The Real and the Fake Hōgyoku

Aizen placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword, preparing to draw it, when suddenly a voice echoed from the sky, "Beast bones scattered everywhere! Spires. Crimson crystals. Wheels of steel. The wind moves, the sky remains. The sound of spears clashing resounds throughout Hollow Castle! Hadō #63: Raikōhō - Raikōhō!"

A massive pillar of lightning descended from the sky, and along with the Kidō came the Kūkaku standing on the Danbō's body; it was she who had fired the Raikōhō.

Aizen quickly dodged to the side, but was stopped by Yoruichi and Soi Fon who arrived in a flash. "What a nostalgic face," Aizen calmly, looking at Yoruichi.

Yoruichi, however, didn't buy it: "Don't move. If you make any rash moves," "I'll cut your head off." The last sentence was spoken by Soi Fon, and it seemed that the two of them had already reconciled.

At this moment, Ye Yang also arrived, and he was quickly surrounded by most of the captains and vice-captains of the Thirteenth Division. Aizen's current situation could be best described as being besieged on all sides.

However, Aizen showed no sign of panic. Gin and Tōsen were already under control. Seeing this, Aizen smiled slightly. Yoruichi spoke up, "What are you laughing at? Aizen is finished. You have nowhere to escape."

Aizen replied, "Ah, sorry, time's up." But Yoruichi immediately sensed something and shouted, "Get out of here, Soi Fon!"

Just as the two left, a yellow beam of light descended from the sky, enveloping Aizen. Above the beam, a Garganta appeared in the sky, containing countless Gillian. Two more beams of light then enveloped Gin and Tōsen.

"What a pity. I wish you could have held on a little longer. Farewell, Rangiku." Gin turned his head and slowly opened his eyes. "I'm sorry."

Yamamoto stopped one of the lieutenants from pursuing them, saying, "That light is called 'Negación,' something the Menos Grande used to save their kind. Once enveloped by that light, the inside and outside become indistinguishable. Anyone who has fought Menos Grande knows that from the moment that light descended, it became impossible to touch Aizen."

"Oh? Is that so? I don't think so." A voice came from Yamamoto, Ye Yang slowly walked forward. He slowly drew his Zanpakuto and said, "Break free from your restraints— Silver Rend!"

"What are you doing, Ye Yang Shihoin?" Yamamoto asked.

Ye Yang didn't answer Yamamoto's question. He instantly appeared in front of Aizen, facing him across the Negación. "Aizen, do you know? The Negación completely isolates the person Negación from the person outside. Simply put, the Negación is a self-contained space. Do you remember what my Zanpakuto's ability is?"

A rare look of surprise appeared on Aizen's face. He suddenly remembered that Ye Yang's Zanpakuto's ability was...

"That's right, it's space!" Ye Yang lightly Zanpakuto. "So, Negación technology is completely useless against me! If this is your last resort, then you will all stay here today!"

In the blink of an eye, Ye Yang destroyed the Negación, followed by the Negación of Gin and Tōsen, and all three quickly fell to the ground. Without the support of the Negación, Aizen, Ye Yang other trump cards do you have left?

At this moment, all the captains moved towards Aizen and his group. This was a golden opportunity, especially for Yamamoto. In his heart, the defector had to be eliminated. He hadn't taken action before because of the Negación, but now he would definitely not let Aizen go.

People were overjoyed, never expecting Ye Yang to be able to break through the Negación. They were also far from being able to match such skill; destroying the Negación was an easy feat for someone with a space-type ability.

Gin complained, "Oh dear, Captain Aizen, our escape plan has been ruined! What are we going to do now?"

As expected of Aizen, even in this situation, aside from his initial surprise, his face regained its usual confidence. "Ye Yang Shihoin, with such strength and intellect, why serve this corrupt Soul Society? Why not join our side and stand at the top together?"

Ye Yang smiled and said, "Aizen, perhaps what you said isn't entirely unreasonable. The Seireien is indeed somewhat corrupt. To be honest, I'm very happy that you killed those old men from the Central 46, because you did something I've always wanted to do but haven't been able to."

Everyone present stared at Ye Yang in astonishment, with Yamamoto staring intently at him. If Ye Yang chose to help Aizen at this moment, then the Seireien might very well be destroyed by them in the future.

Everyone was waiting for Ye Yang to continue. They were all Ye Yang's friends, family, and lovers, but they all believed without a doubt that Ye Yang would never go with Aizen.

Ye Yang sighed softly, "But whether it's decaying or not, it's still my home. My family, friends, and loved ones are here; these are my roots! Compared to this, standing in the sky is nothing. If it decays, then we'll rebuild it! Aizen, are you satisfied with my answer?"

Even after hearing all this, Aizen remained unmoved. He looked at Ye Yang with an expression that said, "I already knew this all along Aizen." In fact, the question was meaningless.

