Chapter 38

"You can remain calm even at a time like this? Impressive," Aizen said.

He produced a tool that could remove foreign objects from a soul, eager to extract the Hōgyoku hidden inside Rukia Kuchiki.

"Now, give back what I left in your care," Aizen said with a smile, clearly not considering the Hōgyoku inside Rukia to be Kisuke Urahara's.

Through their remaining consciousness, the others saw Aizen's transformed hand pierce Rukia Kuchiki's chest, but the smile vanished from his face.

He withdrew his hand, and he had indeed obtained something. But...

Rukia had regained consciousness by then, and she sneered at him. "What's wrong? Didn't you get what you wanted?"

Aizen fell silent and crushed the object in his bare hand, his expression turning exceedingly grim.

Nearby, Miyako Amamiya had stubbornly kept his Shikai active. Though Shinsō had run him through, he had secretly held on to enough strength for one more attack.

Miyako Amamiya strained to lift his Zanpakuto, now transformed into a bow and arrow, and fired the arrow he had long since gathered, aiming at Aizen.

His target was... Kyōka Suigetsu!

"Rukia Kuchiki... what did you do?" Aizen asked in a low voice, the amusement gone from his words.

The moment he obtained that "Hōgyoku," he knew it was a fake. Though its aura was identical to the Hōgyoku's, there was no doubt that what lay inside was entirely counterfeit.

Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen, standing nearby, also noticed that the plan was not going as expected.

Everyone present had been drawn to Aizen, so Miyako Amamiya's arrow successfully went unnoticed.

Miyako Amamiya's arrow swiftly struck Kyōka Suigetsu at Aizen's waist. The arrow of Reiryoku dispersed upon impact, gradually enveloping Kyōka Suigetsu.

Please, hold out a little longer. Miyako Amamiya knew that even an arrow fired with all his strength could probably seal Kyōka Suigetsu for only a few seconds.

"Now, Miss Yoruichi!" Miyako Amamiya shouted with all his might.

"Shunkō!" Yellow lightning radiated from Yoruichi Shihōin's back and shoulders as she slammed a fist into Aizen. The ground beneath him instantly caved in, and a thunderous roar sent a massive cloud of dust billowing into the air.

At the same time, Soi Fon immediately seized Rukia and carried her away from Aizen.

"Lord Aizen!" Kaname Tōsen could not help shouting. Gin Ichimaru frowned as well. He truly had not noticed anyone approaching; by the time he did, two dark figures had already passed him.

"Well done, Amamiya," Yoruichi Shihōin said, coming over to him.

"You timed it well, Miss Yoruichi. But... don't let your guard down... yet. That hit... won't be enough... to bring him down." Miyako Amamiya frowned and panted as he looked toward the dust ahead.

"Lady Yoruichi, Rukia Kuchiki is safe now." Soi Fon came over to them with Rukia Kuchiki in her arms.

"Well done, Soi Fon. You kept up with my speed and rescued Rukia the instant I hit Aizen. Impressive."

"You flatter me, Lady Yoruichi," Soi Fon said, a little embarrassed.

"Thank you, Captain Soi Fon," Miyako Amamiya said to her as well. If they had been any later, he did not know whether Aizen would have killed Rukia himself.

"Rukia, are you all right?" Miyako Amamiya asked, looking at her.

"I'm fine. Captain Soi Fon protected me. But Aizen..."

"Yes, I'm afraid it won't be that simple." Everyone watched the clearing smoke with grave expressions. Sure enough, a figure stood motionless within it.

Aizen frowned at his bleeding arm, then turned his gaze to Miyako Amamiya.

"Lord Aizen, are you all right?" Kaname Tōsen hurried to his side and asked.

"It's only a minor wound. Nothing to worry about, Kaname." Aizen was not exaggerating. Though his arm had suffered a slight injury, it hardly affected his fighting strength.

"Sorry, Captain Aizen. Those two were so fast, I didn't notice them at all." Gin Ichimaru's apology was sincere this time; he truly had not spotted them.

