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Chapter 334, Section 331: The Complete Hogyoku

"Matsushita-kun, please wait a moment."

"Is there anything else, Aizen-sensei?"

Aizen suddenly stopped Matsushita Yusuke, who turned around and saw Aizen holding two Hogyoku in his hands, looking thoughtful.

His expression clearly showed some hesitation, as if he was constantly thinking and considering, "I—I plan to try fusing the two Hogyoku right here."

Matsushita Yusuke was slightly surprised to hear this.

He hesitated for a moment, then spoke softly.

"So urgent?"

Having spent so much time together, Matsushita Yusuke understood Aizen's mindset all too well—for him, what he had been pursuing for so long was like a white moonlight.

As the saying goes, the more you suppress something, the more exaggerated the rebound will be later.

This was the case for Aizen Sousuke at that moment.

He has paid a heavy price to obtain the power of the Hogyoku—which is why he loudly proclaims his success to everyone in the main story with such ostentation.

It's incredibly difficult for someone who suddenly becomes rich to maintain the mindset of "not flaunting their wealth."

Even Indigo dyeing is no exception.

Therefore, in Matsushita Yusuke's view, Aizen will most likely study it carefully and then wait to choose an auspicious day to complete the fusion process of this thing in front of everyone.

But Aizen's response at this moment was somewhat unexpected for Matsushita Yusuke.

Looking at the expressions on his subordinates' faces, Aizen chuckled softly, his tone carrying a subtle sense of relief.

"To be honest—I didn't think I would say something like that before."

The reason is also very simple.

"After all, it's a long-cherished wish—"

He lowered his gaze, looking at the two sides of his hands, each holding an object, his pupils reflecting both感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion) and 微味的悲伤 (wēiwèi, a subtle sadness).

"I thought I would go through countless hardships and finally get my hands on these things I had dreamed of. But now it seems that it was just wishful thinking on my part."

"Um—Aizen-sensei, I—"

"This is not Matsushita-kun's fault."

He seemed to be able to guess what Matsushita Yusuke was thinking, and immediately looked up at him with a smile.

"I don't blame you for choosing the wrong time to deliver the Hogyoku to me—that's essentially a way of taking your anger out on me, and it's too low-class."

in addition----

"Holding that kind of mindset made me overly focused on the formalities. As long as the goal is achieved—why would I get hung up on the process?"

It's like a child who can't help but throw a tantrum when things don't go their way.

While it may be cute for a child, such immature behavior is truly embarrassing for an adult.

They should feel ashamed.

Aizen is not lacking in self-reflection in this regard.

Therefore.

Aizen's reflections were only directed at other matters.

"I just feel that—in the past, my perspective was too narrow. It was like I was only focused on what was right in front of me."

They're like local tyrants, excessively preoccupied with gains and losses.

They placed all their vision and understanding on a scale for measurement.

But they never considered the other implications.

Aizen pursed his lips, pondered for a moment, and then smiled as he spoke.

"That idea is exactly the same as that of that girl, Rinka—indeed, only by constantly reflecting and summarizing can one find room for improvement."

He let out a soft breath; his eyes behind his glasses still shone with a gentle light, but the thoughtfulness within them had noticeably diminished.

Instead, a more steadfast meaning emerged.

"Matsushita-kun, I must express my gratitude to you."

Aizen's tone was firm and resolute.

It was as if this was not only being said to the person involved, but also emphasizing a certain fact, spoken in an unquestionable tone.

"Because of your help, I achieved my dream. And because of your help, I discovered my own shortcomings —"

He lowered his head slightly and sighed softly.

"I am truly grateful to have you as a friend. Thank you, Matsushita-kun."

Hearing Aizen speak so solemnly, Matsushita Yusuke's mouth was slightly open, and he couldn't think of a complete sentence for a long time.

