Chapter 48

"Hello, Captain Hitsugaya. I've come to inform you of Soul Society's latest orders."

"What are they?"

"They concern sending more Soul Reapers to Karakura Town in the World of the Living to guard against Aizen and an unknown enemy. Captain Hitsugaya, you've been chosen to lead this operation."

"Aizen!" Tōshirō Hitsugaya sprang to his feet. "Has Soul Society discovered Aizen's true objective?"

"Yes. The details will be explained once everyone assigned to the mission has gathered."

"I see. Understood..." Though Tōshirō Hitsugaya was deeply concerned about the intelligence on Aizen, he held his restless feelings in check.

"The World of the Living?" Hearing this, Rangiku Matsumoto couldn't help saying to Tōshirō Hitsugaya, "Captain! I want to go to the World of the Living too."

"Denied!" Tōshirō Hitsugaya refused her without a moment's hesitation.

"What?! Why not?"

"You just want to go to the World of the Living and have fun, don't you..." Tōshirō Hitsugaya said helplessly.

"If you'd like to go, Miss Matsumoto, you can apply to our Captain Ukitake. As long as he approves your application, you can go to the World of the Living with everyone else," Miyako Amamiya reminded her "kindly."

"What! That's wonderful! I'll go find Captain Ukitake right now!" Rangiku Matsumoto ran out of the Captain's Office as soon as she heard this, ignoring her captain's attempts to stop her.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya sighed with a headache, silently praying that Rangiku Matsumoto's sudden whim wouldn't be approved.

"Captain Hitsugaya, we'll take our leave now. We'll see you again after we've notified the others," Miyako Amamiya said in farewell.

At the 11th Division, Miyako Amamiya had only just arrived at the entrance when he heard someone shout.

"It's Miyako Amamiya, the Thirteenth Division's lieutenant! He's come to challenge us again! Quick, get Third Seat Madarame! No, wait, get Captain Zaraki!" With that, he ran inside.

Rukia looked at Miyako Amamiya in confusion. "Miyako, what exactly did you do before? Why are they so afraid when they see you?"

"The people from the 11th Division are the type who won't give up until they're faced with death. They'll only fear you once you've beaten them into submission," Miyako Amamiya sighed. "But I can't beat Captain Zaraki either, so why are they so afraid of me?" Miyako Amamiya didn't understand. He had only defeated Renji Abarai in front of them; it wasn't as though he had beaten their entire division.

Because of Aizen's betrayal, the 11th Division had heard some rumors about Miyako Amamiya from others. Rumors generally grew more outrageous as they spread, and in the eyes of the people from the 11th Division, Miyako Amamiya's image had gradually begun to take on monstrous proportions.

Rumors had spread throughout the Gotei 13 about the terrifying demon Amamiya, whose Zanpakuto's Shikai had overwhelmed Aizen, whom Aizen had been unable to defeat even with all his strength, and whom Gin Ichimaru's Shinsō had failed to hit, leaving them no choice but to flee obediently to Hueco Mundo...

"Amamiya! Was it you who stopped Aizen, dodged Ichimaru's attack, and fought them both without falling behind?" Kenpachi Zaraki walked out with his sword over his shoulder, followed by Yachiru Kusugishi, Ikkaku Madarame, and Yumichika Ayasegawa.

"How interesting. I never thought you'd be so good at hiding your strength. Come on, give me a good fight today!" Kenpachi Zaraki said excitedly.

Hearing this, Miyako Amamiya roughly understood what had happened and couldn't help sighing.

"Captain Zaraki, those are just rumors. I've come this time to deliver official orders on behalf of Soul Society. Could you please hear me out?" Miyako Amamiya said helplessly.

"Tch, those old geezers again..." Kenpachi Zaraki said unhappily. It seemed he wouldn't get his fight this time either.

"Third Seat Ikkaku Madarame, you've been selected as one of the Soul Reapers assigned to protect Karakura Town in the World of the Living. Please make the necessary preparations," Miyako Amamiya said.

"Huh? Me?" Ikkaku Madarame stepped forward in confusion. "What's this about, Miyako?"

"Ikkaku, I'll explain once everyone's gathered. For now, all I can say is that it has to do with Aizen." Miyako Amamiya shook his head helplessly.

"Lieutenant Amamiya, could I be added to the team?" Yumichika Ayasegawa asked from the side.

"Fifth Seat Ayasegawa, you can apply to our Captain Ukitake. Getting approval shouldn't be much of a problem."

