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Morning.
In the pitch-black room, Ishikawa climbed out of the only bed.
"Haaah~"
Yawning, Ishikawa looked at the dark room around him and mumbled sleepily, "It seems it's time to put a window in the bedroom."
"I think so too."
A voice suddenly came, startling Ishikawa for a moment, then his mouth couldn't help but twitch.
For some reason…
Regarding this voice that suddenly appeared in his bedroom, Ishikawa, apart from his initial surprise, didn't feel surprised at all.
"Sigh—"
Sighing heavily, Ishikawa, wearing shorts, walked towards the wardrobe.
Opening the wardrobe door, he looked at a corner inside, where a Denreishinki with a lit screen was placed.
"Good morning, Ishikawa-sama."
As if sensing Ishikawa's arrival, Urahara Kisuke's voice came from the Denreishinki at the right time.
"Before saying hello, shouldn't you first explain to me what exactly is going on with this situation?"
Ishikawa said while getting dressed, "If I remember correctly, when I bought this Denreishinki from you at a 'high price,' you guaranteed me that it didn't have any superfluous functions like monitoring or extracting Reiatsu, right?"
"Of course not."
Urahara Kisuke chuckled, "This is just a communication function."
"…" Ishikawa.
What kind of communication function is this?
He had never heard of a communication function that could force the other party to answer.
"Spit it out!"
Too lazy to argue with Urahara Kisuke, Ishikawa said with a cold tone.
Yesterday, when Yoruichi said Urahara had something he wanted her to relay, Ishikawa vaguely realized that Urahara Kisuke might contact him.
Because if he really had something important to tell him, then no matter how Ishikawa avoided him, that bastard would be able to contact him through various methods.
And if he didn't contact him…
It meant that the message he had Yoruichi relay wasn't important, so he naturally didn't need to go looking for trouble.
Since Aizen had taken the Hōgyoku, Urahara Kisuke would surely take action.
Now that he was contacting him, it definitely wasn't for anything good.
Don't be fooled by his constant smiling; he definitely belongs to the type who 'hides a knife in his smile.' The more humble he appears on the surface, the more ruthlessly he schemes behind the scenes…
Essentially, he is no different from Kurotsuchi Mayuri; both are believers in the 'theory of balance,' capable of doing anything for the sake of balance.
Ichigo and the others are an example; before they met Aizen, they always thought they were just there to rescue Rukia.
"Hehehe… it's truly easy to communicate with Ishikawa."
Upon hearing this, Ishikawa frowned, and a premonition of ill omen suddenly surged in his heart.
Because…
Urahara Kisuke's words were a bit too humble.
So humble that Ishikawa almost used Hado to turn the Denreishinki and the wardrobe into dust, just to stop him from continuing.
Of course, that was just a thought.
Because many things don't just not happen if you don't listen; if you listen, at least you can die knowing why.
"Actually, the reason I contacted you this time, Ishikawa-sama, is because of the Hōgyoku…"
Urahara Kisuke didn't waste any words, directly and meticulously explaining the reason for contacting Ishikawa from beginning to end: "…Although I left a means to prevent prying, if you, Ishikawa, can see it, you will definitely feel your own blood, so I…"
"Where are you?" Ishikawa interrupted.
"Ah?"
"Urahara Shop, right!?"
Veins popped on Ishikawa's forehead: "You wait, I'm going to kill you right now!!"
This was too much.
Although when he gave his blood to Urahara Kisuke, Ishikawa had thought that Urahara Kisuke might analyze his blood to find his weaknesses or something…
But the benefits he could gain from cooperating with him far outweighed the risks of giving up his blood.
And indeed, Urahara Kisuke's technology had greatly helped Ishikawa, even saving his life.
Plus, although Urahara Kisuke was a lunatic, he was barely… considered one of his own. Ishikawa wasn't overly wary of him, only thinking that once he researched something, he would just create a counter-method.
Ishikawa never expected that this bastard wouldn't research any weaknesses but instead research how to use his blood to seal the Hōgyoku.
If it were just that, it would be fine; Aizen couldn't extract the energy from the Hōgyoku created by Urahara Kisuke and merge it with his own created Hōgyoku, which was what Ishikawa hoped for!
But this unsealing method…
Made Ishikawa want to grind Urahara Kisuke's bones to dust.
What do you mean, the Hōgyoku can be unsealed "with a large amount of your blood, Ishikawa-sama"?
Why don't you just say Aizen wants to use me as a sacrifice to unseal the Hōgyoku!!
