The Eve of Collapse

"Then let's begin. I'd like to see for myself what shameful business those parasites in the Tsunayashiro Clan have been conducting in the dark."

At Ginrei Kuchiki's command—

Boom!

Hundreds of elite Soul Reapers from the 11th Division and Second Division, long poised for action, surged toward the stronghold's heavy steel gates like a flood through an opened dam, their killing intent boundless!

There was no probing attack and no negotiation. A one-sided purge had begun.

Chapter 50: The Eve of Collapse

With Xuanxin's command, the raid on the stronghold officially began.

The rough men of the 11th Division remained as fearless as ever. Acting as a spearhead, they tore through the enemy's defenses from the front, crushing all resistance within the stronghold.

The members of the Second Division's Stealth Force, meanwhile, moved like ghosts lurking in the shadows. Under Yoruichi's command, they methodically covered any gaps, precisely assassinating the researchers who tried to press the destruction buttons.

At the same time, they captured survivors attempting to slip away and professionally secured all data and documents that could serve as evidence.

Watching the mixed force coordinate like a precision killing machine, Aizen, who had remained at the rear, could not help feeling a flicker of something unusual in his eyes behind his glasses.

As he understood it, the divisions of the Gotei 13 had always operated independently, with considerable friction and competition among them.

Getting two divisions with such different styles to achieve such perfect coordination in actual combat was harder than scaling the heavens.

Yet now, under the influence of Xuanxin and Yoruichi's absolute authority, this force, composed of the violence-loving 11th Division and the Second Division, which had always excelled at assassination and concealment, displayed a frightening capacity to carry out its orders.

Breaking down two entirely different forces, recombining them, and making them perform beyond their limits...

Aizen watched Xuanxin at the front of the force, arranging everything in an orderly manner as though he controlled every thread of the battle, and an inexplicable spark of inspiration quietly arose in his heart.

Teacher Shihoin, you truly are a man full of miracles.

The battle—or, more accurately, the one-sided suppression—soon ended in victory.

Before this astonishingly efficient mixed force, the Tsunayashiro Clan's private troops, formidable only in appearance, and the researchers, who had no combat ability at all, had no room to resist.

Soon, Xuanxin and the others stepped over the wreckage strewn across the floor, passed through a long corridor, and reached the core research area in the deepest part of the underground stronghold.

When they pushed open the final heavy airtight door, a sickeningly thick stench of blood and a jumble of Reishi signatures rushed out at them.

After discovering that the stronghold was surrounded and that escape was hopeless, the Tsunayashiro Clan's researchers had tried to activate some kind of self-destruct sequence to destroy the evidence.

However, the attempt failed: the assassinations carried out by the Stealth Force and the suppression of the sealing barrier Kisuke Urahara had set up in advance forcibly terminated the sequence.

Once the dust had settled, Xuanxin and the others came in, and only then did everyone notice what was in the room.

In the vast central laboratory, row upon row of giant Reishi cultivation chambers stood in the middle, flickering with an eerie light.

Although some of the equipment had been hastily smashed, a large pile of core experimental data and reports, files recording soul wavelengths, and several distorted remnants floating in culture fluid had evidently not been destroyed in time. The Stealth Force had preserved them intact.

"This... is utterly inhuman!"

Ginrei Kuchiki, an old nobleman who had adhered to rules and honor all his life, looked at the mutilated remains of Rukongai souls in the containers, twisted because they could not withstand the forced infusion of Reishi.

He gripped the hilt of his Zanpakuto tightly in both hands, trembling all over with anger, an uncontrollable fury burning in his eyes.

Aizen, however, who was following behind the others, showed an entirely different reaction.

He showed neither pity nor anger at the remains. Instead, a glimmer of what could only be called "curiosity" flickered in his ever-calm eyes.

Kisuke Urahara, who was accompanying Xuanxin and the others, noticed this. After all, he was equally interested in these experiments.

