The Alchemist in Bleach

The other person who was surprised, or rather, the knife...

That is, Yachiru. She stared blankly at the world, then suddenly laughed, leaned on Kenpachi, took out another piece of konpeito, and whispered in Kenpachi's ear, "The candy that Little Sugar gave you is delicious."

Kenpachi glanced at Yachiru with surprise, nodded, and said nothing. He had heard these words several times already.

However, Ichikaku, standing to the side, exclaimed in surprise, "Then Ichiro, the Third Seat, can easily achieve Bankai?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Kenpachi looked at the corner in confusion. "What does this have to do with Bankai?"

“Captain, no… Oh~” Ikkaku was curious, but suddenly remembered that the captain didn’t even know Shikai. He nodded as if he suddenly understood, and then said, “Shikai requires hearing the voice of the Zanpakuto and being told its name by it, which is Shikai language. Bankai is the power obtained after materializing the Zanpakuto’s true form and making it fully acknowledge it. Therefore, if Ichiro’s Zanpakuto is in this form, it is theoretically the easiest to obtain Bankai, since it is easy to communicate with it and the spiritual pressure is enough.”

Now Kenpachi understood. Simply put, she was someone he could communicate with, and also a soft-hearted, naive woman who was easy to fool!

Captain Unohana looked at Kenpachi with a suspicious gaze; her intuition told her that Kenpachi probably didn't understand...

However, Captain Unohana didn't dwell on the topic with him. Instead, she said directly, "Ichiro has indeed mastered Bankai, but you don't need to pay attention to him. His Bankai is still not combat-type, and he's not your type of opponent."

"That's not necessarily true." As he spoke, Kenpachi revealed a cruel smile, seemingly eager to fight Ichiro!

"Snapped!"

Seeing that expression on his face, Yachiru's little hand on his shoulder slapped him hard!

"Don't fight with Little Sugar! It's too dangerous!"

"Tch~" Kenpachi curled his lip and did not respond, but he gave up the idea of ​​fighting Ichiro. This was the first time Yachiru had stopped him from fighting. At present, there are four most important people in his life: Yachiru, fighting, brothers, and Captain Unohana whom he admires.

"Alright, everyone stop for a moment. Let's check the intelligence first. This time, our opponent is not to be underestimated." Seeing that they had quieted down a bit, Captain Unohana immediately changed the subject, while signaling to the world next to her to recreate the scene in the Void Beast's memory.

However, while the topic could be diverted, their thoughts remained the same. The fact that the Third Seat of the Fourth Division had mastered Bankai was firmly etched in their minds. This was the Fourth Division, which specialized in healing... Were they really that full of hidden talents?

Regardless of everyone's own thoughts, Shijie waved her hand, and the scene in the Void Beast's memory instantly transformed into a screen of light, appearing before everyone's eyes.

The scene showed an endless array of lower-level Hollows, hundreds of tall, black-robed Gillian, dozens of Adjuchas whose size was between Gillian and lower-level Hollows, and the smallest Hollow in size and most humanoid in appearance—Vastow!

Four different levels of Void beings gathered together, making strategic preparations. In front of them was a map formed by light and shadow, and the place circled in red was where they were currently gathered!

"Gulp~" Even though it was just a picture, Gosuke still subconsciously swallowed. He had the privilege of seeing Vasto Lorde twice, and that kind of power... he would never forget it in his life!

He once believed that this existence was simply invincible!

It wasn't until Kenpachi Kuruyashiki killed a Vasto Lorde head-on that some of his ideas changed. He realized that Vasto Lordes could be defeated and even killed!

This admiration reached its peak after witnessing Kenpachi Kuruyashiki defeat Vasto Lorde and Adjuchas with just his Shikai!

This is why he so despises Kenpachi Azajo, and even Ichiro, who is merely Azajo's friend, is implicated.

Therefore, even though it was just a picture and had no real power, his body still trembled slightly. Past memories resurfaced, and only then did he realize that his thoughts had never changed. He was still afraid of Vasto Lorde... It was just that Kenpachi Kuruyashiki's past strength had given him a lot of confidence.

But this time, without Kenpachi Kuruyashiki, does he still have the courage to fight?

However, no one present noticed his situation, because they were too preoccupied to pay attention to anything else at that moment...

Looking at the countless voids scattered across the light screen, their thoughts were no longer about how strong Vastod was, but rather whether their small, insignificant numbers were enough to fight him...

And even if we can fight, there's another problem: what about the balance of spiritual particles?

If it were in another world, it would be fine. The Zanpakuto's Soul Burial would randomly send them to the Soul Society at different points in time, so the current overall spiritual balance would not be greatly affected. Only a portion of them would flow into the Soul Society.

