"Sometimes, the answer to a question… requires another question."
As the seasoned "riddler" he was, Aizen kept his true thoughts hidden. He didn't state his conclusions outright.
Partly because he wasn't certain yet.
He could usually see through most people's thoughts and their hidden cards.
But Uehara Shiroha… was not one of them.
Even so, Aizen was confident.
As long as his plan advanced smoothly, there would be no problem.
Once he fully integrated with the Hōgyoku, everything—including Shiroha—would become clear.
At that same time, in the private office of the Captain-Commander of the Teigun, Shiroha's spiritual sense twitched.
His Observation Haki immediately picked up fluctuations in Reiatsu from the Human World.
He sensed Yammy, Grimmjow, and Luppi stepping out of a black Garganta, beginning their attack on Karakura Town.
Hitsugaya and the others were already prepared for battle.
In the Technology Development Bureau, the red alarms blared non-stop.
Sweaty technicians scrambled as alerts popped up on every screen.
They had detected the Espada invasion and lifted the Reiatsu restrictions on the vice-captains and captains.
The Shinigami were confused.
It wasn't yet time for the Hōgyoku to fully awaken.
Logically, Aizen should have been lying low.
But they still prepared for war without hesitation.
Every eye in the Seireitei was now focused on Karakura Town.
None of them realized that the invasion was just a smokescreen.
A cover for Aizen's true objective: kidnapping—or luring—Orihime Inoue.
She was set to leave Seireitei and return to Karakura Town that very day.
Over the past few days, Orihime had been staying in Soul Society.
She'd been helping Fourth Division treat the wounded and working on improving her abilities.
And now, Aizen had set his sights on her.
Shiroha's Observation Haki picked up another faint signature.
Ulquiorra.
He was hiding in the Garganta, waiting for his moment to act.
Shiroha understood him well.
Ulquiorra wasn't the strongest of the Espada, but his presence in the story was always overwhelming.
That two-stage Resurrección of his?
A masterpiece of menace.
In the decisive battle with Ichigo, Ulquiorra's Reiatsu had turned into rain. His entire body had gone pitch black, his form returning to something even more primal.
High above Las Noches, Ulquiorra had spread his bat-like wings, a demon descending from the void.
That was his true second-stage Resurrección—a form dripping with dread, pressure radiating from every fiber of his being.
But Shiroha knew something most didn't.
That wasn't a move unique to Ulquiorra.
Any Hollow, if their Reiatsu was strong enough and they honed themselves for long enough, could develop a final form like that.
In truth, the so-called two-stage Resurrección was similar to a Shinigami achieving a secondary form after Bankai.
Resurrección and Bankai were both sword releases.
Resurrección was the release of a Hollow's sealed power, returning to their origin.
Bankai, by contrast, was the Shinigami borrowing strength from the foreign soul residing in their Zanpakutō.
Both were parallel paths.
And the second stage of Resurrección?
It was akin to a Shinigami's ultimate move beyond Bankai.
For example, Yamamoto's Zanka no Tachi had four apocalyptic techniques representing the cardinal directions.
That was a "second-stage Bankai"—the final evolution of his sword release.
The absolute limit of what Shinigami and Arrancar could achieve through their weapons.
Beyond that lay only the realm of the Transcendent.
Where sword and man became one.
But for Shiroha, those "ultimate moves" were just routine.
His base level was a realm most Shinigami spent centuries to reach.
And yet, he hadn't found an opponent worth unveiling his second-stage Bankai for.
Not yet.
Shiroha was well acquainted with the loneliness of standing at the top.
Still, he was looking forward to seeing Ichigo grow.
And Aizen, once fully fused with the Hōgyoku.
Hopefully, by then, they'd be strong enough.
Because if the fight was over before he even finished warming up…
That would be boring.
Above Karakura Town, the Garganta opened.
Four Arrancar emerged—Yammy, Grimmjow, Luppi, and Wonderweiss.
Below, Hitsugaya Tōshirō, Madarame Ikkaku, and Ayasegawa Yumichika immediately looked up, their faces tense.
The last time Grimmjow had invaded, they'd learned firsthand how dangerous the Arrancar were.
Even their subordinates had put up fierce fights.
And these were Espada.
Now, Karakura Town wasn't just any battlefield.
It held the lives of hundreds of thousands of people… and the safety of the Soul King itself.
They couldn't afford to be careless.
They'd been stationed here to guard it, and they were ready.
At that moment, Hitsugaya suddenly felt the Kidō seal on his Reiatsu lift.
His eyes narrowed as he gripped Hyōrinmaru with both hands, prepared for combat.
The fact that the Technology Development Bureau had responded so quickly meant one thing.
This enemy wasn't ordinary.
They were facing the Espada directly.
In the sky above, Yammy grinned as he looked down at the gathered Shinigami.
