I'm Going to Stand Above the Heavens, Too?

What happened?!

Kisaragi Akira was stunned. Had someone discovered what made Aizen special?!

Could they have seen through the evil lurking in this kid's personality, too?

Was he about to be thrown into Muken Hell right now?

And another thing...

Who was this beautiful woman?

"But..."

The elegant woman's gaze shifted and settled on Kisaragi Akira, turning her attention to a new target.

"You seem quite special, too."

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Shutara Senjumaru, head of the 12th Division's research team."

Her every movement was graceful. Every smile and frown radiated nobility, making her seem nothing like a researcher.

After hearing her introduction, Kisaragi Akira was even more shocked.

He couldn't remember the specific details very well, but he could clearly picture the appearances of certain people.

In his memory, that Shutara Senjumaru...

Wait!

Add her elaborate golden hair ornaments, a white haori exclusive to the Royal Guard, and a few golden skeletal arms.

That was it.

She was an exact match for the image in his memory.

After studying the woman before him for nearly a minute, Kisaragi Akira furrowed his brow.

"Your gaze is rather impolite, young man."

"Is there something wrong with my makeup today?"

Senjumaru smiled. Though her words carried a hint of reproach, she didn't seem to hold it against him.

"I just think you look prettier this way."

Kisaragi Akira answered honestly. Without the elaborate gold ornaments, Senjumaru seemed more approachable.

Of course, that was only by comparison.

If he remembered correctly, this elegant woman before him would soon be promoted to the Royal Guard.

Even if she wasn't serving as captain of the 12th Division right now for some reason, her status was certainly no lower than that of any captain.

"You certainly know how to flatter someone, young man."

"Unfortunately, I'll be leaving Seireitei soon. Otherwise, inviting you to join the 12th Division would be a fine choice."

Flattery could get you anywhere. No woman could resist a sincere compliment.

Especially when the other person meant no harm.

Senjumaru picked up a brick-shaped object from the metal counter beside her. It was silver-white and looked sturdy.

"The Hollow Group Circuitry Device. It detects the Reiatsu circuits of Hollows that have infiltrated the Soul Society."

"It's simple to use. Feed it Reiatsu while you're within a Hollow's range to activate it, and it'll automatically detect the location of the Hollow group."

"All right, this meeting is over."

A woman's mood could change as quickly as the weather in June.

One moment they were chatting amicably; the next, she was showing them the door.

"Kurotsuchi Mayuri, see them out."

As soon as she finished speaking, a figure emerged from the laboratory nearby, grumbling angrily. His face, smeared with white paint, was full of fury and resentment toward his superior.

"Damn it, couldn't you just tell them to get lost?"

"Why bother me over something so trivial? My experiment's at a critical stage!"

Kisaragi Akira curiously studied the man before him. He had slicked-back blue hair, and besides the white paint on his face, he wore a mask over his eyes. Yellow, hollow cone-shaped ornaments covered his ears. He didn't look human at all.

Although he looked rather different from the Kurotsuchi Mayuri he remembered, his appearance and aura already had some resemblance to the man he'd become.

He'd assumed Urahara Kisuke was Kurotsuchi Mayuri's senior. He hadn't expected Kurotsuchi Mayuri to have already been doing research in the 12th Division before Urahara Kisuke became a captain.

No wonder he was so hostile toward Urahara Kisuke. Anyone would be unhappy to be outshone by a junior.

Seeing the boy standing there, lost in thought and unresponsive for so long, Kurotsuchi Mayuri frowned, a look of pity in his eyes.

Is this kid an idiot or something?

"Let's go, brat."

Kurotsuchi Mayuri snapped impatiently. "How much longer are you planning to stay here?"

"Get out of here already. Stop disturbing my research."

At his urging, the two of them took the Hollow Group Circuitry Device and left the research institute.

On the way to Shantei Temple,

Kisaragi Akira glanced around. Once he saw there was no one nearby, he lowered his voice and said,

"Sosuke, do you think Senjumaru figured out that you'll betray the Soul Society and become the greatest evil in the world someday, and that's why she said you were special?"

Aizen glanced at him and calmly replied,

"She said the same thing about you."

"Doesn't that mean I'm going to end up on the same path as you?"

At that, Kisaragi Akira's brow furrowed. His mouth hung open as he hissed, "Tss..."

Judging from everything that had happened lately,

it seemed like that wasn't impossible!

Could it be...

I'm going to stand above the heavens, too?

With similar thoughts weighing on his mind, Kisaragi Akira made his way anxiously toward Rukongai, until he reached the site of their mission.

Shantei Temple.

Some time had passed since the massacre of the civilians. The residents had returned to their usual lives, and the streets had become lively again, bustling with people.

Kisaragi Akira and Aizen's arrival drew little attention.

As one of the districts closer to the front, Shantei Temple even saw Shinigami officers coming and going. Two students from the Spiritual Arts Academy were hardly enough to cause a stir.

"The target was last seen in the outskirts,"

Aizen said seriously. "We should be able to spot it once we cross the last street."

Holding the brick-shaped Hollow Group Circuitry Device, Kisaragi Akira tried feeding Reiatsu into it to activate it.

A moment later, a red grid appeared across the silver surface of the brick.

It displayed a green dot representing himself, along with two red dots representing Hollows.

Seeing this, Kisaragi Akira grinned.

"I'll say this much: the Hollow Group Circuitry Device is pretty handy."

"We've already found the Hollows as soon as we got here. Perfect—one for each of us."

Aizen glanced at it but said nothing, following its guidance west.

For some reason, ever since arriving at Shantei Temple, he'd had a bad feeling.

As if...

something was about to happen.

The feeling that he couldn't control his own fate was truly awful.

Outskirts.

In front of a dark, cavernous mountain cave.

"They should be hiding in there."

Aizen confirmed their location one last time, then looked up at the cave before them.

"Let's finish this quickly and get back for food."

Kisaragi Akira grinned, but he wasn't foolish enough to charge straight into the cave.

He spread the fingers of his right hand and pointed them forward.

"Bakudō #21: Sekienton."

In an instant, a mass of scarlet smoke burst from his palm and poured into the dark depths of the cave.

Crackling arcs of electricity danced through the smoke, leaping wildly and letting out piercing shrieks.

Then, with the flicker of a spark,

BOOM!!

A blaze erupted with a deep roar. Layer upon layer of heavy shockwaves surged and reverberated through the mountain, unleashing deafening howls.

The flames swirled and burst from the narrow cave entrance. Countless globs of viscous fire scattered like rain, creating a truly spectacular sight.

I think I should explain a little about Shutara Senjumaru. In an interview, the author once mentioned that before the Department of Research and Development was established, there was an unofficial research group led by Senjumaru, with Kurotsuchi Mayuri as its first member. This is officially confirmed information, not something I made up.

Perhaps after Senjumaru was promoted to the Royal Guard, Kurotsuchi Mayuri researched certain forbidden things and was imprisoned in the Nest of Maggots. Urahara Kisuke only took over afterward.

As for Hikifune Kirio, she should be the captain of the 12th Division at this point.

The timeline in Bleach is very vague, so I can only try to make things fit. Some inconsistencies are there only to serve the story. I hope my esteemed readers can understand.