Urahara did not reply.
He knew Unohana was waiting for his answer, but he could not speak of the Hogyoku's existence.
People who pursued extremes to a fault, coupled with brilliant minds, naturally evolved into individuals like Urahara and Aizen.
Facing Unohana's questioning, Urahara knew that she had likely already guessed something.
The first generation Kenpachi had similarly reached the absolute pinnacle of Kendo; Urahara did not doubt for a second that Unohana had entertained similar thoughts in the past.
It was just that she had never turned those thoughts into reality.
"Regarding that, Captain Unohana, all I can answer you is..."
"Everything I have done will absolutely not harm the Soul Society. You can see that from my current actions."
"I stand firmly on the side of maintaining the peace of the Soul Society."
"As for the current condition of these Captains, I can indeed do something about it."
Urahara kept his voice very low.
"However, this is not something that can be made public. I hope you can understand."
The look in Unohana's eyes as she watched him changed.
Her initial scrutiny transformed into a much deeper gaze, carrying a certain degree of calculation and vigilance.
She looked at Urahara Kisuke, this fellow who held the position of Third Seat in the Twelfth Division.
Unohana's original impression of him was merely a junior who had some shady, under-the-table dealings with Hasumi Ren.
Excavating a hollow space beneath Sokyoku Hill showed that he possessed some capability, and he seemed to be conducting some bizarre research in private.
But such things were commonplace in the Soul Society. Which noble family with a bit of power didn't have some secret maneuvers going on behind the scenes?
Moreover, Urahara Kisuke had the Shihoin Clan backing him.
As long as the Shihoin gave their approval, unless Urahara Kisuke murdered his colleagues publicly in broad daylight, Central 46 would find it very difficult to come up with a reason to directly put him on trial.
Seeing Urahara Kisuke's performance at this moment, all her previous impressions of him were completely overturned in an instant.
"These Captains are the foundation of the Soul Society. I hope you are not making empty boasts."
"Naturally, I am not."
Unohana retracted her gaze and asked no more.
Urahara offered no further explanation.
He looked around. The ruins were littered with deep trenches plowed out by Ceros, and the aura of Reishi permeating the air had not yet completely dissipated.
Reinforcements from the Seireitei could arrive at any moment. Every extra second they stayed here meant one more degree of risk that these Hollowfied Captains would be exposed to the public eye.
Given their current condition, it was best not to expose them too much to the public, as it would cause unnecessary panic.
If even Captains were reduced to this state, what would happen if ordinary squad members saw them?
At that moment, the Spiritual Pressure of the several Hollowfied Captains began to fluctuate once more. The pressure in Urahara Kisuke's heart sharply multiplied.
His Hollowfication suppression potions were about to lose their effect.
"We must relocate as soon as possible, and covertly. These people cannot stay here any longer. They need to be moved to an adequately safe location, and we have to be quick about it."
Urahara's voice grew frantic.
"The problem is that moving this many people all at once will inevitably expose us to the Seireitei's surveillance no matter what."
"What is the best course of action..."
Just as Urahara Kisuke was deep in thought, a steady voice came from behind him.
"Leave it to me."
Urahara turned around. Tsukabishi Tessai had already stood up, his massive frame towering straight.
The eyes behind his glasses swept over everyone present.
"I will handle it. A spatial Kido spell for simultaneous mass teleportation, coordinates set to... the underground cavern of Sokyoku Hill. How does that sound?"
Urahara froze for a moment.
Spatial spells were forbidden Kido explicitly banned by the Soul Society.
Aside from opening a Senkaimon, the use of any space-related spells was a major felony, and privately researching them was a severe violation warranting imprisonment in the Maggot's Nest.
Urahara Kisuke had long since created something like the Hogyoku, and with the Shihoin Clan behind him, he didn't care much about breaking rules; it was already an everyday occurrence for him.
But who would have thought that a rugged, honest-looking guy like Tessai was also secretly researching hardcore forbidden arts behind the scenes?
Tsukabishi Tessai glanced at the three people who could still stand and spoke in a deep voice.
"Please pretend you neither saw nor heard what I am about to do."
Tessai did not wait for Urahara to respond. He slammed his Kido staff into the ground and clapped his hands together in front of his chest.
"Now, let me first stabilize the conditions of these Captains."
A dark green barrier spread outward from beneath his feet, precisely blanketing all the fallen Captains and Vice-Captains.
Urahara Kisuke widened his eyes in observation. This move of Tessai's was actually a forbidden spell capable of temporarily freezing time.
Hasumi Ren also stepped closer. Specks of Kido fragments drifted down and were absorbed into his body.