However, if the Hollow is killed in Soul Society, the nature of the killing is different. The Soul Burial effect of the Zanpakuto will be reduced to the minimum, and it will only have the function of purification. That is, the soul will be left in Soul Society. Only a few people who committed heinous crimes in their previous lives will be forcibly dragged to Hell.

Therefore, this battle must not be fought!

At the very least, we can't fight in Soul Society!

This was Captain Unohana's first reaction when she saw so many illusory figures in the light screen. When the world contacted her before, it wasn't as intuitive as it was when they just talked!

Captain Unohana immediately turned to look at Sekai and asked, "Ichiro is in the 12th Division, right?"

"Yes."

“Tell him about the situation here, and let them come and see for themselves. This is no small matter.”

"understand!"

Immediately, Sekai closed his eyes and began to contact Ichiro through the special bond between his Zanpakuto and the Shinigami. Meanwhile, the captain beside him was not idle either, activating Tenten Kūra to contact the Captain-Commander, who was far away in the First Division barracks.

"Lie? Is something the matter?"

"..." Captain Unohana explained the situation in detail, and after listening, the Captain-Commander's expression became serious.

"I understand what you mean, I'll be careful from now on~"

The two then ended their communication. What should they be aware of?

Of course, you should be wary of people who are secretly plotting something!

According to the information provided by Ichiro, even in the worst-case scenario, it would take Hueco Mundo at least three years to assemble such a large army to launch a counterattack against Soul Society.

In other words, unless someone is secretly causing trouble, it is impossible for Hueco Mundo to gather such a large army so quickly with its loose organization!

However, this is also a good thing for the captain and his team. The other party has gone to such great lengths, so they must have something to ask for!

And once they take action, they will inevitably leave traces. In other words, this is the best opportunity for them to find or catch the rats!

The premise is that we can get through this ordeal...

Meanwhile, the members of the Twelfth Division, who were immersed in the thrill of analyzing the Hueco Mundo fragments, suddenly received a message from the world, and their brows furrowed.

"What's wrong? Did you find anything?" Urahara asked curiously, noticing the change in Ichiro's expression. Hikifune, who was standing next to him, also turned his gaze over.

"Nothing has been discovered, but there's been a problem at the front lines... A large number of Hollows have gathered together, preparing to invade Soul Society!"

"Now?" Urahara and Hikifune's expressions instantly turned serious.

There are already many Hollows appearing in Rukongai, and to emphasize "a large number" on top of that... well, that's a lot.

Urahara immediately activated the seal that contained the Hueco Mundo fragment, sealing it away, and said, "Time is of the essence, let's set off now!"

"I'll send some people to provide support; you guys go first."

Ichiro and Urahara nodded. Whether it was participating in the battle or collecting data, the members of the Twelfth Division were necessary.

Immediately, the three of them quickly left the house and went about their own business. In an instant, the entire Twelfth Division was in motion, and a moment later, the commotion spread to the entire Thirteenth Division!

No one dares to underestimate matters concerning the life and death of Soul Society!

Of course, this is only one reason. Another reason is that if they don't make such a big show of it, how can the rats in the dark feel safe to act?

As Hikifune left the 12th Division to head to the front lines, the house sealing the fragments of Hueco Mundo was once again greeted by a slender man with two Zanpakuto hanging at his waist, who calmly walked in.

Gazing at the Hueco Mundo fragments floating silently in the container, a look of amazement flashed in his eyes. He subconsciously brushed a stray hair from his forehead and murmured softly, "Truly beautiful things, Kisuke Urahara... With such outstanding talent, why would you submit to something like that? You all truly disappoint me."

I strolled over to the container, looking at the fragments inside and the outer seal.

Despite his disdain for Urahara Kazuo's choice, he had to admit that the two men were indeed very talented.

“Using Hueco Mundo fragments as bait, that’s quite a bold move…” He hesitated. The seal wasn’t very strong and it wouldn’t be difficult to break, but it was very clever. No matter how skillful his method was, it would inevitably trigger the alarm and record his appearance completely, and even his spiritual pressure might be recorded.

However......

Who would only have one card up their sleeve?

After hesitating for a moment, he abandoned the idea of ​​taking the entire Hueco Mundo fragment. Instead, he broke the seal, cut off a portion of the Hueco Mundo fragment, put it back in place, symbolically restored the seal, and then turned and left.

He didn't have the ability or the guts to cut a piece off Hueco Mundo, but cutting a small piece from a fragment was something he could manage. With this matter settled, he needed to see how those two madmen planned to handle this crisis...

