The Operation Begins!

After the emergency meeting, in an Archive Room of Seireitei.

When Gin pushed open the door to the Archive Room, Aizen was standing in front of the bookshelves, flipping through a thick file. Outside, alarms blared incessantly, and the chaos of the Ryoka invasion was spreading throughout Seireitei, but this Archive Room was as quiet as another world.

"Gin, it looks like you just fought a tough battle." Aizen didn't even look up, continuing to flip through the files in his hands.

"What~ Captain Aizen sensed it. Or did he expect it?" Gin's voice was still light and airy as he walked in and threw a severed arm on the ground.

Aizen raised his head, his gaze falling on the severed arm—the left arm of Cilian: "No, I was quite surprised when your Reiatsu suddenly erupted. How did you become the target of that man?"

"Does Captain Aizen know that person? I never imagined there was such a ruthless individual in the Second Division. Why is someone like that so unknown? It's really dangerous." Gin pointed to the wound on his chest. "Look, he almost ripped a huge hole in my chest. I was his comrade-in-arms back in Bamboo Creek Plain. He showed absolutely no mercy."

Aizen looked at the severed arm, his gaze behind his glasses calm as still water. "He wasn't always unknown. At least before you enrolled, he was known as a monster called Asura."

What happened to make him disappear from the public eye?

"Why are you asking this?" Aizen looked up at Gin.

Gin spread his hands. "It's nothing, it's just that he seems to have figured out some of Captain Aizen's intentions, and it's as if he already has solid evidence."

They immediately started interrogating me about Rukia's body and what I would do with it.

He completely ignored what I said, insisting that it was Captain Aizen's doing. So I was a little concerned. What had Captain Aizen done to him?

Aizen was silent for a moment, then sighed softly, "After all these years, he finally found out?"

"Captain Aizen?"

"It's nothing, Gin. I was just lamenting how powerless I was in the past." Aizen closed the file and put it back on the bookshelf.

"At that time, I was still very weak, and my research had just begun."

After realizing the power of his Zanpakuto, I couldn't sleep at night—I worried every day that he might discover the true power of my Zanpakuto and capture me in his Maggot's Nest.

Every time a weapon pops out of his Thousand-Mechanism Gauntlets, I worry whether that weapon has the ability to counter the Kyōka Suigetsu.

Finally, to eliminate any future trouble, I went to great lengths to throw him into the trap.

His voice was very soft, as if he were telling a story that had nothing to do with him, "Those were three Vasto Lorde, and they only turned Asura into a cripple."

But looking back now, it was both my first gamble and my first taste of victory.

"So he's Captain Aizen's old rival? But when we fought just now, he didn't look like a cripple at all." Gin touched his wound. "If I had known he was this threatening, I should have spared his life."

"Don't worry about it, Silver. His recovery is probably thanks to the Flesh Supplement."

Even though Kisuke Urahara has left Soul Society, his Department of Research and Development will still cause me trouble.

At that moment, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who was waiting in the Department of Research and Development, suddenly felt a surge of inexplicable anger. Yumeoto asked, "What's wrong, Captain?"

"It's nothing, just a sudden feeling that someone stole my research results. Maybe it's just a hallucination caused by being so engrossed in my research lately..."

Back to the Archive Room

"But now, even if Asura came again, it wouldn't have any effect on us." Aizen calmly continued flipping through the documents.

"They're convinced we're the masterminds," Yin said, tilting his head. "If this gets back to the Captain-Commander through Stealth Force, how could it not have an impact?"

"Gin, if he really had evidence, he wouldn't have come to interrogate you," Aizen analyzed. "Your reaction is the evidence to him. Don't worry, he's a lone wolf, used to solving everything on his own."

"And this century of estrangement cannot be made up for in just a few months."

"But what if he interferes with the execution? We wiped out the entire Central 46 just to ensure this order could be carried out smoothly."

"Gin." Aizen's tone remained calm. "The Central 46 are unimportant, even execution is unimportant. My only goal is the Hōgyoku. Execution is simply the easiest option; if it's not feasible, I have other plans. There's no need to worry." Aizen's hand, which was touching the documents, tightened slightly.

"Since Captain Aizen says so, then I have no objection."

Aizen nodded and put the file back on the bookshelf.

Another alarm blared outside the window. He listened for a moment, then closed the glass door to the bookshelf. "The Kyōka Suigetsu's saga is nearing its limit. Let's go back, Gin."

He turned and walked towards the door. Yin followed behind him, and the two parted ways at the entrance of the Archive Room, each disappearing into the depths of the corridor along different paths.

