The Question of the World Will

After defeating Grand Fisher, Liu Hao did not return directly to Kurosaki Clinic, but instead went to Urahara Shop. As he approached, he sensed a familiar Reiatsu inside the store— Rukia Kuchiki was there as well.

He hesitated for a moment, then decided to remain hidden for the time being, instead lingering outside the Urahara Shop, waiting for Rukia to leave. The streets were quiet and empty under the cover of night, broken only by the occasional passing vehicle. Liu Hao leaned against a lamppost, closed his eyes, and processed what had just happened.

About half an hour later, Rukia's Reiatsu left Urahara Shop and moved towards Kurosaki Clinic. Liu Hao waited a few more moments to make sure no one else was approaching before pushing open the door and entering the shop.

"Liu Hao, you're back," Kisuke Urahara, looking up from behind the counter as he wiped some device, his usual smile on his face. "Have you seen Rukia- san?"

"Tch," Liu Hao said irritably, "It's because I saw her that I lingered outside for so long before coming in."

Kisuke Urahara noticed the unusual expression on Liu Hao's face, put down his tools, and asked seriously, "What happened?"

Liu Hao didn't answer immediately. Instead, he walked to the chair in front of the counter and sat down. He was silent for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts, before slowly saying, "I have a question I'd like to ask you."

"Oh?" Kisuke Urahara raised an eyebrow. "What question?"

"Do you think this world has its own will?" Liu Hao's question took Kisuke Urahara by surprise, and his tone was unusually serious.

Kisuke Urahara frowned slightly, scrutinizing Liu Hao: "Why are you suddenly asking this? Did something happen, or do you feel rejected by the world?"

Liu Hao didn't answer directly, but sighed, "Today I witnessed Ichigo Kurosaki fighting Grand Fisher, and it suddenly reminded me of the connection between Ichigo Kurosaki and Grand Fisher."

"What's their connection?" Kisuke Urahara pressed.

"Do you remember the day Masaki Kurosaki lost her powers?" Liu Hao prompted.

Kisuke Urahara thought for a moment, then suddenly realized something. "You mean, the Hollow that attacked Masaki Kurosaki was Grand Fisher?"

Liu Hao nodded, his expression growing even more serious. "Yes. And this process is the same as what I know—originally, Masaki Kurosaki was supposed to die at the hands of the Grand Fisher because she lost her powers. Later, after Ichigo Kurosaki became Soul Reaper, on the anniversary of his mother's death, the Grand Fisher would be drawn to Masaki Kurosaki's two daughters, and Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia would then fight against it."

Kisuke Urahara understood Liu Hao's concerns. "So you think that today's battle between Ichigo Kurosaki and Grand Fisher was arranged by the World Will? To 'correct' the change that led to you saving Masaki Kurosaki?"

"Yes," Liu Hao said definitively, "Especially since I specifically calculated the date—today is the day Grand Fisher attacked Masaki Kurosaki. So I think it's very likely that after I saved Masaki Kurosaki, I disrupted the original trajectory of fate. And the will of this world, in order to correct everything, made Ichigo Kurosaki fight Grand Fisher again."

This speculation plunged Kisuke Urahara into deep thought. He stood up and paced back and forth behind the counter, his fingers unconsciously tapping the tabletop.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, "Are you afraid that the people you saved will die again for other reasons because of the World Will?"

"I'm not sure about that either," Liu Hao said, a hint of uncertainty in his voice. "After all, nothing unexpected happened to them after their fate was changed. But..."

He paused, his voice growing even lower. "Today I saw that the bait Grand Fisher used was another soul connected to Ichigo Kurosaki —a soul that shouldn't have been consumed by a Hollow. This makes me wonder if, because I saved Masaki Kurosaki, the world is sacrificing other innocent people as 'compensation' for this change."

Kisuke Urahara covered half his face with his folding fan, his eyes deepening. "So, you think that because you saved Masaki Kurosaki, in order for fate to function properly, some people who were originally unrelated were affected?"

"Yes," Liu Hao sighed, his voice filled with deep confusion and self-reproach. "If that's the case, is it good or bad that I affected some people who shouldn't have been involved in order to save them?"

This was a weighty question, touching upon the essence of morality, fate, and choice. Kisuke Urahara fell silent, pondering for a long time before slowly speaking, "Perhaps... it's just a coincidence."

"This is too much of a coincidence," Liu Hao shook his head. "Same day, same illusion, only the location is different. And..."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "This incident reminded me of the birth of the Soul King."

A hint of surprise flashed in Kisuke Urahara's eyes. "What does this have to do with the birth of the Soul King?"

Liu Hao stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the empty streets outside. "The Soul King was born out of necessity. When the world was still in chaos, the Soul King was not born. It wasn't until the Hollows began to devour humans and the world faced the crisis of collapse that the Soul King was born—using his Quincy Power to kill the Hollows and allow the world to begin its cycle anew."

He turned around and looked directly at Kisuke Urahara: "Isn't this like the world 'instructing' the birth of the Soul King to eliminate the factors that would cause the world to stop, so as to prevent itself from stopping? If so, then the world does indeed have its own will and will take action to maintain some kind of 'balance' or 'order'."

These words made Kisuke Urahara's expression even more serious. As a scientist and former director of the Research and Development Institute, he was used to thinking about problems rationally and logically. But the possibility proposed by Liu Hao involved the origin of the world and the essence of existence, which had gone beyond the scope of pure science.

"What you've said seems to confirm that the world does indeed have its own will," Kisuke Urahara finally admitted. "However, as for whether it involves other people, I don't know how to answer you. After all, we don't know the trajectory of anyone's fate. We can only see what has already happened, not what 'should have happened'."