Since they've prepared bait for him, then surely the current situation, this "mere" imbalance of spiritual particles, must have been within their calculations, right?

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Chapter 158 Confrontation with Aizen!

On the other side, Urahara Kazuichiro, who was about to reach his destination, suddenly stopped because the seal left in the Twelfth Division had been triggered!

However, the two only exchanged a glance, paused for a moment, and then continued on their way. The information from the seal had already reached them, and it didn't matter when they looked at it. The most important thing right now was the matter at hand.

The two quickly rushed towards the inverted mountain crystal in mid-air. A moment later, they were surprised to find that Yoruichi had arrived with the Second Division Captain, Shihouin Seigan. The two exchanged a glance and quickly walked over.

"team leader."

"They're here. Take a look. This is the intelligence the world has gathered." Captain Unohana nodded, pointed to the light screen, and said to the two of them.

Urahara took a few steps forward, stood in front of the light screen, and stared intently at it, while Ichiro walked to the world's side and asked, "Where are the Void Beasts?"

The world shook its head, handed him a crystal, and said, "It's dead. It was a second-generation Void Beast."

Ichiro nodded, took the crystal, and began to close his eyes to examine the information left inside using his unique technology. Ichiro was not surprised by the death of the Hollow Beast. As completely artificial beasts, the lifespan of Hollow Beasts is very short. This is why Ichiro felt at ease releasing Hollow Beasts on a large scale in Hueco Mundo. They die quickly, trading their lifespan for combat power, and at most, they will lose their ability to reproduce after five generations. There is no need to worry about them adding new combat power to Hueco Mundo.

Ichiro only glanced at the information about the Void in the crystal, and after confirming that it was roughly the same as what the world had said, he began to look for deeper information through the special connection between the Void Beasts.

For example, why do Hollow Beasts appear in Soul Society?

Although the Hollow Beast's name contains the character "Hollow," it's only because of its resemblance in appearance; it's just a name given by Ichiro. It's not actually a Hollow, and therefore doesn't have the ability to open the Black Hole. So, here's the question...

How did the Hollow Beasts, which cannot open the Black Cavity, come to Soul Society?

Furthermore, how did a beast of such power manage to bypass Vastod's perception and obtain information?

Combining these two points, and considering the anticipated intruders from the Twelfth Division, it's not hard to see that a certain bespectacled, hair-glued individual discovered the Hollows' ability to access memories. He then had his subordinates eliminate the Hollows while deliberately leaving a few to "just happen" witness this scene. He then "accidentally" sent Adjuchas to hunt them down, and then, unintentionally, chased them all the way to Soul Society...

Ichiro didn't want to delve into the tricks behind this series of "coincidences." Anyway, there were only a few possible outcomes. He would never underestimate Aizen just because he knew the plot. Aizen was a ruthless person who could endure for hundreds of years. It could be said that Aizen at his peak in the original work was not far from being comparable to the Captain-Commander.

How long did the captain train, and how long did he train?

Moreover, in the case of Ales, Ichiro and his group's actions clearly indicated that they had discovered someone behind them. Combined with Ichiro's past actions, it's not surprising that they deduced these things. Therefore, what Ichiro was more curious about was how the Void Beast with its double resistance stacks was so quickly eliminated. Furthermore, since the other party used this method to transmit information, they must have some other ideas.

After some investigation, he discovered something astonishing...

A Hollow, dressed in white robes and with a Zanpakuto hanging at his waist, was lazily walking slowly across the land. Wherever he passed, all Hollow beasts died and were devoured by him!

Like an eraser, it slowly wiped away the illusory beasts from the earth...

Koyatai Stark, the future First Espada, nicknamed Wolf Uncle, is one of only two Arrancar who acted independently, and his strength is undoubtedly the strongest among the Espada! (I'll just take Zero's bluff as him; he's not the weakest, but he's definitely not the strongest.)

Even before he was a wielder, his immense power caused Hollows that approached him to constantly disintegrate and die. In other words, he was a powerful figure who could kill enemies in large numbers simply by relying on his spiritual pressure!

And it was all done passively!

Stark has now sided with Aizen, which Ichiro never expected. He thought that he would take Stark to be subdued later, and this directly ruined his talent interception plan.

I originally planned to do what Gin did and bring the Stark clan to Kamui's side first, but...

However, it's better to know than not to know, and through this information, Ichiro has also made some guesses about Stark.

Perhaps those Hollows didn't die because his spiritual pressure was too strong, or perhaps that was just one of the reasons. After all, it had been so long, Stark couldn't have been without thinking about reducing his spiritual pressure, since he was a Hollow who desperately craved friendship and hated loneliness.