"The World of the Living? What's worth going there for? Isn't Aizen in Hueco Mundo? How boring. Do whatever you want." After hearing them out, Kenpachi Zaraki walked back to the barracks, thoroughly bored.

"It has to do with Aizen... How interesting. Hey, Miyako, I heard you really made a name for yourself during this incident," Ikkaku Madarame said excitedly. "Damn it, I didn't know you'd gotten so strong. You can even fight Captain-level opponents."

Miyako Amamiya didn't want to discuss it. There was nothing worth praising about it; it would only remind him that he was still too weak and needed to get stronger quickly.

"Well, we'll be going now, Ikkaku." Miyako Amamiya wearily said goodbye to Ikkaku Madarame and the others.

In the Tenth Division's Captain's Office, Ikkaku Madarame squatted on the floor, thoroughly bored. Yumichika Ayasegawa had taken out a mirror and seemed to be touching up his makeup, while Rangiku Matsumoto talked incessantly beside Tōshirō Hitsugaya, and Rukia and Miyako Amamiya whispered to each other.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya had his eyes closed, and the veins on his forehead kept throbbing, as though he might erupt at any moment.

Miyako Amamiya could see that Tōshirō Hitsugaya was nearing the limit of his patience, so he hurriedly got down to business.

"Ahem. Next, I'll explain the purpose of this operation," Miyako Amamiya said. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to him.

"About Aizen... Aizen has been in Hueco Mundo for quite some time now, but we have no idea what he's been doing there. Meanwhile, Aizen knows Soul Society inside and out. That puts us at a serious disadvantage."

Everyone frowned upon hearing this.

"Recently, after communicating and exchanging information with Kisuke Urahara in the World of the Living, we finally gained some understanding of the power Aizen has at his disposal. It's the Arrancar..." Miyako Amamiya shared the information Ukitake had given him.

"Arrancar? That name... Hollows, masks... Could they be Hollows that have broken their masks?" Tōshirō Hitsugaya immediately guessed what Arrancar meant.

"You're right, Captain Hitsugaya. The power Aizen has at his disposal is the Arrancar. As the name suggests, Arrancar are Hollows that have broken their masks. But if all they did was break their masks, it wouldn't be a big deal. The problem is Aizen. He used his incomplete Hōgyoku to help the Hollows break their masks."

"Hōgyoku? What exactly does the Hōgyoku do, and what's the use of helping Hollows break their masks?" Tōshirō Hitsugaya hadn't been at the Sōkyoku at the time and only had a vague understanding of the Hōgyoku's function. He knew only that Aizen had wanted to take Kisuke Urahara's Hōgyoku and that Miyako Amamiya had stopped him in the end.

"Aizen's Hōgyoku was made using a great number of Soul Reaper souls as nourishment. Its original purpose was the Hollowfication of Soul Reapers... Arrancar, on the other hand, are Hollows that have gained Soul Reaper powers." However, this was only the Hōgyoku's basic function; Miyako Amamiya hadn't yet revealed its true function.

"What did you say? Giving Hollows Soul Reaper powers! Is something like that even possible?" Tōshirō Hitsugaya asked in shock.

"Yes, not only is it possible, but I'm afraid Aizen has already succeeded. According to the information exchanged with Kisuke Urahara, some Hollows that have broken their masks have already appeared in the World of the Living. They're several times stronger than ordinary Hollows, and these Hollows all share one crucial characteristic, which is..."

Miyako Amamiya paused briefly, and everyone's expressions grew grave.

"Without exception, these Arrancar all possess something similar to a Zanpakuto." As soon as Miyako Amamiya finished speaking, everyone's heart sank, except Ikkaku Madarame's.

"Interesting. Hollows actually have Zanpakuto! Miyako, thanks so much for inviting me on this mission," Ikkaku Madarame said with a grin.

"That's not the issue. If it's just an ordinary Hollow breaking its mask, there's nothing to fear even if it gains a Zanpakuto. But if a Menos Grande, or even a higher-level Adjuchas among the Menos Grande, or a Vasto Lorde of the highest level breaks its mask and gains a Zanpakuto..."

"Then Soul Society will be in grave danger," Tōshirō Hitsugaya said thoughtfully, now aware of the seriousness of the situation.

"Then what is Soul Society's real purpose in sending us to Karakura Town? If Aizen's subordinates really have so many Menos Grande Arrancar, shouldn't we be strengthening Soul Society's defenses instead?" Tōshirō Hitsugaya asked with a frown.

"That's the problem... Aizen's true target is Karakura Town."

"Karakura Town? Is there something special about that city? Is it because Ichigo Kurosaki and the others live there? Has Aizen set his sights on Ichigo Kurosaki?"