"The former and current commanders-in-chief of the Stealth Force are not to be underestimated when it comes to speed. This isn't your fault, Gin." Aizen knew how troublesome the two women's speed could be and did not blame Gin Ichimaru.

"...But there's something else that interests me more. Miyako Amamiya, did you seal my Kyōka Suigetsu?" Aizen had intended to activate Kyōka Suigetsu when he sensed the two approaching, but it had failed to respond, as though asleep. Only a few seconds later had it responded again.

"Who knows? Why don't you let me try again?" Miyako Amamiya said with a smile. Naturally, he would not tell Aizen the truth about his Zanpakuto's ability.

"Kaname was right. You do like your little tricks, Miyako Amamiya," Aizen said calmly. "Then it seems you and Kisuke Urahara hid the Hōgyoku away long ago."

Seeing Miyako Amamiya and Yoruichi Shihōin working together, Aizen knew that Kisuke Urahara was behind this again.

Aizen was not a reckless man. After Rukia Kuchiki was arrested and brought back to Soul Society, he had personally confirmed that the Hōgyoku was still inside her. Afterward, because he had remained at Central 46, he had not checked again, but he could still use his own method to sense the Hōgyoku's presence inside her.

He had not expected Miyako Amamiya to have removed and swapped the Hōgyoku in the space of just a few days.

When did it happen? Aizen thought carefully about what he had overlooked.

"I never expected that when you went to the World of the Living, you would not only fail to stop Kisuke Urahara, but actually join forces with him. That was a miscalculation." Aizen sighed, admitting his mistake. "It seems I was the arrogant one. I thought it was already mine, but a thief stole it away."

"What now, Captain Aizen? It looks like the plan failed," Gin Ichimaru asked with a smile.

"Yes, I didn't expect the backup plan to fail as well," Aizen said helplessly. "Fortunately, I made a new discovery while devising it."

"A new discovery?" Yoruichi Shihōin frowned at Aizen, not understanding what he meant.

"After I learned of the Ryoka invasion, I devised a backup plan in case the execution was disrupted. I searched the Great Spirit Book Gallery for all of Kisuke Urahara's research, looking for another technique to remove a foreign object from a soul without destroying the soul itself."

"The Great Spirit Book Gallery forcibly gathers every event and piece of information, so naturally his research was among them," Aizen explained patiently.

"In the Great Spirit Book Gallery, I did succeed in finding a technique to extract a foreign object from a soul. If the execution by Sōkyoku failed, I would carry out this backup plan. Unfortunately... the Hōgyoku was switched before then."

"Fortunately, the method Kisuke Urahara used to create the Hōgyoku was also recorded there. He used a great number of Hollow souls to create it..."

"I had originally intended to use his Hōgyoku to make up for the deficiencies of mine, which I created from Soul Reaper souls, but the plan failed."

"Since Kisuke Urahara hid the Hōgyoku himself, finding it again in such a short time would likely be impossible." Aizen knew Kisuke Urahara well. It seemed the Ryoka invasion had only been meant to mislead him, while Miyako Amamiya's actions on Urahara's orders were the truly lethal move.

Aizen would not suspect that the Hōgyoku was on Miyako Amamiya right now, nor would he suspect that this was a strategy Miyako Amamiya could have devised himself. First, he could not sense the Hōgyoku's presence; second, a mere lieutenant like Miyako Amamiya could not possibly know about it. Thus, Aizen could deduce that Miyako Amamiya was Kisuke Urahara's true backup plan.

"Whatever you're planning, Aizen, you have nowhere left to run!" Yoruichi Shihōin sensed that the captains' spiritual pressures were already very close.

"Captain Aizen, it looks like they're all here," Gin Ichimaru said, raising a hand to warn him. But the next moment, Rangiku Matsumoto caught his hand and laid her blade across his throat.

"Sorry, Captain Aizen. I've been caught," Gin Ichimaru said helplessly.

