Chapter 235

Urahara did not respond.

He knew Unohana was waiting for his answer, but he couldn't bring himself to reveal the existence of the Hōgyoku.

A person who is overly obsessed with perfection, coupled with a brilliant mind, will naturally end up like Urahara and Aizen.

Faced with Unohana's questioning, Urahara knew that Unohana had probably already guessed something.

The First Kenpachi also reached the pinnacle of Kendō, Urahara had no doubt that Unohana might have had similar thoughts.

However, she didn't put her idea into practice.

"Regarding that, Captain Unohana, all I can answer is..."

"Everything I've done will absolutely not harm the Soul Society; you can see that from my current actions."

"I firmly stand on the side that upholds the peace of Soul Society."

"As for the current situation of these captains, there is indeed something I can do."

Urahara's voice was very low.

"However, this is not something that can be discussed publicly, and I hope you can understand."

Unohana's gaze towards him changed.

The original scrutiny has transformed into a deeper, more nuanced observation, imbued with a certain consideration and vigilance.

She looked at Kisuke Urahara, the guy who held the Third Seat in the Twelfth Division.

Unohana's original impression of him was that he was just a junior who had some secret dealings with Wang Xun.

The hollow carved out beneath the Sōkyoku Hill suggests the presence of some kind of power, and it seems they are conducting some strange research in private.

But such things are commonplace in Soul Society; which noble family with some power doesn't secretly engage in some underhanded tactics?

Moreover, Kisuke Urahara is still under the Shihoin Clan.

If Shihoin Kisuke Urahara doesn't directly kill his colleague in public, it will be difficult for the Central 46 to find a reason to directly try him.

Seeing Kisuke Urahara's behavior at this moment, all her previous impressions of Urahara were overturned.

"These captains are the cornerstone of Soul Society. I hope you're not exaggerating."

"Of course not."

Unohana withdrew her gaze and asked no further questions.

Urahara no further explanation.

He looked around; deep trenches carved out by Cero were scattered across the ruins, and the Reishi energy lingering in the air had not completely dissipated.

Reinforcements from Seireitei could arrive at any moment, and the longer these Hollowfication captains lingered here, the greater the risk of them being exposed to the public eye.

Their current situation is best kept out of the public eye, as it could cause unnecessary panic.

If the captain is like this, what about the ordinary soldiers?

At this moment, the Reiatsu of the several Hollowfication captains changed again, Kisuke Urahara a sudden increase in pressure.

His Hollowfication- suppressing potion is about to wear off.

"They need to be moved as quickly as possible, and they need to be discreet. These people can't stay here any longer; they need to be moved to a safe place, and the action needs to be swift."

Urahara's voice became urgent.

"The problem is that with so many people being transferred at the same time, they will inevitably be exposed to the Seireitei's surveillance."

What should I do...?

Just as Kisuke Urahara was deep in thought, a steady voice came from behind him.

Leave it to me.

Urahara turned around, Tessai Tsukabishi was already standing tall and upright.

His eyes, behind the glasses, swept over everyone present.

"I'll do it. Spatial Kidō Technique, multiple people teleported simultaneously, location... How about the underground of Sōkyoku Hill?"

Urahara paused for a moment.

Spatial techniques are forbidden arts strictly prohibited by Soul Society.

Aside from opening Senkaimon, any use of space-related spells is a serious crime, and conducting private research on them is an even more egregious violation punishable by imprisonment in the Maggot's Nest.

Kisuke Urahara had already created the Hōgyoku, and with the backing of the Shihoin, he didn't care much about breaking the rules; it was commonplace for him.

But who would have thought that you, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, were secretly researching ruthless techniques?

Tessai Tsukabishi glanced at the three people still standing on the field and said in a deep voice.

"Please pretend you didn't see or hear what I did next."

Without waiting for Urahara's reply, Tessai Tsukabishi slammed his Kidō Staff into the ground and clasped his hands together in front of his chest.

"Now, let me first stabilize the condition of the team captains."

A dark green barrier spread outwards from their feet, precisely covering all the captains and vice-captains lying on the ground.

Kisuke Urahara stared wide-eyed as he saw that Tessai Tsukabishi's move was a forbidden technique that could temporarily freeze time.

Wang Xun also approached, and fragments of the Kidō drifted down, which he absorbed into his body.