"Well, what luck! Ran into some high-Reiatsu types right away!"
Last time, he'd been humiliated.
After losing his arm, he'd taken that failure personally.
Since then, he'd been training his sensory abilities.
He never wanted to be caught off guard again—not knowing his arm had been sliced off had stung his pride almost as much as the wound itself.
Even though he knew full well that Shiroha's strike wasn't something detection skills could do anything about.
Ulquiorra had some of the sharpest sensory abilities among them and he'd still gotten hit.
But Yammy couldn't accept that.
So he kept training.
Off to the side, Luppi Antenor—the newly promoted Sexta Espada—curled his lip.
"So these are the famous Shinigami reinforcements Sexta Espada Grimmjow mentioned?"
He gave them a once-over and snorted.
"They don't look like much."
Then, with a mocking smile, he turned toward Grimmjow.
"Oops! My mistake. Former Sexta Espada."
Luppi was a textbook case of a villain on a power trip.
But his arrogance didn't faze Grimmjow in the slightest.
"There's no one here I give a damn about," Grimmjow said flatly.
Without another word, he turned and flew off.
Even without his right arm and with his power cut significantly, he didn't take Luppi seriously.
To him, Luppi was just a temporary stand-in. Trash.
Grimmjow only cared about one opponent.
Ichigo.
Their fight wasn't over.
"Hey! You little bastard—get back here!" Yammy bellowed, annoyed by Grimmjow's move.
In the world of Arrancar, strength ruled.
And technically, Grimmjow wasn't even part of the Espada anymore.
He should've been following orders.
And Yammy?
On the surface, he was Number Ten.
But in truth, he was Number Zero.
The "Angry Beast."
When he released his Resurrección, his power increased exponentially.
He believed himself to be the strongest Espada—by far.
In his mind, everyone else should be following his orders.
Even if Grimmjow was still the Sixth Espada (which he wasn't), Yammy believed he should listen to him.
But now Yammy was realizing something.
This group?
Not easy to lead.
He sighed, thinking bitterly to himself.
This is why Espada teamwork is a damn joke.
"Anyway, he's not an Espada anymore. He can't do anything."
Luppi sneered, watching Grimmjow disappear into the distance.
"Let him go. If he dies out there, all the better. My position will be secure."
He clearly hoped Grimmjow wouldn't be coming back.
As far as Luppi was concerned, the less competition, the better.
Yammy turned his attention to another member of their group.
"Wonderweiss, right?"
He glanced at the blank-faced, yellow-haired Arrancar.
Anyone connected to the former Sexta Espada was worth keeping an eye on.
But Yammy pinned his last hope on Wonderweiss Margela, who had undergone double enhacement by the Hōgyoku.
He was curious about this one.
Wonderweiss was unique—the only Arrancar who had been enhanced twice.
Maybe he had some hidden skills.
But as Yammy watched, Wonderweiss simply stared off into space, entranced by some butterflies fluttering by.
He muttered nonsense to himself, completely detached from the situation.
"Tch. Another freak," Yammy muttered, his lip curling in disdain.
"Forget it. I'll do it myself."
It wasn't like Yammy was the most reliable guy to begin with.
But his so-called subordinates? They were even worse.
He didn't expect them to handle anything important anyway.
Still, Luppi couldn't resist taking another jab.
"You say that, but last time you got your ass handed to you."
The newly promoted Sixth Espada was feeling bold.
In his mind, Yammy—ranked tenth—was beneath him.
So he didn't hold back.
"I saw it with my own eyes. Your arm got sliced clean off. Even your Cero was smacked away like nothing."
He smirked, cocky as ever.
"You better be careful. Don't let that arm you worked so hard to regrow get chopped off again."
Thanks to Ulquiorra's reports, Luppi had watched recordings of Yammy's fight with Ichigo and Urahara.
In his opinion, neither of those Shinigami was particularly impressive.
And yet, Yammy and Ulquiorra both lost their arms to them.
Pathetic.
And as for Shiroha…
That guy was supposed to be something special?
In Luppi's mind, Yammy and Ulquiorra had gotten away without a scratch.
It couldn't have been that bad.
But Yammy knew better.
His gaze sharpened as he glared at Luppi.
"Don't worry," Yammy growled.
"I'm not letting those two walk away this time. I'll kill them both."
He spoke with confidence…
But deep down, he knew the only reason he could say that was because Shiroha wasn't here.
The other Espada had no idea how terrifying that man really was.
Aizen had ordered them to seal any information related to Uehara Shiroha.
As a result, most of them didn't even understand the threat.
But Yammy had felt it.
That helplessness. That crushing power.
Even though he hadn't gone all out during their fight…
He couldn't think of any way to break through Shiroha's abilities.
And that gnawed at him.
He was wary of Shiroha.
