The Alchemist in Bleach

This is another advantage that the Grim Reaper has over his previous life in conducting research. No matter how strong the alchemists were in his previous life, their upper limit was not much higher than that of humans. Their advantage lay more in the creation of objects. The slightly more precise operations that Ichiro and the others are doing now can only be accomplished by machines.

Manual masturbation?

Dream on!

However, this is quite normal in Soul Society. For example, even though they are far apart, the three of them can still accurately synchronize their movements after a simple communication. In the human world, this can only be accomplished by machines.

When the spirit blade was inserted into the ground, everyone was surprised to find that endless ghostly magic spells extended outwards from the spirit blade, causing the Grim Reaper standing on it to subconsciously move away.

However, they soon discovered that this was unnecessary, because the ghostly spells were not affected by them and instead spread out directly on the ground.

What's going on?

Yumichika glanced at a corner: "You're asking me? Do you think I would know anything about these things?"

Just as Ichika was about to reply, he suddenly froze, and Yumichika's expression turned serious. At the same time, he drew his Zanpakuto. Hollow, here it comes!

As mentioned earlier, in order to prevent the Soul Society from discovering the possibility that Hueco Mundo could still be detected even after its repair, Hueco Mundo is continuously invading the Soul Society.

Therefore, Ichiro and his group's actions quickly attracted the attention of the Hollows who were driving these lower-ranking Hollows. The nascent barrier might not be able to stop the small cavities, but it would make it difficult for them to open them...

This was enough to raise their alarm, since it was not difficult to realize the seriousness of the matter with just a little thought.

Unfortunately, they had already anticipated this situation. Ichiro had Kenpachi leading a portion of the 11th Division, Urahara had Yoruichi leading members of the Onmitsukito, and Hiyori was on Hikifune's side...

Okay, this guy is a bit weak, but since Kiryu didn't ask anyone else, he must still have some tricks up his sleeve. Also, Ichiro had notified Gosuke, the third seat of the 11th Division, to lead a group to help beforehand, so overall...

The problem is not big.

Don't be fooled by Yumichika and the others' serious expressions; they're actually excited. Ever since that battle, Hueco Mundo seems to have suffered some serious damage, with far fewer Hollows invading. They've been holding back their anger for a long time.

While Yumichika and the others were fighting, Ichiro wasn't idle either; inserting his spirit sword into the ground was just the first step.

The second step is to expand the techniques within it, making them compatible with the techniques extended from Hikifune and Urahara, before proceeding to the third step.

At this moment, from the sky above the Seireitei, one can see that with Ichiro and the other two as the center, a line extends outwards from each side, forming a relatively regular circle that is slowly encircling the entire Rukongai!

As time passed, the incoming voids grew stronger and more numerous. Clearly, with the unfolding of the technique, their understanding of its function was no longer just a guess.

Unfortunately, everything went as Ichiro and the others had predicted. Unless Hueco Mundo was willing to give up Vasto Lorde, the plan was bound to succeed!

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Chapter 167 In the same era, there can only be one Kenpachi!

As it turned out, the void's attack had no effect whatsoever, and Ichiro and his team's preparations were perfect.

The patterns of light that unfold along the way are not just for show!

Hmm, no, that's not right either. It's just for show, for decoys, to attract their firepower.

In fact, the operation of the entire barrier has nothing to do with these things. The real core is on Ichiro and the other two, or rather, the place where their spirit swords were inserted. That is the foundation of the entire barrier!

These three protective measures are so strong that even Vasto Lorde's Cero would need two hits to break through the first line of defense, with a second and third line of defense waiting behind.

That's enough time for the Captain-Commander to come straight over from the center of Seireitei!

After all, it was a protective measure constructed by combining the abilities of the three of them; it would be strange if it weren't reliable.

As time passed, the rays of light extending outwards from the three people began to converge, just as predicted, meeting perfectly without any unexpected events.

Next, the second step begins. Starting from six points—Ichiro, his two companions, and the three intersection points—a beam of light extends from each point toward the Seireitei in the center. Just like before, the spiritual energy fluctuations on these beams are still fake. To break this barrier, the only option is to attack Ichiro and his companions.