[SYSTEM: Acquired High-Level Kido Insights x7, Kido Experience +700]
[SYSTEM: Kido: lv7 (3200/20000)]
In the next moment, Tessai switched spells. Densely packed spell crests surfaced along the edges of the barrier, each line constantly calibrating the spatial coordinates.
Once the space was anchored, Tessai activated the spell. Without a single sound, everyone in the ruins vanished simultaneously.
Ren only felt an incredibly faint spatial tremor. A brief flash of darkness crossed his vision, and then the rubble beneath his feet became a solid bedrock floor.
The familiar glow of Reishi lamps filled the area. Above them was the dome of the underground cavern beneath Sokyoku Hill, illuminated by spirit ores.
The rock walls still bore the scars of sword slashes and the destructive marks of Kido left behind from when Unohana had practiced her swordsmanship here.
Tsukabishi Tessai stood in the center of the cavern and lowered his hands, his expression serene, as if he had just done something completely ordinary.
Beside him, Urahara Kisuke stared at him for quite a while.
"Tessai-san, those few spells you just used... you really are hiding your true depths..."
Tessai firmly grasped his Kido staff once more.
"They are merely the products of my thoughts during my leisure time. As for just now... I did not do anything at all."
"Of course, I didn't see anything either. Right, Ren?"
Urahara Kisuke looked toward Hasumi Ren at his side, expecting a response of agreement.
Ren nodded, then spoke softly.
"What happens next is the most troublesome part. If Aizen pins all of this on us, how are we supposed to handle our situation then?"
"If Central 46 passes judgment, our defense will most likely be useless."
"Furthermore, their attitude toward these Hollowfied Captains will absolutely not be friendly."
"Do you have a plan for what comes next?"
Urahara Kisuke leaned against the rock wall, arms crossed, and remained silent for a long time.
The light from the spirit ores cascaded from the dome, illuminating the undeniable exhaustion on his face.
"As for what comes next, we can only take it one step at a time."
His voice was very low.
"If Central 46 truly passes judgment, our defense will most likely be useless."
"Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu can manipulate the senses of anyone who has seen its Shikai. He can manufacture whatever testimonies he wants."
"He can make anyone see whatever evidence he wants them to see."
"If it truly comes to that..."
He paused, a somewhat helpless smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.
"Worst case scenario, we'll just have to make a run for it. The World of the Living, Hueco Mundo... there will always be somewhere we can stay."
He turned his head and looked at Ren.
"But what about you, Ren? How do you think Aizen will deal with you?"
Ren did not speak.
"Just now, you demonstrated Hollowfication in front of him and cut down Hirako Shinji for him. But that blood oath was left incomplete. Aizen can see through your stalling tactic."
"If Aizen believes you haven't completely sided with him, he will plunge you into the exact same situation as me. If an arrest warrant is issued for you as well..."
Urahara paused, his tone growing a few degrees heavier than before.
"When that time comes, what will your choice be?"
Ren fell silent.
Indeed, he still did not know what Aizen's current view of him was.
Back at the ruins, he had used his Hollowfication to temporarily obscure his motives, but Aizen wasn't someone who could be fooled so easily.
The capabilities he displayed in battle were worlds apart from the Level 1, half-mask Hollowfication he had deliberately maintained in front of Aizen previously.
Aizen was not the type of person to believe in coincidences; any anomaly was highly suspicious in his eyes.
This was a contradiction that was difficult to resolve.
"I don't know." Ren's voice was equally grave. "Whether he will let me off the hook or not... I really can't say."
Just then, a voice came from nearby.
"This Aizen you speak of, he is the Vice-Captain of the Fifth Division, yes? Is he truly that troublesome to cause you two such headaches?"
Unohana stood behind them, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Urahara and Ren.
Ren remained silent for a breath.
"Aizen's Zanpakuto, Kyoka Suigetsu... once its Shikai is released, it can completely hypnotize anyone who has seen it."
"His goal is to shatter the boundary between Soul Reaper and Hollow. For this purpose, he will resort to any means necessary."
"Moreover, he has already partially succeeded. These partially Hollowfied Captains are his test subjects."
Unohana's brows knitted tightly as she fell into silence.
She simply stood there quietly, piecing together all the fragments she had witnessed today.
"I see."
Her voice was very soft, carrying a profound calmness that sank to the very core.
Ren looked at Unohana.
"Kyoka Suigetsu's Complete Hypnosis is indeed incredibly tricky to deal with."