A few days earlier in Rukongai, Aizen had seen the "unfinished" device Xuanxin had tossed him, which could completely conceal Reiatsu. Ever since, it was as though a door to an entirely new world had opened in Aizen's heart, which had once been interested only in the ultimate martial power.

All along, Aizen had devoted all his energy to constantly honing his own Reiatsu and studying swordsmanship and Kidō.

He believed that, as long as his Reiatsu was strong enough, he could break every rule.

That unremarkable unfinished device, however, had given him a real glimpse of a new world he had yet to enter, one equally filled with endless possibilities.

It was the vast field of Reishi architecture, souls, and technological modification.

So, when he personally witnessed this enormous underground laboratory hidden on Soul Society's dark side today, the sight did not frighten him. Instead, he found it immensely... interesting.

Breaking apart different souls, trying to extract their special wavelengths, then attempting to fuse them back into another Rukongai soul and modify that soul...

Aizen pushed up his glasses, his gaze sweeping rapidly over the complicated equipment and pipelines and the data charts scattered across the floor. His brain worked like a precision supercomputer, frantically analyzing everything he saw.

He wandered around the laboratory, apparently observing it with little concern, but was actually analyzing this forbidden knowledge.

Suddenly, Aizen stopped beside an overturned metal laboratory table.

He keenly noticed several old books bound in black hardcover scattered in the corner beneath it.

By the dim light, he could just make out a few words on the spine of one book: "Fundamentals of Soul Wavelength Intervention and Reiatsu Resonance."

The words instantly drew Aizen's gaze like a magnet and held it fast.

This was unquestionably the most fundamental theoretical data on the fusion of Reiatsu and souls!

Aizen's heartbeat quickened slightly. His slender fingers, hidden in his sleeve, twitched as he prepared to draw the books into his hand without a sound and examine them carefully once he returned.

Suddenly—

Swish!

Just as his fingertips were about to reach the books, a slender, strong hand with pronounced knuckles reached out from beside him without warning. It beat him to them, picking the black books up from the corner.

Aizen's pupils contracted, and he turned sharply.

Xuanxin held the books, casually leafing through them before turning to look at Aizen, his deep eyes carrying the calm of someone who had seen through everything.

"It would be better if you didn't touch these for now."

Xuanxin closed the books and spoke gently, yet with the unquestionable authority of an elder:

"These materials will soon be submitted to the Central 46 Chambers and Captain-Commander Yamamoto as irrefutable evidence of the Tsunayashiro Clan's principal crimes.

"If traces of your Reiatsu are found on these top-secret files... that could bring considerable trouble down on an ordinary student who hasn't even graduated yet."

Xuanxin's words contained both reasonable advice and a faint hint of concern for Aizen.

Hearing this, the trace of regret in Aizen's heart vanished at once. His astonishing self-control allowed him to immediately rein in all his thirst for knowledge.

"You're right to reprimand me, Teacher. I was rash."

Aizen obediently lowered his head and respectfully agreed.

Then he took half a step back without protest. Like a well-behaved student, he stopped looking around and followed properly behind Xuanxin.

Seeing Aizen so obedient, Xuanxin nodded slightly and said no more.

"Xuanxin! Kisuke! Come and look, quickly! There's been a major discovery over here!"

Just then, Yoruichi's voice suddenly rang out from deep at the other end of the laboratory, carrying a hint of gravity.

"Coming."

Xuanxin handed the books to the Second Division Seated Officer beside him who was responsible for collecting evidence, then immediately turned and hurried toward Yoruichi.

Hearing her, Ginrei Kuchiki followed close behind and headed over as well.

Watching the others leave, Aizen also started to follow.

But just as he passed a Reishi waste recycling tank cracked by an explosion, his perception, far sharper than that of an ordinary person, suddenly detected something unusual at the bottom.

In a blind corner piled with unidentified slime and broken glass, something had either been casually discarded by a panicked researcher or shaken loose by the explosion.

It was a small black notebook, not much larger than a palm, tightly wrapped in some kind of special spiritual-power seal and lying quietly amid the filth.