After all, he usually spoke to Aizen in a very casual manner, but this time he suddenly became so serious—which made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

After unusually pausing for several seconds to think, Matsushita Yusuke finally spoke with an embarrassed smile.

"No—it's what I should do."

I don't want to put others in a difficult position.

Aizen didn't delve any further into the topic.

He simply nodded slightly, then turned his gaze back to what was in his palm.

As I just said.

Aizen doesn't think other people's opinions are that important now.

After all, this feeling of "getting a good laugh" is itself a way to satisfy one's own selfish desires.

And now, he believes he has reached a much higher level—regarding all these external influences, Aizen also...

They believe they don't need to think about things in any meaningful way.

To have one true friend in life is enough.

"It's a bit of a shame that Tosen isn't here—but he really isn't interested in this either, so let's just leave it at that."

With a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, mixed feelings), Matsushita Yusuke stood still and watched Aizen dismantle the outer shells of the two Hogyoku one by one.

Kisuke Urahara's Hōgyoku had already undergone special treatment, and now that it has been taken out again, both Hōgyoku radiate the same brilliance.

Matsushita Yusuke saw this and his expression showed a hint of surprise.

"They're the same?!"

It's worth noting that the two Hogyoku were created using different techniques, yet the final result was similar to "different paths leading to the same destination," which is quite remarkable and even evokes other thoughts.

So, in the end, is this also a manifestation of the power of the Spirit King?

Yusuke Matsushita had no idea.

Because he saw Aizen take out both Hogyoku, put them together, and bring them close to his body.

Then—the light began to appear, flickering and shining.

Inside the room, a soft, gentle light, like that of a small nightlight, illuminated the space.

And this light was only fleeting, lasting for a moment.

Because soon, the light began to recede inward, it gathered inward, until finally it turned into a light that was close to azure.

Like a reflection in the ocean, the light in the entire room was rendered with a faint outline, revealing a very different background color at this moment.

At this moment, Aizen and Matsushita Yusuke both focused their gazes on the center of his hands.

The two lights merged into one.

Then, a perfectly round object silently appeared.

Aizen held the complete Hogyoku in his hand, swirling it around like a tiny celestial body in a miniature landscape.

Although we saw a close-up of the Hogyoku in the original work, witnessing it firsthand is a completely different experience.

"I can't sense any obvious spiritual energy—"

But this is not a reason to underestimate it; in fact, Yusuke Matsushita could sense another, even more powerful force.

"廓".

It is not spiritual pressure, but a sense of presence that is close to the state of the soul.

The Hogyoku has clearly reached a completely different level. To be frank, if this thing were given to Kisuke Urahara, he might create something even more extraordinary.

But this was something that had already been agreed upon, and Kisuke Urahara fully agreed, so there was no objection to it.

This result is exactly what everyone expected.

So————

What kind of achievements could Aizen in this timeline accomplish through the Hogyoku?

As we know from the original work, after the Hogyoku was absorbed by Aizen, it followed the plan he gave him, constantly raising his life level, allowing Aizen to break through his limits.

However, due to Ichigo Kurosaki's intervention, Aizen's evolutionary process clearly showed signs of interruption and change.

Although it's unclear whether the process itself will affect the outcome, for Aizen, if he could ignore this part of the setback, his improvement would definitely be greater.

Of course, there's no reason for the two to fight on this timeline.

So it's okay to have some expectations.

As he pondered this, Matsushita Yusuke watched as the light of the Hogyoku slowly receded, while Aizen grasped it in his hand and then closed his eyes.

Although it may sound a bit out of place.

But in terms of physical sensation, Aizen is like someone making a wish on their birthday—giving people a subtle and indescribable feeling.

In short, you can't laugh!

While he was silently sighing, Aizen, who was not far away, slowly opened his eyes.

The Hogyoku that he had been holding in his palm was now floating and rolling, slowly moving towards Aizen's chest.

Clothing disintegrated, skin and flesh separated.

