The Alchemist in Bleach

Although the contact was brief and the principle and purpose of this Hogyoku transformation were not clear, several points can be confirmed. First, the details confirm that this was Urahara's doing, which Ichiro is very familiar with and could not possibly mistake. Second, this Hogyoku transformation is definitely related to the Zero Division's transcendental transformation!

You could even say it's an upgraded version of a revolutionary transformation!

Third, the Hogyoku transformation only began after Muramasa was broken, so it is probably related to the Zanpakuto.

That's all Ichiro knows for now; he doesn't know much more, such as: what is his purpose? What's the difference between a humanoid Hogyoku and a Hogyoku? Why did he choose Kuchiki Kyouga? Was it really just because he was easy to manipulate?

One question after another made Ichiro even more agitated. It just goes to show, playing against a master strategist is troublesome, especially when there are two of them...

Soon, Ichiro passed through the long black cavity, then bypassed the Heavenly Net, and quietly returned to Soul Society.

"Father, what happened? You look... a little strange?" The moment Ichiro appeared, Yue Ling's figure quietly appeared behind Ichiro, as if she had known he would come out from here all along.

Yue Ling looked at Ichiro with some confusion, because Ichiro's current expression was, well, quite amusing. She could see a mixture of contemplation, doubt, gratitude, and excitement on Ichiro's face, just like a pie chart.

"It's nothing... just some... doubts. I'll tell you later. I'll show you something." Seemingly influenced by the force field emanating from the Moon Spirit, Ichiro's chaotic mind quickly calmed down after the Moon Spirit appeared.

It was as if a clear stream had flowed through his mind, and his thoughts suddenly became clear. What did Urahara's plan have to do with him? In any case, Urahara couldn't possibly destroy the Soul King or the Fourth Division or the Thirteenth Division, so what he did was none of Ichiro's business.

What conspiracy does Aizen have, and what does it have to do with him?

He's not the ruler of Soul Society, and besides, he actually wants to mess with the Soul King, so why is he worrying about this?

Thinking about it this way, Ichiro felt much better instantly. A smile appeared on his face, and he slightly raised his gloved left hand and snapped his fingers with a hint of smugness.

"Crack~"

"Boom~"

With a crisp snap of his fingers, a black spiritual pressure appeared at Ichiro's fingertips, radiating a chilling aura.

"This is... the power of death representing aging? Did Father encounter Barragan?" Yue Ling looked at Ichiro in surprise.

For Ichiro, mastering this skill represents more than just a bug-like ability.

Barragan's death power is essentially a time power, which is why it is so powerful. Time is the most difficult ability to control in this world!

The same applies to Ichiro. Even now, he only has a superficial understanding of the power of time. The forbidden technique Time Stop is an example. He can only release it, but he cannot precisely control or even modify it.

The kind of operation that was initially envisioned, such as simply pausing the heart's time to cause sudden death, is not feasible.

Therefore, Ichiro has always been searching for traces of the power of time, trying to study more things from it. For example, he learned how to stop time after analyzing the power of the Zanpakuto of his teammate, Amakusa Kiritsugu.

Unfortunately, he was too weak and could only analyze very little, enough to enable him to learn how to stop time.

So Yue Ling knew that Ichiro had been plotting to deal with Barragan, but she just happened to run into him and successfully achieved her goal.

"Congratulations, Father."

"..." Looking at the faint smile on Yue Ling's face, Ichiro felt a little uncomfortable. Although he knew that with Yue Ling's personality, it was already rare for her to smile, but...

He's showing off!

Suddenly, all interest vanished. He casually waved away the black spiritual pressure at his fingertips, concealed his form, and rushed towards the Seireitei.

"Tsk~ Let's go back."

Yue Ling smiled and nodded, then concealed herself and followed behind Ichiro.

......

A while later, Ichiro and Yue Ling, who had concealed their presence, quietly passed through the barrier of the Killing Stone without attracting anyone's attention. Then, Yue Ling showed up at the research institute, making a belated appearance to show that they had not left Soul Society.

Meanwhile, Ichiro quietly went to the First Division.

.......

Chief Commander's Office

"Huh?" The captain, who had just finished his duties and was resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes in surprise. He frowned as he looked at Ichiro, who had suddenly appeared. "Why are you here? Did you finish?"

"Yes, he didn't go too far; I sealed him away."

"Are you sure the seal is working properly?"

"Don't worry, Captain, I used the Holy Flame Nirvana Nine Revolutions Reincarnation Swastika Exorcising Spell, it's absolutely foolproof!"

"Sacred Flame Nirvana... Divine Fire Seal, right? I understand."

"No, no, no, it's not the divine fire seal, it's the Holy Flame Nirvana Reincarnation Swastika Spell to Subdue Evil!"

"..." The captain looked at the stubborn Ichiro, somewhat speechless. Didn't you notice that you omitted two words this time?

Rubbing his temples, the captain sighed deeply. He didn't mind the strange name, but couldn't you at least remember it? One move, repeated ten times, and it's different every time. Is he really that careless?

"Whatever it is, as long as there's no problem, that's fine. Where did you seal it?"

"Hueco Mundo, he ran away, it took me a lot of effort to find him."

"...Of course I know it's Hueco Mundo! You've made such a big commotion! Only an idiot wouldn't notice!"

.......

"Ahh~"

"What's wrong with Xiao Jian? Is he sick? Should we go see Xiao Tang?"

"I don't know, but it shouldn't be. Tell me, how exactly do you use this sword technique?" Kenpachi frowned and pondered as he looked at the brand-new Zanpakuto in his hand.

"You idiot, Little Sword! Didn't I tell you? Do this, then do this, and that's it!"

"Oh, I understand, I'll try again."