Behind him, Rangiku Matsumoto asked with a conflicted expression, "Gin, what exactly are you trying to do?" But she received no answer.

"Aizen..." Jūshirō Ukitake arrived at that moment as well, looking at Aizen with a conflicted expression.

"So you're the mastermind young Miyako was talking about..." Shunsui Kyōraku looked at Aizen helplessly.

"You captains of Soul Society certainly arrived 'quickly,'" Aizen said mockingly. "A hundred years ago, Kisuke Urahara stopped my experiment. A hundred years later, it was Kisuke Urahara again who stopped me from obtaining the Hōgyoku. None of you in Soul Society could 'see' as clearly as a young lieutenant."

"A hundred years ago? Then that rebellion by the captains was your doing..." Ukitake stared at Aizen in surprise.

"The Hōgyoku?" Shunsui Kyōraku had picked up on that key word.

"Yes, the Hōgyoku. Then, at the end, allow me to explain it to you." Aizen smiled again.

"A Soul Reaper's Zankensoki—every one of them has its limits. No matter how gifted you are, as a Soul Reaper, you will reach a bottleneck in the strength of your soul. In other words, the limit of a Soul Reaper."

"Then is there no way to break past it?"

"He's talking about breaking past a Soul Reaper's limits..." someone said in disbelief.

"Of course there is, and I successfully proved it a hundred years ago. That is... the Hollowfication of Soul Reapers." Aizen did not mind telling them the truth about what had happened a century ago. His days in Soul Society were over anyway.

"And the one who proved my research had succeeded was none other than Kisuke Urahara."

"He invented something that could break down the boundary between Soul Reapers and Hollows. That was... the Hōgyoku."

Aizen turned his gaze to Miyako Amamiya and Rukia Kuchiki. "After I found Kisuke Urahara's whereabouts in the World of the Living, I wanted to obtain his Hōgyoku. So I released some experimental Hollows in Karakura Town, but instead of drawing Kisuke Urahara out, I caused Rukia Kuchiki to give her Soul Reaper powers to a human."

"However, Kisuke Urahara also sensed the danger. In the end, he gave Rukia Kuchiki the Hōgyoku and a Gigai that would cause a Soul Reaper to lose all their Reiryoku. He intended for Rukia Kuchiki to lose her Reiryoku and become an ordinary human soul, thereby hiding the Hōgyoku."

"Unfortunately for him, I eventually discovered Rukia Kuchiki's abnormal condition, so I issued various orders in Soul Society."

After hearing Aizen's explanation, everyone finally understood everything.

"Criminal Sōsuke Aizen!" Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai struck his cane hard against the ground. "You have nowhere left to run!"

"Nowhere left to run..." Aizen repeated meaningfully.

But just then, the sky above Soul Society suddenly split open, and a beam of yellow light shone down from it, enveloping him.

"Wha... what?" Everyone looked up at the sky.

"M-M-Menos Grande! And there's more than one Gillian!"

"No, behind them..."

A giant eye opened behind the many Gillians, and two more beams of light enveloped Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen.

Gin Ichimaru quietly said goodbye to Rangiku Matsumoto and apologized.

"Sorry, everyone in Soul Society, but it's time. This victory belongs to you—no, it belongs to Kisuke Urahara." Aizen's body gradually rose into the air as he spoke to them calmly, though the rage in his heart had not diminished.

In Aizen's original vision, he should have taken the Hōgyoku by now and been bidding the people of Soul Society farewell in the open.

But now, because of Kisuke Urahara's arrangements and Miyako Amamiya's little maneuvers, all his plans had failed.

"And you, Miyako Amamiya, you've given me quite a few surprises. You can keep the Hōgyoku you took. I'll create a new one in Hueco Mundo to make up for the deficiencies of mine. The moment it is complete, the true war between us will begin," Aizen announced calmly.

Ukitake watched his once-familiar companion become this stranger and could not help demanding, "Why are you doing this...?"

"To pursue a higher realm." Aizen answered without hesitation.

