Chapter 7: Mo Yu Reveals a Wicked Smile
Within the hidden base in the Soul Society, Aizen witnessed the entirety of Ichigo Kurosaki's class change through the Reishi screen. His expression remained that of a gentle and generous man, making it impossible to discern his true thoughts, but a ripple surfaced in those deep, unfathomable eyes.
That ripple contained an irrepressible joy, but also a cold, calculated vigilance.
If one had to select a person to represent the word "diligent" in the long history of the Soul Society, if Aizen claimed second place, no one would dare claim first.
Though Aizen possessed breathtaking talent, turning it into true strength required a massive amount of time and refinement. More troublesome was that in the Soul Society, the definition of "power" was never limited to mere strength. Even Captain-Commander Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, who once dominated an era and possessed the power to destroy the Soul Society, had to retract his claws and submit to the order established by the Noble Families.
Aizen was clever. He had seen through this long ago. Arrogant as he was, he was unwilling to be a "dog" like the Captain-Commander—possessing peerless power yet forced to submit. To that end, he embarked on an arduous path.
While other Soul Reapers rested, Aizen hid away to cultivate frantically. While others played, Aizen gathered intelligence, peeling back the mists of history locked away by the Nobles to extract wisdom from ancient truths. By the time other Soul Reapers began their training, Aizen had already picked up books, consuming esoteric technical papers to become a scientist from scratch.
By day, he worked in the Gotei 13—though usually, he used a puppet created by Kyoka Suigetsu to stand in. Being cautious, he still returned periodically to perform his role as the "warm, thoughtful man" for everyone he encountered. By night, Aizen's life was rich enough to leave one speechless.
He infiltrated noble archives to collect lost data, gathered research funds, built secret bases in hidden lands, and pondered which research projects to advance. He managed all this while cultivating, learning, manipulating pawns, and making excursions to Hueco Mundo to bring the Hollow heroes under his banner for his secret unification.
Unlike a traditional villain who sits in the deepest part of a castle waiting for a hero, Aizen never wasted a second. Every minute was transformed into fuel for his growth. In Aizen's schedule, the concept of "rest" simply did not exist.
This resume was a superhuman feat in itself.
With this foundation, Aizen had polished his wisdom, power, will, and character to the very limit of what a Soul Reaper could achieve.
But was that enough? The answer was cruel: Not even close.
Perhaps it was a mockery of fate, but despite his talent, Aizen was not a natural "outlier." Even at the limit of a Soul Reaper, the combat power of Captain-Commander Yamamoto remained a terrifying wall. Moreover, within the noble order and the ancient mists of the Soul Society, there existed many unspeakable powers.
Ultimately, Aizen looked to the heavens. He hungered to break the boundaries that bound him and surpass his own limits. Only by transcending the old could he obtain true power and realize his ambitions.
He made countless attempts and experiments. Unfortunately, the results were mostly mediocre—not without progress, but always far from final success.
Thus, over a decade ago, when Aizen witnessed the birth of Ichigo Kurosaki and confirmed the potential within him, he felt a joy he hadn't experienced in years.
Ichigo was born with the possibility of breaking boundaries—a unique specimen. Aizen didn't need to do much; he only needed to watch and give a push at the right time. By forcing Ichigo to advance, the boy would naturally reveal how to walk the path that transcends all.
This was why Aizen felt such ecstasy seeing Ichigo finally release his potential and step onto the supernatural path.
The cold vigilance came from the same source. Ichigo's "falling from the sky" entrance signaled that unknown factors were interfering without Aizen's knowledge.
Countless thoughts rose and fell, but Aizen remained silent. He watched the Reishi screen as Rukia endured her injuries to negotiate with the interloper, Uryu Ishida, before carrying the unconscious Ichigo away.
Suddenly, Aizen's finger flicked. The screen instantly locked onto a corner of the frame and zoomed in rapidly.
In the shadows of a distant street, a man wearing a bucket hat with a watermelon pattern and holding a cane watched the scene with interest.
A dark light flashed in Aizen's eyes. He muttered to himself: "Kisuke Urahara... so it was your doing? Perfect. I've been looking for you for a long time."
