Urahara Kisuke wasn't going to just stand there and watch Aizen obtain the complete Hōgyoku, then turn around and wreak havoc on Soul Society.
In the original story, Urahara did exactly that. Now that he had even more resources, Higashino Shuuichi had every reason to believe Urahara would do it again—
Even if he'd become very different from the man he once was in many ways.
And that was exactly what happened.
When Higashino Shuuichi received Urahara Kisuke's message, he wasn't surprised in the slightest.
Even after seeing that Urahara planned to deploy several Reigai (spirit duplicates) into Soul Society in one go—each carrying the strength and souls of first-generation captains—
Higashino Shuuichi only wore an expression that said, As expected.
Maybe Urahara also wanted to see what the complete Hōgyoku would really do.
And with Saitō Furōfushi's appearance, the situation on Sōkyoku Hill had become… delicate.
The first-generation captains were clearly one faction.
Aizen Sōsuke and Ichimaru Gin were their own independent faction.
The Gotei 13 were another faction.
And Higashino Shuuichi, left over and awkward, became a fourth faction all by himself.
Because at this moment, Kurosaki Masaki was probably still fighting that Ayasegawa Yumichika.
In terms of raw strength, Kurosaki Masaki was likely a little stronger.
But as a shinigami, Ayasegawa Yumichika had one obvious advantage: he'd lived longer, and his combat experience was far deeper.
On top of that, Ayasegawa Yumichika was especially skilled with Kidō (Demon Arts).
All of that made him a serious headache for Kurosaki Masaki.
And with Nemu still being kept by Higashino Shuuichi inside the already quite safe Dangai—keeping the unlucky Yushima Ōko company—
Higashino Shuuichi really was, in fact, a lone wolf.
Still, that didn't matter much anymore.
Because Aizen—having just forced three consecutive evolutions—looked calm on the surface, but in reality his body was already nearing its load limit.
If it were only the shinigami of Soul Society, Aizen still had absolute confidence he could win.
But if you added that pack of lunatics called the first-generation captains…
"Hey. Yamamoto—have you gotten so weak you can't even beat one of your own captains anymore?
That really doesn't sound like you."
Saitō Furōfushi slung her Zanpakutō over her shoulder and sneered at Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni.
She had been summoned by Urahara to "save the situation."
But as one of the first-generation captains who had once been on fairly good terms with Yamamoto, she was genuinely dissatisfied with what she was seeing from him now.
"You are already dead," Yamamoto said coldly, gaze sharp as a blade. "You should not be meddling in Soul Society's affairs again. Whatever happens here has nothing to do with you."
Compared to the tolerant attitude he'd shown earlier toward "Kabuno Takuya"—that Quincy shell Higashino Shuuichi wore—
Yamamoto had no patience at all for Saitō Furōfushi and the other first-generation captains, who were still actively inflicting casualties and pressure on Soul Society.
To Yamamoto, the situation had simply changed from "I fight Aizen" to "I fight Aizen and these first-generation captains at the same time."
Good.
More pressure.
But nothing to fear.
Yamamoto had already prepared himself to fully release his Zanpakutō inside Soul Society.
Unfortunately for him, Saitō Furōfushi hadn't come here to fight Yamamoto.
She hated his attitude, sure—but considering that they had agreed with Urahara's painted vision of the future and therefore hit Soul Society's shinigami hard…
Fine.
She'd let Yamamoto off this once.
Otherwise, with Saitō Furōfushi's personality, there was no way she wouldn't charge in and fight Yamamoto for three hundred rounds.
"You stiff old corpse—your rotten personality really hasn't changed at all!
But we didn't come to fight you this time. That shinigami called Aizen Sōsuke—if you can't deal with him, then leave it to us!"
Saitō Furōfushi pointed straight at Aizen.
For a moment, Kyōraku Shunsui and the others all furrowed their brows. They couldn't tell what Saitō Furōfushi was really after.
Helping the shinigami deal with Aizen—this huge problem?
