The Alchemist in Bleach

Soul Society - Wandenreich

As Ichiro had envisioned, Yhwach, who was recovering his strength, sat on the throne, listening to the reports from the Sternritter kneeling below.

"...In conclusion, I believe now is not the time to launch an attack." Grand Master of the Sternritter, Yugran Hasward, knelt on the ground and respectfully recounted the events that had occurred over the years.

Yhwach frowned: "Tenshin Ichiro? Do you know anything about his current strength?"

"It's unclear. He hasn't fought in many years. His last battle was over a hundred years ago, when he joined forces with the then head of the Shihouin family and Urahara Kisuke to storm the Spirit King Palace! Since then, he hasn't fought at full strength, except for about a hundred years ago when his Zanpakuto released itself in human form to kill Hyosube Ichibei!"

Yhwach frowned; this record was rather alarming...

Furthermore, what does it mean to "liberate the Zanpakuto"? Isn't she herself the Zanpakuto? Liberate herself?

"Release the Zanpakuto? Whose Zanpakuto? Isn't she herself a Zanpakuto?"

"Her condition is somewhat special. It should be the result of Tenshin Ichiro's research. We don't know the specifics, but she did release her Zanpakuto, and her Shikai phrase and abilities are different from Tenshin Ichiro's."

"A troublesome ability." Yhwach frowned at the World's ability. It was an ability that could kill Hyosube Ichibei in one blow. Even his Omniscience and Omnipotence might not be able to withstand it.

Fortunately, this move has some strict conditions, requiring self-destruction as a prerequisite. With a little manipulation, it's possible to force this move out in advance and then create a time difference.

What really troubled him was what lay behind this ability...

Tenshin Ichiro!

Based on Haschward's description, this ability could be one of two things: either it's a time-based ability that directly summons a future phantom of Tenshin Ichiro, or it's a deduction of the level Tenshin Ichiro will reach in the near future based on his current state.

Regardless of the type of ability, it's not good news for Yhwach, as it suggests that Tenshin Ichiro might reach that level.

Of course, there's an even worse possibility: that Tenshin Ichiro already possessed the power when he was summoned...

However, this possibility is very low, otherwise this ability would not require self-destruction as the activation condition. Nevertheless, the situation is still very bad, and it is really hard to say whether Ichiro has reached that point.

This guy is too young!

Yhwach frowned and pondered for a moment, then gently tapped the armrest of his chair and said, "Tenshin Ichiro, I'll think of a solution. Do you have any ideas about the battle plan?"

Haschwald bowed respectfully and continued, "Your Majesty, my idea is to first disrupt the Seireitei, then take advantage of the chaos to launch a surprise attack on the Thirteenth Division, eliminating most of their forces. Afterward, we will temporarily retreat to the human world and then decide whether to deal with Hueco Mundo or the Soul King Palace."

"Hueco Mundo... that Aizen, is it?" A hint of apprehension flashed in Yhwach's eyes.

In this era, he values ​​only four people the most: Yamamoto Genjo Shigekuni, Tenshin Ichiro, Urahara Kisuke, and Aizen!

Needless to say, Yamamoto's strength was already evident a thousand years ago. His Bankai was incredibly powerful. He was already powerful to begin with, but now with the spiritual pressure medicine invented by Tenshin Ichiro and various methods to improve his physical condition, he will only become more powerful!

Tenshin Ichiro goes without saying; his resume is incredibly impressive, and his strength is shrouded in mystery. Urahara Kisuke, on the other hand, is a guy whose research ability is second only to Ichiro, but whose tactical planning ability far surpasses Ichiro's!

Looking at all his actions so far, almost everything is within his calculations. He is a monster who is good at using all the conditions around him to create advantages for himself!

Finally, there's Aizen Sōsekisuke. The fact that he was able to grow up step by step right under Yamamoto's nose and do so many things without being discovered yet is enough to prove his strength.

Therefore, after a little thought, Yoha made a decision.

"Attack the Soul King's Palace first, then leave Aizen for later, and disrupt the Seireitei's affairs. What are your plans?"

"This is relatively simple; the key point lies with him~"

As he spoke, Haschwalth conjured the image of a human child, and the moment Yhwach saw him, he let out a soft exclamation.

