Bleach: No cheat codes, he joined Aizen's side.

Chapter 108, Section 107: Indecisiveness Leads to Moral Blackmail

In the present world, having finally chosen a place to settle down, Higashino Shuichi, who had deactivated his Double Bankai but remained in Bankai state after watching Urahara Kisuke fiddling around for a while, followed Yoruichi Shihouin inside.

Unexpectedly, what appeared to be just an unremarkable bungalow turned out to be a massive space of tens of thousands of cubic meters behind the door leading to the basement.

"Does the Soul Society have such technology?"

Standing on the open ground, Higashino Shuichi squatted down and placed Kisaragi Shusuke, who had fallen into a deep sleep due to exhaustion, on the ground. He then pressed his hand on the ground and discovered that it was just simulated soil.

"Strictly speaking, this should indeed be considered as Soul Society technology, only it's not from our side, but from the other side."

Kisuke Urahara followed closely behind, along with Tessai Kishiro and Shinji Hirako, who were being transported with them.

Matsumoto Rangiku was the last to leave.

"West Sub-Bureau?"

Higashino Shuichi could not possibly forget that place, after all, it was because of the development team leader of the Western Frontier Bureau, Karp Holmes, that he made up his mind to go to hell on his own initiative.

"Do you remember the spoils you smuggled from the battlefield? The one you took back from Nie a month ago. This technology was obtained by reverse engineering that gem."

Kisuke Urahara answered quite frankly.

"I see."

Higashino Shuichi remembered that when he retrieved the gem from Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Mayuri had indeed mentioned to him that the gem had the ability to open up another dimension.

Unexpectedly, Kisuke Urahara managed to reverse engineer the technology within just a few short years.

No wonder Mayuri Kurotsuchi's expression was anything but happy when he returned the jewel to him.

This is clearly because he is lagging behind Kisuke Urahara in the technological progress of reverse-engineering that gem.

"So, Kisuke, what are your plans next?"

Seeing that the conversation between the two had ended, Yoruichi Shihouin looked at the Shinigami who were all in a Hollowfied state and whose future was still unknown, and a look of worry appeared on his face.

Because after today, these people will have completely turned against Soul Society.

"Let's lie low for now and see if we can help Hirako Shinji and the others recover. If we can, it would be best to help them fully master the Hollow power within them. That way, at least we can prove to Soul Society that Hollowfication is completely controllable."

After we've accomplished all that, our next task is to find incriminating evidence against Aizen Sousuke.

At this point, Kisuke Urahara stopped talking.

Higashino Shuichi knew that the rest of the conversation was not something he, as an "outsider," could hear.

Of all the people in the room right now, probably only Yoruichi Shihouin can enjoy that kind of treatment.

"So, Kisuke, you mean you can help us control Hollowfication? Instead of borrowing the Zanpakuto I have in my body right now?"

Higashino Shuichi asked a question he already knew the answer to, a question he should ask given his current position.

"If I'm not mistaken, that's definitely the case."

The more Kisuke Urahara used the Hogyoku to treat Shinji Hirako and the others, the more certain he became that Aizen Sousuke was the mastermind behind it all, and that Aizen Sousuke must also possess a Hogyoku identical to the one he had.

So when Aizen Sousuke could do it using the Hogyoku, Urahara Kisuke was naturally confident that he could use the Hogyoku to stop him.

"Then please"

After receiving an affirmative reply from Kisuke Urahara, Shuichi Higashino seemed to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Because he also felt that he was about to reach his limit.

The swastika is lifted.

An indescribable sense of exhaustion instantly flooded Higashino Shuichi's brain. His body, which had just appeared to be intact, immediately became fragmented, with blood continuously oozing from his body.

It was a powerless weakness; Higashino Shuichi could hardly even feel the existence of his own limbs.

It wasn't until Matsumoto Rangiku ran over and picked up Higashino Shuichi that things stopped.

"Show a great person"

Her eyes were filled with anxiety; this was the first time she had ever seen Higashino Shuichi in such a disheveled state.

It's heartbreaking.

Kisuke Urahara had told Rangiku Matsumoto the entire plan, so Rangiku knew what Shuichi Higashino would face alone: ​​an attack by countless captain-level Grim Reapers. Isolated and without support.

To paraphrase what Higashino Hideichi said to comfort her at the time, being alive is a victory.

"By the way, I have another question. To control the ethereal state, does my body need to be in perfect condition?"

Higashino Shuichi's weak voice came out in fits and starts.

Yoruichi Shihouin immediately frowned. "Shuichi, you wouldn't be thinking of..."

