You Have Fallen This Far

"..."

Hearing Kisuke Urahara's words, Aizen's expression did not change in the slightest.

It was as if he was entirely unfazed, making it seem like Urahara's words had little effect. But those who knew Aizen well understood—

He was angry.

"Impressive, Kisuke Urahara."

Though he felt some irritation, Aizen still maintained his composure.

After all, no amount of frustration could change the situation. If anything, it was his own mistake—

He had revealed too many weaknesses.

As Urahara had pointed out, for Aizen Sōsuke, it was still far too early to expose himself and his group.

There were still reasons to remain hidden within Soul Society.

Until the right moment arrived, maintaining a proper disguise was a necessary step.

But withdrawing now—

That was not Aizen Sōsuke's style.

"Though I do not wish to expose myself, conversely… you, who have already been condemned by Soul Society, have no right to say such things either."

That was a fact.

After all, the ruling from Central 46 was still in effect.

Considering that the incoming reinforcements were all "official" Shinigami, it would make sense for them to prioritize eliminating the Visored and Kisuke Urahara.

Aizen's words were not baseless.

Upon hearing them, several members of the Visored displayed subtle yet distinct reactions.

Clearly, Aizen had struck a nerve.

But with Kisuke Urahara present—his equal in intellect—there was no way he would let himself fall into a disadvantage.

"You're right. Our situation isn't great."

"But…" Urahara's expression sharpened. "Don't underestimate us, Aizen Sōsuke."

"In order to survive in the human world, in order to escape from you and Soul Society's pursuit, we have lived every day with the utmost caution."

If all they wanted was to run, they had countless escape routes prepared.

A rabbit has three burrows—such a phrase was perfectly fitting for them.

Though Urahara's tone was lighthearted, at the very end, he subtly shifted the mood.

And with a voice of utmost seriousness, he asked:

"So, shall we gamble?"

"Like flipping a coin, betting on heads or tails."

"Shall we see, when the reinforcements arrive, whether you will be exposed first—"

"Or if we will be apprehended first?"

Aizen fell into a momentary silence.

Meanwhile—

From a distance, Seiya had been observing the situation and let out a quiet sigh.

So, that's how it is.

If all of this was just a coincidence—if everything happening now was "as expected"…

Then, Spirit King—

Is this the result of your rewritten script?

Watching it unfold, Seiya couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

Due to replacing White Hollow, the Yaksha fragment serving as the invader was naturally strong.

Under Aizen's watchful eye, even if it wanted to hold back, it wouldn't be able to.

At the same time, with Ryūken Ishida involved… Masaki Kurosaki had still, just like in the original timeline, found the weakest point in the attack.

It had to be said—this woman, despite her appearance, had an incredibly aggressive and instinctual approach to battle.

Anyone who judged her by appearance alone would suffer dearly.

—If things had simply ended there, Seiya's plan, though encountering some hurdles, would have still gone perfectly.

'Compress your Reiryoku, lower your defenses. Get killed by Masaki Kurosaki, transferring all of your energy into her body…'

Plan complete.

But things hadn't gone as smoothly as expected.

Aizen's attention toward him wasn't just superficial.

If he had simply died over something so "trivial," that was something Aizen Sōsuke would never accept.

So he had stepped in.

That was the part that was giving Seiya a headache.

Because now that Aizen had personally intervened, Seiya could no longer see any possibility where the three of them—Masaki, Ryūken, and Isshin—could escape alive.

Their opponent was Aizen Sōsuke!

A man who, even without his Zanpakutō, could rival Yamamoto himself.

A man who could carve a path from the east gate of Seireitei to the west without hesitation.

He was about to kill them, but then—

Unexpectedly, Kisuke Urahara and the Visored arrived.

Unexpected, yet also within reason.

After all, these people had made the human world their base. If they hadn't noticed the commotion from Seiya's group, it would have been an insult to them.

Thinking back, in the original story, Urahara had also appeared at the end of this event, giving Isshin Shiba the chance to "start over."

This proved that Urahara had been monitoring the human world long before this.

'So this is what they mean by pulling one thread and unraveling the entire fabric…'

At this moment, Seiya felt a newfound understanding of the concept of "fate."

But now wasn't the time to dwell on such thoughts.

Instead, he focused on the current situation—

And one question surfaced in his mind.

—With things getting so complicated, how was he supposed to find an opportunity to infect Masaki Kurosaki with Hollow poison?

As he pondered, Aizen's voice reached Seiya's mind through their shared connection.

'Seiya.'

'Kaname.'

'That will be enough for today. I will stall them for a bit.'

'Use the opening to clean up the battlefield and take the injured fragment with us. We are retreating.'

Kisuke Urahara truly understood Aizen better than anyone.

He had keenly spotted the underlying reality hidden beneath Aizen's seemingly "invincible" presence—

And had perfectly exploited his weaknesses.

Beneath what appeared to be a reckless gamble, Urahara had precisely calculated that Aizen did not want, nor could afford, to expose himself at this stage.

Checkmate, Aizen.

Seiya sighed internally, but at the same time, his brows furrowed.

Running wasn't the problem. If they wanted to escape, no one here could stop them.

But the real issue was—what would happen to Ichigo Kurosaki?

Huh?

If he didn't ensure that Masaki and Isshin got together, Ichigo would literally cease to exist.

Would that mean Masaki would end up with Ryūken instead…? Would Ishida Uryū become the protagonist instead?

…Huh. That actually doesn't sound too bad?

While his thoughts drifted, Kaname Tōsen responded to Aizen.