"Have you fallen so far, Aizen...?" Ukitake asked in a low voice, his eyes trembling.

"Ukitake, you hold yourself in too high regard," Aizen said coldly.

"From the beginning, no one has stood in the heavens." Aizen removed his glasses and closed his eyes. "Not you, not me, not even 'God.'"

Aizen stressed the word "God" as he looked down at Ukitake. Their eyes met, and a bad premonition rose in Ukitake's heart.

"But..." Aizen swept all the hair from his forehead back, and the glasses he had removed crumbled to dust in his hand. "This unbearable vacancy on the throne of heaven is about to end."

"From now on..." Aizen's appearance was no longer humble and shy. He slowly opened his eyes, which revealed coldness and ruthlessness.

He looked down at everyone with his new appearance and declared, "I shall stand above the heavens!"

"Farewell, everyone in Soul Society, and you as well, young Ryoka."

Miyako Amamiya looked up at him without a word, but the Hōgyoku inside him was trembling wildly...

"Hurry, hurry! Teams two and three, take Captain Kuchiki! His injuries are severe, so put up a purification barrier immediately. Once the eighth-stage surgery is complete, send him straight to the General Infirmary!" Third Seat Iemura of the Fourth Division gave his orders methodically, but the sight of so many severely injured captains and lieutenants still brought a cold sweat to his brow.

"Thank you, Hanatarō," Miyako Amamiya said to Hanatarō Yamada beside him. Though his injuries were not the worst, without treatment, he would have passed out sooner or later. He had only managed to hold on this long through sheer willpower.

"You're welcome, Lieutenant Amamiya. You pleaded with Captain Unohana on my behalf, so I was spared punishment. This is the least I can do," Hanatarō Yamada said timidly.

Hanatarō Yamada had naturally been released as well. There were simply too many people in need of treatment now, and the entire Fourth Division had been mobilized.

Rukia, the main target, had instead escaped without a single injury, though her Reiryoku was depleted. She stood where she was, looking worriedly at everyone. Knowing she could not help them, she could only stand there.

"All right, teams four and five, go treat the Ryoka. After all, they're benefactors of Soul Society this time," Third Seat Iemura said helplessly to the people behind him.

But when Orihime Inoue arrived and saw the injured Ichigo Kurosaki, she immediately rushed to his side and used her Fullbring to treat him.

Just then, Fourth Division Captain Retsu Unohana arrived at the Sōkyoku, riding her Zanpakuto, Minazuki.

"Third Seat Iemura, who still requires emergency treatment?"

"At present, only Captain Kuchiki and the young Ryoka."

"I see." Retsu Unohana looked toward Ichigo Kurosaki, only to be shocked by the sight before her.

Under Orihime Inoue's treatment, Ichigo Kurosaki's wounds were rapidly healing.

Can this be called healing...? Retsu Unohana had never seen this kind of treatment before. Ichigo Kurosaki's wounds were not closing; it was more as though they were returning to their original state...

Retsu Unohana said, "It seems he doesn't need our treatment. Come, let's go see Captain Kuchiki."

With the Fourth Division members treating him, Byakuya Kuchiki had barely regained consciousness, but everything before his eyes was still a blur, and he could not make anything out.

Retsu Unohana frowned at his injuries. If they had been even slightly worse, Byakuya Kuchiki might well have died.

It was thanks to the vast Reiryoku he possessed; otherwise, Byakuya Kuchiki would truly have struggled to survive this time.

"Is that... Captain Unohana...?" Byakuya Kuchiki noticed that his body seemed to be recovering a little faster.

"It's me, Captain Kuchiki. You were far too reckless," Retsu Unohana scolded with a frown.

"Please... call Rukia... for me." Byakuya Kuchiki's words came in fits and starts, as though he might lose consciousness the next moment.

Unohana wanted to continue scolding Byakuya Kuchiki. In his current state, he should not have been speaking at all, but hearing the determination in his voice, she could not help agreeing.