The Auswählen Descends
"I see. So, if someone were to try to destroy Soul Society in the future, what would you choose to do?" Sōsuke Aizen gazed at Kaien Shiba with gentle and focused eyes, as if he were genuinely discussing a hypothetical question.
Kaien Shiba met his gaze, his expression resolute. "I will resolutely obey the orders of the Gotei 13 and protect Soul Society."
This answer is both standard and safe, revealing no personal stance and only demonstrating loyalty to the organization and responsibilities.
Aizen nodded, a knowing smile on his face, "Yes, Kaien, I know I can't gain your trust with just my words. But I think you'll trust me in the future."
Kaien Shiba quickly added, his tone carrying just the right amount of apology. "Captain Aizen, it's not that I don't trust you. It's just that I don't know anything about the things you're talking about. As for Liu Hao, he never talks to us about anything outside of team duties, so I don't know what to do. All I can do is obey the orders of the Gotei 13."
These words not only explained his position but also subtly implied that he knew very little about Liu Hao, thus defusing any possible probing by Aizen.
"Okay, fine," Aizen stood up, his expression turning serious. "I hope you won't tell anyone else about what happened today, Kaien."
Kaien Shiba nodded solemnly. "Captain Aizen, don't worry, I won't mention today's incident to anyone."
"Hmm." Aizen responded and turned to leave the reception room.
Kaien Shiba saw him to the door, watching the figure in the Fifth Division haori gradually disappear into the distance. Only when Aizen's figure completely vanished at the end of the corridor did he breathe a sigh of relief, thinking to himself: [If I hadn't known all this beforehand, I really would have believed you, Captain Aizen. After all, as Liu Hao said, you truly possess an undeniable charm. However, you're far too ruthless in your methods.]
He returned to his office, closed the door, and leaned against it. The conversation had been calm, but only he knew the undercurrents beneath. Every question Aizen asked was a probe, every smile an observation. And now, this game had only just begun.
When Sōsuke Aizen returned to his secret base, Gin Ichimaru was already waiting there. The Third Division Captain squinted, his signature smile on his face, "Captain Aizen, how did your probing go?"
"Hmm, he's very wary," Aizen, sitting down at the control panel and tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "It seems he's in contact with them."
Kaname Tōsen turned towards the direction of the sound. Although he couldn't see, his other senses were exceptionally sharp. "Should we find an opportunity to get rid of him?"
"No need," Aizen shook his head, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Now that we know about this pawn, let's just quietly observe what they plan to do. Sometimes, observation yields more valuable information than action."
For the next few years, everything seemed unusually peaceful. Kaien Shiba diligently fulfilled his duties as Vice-Captain —handling team affairs, carrying out missions, and training team members. He never went to the World of the Living again, and his speeches at each Captains’ Meeting were always proper and unremarkable.
Aizen continued to monitor Kaien Shiba, but as time went on, he began to have doubts. If Kaien Shiba really had contact with Kisuke Urahara or Liu Hao, why was he behaving so normally? Why hadn't he made any moves all these years? There wasn't even a single record of him going to the World of the Living?
This perfectly normal appearance, however, made Aizen uneasy. He knew Kisuke Urahara, and knew that the former Captain of the Twelfth Division was most skilled at creating illusions. Perhaps, this normalcy itself was a carefully designed disguise.
To avoid any potential accidents, Aizen decided to conduct a more direct probe. He used technological means to create several special Menos Grande and arranged for them to attack Kaien Shiba while he was on a mission.
These attacks each put Kaien Shiba in a fierce battle, and he was even seriously injured several times. But strangely, no matter how critical the situation, Kaien Shiba always survived, and each time he successfully eliminated the Menos Grande.
Aizen carefully observed the details of these battles. He noticed that Kaien Shiba's fighting style seemed to have changed—he was more cautious, more focused on defense, and always made the right judgments at crucial moments. This didn't seem like a person's instinctive reaction, but rather like fighting under some kind of guidance.
However, the appearance of these Menos Grande also alerted the Gotei 13. Captain-Commander Yamamoto personally ordered an investigation into the source of these unusual Hollows, and each division strengthened its monitoring of Hueco Mundo's activities.
To avoid exposing himself, Aizen ultimately halted his operations against Kaien Shiba. He realized that such direct methods were too dangerous and might attract unnecessary attention.
