"And one of the final research results," Aizen spread his palm. Above it, an irregular crystal emitting a soft blue light slowly emerged.
"Is this, the miracle stone capable of reading the inner wishes of surrounding living beings and granting them the power to fulfill those wishes… the Hogyoku."
"With its power, I successfully broke the boundary between Shinigami and Hollow, achieved Hollowfication, and based on that, created the Arrancar."
Setsuna reached out, and the Hogyoku floated lightly into his palm.
Lights flickered in his eyes, as if he was analyzing this Hogyoku.
After a moment, Setsuna gently shook his head.
"Not enough." Setsuna sighed. "The power level of this Hogyoku can indeed help ordinary Shinigami or Hollows break boundaries and achieve a certain degree of evolution."
"But for me, who has already surpassed my limits, it is of little significance."
Aizen's face showed no disappointment. Instead, his smile deepened even further:
"As expected. In fact, after creating the Hogyoku and experiencing its power firsthand, I vaguely suspected this."
"So, after completing the Hogyoku, I initiated another more 'natural' long-term experiment."
His gaze slowly turned to Ichigo, and under Ichigo's confused gaze, he continued:
"I theorized that if forcibly breaking boundaries with external objects has an upper limit, then perhaps by guiding life itself to evolve on its own, we might eventually give birth to a 'new species' that naturally breaks boundaries and even contains more incredible potential."
"To that end, I chose a suitable 'starting point'… Shiba Isshin, later known as Kurosaki Isshin. He comes from the Shiba Clan, one of the Five Great Noble Families. His bloodline is pure, his talent outstanding, his soul resilient. He was an ideal experimental subject."
Ichigo's heart suddenly tightened, but he still held back, wanting to let Aizen finish.
Aizen pushed up his glasses. "My original plan was to create an accident where he would be severely injured by a specially modulated Hollow, allowing the Hollow's power to invade his soul, conflicting and merging with his Shinigami essence."
"Then, I would induce him to mate with a human, producing offspring, passing on this seed, which mixes the powers of Shinigami and Hollow, to the next generation. Within the inclusiveness of the human body and soul, perhaps an incredible existence could be nurtured."
"However, a small accident occurred in this process. Shiba Isshin, as expected, stepped into my plan and was severely injured by a Gillian."
"But at his most critical moment, instead of being eroded by the Hollow's power according to my script, he was 'rescued' by a passing Quincy woman, Kurosaki Masaki."
"Miss Masaki's involvement disrupted my initial arrangement. But interestingly, it instead gave rise to an even more perfect accident."
"Shiba Isshin and Kurosaki Masaki met, fell in love, and combined. Thus, the experimental material changed from the preset [Shinigami + Hollow] to [Shinigami + Quincy + Hollow]."
"And the essence of Quincy power is completely different from that of Shinigami and Hollows. This instead introduced possibilities I had not anticipated."
His gaze once again fell on Ichigo, with an air of appreciating an experimental result:
"And you, Kurosaki Ichigo, are the most perfect experimental product of this accident."
"Your body naturally flows with the powers of Shinigami, Quincy, and Hollow. Moreover, you even inherited fragments of the Soul King, allowing you to master Fullbring."
"So, Kurosaki Ichigo, you should thank me. If it weren't for my design and guidance back then, perhaps you would not have been born."
Boom!
Ichigo felt his mind go completely blank, then instantly overwhelmed by towering rage and an indescribable sense of absurdity.
His birth, his life, his everything… was all of this the product of this madman's design and arrangement, starting hundreds of years ago for a so-called experiment?
"You bastard!" Ichigo bit his gums until they bled, glaring at Aizen. "The Hollow that killed my mother back then… did you lure it there? Right?"
Aizen smiled slightly. "Don't misunderstand. I don't have the habit of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. That Hollow was attracted by your Reiryoku."
"Of course, if you insist, your mother's death does have some connection to me."
"Many years ago, to restore his power, Yhwach launched the first [Auswählen], forcibly reclaiming the power of all mixed-blood Quincies scattered outside."
"Your mother, because she was contaminated with the nature of a Hollow, was judged to be a mixed-blood Quincy. Ultimately, her soul and life force were forcibly extracted by Yhwach."
"So, Yhwach is the main culprit who killed your mother, that Hollow is an accomplice, and I can only be considered an accomplice's accomplice."
Ichigo felt his hands and feet turn cold, 'So this is the truth of that day?'
The next moment, a surge of anger rushed to his heart, completely incinerating his reason: "You bastards, is manipulating other people's lives fun for you? I'll kill you!"
Ichigo roared, immediately drawing his newly forged Zanpakuto and leaping to slash at Aizen.
However, an immensely powerful force fixed him in mid-air.
He couldn't even make a sound, only his bloodshot eyes still glaring deadly at Aizen.
Setsuna sighed softly. "Ichigo, on behalf of Aizen, I apologize to you."
"Everything Aizen did, regardless of his methods, the initial motive and core purpose were indeed to carry out my will from back then, to complete the research topic I assigned, and to prepare for countering future crises."
"From this perspective, I also bear an inescapable indirect responsibility for what happened to you and your mother."
He paused, looking at Ichigo's eyes, which were full of pain and confusion, and proposed compensation:
"How about this: as compensation, I will resurrect your mother, Kurosaki Masaki."
"!!!"
Ichigo's pupils dilated sharply, 'Resurrect? Mom? Is... is that possible?'
His restraints had now been released, and he fell from the air, but there was no trace of vengeful thoughts in his heart. He only asked eagerly, "Is such a thing really possible?"
Setsuna smiled slightly. "Resurrecting a person is effortless for me."
What even Nagato could do is indeed as easy as turning over his hand for him, who could now be called the [Otsutsuki God].
"However, your mother's situation is slightly special."
Ichigo immediately grew anxious. "Why?"
Setsuna explained, "Your mother's soul was taken by Yhwach. To resurrect her, you must first defeat Yhwach and extract your mother's soul origin from his soul."
Ichigo took a deep breath. Although it was still very difficult, at least there was now hope.
He said with utmost sincerity, "Setsuna-sama, thank you. Thank you so much!"
"Don't thank me." Setsuna shook his head. "This is merely belated compensation, and it is compensation built upon your own efforts."
"I have no spare energy to deal with Yhwach. So, to save your mother, you must defeat Yhwach with your own hands."
Defeat the king of the Quincies who killed Captain-Commander Yamamoto with his own hands?
Ichigo felt the pressure on his shoulders as heavy as a mountain, but he did not hesitate for a moment. He nodded firmly.
"I will definitely do it!" His voice was resolute. "No matter what, I will defeat him! I will save my mother!"
"Very good." Setsuna nodded slightly, tossing the Hogyoku in his hand to Ichigo.
"Take this. With your current power, the hope of defeating Yhwach at his full strength is slim."
"This Hogyoku contains the possibility of granting wishes. Although its level is insufficient for me, for you, it might, at a critical moment, help you break through bottlenecks and achieve an unexpected transformation."