Because his perspective was limited, Mo Yu didn't know that a bystander was now being targeted by a mastermind. He was focused on his next move.
Ichigo had awakened. The next plot points—leveling up and gathering teammates—were relatively stable. Since Uryu Ishida had made contact early, it would save a lot of time. Before Aizen arranged the main quest, Ichigo's schedule was open; he was free for "filming."
Although Ichigo hadn't formally accepted the invitation, it didn't matter. Ichigo was a good kid. Once he confirmed the truth of the spoilers, he would eventually agree in order to protect everyone. But a good production needs more than just a lead. For the first episode, Mo Yu needed three people: the protagonist (Security Guard), the villain (Corrupt Politician), and a lovely male student whose "virtue" was targeted by said politician.
The first two weren't an issue. As for the last one, Mo Yu had planned to find a random passerby, but now he had a better idea.
Though Uryu Ishida's role in the early anime was somewhat lacking, he was quite good-looking—a "cool and aloof" type of handsome guy. His decision to mess up the plot by interfering early was proof that he was "fated" to cross paths with Mo Yu. It was his destiny to debut.
Mo Yu needed to think about how to recruit Uryu, but there was no rush. Ichigo was still unconscious.
The time flow between the material world and the Bleach World Bubble was synchronized, and Mo Yu didn't feel like waiting. He gripped the mouse and nudged it; as he wished, the progress bar appeared at the bottom of the player.
He didn't want to rewind; he wanted to fast-forward. However, he found that his Divine Authority was more restricted here than with time reversal. The fast-forward options were only 1.25x to 4x. Mo Yu pursed his lips and clicked 4x. Instantly, the images in the player began to move at quadruple speed.
Notably, Ichigo did not receive an exemption from the fast-forward this time; he moved at 4x speed along with everyone else.
Even so, Mo Yu kept his eyes glued to the screen. He knew an interesting scene was about to occur.
Sure enough, after Rukia brought Ichigo home and was wondering what to do next, she saw a man in a green-and-white striped hat and a cane walking toward her:
"My, my, if it isn't the little lady of the Kuchiki family. What a coincidence. You don't look so good. It just so happens I might be able to offer some help!"
Seeing this man, Rukia's expression turned grave. She had to be cautious of Kisuke Urahara, the former Captain of the 12th Division, now a high-profile criminal wanted by the Soul Society.
After a brief exchange, Rukia followed him. It wasn't because she trusted him, but because she currently had no power to resist.
Just like in the original plot, that backstab had caused Rukia to lose her Soul Reaper powers.
Mo Yu simply watched without interfering, as this part of the story was vital. Urahara would provide Rukia with shelter and medical care, allowing her to stay in the World of the Living. But more importantly, he would use the chance to seal the most important treasure of the early series—the Hogyoku—inside her body.
The Hogyoku, developed by Urahara, was said to have the power to manifest the subconscious desires of those around it. In a sense, it was a "wish-granting" authority, and Mo Yu was naturally very interested.
When Ichigo finally woke up, he found himself in his own bed. Rukia was gone. He felt his chest and found no trace of a blade wound. He froze, wondering if everything had been a dream.
"It wasn't a dream. And don't bother asking where Rukia went. she was tricked by a super old fox and taken for an 'organic modification' surgery. If nothing goes wrong, you'll see a mysterious and beautiful transfer student at school tomorrow."
Ichigo was now used to Mo Yu's spoilers. He didn't ask further questions, but sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at his palms.
Strands of Reishi light flowed through his hands. With a thought, he could change its shape—into a bow or a dagger. Without study, the knowledge seeped from his blood, becoming as natural as breathing. This was the Quincy inheritance.
Experiencing this for the first time, Ichigo was dazed.
Mo Yu had no time to focus on him. The screen was split into multiple views: one locked on Ichigo, the other following Rukia.
Urahara had begun "treating" Rukia. As expected, after putting her into a deep sleep, he started his tricks, pulling out the Hogyoku and sealing it within her soul.
When Mo Yu watched the original series, he found this move confusing. If you want to hide the Hogyoku, why put it in Rukia? Did Urahara know she was the heroine and wanted to give her more screen time?
