Urahara took the Hōgyoku out of the opened spatial rift and handed it to Rei, drawing everyone's attention.
When Zero received the sealed Hōgyoku, before he could even begin to feel it, the Hōgyoku hidden in his sleeve, which had acknowledged his existence, began to emanate desire: it wanted to devour him.
Urahara wouldn't dare take the risk, so naturally he wouldn't try to fool Rei with a fake.
After confirming their true identities, Zero waved to Nel and the others, saying, "I'm in a good mood this time, so let them go for now!"
"Transaction complete, contract established!"
Urahara murmured something, and a red mark appeared on Zero's left hand, just like on his own. Whoever violated it would turn into a pig and lose their Reiryoku.
That's what they say, but Urahara wasn't sure if this contract would have the full effect on Nangong Ling, after all, his Reiryoku and Reiatsu were already strong enough to offend the realm of gods...
Upon hearing Zero's order, before Nel and the others could even react, Yoruichi in her cat form instantly severed all the bandages binding the eight people with her cat claws, freeing them.
Then Dondochakka Birstanne vomited again, and his Zanpakuto, covered in saliva and bodily fluids, appeared.
"Seriously, this is disgusting!"
After Hirako his ability to speak, his gaze towards Zero and the other Arrancars was dangerous and filled with killing intent, but due to their limited strength, they did not dare to make a move.
Nnoitra caught that look in his eyes, his smile full of provocation, and he raised his Crescent Moon Scythe, pointing it at Hirako, saying, "You're looking for death, prisoner. Do you want to die now?"
Hiyori chimed in, defending Hirako: "Got a good boss, and you're all talk and no action now? Anyone who didn't know better would think you'd captured a bunch of Captain-level, you little Espada..."
"What did you say?" Nnoitra's one eye darted toward Hiyori.
"It's one thing to look down on him, but to mock me too! I'll kill you all!" Grimmjow, who hated being looked down upon the most, suddenly roared.
The eight-on-one defeat was easy, which made the Visoreds very unhappy, but they also knew that they were no match for a monster like Nangong Ling. As for his Espada, it was not necessarily true that they hadn't been able to defeat them.
Zero, who was observing the barrier Barrier the Hōgyoku, heard the argument, and the Espada all looked at him, waiting for instructions.
After putting away the Hōgyoku, Zero smiled and said, "The contract states that I cannot take action myself, nor can I command you to take action. You can do as you please. I'm going back now."
When the Espada saw that their leader didn't want to get involved, some were excited while others were uninterested. But as the Barrier shattered, seven more Captain-level Reiatsu appeared around them... Half of the Gotei 13 had arrived.
Urahara breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, Nangong Ling seemed less domineering than before, much more agreeable, and after sensing the Captain-level Reiatsu, he didn't intend to stay and fight.
Then Urahara called out again, "Mr. Nangong, wait a moment. You also have Hōgyoku, right? Are you taking two Hōgyoku to continue reshaping the rules of Soul Society?"
Zero paused to listen to his question, then simply turned his head slightly and said with a smile, "It's a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Urahara."
After saying that, Zero stepped into the Garganta. Four, Six, Seven, and Ten, who were not interested in the battle, turned around and followed Zero back, while Grimmjow and Nnoitra, whose anger was rising, stayed behind.
As for Picaro, he'd been holding back from playing the deadly game for a long time. Already considered a madman, he was about to go crazy from holding back, and this time he was going to unleash his true nature.
Zero's last words were overheard by Soi Fon, who arrived first. Urahara couldn't deny her connection with Zero to begin with, and now she had the added weight of witness testimony and physical evidence.
"This situation is troublesome. What should we do?" Kyōraku asked the Yama-jii beside him, pulling down his hat brim.
"Treat them all as enemies. You can capture Kisuke Urahara and the others, and kill them if they resist. As for the Arrancar, show no mercy." Yama-jii instantly assessed the situation and gave the instructions.
The intelligence also stated that Kisuke Urahara, who was already on the run with a criminal record, had an inside deal with Nangong Ling. Since they were enemies, there was no need to tolerate them.
As for who provided the intelligence, it was undoubtedly Aizen who secretly submitted it to the Research and Development Institute; otherwise, how could the Seireitei have known about these things so quickly...?