As the six beams of light converged with the Seireitei, the most crucial part of the entire plan arrived!

As soon as the light connected with the Seireitei, the buildings within the Seireitei, constructed from killing stones, began to activate, emitting waves of energy. Whether it was the walls or the Penitentiary, they all emitted a faint glow and energy.

This fluctuation combined with Ichiro and the others' barrier, and a faint barrier began to descend from the sky, enveloping the entire Rukongai!

At the same time, with the blessing of the barrier, the soul-protecting membrane formed by the killing intent stone of the Seireitei was further strengthened, which is why the Central Chamber of 46 passed this decision so easily.

It not only better maintains the balance of spiritual particles, but also strengthens its own defensive capabilities.

Why not do things that are a win-win situation?

As a transparent dome fell, the small black cavities that had been opened in Rukongai were forcibly closed, preventing Hollows from entering or leaving, unless they were Great Hollows.

However, it doesn't matter. If you want to break through, then break through. Even if you break through every day, as long as you don't damage the base points set up by Ichiro and the other two, it won't have any impact on the barrier.

But if you come, it won't be so easy for you to leave...

The detection accuracy is off the charts!

Even before you tear open space, Ichiro and his team can know where you're going to appear, allowing them to ambush you and give you a big surprise.

Theoretically speaking, this barrier is now completely complete. All that's left is to clear out the Hollows that remain in Rukongai—just a couple of small fish.

Of course, this is only in theory; in reality, the plan still has one final step to take.

Establish the foundation!

This is the most important part of the entire plan!

The purpose of establishing the base is twofold: first, to reduce the risks during construction, such as the fact that only by stopping the three of them can the barrier be destroyed, which makes it easier for them to concentrate their efforts on defense; second, to better maintain the barrier in the future.

Even the Soul-Shielding Mesh formed by the Killing Stone in the Seireitei requires regular inspections by the Kido Clan, so how could Ichiro and his group's more technologically advanced barrier not need maintenance?

However, unlike the Soul-Binding Membrane of the Seireitei, this barrier is much larger. The Kido Clan alone is not enough manpower, and the Kido Clan is not as easy to recruit as other forces. Therefore, three bases were created to facilitate maintenance.

Subsequent maintenance no longer requires running all over Rukongai; it only requires periodic checks of the base points and maintenance, instantly reducing the workload by 90%!

Finally, there is the precaution against expanding demand.

The Rukongai (soul districts) will expand. As the population of the real world grows, the number of Rukongai is also slowly increasing. It's impossible to say that the later Rukongai will not be protected.

Although those noble lords would very much like to do so, they couldn't.

This will affect the balance of spirit particles.

Therefore, if this issue is not resolved, the plan will be difficult to implement.

Subsequent expansions were similar to the current ones, and like maintenance, the workload was reduced by the three of them—no, it should be said that it was compressed.

This is different from maintenance. Maintenance only requires checking, fixing errors, and leaving the rest alone.

As for the expansion, you still need to do what you're supposed to do, but you'll just focus on setting up the barrier here.

At this moment, Ichiro and the other two are doing the final and most complicated step: building the foundation.

Kenpachi and the others couldn't help with this step, so after confirming with Ichiro, they prepared to turn around and leave to clean up the remaining Hollows in Rukongai.

"Kenpachi, wait a minute."

However, just as Kenpachi and Yachiru were about to set off, Ichiro stopped them.

Kenpachi glanced at the base that Ichiro's men were working on. Even though he was completely ignorant of the Kido, he knew this was a crucial moment. So he frowned and said, "We can talk about anything else later. I think you should focus on getting this thing done. I'm worried it might explode."

"..." Ichiro's lips twitched. Did this guy have some misunderstanding about Kido?

"Don't worry, firstly it won't explode, and secondly, it's just a few words, it won't have any impact."

Kenpachi glanced at Ichiro's subordinates with some apprehension, clearly not quite believing it. Although he wasn't afraid, the others were.

"Okay, hurry up, I'm still worried it might explode..."

Ichiro couldn't help but smile, and his somewhat sad mood eased a little. Ichiro looked at Kenpachi seriously and said, "This matter will be over soon. In the next week or two, the captain will gradually hand over the team's affairs to me."