"Uh… Ishikawa, don't get agitated."
Urahara Kisuke's fawning voice came from the speaker, making the veins on Ishikawa's forehead twitch.
"Compared to the Human World, you are clearly safer staying in the Soul Society."
"Think about it, if Aizen wants to break the seal, he will definitely come to the Soul Society to find you. This way, you can completely act as bait to attract Aizen, forcing him to return to the Soul Society without having merged with the Hōgyoku."
Urahara Kisuke's tone shifted, becoming serious: "Ishikawa, I apologize for this matter. Afterwards, no matter how you want me to compensate you, it's fine. But you might not know how dangerous Aizen will become after merging with the Hōgyoku. It can be said… that Aizen at that time will no longer be able to be killed by any means."
"So, we must stop all this before he merges with the Hōgyoku."
"Heh heh, easier said than done."
Ishikawa's tone was somewhat cold. He naturally knew Aizen's state after merging with the Hōgyoku; otherwise, he wouldn't have tried to disrupt Aizen's plan in the first place.
"But don't tell me you haven't thought about what dangers this might bring to the people around me?"
"Indeed!"
"I can completely hide in the Seireitei, but what about my Everything Store? What about Kukaku-nee, Ganju, and the others?"
"I am the bait to attract Aizen, so won't they become the bait Aizen uses to attract me?"
Ishikawa paused, then continued, "Or do you think Aizen wouldn't think of that?"
A series of questions plunged Urahara Kisuke into silence.
Finally, he sighed heavily: "Anyway, Ishikawa-sama, I will prepare thoroughly here and will immediately find a way to go to the Soul Society. Whatever you need, you can directly ask, and I will do everything in my power to fulfill it."
…
After hanging up the communication, Ishikawa's face showed a thoughtful expression.
His previous words were actually somewhat exaggerated.
If Ishikawa wanted to, he might not be unable to bring Kukaku and the others into the Seireitei.
As long as he asked Nayura for help and convinced the other sages, it wouldn't be difficult for Kukaku, Ganju, Uzuki, and Unagiya Oshiki to obtain Spirit Entry Permits to enter the Seireitei.
The only person who would be very difficult to get permission for was Ishida Soken, the Quincy.
But it wasn't entirely impossible!
However…
The most troublesome were not Ishida Soken, but Kukaku and Ganju.
Issuing Spirit Entry Permits wasn't hard; Nayura already had the idea of issuing Spirit Entry Permits on a large scale. The difficulty was how to persuade Kukaku and Ganju to enter the Seireitei.
Although the misunderstanding between Ganju and Rukia had been resolved, making Ganju no longer as resistant to Shinigami as before, both Ganju and Kukaku, like himself, disliked the atmosphere of the Seireitei.
However, if they were unwilling to go to the Seireitei, there were other methods.
He could simply have the Gotei 13 come out of the Seireitei.
But what reason could he use?
To tell the truth would be quite dangerous.
Because Ishikawa wasn't sure if Commander Yamamoto would refrain from attacking him due to his status as a sage.
Compared to protecting himself, killing him would clearly be easier.
If he died, it could delay Aizen's merging with the Hōgyoku, or even prevent Aizen from merging with it, at least giving the Soul Society more time to prepare for battle.
Given Commander Yamamoto's ruthless style, he was highly likely to make such a choice.
And his only reliance was merely his identity as a sage.
Betting his life on his identity…
No matter how he thought about it, it wasn't stable, especially since Commander Yamamoto was currently temporarily acting on behalf of the Central 46.
Shaking his head, Ishikawa didn't dwell on this point, instead beginning to assess whether his current forces could withstand Aizen's attack.
The number of villains under him was, arguably, more than or equal to the Shinigami of the Gotei 13.
But the top combat power was extremely limited.
Currently, the only person with Captain-level Reiatsu was Nishijin Ori.
There were quite a few with Vice-Captain-level Reiatsu.
Himura, Oyama, Kin'en, Gin'en, and everyone's favorite Takashi… plus some well-known villains from various areas, he had more than ten individuals with Vice-Captain Reiatsu.
As for the exact number, Ishikawa hadn't counted; those he remembered were mostly people he frequently saw in the tavern.
Overall, it wasn't weak.
But possessing Captain-level Reiatsu doesn't necessarily mean possessing Captain-level combat power.
Because apart from a few individuals personally taught by Ishikawa, most villains did not possess Zanpakuto, nor could they use Kido, Hakuda, Shunpo, and other techniques.
However, besides the villains, he also had other trump cards.
