A massive crack instantly spread across the golden Negación, while the reishi along its edges flaked away like shattered ice.
The smile on Aizen's face finally froze, and his eyes widened with unconcealed astonishment.
He had never imagined that anyone could directly sever the reishi structure of Negación. Such a thing should have been impossible.
Before Aizen could react, Harry sheathed his sword and shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
He clenched his right fist as dense golden reishi gathered around it, forming a thin halo of light.
Aizen instinctively raised an arm to block, only to discover that the surrounding reishi had subtly restrained his movements.
The moment Harry swung his sword, he had secretly altered the flow of reishi within a small section of Negación, slowing Aizen's movements. Distracted by the shattering barrier, Aizen had failed to notice the change.
Restrained by the reishi, Aizen could not evade Harry's fist.
It slammed squarely into his cheek, and a dull impact echoed throughout Negación.
Aizen instantly lost his balance. His body flew backward like a kite with its string cut and crashed into the inner wall of Negación. The golden radiance shattered on impact, and Aizen was knocked completely out of the barrier before plummeting to the ground.
Harry paid him no further attention. He remained where he was and slowly opened his fist as the golden reishi around it gradually dissipated.
He looked calmly down at the battered Aizen, showing no trace of pride, only quiet certainty.
"Negación is an extension of Hueco Mundo's space, but it is still composed of reishi. My Zanpakutō can control all reishi, which naturally includes the reishi of Hueco Mundo."
Aizen slowly rose from the ground. He surveyed the wary captains surrounding him and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
When he looked back at Harry, all traces of casual amusement had vanished from his eyes. Only solemnity and anger remained.
"I see. A Zanpakutō capable of controlling reishi. Harry Potter, you truly have not disappointed me.
"You concealed your strength to this extent because your objective is the same as mine, correct? You also want the Hōgyoku."
"The Hōgyoku?"
Suì-Fēng was the first to speak. Shock flashed through her beautiful eyes, and every captain's gaze immediately turned toward Harry as though pulled by a magnet.
If Harry's objective was also the Hōgyoku, then none of his previous actions had necessarily been intended to protect Soul Society. They might instead have been part of a conspiracy concealed even more carefully than Aizen's.
At that moment, someone cried out, "Look at his hand!"
Everyone's attention instantly focused upon Harry's palm.
At some point, he had slightly raised the right hand hanging at his side and opened his palm. A dark purple spherical gem rested silently upon it.
Its surface emitted a gentle yet unsettling glow, while thin white lines moved through its interior like living creatures.
It was unmistakably the Hōgyoku that Aizen had extracted from Rukia and carried with him inside Negación.
The air fell completely silent.
Only the wind blowing from Hueco Mundo could be heard as it swept pieces of rubble across the ground with an abrasive scraping sound.
Shunsui Kyōraku's pupils contracted. He instinctively stepped forward.
"Is that really the Hōgyoku? How did it end up in Captain Potter's hand?"
He clearly remembered Aizen keeping the Hōgyoku securely on his person after declaring his defection. Harry had not approached the place where Aizen had stored it during their brief exchange, yet the Hōgyoku had seemingly appeared in Harry's hand from nowhere.
Aizen looked at the Hōgyoku in Harry's palm. Some of the anger faded from his eyes, replaced by even deeper curiosity.
"You managed to take the Hōgyoku without my noticing. Even I required a moment to realize that something was wrong. Is this another ability of your Zanpakutō, Captain Potter?
"I see. Now I understand.
"During that brief instant, you manipulated reishi with extreme precision and spatially shifted the Hōgyoku directly into your hand.
"Not only that, but the moment you removed it, you created a dense spherical reishi construct in the exact place where I had stored the Hōgyoku, deceiving my senses. Truly impressive, Captain Potter."
Aizen's explanation allowed the others to understand how the Hōgyoku had appeared in Harry's hand, but their attention remained fixed upon his earlier accusation.
Captain Potter's strength was indeed completely different from what he had previously displayed. There was no doubt that he had deliberately concealed it.
Whether his objective truly matched Aizen's and had always been the Hōgyoku, however, remained unknown.
There was a very simple way to determine the truth.
The Captain-Commander merely had to demand that Harry surrender the Hōgyoku.
If Harry handed it over, then Aizen had been attempting to slander him.
If Harry refused, it would prove that Aizen had spoken the truth.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto slowly stepped forward. His white haori fluttered in the wind blowing through the Garganta. Every step seemed to land upon the hearts of those present, instantly silencing their restless murmurs.
