Death: Then stood in the sky.

Right in front of me,

Right under his nose,

The Hogyoku has recognized its master.

Kisuke Urahara, who always considered himself to be calm and collected, completely lost his composure and was unable to maintain even a semblance of calm.

The struggle intensified, and he tried to let go.

Sure enough, the next second, under Kisuke Urahara's watchful gaze, the Hogyoku, which had been heavily sealed and suppressed, immediately rushed towards the other side and was grabbed by Seiji.

"Is it really been approved by the Hogyoku?"

At this point, even if he didn't want to admit it, Kisuke Urahara had to accept this established phenomenon.

Because, as he himself said before, this is the so-called fact.

But......

"How did you do that?"

Kisuke Urahara was completely bewildered, his face filled with existential skepticism.

Even he, the creator, hadn't accomplished this. The Hogyoku had never heeded any of his orders, and had even completely ignored him.

"If you ask how I did it, it's probably because I absolutely didn't want to die."

And the Hogyoku that he fused with.

It's obvious that Aoshi won't say the following.

Looking down at the Hogyoku in the box, it was no longer as lifeless as before, but instead bursting with a mesmerizing hazy light, actively breaking the seal and barrier.

It is waiting.

It is yearning.

It is making its own demands.

It wants to merge with itself and become a part of itself.

It will do it immediately if it gives permission.

Chapter 43 Urahara Kisuke’s request

Aoshi slightly raised his palm and looked at the Hogyoku in the box.

It's not the right time yet.

Not now, at least not now.

It shouldn't be here either.

As if sensing Aoji's thoughts, the Hōgyoku, which had been struggling wildly, emitted a buzzing sound and then fell silent again, becoming a gem suppressed by the barrier and seal.

Upon seeing this, Kisuke Urahara's eyes once again showed a hint of astonishment.

He never expected... that the Hogyoku would have such a docile side.

Even before they had fully met, they had already given their complete approval to Seiji Ukitake.

"It seems I don't need to say anything more. The Hogyoku has made its choice. You have the talent to control the Hogyoku and can make good use of its power without being negatively affected by Hollowfication."

Kisuke Urahara still firmly believes that the power of the Hogyoku is Hollowfication.

"Is it just... the will to survive?"

"It's truly remarkable that with just this willpower, they actually gained the approval of the Hogyoku."

Kisuke Urahara looked surprised, then his expression turned serious: "Since this is the choice of the Hogyoku, then I can hand the Hogyoku over to you, but you have to agree to a few... um... just a few conditions, not many."

Aoshi nodded.

"First, you can't use the power of Hollowfication on other people; Hollowfication is still too dangerous."

Yes, that makes sense. Although the power of the Hogyoku is not just about Hollowfication, you continue.

"Second, you cannot reveal that the Hogyoku is inside you."

You don't need to say anything more, I don't want to die yet.

"Third, even if the Hogyoku has recognized you, please don't get involved in Hollowfication too early. Take it slow."

Are these the only three points?

There aren't many conditions.

At this moment, Kisuke Urahara held up his fourth finger: "Fourth, tell me after you master the power of Hollowfication."

Aoshi's fist had hardened.

Four... that's fine too, it matches the value of the Hogyoku.

"..."

Kisuke Urahara: "Sixteenth, you need to... wait, what kind of look is that? And that murderous aura? Wait a minute! Why is your hand on the knife?!"

He chuckled and said, "You...you're not thinking of killing me, are you?"

Aoshi laughed in exasperation.

You call that not asking for much?

I'll kill you right now!

Kisuke Urahara's survival instinct kicked in: "How about this, I'll give you something."

Aoto was in a terrible mood: "Get out."

Hilarious! Trying to bribe someone with just a little something?

"Here are some of my research findings, they're all very practical, how about it?"

"This works."

Urahara Kisuke: "..."

Wo Ling Tie Zhai: "......"

Yoruichi Shifūin: "..."

"I have one more condition."

The atmosphere in the room froze again.