Ichigo and his group were undoubtedly the strongest force on his side.
Originally, Ishikawa had Ichigo learn Bankai so that when Aizen attacked in the future, he could play his original role…
Ishikawa really didn't expect to need him so soon!
If you add Urahara Kisuke, Yoruichi, and Kukaku… hmm… with Yoruichi present, Captain Soi Fon could also be counted.
"…Is it really that many?"
Ishikawa's gaze was somewhat strange; he had always been accustomed to fighting alone, and now that he counted…
It turned out that when he encountered danger, just the people he believed would help him were so numerous!
Shaking his head slightly, Ishikawa's brows furrowed deeper.
Although the number of villains was large, they were merely cannon fodder in a real fight.
To deal with Aizen's attack, he still needed the help of the Gotei 13. The safest method was still to hide within the Soul-Concealing Membrane!
What about voluntarily offering his blood?
Ishikawa shook his head again. Although this method was the simplest and safest.
But the opponent was Aizen…
Having discovered the strangeness of his blood, Aizen wouldn't let him go just because he offered his blood.
If he were Aizen, Ishikawa would never let go of such a special research material.
His orders to the Espada…
Would definitely not just be to obtain enough blood and return to Hueco Mundo, but to capture 'Ishikawa,' this unknown creature, and bring him back to Hueco Mundo!
Although Ishikawa was not the type of scientist who had an intense desire to explore everything, after coming to the Soul Society, he had many times resorted to unscrupulous means because he wanted to understand certain things.
Most importantly…
Would Aizen himself come to the Soul Society!
Information… he still had too little information.
To obtain information about Hueco Mundo, he could only rely on Tier Harribel.
But with two worlds separating them, Ishikawa could only vaguely sense Tier Harribel's condition and couldn't establish contact with her at all.
Unless he opened a Black Portal.
Just as Ishikawa was hesitating whether to risk opening a Black Portal, his expression suddenly changed.
Tap~
As if a certain nerve had suddenly been touched, a familiar voice came from Ishikawa's mind.
This is…
Tier Harribel?
Ishikawa's expression changed. While listening to Tier Harribel's voice in his mind, he rushed out of the bedroom.
"Good…"
Uzuki, behind the bar, subconsciously went to greet him, but before she could finish, she was interrupted by Ishikawa.
"Quick."
Ishikawa looked at Uzuki, and at Ganju, Ishida Soken, and Unagiya Oshiki in front of the bar, saying, "The four of you immediately use the transfer stake to go to East 1 District. I will have someone meet you there."
Upon hearing this, the four of them all looked grim.
Uzuki looked at Ishikawa's solemn expression and didn't ask further.
Although she hadn't seen Ishikawa look like this in a long time, for Ishikawa to show such an expression meant the situation was urgent.
The last time Ishikawa had her transfer was when Genji attacked!
"Be careful!"
Without further questions, Uzuki directly pulled Unagiya Oshiki and Ganju, who wanted to ask, because she knew very well that even if she understood the reason, she couldn't help Ishikawa.
Their staying here would only become a burden to Ishikawa.
However, when Uzuki tried to pull Ishida Soken, he didn't budge.
Ishida Soken smiled slightly at Uzuki and the others: "I should still be able to help Ishikawa-sama a bit. You all go first."
Hearing this, Ishikawa glanced at Ishida Soken, nodded, then looked at Ganju, who was trying to break free, and said, "Ganju-nii, after you go to East 1 District, immediately inform the Seireitei that an Arrancar is attacking the Everything Store, and try to contact Kukaku-nee, asking them to come and support me."
As he spoke, Ishikawa threw the Denreishinki to Ganju.
Ganju subconsciously caught it, a flicker of hesitation crossed his face, then he gritted his teeth slightly and pulled Uzuki and Unagiya Oshiki towards the transfer stake in the backyard.
Watching the three disappear into the transfer stake, Ishikawa turned to look at the group of villains in the tavern.
"Ishikawa-sama, who do we kill?"
All the villains in the tavern had stood up, their eyes bloodshot, filled with killing intent.
Seeing this, Ishikawa didn't make them leave.
Firstly, he didn't care if they died or not. Secondly… even if Ishikawa told them to leave, these lunatics, who lived for excitement, wouldn't leave.
However, a few did use the transfer stake to leave and gather more people in other areas.
Ishikawa walked straight out of the tavern and gazed into the distance.
According to the information from Tier Harribel, their group was about to pass through the Black Portal and arrive in the Soul Society.
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr