"With the assistance of the Hōgyoku, the Hollow power within your bodies and your Shinigami power have finally reached a state of equilibrium,"
Urahara Kisuke said calmly, his fan half-covering his face as his eyes carefully observed the condition of everyone present.
"In other words, the process of Hollowfication has been halted. It will not continue to erode your souls any further."
However, before anyone could relax, Urahara's tone grew noticeably more serious.
"That said, the Hollow power has already been completely fused with your spiritual structure. It is no longer an external foreign force it is now part of you. If you rely on it excessively, or lose control over your emotions while using it, there is still a very real risk of losing your sense of self."
"So when you draw upon that power," he emphasized,
"you must do so with absolute precision and restraint."
Inside the abandoned factory, the atmosphere was heavy.
Since escaping from the Soul Society and taking refuge in the World of the Living, Urahara Kisuke had exhausted every method at his disposal to stabilize Hirako Shinji and the others.
The Hōgyoku was something even Urahara himself regarded with deep caution.
A device that responded to the deepest desires of the heart. capable of miracles, but equally capable of disaster.
Yet there was no denying the result.
Hirako Shinji and the others had been saved.
Once, they had been completely abandoned by the Soul Society.
At that time, Central 46 had already classified them as corrupted existences. The verdict had been clear: execution, under the justification of purifying tainted souls.
That ruthless decision had severed all remaining ties.
Even after Urahara Kisuke succeeded in stabilizing them, not a single one of them ever considered returning to the Soul Society.
To them, they were already dead.
Abandoned.
Cast aside.
For the sixteen of them, only one purpose remained.
Revenge.
Hirako Shinji could never forget that day.
Aizen Sōsuke's calm smile.
The blade thrust into his back.
And worse than the physical wound
Aizen's Zanpakutō.
That illusion had deceived everyone.
No matter how cautious Hirako had been in the past, he had never once glimpsed Aizen's true face. And it was precisely because of Kyōka Suigetsu that Aizen had been able to manipulate the entire Gotei Thirteen from the shadows.
Hirako had to admit it.
Aizen was far stronger and far more terrifying than he had ever imagined.
Even now, Hirako knew that he alone might not be Aizen's equal.
But that no longer mattered.
Now, in addition to his Shinigami power, he possessed Hollow power the very power Aizen had forced upon him.
If that power existed within him, then he would master it.
And one day, he would use it to destroy the man who gave it to him.
Aizen still remained within the Soul Society.
With ambitions like his, it was only a matter of time before his true intentions surfaced.
Hirako believed this.
Urahara Kisuke believed this.
And so did every former captain and vice-captain who now bore a Hollow mask.
Within the abandoned factory, the group continued adapting to their new strength.
Because of their Hollow power, each of them could manifest a Hollow mask at will.
And because they had severed all ties with the Gotei Thirteen, the title "Shinigami" no longer felt appropriate.
At Kuna Mashiro's suggestion, they chose a new name.
The Visored.
The Masked Legion.
Urahara Kisuke remained on standby throughout their training.
Hollow power was fundamentally unstable, and the Visored were former captains and vice-captains—existences whose spiritual pressure alone could trigger catastrophic consequences if control was lost.
To ensure no accidents occurred, Urahara could not afford to leave their side.
At that moment
A wave of foreign Reiatsu suddenly appeared nearby.
The change was subtle, but unmistakable.
Instantly, the mood shifted.
Hirako Shinji's eyes sharpened.
"This Reiatsu… it's Shinigami."
Ever since Aizen's betrayal, Hirako's vigilance had reached its peak.
"Someone from the Soul Society?"
"…Or someone sent by Aizen?"
Aizen was not alone.
On that day, Ichimaru Gin, then the Third Seat of the Fifth Division, had stood beside him a prodigy whose strength was already well known.
There was no guarantee Aizen had only one subordinate.
"No," Urahara Kisuke said calmly, his tone carrying no tension at all.
"It's neither."
Beside him, Shihōin Yoruichi nodded in agreement.
Hirako frowned.
Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō and Muguruma Kensei exchanged confused glances.
Before any explanation could be given
The barrier surrounding the factory was breached.
Instantly.
The barrier had been jointly constructed by Tessai Tsukabishi, former Grand Kidō Chief, and Hachigen Ushōda, his deputy two of the greatest Kidō masters the Soul Society had ever produced.
For it to be broken so effortlessly
The intruder's Kidō mastery was terrifying.
Moments later, a figure appeared atop one of the factory's steel beams.
Clad in a plain black Shinigami uniform, he looked down at them with a relaxed expression.
"Well," the man said evenly,
"Everyone's here."
Hirako and the others stared.
They recognized him immediately.
Gosuke Shigure.
Former Captain of the Eleventh Division.
Former bearer of the name Kenpachi.
"Teacher!"
Yoruichi's expression brightened with genuine surprise.
In an instant, Gosuke Shigure flashed down and stood before Urahara and Yoruichi.
Urahara immediately bowed his head slightly.
"Master."
"Yoruichi. Kisuke."
Gosuke Shigure smiled faintly.
"It's been a long time."
Hirako finally stepped forward.
"Forgive my bluntness," he said seriously.
"But Captain Gosuke are you here to apprehend us as criminals of the Soul Society?"
The Visored all tensed.
Their gazes locked onto Gosuke Shigure.
Gosuke met their eyes calmly, without the slightest hint of hostility.
"I understand your concern," he said evenly.
"But look closely."
He gestured to his shoulders.
"Do you see a captain's haori?"
There was none.
"I've already stepped down."
"I'm retired."
The words fell like thunder.
For the first time since fleeing the Soul Society
The Visored felt something they had long forgotten.
Relief.