"Aizen-sama, if we retreat now, won't they report our identities?"

Tōsen, by nature cautious, wasn't skilled at considering the complexities of social maneuvering. He was a man of action.

But Aizen simply answered calmly:

"We need not worry. While exposure is unacceptable for us, the same risk exists for them. Soul Society does not trust them either."

Since they were wanted criminals, even showing their faces could bring them death.

In a way, both sides were taking equal risks.

Tōsen couldn't grasp such intricate reasoning, but his trust in Aizen was absolute.

"Understood."

Seiya had wanted to argue—

But before he could—

A strange sensation washed over him, making his expression shift.

Something was rapidly approaching his Hollow fragment.

He could have reacted—but instead, Seiya chose to "look away."

In the next instant, Tōsen suddenly spun around in alarm.

"Ara~ Not bad, you noticed me. But too bad—compared to me, you're still too slow!"

A flickering figure struck Tōsen, sending him flying backward.

Though uninjured, he landed in a disheveled heap.

And standing above—

Wearing her usual revealing outfit, Shihōin Yoruichi grinned down at them.

"Your eyesight may be gone, but your other senses are sharp. It wasn't easy sneaking past you."

Then, she flashed a hand signal toward Urahara.

"Mission accomplished!"

…What mission?

Seiya looked over just in time to see Yoruichi hurling small spheres around his Hollow fragment.

They detonated into clouds of fine powder.

Not an attack.

Not an explosion—

A tranquilizer.

As exhaustion seeped into his shared consciousness with the fragment, Seiya immediately understood.

Shihōin Yoruichi had just stolen his Hollow.

Seiya instantly sensed it.

Yoruichi's attack wasn't meant to deal damage—it was meant to incapacitate.

The fine particles scattered from her thrown spheres spread like mist, dulling the fragment's senses.

Fatigue. A sense of drifting consciousness.

Some kind of sedative.

Before he could react, Yoruichi had already thrown her cloak over the Yaksha fragment's head and, with a swift motion, carried it away.

The Shihōin Clan's master of Shunpo lived up to her reputation.

In just a blink—

She was gone.

Even Seiya, who had a connection to the fragment, lost track of its presence for a moment.

That was how fast she was.

By the time he refocused, Yoruichi had already returned to Urahara's side.

"Good work, Yoruichi-san," Urahara said with a lighthearted tone.

Meanwhile—

Aizen's expression had darkened.

"Kisuke Urahara, you…"

"Truly fascinating, Aizen Sōsuke."

Taking a few steps back, Urahara now stood alongside Yoruichi.

However, he wasn't looking at Aizen.

Instead—

He turned his gaze toward the entity Yoruichi had just captured.

For a moment, his usual carefree demeanor faded.

His expression grew solemn.

With a quiet motion, he reached out his left hand.

Through the fabric of Yoruichi's cloak, he gently placed his palm over the creature's head.

"Souls, even when reshaped and disguised, retain a fundamental essence."

"That's why, the moment I saw it, I asked Yoruichi-san to capture it alive. Because this Hollow… is far too unnatural."

"From the moment I laid eyes on it, I felt something familiar."

"And now that I've confirmed it, I'm certain—"

A brief pause.

Urahara exhaled softly.

"I know this Hollow."

"Rather, I should say… I once knew the young man it used to be."

"It was… a Shinigami named Seiya Arima."

Silence.

The name sent ripples through the Visored group.

A promising talent from decades past.

Kind-hearted yet principled, a young man who had shown great potential.

The moment the name was spoken, even those with faint memories of Soul Society's past found themselves reacting.

"…No way?!"

"This guy… was that Seiya?!"

"Don't be ridiculous! Just look at him! That's not a Shinigami anymore!"

Hiyori's eyes widened, her disbelief turning to stammering. She stared at the restrained Hollow, struggling to reconcile what she was seeing.

But beside her—

Someone else stepped forward.

Hiyori instinctively reached out, trying to stop him.

"Oi! Hold on, you idiot, Shinji—!"

No response.

Hirako Shinji, former Captain of the Fifth Division and leader of the Visored, silently stepped closer.

His gaze, filled with both recognition and sorrow, fell upon the entity before him.

For a brief moment, he extended a hand.

His expression was unreadable—neither grief nor regret, but something more complex, something broken.

And yet—

At the last moment, Shinji did not touch the Hollow's forehead.

As if ashamed, his fingers trembled slightly before retreating.

Then—

He turned back.

And for the first time in years—

The man who always carried a teasing grin, who rarely let his true emotions surface—

Showed his anger.

An uncontrollable, raw rage.

His voice, filled with emotion, rang through the battlefield.

"You always said he was your most promising successor."

"You claimed he was someone you could trust, someone who could walk the same path as you—"

"And this is what you did to him?!"

"You turned him into this… thing?!"

"Aizen, you've truly fallen this far?!"

Kisuke Urahara rarely let his emotions show.

But at this moment—

Even he could not suppress the sadness in his expression.

"…I'm sorry, Seiya."

"This was my mistake, too."

If only—

If only he had thought things through that day.

If he had taken Seiya with him when he left Seireitei—

Then maybe…

Just maybe…

This fate could have been avoided.

But at this point—

There were no words that could undo what had already happened.

Aizen did not offer a rebuttal.

Even if he had wanted to, anything he said now would be meaningless.

And more importantly—

He simply did not care.

As the accusations poured in, Aizen remained composed.

Then, with an air of absolute indifference—

He raised his chin ever so slightly.

And with a voice devoid of all emotion—

He responded.

"So what?"

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Powerstones?

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