And so, time continued to flow peacefully. Kaien Shiba continued to fulfill his duties, Aizen continued with his plans, and both waited, waiting for the opportunity that might change everything.
In the World of the Living, Karakura Town.
These past few years have been a rare period of leisure for Liu Hao. After staying at the Ishida Family residence for a while, he was warmly invited to stay by the Ishida Family Sōken Ishida and lived a life of luxury there—an exquisite garden, delicious food, and a peaceful life, which contrasted sharply with the tense atmosphere in Soul Society and Hueco Mundo.
But this leisurely life didn't last long. One day, Isshin Kurosaki went to the Ishida Family and found Liu Hao enjoying tea in the courtyard.
"Liu Hao, you have to go back," Isshin Kurosaki said bluntly.
Liu Hao raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Something happened at the clinic?"
"No, not at all," Isshin Kurosaki scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, "It's mainly the children... they all miss you. And the clinic really does need more staff."
Liu Hao chuckled mischievously, "What do you mean you need help with? You just want me to go back and help you take care of the kids, right? Who was it that said 'I can manage on my own'?"
Isshin Kurosaki had been exposed, didn't argue, but urged, "Anyway, you need to come back with me soon. Yuzu and Karin have been asking to see you these past few days, and although Ichigo hasn't said anything, I know he misses you too."
Seeing Isshin Kurosaki's anxious expression, Liu Hao finally nodded in agreement. He knew he really should go back. The Ishida Family was safe, and the relationship between the Quincy and the Soul Reaper was gradually easing. By staying with the Kurosaki Family, he could not only help Isshin Kurosaki and Masaki, but also continue to protect those important children.
Back at Kurosaki Clinic, Liu Hao resumed his daily routine—helping out at the clinic during the day and teaching Ichigo Kurosaki, Yuzu, and Karin some basic Reiryoku control techniques at night.
The children especially adored Liu Hao. Although Ichigo Kurosaki always pretended not to care, he always learned very diligently whenever Liu Hao taught him something new. Yuzu and Karin were even more direct, often pestering Liu Hao to tell them stories or to play with them.
These peaceful and warm days lasted for several years, until Ichigo Kurosaki was nine years old.
That day, Masaki Kurosaki picked up Ichigo Kurosaki from school as usual. The mother and son walked home, their shadows stretched long by the setting sun. Ichigo Kurosaki enthusiastically recounted the interesting things that happened at school, Masaki Kurosaki listened with a smile.
Just then, Masaki Kurosaki suddenly sensed an unusual yet familiar Reiatsu. It was the aura of a Hollow, but unlike ordinary Hollows, this Reiatsu contained something special—a cunning and cruel quality.
She looked around warily and saw a little girl in a white dress walking alone towards the river. The girl looked only five or six years old, her steps were unsteady, and her eyes were vacant.
Ichigo Kurosaki also saw the girl and immediately shouted, "Hey! It's dangerous over there!"
He wanted to rush over and pull the girl back, but Masaki Kurosaki stopped him. Her intuition told her that something was wrong—the girl's Reiatsu was different from that of ordinary humans; it was too weak, yet too even.
Sure enough, as the girl reached the riverbank, a long, thin tentacle suddenly extended from the back of her head, connecting to something hidden in the water. Then, the tentacle pulled sharply, and a huge figure emerged from the water.
It was a strangely shaped phantom—its body was enormous, with a human-shaped upper body and a fish-shaped lower body, and its face was covered by a bone mask with a strange smiling face painted on it. Its tentacles extended from under the mask, flexible and dangerous.
If Liu Hao were present, he would immediately recognize its name—Grand Fisher, a special Void known for its cunning and disguise, which preys on humans with Reiryoku.
As soon as Grand Fisher appeared, it stretched out its massive arm and went straight for Ichigo Kurosaki. Its movements were incredibly fast; ordinary people couldn't react at all.
Masaki Kurosaki reacted immediately, reaching out to gather Reiryoku, preparing to Quincy's Heilig Pfeil. But in that instant, she suddenly felt the power within her body begin to leak out uncontrollably—pure Reiryoku surged from her body and dissipated into the air.
This feeling came suddenly and was completely irresistible. Masaki Kurosaki tried to regain her strength, but found that her body had become weak and she could not even maintain the most basic control over her Reiryoku.
Just as Grand Fisher's attack was about to land, Masaki Kurosaki made an instinctive choice—she lunged at Ichigo Kurosaki, shielding her son with her own body.
