Although this Hōgyoku was born from the hands of Kisuke Urahara and nurtured by Ichigo Kurosaki, under the remote influence of Bai Yuetong's special ability using Urahara as a medium, its own consciousness was replaced by Bai Yuetong long before it could naturally be born. So, the autonomous consciousness inside this Hōgyoku was Bai Yuetong's from the very beginning.
And the main reason why Bai Yuetong had spent the effort to have Ichigo stay in the world of the living and merge with the Hōgyoku was that he coveted Ichigo's bottomless potential and unparalleled power. But Bai Yuetong's sexual orientation was very normal; he couldn't possibly bend over for Ichigo for the sake of power. And Ichigo's sexual orientation was also very normal; he wouldn't sell his ass.
Besides, he himself was more inclined to use Ichigo to defeat Yhwach, rather than destructive exploitation, directly sucking Ichigo dry and then charging up to fight Yhwach himself. That wasn't very prudent. Of course, part of the reason was that Bai Yuetong also wanted to experience the effects of the Hōgyoku before making his own. After all, as he continuously "shared" with others, the speed at which his potential stacked was already far greater than the speed at which he could dig out his potential and realize his talent through diligent cultivation.
So, using Urahara and Ichigo to create the Hōgyoku in advance, and letting it merge with Ichigo, not only could he test whether the fusion of the two could satisfy the judgment conditions of his "sharing" ability, allowing him to stack Ichigo's bottomless potential value onto himself, but at the same time, he could also provide extra cultivation for Ichigo, who lacked the Zero Division's experience pack, making him stronger, so that he wouldn't just be a super-soldier who couldn't affect the overall situation in this war.
Bai Yuetong felt that he had worried himself sick for the peace of the three realms, and for the sake of cultivating Ichigo to be stronger. He also sincerely hoped that this kid Ichigo could step up, quickly complete the final fusion with the Hōgyoku, and then go and smash Yhwach.
If the fusion was successful and he could really share everything of Ichigo's, then Bai Yuetong would have a great safety net. Yhwach could absorb the Soul King and sublimate into "Soul King-Hach." Bai Yuetong, by stacking a "little Soul King" like Ichigo, could also sublimate into "little Soul King-Bai."
...
Soul Society, Seireitei.
On what was clearly a bright, sunny day, a dark shadow suddenly swallowed the Seireitei's Shakonmaku. At the same time, European-style castles covered in frost crystals gradually replaced the original Japanese-style buildings.
"What's happening? What on earth is going on?"
"What is this scene?"
The patrolling Shinigami were all terrified, unable to understand what was suddenly happening.
"All instrument readings are abnormal! What happened?"
"Unbelievable! How... how could this happen? The Seireitei... has disappeared."
Inside the Department of Research and Development, it was also a scene of red alerts, the piercing sound of alarms ringing incessantly.
And at the highest point of these ice palaces stood three figures: the King of the Quincy, Yhwach; his other half and second-in-command, Haschwalth; and the newly appointed successor of the Wandenreich, Uryū Ishida. The wind blew through their cloaks.
"Invasion complete. Uryū, do you know the 'Kaiser Gesang'?" Yhwach looked down upon the entire land from above.
"I know. The sealed King of the Quincy, takes nine hundred years to regain his heartbeat, ninety years to regain his intellect, nine years to regain his power." Uryū played the part of a proper straight man.
"There is more to that song. The sealed King of the Quincy, takes nine hundred years to regain his heartbeat, ninety years to regain his intellect, nine years to regain his power, and nine days... to reclaim his world!"
A slight smile appeared on Yhwach's lips. "Let's go, Uryū, Haschwalth. The nine days that will end the world have begun!"
...
Former Squad 1 Barracks.
"Well now~ I knew they would definitely attack suddenly again, so I set up traps all over the Seireitei. But I never expected them to seize the geographical advantage in this way," Shunsui Kyōraku, who had become the new Head-Captain, said, holding his straw hat with a bit of a headache.
"Both last time and this time, we did not break through the Seireitei's Shakonmaku to invade. We were already inside it." A figure slowly walked out of the shadows, startling Nanao Ise into a state of high alert.
"Welcome~ Thank you for the valuable information. Arriving at what was originally the captain's office so quickly... it seems the enemy has very capable subordinates," Kyōraku said, appearing nonchalant on the surface, still relaxed, as if he were just making small talk, without a trace of the urgency of war. But inwardly, he was already on high alert.
"I am the Emperor's advisor of the Wandenreich, the supreme leader of the Sternritter—Jugram Haschwalth," Haschwalth said coldly.
"I am the Head-Captain of the Gotei 13, Captain of Squad 1, Shunsui Kyōraku. I just took office, so you might not know. But since you came here, you probably already know, right?" Kyōraku couldn't show any weakness, so he also introduced himself, probing the other party at the same time.
"Of course. That is why I came here first," Haschwalth confirmed Kyōraku's suspicion.
"How impatient~ You've waited for a thousand years. Don't you want to enjoy this battle a little?" Kyōraku asked.
"His Majesty is a man of peace. He hopes that painful battles will end as soon as possible. Therefore, he has only issued one order—'Instantaneously annihilate the entire enemy army'," Haschwalth's tone was gentle, but the information it contained was chilling.
"I see." Kyōraku's face also darkened. The enemy was coming in strong. He hoped the squad members could hold on.
...
Meanwhile, on the ground, the encounter battle between the Quincy army and the Shinigami had already begun.
Most of the Quincy were full of thoughts of achieving glory, washing away the shame of their defeat a thousand years ago, restoring the glory of the Quincy, and killing the evil Shinigami to earn more merit and receive His Majesty's praise and blessings. Especially the five Special War Powers. If one could kill the head of the Special War Powers, Ichigo Kurosaki, His Majesty would grant that person one wish.
So, many of the Quincy were fighting the Shinigami with all their might. But Bai Yuetong was different. He had no interest in fighting strong Shinigami for the time being, nor did he have the time to slaughter ordinary Shinigami squad members. He wandered the land, quickly passing through many different areas, as if searching for something.
"Found it."
Bai Yuetong finally confirmed the specific location, an excited smile on his face.
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years. After being killed by Yhwach, he had been bombarded by multiple small Heilig Pfeil, so one could say not even his bones remained. But for such a strong person, even after death, his spirit particles were too strong to decompose naturally and return to the earth of Soul Society.
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