Aizen walked down the corridor, his fingers lightly pressing the hilt of his sword, Kyōka Suigetsu.

With my current Reiatsu, it's too much for me to keep Kyōka Suigetsu hypnotizing the entire Seireitei. At this rate, there simply won't be enough time. It seems I need to fake my death and extricate myself quickly...

When Gin arrived at his post, he saw the figure in the distance. White Captain's Haori, short silver hair, smiling eyes—it was an illusion created by Kyōka Suigetsu, standing motionless in his post.

He had experienced this scenario countless times: as long as he walked to the location of the illusion, the illusion created by the Kyōka Suigetsu would dissipate, and he only needed to continue the previous actions of the illusion.

But today was different. Yin stared at the phantom for a moment—the phantom that was almost flawless in the past now seemed somewhat illusory. Its edges trembled slightly, as if seen through a very thin mist.

Aizen wasn't the type to make such a basic mistake. Silver's right hand rested silently on his chest, where the dark golden sphere emanated a faint warmth—it was Still Water.

Does it interfere with his perception of Kyōka Suigetsu? No! It is weakening the influence of Kyōka Suigetsu on him.

Yin couldn't help but think: No wonder Aizen wanted to eliminate Cilian in the past, and even if he couldn't eliminate him, he wanted to cripple him. It turns out that this Still Water is just Kyōka Suigetsu.

At the same time, the Second Division's Guard Post...

The Second Division's defensive position was close to the center of Seireitei, one of the closest points to the Captain-Commander's seat in wartime. Fon Shaoling stood in front of the defensive position, her white Captain's Haori fluttering slightly in the wind. In the distance, the flames representing the Ryoka scattered throughout Seireitei —but none fell within the Second Division's jurisdiction. Her slightly furrowed brows relaxed.

"All members of the Second Division, take your positions according to wartime deployment." Her voice wasn't loud, but every word landed firmly in the ears of every soldier. "The Patrol Corps will maintain patrols, the Inner Court Corps will maintain communications, and the Onmitsukidō will stand by. No one may leave their post without my order."

The soldiers responded in unison and dispersed. Fon Shaoling turned around, intending to go to the Captain-Commander's side to keep watch. Just then, the sound of two footsteps caught up with her from behind.

"Captain!" Marechiyo Ōmaeda's voice was low and urgent, "Please wait."

Fon Shaoling stopped and turned to look at him. Marechiyo Ōmaeda strode forward, with Amber following behind him; he was now Marechiyo Ōmaeda's direct subordinate.

Marechiyo Ōmaeda took out the envelope that Amber had given him yesterday from his pocket and handed it to Fon Shaoling with both hands.

"This is what we discovered yesterday." His voice was low, only loud enough for three people to hear. "I cross-referenced the meeting minutes and directives of the Central 46 —members of the Central 46 haven't appeared in public since a certain point in time, but directives are still being issued as usual, at the same frequency. And the entire Second Division's intelligence system, including myself, hasn't detected anything unusual."

Fon Shaoling tore open the envelope and quickly scanned the densely packed records on the paper. Her fingers tightened slightly at the edge of the page.

"I've confirmed this repeatedly," Marechiyo Ōmaeda's voice continued. "According to my calculations, this kind of mental interference occurs approximately every three hours during the day and every eight hours at night. To be able to interfere with someone's thoughts so frequently and so subtly—it's impossible without the Reiatsu of Captain-level. And it must be one of the captains known for their exceptional Reiatsu."

Amber nodded in agreement. Marechiyo Ōmaeda's analysis had been accurate so far, and he silently marveled at how well he had earned his position as the Second Division's Lieutenant. However, Marechiyo Ōmaeda's next words made his expression freeze.

"I've narrowed down the suspects to two people." Marechiyo Ōmaeda tapped his finger on the paper. "Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake. Both are veteran captains; their Reiatsu is definitely sufficient."

Jūshirō Ukitake is a prime suspect—his chronic illness is likely a result of his prolonged use of Reiatsu to interfere with the entire Seireitei region, leading to his weakened state.

Marechiyo Ōmaeda's reasoning became faster and faster, each point leading to the next. "And what's really interesting is that Shunsui Kyōraku was the only captain who participated in the investigation of the Captain Hollowfication Incident over a hundred years ago and escaped unscathed. Jūshirō Ukitake, on the other hand, was the first Parasitic Hollow encountered by his Lieutenant in a subsequent incident!"

The documents seized Bamboo Creek Plain Battle clearly show that this kind of illusion was artificially created and cultivated. Jūshirō Ukitake, who assigned the mission, is very likely the instigator.

