~ Next Bonus, 300!
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The Human World offered little peace these days. Arrancars were constantly showing up in Karakura Town to stir up trouble, and lately, theyâd been getting particularly brazen.
Shin stared at the wreckage of the amusement park. Heâd brought Nel here to have some fun, only for it to be ruined.
"I think these pests are starting to get on my nerves. Itâs time for a cleanup."
"You call them âpestsâ?" Yoruichi shot him a look. "Even I can feel the dread from their power."
If she were to face the top four Espada in a one-on-one fight, she wasnât entirely confident she could win.
"Shinji Hirako and the others have started showing up recently, helping out the Soul Reapers. It looks like theyâre finally ready to move against Aizen," Shin mused. "Speaking of which, whatâs taking that guy so long?"
Shin looked genuinely disappointed. If Aizen would just hurry up and finish his research on the HĆgyoku, things would get interesting. Had he not put enough pressure on him?
âYes, that must be it. In that case, Iâll have to find a way to apply a little more pressure. Aizen needs the proper motivation, after all.â
If Aizen knew what Shin was thinking right now, he probably wouldnât be too happy about it.
"Youâre getting that look in your eye. Are you planning on making a move?"
Yoruichi watched Shin with suspicion. She had a feeling he was about to get involved.
"Of course I am. Watching from the sidelines is getting boring. Besides, I want to give Aizen a little push."
"Do you have some kind of grudge against him?" Yoruichi asked, noticing how Shin was clearly targeting Aizen.
"No, we donât have any personal history. I just need him to finish creating the HĆgyoku," Shin said, shaking his head.
"What exactly is this HĆgyoku? Iâm getting really curious. Can you tell me?" Yoruichi asked, her curiosity piqued.
Aizenâs goal was the HĆgyoku, and so was Shinâs. The Yoruichi from the original timeline would have known what it was, but this Yoruichi hadnât spent much time with Kisuke Urahara, so she was in the dark. If she knew the truth about the HĆgyoku, she would be just as shocked.
"The HĆgyoku can protect its host, making them immortal. When the host reaches their limit or their life is threatened, it forces them to evolve to the next level, endlessly."
"It even has the power to manifest desires, to bring whatâs in a personâs heart into reality."
"Now do you see why Iâm so interested in it? The power of the HĆgyoku is almost unbelievable."
After hearing Shinâs explanation, Yoruichi took a sharp breath. The first two words that came to mind were "divine artifact." This thing was nothing short of that.
"That thing sounds way too dangerous."
"It is. And to make matters worse, the HĆgyoku has its own consciousness, since it was created from countless souls."
"What? It has a consciousness? If thatâs the case, Shin, I think you should stay away from it," Yoruichi said, her expression turning serious.
"Donât worry. I donât actually want the HĆgyoku," Shin said with a slight smile.
Yoruichi was confused. She couldnât understand what he meant. He said he was after the HĆgyoku, but now he was saying he didnât want it. It seemed like a contradiction.
"I donât need the HĆgyoku itself, just its ability. I simply want to obtain its power."
Shin explained to Yoruichi. An object with its own consciousness... he thought it over and decided against it. In the original story, Aizenâs defeat was partly his own fault, but perhaps the HĆgyoku itself played a role.
That was just speculation, but what Shin really needed was to copy the HĆgyokuâs ability.
Once he made its power his own, he wouldnât need the actual object.
"Ah, so thatâs your game. Youâre just going to copy its power?"
Yoruichi knew about Shinâs ability to replicate powers. She was well aware that the ZanpakutĆ abilities he used were all copied.
"Exactly. Youâre pretty sharp, Yoruichi. I barely said anything, and you figured it out," Shin said with a smile.
"I donât feel like youâre praising me. And do you think Iâm an idiot? Youâve made it pretty obvious," Yoruichi retorted, rolling her eyes. Did he really think she was a fool?
"If the HĆgyoku is that powerful, then Aizen, who possesses it, must be incredibly difficult to deal with. Are you sure you can handle him?"
"When have you ever seen me do something I wasnât sure about?"
Of course, Shin was confident he could handle Aizen. If he wasnât, he would have eliminated him long ago. Shin wasnât one to let a threat fester. The fact that he allowed Aizen to exist meant Aizen was no threat at all.
"Thatâs a relief." Yoruichi relaxed. She didnât want an ambitious man like Aizen causing too much chaos.
"Actually, the existence of Aizen and the Arrancars is a good thing for the Soul Society," Shin said with a slight smile.
"Though theyâve caused a lot of death and destruction, itâs not without its benefits for the Soul Society."
"First of all, theyâve forced the Soul Society to become stronger. The Soul Reapers werenât weak, but theyâd grown complacent without a major threat. The appearance of Aizen and the Arrancars has forced the Gotei 13 to reach their full potential."
"This will also significantly close the gap between them and the Sternritter. Without the Arrancars, the Sternritter would have completely crushed the Soul Reapers."
"By the way, I was thinking of having Retsu Unohana take a look at the scar on Nelâs face."
Yoruichi gently stroked Nelâs small head, pointing to the scar on her face.
Though Nel was adorable, the scar was quite jarring. Her hair usually covered it, but it was still there.
"I can heal it," Shin said to Yoruichi.
"You can?" Yoruichi looked at him doubtfully.
"Are you underestimating me? Of course I can. If you took her to Retsu, she wouldnât know what to do," Shin retorted.
"If you can heal it, then why didnât you help Nel sooner?" Yoruichi ignored his glare and asked.
Shinâs face flushed with a rare hint of embarrassment. "Honestly? It wasnât that I didnât want to. I just... kept forgetting."
"But once her injury is healed, Nel wonât be like this anymore," Shin couldnât help but add.
If he healed Nelâs injury, she would definitely regain her memories and her original form.
Nelâs current child-like appearance was because she was injured. Once she recovered, she would return to being the former 3rd Espada.
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