As for how Aizen knew, it was somewhat related to Urahara. Urahara was afraid that Zero wouldn't care about the Hōgyoku being thrown into the Dangai and would be so insistent on killing them before going to find them. That's why he didn't choose to change locations immediately after his whereabouts were exposed.
If they make a deal that piques people's curiosity, the Soul Society will definitely send people to investigate, sabotage their operations, or even arrest Urahara himself.
If Soul Society sends someone over, they will definitely relieve some of the pressure when the fighting starts... Unfortunately, all of this is based on the premise that Zero doesn't agree to the contract and wants to take action instead.
To put it simply, Urahara himself lured them here, and they're probably after us, along with a few Espada.
Meanwhile, before the Soul Reaper Captains arrived, Nnoitra, who disliked Hirako, couldn't wait to attack Hirako as soon as Zero left.
"I'm not Nangong, who would be so merciful as to spare your lives and sign some kind of contract. In my eyes, even trash should be disposed of."
Nnoitra sneered coldly, increasing the force of his blows to the maximum, repeatedly repelling Hirako's normal Hirako.
"Take care of yourself first!"
Hirako was a Captain-level who had been paying attention while fighting back, which is why he was at a disadvantage. This was the first time in decades that the Visoreds had met Captain-level officer from the Seireitei.
Even though they belong to different camps now, they still have old friends among them, some friendships remain, and memories of the past persist.
Picaro charged straight into the Visoreds, displaying incredible bravery in a four-on-one fight without falling behind. His formidable strength made Hiyori had just been spouting nonsense, feel breathless and could only relieve the pressure by using her Shikai.
As for Grimmjow, he faced off against Kensei. The two clashed wildly. Grimmjow, completely overwhelmed Kensei, who almost couldn't withstand the attack after just a few rounds.
Fortunately, Kenpachi Zaraki, wearing a new type of iron eyepatch, appeared and slashed at Grimmjow from behind...
After dodging the attack, Grimmjow turned around in surprise and said, "What a small world! I stabbed you so many times, and you're healed so quickly?"
"I should be the one saying that. Are you alright? I don't want to kill a sick cat."
Zaraki's words exuded an air of superiority. Grimmjow stopped talking, only grinning maliciously as he charged towards him, and the two instantly clashed...
Besides Urahara, Tessai, and Yoruichi the Black Cat, Hachigen Ushōda and Rose also arrived, facing the remaining six Captains of the Gotei 13, including the Captain-Commander.
Of course, the first thing to happen was a lot of dialogue, but Zero wasn't interested in this little melee at the moment. After instructing Ulquiorra to rescue the three of them, he began to study the Hōgyoku's absorption and fusion...
"Urahara's Hōgyoku seems to be dormant. Did he use some method to put it into an Hōgyoku? If that's the case, my Hōgyoku will definitely have the first move when it comes to absorbing..."
After observing for a while, Zero began to break the Barrier sealing the Hōgyoku. Just as he finished breaking it, an unexpected event occurred.
A mysterious spell appeared, invading Zero's right hand that was breaking the Barrier, and then spread rapidly.
'What is this? I can't suppress my Reiryoku? Why am I so sleepy? Damn it, was I tricked by Kisuke Urahara? Isn't he afraid of turning into a pig?'
Just as he uttered a few questions, Zero became incredibly sleepy. But before falling asleep, he quickly gathered the Container holding the two Hōgyoku (a type of magical gem) to his chest and held it tightly.
This is the secluded training room at the top of Las Noches, used only by Zero. It is surrounded by three layers of Barriers, which would be quite difficult for an ordinary person to break.
Zero could finally get a good night's sleep, since he had been silently repeating to himself before falling asleep: I want to wake up!
He intended to use the power of the Hōgyoku to disable the dormant Kidō and forcibly awaken it.
Just now, due to the breaking of the Barrier, Urahara's Hōgyoku fell into the Container of Rei's Hōgyoku. The two collided and liquefied simultaneously...
The Hōgyoku has begun to fuse. This process is not slow and should be completed in a few days at most, but it's hard to say how long it will take for Zero to wake up.