The BOSS Appears (1)

After Liu Ziyun and Unohana disappeared into the night, Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi lingered for a moment. Raindrops fell on their Black Cloaks, making a soft, pattering sound that masked their rapid breathing and complex emotions.

"That person just now..." Tessai Tsukabishi's voice was filled with disbelief and shock, "Who exactly is he? Why couldn't I sense any Reiatsu from him? And what he said... that the Three Worlds will be destroyed? That's too exaggerated, isn't it?"

Kisuke Urahara silently gazed in the direction where Liu Ziyun disappeared, his eyes, usually hidden in the shadow of his hat, now gleaming with a complex light. As the founder of the Technology Development Bureau and one of the Soul Society's top scientists, he had witnessed far too many incredible things. But everything that had happened tonight was still beyond his comprehension.

"A person who knows too many secrets." Kisuke Urahara finally spoke, his voice low and serious, "Great Kidō Chief, we don't have time to delve into this. You saw it yourself— Captain Hirako and the others are acting very strangely. If we don't rescue them in time, I'm afraid..."

He didn't finish speaking, but Tessai Tsukabishi already understood the unspoken meaning. As the Great Kidō Chief of the Kidō Corps, he knew better than anyone what Hollowfication meant—it was the distortion of the soul, the collapse of existence, and an end more terrifying than death.

"Let's go." Tessai Tsukabishi took a deep breath. "No matter who that person is, at least he's right about one thing—saving lives is the priority."

The two exchanged a glance, then simultaneously used Shunpo) to speed towards the depths of Rukongai. In the rain, their figures were like two black lightning bolts, tearing through the night sky and rushing towards the center of the vortex of fate.

Meanwhile, in another direction, Liu Ziyun and Unohana were also moving at full speed. Instead of following the route taken by Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi, they chose a more concealed and circuitous path.

"Why are we taking this route?" Unohana asked while maintaining her high speed. "Wouldn't it be faster to just follow them?"

"Because we can't be discovered." Liu Ziyun's voice was somewhat muffled by the sound of rain. "Aizen has almost completely mastered Kyouka Suigetsu. If we appear on the front lines, he'll likely notice us. Although I have ways to deal with it, that would expose too many of my trump cards."

Unohana glanced at him but didn't press the matter further. Years of getting to know him had taught her that while Liu Ziyun seemed carefree, every step he took was actually deliberate. Since he chose this method, he must have his reasons.

Under the cover of Black Cloaks, the two moved like true shadows through the ruins and wilderness of Rukongai. Liu Ziyun the terrain like the back of his hand; with each turn and each acceleration, he precisely avoided areas that might expose his presence.

About half an hour later, they arrived near their destination.

It was a desolate valley, surrounded by dilapidated ruins, clearly an abandoned Rukongai. At this moment, a chilling Reiatsu permeated the valley—violent, chaotic, and filled with malice.

Unohana stopped and hid behind a broken wall, intently sensing the situation in the valley. Even from hundreds of meters away, she could clearly feel that an extremely dangerous battle was taking place there.

"They're all there," Unohana said softly. "Shinji Hirako, Love Aikawa, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, Kensei Muguruma, Hiyori Sarugaki... everyone's Reiatsu is in an extremely unstable state. And... there's an even stronger, more bizarre Reiatsu, which should be the Sōsuke Aizen you mentioned."

Liu Ziyun stood beside her, his face expressionless beneath the hood of his Black Cloak: "The Hollowfication Experiment has begun. Aizen infected them with a special Hollowfication serum, triggering the backlash of their Zanpakuto. They are now battling the Hollows within them—those who win will gain the power of Hollowfication; those who lose will become Hollows completely."

"Are we just going to stand by and watch?" Unohana's voice held a hint of reluctance. "Watch them go through such pain, and possibly even die?"

Liu Ziyun remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "There's nothing we can do but watch. As long as they don't die—actually, as long as they don't all die, it's fine. But... what can I do? I'm kind-hearted."

His tone carried a self-deprecating edge, but Unohana could sense the heavy helplessness within it. She knew that Liu Ziyun's "kindness" was no joke—if he were truly ruthless, he could have simply let things unfold as planned. But he chose to intervene, choosing to secretly ensure that certain key moments would not go wrong.

This in itself is a kind of kindness, a kindness that carries too much responsibility.

"Alright," Unohana finally relented. "Then let's wait and see. But... is that the BOSS you were talking about?"

She pointed to the center of the valley, where a man wearing the Captain's Haori of the Fifth Division lieutenant stood. Even amidst the chaotic battle, he remained unusually calm, with a faint smile on his face.

"Yes." Liu Ziyun nodded, "Sōsuke Aizen, the Lieutenant of the Fifth Division, has already reached the Captain-level in strength, and is still improving rapidly. He may become even stronger in the future—although he can't yet go head-to-head with Captain-Commander Yamamoto, he'll be more than capable."

Unohana carefully sensed Aizen's Reiatsu, her brows gradually furrowing. "Is he that strong? What exactly does he want to do? Why would a Lieutenant do something like this?"

"What can he do?" Liu Ziyun's tone was sarcastic. "He's just unhappy with the Soul Society's system and wants to become king to change it. It's all those nobles' fault; they drove a genius into a madman. Sigh..."

His sigh sounded especially heavy amidst the sound of rain.

Just then, the battle situation in the valley changed.

Shinji Hirako suddenly let out a painful roar, his entire body enveloped in a layer of white substance, forming a mask-like appearance. His Reiatsu became violent and chaotic, forming a bizarre fusion with his original Reiatsu.

"It's begun..." Liu Ziyun, "The first case of successful Hollowfication. Shinji Hirako pulled through. Although the process was painful, he at least preserved his sanity and humanity."

Immediately afterwards, Love Aikawa, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, Kensei Muguruma... one after another, the eight people trapped in the valley began to show signs of becoming Hollowfication. Some struggled in pain, some roared madly, and some even began to attack their companions.

Aizen stood to the side, quietly watching everything, his face always bearing that unsettling smile. He held a notebook in his hand, occasionally jotting something down, as if conducting a meticulous experiment, and the eight people before him were his experimental subjects.

"He really... treated them like experimental animals." Unohana's voice was chilling. "Can someone like that really become a force that changes Soul Society?"

"Yes, he can." Liu Ziyun's answer was surprisingly affirmative. "Although his methods are cruel and his ideas are extreme, it's undeniable that he has indeed seen the root of Soul Society's problems to some extent. The corruption of the aristocratic system, the rigidity of class stratification, and those secrets hidden in the shadows... all of these need to be changed. It's just that his methods are too extreme."

Just then, two black figures suddenly rushed into the valley.