erza, every proud moment as I watched my children grow, every stolen glance and shared secret, all gone, like a dream upon waking.
The depth of my fury was a chasm, endless and consuming.
The more I thought about it, the angrier I became.
Every smile, every touch, every word that had meant something was now tainted. It was as if a part of my soul had been ripped out, leaving a void that echoed with rage and grief.
The idea that someone could, would, manipulate my reality in such a manner... it was unfathomable.
As these thoughts spiraled within me, my reiatsu surged, reaching out and rippling through Hueco Mundo, causing the sands to rise and dance in a frenzied whirlwind. The vast emptiness resonated with the rhythm of my heart, amplifying my anger.
The memories that had been implanted in me were detailed, vibrant, and felt so real. The love I felt for Erza, the pride for my children, all the emotions associated with those fake memories, they were genuine.
It was all too real for me, and it had all been torn away in the blink of an eye, because it had been fake.
How could one person possess such audacity? To tamper with the very essence of another's existence, to play with emotions and memories as if they were mere toys.
As I raged my reiatsu continued to expand, threatening to break the boundaries of Hueco Mundo itself. I felt like a roaring storm, a whirlwind of emotions that would consume everything in its path.
"I will tear you to shreds!" I bellowed as I closed my eyes, my fists clenching at my sides.
Aizen took another step back. "It seems our little experiment has yielded quite the result," he observed, his voice smooth and unbothered. "You will not win, Adam."
"Die." I moved, swinging my sword with deadly intent. Our blades clashed, meeting one another, sending a shockwave of energy throughout Hueco Mundo. The force of our clash sent sand and stone flying in every direction, carving deep furrows into the ground beneath us.
Aizen smiled for a moment, before the force behind my attack forced him to his knees, his sword barely holding against mine.
I knew everything I had seen in that world, had been fake. I knew that...
But that didn't make the pain any less real.
"I will kill you!" I screamed, my fury vibrating through the air as I thrust my blade forward with every ounce of strength I had, every bit of spiritual energy I could muster. His blade buckled under the strain for a few moments, space bending around us, until it finally his sword shattered into a thousand pieces, much to his shock.
"Impossible!" Aizen gasped, unable to believe what had just happened.
Giving him no time to rest, I followed my attack with another, cutting off the hand that used to hold his blade with a swift strike. Blood sprayed across the sand, as Aizen jumped back, a calm, yet bewildered expression dawning on his face.
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[Sosuke Aizen. POV]
I jumped back, avoiding what would very well be a lethal blow following the cut in my right hand; the pain was evident, a deep burning sensation coursing through my veins, a stark contrast to the cold, desolate landscape of Hueco Mundo.
Every inch of my being screamed in defiance. The intensity of Adam's reiatsu, that overwhelming power, it was nothing short of catastrophic.
This was not the plan.
The Hogyoku was supposed to absorb his power, render him weak and defeated, a sacrificial offering to my ascension. Yet, here I lay, bloodied and battered, while he had evolved.
Not enough to transcend, but enough.
As I tried to ponder what to do, Urahara's figure came into view, his hat casting a shadow that obscured his eyes, yet, that ever-present, inscrutable smile was all too visible.
It was the smile of a man who had predicted this outcome, the smile of a man whose intricate planning surpassed my every expectation.
“I told you, didn’t I?” Kisuke said, his voice barely above a whisper, yet the words were heavy, laden with the kind of foreboding that sends shivers down the spine. “The Hogyoku would side with him, if given the choice.”
Anger coursed through me. It wasn’t just Adam’s renewed strength that shook me to my core, or the fact my plans seemed to be coming undone. It was the confirmation of what I had suspected, that the Hogyoku, my Hogyoku, had turned its back on me. It had not only protected Adam but had empowered him, given him the tools to mount this insurmountable offense.
I grunted, pushing myself up from the ground, blood seeping through my robes, painting the white sand red. In the distance, Adam stood like an avenging deity, his reiatsu a roaring inferno, eyes ablaze with a fire forged from anger.
“Impossible…” My words, laced with disbelief, escaped into the cold, unforgiving air of Hueco Mundo. Every hypothesis, every calculated move had pointed to this moment being my ultimate triumph.
Yet here we stood, roles reversed, power dynamics upended.
“It's far from impossible, Aizen,” Urahara continued, his tone mirthful yet haunting. “You aimed to manipulate a power much greater, much older than any we’ve ever encountered. You sought to control the child of the Soul King, but you underestimated the will of the Hogyoku, its innate ability to discern where it belongs.”