Liu Hao sat down again, placing his hands folded on his knees. "Then tell me, if I change these things, will it cause irreversible consequences? For example... will it ultimately lead to even more serious results?"

"I don't know either," Kisuke Urahara said honestly, "But what I do know is that if I were like you, knowing that certain tragedies would happen, I would definitely try to save those I felt shouldn't be sacrificed. That's human nature, and it's also our right as conscious beings to choose."

Liu Hao sighed deeply, "Then I can only apologize to those who were dragged into this. Perhaps their sacrifice is the price for changing their fate."

Kisuke Urahara suddenly asked a question, "When you saved Kaien Shiba, didn't others also sacrifice themselves? Why didn't you feel this way then as you do now?"

This question startled Liu Hao. He thought for a moment and replied, "Back then, I felt that those people were going to sacrifice themselves along with Shiba Miyako. Since they were going to sacrifice themselves anyway, it was better to have one less Shiba Miyako than one more. But the situation is different now—now it might be an 'extra' sacrifice, a sacrifice caused by my intervention."

"Alright," Kisuke Urahara smiled, a smile tinged with understanding, "I initially thought you were a decisive and ruthless person, but I didn't expect you to be such a sentimental and kind soul."

Liu Hao glanced at him sideways. "I'm just worried that if I change too much, the world will reject me. In order to correct the original trajectory of fate, something even more troublesome might happen—like causing people who wouldn't normally die to die, or turning former allies into enemies."

Kisuke Urahara's smile faded, and he said seriously, "However, for now, nothing unpredictable has happened. For the time being, everything should be fine, after all, you've already saved so many people— Kaien Shiba, Masaki Kurosaki, many Quincy... If the world truly rejected you, these changes should have already triggered some kind of 'backlash'."

Liu Hao's expression relaxed slightly, but he still looked worried. "What I fear most is that there will be problems dealing with Yhwach in the future. After all, we saved so many Quincy this time, and the Seireitei has definitely begun to look for ways to deal with the future Quincy war. These are all major events that could change the final outcome."

Kisuke Urahara pondered for a moment, then offered a new perspective. "Actually, I think you're probably overthinking it. If the World Will truly desires the trajectory of fate to proceed as originally intended, it should guide us away from doing so. And when you revealed these secrets, you should have already begun to be rejected by the World Will, or at least received some kind of warning."

He paused, then continued his analysis, "But you didn't encounter that situation. On the contrary, you were able to successfully change many things and save many people. Perhaps this in itself shows that the world doesn't oppose this kind of change, and may even... welcome it."

This was a perspective Liu Hao had never considered. He had always worried that his intervention would disrupt the "predetermined fate," but he had never thought that perhaps fate itself was not fixed, but could be changed.

"You're right," Liu Hao's brows finally relaxed. "Perhaps I'm overthinking it. It might just be a coincidence, or there might be other reasons why Grand Fisher appeared today. I shouldn't attribute everything to 'the correction of the World Will '."

Kisuke Urahara nodded. "Moreover, even if the world truly has a will, we cannot abandon our own choices and actions because of it. Otherwise, we would become slaves to fate and lose our meaning as conscious beings."

These words completely put Liu Hao at ease. Yes, if he were to abandon his mission because of concerns about potential consequences, what would be the point of his existence? If he were merely a bystander, how would he differ from anyone else?

"You're right," Liu Hao stood up, his expression hardening again. "No matter what, I will continue to do what I believe is right. If there truly is a 'World Will,' then I will engage with it in my own way—through my choices and actions."

Kisuke Urahara also stood up, smiling, and said, "This is the Liu Hao I know. Fearless of the unknown, unyielding to fate, forever choosing the path of protection."

The two chatted about other things for a while, and then Liu Hao left the Urahara Shop. As he pushed open the door and stepped out, a night breeze blew in his face, carrying the coolness unique to late summer.

Kisuke Urahara stood at the doorway, watching Liu Hao's retreating figure. He adjusted his hat brim and murmured to himself, "Isn't your coming into this world partly the will of the world? Perhaps it is because there are too many tragedies that the World Will summoned you to change these tragedies that leave us helpless."

His gaze deepened. "Or rather, you yourself are part of the 'correction'—not correcting a deviated fate, but correcting tragedies that should never have happened. If that's the case, then the meaning of your existence is to give this world a different possibility."

As night deepened, the streets of Karakura Town became quiet and peaceful. Liu Hao walked home, his mind still filled with many thoughts, but he was no longer confused or remorseful.

He knew that regardless of the world's will or whether fate could be changed, he would continue to move forward. Because he had already built bonds in this world, and there were people and things he needed to protect. This was the meaning of his existence, and the reason he fought.

The Imperial Sword at his waist trembled slightly, as if agreeing with its master's decision. Liu Hao gently stroked the hilt, feeling the warm resonance emanating from the blade.

"Imperial Princess," he said softly, "Perhaps you are right. The future is not fixed, but woven from countless choices. And I am one of those weavers."

In the night sky, the stars twinkled with a faint but resolute light, as if in response to his words. Liu Hao raised his head, gazing at the vast starry sky, his heart filled with peace and determination.

No matter how many challenges lie ahead, no matter how the future unfolds, he will continue on this path. Because he knows that he is not alone on this journey—he has like-minded partners, people he needs to protect, and a future he believes in.

This is his path, this is his choice. And this path will stretch as far as the eye can see, until all tragedies are stopped and all protections are fulfilled.

As night deepened, Liu Hao's figure disappeared at the end of the street. Behind him, the lights of Karakura Town lit up one by one, as if illuminating the future full of possibilities with the light of hope.