But seeing it in person revealed the reason. Rukia's transfer of power to Ichigo wasn't without cost. Spiritual power comes from the soul; giving it away means tearing the soul. It's an irreversible injury that leads to a shortened lifespan or sudden death. Urahara sealed the Hogyoku in her body to support her crumbling soul, giving it a chance to slowly heal itself.
Of course, Urahara's move was also full of hidden calculations, but that didn't matter to Mo Yu. He just used the chance to observe the Hogyoku.
It was a gem flashing with blue-black light, sealed in a high-density Reishi crystal. The light pulsed like a heartbeat, giving it an eerie, "living" feeling.
Using the Omniscience of his Divine Authority, Mo Yu peered into its secrets. After a moment, he understood.
The Hogyoku was essentially high-density matter woven from Reishi and soul information. But that wasn't the key. Deep within the core of that shimmering light lay the true source of its power.
It was a fragment hovering between illusion and reality. Though tiny, it radiated an awe-inspiring holiness and profound majesty.
This was one of the fragments of the Creator, the Soul King, scattered to the world after he was dismembered.
Mo Yu wasn't surprised. A treasure with such power was bound to be linked to the Soul King. Still, he marveled at Urahara's audacity for using the remains of the Creator as research material. If this were exposed, Yhwach, the Five Great Nobles, and the "Monk" of the Zero Division would all scramble to kill him.
Then again, it made sense. In the original plot, Urahara had long ago discovered the truth. He had lost his reverence for the "Soul King" who had been turned into a "Linchpin." His research wasn't malicious; once the "Linchpin" was lost, the worlds would collapse. Urahara was trying to create a substitute to prevent that apocalypse.
Urahara's foresight was correct, but that was a story for another day. As Mo Yu observed, he found something even more interesting: the holy majesty of the Soul King fragment was just the result of high-level power operating mechanically and instinctively.
To put it simply: the "God" of the Bleach world, the Soul King, was truly just a "tool" birthed by the world's will. He possessed a spiritual nature and a tendency toward chaos, but lacked a personality or true sapience.
Realizing this, Mo Yu took action.
The cursor slid across the screen. The invisible hand of God quietly covered the Hogyoku and seeped inside.
In the next instant, the blue-black light of the Hogyoku began to take on a faint, majestic white-gold hue. Urahara didn't notice, as he had already finished sealing it into Rukia.
As the seal was completed, Urahara's expression was troubled.
When he first created the Hogyoku, he found that even as a half-finished product, it could break the boundary between Hollows and Soul Reapers. As a scientist, he was excited; as a Soul Reaper, his first instinct was that its existence must never be known, or it would ruin the Soul Society.
It wasn't paranoia. He knew how corrupt the Noble rulers were. If they knew of such a treasure, they would seize it and abuse it. He was proven right when he discovered someone using a similar treasure for secret experiments, framing Captain Shinji Hirako.
Worse, if he exposed it, he wouldn't be able to clear his own name. The Hogyoku would fall into the hands of those with ill intent. Thus, he saved the victims, took the Hogyoku, and fled to the World of the Living.
Decades passed. Urahara's secret investigations led him to the traces of a mastermind, but he also realized that the mastermind was looking for him—or more accurately, the Hogyoku. It was a game of cat and mouse played in the dark for years.
Sealing the Hogyoku in Rukia was a gamble to lure the snake out of its hole. It was a risky move, but a necessary one to achieve victory.
Urahara looked at Rukia with a trace of apology. In this gamble, Rukia was the unfortunate one, dragged into the stakes without knowing a thing. Just as Urahara was wondering how to compensate her, the unconscious Rukia suddenly jumped up.
She executed a one-handed 720-degree Thomas Flare, followed by a triple backflip and a Sidewinder maneuver, before finishing with a Shoryuken-into-Whirlwind-Kick combo. Only then did she slowly fall back onto the bed.
During the entire process, Rukia's eyes remained shut in a deep sleep. Urahara watched, slack-jawed, scratching his head. He didn't know if Rukia was a natural sleepwalker or if being the vessel for the Hogyoku had caused some bizarre side effect.
Outside the screen, Mo Yu, the culprit, slowly revealed a wicked smile.
End of Chapter
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