"That may be part of the reason, but the most important reason is that Aizen wants to use Karakura Town, a place of concentrated spiritual energy, along with a hundred thousand souls from Karakura Town and the surrounding cities to create the Ōken. Then he intends to ascend to the Soul King Palace and replace the Soul King."

Miyako Amamiya's words shocked everyone far more than anything they had heard before.

"The Soul King? If I remember right, he's..." Ikkaku Madarame hadn't paid much attention to such matters and couldn't quite recall.

"The Soul King is the king of Soul Society, a supreme being. He created the three realms and maintained the world." As a captain, Tōshirō Hitsugaya knew a few things about the Soul King.

"If Aizen succeeds..."

"Yes, I'm afraid all three realms may disappear."

Miyako Amamiya shook his head helplessly. Though the Soul King was the most important being in the three realms, his appearance was utterly tragic. Aizen must have known the Soul King's current state, which was why he had conceived the idea of replacing him.

"So, Soul Society is sending us to Karakura Town for two reasons. First, we're to help Ichigo Kurosaki and the others better protect Karakura Town. Second, Karakura Town is Aizen's primary target. Although he won't make a move himself before the Hōgyoku is complete, he'll certainly keep probing us. We need to deal with those probes and learn about the enemy."

"So that's why Soul Society put me in charge..." Only then did Tōshirō Hitsugaya understand why so many people were being sent on a mission that had once belonged to members of the Thirteenth Division. Not only was a captain leading this operation, but it also included two lieutenants, while the others were powerful Seated Officers who had mastered Shikai.

"How interesting. So there'll be plenty of fighting in the World of the Living? I'm really looking forward to it." Ikkaku Madarame grew excited at the thought.

"Don't worry. As long as our captain is there, Karakura Town will be perfectly safe." Rangiku Matsumoto had great confidence in Tōshirō Hitsugaya's strength. In her view, as long as Aizen didn't act personally, the Hollows in the World of the Living were no match for her captain.

"Matsumoto... Were you listening carefully to Amamiya just now? If it's a Vasto Lorde-level Arrancar, I'm afraid even I..." Tōshirō Hitsugaya said thoughtfully.

"Don't worry, Captain Hitsugaya. Vasto Lorde-level Arrancar are probably among Aizen's trump cards. He won't send them to the World of the Living so easily. Besides, don't forget that Ichigo in the World of the Living also has Captain-level combat strength," Miyako Amamiya reminded him, though he knew he would struggle even against an Adjuchas-level Arrancar.

"Ichigo Kurosaki... I never thought a human could gain such tremendous power in such a short time. As an official captain of Soul Society, I can't let him outshine me, and I certainly can't go saying such defeatist things," Tōshirō Hitsugaya said with feeling.

"All right, the day of our departure should be coming soon. Everyone can go prepare what they need for the World of the Living, like Gigai and soul candy. We'll meet at the Senkaimon then."

At the mention of soul candy, Rukia suddenly raised her head, her eyes sparkling. No one knew what she was thinking.

"Miyako, are you finished? If you are, let's hurry. I have something important to do, and if we're late, there might not be any left!" Rukia tugged at Miyako Amamiya's sleeve and spoke urgently.

"Huh? Something important? I am finished, but..." Before Miyako Amamiya could finish, Rukia confirmed that he was done, pulled him out of the Tenth Division's Captain's Office, and ran outside.

When Tōshirō Hitsugaya saw Miyako Amamiya leave, he reached out to ask him to stay.

"I still had something to say..." Tōshirō Hitsugaya sighed.

He had wanted to ask Miyako Amamiya how he had stopped Aizen. After all, although he himself had seen through Aizen's scheme, Aizen had cut him down with a single stroke, and he hadn't learned where Aizen had gone until everything was over.

"Rukia, stop pulling me. I can walk on my own. We're already out of the Tenth Division," Miyako Amamiya said helplessly.

"Hurry, hurry! I don't want Miss Rangiku to beat me to it." Rukia pulled Miyako Amamiya along, saying things he couldn't make sense of.

"Miss Rangiku beat you to it? What do you mean?"

"The soul candy! Soul candy! Didn't you just say we need to prepare Gigai and soul candy to go to the World of the Living? I'm going to snap up Chappy, the most popular soul candy among female Soul Reapers! I couldn't buy her last time in the World of the Living, so all that time I spent looking forward to it was for nothing. This time, no matter what..."

Rukia's face looked as if it might burst into flames, and Miyako Amamiya finally remembered this part.

