A stunned silence fell over the top of Las Noches. Everyone stared at Amamiya Miyako, utterly bewildered by what they had just witnessed. The Cuatro Espada had not been slain, but seemingly… absorbed.
"Miyako… what did you just do?" Ichigo Kurosaki asked, his voice a mixture of shock and confusion.
"Amamiya," Byakuya Kuchiki's voice was low and stern, carrying the weight of centuries of law. "You absorbed a Hollow into your body. Are you attempting to force Shinigami Hollowfication? This is a severe transgression against the Soul Society's edicts."
"Oh ho?" Mayuri Kurotsuchi interjected, his scientific curiosity overpowering any sense of outrage. "Now this is fascinating. The physiological mechanics of a Shinigami absorbing a Hollow… I'm quite curious. Before Central 46 throws you in the Maggot's Nest, why not let me run a few tests?"
"This was not my will," Miyako stated calmly, his expression unreadable. It was a half-truth. "It was the will of the Hōgyoku."
The word landed like a physical blow.
"The Hōgyoku?!" Mayuri squawked, his eyes widening behind his face paint.
"Explain yourself. Now," Byakuya commanded, his hand resting on the hilt of Senbonzakura.
"Miyako-kun…" Orihime Inoue whispered, a memory surfacing. "Did you… take Aizen's Hōgyoku?" She recalled his pointed questions about its location.
"Is that true?" Byakuya's gaze intensified.
Miyako shook his head. The mention of the legendary orb had instantly shifted everyone's focus away from Ulquiorra's fate. "The Hōgyoku I speak of is not one of the two in Aizen's possession. It is the one Kisuke Urahara originally hid within Rukia Kuchiki… which I subsequently removed."
"Urahara's Hōgyoku?!" Mayuri's voice was a sharp screech. "He swore he had secured it! Explain this discrepancy!"
"Because after I extracted it from Rukia," Miyako continued, his tone even, "it has resided within me."
The admission hung in the air, met with a spectrum of stunned expressions.
"Impossible!" Mayuri countered, jabbing a finger at Miyako. "If you carried the Hōgyoku, Aizen would have sensed it immediately! You've been in close proximity to him on multiple occasions. Aizen's spiritual perception is unparalleled; he would not miss the aura of the very object he covets most!"
"Your explanation, Amamiya," Byakuya repeated, his patience thinning.
Miyako then recounted the same story he had given Kisuke Urahara—a tale of audacious risk and a unique Zanpakuto ability that could mask the orb's presence. The sheer brazenness of carrying the enemy's ultimate goal right into their stronghold left his listeners reeling.
As for why he was revealing this now, Miyako had already calculated that the secret of the Hōgyoku could not survive this battle. This confession served as the perfect smokescreen, obscuring his true motive: to use Ulquiorra's essence as a catalyst for controlled Hollowfication.
"Urahara's Hōgyoku was created using Hollows as a base. It is still an imperfect creation, and it retains a powerful craving for Hollow spiritual energy," Miyako elaborated. "Its desire for Ulquiorra's power was far greater than I anticipated. If I had not acquiesced, the Hōgyoku would have radiated its aura uncontrollably, and my Zanpakuto's power to conceal it would have failed. If I truly sought forbidden Hollowfication, would I not be showing symptoms by now? I stand before you, unchanged."
The others knew too little about the Hōgyoku's true nature to fully refute his claims, leaving them in a state of uncertain suspicion.
"Preposterous!" Mayuri spat. "You speak of the Hōgyoku as if it possesses its own consciousness! My data does not support such a conclusion!" Yet, his knowledge was incomplete, and he couldn't definitively prove Miyako was lying.
"What is the Hōgyoku's current status?" Byakuya asked, cutting to the practical matter.
"After absorbing Ulquiorra's energy, it has calmed. My Zanpakuto can once again conceal it effectively," Miyako reported.
"So that's why Urahara was so insistent we protect you," Mayuri mused, connecting the dots. "He feared your death would deliver the orb to Aizen. No, wait… if that were his only concern, he would never have allowed you to come to Hueco Mundo! And these other passages you mentioned… and your Quincy-like abilities… Amamiya Miyako, what other secrets are you hiding?"
"You jest, Captain Kurotsuchi," Miyako deflected smoothly. "That power is simply an aspect of my Bankai. Any resemblance to Quincy techniques is purely coincidental."
The truth was far more complex. Urahara didn't know about the Wandenreich's hidden key, nor did he know that Gin Ichimaru held the only method to kill Aizen. Miyako couldn't reveal these things; the source of his foreknowledge was a secret he had to keep.
"Amamiya," Byakuya interjected, his tone pragmatic. "If the Hōgyoku is truly within you, then your priority should be to put as much distance between yourself and Aizen as possible, not to rush to the front lines in the Human World." The risk of Aizen acquiring the completed orb was too great.
"Do not worry, Captain Kuchiki. I have my means of survival. At worst, after I deliver my warning, I will remain at the rear," Miyako assured him.
Byakuya studied him for a long moment. "…Very well. You must ensure your own safety." He had made his decision.
With a nod of acknowledgment, Miyako flash-stepped away, heading for the location where he had first opened his personal passage to Hueco Mundo.
"Kuchiki! His identity is still unclear! Letting him go to the Human World like this is—" Mayuri began to protest.
"That is irrelevant at this juncture," Byakuya cut him off. "Amamiya personally stood against Aizen in the Soul Society. He and Aizen are already mortal enemies." He left unsaid the rest of his reasoning: as the man who had saved his sister Rukia, Byakuya was willing to extend a measure of trust. He could see the genuine care Miyako held for her.
"Tch. Don't come crying to me when this blows up in your face, Kuchiki," Mayuri grumbled, turning away.
"I don't get you guys," Ichigo said, scratching his head in frustration. "Miyako's always been on our side. Even when he says stuff that's hard to figure out, I trust him. I bet Rukia feels the same way."
"Me too!" Orihime chimed in brightly. "When Tatsuki and I were locked up, Miyako-kun was the first to find us and get help. If it wasn't for him, I don't know what would have happened to us! Right, Uryū?"
Uryū Ishida remained silent. He had no desire to reveal Miyako's Quincy connections to these Shinigami, but cornered by Orihime's plea, he could only give a reluctant, silent nod. He did, after all, owe the man his life.
"Hmph. Let's go, Nemu," Mayuri declared, wanting no further part in the conversation. "We have work to do. We must attempt to unseal Aizen's Garganta. We cannot remain trapped in this desolate place indefinitely."
"Yes, Mayuri-sama."
"Kurosaki-kun, Uryū, we should go back down," Orihime said. "Tatsuki and Chad are still waiting for us."
"Chad? You guys rescued Chad? That's great!" Ichigo exclaimed, a wave of relief washing over him at the news that his friend was safe.