Seeing that Seiji was about to draw his sword again, Kisuke Urahara's eyelids twitched, and he quickly said, "Just one this time!"

"say."

"Let's have a friendly match."

Kisuke Urahara pressed down his fisherman's hat, his voice low: "I need to make sure you have the power to protect the Hōgyoku."

Aoji knew that Urahara Kisuke wanted to test his strength.

Tetsuzai's eyes lit up behind his glasses. He hadn't seen Kisuke Urahara fight in a long time and was even more curious about what level Seiji Ukitake could reach.

"Please follow me."

Kisuke Urahara walked at the front, and after turning several corners in the corridor, he lifted up a piece of wooden floorboards to reveal a long set of steps.

As you walk down the steps, the view suddenly becomes brighter.

This is a huge underground space.

Despite it being night, the dome emitted a soft light, just like the real sky. But upon closer inspection, one would find that all the clouds were suspended motionless, in a state of absolute stillness.

"This is where we cultivate ourselves."

"Some of my research will also be conducted here."

Kisuke Urahara pointed to the space: "We've already dug for over several kilometers and are still expanding."

Aoto clicked his tongue. "I don't know if you're going to expand or not, but if the mayor saw this underground space of yours, he would definitely let out a sharp screech."

"Don't worry."

It was as if she knew what Seiji was thinking.

Kisuke Urahara smiled and said, "The dome has been reinforced with special materials, so it won't collapse into an underground world as you imagine, making people in the real world mistakenly think that an alternate dimension has appeared."

At this point, Kisuke Urahara suddenly turned his head and said, "Tedesai."

"clear."

Wo Ling Tiezhai nodded, slapped his hands together, and shouted.

Then, layer upon layer of abandoned chanting barriers appeared in everyone's sight.

At this point, Kisuke Urahara explained, "After all, it's a clash between two captain-level Shinigami. Even if it's just a friendly spar, it's likely to cause quite a stir. So I think both a barrier and a seal are necessary."

That's right. Although they had never fought before, in Kisuke Urahara's eyes, Seiji Ukitake in front of him was undoubtedly a captain-level Shinigami, but he didn't know where his limit was.

"Well then, let's begin."

After creating some distance, Kisuke Urahara gripped his cane, his playful smile vanishing, replaced by a serious expression: "If you cannot prove that you possess the power to protect the Hogyoku, I will not hand it over to you."

"I hope you understand this, and then use that as your goal in fighting me."

Without saying anything more, he vanished in an instant.

As if teleporting, Kisuke Urahara was already standing behind Seiji, and without anyone knowing when, he pulled a double-edged sword from his cane and slashed down.

boom!

Swords clashed, sparks flying, and the immense force whipped up a gale, sending dust billowing across the ground.

"It's blocked!"

"And... is that Seiji Ukitake's Zanpakuto?"

Wo Ling Tiezhai shielded his face from the wind and sand with his hands, his eyes peering through the gaps in his glasses, fixed on the sword blade that was colliding with the shopkeeper's cane sword.

"Seisaku Seisaku!"

"Come on!"

Nilu jumped around and shouted loudly.

Things are still relatively normal up to this point.

Nilu: "Kill him!!!"

Kisuke Urahara almost fell to the ground. He turned around at lightning speed: "Hey, you Arrancar brat over there, I don't think I've offended you in any way, so why do you have to kill me?"

Nilu huffed, "Who told you to make things difficult for Seisaku!"

Although she was just a weak, insignificant, broken-faced creature.

He has little strength and no fighting ability; he can even trip over himself while walking. When he encounters an enemy, he can only cry and beg the enemy not to kill him.

His brain is also dull and slow.

But Nel could see clearly that Kisuke Urahara was making things difficult for Seiji.

That's enough.

Her stance is that clear!

"This really is..."

"An Arrancar is actually quite concerned about a Grim Reaper."

"Do you completely consider me a companion, or rather... family?"

Gazing at Seiji in the distance, Kisuke Urahara slowly said, "Oh dear, it seems I'm being looked down upon. Well then..."

"Wake up, Honghime."