He did not look at the agitated captains around him or acknowledge Aizen nearby. His clouded yet piercing gaze remained fixed upon the Hōgyoku glowing dark purple in Harry's palm.
"Potter."
The Captain-Commander's voice was not loud, but it carried the weight and authority of a thousand years, echoing across the empty execution grounds like an ancient bell.
"Give me the Hōgyoku."
There was no room for negotiation in his words, yet they contained none of the arrogance of a tyrant issuing a demand. They sounded more like a solemn request made out of responsibility.
Yamamoto raised one hand and pointed his calloused fingers toward the Hōgyoku.
"You should understand how dangerous that object is. It can break the boundary between Soul Reapers and Hollows, allow its wielder to continuously evolve, and amplify the desires hidden within a person's heart until they are driven to madness.
"You may possess the ability to control it. You may also have purposes of your own. However, the Hōgyoku should not remain in anyone's possession.
"Its very existence is a threat to Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and even the Human World."
The surrounding captains nodded. The Captain-Commander had voiced the very concerns troubling them.
Shunsui put aside his earlier amusement and added seriously, "Old Man Yamamoto is right. No one can guarantee that the Hōgyoku will never influence them."
Byakuya Kuchiki also inclined his head slightly, clearly agreeing that the Hōgyoku needed to be placed under unified control.
When Harry did not answer, Yamamoto's expression darkened. Nevertheless, he decided to offer this exceptionally talented junior one final opportunity.
"Aizen has not yet been completely dealt with. If the Hōgyoku remains in your possession, you will become his primary target. Furthermore, none of us can guarantee that it will not eventually cause you to lose control or fall under its influence.
"Give it to me. As Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, I will have it temporarily sealed away.
"Once we have dealt with Aizen, we will find a method to destroy it completely and eliminate the threat forever."
There was no suspicion in his words, only the responsibility he bore for protecting Soul Society.
Having lived for over a thousand years and witnessed countless crises, Yamamoto understood better than anyone how terrifying uncontrolled power could become. He also understood that destroying the Hōgyoku was the safest possible course.
When he finished speaking, silence descended over the execution grounds. Every gaze focused upon Harry as they waited for his answer.
The Captain-Commander's reasoning seemed irrefutable, and the fate of the Hōgyoku would directly determine what happened next.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Harry met Yamamoto's gaze and slowly shook his head.
There was no hesitation in the movement.
As though sensing Harry's resolve, the dark purple light surrounding the Hōgyoku receded slightly, no longer fluctuating as restlessly as before.
"My apologies, Captain-Commander," Harry said calmly, his voice carrying clearly across the silent execution grounds. "I cannot give you the Hōgyoku."
His words were like a stone thrown into a tranquil lake, instantly shattering the fragile calm among the captains.
Yamamoto's brow furrowed more deeply. His grip tightened around his cane, the sealed form of Ryūjin Jakka, the strongest fire-type Zanpakutō in Soul Society.
The other captains immediately grew wary and placed their hands upon the hilts of their Zanpakutō, prepared to attack at any moment.
Harry ignored their reactions. His gaze swept across every Soul Reaper present before settling on Yamamoto once more.
"You are correct. The Hōgyoku is extremely dangerous. However, I have never intended to use its power to control everything. I need it because it is one of the keys to saving the Three Worlds."
Harry indeed intended to use the Hōgyoku to devour the Soul King and seize control of the Bleach world.
Nevertheless, his actions would genuinely benefit that world and save it from its approaching collapse.
"Save the Three Worlds?"
A trace of poorly concealed shock entered Yamamoto's voice. A possibility occurred to him, and he demanded, "What are you talking about?"
As the Captain-Commander who had protected Soul Society for a thousand years, he knew part of the truth.
The Three Worlds were indeed facing the threat of destruction, but that was not something a captain only sixty years old should have known.
"The Soul King is approaching his final death," Harry said gravely, revealing the truth that Yamamoto and the highest authorities had concealed.
"He maintains the balance of the Three Worlds, but countless years of confinement have left him increasingly weak. Unless we find another existence capable of sustaining that balance, the Three Worlds will lose their stability, collide with one another, and be completely destroyed."
The moment Yamamoto heard Harry's words, he understood that Harry truly knew those hidden secrets.
That knowledge could never be revealed publicly.
Yamamoto immediately drew his Zanpakutō and attacked Harry, intending to stop him before he could say anything more.
However, a layer of reishi surrounding Harry easily blocked the strike.