There was no writing on the notebook, but Aizen's instincts were screaming a warning:

That unremarkable little notebook definitely contained data codes that went deeper into the heart of the matter than those books—true data codes that even the Tsunayashiro Clan itself might not know about...

Aizen's feet seemed to take root, pinning him firmly to the spot.

He stared intently at the notebook hidden in the blind corner, his eyes behind his glasses flashing with the fierce struggle between "desire" and "reason."

Teacher Shihoin just warned me not to touch anything here. If I'm discovered, what awaits me could be interrogation by the Stealth Force, or even harsher punishment...

But if I miss today's chance, I may find it difficult to get this close to forbidden knowledge that could truly overturn common sense again.

The two lines of thought clashed furiously in Aizen's mind.

Ahead of him was Xuanxin's back, as though he could see through everything; at Aizen's feet was the key to the abyss of truth.

The struggle lasted less than two seconds.

In the end, the arrogance of a genius and his moth-to-a-flame desire for unknown power thoroughly overcame his reverence for the rules.

Risk always comes with opportunity. As long as I'm not discovered, that knowledge will be mine.

Aizen lowered his eyes slightly, and beneath his gentle, humble mask, the corners of his mouth curved mysteriously.

He turned around as if by accident, the wide sleeve of his white Spiritual Arts Academy uniform tracing an elegant arc through the air and perfectly shielding him from any eyes that might turn his way.

"Bakudō #4: Hainawa."

The little black notebook lying quietly in the filthy corner instantly became a black blur, as though pulled by an invisible hand, and slipped soundlessly into Aizen's wide sleeve.

After doing all this, Aizen's expression did not change at all, and even his breathing remained steady.

He walked at an unhurried pace, like an ordinary student who had just toured an advanced laboratory and come away with nothing.

Then he quietly followed Xuanxin, Yoruichi, and the others farther into the laboratory.

Soon, everyone gathered in a hidden chamber at the very deepest part of the laboratory.

A huge metal chest bearing the Tsunayashiro Clan crest sat in the center of the chamber. It was half open, with large quantities of purified experimental supplies neatly stacked inside.

But even more shocking were the several thoroughly modified Rukongai souls floating quietly in huge cultivation vessels embedded in the walls around the chamber!

The moment Xuanxin and Yoruichi saw their twisted forms, their pupils contracted sharply.

They recognized them at a glance: the features of those Rukongai souls were unmistakably those of the modified specimens Sōya Azashiro had once submitted to the Central 46 Chambers as "finished products" after conducting soul-fusion experiments!

The Tsunayashiro Clan's true purpose was now plain to see.

They were not merely stealing forbidden technology; they also intended to assemble an army of monsters capable of ignoring attacks from ordinary Soul Reapers.

And their true goal was likely to completely overthrow the entire Gotei 13 and even topple Soul Society as it stood!

Xuanxin turned and exchanged a glance with Ginrei Kuchiki. The usually mature and levelheaded head of the Kuchiki Clan now wore a grim expression.

As a member of a great noble clan himself, Ginrei Kuchiki clearly understood what these specimens meant.

In an instant, they saw through the sinister intent behind the Rukongai registration bill the Tsunayashiro Clan had proposed at the earlier Golden Seal Conference, which had appeared to cost the clan dearly.

It had all been so they could legitimately capture large numbers of "base subjects" for modification experiments like these!

"It seems the nature of this matter has gone far beyond a struggle among noble clans."

Xuanxin took a deep breath and looked at Yoruichi and Ginrei Kuchiki. "I'm afraid we'll have to take these and see Captain-Commander Yamamoto," he said gravely.

Hearing this, Ginrei Kuchiki and Yoruichi both nodded solemnly.

Xuanxin then turned and gave a low-voiced order to the 11th Division lieutenant and Kisuke Urahara behind him:

"Sorry for the trouble, but I need you two to remain here and take full control of this laboratory. From now on, don't let a single person who tries to approach this place get away, no matter who they are!"

"Yes, Captain!"