That had to be the funniest joke they'd heard in years.
What made it even harder to process was that Saitō Furōfushi seemed completely serious.
And she didn't even bother getting consent from the Gotei 13. She simply informed them, and then the first-generation captains launched their attacks on Aizen one after another.
Unfortunately, because of the earlier evolution, the Hōgyoku had forcibly granted Aizen a passive trait that blocked soundwaves.
He hadn't lost his hearing—but he could now only hear sounds within the range of that passive effect.
Everything outside that range was a blind zone to him.
So Aizen never heard the conversation between Yamamoto and Saitō Furōfushi.
All he could see was the first-generation captains, led by Saitō Furōfushi, swarming him.
"So then, Aizen—what choice will you make now?
And what choice will the Hōgyoku inside you make?"
Higashino Shuuichi lifted his gaze. The spectacle in the sky above was exactly what he wanted.
If ordinary shinigami threatened Aizen in "proper" ways, the Hōgyoku would steer Aizen along the correct evolutionary path on the shinigami side.
But what if it wasn't "proper"?
What if it was a group with shinigami souls, shinigami power—yet no shinigami bodies at all… only Reigai (spirit duplicates)?
Especially when those souls carried the brand of Hell deep inside them.
"It'll probably evolve toward resisting Hell's power… or toward countering Reigai," Higashino Shuuichi thought.
He remembered the original story—when Ichimaru Gin used his long-hidden ultimate move, that cell-melting deadly poison ash, on Aizen.
The evolution Aizen underwent under the Hōgyoku's influence afterward—
That was a textbook case of a wrong evolution.
It proved that the Hōgyoku's evolution was highly targeted.
And Higashino Shuuichi's current goal was to shape Aizen into a perfect partner for opposing Hell, Quincies, and other such forces—
Not into someone who could threaten Higashino Shuuichi himself.
It was an extremely complex and difficult process.
One mistake, and everything collapsed.
But Higashino Shuuichi had no other choice.
For him, the Hōgyoku was not medicine.
It was poison.
Only Aizen—someone who understood the Hōgyoku intimately—could truly develop and guide its power to perfection.
And yet, the follow-up scene Higashino Shuuichi had imagined… never appeared.
Because Aizen chickened out.
Just as Higashino Shuuichi had never completely let down his guard against Aizen—
Aizen had never completely let down his guard against Higashino Shuuichi.
Aizen always believed Higashino Shuuichi was a man whose ambition rivaled his own.
Higashino Shuuichi only chose cooperation because he wasn't confident he could finish Aizen.
But the moment Higashino Shuuichi found an opening, Aizen believed he would strike without hesitation to end him.
And for Aizen, that wasn't a bad thing.
It was a good thing.
Having someone dangerous at his side—someone constantly watching him like a predator—kept Aizen's fighting spirit permanently high.
That was why Aizen could tolerate anything Higashino Shuuichi did that looked like betrayal.
Because Aizen knew Higashino Shuuichi would likewise tolerate the things Aizen did that also looked like betrayal.
Like what Aizen had done earlier in the Dangai to one of Higashino Shuuichi's disciples, Yushima Ōko.
Their relationship was contradictory and complicated like that.
And right now, for Aizen, the greatest threat came from Higashino Shuuichi.
Maybe in all of Sōkyoku Hill, almost no one knew the true identity of that Quincy called Kabuno Takuya.
Even those who did know probably wouldn't believe Higashino Shuuichi would really go for the kill.
But Aizen stayed vigilant anyway.
For Aizen, dealing with the Gotei 13 alone—even now—was difficult, but not by much, given he possessed the complete Hōgyoku.
Higashino Shuuichi would, at most, make a token effort from the outside and annoy him a little.
But if you added a group of first-generation captains…
Then Higashino Shuuichi might see hope of actually killing Aizen.
And at that point, Aizen might truly be in danger.
Aizen himself might not have noticed—
But this kind of thinking would have been nearly impossible for the old him.