"...Are you showing off to me that you're going to be the captain?" Kenpachi muttered to himself.

Yumichika and the others looked at Ichiro with strange eyes, thinking, "I didn't expect you, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, to be so pretentious."

Ichiro shook his head: "That's not important, Kenpachi. What's important is that the 13th Squad doesn't retire! There are only promotions, transfers, and deaths in battle! And the first two are not things a captain would do!"

Kenpachi's smile vanished instantly. He shifted his feet and appeared in front of Ichiro in a flash, looking at him seriously and asking in a deep voice, "What do you mean?!"

Seeing this, Yumichika and Ikkaku realized that something was wrong. They put away their playful expressions and looked at Ichiro seriously, waiting for his answer.

"There can only be one Kenpachi in any era! These are the captain's exact words, so Kenpachi, get yourself in good shape and don't let the captain down..."

After saying that, Ichiro closed his eyes and began to focus his energy on building the foundation, avoiding thinking too much about these things.

"Can there only be one Kenpachi in the same era...?" Kenpachi murmured a few times, understanding Ichiro's meaning. Even though Ichiro had closed his eyes, he still looked at Ichiro solemnly and said, "I won't let Hana-chan down. Don't worry, she's also the person I admire most!"

After saying that, he and Yachiru turned and left. However, his dormant heart slowly warmed with the news of Ichiro's arrival. Was this moment finally coming...?

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Chapter 178 Sons of the Fourth Division! Your father is back!

After Kenpachi and the others left, Ichiro continued to concentrate on setting up the base point in his hand. Just as he had just said, the difficulty was not high, so much so that he could multitask.

But that's all. Difficulty is one thing, but the amount of work involved is another.

This thing is expected to run for thousands of years, even though a lot of the major build work will be handed over to subsequent routine maintenance, greatly reducing their workload.

However, they must first complete the general framework so that the subsequent responsible persons can simply follow the framework to fill in the techniques, and this part still involves a huge amount of work.

Even with Ichiro and the other two giving it their all, it still took them three full days to complete the initial construction of the base point.

Yes, so far, the work of the three of them is only in its initial stages and has not yet reached the point of being handed over to the Ghost Path Clan. This shows just how much work this thing requires...

"Phew~" Ichiro stood up and let out a long sigh of relief, stretching his muscles and bones. Although the barrier was only initially completed, lower-level Hollows could no longer easily enter Soul Society. Only a Great Hollow could lead the way.

The sound of the Hollow tearing open the black cavity was detected by the Seireitei in advance, and after three days of sweeping, the remaining lower-level Hollows were almost eliminated. Therefore, this turmoil that lasted for several months can be considered to have come to an initial end.

Ichiro and the others finally felt relieved.

After all, the root cause of this chaos was the work of him and Urahara. Although they gained a lot, the Seireitei also suffered great losses.

The reason for this is that Ichiro and the others misjudged Aizen's power. Who would have thought that Aizen, in addition to Alers, was now leading the strongest Hollow Stark?

Furthermore, the technology of the mimicry Zanpakuto has been upgraded, giving it even stronger disguise capabilities.

Who the hell would have thought of this?

Ichiro and Urahara were aware of the shortcomings of the mimicry Zanpakuto and had tried to find solutions, but they were limited by their thinking, or what is commonly known as the "barrier of perception." In any case, they couldn't solve it in the short term. This had nothing to do with ability, or rather, only those who were born with knowledge could be free from any limitations of thinking and continue to study it.

Since neither he nor Urahara could do it, they could only put it aside for a while, wait for their brains to cool down, absorb some knowledge from other areas, and then look back at it again. Perhaps they would have a different perspective.

As a result, Aizen beat them to it, and improving a new technology, especially one that wasn't even their own, wasn't a difficult task for them.

Just like in the original work, Aizen's research on the Hogyoku quickly reached its limit, and it was only a half-finished product. However, when combined with Urahara's Hogyoku, which was also a half-finished product, a near-perfect Hogyoku was born!

This is also why Kiryu Hikifune decided to stay; the collision of ideas often revitalizes technologies that seem to have reached their limits.