"This is......"

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Chapter 316 My name isn't Hey, it's Rukia!

Yhwach stared in astonishment at the orange-haired boy in the picture. In this human, Yhwach actually saw the power of Quincy, Shinigami, and Hollow, and it was innate!

Unbelievable...

"His name is Kurosaki Ichigo. He is the child of Shiba Isshin, the former captain of the 10th Division, and a Quincy. Because his mother, the pure-blooded Quincy Kurosaki Masaki, was attacked by a Hollow and was invaded by Hollow power due to some accident, all of these powers are innate, making him a very special existence."

"An accident?" Yhwach's brow furrowed. This kind of coincidence didn't seem like an accident at all.

"It must have been an accident. Those Hollows were Aizen Sōseki's doing, and his target was Shiba Isshin, who was the captain of the 10th Division at the time. Kurosaki Masaki just happened to get caught up in it; she wasn't anything special."

"Is that so?" Yhwach still had some doubts, but he trusted Haschward's abilities. "I understand. Don't interfere in his affairs. I will handle it myself."

Hasward looked up at Yoha in surprise, then realized what was happening and immediately lowered his head in fear.

Yhwach glanced at Haschward, but didn't care about such a trivial matter. He continued to think and refine his attack plan. In the current state of the Seireitei, rushing in would only result in a crushing defeat.

……

Time flies, and six years have passed in the blink of an eye. Six years is a long time for ordinary people, enough for a child to mature, but for Death, six years is just a small part of a life spanning hundreds of years.

While the Seireitei was still preparing for war, the Unseen Empire in the shadows had already launched its operation without a sound...

Moreover, let alone the Wandenreich, the Seireitei side didn't even notice that something was wrong with Ichiro's side. Logically speaking, Kenpachi was causing trouble to attract attention, Ichiro was infiltrating Hueco Mundo to provide intelligence, Soi Fon and Gin were carrying out assassinations, and the Seireitei side would occasionally pretend to be Ichiro and show up.

In this situation, without any apparent casualties at Hueco Mundo, it's impossible for the enemy to deploy any defenses, or at least not very strict ones, especially since The World occasionally disguises itself as Ichiro and wanders around Seireitei, always during working hours.

Because Ichiro has done this often before, you have no way of knowing if it's really him. In this situation, even if you take precautions against him, it won't be too thorough.

Furthermore, with Ichiro still lurking in Las Noches providing intelligence, normally, even if he were to kill the last Vasto Lorde, it would be the same as killing the first one. There's no way around it; the ones he killed before were all revived by the Time Freeze Potion. Aizen only knows that someone is lurking in the shadows, but he doesn't know what their purpose is. How can he possibly defend against them?

But ironically, this phenomenon, which should have been incredibly abnormal, was just a fairly normal occurrence in the outdated concept of time in the Seireitei. Not to mention the Captain-Commander and the others far away in the Seireitei, even Soi Fon and Gin didn't realize it, since they were killing Vasto Lorde, not a chicken.

Ichiro capitalized on this psychology, thus successfully dragging the time out until now.

In the midst of an unprecedented upheaval that is about to befall the Seireitei, Tenshin Ichiro is neither on the Seireitei's side, nor on Aizen's side, and certainly not on Yhwach's side.

He's a madman!

A madman who ended the old era and ushered in a new one!

Of course, he considered himself merely a researcher, and all of this was for the sake of an experiment...

However, Ichiro didn't know at the time that his decision would lead to immense regret in the future...

......

Modern world, Karakura Town, Kurosaki Hospital.

"Whoosh~"

Back home, Ichigo Kurosaki stared blankly at the girl in black who had climbed in through the window. He subconsciously checked the time. Is this how cosplay is done these days? It's late at night, and she's even climbing through a window into someone else's house?

"Hello! Who are you looking for? If you need to see a doctor, please come back tomorrow. If it's an emergency, please use the main entrance!"

However, the girl ignored Ichigo's words, walked past him, and looked around the room while pondering something.

Ichigo's eyebrows twitched. Damn it, he'd never seen such an arrogant thief in his entire life!

"Hey!"