Only after personally witnessing Higashino Shuuichi's growth and metamorphosis—
After seeing countless "miracles" happen around Higashino Shuuichi that no one would believe if you told them—
Even Aizen had been left with a deep impression:
This man can create miracles.
Even if Aizen still held unrivaled confidence in the complete Hōgyoku;
Even if Aizen still didn't take these first-generation captains seriously—
As long as Higashino Shuuichi was nearby, Aizen felt he could not gamble everything here.
So just as everyone waited for Aizen to resist stubbornly, waited for him to reveal some new trick—
Aizen simply released a surge of reiatsu (spiritual pressure) so vast it made people unable to keep their eyes open, cleansing an entire swath of the area.
Then, taking Ichimaru Gin with him, he escaped through a Garganta (Black Cavity) he forcibly tore open in the sky.
"This is only the beginning~
The future is still very long~"
Even as he left, Aizen couldn't resist posturing, tossing out a threatening line in front of everyone.
Stunned silence.
And a lot of being caught completely off guard.
It wasn't just the Gotei 13 who froze—Higashino Shuuichi froze too.
Huh?
What?
Aizen, at a moment like this… you just suddenly stop caring about your pride?
"Captain Aizen… ran away?"
"Shh! Why are you still calling him Captain Aizen?
It's obvious he doesn't deserve to be our captain anymore!"
Sōkyoku Hill instantly filled with voices.
Aizen's earlier near-invincible performance had crushed the shinigami so hard they could barely breathe.
These younger shinigami had never seen someone like Aizen—someone who took down captains like they were nothing.
And even among the older generation—those who had lived through Higashino Shuuichi's era—it wasn't like they were much better off.
Because even Higashino Shuuichi—aside from that one time he used Kurohitsugi (Black Coffin) to instantly kill Seventh Division Captain Komamura Sajin—had never shown off like Aizen did today.
In front of most shinigami, Higashino Shuuichi always held something back when he fought.
For ordinary shinigami, Aizen leaving meant they could finally breathe again.
But for Higashino Shuuichi…
This was a bit of a problem.
Because once Aizen was gone—aside from the newly arrived first-generation captains—
Wouldn't the Quincy wearing Kabuno Takuya's face become the obvious target?
And there was no way Higashino Shuuichi could go to Saitō Furōfushi's side.
Just because Urahara Kisuke had a decent relationship with him didn't mean Saitō Furōfushi and the others did.
Especially Saitō Furōfushi.
Higashino Shuuichi could clearly feel that flicker of delight when she realized he was here too.
That woman obviously wanted to "rekindle old times," to continue the battle they hadn't finished back in the World of the Living.
"Heh… hehehe. Uh, listen—I just remembered my little Quincy girl is still fighting inside your Soul Society!
Now that that guy ran away, there's no point in me staying here, so I'm gonna withdraw too!"
Of the thirty-six stratagems, retreat is best.
For Higashino Shuuichi, that was two words:
Get out.
He immediately used Kage Ryōiki Tenkai (Shadow Domain Expansion) and slipped into the shadow domain, becoming a full-on turtle in its shell.
Good thing he ran fast.
Otherwise, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni truly had been considering keeping him here.
Because from Yamamoto's perspective, the abilities this "Quincy" displayed were simply too absurd.
They were almost all powers Yamamoto had never seen before.
It was obvious Higashino Shuuichi was hiding secrets.
Kyōraku Shunsui had the same thought—he was just far more subtle than Yamamoto about it.
He planned to quietly send people to the World of the Living afterward to investigate.
As for now, Kyōraku, Ukitake Jūshirō, and the other surviving captains of Soul Society who still had fighting strength all turned their attention—without even needing to speak—
Toward those first-generation captains.
"Since you're already here… don't just leave whenever you feel like it.
I promise what happened last time won't happen again~"
Kyōraku smiled.
But in his hand, his Zanpakutō had already bared its fangs at a nearby first-generation captain.
A brand-new melee—new captains versus old captains—
Began right then and there.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.