BLEACH: SURVIVAL SYSTEM

Akira's words left Ichimaru Gin silent.

He questioned himself—if he continued his undercover mission, what were the real chances of successfully killing Aizen?

Aizen was already an immensely powerful figure, and his intellect ran deep, making him nearly flawless. On top of that, Ichimaru Gin knew that Aizen's ultimate goal was to obtain the Hōgyoku. Once Aizen possessed it, his strength would only continue to grow exponentially.

This meant that Ichimaru Gin's chances of success would become slimmer with each passing moment.

In this situation, would it be wiser to align himself with the stronger force that shared the same objective?

"If you've made up your mind, then kill Tōsen Kaname with your own hands."

Akira kicked the half-dead Tōsen into the middle of the road. He observed Ichimaru Gin, whose expression was shifting with uncertainty, but he did not rush him.

Akira, knowing the future events, was well aware that despite Gin's frivolous and cunning demeanor, he was actually someone who valued deep emotions. If Ichimaru Gin truly swore his loyalty, Akira wouldn't have to worry about betrayal.

There was no doubt that a strong and intelligent subordinate like Ichimaru Gin would be highly valuable.

"You... you bastard..."

Tōsen groaned, glaring at Gin with hatred.

He never expected Ichimaru Gin to be a traitor!

Just moments ago, Tōsen had pinned his hopes on Gin escaping to warn Aizen—to make Aizen aware of Akira's existence.

This man wasn't just formidable in open battle; he also possessed an unnatural and terrifying lightning ability that seemingly came from nowhere.

However, that plan was now dead in the water.

"It seems I have no way out... And, to be honest, your offer is quite tempting," Ichimaru Gin muttered with a wry smile.

He slowly raised Shinsō, pointing it at Tōsen's forehead.

Then, without hesitation, he struck.

"Schk!"

The blade pierced flesh and bone. Tōsen's head was impaled into the ground—completely lifeless.

"Very well. You've made a wise decision."

Akira snapped his fingers, and a bolt of lightning struck down, instantly reducing Tōsen's corpse to ashes.

The sight made Ichimaru Gin's heart skip a beat. Was that Kidō?

No… It didn't resemble any Kidō he had ever encountered.

It only proved one thing—Akira harbored far too many secrets.

"Lord Akira, what are my next orders?" Gin asked, shifting seamlessly into his new role.

"Return and continue to act as Aizen's subordinate," Akira instructed. "Remain undercover and coordinate with me when the time is right."

"Return to Aizen?"

Gin hesitated, a trace of concern flashing across his face. With Tōsen dead, returning to Aizen would be difficult. That path had seemed completely closed to him.

Akira, however, saw through his worries and smirked.

"Just tell him you barely escaped when I killed Tōsen Kaname."

Ichimaru Gin shook his head and said, "Lord Akira, Aizen is a schemer. I'm afraid he won't be so easy to deceive."

"Of course, I know that," Akira replied. "I know Aizen even better than you do."

"But don't worry. Aizen won't suspect you… and do you know why? Because he already knew you were an undercover agent. It doesn't matter if you act suspicious."

"What did you say!?"

Ichimaru Gin's eyes widened in shock.

"It's true," Akira continued. "He kept you by his side because he was simply curious about how you planned to kill him."

Akira was certain that Aizen wouldn't make a move against Ichimaru Gin, even if he found something unusual.

After all, Aizen was an exceptionally intelligent and powerful man—so much so that he lived in solitude. He had no equals, no true allies, and no one to challenge him. This was why he even went as far as to cultivate Kurosaki Ichigo as an opponent, hoping for an entertaining fight.

Likewise, Gin's hidden betrayal wasn't a concern to him—it was a rare source of amusement in his otherwise dull existence. Aizen wasn't going to eliminate something that intrigued him.

"Okay… fine."

Ichimaru Gin nodded. For now, he had no choice but to trust Akira.

"Trust me, you'll be fine… but at the very least, don't make it too obvious that you're fooling Aizen."

As Akira finished speaking, the golden glow of Excalibur—the Sword of Oath Victory—flared in his hand.

"Eh… eh? What are you doing???"

Gin's mouth twitched as an ominous feeling crept over him.

"I'll control my power and make sure you only suffer minor injuries."

Akira swung his blade, striking Ichimaru Gin with a devastating attack.

Boom!

By the time daylight arrived, Seireitei remained relatively undisturbed.

Despite Tōsen Kaname's death—leaving no trace behind—his disappearance hadn't yet caused alarm, as less than twenty-four hours had passed.

When the battered Ichimaru Gin returned, Aizen didn't react immediately. He neither questioned nor acknowledged Gin's condition.

But Akira was certain—Aizen was already devising a new and even deadlier plan.

"If that's the case, I'll just have to look forward to today's survival reward."

Sitting in his courtyard, Akira muttered to himself.

That day, he had survived an ambush by two captain-level opponents—a situation that should have been extremely dangerous.

Tōsen Kaname wasn't even worth mentioning. But Ichimaru Gin? He was undeniably one of the most formidable captains.

Unfortunately for them, Akira was even stronger, making survival much easier than expected.

But that wasn't necessarily a good thing.

By forcing Gin to return so quickly, Akira had undoubtedly raised Aizen's suspicions to new heights. This only increased the hidden dangers surrounding him.

As night fell, the system lottery arrived as scheduled.

[Congratulations to the Host for surviving another day! You have received a lottery reward.]

Without hesitation, Akira activated the draw.

A new system prompt appeared, and after reading the reward details, a rare expression of surprise crossed his face.

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