A few days later in the afternoon, Karakura Town was veiled in a light, persistent rain.
In an uninhabited district, Shiba Isshin was steadily releasing his Reiatsu, luring in Hollow activity.
The curtain of rain thickened, obscuring the edges of visibility.
Wearing a raincoat, Shiba Isshin abruptly lifted his head, his eyes sharpening:
"This Reiatsu signature... it finally showed up."
After lying in wait for so long, the bait had finally been taken.
It was time.
Isshin released a distinctive burst of spiritual pressure—one that Kanbaru would recognize as the signal to spring the trap. The bait-and-lure operation had succeeded. He then turned his gaze ahead.
"Nothing?"
Within his view—
Just the unending drizzle, broken concrete, and empty streets. Nothing else seemed abnormal.
But there was no doubt—the spiritual signature had pulsed right here just moments ago.
Isshin frowned. Something wasn't adding up.
Then it happened.
A blade came slicing down from the void!
Isshin's pupils contracted as he instinctively twisted his body. He hadn't even activated Shunpo, and yet—
Too late.
SPLASH!
Blood spattered violently across the rain-slicked pavement.
Too fast.
Faster than anticipated. It was as though the moment he sensed the swing, it had already landed. There was no gap—no opening to dodge.
And that strike—
That was the unmistakable swing of a Zanpakutō.
Not a Hollow's attack.
"This isn't a Vasto Lorde…"
Isshin gritted his teeth, the pain anchoring his thoughts.
He wasn't up against a Hollow.
"What... is this?"
His face darkened, the realization creeping in that this was bigger—more orchestrated—than expected.
"Heh. You dodged it?"
"As expected of the former 10th Division Captain of the Gotei 13—Shiba Isshin."
A teasing voice drifted from within the rain, mocking and amused—but Isshin couldn't see anyone.
Worse yet—
He couldn't sense them.
No spiritual pressure. No physical trace. It was as if the assailant didn't exist.
Invisible? No… completely masked.
"I get it now."
"The Menos Grande incident during that Soul Burial training…"
"The Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar that appeared in Karakura Town…"
"You were behind all of it."
"Who are you?!" Isshin tore open his shirt and pressed it against his bleeding wound, inhaling sharply.
Everything clicked into place.
There was a traitor within the Soul Society. And not a minor one. This was someone deep in the hierarchy.
"Worried about who I am? You should worry more about the other side."
"Oops. Did I say too much?" the voice purred, amused.
Isshin's eyes widened.
"Other side?"
"Damn it—Kanbaru!"
His hand clenched tighter, his body tensed.
If the mastermind was here with him…
Then the Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar, one capable of matching a captain-level opponent—
—must be confronting Kanbaru.
SHING!
A blade gleamed again—this time forcing Isshin to parry.
The voice teased once more:
"Now, now, Captain Shiba. You mustn't leave. That would be such a pain for us."
Bastard…
Isshin's eyes narrowed. He resolved himself with icy fury:
"Then I'll kill you here and now."
Faint ripples shimmered in the air.
The attacker moved again—blindingly fast.
"If you can."
"Go ahead and try, Shiba Isshin."
BOOM!
A crimson Cero blasted from a nearby street, tearing a crater through the ground and sending a column of flame and raw Reiatsu surging skyward!
Within the rising smoke and rain—
A horned, masked humanoid rampaged forward. Its head bore a twisted bull-like mask, and it gripped a jagged bone-blade as it cleaved through walls.
Its spiritual pressure was pure madness—twisted, overwhelming, and utterly berserk.
A creature born of Hollow and Shinigami, unstable and brutal.
"So it was sent to my location…" Kanbaru observed from atop a distant high-rise.
The monstrous fusion's arrival confirmed it.
Aizen was watching.
Nothing in this moment was outside Kanbaru's expectations.
He had interfered with Aizen's designs—naturally there would be a counter.
And Isshin…
"Looks like he's been stalled."
The clashing spiritual pressure across town painted a clear picture.
Whatever Isshin had encountered—it was strong enough to delay a captain-class combatant.
Kanbaru narrowed his eyes.
Who could it be over there?
Gin Ichimaru?
Tousen Kaname?
Or… Aizen himself?
He shook his head slightly.
"No, not Aizen."
Kanbaru was no ordinary anomaly—he was the most successful hybrid subject Aizen had ever created. The man wouldn't observe him from afar.
No—he would want front-row seats.
Aizen must be nearby.
Kanbaru released his Reiatsu and scanned the surroundings, letting the Hōgyoku-fused senses guide him.
Within moments, he found it.
A sector where two immense spiritual signatures were artificially concealed.
But to Kanbaru—in his fully harmonized Honji fusion state—those cloaked presences were like fireworks.
"Urahara Kisuke, you really left me something useful…"
---
On a rooftop shrouded by rain—
A soft voice spoke.
"Quite effective, isn't it?"
Aizen stood at the edge of the building, wearing a sleek, translucent cloak—like a second skin made of mist.
He glanced at it and smiled.
The Black Cloak. A stealth-tech invention from Urahara Kisuke's lab, salvaged during the scientist's exile. A cloak that could completely suppress spiritual pressure and render the user invisible to detection.
Aizen had recovered several of these when Urahara fled—abandoning some of his gadgets in the process.
With them, Aizen had accelerated the Hōgyoku's testing phase.
Footsteps echoed behind him.
"Captain Aizen."
Tousen Kaname approached and stood beside him, gazing—blindly—into the horizon, his focus locked on the rampaging hybrid below.
"Xubai is… astonishing. I wonder what its true limit is."
Tousen's voice was reverent.
As one of the few who had observed Xubai's creation, he knew its power better than anyone. It was a hybrid of Hollow and Soul Reaper so complete it had crossed into something new—something terrifying.
A monster born from the Hōgyoku.
"It's a flawed prototype," Aizen replied quietly.
Tousen frowned slightly.
"Captain Aizen… no. It may be flawed, but it is also essential."
"Xubai is not just an experiment. It is part of our justice. A tool to destroy this corrupt world."
To Tousen, the Hollowfied entity below wasn't just a creation.
It was retribution.
A necessary power to uproot the hypocrisy of Soul Society.
Aizen gave a small nod, his smile widening as he pushed his glasses up.
"You're right. That was careless of me."
His eyes swept over the town, the unfolding chaos below.
"Let's see how far our children can go…"
"Let them show us… what comes after godhood."
Note: Five new chapters have been uploaded on Patreon. Properly translated.
Enjoy 30+ advanced Chapters
patreon.com/FrancisMW
Kindly subscribe for as low as $5.
Other options are available $10,$15 and $20
Continue reading and enjoy new chapters.
patreon.com/FrancisMW