"But my Zanpakuto can grant immunity against Kyoka Suigetsu's hypnosis. However, this ability cannot be shared with others, nor can I use it to break a hypnosis already implanted in someone else."
Unless his Spiritual Pressure could surpass Aizen's.
But currently, that was extremely difficult to achieve.
"Cannot you inform the Captain-Commander? If we can locate Aizen, perhaps he can be executed directly."
Ren looked at Unohana and gently shook his head.
"Things won't go that smoothly. Kyoka Suigetsu's hypnosis is permanent. We wouldn't be able to determine if the person being cut down is truly Aizen, or another squad member who is equally hypnotized."
Unohana lowered her head in thought.
The cavern fell silent.
The light of the spirit ores cascaded over everyone.
After a long time, Unohana spoke.
"Staying here is not a solution either. It is time to report back to the Captain-Commander."
Ren stood up to follow.
"I will go with you, Captain."
Unohana looked at him, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment, and then nodded.
"Let us go."
Unohana turned her head to look at Urahara.
"Third Seat Urahara, I leave these Captains in your hands for now."
Her voice was calm, but every single word carried immense weight.
"Please remember what you said earlier."
Urahara bowed slightly.
"I would not dare forget. Everything I do will absolutely not harm the Soul Society. That is my stance."
Unohana nodded and walked out of the area with Ren.
However, the moment the two stepped beyond the boundary of Sokyoku Hill's barrier, Ren's footsteps halted.
Moonlight spilled through the gaps in the clouds, illuminating the winding path down the mountain in patches of light and shadow.
Further down the road, a solitary figure stood silently.
Aizen stood perfectly in the center of the path, his posture relaxed and composed, as if he had been waiting there for them all along.
"Captain Unohana?"
Seeing Unohana walking closer and closer to Aizen, Ren called out softly.
Yet Unohana was completely oblivious. As if she hadn't noticed a thing, nor registered Ren's actions, she walked straight past Aizen.
In Ren's eyes, a phantom illusion of himself was following right behind Unohana, turning its head to flash him a faint smile.
Meanwhile, Aizen was slowly walking toward him.
Wearing a smile, Aizen spoke softly.
"You truly were here, just as I thought."
"The hollowed-out cavern Urahara Kisuke excavated beneath Sokyoku Hill is indeed a fine hiding place."
"It is just that you arrived much faster than I anticipated. The only thing capable of achieving that would be a spatial spell. Tsukabishi Tessai's doing, was it not?"
Ren's breathing grew increasingly heavy. He had no idea what Aizen intended to do next.
Aizen knew about the existence of the underground cavern beneath Sokyoku Hill.
This meant that Urahara's secret stronghold had long since been compromised by Aizen at some point in the past.
"There is no need to be so tense."
The palm of Aizen's right hand rested beneath the Hogyoku, which was sealed within a transparent prism.
The deep blue glow rotated sluggishly under the moonlight, reflecting across his face.
"I have already arranged everything that needs to be arranged. Central 46 will shortly receive a complete investigation report."
"Regarding Urahara Kisuke's secret research into Hollowfication in the shadows, his simultaneous collusion with the Quincy, and his use of the Hogyoku to attack the Captains of the Gotei 13."
"Everything is ironclad. Even if he were to stand before them and defend himself, those pieces of evidence will render his every plea utterly pale."
Aizen paused, his tone calm and indifferent.
"But truthfully speaking, I am quite reluctant to kill you."
"Your performance has truly surprised me, and you are a rare, experimentally minded talent who can greatly assist my research."
He slipped the Hogyoku back into his robes and took a step forward.
"Today's plan was originally perfect. The Hollowfication of the Captains, the appearance of the Quincies, Urahara Kisuke taking the fall—everything was progressing precisely as scheduled."
"But the moment Unohana appeared, I knew something had gone awry."
"Disposing of the corpse of the fake Hasumi Ren that Unohana killed was indeed quite troublesome."
"However, Ren, I am still willing to give you one final choice."
"As long as you go and expose Urahara Kisuke, substantiating his crimes and his transactions with the Quincies."
"I can overlook everything you have done today. The role you played in this incident, I will arrange for it to appear logically within an alternative version of the narrative."
"And that narrative will be that you were secretly investigating Urahara Kisuke's conspiracies, ultimately exposing his dark true colors."
"This will allow you to remain within the Gotei 13, continue acting as the Vice-Captain of the Fourth Division, and even eventually fill one of the vacant Captain's seats."
"As for Unohana, I have other arrangements for her. Regardless of what you have told her, I can ensure that she will not interfere with our plans."
"For you, this outcome is a rather excellent choice after all, is it not... Ren?"