Ichigo turned around angrily, grabbed the girl's sleeve, and shouted, "Were you even listening to me?!"

"You can see me?" The girl turned around and looked at Ichigo in shock, her gaze moving back and forth between Ichigo's hands and his face.

"Huh? Are you out of your mind? You idiot."

The girl narrowed her eyes slightly, her pupils suddenly dilating. Was this guy's spiritual pressure really that of a human?

"I'm not called 'Hey,' nor 'Ha,' my name is Rukia, I don't have a surname. Can you really see me?"

"..." Ichigo looked at Rukia with an expression of utter disbelief, paused for a moment, and then said, "What do you think?"

"...I thought it shouldn't be possible, but it is, so I admit it. It was my mistake to barge in. I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to see me." Rukia bowed deeply to express her apology, then flicked her sleeves, preparing to continue her actions.

She came to the mortal world with a mission.

Ichigo's lips twitched. "You're apologizing for the wrong thing, aren't you? What do you mean you didn't expect me to see you? Were you trying to hide? You just swaggered right in front of me, do you think I'm blind?"

Furthermore, shouldn't you be the one in the wrong for trespassing?

The angrier he got, the more Ichigo reached out, ready to grab her again!

I'm talking to you!

"Binding Spell Number Nine: Strike!"

However, although Ichigo's hidden spiritual pressure was already very strong at this time, he was still an ordinary person. How could he possibly withstand the Kido?

This was Rukia's idea. Originally, one binding spell would have been enough, but considering the terrifying spiritual pressure within Ichigo's body, she ultimately chose the more conservative No. 9 binding spell, which was slightly better than Ichiro's. If it were Ichiro, he would have decisively chosen the advanced binding spell!

Of course, the main reason she didn't choose that one is because Rukia can't chant at high speed, and the highest level of binding spells she can release in an instant is currently only number nine.

Although she is skilled in Kido, she does not follow the fast-paced, bombardment route like Ichiro. Without high-speed incantations, she cannot follow that route. Therefore, at present, her decision-making and ability are both excellent.

pity.......

She encountered Ichigo...

Faced with the suddenly flying crimson light rope, Ichigo was surprised for a moment, but he had already made his move and had no time to think. So, to Rukia's shocked gaze, Ichigo crushed the light rope and pressed it onto Rukia's shoulder!

"Who...who are you? What was that just now? Was it a magic trick?"

“…I should be the one saying that…” Rukia looked at Ichigo, muttering in shock.

Even if a human has a strong spiritual pressure, if it is not developed to a certain extent, he is just an ordinary person. Perhaps in a critical moment, he can break free of the restraints by brute force, but he would never be able to crush the demon path under such circumstances!

These are two different concepts!

"What do you mean, 'you said what I said'? Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"Sigh~" Rukia sighed deeply and said, "I am a Shinigami, not a human. Our duty is to eliminate a kind of creature called Hollows. They live by devouring humans. At the same time, we are also responsible for guiding the dead to the Soul Society, which is what you call becoming a Buddha."

"??? Are you guys really this into cosplay these days?"

“Cosplay…” Rukia looked at Ichigo speechlessly. This guy not only has strong spiritual pressure, but also a strong heart. Did he not feel anything at all when he was bound by the Binding Spell?

"Canopy!"

Thinking this, Rukia flipped her right hand, and a crimson fireball instantly appeared above her palm. "Now, do you believe me? In your words, it's supernatural power."

"Goo~"

Feeling the heat emanating from the fireball above Rukia's palm, Ichigo involuntarily swallowed. This...it really felt real...

Does the Grim Reaper really exist?

Ichigo's mind was in a state of confusion. Although he knew that he was somewhat abnormal, not only could he see spirits, communicate with spirits, and even touch spirits, but he also mastered some special techniques for unleashing power. However, it was still too stimulating for him to suddenly accept the Hollows of the Shinigami.

After a moment's thought, Ichigo looked at Rukia with a puzzled expression and said, "So, you Shinigami protect us humans?"

"In terms of the result, that's true, but in terms of the original intention, that's not the case. The specifics are very complicated, but that's the situation. My purpose in coming to the human world is to kill a Hollow. That's the mission I received."