Kisuke Urahara, standing nearby, guessed what Shuichi Higashino was thinking. His eyes held a newfound respect for the man who appeared incredibly weak but had just displayed an outstanding record.
"That's not necessary."

"Then..." Higashino Shuichi tried to force a smile, but found he couldn't manage it; speaking had exhausted all his strength. "Rangiku, pull out the...Yomi Bassa from my chest."

Matsumoto Rangiku's eyes widened, and she shook her head violently.

Ever since Kisuke Urahara pulled her into this plan, she was no longer the Rangiku who knew nothing and was kept in the dark.

She now fully understands what the Shimi Posara sword on Higashino Shuichi's chest means to him now.

That was a divine artifact that prevented Higashino Shuichi from becoming even more ethereal.

As long as Higashino Shuichi doesn't remove Seimei Basha, he won't have to suffer the painful consequences of Hollowfication like Hirako Shinji and the others.

“Lord Xiuyi, you don’t need to take such a risk. It’s not too late to decide whether to remove Shimi Bosuo after Captain Liu and the others have woken up!”

Matsumoto Rangiku looked at Higashino Shuichi, whom she was holding in her arms, feeling both heartache and anxiety. She didn't even notice two pearls rolling down her cheeks.

But this time, Shuichi Higashino's attitude was very firm: "Anyway, I'm just idling around, and Rangiku trusts Kisuke. If he says it's possible, then it definitely is."

The room was silent enough to hear the sound of panting.

Knowing the plot well, Higashino Shuichi knew that Urahara Kisuke was not lying. With the Hogyoku, he was certain that he could save himself and Hirako Shinji.

The reason for saying this now is simply to use Urahara Kisuke's previous promise as a pretext to put a moral shackle on him.

Look, I trust you so much. If you still dare to lay a hand on me while I'm unconscious, are you even human?
While such invisible shackles are certainly not very meaningful to someone like Kisuke Urahara, unfortunately, Kisuke Urahara is not without weaknesses.

Higashino Shuichi's real purpose in saying this was actually for Yoruichi Shihouin to hear. Urahara Kisuke might not care about morality, but it still had some effect on Yoruichi Shihouin.

"Don't worry, Shuichi-kun. You've sacrificed so much for us to escape to the real world. Leave the rest to me and Kisuke."

Believe me, everything will be alright when you wake up!

As expected, Yoruichi Shihouin was also moved by Shuichi Higashino's resolute courage and made her promise to him without hesitation.

This forced Kisuke Urahara to nod to Shuichi Higashino, echoing Yoruichi Shihōin's words, "Yes, Shuichi, leave the rest to us."

"And me, Lord Shuichi, don't worry, I'll take good care of you!"

Seeing that Yoruichi Shihouin and the others had agreed to Shuichi Higashino's request, Rangiku Matsumoto stopped insisting and instead made her own promise to Shuichi Higashino.

Only the seemingly detached and uninvolved Tetsuzai, standing to the side, appeared somewhat awkward at this moment.

There was nothing he could do; among all the conscious people in the room, he was the only one who wasn't familiar with Higashino Shuichi.

After receiving assurances from Yoruichi Shihouin and Kisuke Urahara, the last heavy weight in Shuichi Higashino's heart finally settled down.

After all, what he was most worried about was that Urahara Kisuke would cut him here and there while he was in a Hollowfied coma, doing some research or something.

Not to mention that when he left Soul Society, he made a special trip back to the secret room he had prepared beforehand, where he took out the Baku Yao sword Raiho, which he had been keeping sealed away, and handed it over to Matsumoto Rangiku for safekeeping.

Without Yoruichi Shihōin's assurance, Shuichi Higashino wouldn't have dared to faint so easily.

Otherwise, given Matsumoto Rangiku's intelligence and abilities, she definitely wouldn't be able to outmaneuver Urahara Kisuke.

Finally, under Matsumoto Rangiku's trembling little hands, the book that had been stuck in Higashino Shuichi's chest, the Seiya Basha, was slowly pulled out.

In an instant, the endless negative emotions and frenzied power once again swept over Higashino Shuichi's entire body.

In less than a second, Higashino Shuichi, who was now in a completely weakened state, was almost completely annihilated by the power of the void without any ability to resist.

Seeing this, Kisuke Urahara calmly took out his own Hogyoku, went to Shuichi Higashino's side, and soothed the Hollow power within Higashino's body that desperately wanted to be released but found that Higashino had completely overdrawn his own power and had no ability to release it.

(End of this chapter)