They traveled through time at the same time, but the villainous scientist

Chapter 240 Aizen's Visit

Inside the First Division barracks, in the quiet room that symbolized the highest authority of the Gotei 13, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.

A sharp, piercing glint flashed in those narrowed eyes.

"Mayuri Kurotsuchi..."

"It's that guy again... He always manages to cause some huge mess."

The old man's deep voice echoed in the empty room, carrying a hint of weariness and helplessness.

For the vast majority of Shinigami in Seireitei, this sudden explosion, though massive, did not cause much panic.

After the initial shock came the usual discussions and complaints.

"Hey, did you hear that? It's the Twelfth Division again, isn't it?"

"Besides Captain Kurotsuchi, who else could cause such a commotion? Last time he almost blew up the Eighth Division's courtyard!"

"What a weirdo, what the hell is the Technology Development Bureau researching..."

Discussions arose one after another, but no one connected the accident with any huge conspiracy.

In their eyes, the name Mayuri Kurotsuchi was already inextricably linked with words like "eccentric," "dangerous," and "mad scientist."

The explosion in his laboratory, like thunder on a rainy day, was frightening, yet it was also a predictable "natural phenomenon."

However, amidst this cacophony of sounds, only one person discerned a profound meaning within the raging spiritual pressure fluctuations—a meaning so distinct it was enough to make him stop in his tracks.

Inside an elegant study in the Fifth Division barracks.

Aizen Sousuke was smiling as he explained the essence of Kido to Hinamori Momo in front of him. His gentle voice was like a spring breeze, drawing people in unconsciously.

His voice stopped abruptly the instant the explosion was heard.

Momo Hinamori was startled and instinctively looked out the window, but Aizen's gaze had already pierced through the wall and landed precisely on the source of the chaos.

His face still wore that gentle smile, but deep within his eyes behind his glasses, a turbulent storm was brewing that no one could see.

"This is……"

He could clearly sense that although the explosive spiritual pressure was chaotic and violent, and subsided in an instant, its core "quality"—the will to "transform the power of the mind into reality," the desire to "break boundaries and create a new existence"—was so similar to what he had been secretly researching for a long time!

That belongs to the realm of the Hogyoku!

No, not exactly the same.

Aizen's mind raced in a split second.
The Hogyoku is a passive form of guiding and fulfilling the desires of the "hearts" that exist around it.

This force... is more like a proactive, creation from nothing, forcefully distorting the laws of the world with a tyrannical and unreasonable attitude!

An idea quietly surfaced in his mind, and the smile on his lips deepened—the kind of joy a chess player feels when they discover an unexpected and interesting piece with entirely new rules on the board.

'Heh~ Interesting, very interesting. Kisuke Urahara stopped because he respected the rules, but I move forward because I want to overturn them.'

Now, has a third person emerged, venturing into this field in their own way?

"Captain Aizen?"

Hinamori Momo's worried voice pulled him back from his reverie.

"Ah, sorry, I was a little distracted."

Aizen adjusted his glasses, his smile returning to its usual gentleness, and he gently patted Hinamori Momo's head.

"Captain Negi is probably conducting some dangerous experiment again. Don't worry about it."

You see, even in the realm of demons, if power is not properly controlled, it can cause such destruction. Therefore, a solid foundation is crucial.

He skillfully steered the conversation back to teaching, as if nothing had happened.

But only he knew that a completely new and uncertain variable had quietly appeared in his plans.

That's really interesting...

...On the other side, at the epicenter of the explosion, in the deepest underground secret laboratory of the Twelfth Division.

This place can no longer be called a laboratory; it is a complete ruin.

The twisted metal supports resembled the skeleton of a monster, the shattered glass culture tanks gleamed with a dying light, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of burning spiritual particles and pungent chemical odors. The once pure white space was now pitch black from the smoke.

"Lord Mayuri! Where are you? Lord Mayuri!!"

A cold and anxious voice rang out from the ruins.

Nie Yinmeng's petite figure moved through the thick smoke and dust, carefully avoiding the unstable debris underfoot while shouting loudly, searching for traces of her creator.

"Cough cough...Alright, Yinmeng, I'm fine, there's no need to make such a fuss."

Just then, a coughing sound came from behind a pile of collapsed control panels.

Immediately afterward, a figure staggered out of the smoke and dust; it was Mayuri Kurotsuchi. His oversized shihaka was ripped to shreds, and he looked utterly disheveled.

"Phew... I'm so glad you're alright..."

Seeing Mayuri Kurotsuchi's figure, Nemu Kurotsuchi's tense nerves finally relaxed, and she breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

She quickly stepped forward to help him up, but Mayuri Kurotsuchi raised her hand to stop her.

"It's not that I'm fine..."

"It should be said that this experiment was a complete failure."

Mayuri Kurotsuchi looked around at his masterpiece, which he had painstakingly built and was now a mess, and shook his head. However, his tone did not reveal much regret, but rather a hint of excitement.

He walked up to the huge petri dish wrecked into pieces, stretched out his finger, and picked up a little bit from a pool of viscous paste mixed with culture medium and flesh.

In this world, it seems that some crucial element is still missing in the attempt to create an artificial human that mimics or approaches the Third Law...

Is it because of differences in the world?
Or are there some other factors?
Thinking of this, Mayuri Kurotsuchi smiled.

That's why exploring the unknown is so... fascinating to him!

Failure, in science, is never meaningless; rather, it is a process of eliminating a wrong answer.

Every failure means taking another step closer to the ultimate truth.

In the days that followed, Mayuri Kurotsuchi easily covered up the truth about the explosion by claiming that "an accident occurred during a new type of lethal Kido experiment."

The First Division sent someone to give him a token reprimand and fine him several months' salary, and that was the end of it.

One reason is that he was a repeat offender, and similar experimental accidents had occurred several times before.

The more important reason is that the attention of the entire Seireitei leadership is now focused on another, more troublesome, and more nerve-wracking matter.

Rukia Kuchiki, the eldest daughter of the Kuchiki family, one of the four noble families, transferred her Shinigami powers to an ordinary human in the modern world without authorization.

This matter is considered an unforgivable crime in Soul Society, as it directly violates the core laws that maintain the stability of Soul Society.

Even Rukia Kuchiki, with her noble status, could not escape it.

The Central 46 quickly issued its final verdict—to strip him of all his powers and sentence him to death.

The execution was scheduled for one month later.

For a time, undercurrents surged throughout the entire Seireitei.

Meanwhile, Mayuri Kurotsuchi began to think about what would happen next. According to his understanding of the future, Kisuke Urahara had hidden the Hogyoku inside Rukia's body.

Aizen will then take this opportunity to betray his allies, seize the Hogyoku, and head to Hueco Mundo.

This might be a good opportunity...

However, to his surprise, before he could even make a plan, Aizen actually approached him...

(End of this chapter)