Harry's true Reiatsu had already surpassed the Captain-Commander's, so he naturally had nothing to fear from Yamamoto's attack.
Ryūjin Jakka might be known as the strongest fire-type Zanpakutō, but Harry's Zanpakutō could be called the strongest in all Three Worlds.
More importantly, even the greatest ability was useless without sufficient Reiatsu to support it.
Reiatsu was the foundation of battle between Soul Reapers.
Yamamoto had once relied upon his overwhelming Reiatsu to suppress everyone who opposed him. That method no longer worked, because Harry's Reiatsu was now suppressing his.
Harry effortlessly endured the Captain-Commander's attack and continued speaking.
"That is correct. Once the Soul King dies completely, the spatial barriers maintaining Soul Society, the Human World, and Hueco Mundo will instantly collapse. The Three Worlds will devour one another until everything returns to nothingness.
"This is not a lie. It is an inevitable outcome that has already been determined."
His words plunged the execution grounds into complete silence. Even the wind seemed to stop.
The solemnity on Shunsui's face was replaced by shock. He instinctively looked toward Yamamoto, only to discover that the Captain-Commander's expression had also become grave.
From what Shunsui knew of Yamamoto, there could be no doubt that Harry was telling the truth.
Harry ignored the increasingly agitated captains, lieutenants, and ordinary division members below him.
"I have a way to prevent it.
"The Hōgyoku can manipulate reishi and break boundaries. It is a part of the Soul King and can resonate with the very foundations of the Three Worlds.
"By combining it with the ability of my Zanpakutō, I can reconstruct the balance of the Three Worlds. Even after the Soul King perishes, Soul Society, the Human World, and Hueco Mundo will continue to exist.
"Captain-Commander, I understand that you are acting for the safety of Soul Society, but leaving the Hōgyoku in my hands is now the best way to protect the Three Worlds."
Harry's words were firm, steady, and filled with apparent responsibility, making them remarkably convincing.
The captains exchanged complicated looks.
They doubted the truth of his claims, yet they could not simply ignore the horrifying possibility that the Three Worlds were approaching destruction. Nor did they know how to refute him.
Yamamoto remained silent for a long time. His aged fingers unconsciously rubbed the handle of his cane before he finally spoke.
His voice carried a trace of exhaustion, but it retained the authority of the Captain-Commander.
"You have provided no evidence for any of this. Asking us to trust you, and to believe that a dangerous object like the Hōgyoku can save the Three Worlds, is too great a demand.
"Therefore, Harry, give me the Hōgyoku now. Afterward, we will discuss your proposal together. You cannot make such a reckless decision alone."
Harry merely shook his head. His hand abruptly closed around the Hōgyoku, and the Reiatsu surrounding him became sharp.
"I understand your concerns, Captain-Commander, but discussion requires time, and the crisis facing the Three Worlds will not wait."
His voice grew colder as his gaze swept across the increasingly tense captains.
"If the Hōgyoku leaves my control, whether it is sealed away, given to someone else, or destroyed, we may lose our opportunity to save the Three Worlds. I cannot take that risk."
"You intend to defy the will of the Gotei 13?"
Yamamoto slammed his cane into the ground, sending fragments of stone flying. Reiatsu accumulated over a thousand years spread outward like a raging tide, making it nearly impossible for the ordinary Soul Reapers nearby to breathe.
"Potter, I will give you one final opportunity. Surrender the Hōgyoku, and there will still be room for discussion."
"There is no room for discussion. Today, I will replace the Soul King and stand in the heavens!"
Harry's answer was absolute.
He turned slightly and looked toward three Soul Reapers among the crowd whose determined eyes stood in stark contrast to everyone else's confusion.
Harry suddenly raised his voice, issuing an unquestionable command.
"Momo Hinamori, Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Rangiku Matsumoto, begin!"
His words struck the assembled captains like a thunderbolt.
Those three were merely the Tenth Division's lieutenant, third seat, and fourth seat. Why was Harry ordering them to act?
What could they possibly accomplish?
What happened next far exceeded the captains' expectations.
Harry's command thundered in the ears of Rangiku and the others. All three of them understood that the great plan had finally begun.
The next instant, they attacked without the slightest hesitation.
Momo Hinamori moved first.
She gripped her Zanpakutō, Tobiume, as blazing Reiatsu erupted around her.
It was no longer the warm and gentle light she had displayed in the past. It surged like a wildfire sweeping across an open plain.
Flame-like reishi spiraled around her body, distorting the surrounding air.
It was unmistakably Spirit Class One Reiatsu.
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