Just as Grand Fisher's arm was about to touch Masaki Kurosaki, a complex and exquisite golden rune suddenly appeared on her forearm. The rune seemed to have a life of its own, flowing and radiating a warm light.
Immediately afterwards, a semi-transparent golden shield emerged from the runes, rapidly expanding to completely envelop Masaki Kurosaki and Ichigo Kurosaki.
Grand Fisher's attack struck the shield with tremendous force, but it was as if he had hit the strongest shield, and was completely deflected. The huge recoil even made Grand Fisher stagger backward a few steps.
The Hollow was clearly unprepared for this situation. It the Roar angrily and launched another attack. Tentacles, claws, Cero —all sorts of attacks rained down on the shield, but without exception, they were neutralized and deflected.
What terrified Grand Fisher even more was that each of its attacks triggered a counterattack from the shield. A golden beam of light reflected off the shield, striking it precisely and leaving scorching marks on its body.
Grand Fisher began to feel fear. It instinctively wanted to run away, but just then, it noticed a person standing not far away.
The person had appeared there at some point, standing quietly without making any movement or emitting any Reiatsu. But Grand Fisher could sense that the person was looking at it with an almost indifferent gaze, as if observing an insignificant insect.
Grand Fisher's intuition told it that it would die if it didn't escape immediately. So it didn't hesitate, turned and jumped into the river, quickly disappearing into the water.
Inside the protective shield, Masaki Kurosaki felt the warmth emanating from the runes on her arm. That warm power flowed throughout her body, alleviating the weakness she felt due to the loss of power.
She remembered Liu Hao —years ago, Liu Hao had drawn this rune on her arm, saying it was to "stabilize the mixed power within her." At the time, she was puzzled but didn't ask further. Now she understood; Liu Hao had long foreseen this day, and this rune was meant to protect her at a crucial moment.
With a thought, the protective shield transformed into specks of golden light and returned to the runes. Masaki Kurosaki stood up and checked on Ichigo Kurosaki in her arms—he was only temporarily unconscious from the impact and was otherwise unharmed.
When she turned around, she saw Liu Hao standing there, his expression calm, as if he had known all along that this would happen.
"Liu Hao, what brings you here?" Masaki Kurosaki asked, her voice trembling slightly.
"The power I left in you has been activated, so I came to check on you to prevent any further accidents." Liu Hao stepped forward and checked on Ichigo Kurosaki's condition.
Masaki Kurosaki was silent for a moment, then said, "My Quincy power disappeared suddenly. If it weren't for the power you left me, I probably would have died at the hands of that Hollow just now."
"I see," Liu Hao's expression turned serious. "That's really lucky. But can you sense how the power in your body disappeared?"
Masaki Kurosaki tried hard to recall, "I was preparing for battle just now, so I didn't pay attention. I just suddenly realized that the power in my body had flown out, and my body became weak."
"I see," Liu Hao thought to himself, "It seems we need to go to the Ishida Family to see how they are doing. We can also get you a medical check-up there."
"Okay." Masaki Kurosaki responded, handing Ichigo Kurosaki, whom she was holding, to Liu Hao, who reached out his hand.
Instead of heading straight back to the clinic, the two turned towards the Ishida Family. The sun had completely set, and night was beginning to fall. Streetlights were coming on one by one, but a shadow hung over their hearts— Masaki Kurosaki's sudden disappearance of her power might mean an even greater crisis was approaching.
Holding the unconscious Ichigo Kurosaki, Liu Hao was filled with complex emotions. He knew that today's events were just the beginning. The Wandenreich's actions were accelerating, and the disappearance of Masaki Kurosaki's power was likely related to Yhwach's power recovery.
"Masaki," he suddenly spoke, "There may be more danger ahead. You and the children need to be extra careful."
Masaki Kurosaki nodded, her expression resolute. "I know. But no matter what happens, I will protect my family."
Liu Hao looked at her, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes. This was why he chose to protect this family—even in the face of danger, they would not back down, but would choose to face it bravely.
As night deepened, the two continued on their way. Behind them, the lights of Karakura Town grew brighter and brighter, as if announcing that a new challenge had begun on this seemingly ordinary night.
For Liu Hao, this meant he could no longer simply defend passively. He had to take the initiative, find the enemies lurking in the shadows, and thwart their plans.