[Gained 7 Advanced Kidō Techniques and 700 Kidō Experience Points]

[Kidō: 1v7 (3200/20000)]

The next moment, Tessai Tsukabishi changed his spell, and dense spell patterns appeared on the edge of the barrier, each pattern constantly calibrating the spatial coordinates.

After the space was anchored, Tessai Tsukabishi activated the spell, and silently, everyone on the ruins disappeared at the same time.

Wang Xun only felt a very faint spatial tremor, and a brief darkness flashed before his eyes. Then the rubble under his feet turned into a solid rock surface.

The familiar light emanated from the Reishi lamp, and above was the dome of the underground cavern of Sōkyoku Hill, illuminated by spirit ore.

The rock face still bears traces of sword marks left by Unohana when she practiced swordsmanship here, as well as marks of damage to the Kidō.

Standing in the center of the hollow, Tessai Tsukabishi withdrew his hands, his expression calm, as if he had done something very ordinary.

Kisuke Urahara stared at him for a long time.

"Mr. Tessai, those techniques you just used were truly impressive..."

Tessai Tsukabishi straightened his Kidō staff again.

"It was just some thinking in my spare time; as for just now... I didn't do anything."

"Of course, I didn't see anything, right, Wang Xun?"

Kisuke Urahara looked at Wang Xun beside him, hoping for a response of approval.

Wang Xun nodded, then said softly.

"The most troublesome thing is what happens next: if Aizen tries to pin all this on us, how will we cope?"

"If the trial of Central 46 goes ahead, our defense will most likely be useless."

"Furthermore, their attitude towards these Hollowfication captains will definitely not be friendly."

Do you have any plans for what's to come?

Kisuke Urahara sat leaning against the rock wall, arms crossed, and remained silent for a long time.

The light from the spirit ore streamed down from the dome, making the weariness on his face impossible to hide.

"What happens next can only be dealt with as things unfold."

His voice was very low.

"If the trial of Central 46 really comes to fruition, our defense will most likely be useless."

"Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu can manipulate the senses of everyone who has seen his Shikai; he can create whatever testimony he desires."

"He can make any kind of evidence he wants available to anyone."

"If it really comes to that..."

He paused, a somewhat helpless smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "At worst, we can just run away. In the World of the Living, in Hueco Mundo, there's always somewhere we can stay."

He turned his head and looked at Wang Xun.

"But you, Wang Xun, how do you think Aizen will treat you?"

Wang Xun remained silent.

"You just demonstrated Hollowfication in front of him, cutting down Shinji Hirako for him. But this pledge of loyalty wasn't complete; Aizen can..."

I see through your delaying tactic.

"If Aizen thinks you haven't completely sided with him, and he puts you in the same situation as me, and you're arrested as well..."

Urahara paused, his tone becoming even more somber than before.

"What will your choice be then?"

Wang Xun fell silent.

Indeed, he was unaware of Aizen's opinion of him.

He had temporarily concealed Hollowfication in the ruins, but Aizen was not so easily fooled.

What he displayed in the battle was vastly different from the Iv1 level Half-Mask Hollowfication he had deliberately maintained in front of Aizen.

Aizen wasn't the type to believe in coincidences; he viewed anything unusual with suspicion.

This is a difficult contradiction to resolve.

"I don't know," Wang Xun's voice was equally grave. "Whether he'll let me go, I can't say for sure."

Just then, a voice came from the side.

"The Aizen you're talking about, is he the lieutenant of the Fifth Division? Is he really that troublesome, causing you so much headache?"

Unohana stood behind the group, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Urahara and Wang Xun.

Wang Xun remained silent for a moment.

Aizen's Zanpakuto, Kyōka Suigetsu, can Complete Hypnosis anyone who has seen its Shikai after Shikai.

"His goal is to break down the boundary between Soul Reaper and Hollows, and he will stop at nothing to achieve that."

"Moreover, he has already accomplished part of it; these Partial Hollowfication captains are his test subjects."

Unohana frowned and fell silent.

She simply stood there quietly, piecing together all the fragments she had seen that day.

"I see."

Her voice was very soft, with only a profound calmness.

Wang Xun looked at Unohana.

"Complete Hypnosis using the Kyōka Suigetsu is indeed very difficult to deal with."