Hu was stunned. The direction was completely wrong—neither of the two suspects was correct. He watched as Fon Shaoling stroked her chin and seriously considered the matter, and he scratched his head anxiously.

Just then, a steady footstep came from the side corridor. Cilian walked over, his gaze sweeping over the three of them before finally landing on the piece of paper filled with deductions in Marechiyo Ōmaeda's hand.

"Don't identify suspects at the start of an investigation," he said calmly. "That can easily lead you astray."

Marechiyo Ōmaeda looked up at him. "Teacher Cilian."

"We shouldn't be looking for who's behind this now. With the entire Seireitei potentially subject to mind control interference, we should first find those who are least likely to be the mastermind and recruit them as allies."

Hu breathed a huge sigh of relief. Cilian's appearance was just in time—any later, Marechiyo Ōmaeda's reasoning would have nailed the two innocent captains to the suspect list.

"The instructor is right. The Ryoka who broke in this time are all friends I met in the World of the Living. They are also trying to save Rukia, and they are the least likely to be the masterminds behind it all. They should be worth trying to win over."

"That's Ichigo Kurosaki, the one whose information you've seen, Shaoling." Kou also took the opportunity to try and avoid a conflict between the Second Division and Ichigo's group.

"Teacher Cilian is right." Marechiyo Ōmaeda put away the deduction paper, then looked up. "Captain Aizen seems to be someone we can trust. How about we try to win him over?"

Hu's face almost broke down again.

Cilian's gaze shifted slightly, landing on Marechiyo Ōmaeda. "Why do you trust Aizen so much?"

Marechiyo Ōmaeda explained, "During the Captains' Meeting this morning, all the Lieutenant waiting in the meeting room. I took the opportunity to probe their attitudes toward the execution of Rukia."

The most vehement reaction came from Lieutenant Abarai, who broke his silence at the gathering and relayed Captain Aizen's words to the other Lieutenant:

Captain Aizen analyzed the problems with this execution from multiple perspectives, concluding that the Central 46's verdict was extremely unreasonable. Captain Aizen had been preparing to overturn the execution for a long time.

He paused, lowering his voice further, but speaking faster, "If he really wanted Rukia executed, why would he specifically point out these suspicious points in front of the Lieutenant? Why would he start investigating the legitimacy of the Central 46's verdict so early?"

If Captain Aizen truly the mastermind, I can't think of any reason why he would do this; he could have simply remained silent.

Cilian muttered to herself, "Maybe it was all for this scene." No one heard her clearly.

Meanwhile, Fon Shaoling said from the side, "Indeed, I remember that in previous meetings, Aizen also questioned Rukia's execution many times."

Although the Captain-Commander later suppressed the matter, he seems to have been investigating something ever since. Aizen's stance is most likely aligned with ours.

"Therefore, I believe Captain Aizen is someone we can try to win over. Moreover, Captain Aizen is highly experienced and has a high reputation within the team. If we can win him over, the other hesitant captains will be more likely to switch sides." Marechiyo Ōmaeda noticed Cilian's expression was unchanging, and his tone carried a hint of hesitation. "However, this is just my assessment. The specifics of how to proceed will depend on the captain's decision."

Cilian didn't explicitly state her opinion, only saying, "It would be better to first Integration the Lieutenant who are willing to get involved, and then try to win over the captains."

His tone was flat, as if he were describing a very basic work process.

After thinking about it, Fon Shaoling felt that this was indeed a safer option and nodded:

"Marechiyo Ōmaeda, continue contacting the various Lieutenant. Integration those who oppose the execution. As for Captain Aizen, wait until the Lieutenant reach a consensus before approaching him—that way, he'll carry more weight."

Her gaze shifted to Koko. "Koko, the task of contacting the Ryoka is assigned to you. You know Ichigo Kurosaki; find him and tell him there's still a chance for Rukia's execution. Don't force your way in. Tell them to hold off on any rash actions for now."

Hu nodded.

Fon Shaoling stood up, her gaze finally landing on Cilian. Cilian remained leaning against the wall, arms crossed, her expression unreadable.

But Fon Shaoling sensed that Cilian suspected Aizen, and not just any suspicion. She didn't press the matter; she simply showed trust, as was the attitude she always had towards this veteran retainer who had served the Fon Clan for hundreds of years.

"Cilian, you continue to act freely. Report any intelligence immediately."

Cilian bowed slightly.

The four of them dispersed from the temporary meeting point, just like Ichigo Kurosaki group, each heading in a different direction.