Aizen entered the interior of the Urahara Shop, thinking to himself that this was the real beginning as he followed Urahara's lead into a guest room in the back.
The room was a simple one, roughly four and a half tatami mats in size, with a chest of drawers in one corner and a table in the center.
However, Aizen's eyes lowered slightly as he felt a peculiar flow of Spiritual Power beneath the tatami mats he was standing on.
'As expected, there is indeed something beneath here.'
A man who prepared for contingencies with a fervor bordering on obsession would never allow him entry without some sort of countermeasure in place.
Aizen smirked inwardly at the thought.
Urahara took his seat first, and Aizen naturally sat across from him.
What followed was not a momentary scouting match—but a suffocating silence.
Ordinarily, they would have probed one another to verify the hands they held or made deductions based on available information, but the current situation had transcended all expectations to such a degree that neither Urahara nor Aizen could easily find the words to begin.
'To think that Aizen would actually apologize... This is an utterly unbelievable situation. What is he plotting? It's impossible that he's suddenly reformed. Then, has he truly come here because of that man's words?'
'The real problem is that I have to convince this man. Even if I return and tell that madman I failed, I doubt he would listen. Worse, it's more likely I would be the one killed instead.'
Urahara was left speechless by the shocking experience of having his common sense completely overturned.
And Aizen remained silent as he tried to settle his bitter stomach over a situation he was forced to endure, whether he liked it or not.
"Just what are you thinking?"
With those separate inner monologues concluding, the two finally broke the silence and began to speak.
Naturally, it was Aizen, the one who had come with a purpose, who spoke first.
"First, let us get one thing clear. I did not come here today to fight, nor did I come to test you, nor do I have some hidden scheme in mind."
Aizen's words were the type that would normally invite suspicion rather than provide any sense of security.
It was only natural. Trusting someone who had already betrayed you was a fool's errand. Furthermore, what sense did it make to believe the words of a man who used people like chess pieces for his own ambition?
However, if one stripped away all personal bias, even those nonsensical words started to sound plausible.
Though Urahara's anger was boiling over, he suppressed it with cold reason and replied.
"I suppose so. A man of your caliber wouldn't destroy everything he's built and return it to nothingness by his own hand without reason."
"You speak as if you know me well."
"I had to know. Though I can't say it was out of any particular desire to do so."
Urahara covered the lower half of his face with his fan, subtly showing his discomfort.
Under the brim of his low-hanging hat, his eyes glinted with a sharp edge, causing Aizen to fall silent while Urahara fanned himself with his eyes closed.
Though the conversation had barely lasted a minute, both were certain that if things continued like this, they would spend the entire time in a psychological tug-of-war without ever reaching the main point.
So, what was the next step?
There was no need for deep deliberation.
The answer was simply to do as Urahara had just done—to set aside all personal bias.
"You didn't come looking for me just to apologize... Don't tell me you've come to drag me into your plans?"
"There are times when one must forget past grudges and join forces. When facing a massive enemy that cannot be resisted alone, or when moving toward a grand ideal—those are such times."
"Considering the people who were sacrificed for the sake of that 'ideal' of yours, those words don't sit well with me. You must know that you're being unreasonable?"
"Even knowing that, there are times when one cannot back down. This is one of those times."
"I'd much prefer it if you would back down just this once. However... if this is something that man commanded, then I assume it is a completely new plan, entirely different from your original one."
While his words might have sounded like curiosity, Aizen knew they were born of extreme vigilance.
From the perspective of someone trying to move a project forward, it was incredibly frustrating, yet Aizen understood it was only natural. He let out a long sigh internally.
"I intend to kill the Soul King. To create a world of humans, by humans, and for humans."
Deciding there was no point in hiding anything at this stage, Aizen explained the core of the plan. Urahara's expression stiffened instantly.
This was because the plan Aizen described was, excluding its ultimate direction, strikingly similar to the one Urahara himself had once devised.
"...That is a thought only a madman would have."
"It is always the madmen who change the world. It is only after the world has changed that the slur 'madman' is replaced with the title of 'forerunner.'"
"This is the first time I find myself agreeing with you. It is always the madmen who change the world..."
Hiding behind his fan, Urahara gave a bitter, self-mocking laugh before snapping the fan shut with a sharp crack.
"However, there is a fatal flaw in that plan."
Can a human truly replace a god? Is humanity ready to shoulder the weight of the world?
To answer this question, it must be premised that humans know themselves.
Just as a person who cannot care for themselves cannot care for others, how can a human who does not know themselves understand the world?
How can one shoulder what they do not know? To shoulder it while remaining ignorant would be nothing more than a shackle upon humanity.
If forced regardless, the tethered human would eventually be crushed and collapse under the sheer weight of the world.
That was precisely why Urahara had planned to sustain the world with something inanimate rather than a living being.
"I once had a similar thought. However, the Divine Throne is not something that can be shouldered just because a human wishes to shoulder it, nor is it something that can be endured just because one intends to endure it. That is why I sought to replace the Soul King with a non-living object."
The world only needs to exist as the world. That is enough.
There is no need for humans to cling to it, nor is there any need for human interference.
Thus, a god is not necessary.
There is no need for a god that humans can interfere with, nor is there a need for a god that interferes with humans.
Reading this between the lines of Urahara's words, Aizen was inwardly surprised and smirked.
"As you say, humans likely cannot support the weight of the world. However, if humanity chooses this path, then I believe humanity must also accept the consequence of destruction."
"If we are to perish in such a way, what meaning is there in a changed world?"
"It was changed by the will of humans. That in itself is the meaning."
"I cannot agree with that."
"In the end, it is a difference in direction, then."
"And a difference in methodology."
The two men looked at each other, sharing the same thought for the very first time.
'He is a man I truly do not get along with.'
'He is a person I truly do not get along with.'
After a brief silence, Aizen continued his explanation.
"That was my plan. Originally, I intended to ascend to the Divine Throne myself and lead the world... but my thoughts were changed because of that man."
"'Was,' you say? That implies your plan has changed once again. Because of him."
"Yes. That man said he would solve the remaining problems in our respective plans using another method."
Aizen, thinking about the absurd plan once more, let out a dry laugh before barely managing to continue.
"If humans cannot endure the Divine Throne... If humans cannot shoulder the weight of the world... He simply says we should make it so that they can."
"No way... Is he planning to turn all of humanity into gods? That's preposterous! If that happens, the world itself might not be able to accommodate humanity anymore...!"
"I agree. These aren't words a sane person would utter. But that man seems to have already made up his mind. As you know, he is not a being who can be handled by force."
"I agree with that much, but that doesn't mean we should let such an atrocity happen. We cannot condone this."
"There is a saying: if you cannot resist it, then use it. Rather than watching the world collapse after a successful deification of mankind, I believe it is more right to change it from the inside. What do you think?"
So it had come to this after all.
Urahara thought of those seeking refuge in his underground laboratory and groaned for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"A United Front, then."
"That will suffice."
Finishing his piece, Aizen stood up, and Urahara opened his fan to cover his mouth once more.
Aizen stopped momentarily at the sound, but then resumed his walk without a word.
After Aizen left, Urahara folded his fan and went straight down to the basement.
'Is it truly right for humans to ascend to the Divine Throne?'
Wrestling with that thought, Urahara pulled the Hogyoku from his robe and entered the lab.
Meanwhile, Aizen stood in the sky above Karakura Town, with the Senkaimon open, looking around the surroundings for a moment.
'Are humans truly worthy of the throne of God?'
Even after repeating the inquiry dozens of times, he could find no answer, and eventually, he vanished beyond the Senkaimon.