Bleach: I Bound the Hōgyoku, Sterilized a Goddess, I Might Die

This is Soul Society.

The sky was dim and overcast. Raindrops fell steadily, splashing against the stone pavement, forming ripples in the puddles.

"Captain Aizen."

In the cold rain.

A man with a fox-like grin stood by the wall, lifting a hand in greeting.

"You're here, Gin."

Aizen pushed his glasses with a soft smile.

There was no need for excessive words between them.

They proceeded into the basement of the 5th Division headquarters.

Below, an expansive underground facility spread out—a chamber filled with dozens of glowing monitors.

Each screen displayed real-time surveillance footage of Karakura Town, covering every angle without blind spots.

If anyone else saw this, they'd never believe the 5th Division had such an enormous hidden monitoring system—one that rivaled even the Department of Research and Development.

"The soul burial exercise is in three days. Of course I had to come hear Captain Aizen's new plan."

Once the metal door shut with a soft click, Ichimaru Gin leaned casually against the edge of a desk and spoke.

"Let's roll out the latest experimental specimen."

Aizen's voice remained calm and composed.

"Oh?"

"The Menos Grande?"

"That's pretty brutal, Captain Aizen."

"Those poor Shinigami cadets... they should enjoy the few moments of peace they have left."

Hearing this, Ichimaru Gin's smile only grew wider.

"Life is just a collection of desires. When unsatisfied, it hurts. When fulfilled, it becomes dull. We simply swing between pain and boredom."

"Happiness... is just the temporary silence of desire."

"Silver, what is it that you desire?"

Aizen suddenly shifted the topic, gazing at him with unsettling calm.

"Ah, ah, there you go again, Captain Aizen. I never understand these deep conversations."

"But those Quincies in Karakura Town sure are interesting."

"Even the Adjuchas-class Menos Grande were taken down."

Ichimaru Gin waved his hand and casually pointed to one of the monitors, laughing faintly.

That screen—

It showed the exact moment Kurosaki Kanbaru annihilated the Adjuchas-class Menos Grande in a single blow!

"A half-blood Quincy... already displaying near captain-class combat power."

"What a terrifying genius."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone slightly admiring.

"But it looks like Captain Aizen's plan hit a snag."

"Hirako Shinji and Urahara Kisuke still haven't shown themselves."

Ichimaru Gin's voice was playful, almost as if he found amusement in Aizen's plan not going perfectly.

In order to provoke Hirako Shinji's group—the exiled Visoreds—and force Urahara Kisuke to surface, Aizen had occasionally dropped dangerous Hollowfied experiments into Karakura Town.

But evidently...

Urahara Kisuke, whom Isshin Kurosaki likely still had some connection with, wasn't so easily baited.

"Silver, the failure of a single experiment doesn't mean the failure of the overall plan."

"They haven't appeared... because the stakes we offered weren't high enough."

"That's all."

"But Urahara Kisuke won't be able to stay hidden forever."

Aizen smiled gently, seemingly unbothered by the outcome.

After all, his long-term plans spanned centuries. A few setbacks meant nothing.

He had already collected extensive data from generations of experiments.

The Hōgyoku he currently held—imperfect and cracked—had limitations.

To achieve the next stage of evolution toward the ideal lifeform, he required the original Hōgyoku created by Urahara Kisuke.

Only by fusing with that Hōgyoku could he create the ultimate, flawless version—one that could perfectly blur the boundary between Shinigami and Hollow.

"Mm?"

"Is Captain Aizen planning to escalate things?"

"But doing that might alert the other captains."

Ichimaru Gin crossed his arms, his grin sharpening with interest.

"The world is busy, Gin. Too busy. It doesn't revolve around anyone."

"People rarely take the time to look beneath the surface of things."

"So relax... no one will notice us. Not for a while."

Aizen's voice was low and steady, as if speaking about the weather.

"Tsk tsk. You're really something else, Captain Aizen. Seems like everything's already in place."

Ichimaru Gin clicked his tongue in mock admiration.

At that moment—

The heavy metal door creaked open again.

A man in a white captain's haori stepped in.

With brown skin, long dreadlocks, and opaque goggles over closed eyes—he was unmistakable.

9th Division Captain: Tōsen Kaname.

"Yo, Captain Tōsen."

"Here to enjoy the show too?"

Ichimaru Gin greeted, his ever-thin eyes squinting even more than usual.

But Tōsen didn't respond.

"What a humorless guy," Gin muttered, feigning boredom.

"Humor...?"

"Where is there humor in a world so rotten?"

"I have no desire to live in a world steeped in decay."

Tōsen's voice was quiet but resolute, his footsteps halting mid-stride as if seeing Ichimaru Gin despite his blindness.

"Tsk. Always the righteous talk, huh?"

"But nothing you're doing now screams justice to me."

Gin chuckled lightly, voice laced with mockery.

"Cruelty. Apathy. They're just tools to deliver justice."

Tōsen's reply was detached and cold.

In his worldview, those who died were simply obstacles to his ideal justice.

"Captain Aizen, how's the Shiro no Kyōka experiment progressing? Any updates?"

He turned toward Aizen, dropping formalities and going straight to the point.

"'Shiro no Kyōka'...?"

Ichimaru Gin echoed, turning to switch one of the monitors.

Onscreen now—

A massive life-support chamber filled with glowing spirit fluid.

Inside floated a white, humanoid silhouette—almost shapeless—like a ghost made of Hollow particles.

Ichimaru Gin, usually laid-back and expressionless, finally opened his eyes.

His pale blue irises held both fear and awe.

Though the experiment was incomplete...

He had been closely tracking its progress—and knew all too well:

This thing was not normal.

"The fusion process is unstable. There are still many imperfections."

"It seems Void White still needs some adjustments."

Aizen's smile never faded as he gazed fondly at the monstrous being in the chamber.

In many ways...

Even more than the Hōgyoku, "Void White" could be considered his greatest masterpiece.

A fusion of three essences: Quincy, Shinigami, and Hollow.

A Vasto Lorde-class Wangxu—one of the rarest, most terrifying Hollow evolutions—shaped by deliberate soul engineering.

Void White was a force of annihilation.

"A suffocating presence..."

"Even dormant, it radiates malice."

Tōsen's lips moved slightly.

And then—

His expression froze.

"If the fusion instability persists... perhaps we should consider a better host."

"For instance—Kurosaki Kanbaru."