Even with his ultimate trump card, he still wasn't confident.
And in Yammy's mind, only the weak felt fear.
That made him furious.
Unwilling.
Frustrated.
And the only way he knew how to deal with that…
Was to vent it on the nearest Shinigami.
With a massive burst of Reiatsu, Yammy launched himself at Hitsugaya and the others.
"Really impatient, huh…"
Luppi sighed and followed after him, shrugging as he went.
As the only captain present, Hitsugaya didn't hesitate.
He took the lead, Hyōrinmaru in both hands, and intercepted Yammy head-on.
The instant their weapons clashed, Hitsugaya felt the pressure.
Yammy's power and Reiatsu were monstrous.
After exchanging a few blows, Hitsugaya confirmed it.
These were Espada—true Arrancar elites.
And this fight wouldn't be easy.
No matter how much information they had, the strength difference was obvious.
Hitsugaya, Ikkaku, and Yumichika were struggling.
They were simply outmatched.
Fortunately, backup arrived in time.
Urahara Kisuke.
The Espada didn't know what hit them.
Urahara dropped in, cheerful as always, and turned the battle on its head.
When the Arrancar started using Bala—the Hollow Bullet technique—Urahara was already prepared.
Bala was faster than Cero—twenty times faster, in fact—but weaker in terms of power.
If a captain was caught off guard, it could still be deadly.
But Urahara wasn't just any captain.
He was "Karakura's Batman."
With a grin under his bucket hat, he pulled out a lifelike artificial body and used it to toy with the Arrancar like it was nothing.
Meanwhile, in the underground base, Ichigo was feeling restless.
He could sense Grimmjow's Reiatsu above Karakura Town.
And he couldn't sit still anymore.
The Visored didn't agree with him joining the fight.
His hollowfication was still unstable and too short-lived.
Jumping into battle now was a bad idea.
Even they understood the Espada's power.
Ichigo wasn't ready.
But Ichigo insisted.
He was worried about his friends.
He couldn't just sit and watch.
Hirako Shinji sighed but eventually gave in.
Ichigo's determination was unshakable.
When Ichigo finally found Grimmjow, he was shocked.
Grimmjow's arm was missing.
They clashed immediately.
Ichigo managed to injure Grimmjow while in his hollowfied state.
With Grimmjow weakened, it was a one-sided fight.
But Ichigo was too polite.
Too soft.
Grimmjow, curious about Ichigo's new form, kept asking questions.
And like a good student answering his teacher, Ichigo replied.
By the time they finished their "lesson," Ichigo's hollowfication had run out.
And then… Grimmjow counterattacked.
Still, it wasn't as bad as last time.
Shiroha had been watching and was… moderately impressed.
In the original timeline, Ichigo had gotten stomped once his mask broke.
But this time?
Not so ugly.
Grimmjow had taken more damage too.
That was the scary thing about Ichigo.
The more he fought, the stronger he became.
Every battle, especially against powerful opponents, pushed him to grow.
Last time, he got beaten to a pulp.
But it hadn't been for nothing.
His mindset had improved too.
At least a little.
Shiroha figured Ichigo had listened to him somewhat.
But only somewhat.
The kid was stubborn.
Unless you put a blade to his neck, he didn't resist.
And even then, that blade probably had to be pointed at his friends instead.
That was Ichigo.
The charm of a protagonist… and his greatest flaw.
As expected, the battle ended with Shinji stepping in.
He rescued Ichigo and, with his own hollowfication, took down the already-injured Grimmjow with ease.
But just as things settled down, the Garganta tore open again.
Ulquiorra appeared, calm and composed.
"The mission's over," he said quietly to Grimmjow and the others.
"Time to go back."
As soon as he spoke, a golden beam of light fell from above.
The Negación barrier—optimized by Aizen—engulfed the Arrancar.
Their bodies slowly lifted into the Garganta, returning to Hueco Mundo.
For now, the Shinigami had won.
A temporary victory.
But Urahara didn't relax.
Something was off.
He couldn't shake the feeling he'd missed something.
That they'd made a mistake somewhere.
When he returned to the Urahara Shōten, he sat in his private room, deep in thought.
Tessai took the kids to the underground base for training, leaving Urahara with silence.
Under the brim of his striped bucket hat, his eyes grew dark.
Why did the attack come early?
It was rushed. Sloppy. It made no sense.
Aizen wasn't someone who made reckless moves.
Everything he did was calculated.
So why now?
Why this?
"This doesn't add up," Urahara muttered.
"There's gotta be something else."
His instincts screamed it.
There was a trick here.
Something they were missing.
"There must be a trick…"
"You're right," said a familiar voice.
Urahara's head snapped up.
At some point—without him realizing—Uehara Shiroha was standing right in front of him.
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Marvel : The God Of Punishment System
I Am Raditz
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