Souls. According to the concepts of the World of the Living, all living creatures residing in Soul Society are actually souls, Shinigami included. Aside from whether they possess Reiryoku and their varying levels of strength, there is fundamentally no distinction between them. But that is merely the concept of the World of the Living.
Everything in Soul Society is composed of Reishi. Tangible bodies formed from Reishi are called spirit bodies, and the entire architecture of the Seireitei can also be considered a spirit body.
Yet, if both are made of Reishi, why do some possess their own consciousness and can be considered alive, while others are dead objects like rocks? The difference lies in the soul, an entity that even Shinigami cannot see.
The Seireitei's history has never lacked individuals who researched souls. From Hikifune Kirio to Urahara Kisuke, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, and Aizen, most of their research was built upon this foundation.
Of course, unlike Kurotsuchi Mayuri, the other three were exploring methods to shatter the limits of a Shinigami. Historically speaking, Urahara should be the one closest to the answer.
But even so, the mysterious veil of the soul remained unlifted. Whether it was the Gikongan perfected by Urahara, or the Hollowfication that mutated Hirako and the others orchestrated by Aizen, they merely utilized the spirit body to influence and interfere with the soul to a certain extent.
Even with that, Urahara couldn't use the Hōgyoku to reverse the Hollowfication of Hirako and the others. There is still a long way to go to truly understand the soul.
If that day truly came, life and death could be reversed in an instant, and the boundaries of all things would shatter at a mere touch. Such a person might not be called a Creator, but the world in his hands would be nothing more than clay to be molded at will.
In truth, breaking the limits of a Shinigami can also be understood as breaking the limits of the soul. Aizen admitted that Urahara was temporarily ahead of him, but could he already accomplish such a feat?
"Did Urahara Kisuke tell you this himself?"
Kōe nodded and replied, "Since he entrusted me to protect the Hōgyoku, isn't it perfectly normal for him to tell me where the target is?"
"Then shouldn't Mr. Chōzuka verify it? For example, by killing this woman?" Aizen continued to ask.
Kōe shook his head and answered, "First, because I don't have a Zanpakutō as interesting as Kyōka Suigetsu. Second, even if I killed Shiba Miyako, I wouldn't get the Hōgyoku."
"Oh?"
"Was I not clear enough? This sparrow's soul is already equivalent to a canary." Kōe pointed at Shiba Miyako behind him and continued to explain, "If this woman dies, the Hōgyoku will protect her soul and reincarnate once again. Of course, the seal used to protect the Hōgyoku would disappear, and this woman and the Hōgyoku would become inseparable from then on."
"Even Urahara cannot predict what form a self-aware Hōgyoku would take, let alone have the confidence to control it again." Kōe said, suddenly teasing Aizen, "I'm not someone with an adventurous spirit like Captain Aizen. If I can avoid trouble, I'll do my utmost to keep it from appearing."
Aizen frowned slightly. If what Shihouin Kōe said was true, then this explanation was very reasonable. The only question was whether a foreign object could actually be hidden within a soul.
Perhaps with Urahara Kisuke's intellect, he still couldn't fathom the mysteries of the soul, but placing a foreign object into a soul was theoretically possible. Hikifune Kirio's temporary soul technology did something very similar to this. Kōe's words seemed infinitely close to the truth...
"Then does Mr. Chōzuka already have an idea on how to extract the Hōgyoku?" Aizen continued to probe.
Kōe appeared very relaxed. He was genuinely quite relaxed right now, because excluding the name Shiba Miyako, everything he said was the truth. There wasn't a single fabricated element in it.
To conceal a lie requires thousands of other lies to support it. But if you only alter one or two details of a true story, both the cost of maintaining it and the risk of exposure are vastly reduced.
And capital was exactly what Kōe lacked the most. Being constantly monitored within the Seireitei, the resources he could mobilize were practically nonexistent. To craft a flawless, complete lie about the Hōgyoku was impossible for him alone; he lacked the capital to create such a lie.
Similarly, when facing Aizen, risk was a factor that had to be considered. Taking everything into account, making Shiba Miyako the nominal vessel for the Hōgyoku was a pretty good choice.
At present, whether Shiba Miyako was the Hōgyoku's vessel or not relied entirely on his word. Kōe wasn't worried in the slightest that Aizen could expose him.
However, the plan itself carried risks, and they weren't small. Therefore, he now had to work hard to minimize the probability of those risks occurring.
"There are many ideas, but they need to be tried one by one. However, if Captain Aizen can help me, I should be able to extract the Hōgyoku immediately."
"Hmm?"
"The destructive power of the Sōkyoku's ultra-high temperature can theoretically evaporate a soul in an instant, leaving behind the indestructible Hōgyoku," Kōe explained. "Although this execution device hasn't been used in a long time, and has never been used on anyone below Captain class, at the end of the day, it just takes a single word from Central 46. Captain Aizen should have a way, right?"
Aizen smiled and didn't answer immediately. It wasn't that he couldn't do it, but rather, if he stopped to think about it, it seemed like he was the one doing all the work. What role was Kōe actually playing?
"So, is Mr. Chōzuka planning to give the Hōgyoku to me?"
"Why would I? I'm willing to share the Hōgyoku with Captain Aizen, so isn't it perfectly normal for Captain Aizen to contribute something?" Kōe spread his hands in feigned disbelief. "Besides, I've already made a concession. Without the intel on the Hōgyoku, Captain Aizen might have wasted a lot of time on the wrong path. So strictly speaking, you still owe me a favor."
"The wrong path?"
"The Shinigamification of Hollows is bound to fail. To achieve your goal, seizing the Hōgyoku is the only path. That is the reason Urahara hurriedly sent me back."
Aizen's expression gradually turned serious, and he didn't answer right away. Kōe wasn't in a hurry either. With his hands behind his back, he walked toward Shiba Miyako while muttering to himself, "So, how much time have I saved Captain Aizen? A hundred years? Two hundred years? That's almost catching up to my age."
Speaking of which, Kōe couldn't help but curve his lips into a smile. Before he knew it, he was a centenarian too...
"Isn't it too foolish to waste time on these meaningless failures? We only need a month to get the Hōgyoku. Although it's not one hundred percent certain that the Hōgyoku is in Shiba Miyako's soul, it's not like that guy Urahara hasn't lied to me before..."
Kōe stroked his chin, looking at Shiba Miyako as if he were deeply troubled. He turned his head and said with absolute seriousness, "It shouldn't be a problem. We just activate the Sōkyoku once a month. In a year at most, we'll definitely find the Hōgyoku. What do you think, Captain Aizen?"
Hearing Kōe's words, Ichimaru Gin almost couldn't hold back his laughter. Use the Sōkyoku once a month? Did he think the Sōkyoku was a watermelon knife? No matter how high Central 46's status was, using the Sōkyoku consecutively for a year would cause widespread panic and draw the suspicion of others.
And that wasn't the only absurd thing. The Shinigamification of Hollows is bound to fail? Wasting time on meaningless things? Saying the most outrageous things in the most serious tone—wasn't this just nakedly mocking Aizen?
Yet, these words supposedly came from Urahara Kisuke, someone who had already succeeded, which meant they couldn't be equated to mere baseless insults. Ichimaru Gin was very curious to see exactly how the arrogant Aizen would react.