"But my Zanpakuto is immune to Kyōka Suigetsu's hypnosis; however, this ability cannot be shared with others, nor can it be used to break someone from implanted hypnosis."

Unless, his Reiatsu surpasses Aizen's.

However, it seems difficult to achieve at present.

"Can't we tell the Captain-Commander? If we can find Aizen, perhaps we can kill him directly."

Wang Xun looked at Unohana and gently shook his head.

"Things won't go that smoothly. The hypnosis from Kyōka Suigetsu is permanent, and we can't be sure whether we're cutting Aizen or another member who's also been hypnotized."

Unohana lowered her head in deep thought.

The hollow became quiet.

The light from the spirit ore fell upon everyone.

After a long time, Unohana spoke.

"Staying here isn't a solution; we should go back and report to the Captain-Commander."

Wang Xun got up and followed.

"I'll go with the captain."

Unohana looked at him, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment, then nodded.

Let's go.

Unohana turned her head to look at Urahara.

"Third Seat Urahara, these captains are temporarily in your hands."

Her voice was calm, but every word carried weight.

Please remember what you just said.

Urahara gave a slight bow.

"I will never forget that everything I have done will absolutely not harm the Soul Society; that is my stance."

Unohana nodded and walked out of there with Wang Xun.

However, as soon as the two stepped out of the edge of the barrier of Sōkyoku Hill, Wang Xun stopped in his tracks.

Moonlight filtered through gaps in the clouds, illuminating the path leading down the mountain in a dim, half-lit manner.

A figure stood silently on the road in the distance.

Aizen stood calmly in the middle of the path, as if he had been waiting for them all along.

"Captain Unohana?"

As Aizen walked closer and closer to Unohana, Wang Xun called out softly.

However, Unohana was completely oblivious, as if she hadn't noticed anything or Wang Xun's actions, and simply brushed past Aizen.

In Wang Xun's eyes, a phantom of himself was following behind Unohana, turning back to give him a faint smile.

And Aizen was slowly walking towards him.

Aizen smiled and spoke softly.

"You were here after all, just as I expected."

"The cave that Kisuke Urahara carved out beneath the Sōkyoku Hill is indeed a good hiding place."

"However, you arrived even faster than I expected. Only spatial magic could accomplish something like this. Was it done by Tessai Tsukabishi?"

Wang Xun's breathing grew heavier; he had no idea what Aizen was planning to do next.

Aizen knew about the existence of the underground cavity at Sōkyoku Hill.

This means that Urahara's secret base had already been taken over by Aizen at some point in time.

"There's no need to be so nervous."

Aizen held the Hōgyoku sealed within the transparent prism in his right palm.

A pale blue light swirled slowly in the moonlight, reflecting off his face.

"I've arranged everything that needs to be arranged, Central 46 will receive a complete investigation report soon."

"Regarding Kisuke Urahara's secret research into Hollowfication, his collusion with the Quincy, and his attack on the captain of the Gotei 13 using the Hōgyoku."

"Everything he said can withstand scrutiny. Even if he were to appear in person to defend himself, the evidence would render any defense he offered weak."

Aizen paused, then spoke calmly.

"But to be honest, I'm actually a little reluctant to kill you."

"Your performance has truly surprised me, and you are a rare experimental talent who can greatly help my research."

He put the Hōgyoku back into his robes and took a step forward.

"Today's plan was perfect: the captain Hollowfication, the Quincy appeared, Kisuke Urahara took the blame, and everything was going according to plan."

"Advance in a group."

"But the moment Unohana appeared, I knew something was wrong."

"Dealing with the body of that fake Wang Xun who was killed by Unohana is indeed quite troublesome."

"However, Wang Xun, I'm still willing to give you one last chance to choose."

"If you expose Kisuke Urahara and prove his crimes, his deal with the Quincy."

"I can overlook everything you did today. As for your role in this incident, I will make sure it appears appropriately in another version of the story."

"That was your secret investigation into Kisuke Urahara's conspiracy, and your ultimate exposure of Kisuke Urahara dark side."

"This will allow you to remain in the Gotei 13, continue as the vice-captain of the Fourth Division, and even later, fill any vacant captain positions."

"As for Unohana, I have other plans for her. Whatever you say to her, I can make sure she won't interfere with our plans."

"This outcome is ultimately a good choice for you, right... Wang Xun?"