Although it looks somewhat eerie, there is no sign of bloodshed during the process, and it even has an indescribable sense of sacredness.

Only when the Hogyoku was completely embedded in Aizen's chest did the light that filled the entire room silently dissipate.

Having witnessed the entire process, Matsushita Yusuke tried asking.

"How are you feeling, Aizen-sensei?"

'

The latter did not respond immediately, but lowered his gaze thoughtfully, and after observing for a while, slowly raised his head and spoke.

"To be honest—I haven't noticed any changes?"

He raised his hand and examined it for a while, then released some spiritual pressure and tried to sculpt a miniature version of the Kido.

These are things that I have used or am currently researching when I talk to Yusuke Matsushita.

Both sides were well aware of these things, and that's why—Matsushita Yuu couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly at this moment.

It seems that's really the case.

"————?"

Doesn't the effect of the Hogyoku appear so quickly?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when, in the next instant, Matsushita Yusuke seemed to realize something—and nodded slightly.

It turned out to be the case.

It's worth noting that in the original work, after Aizen fused with the Hogyoku, he also retired to Hueco Mundo and didn't appear for quite some time.

After all, the main perspective of the plot is focused on Ichigo Kurosaki's side, and Ichigo's movements are the main focus.

During these months, there was no description of Aizen's process of integration, assimilation, and transformation—of course, from the outside perspective, it was more of a development and integration of Hueco Mundo.

Although the Ten Espada had already taken shape some time ago, it was only recently that the final version was finalized.

Having figured out the ins and outs, Matsushita Yusuke couldn't help but let out a self-deprecating smile.

These are very basic things, but because my thinking was too simplistic, I accidentally overlooked them all—perhaps this is what is called "concern leads to confusion"?

Aizen looked at him at that moment.

"Matsushita-kun, it seems the effects of the Hogyoku won't be immediately apparent."

"Hmm—it should be just as Aizen-sensei said. There's no point in me staying any longer, so perhaps I should take my leave?"

The two sides exchanged a smile, seemingly having reached a consensus in some sense.

"Thank you very much, Matsushita-kun."

"You're welcome. This is something I promised Aizen-sensei a while ago."

in addition----

"I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation in the future."

They smiled knowingly and clasped hands together.

Then.

Time flies, and soon—half a month has passed.

But today.

Inside Kisuke Urahara's underground training room, shouts and calls could be heard.

Bang, bang—bang!!

Accompanied by the echoing sounds of metal clashing and tearing at each other, Yoruichi, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but sigh.

"That's amazing!"

Wearing a fisherman's hat, Kisuke Urahara, who was staring at the arena with great interest, turned his head slightly.

"Which one is Miss Yoruichi referring to?"

"Don't play dumb with me—who else but Ichigo? That guy's been improving way too fast lately."

As soon as he finished speaking...

A figure was suddenly thrown out of the formation, crawling along the ground and falling awkwardly in front of the two.

Upon closer inspection, it was Jiu Nanbai whose mask was slowly shattering, exiting the ethereal state.

She was dressed in a white Superman suit, with her hands raised high, as if she wanted to rush forward again.

As a result, Kisuke Urahara stopped him in his tracks with a single blow.

"Vice Captain Kunan, your mask has shattered."

"----Why?!"

This guy had a belatedly realizing expression on his face.

Although theoretically her intangibility could last the longest, this is under normal circumstances.

Once the fight begins, the fluctuations and changes in spiritual energy, as well as information about the injuries sustained by the individuals involved, are all essential considerations.

This is an aspect that needs to be considered.

Such premature exit from the virtual state is entirely reasonable.

"Why don't you go down and rest for a bit? I've prepared some tea for you, please enjoy."

"Then I won't be polite!"

As Kunan Shiro left the arena, Rokusha Kensei, who had been slumped over, took the opportunity to stand up.

He rubbed his hands together, as if to embolden himself, and roared angrily.

"Oh! It's my turn!"

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