Only then did everyone feel relieved. Yamamoto also calmed down a bit, and his eyes showed approval and recognition when he looked at Ye Yang. He hadn't misjudged him after all.

At this moment, Aizen took out the Hōgyoku from before, held it in his palm, and looked at it calmly. "This Hōgyoku is fake. This should also be your doing, right, Ye Yang Shihoin?"

Aizen's words were startling, and everyone's attention immediately focused on the small blue crystal. Could it be that this Hōgyoku was really fake, as Aizen said? Had Ye Yang stolen and replaced the real Hōgyoku? This was the thought on everyone's mind at that moment.

Then, as if to prove his own words, Aizen shattered the fake Hōgyoku in his hands without the slightest hesitation, and said at the same time, "See? The Hōgyoku is something that even Kisuke Urahara couldn't destroy, how could it be shattered so easily?"

Only two people looked at Aizen with astonishment. Ye Yang and Yoruichi both knew the inside story. Logically speaking, this Hōgyoku was almost identical to the real Hōgyoku. There was no difference in appearance at all. This was the last move in Urahara's plan. Even if the Hōgyoku could not be hidden, it absolutely could not fall into Aizen's hands.

Ye Yang asked curiously, "How did you discover it? I believe you've never seen a real Hōgyoku, so how did you identify it without even a reference point?"

Aizen calmly replied, "It's simple. Who said I have no reference points?" As he spoke, Aizen took out another identical Hōgyoku from his robes.

"What!" Ye Yang couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. Where did Aizen's Hōgyoku come from? But the Hōgyoku was clearly in his hands right now, could it be...?

Everyone present was stunned. Why had the Hōgyoku reappeared in Aizen's hands?

"Yes, I created the Hōgyoku long before Kisuke Urahara!" Aizen revealed his answer, once again plunging everyone into shock.

Aizen the subject. "However, the Hōgyoku I created has flaws. I once plundered the souls of hundreds of Shinigami and hundreds of Rukongai residents with Shinigami abilities and poured them into the Hōgyoku, but the Hōgyoku shows no signs of being complete. However, according to the data, Kisuke Urahara's Hōgyoku is not completely finished either. If I take Kisuke Urahara's Hōgyoku and pour it into my Hōgyoku, then the Hōgyoku will evolve into perfection!"

At this moment, everyone's attention was on Aizen, and no one noticed that Gin's eyes suddenly opened, and a faint killing intent flashed in them.

At this moment, Ye Yang understood why Aizen knew it was a fake Hōgyoku. Aizen's understanding of the Hōgyoku was no less than anyone else's. Ye Yang frowned deeply. "So you knew from the moment you took out that fake Hōgyoku, right? And you were just about to leave Soul Society with the fake Hōgyoku. So you even anticipated that I would stop you from leaving, didn't you?"

Aizen stated unequivocally, "That's right. I knew long ago that you could ignore the Negación back in Hueco Mundo decades ago, let alone now. So I knew you would definitely destroy the Negación."

"Aren't you afraid I'll let you go?" Ye Yang retorted.

"You won't," Aizen said with absolute confidence.

Ye Yang chuckled, "Even so, what can you do? The Hōgyoku is in my hands, can you take it away? Now you're facing more than just me~"

The surrounding captains were all ready for a bloody battle, especially Yamamoto, whose fiery aura could be felt from here, as if he wanted to burn people to ashes.

Aizen remained calm and composed. "Ye Yang Shihoin, since I already anticipated this outcome, how could I not be prepared? I know the Negación is useless against you, but that was only the Negación of Gillian- level Menos Grande. If it were a Vasto Lorde- level Menos Grande, even you wouldn't be able to break through it."

Ye Yang frowned slightly. Aizen was indeed right. Gillian's Negación space barrier was not strong, so it was easy to destroy. The Negación space barrier of the Adjuchas- class Menos Grande, which was one level higher, would be much more stable and relatively more difficult to destroy. However, it was still no problem for Ye Yang.

However, Vasto Lorde- class Menos Grande stand at the Menos Grande of Hueco Mundo, and are extremely rare throughout the entire Hueco Mundo. Their strength even surpasses that of ordinary captains. Although Ye Yang's power is sufficient to kill Vasto Lorde, the Negación is Menos Grande- saving feature for Hollows. Even Yamamoto was helpless against the Negación created by Gillian- class Menos Grande. Even if Ye Yang possesses spatial power, it would not be enough to break through the Negación used by Vasto-class Menos Grande, demonstrating its formidable strength.

If Aizen has such a trump card, then no one can stop them from leaving if they want to. "Aizen, I admit I can't destroy the Negación created by Vasto-class Menos Grande, but Hōgyoku? Your purpose in staying is the Hōgyoku. How do you intend to take it from me?"