"All right, all right, I know. I'll go buy some with you while we're at it," Miyako Amamiya sighed.

At the Twelfth Division, which was responsible for making and selling both soul candy and Gigai, the rush to buy them hadn't become as exaggerated as before. Because of Aizen, far fewer Soul Reapers had recently been going to the World of the Living.

Although Miyako Amamiya thought these things weren't worth rushing to buy at all, seeing how happy Rukia looked, he decided not to be tactless and ruin her mood.

Rukia held a rabbit-shaped dispenser containing Chappy, the most popular soul candy among women in Soul Society.

Seeing its appearance, Miyako Amamiya could only think of spicy rabbit head, but to avoid a beating from Rukia, he decided not to say a word.

At dusk, in his office, Ryūken Ishida turned to see Uryū Ishida approaching and asked coldly, "Well, Uryū, have you decided to accept my condition?"

"Ah, yes. I'll keep my distance... from Soul Reapers," Uryū Ishida said slowly. But he had other thoughts in his heart. If a Soul Reaper came looking for him of their own accord, that would have nothing to do with him. Besides, Ichigo Kurosaki wasn't a Soul Reaper, just a human with Soul Reaper powers.

"...I hope you haven't lied to me." Ryūken Ishida stood, walked past him, and left the office.

"Where are you going?" Uryū Ishida asked with a frown.

"Follow me. I'll restore your Quincy powers." Ryūken Ishida continued forward without turning around.

Uryū Ishida frowned, unsure what his father had planned, but could only obediently follow.

With Miyako Amamiya's help, Uryū Ishida had begun restoring his Quincy powers even earlier than in the original story. Summer vacation wasn't over yet, but Uryū Ishida felt that a storm was brewing, so he quickly made up his mind and accepted his father's condition.

After they reached the hospital basement, Ryūken Ishida opened an inconspicuous door and motioned for Uryū Ishida to follow.

"What is this place?!" Uryū Ishida looked at the pure white space, which was already larger than the hospital itself.

Could it be technology similar to Mr. Urahara's? Uryū Ishida didn't yet know that the Quincy had the technology to create a Reishi Space and assumed this was Soul Reaper technology.

Ryūken Ishida moved away from Uryū Ishida and said coldly, "Let's begin."

"Begin? What do you mean? You haven't even told me what I'm supposed to do."

Ryūken Ishida took his real Quincy Cross from his pocket and said to him, "Though I don't much like this power, I, Ryūken Ishida, inherited all the abilities and techniques of Sōken Ishida of the previous generation. I became the man known as the 'Last Quincy.'"

Only now did Uryū Ishida see Ryūken Ishida's Quincy Cross for the first time. It wasn't cross-shaped, but the same as the pentagram-shaped Quincy Cross his grandfather had possessed.

Ryūken Ishida spoke again. "And from here on, there's only one thing you have to do, and that is..."

"Survive my attacks." Reishi began gathering around Ryūken Ishida's hands as he held the Quincy Cross, eventually forming a small bow.

Without another word, Ryūken Ishida gathered an arrow with one hand and fired it at Uryū Ishida.

Having lost his Quincy powers, Uryū Ishida couldn't use Hirenkyaku to dodge the attacks, so he had no choice but to roll aside.

"Hey! Ryūken! What is this supposed to mean? Didn't you say you were going to restore my Quincy powers?" Uryū Ishida shouted agitatedly.

"Let's talk after you survive." Ryūken Ishida didn't want to answer him. He kept one hand in his pants pocket while rapidly gathering Reishi with the other and firing another arrow at Uryū Ishida.

"Damn it..." Uryū Ishida hadn't expected his father's Quincy powers to be so strong. Not only was the size of his Spirit Bow highly unusual, but his ability to gather Reishi far surpassed Uryū's own before he lost his powers.

Ryūken, what are you...? Uryū Ishida recalled what Miyako Amamiya had once said and became deeply puzzled by everything his father had done.

In Las Noches, Aizen smiled as he looked over his old research data.

Ichigo Kurosaki, Isshin Shiba, Kisuke Urahara... Aizen smiled now. He could fully sense Ichigo Kurosaki's growth.

"A Soul Reaper, a Hollow, a Quincy. Ichigo Kurosaki, a man who possesses all three powers," Aizen said with a smile. "Has the seed already grown into a great tree?"

"Though I missed my chance to obtain the Hōgyoku while waiting for you to grow, seeing the finest specimen grow up successfully still fills me with pleasure."

How interesting. Let me see how much power you can wield now, Aizen thought.

"Kaname," Aizen called.