Ikkaku: "???"

The person watching from the side tilted their head, their eyes full of confusion. "Is there something wrong with my comprehension? She just leaned on your shoulder without moving, and said 'like this' three times, and you understand? Have I become stupid?"

In one corner, someone fell into deep thought...

Yumichika, standing to the side, watched the one lost in thought speechlessly. Sure enough, only an idiot would try to understand an idiot's thought process...

......

"I'm asking you where in Hueco Mundo you're sealed?"

"Um... I don't know... I don't have a map of Hueco Mundo's surface, no, I don't even have one. Except for Las Noches, the surface all looks pretty much the same, so I can't even draw a map. Should I go and unlock it later?"

"That's not necessary. What I'm worried about is whether we can be countered by the special abilities of some Hollows in Hueco Mundo, such as Barragan, the King of Hueco Mundo, with his ability to corrupt everything."

"Don't worry, the Holy Flame... the divine fire seal is very strong, it's absolutely impossible... ugh... holy crap, the seal is broken!"

"Are you sure you've sealed it?"

"Confirmed, but it's alright. Only the outer layer was broken; the most important seal remains intact and cannot be broken unless..."

.......

虚圈

"...Unless you kill him!"

"Why?" Stark asked Aizen curiously.

As Aizen put away the Hogyoku in his hand, he looked at Kuchiki Kyouga lying peacefully on the ground and said, "Tenshin Ichiro placed three seals on Kuchiki Kyouga. The first one is the outer flame seal. In addition to having powerful sealing abilities, that kind of magical flame can also drive away Hollows and has strong defensive capabilities."

Barragan nodded. He had tried it before. If he didn't use his full power of death, he wouldn't be able to break through the defense. But if he used his full power, he couldn't control the force, and Kuchiki Echo River would be in danger.

"However, this layer of seal is not difficult to deal with in front of the Hogyoku. The real troublesome ones are the last two layers of seal. The first is the layer that seals his body. Strictly speaking, this is not even a seal, but a buff."

"Gain status?"

“That’s right. In this state, Kuchiki Hibiki’s life level will undergo an unimaginable leap, so he won’t wake up.”

"Isn't this a good thing?" Barragan frowned.

"Yes, theoretically speaking, this is a good thing, but it's only theoretical. First of all, what is the higher level of life form? I don't think Tenshin Ichiro has the answer either, because the benefits of this evolution are currently endless. It will keep evolving. Secondly, the total number of spirit particles is constant. The evolution of life levels requires a lot of energy, and with Kuchiki Hibiki's strength, it is obviously not enough to support this kind of evolution, so it will take a long time."

"So, the only way to break the seal is to kill him?"

"That's how it is for now. Now let's talk about the third seal, which is the one that surprised me the most. This seal is the seal on Kuchiki Kyoga's Zanpakuto. It should be to prevent Kuchiki Kyoga's Zanpakuto Muramasa from materializing and finding a way to break the seal. His Zanpakuto is quite special, so that's certainly a possibility. But what I'm curious about is that the Zanpakuto Muramasa has already been destroyed. Even if it's reforged, Kuchiki Kyoga himself would have to be involved. This feels a bit intriguing. Is there some purpose behind it?"

Aizen stroked his chin, lost in thought. Looking at Kuchiki Kyouga lying on the ground, he couldn't help but think of another possibility: Could it be that no one discovered his connection with Kuchiki Kyouga, and that the being whose spiritual pressure was so similar to that of a Hollow was after Kuchiki Kyouga? And he was just someone who happened to be dragged into it at that particular moment?

If so, could Ichiro's behavior be related to this matter?

As Aizen thought about it, his gaze towards Kuchiki Kyoga grew increasingly curious; things were getting more and more interesting...

......

"I see..." After listening to Ichiro's description of the seal's effect, the Captain-Commander nodded. This kind of seal was indeed unbreakable. He then asked, "If the seal is broken, wouldn't he become even stronger?"

"No!" Ichiro immediately rejected the Captain-Commander's question. "That so-called higher life form doesn't exist at all. It's just undergoing disordered evolution, like sleeping more soundly, not losing hair, and not getting dark circles under its eyes from staying up late. It's all useless stuff. And if it's not suitable, it can evolve in the opposite way. So there's absolutely no need to worry that it will become stronger after breaking the seal."

------------

Chapter 245 Do you want to be the Spirit King?

After answering the Captain-Commander's questions about the seal, Ichiro left the First Division's headquarters and headed towards the Fourth Division.

Although the power of death is very valuable for research, Ichiro, who has just experienced a series of fierce battles, is not in the mood to study it. Anyway, he has the power, so relaxing first won't have much of an impact on his mind and body.

Arriving at the Fourth Division, Ichiro glanced at the bustling general medical facility next to him, frowned, turned around, and walked inside.

After a little investigation, I learned that today was the battle for the Eleventh Division's seats, so a lot of wounded soldiers were brought in. And coincidentally, the Thirteenth Division also had a large number of people undergoing physical examinations, so things got busy.

Seeing his teammates rushing around, Ichiro smiled gently, green spiritual pressure appeared on his hands, he quickly disinfected them, and then immediately joined them.

……

Five years later...

Forbidden Technique: Time Stop!

……

Ichiro: "..."

Moon Spirit: "..."

world:"……"

Zhi: "Failed again."

Ichiro: "Hmm... Why is stopping time locally so difficult? Is this the wrong path?"

The World: "That shouldn't be the case. Size is relative. The normal range of time stopping is only a small part of the entire world, which is why it causes chaos and significant damage to the time order. Therefore, the idea of ​​narrowing the range of time stopping is definitely correct. It must be that we haven't figured out what part it is yet."