Bleach: The Invincible Slacker from Rukongai

Kurotsuchi Mayuri couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something about this Quincy always felt… off.

Part of it was the sting to his ego—he'd lost to Ishida Uryū the last time he used Bankai, and that alone marked the boy as a threat with untapped potential. But it wasn't just that. There was something invisible about him, some elusive talent that had interfered with Mayuri's last battle.

That talent had haunted him since. It was the main reason he'd placed the boy under observation.

But even after watching for so long, Mayuri still couldn't crack the mystery.

Maybe, just maybe, if the boy took one of his medicines... he'd finally get a peek inside that brain.

"No need! I can still hold on!" Uryū grit his teeth, standing stubbornly despite the blood and bruises covering his body.

He wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what kind of twisted thoughts swirled in the Shinigami scientist's mind. He'd already seen the side effects of Mayuri's "miracle medicine."

If he dared take Mayuri's drugs now, he might not even live long enough to regret it.

Of course, Uryū had made another crucial misjudgment.

He thought that since Uehara Shiroha had made a move, the Ten Espada and Aizen were basically grasshoppers in autumn—jumping now, dead in a moment. In his mind, this war was almost over. They'd be packing their bags and heading home soon.

He had no idea that Uehara Shiroha had clocked out and gone off to fish somewhere.

This war? Far from over.

As Uryū struggled to maintain his composure, two ridiculous black shadows suddenly leapt from the sand in the distance—striking overly dramatic poses like they were entering a sentai show.

"Fear not! For we…. Pesche! Dondochakka! Is hereeeeee"

The pair—two humanoid Arrancar in absurd costumes—had briefly joined the earlier battle against Szayelaporro, even pulling out their so-called "ultimate combo moves." But thanks to Szayelaporro's absurd analytical powers, their efforts were cracked faster than a speedrun glitch, and they were promptly planted face-first into the sand.

Had it not been for Uehara Shiroha sneakily slapping a weakness debuff on Szayelaporro and Mayuri's perfectly timed entrance, these two would've been Hollow dust by now.

"Enemies?" Mayuri raised a brow, still floating nearby, clearly enjoying the show.

"No, Shinigami! We're family!" Pesche and Dondochakka shouted in panic. "We helped in the last battle, honest! But we have a request... that could cost us our lives. Please, please help us save Lady Nel!"

They both fell to the ground in full dogeza, their heads banging against the sand with audible desperation. They still believed Nel was being held captive inside Las Noches. With their pitiful strength, even one Espada was out of reach, let alone the dozen other nightmares lurking behind them. Charging in alone? Suicide.

Their only hope was begging the Shinigami.

Watching this pitiful scene, Ishida Uryū pushed up his glasses and sighed.

"I admire your sincerity, but… you are absolutely begging the wrong person."

In fact, if there were a top 10 worst people to beg, Kurotsuchi Mayuri might hold spots 1 through 10. A mad scientist like him didn't even qualify as cruel—he transcended such basic concepts. Words like "empathy" and "morality" simply didn't exist in his internal dictionary.

Sure enough...

"Denied," Mayuri said flatly, not missing a beat. "My priority now is processing the spoils of battle. Saving people? Not my problem. I suggest you drop your naïve expectations."

Harsh, but honest.

The real reason, of course, was that Mayuri had a solid read on Uehara Shiroha's mindset. The man didn't care about winning or losing. His earlier display of force had been more like a casual greeting. He wasn't here to finish the war—he was just playing around.

If Uehara truly wanted this war over, Aizen, the Espada, and Las Noches would've already been reduced to spiritual ashes. Based on all intel Mayuri had gathered, it was clear that Uehara didn't take the Hōgyoku or Aizen seriously at all. The man was so confident in his control over the situation that it bordered on absurd.

And Mayuri... believed it.

He didn't fully trust a genius like Kisuke Urahara—after all, geniuses make mistakes. They misjudge, they get arrogant, they fail. But Uehara Shiroha? People like him didn't make mistakes.

It was that simple.

Pesche and Dondochakka, on the other hand, looked completely defeated. The rejection hit hard enough that they both began visibly vibrating—caught somewhere between throwing a tantrum and collapsing from grief.

Uryū quickly stepped in, speaking with urgency.

"Wait... are there still variables in this war? But hasn't Uehara Shiroha already come to Hueco Mundo? Doesn't that mean it's basically over?"

Before anyone could answer, a chilling Reiatsu swept over them—originating from Las Noches.

A familiar voice followed:

"Although the hospitality was a bit lacking, we must now depart from Hueco Mundo and move to Karakura Town. I will use the Hōgyoku's power to forge the Ōken. So please... remain here and await the arrival of God."

It was Aizen.

He had gathered his most important troops and was preparing to move to Karakura Town.

Originally, if Uehara Shiroha hadn't interfered, Aizen might've waited—drawing things out to further suppress Soul Society and unlock Kurosaki Ichigo's full potential under pressure. But after Uehara's appearance, a subtle shift occurred.

Aizen's outward demeanor remained composed, calm, and calculating—like he was still in complete control.

But deep down, his heart had begun to sink.

Even he hadn't noticed it at first.

Now, Aizen had changed his plan. He wasn't going to wait anymore. He was moving.

Kurotsuchi Mayuri's face twisted as the pieces fell into place.

"So that's it... All the Garganta we used to enter Hueco Mundo are sealed. We're completely cut off. This was Aizen's plan all along! He's actually going to create the Ōken? Impossible!"

He had always thought Aizen's talk of creating the Ōken was just empty posturing. After all, if such a thing were so easy, why hadn't he done it already?

With that belief, Mayuri had stuck to his own life-creation experiments—assuming Aizen was just being dramatic, maybe trying to distract them with talk of Orihime.

But now it was clear: Aizen was serious. The Ōken really was his goal. Orihime was just a red herring.

Could the Hōgyoku actually accomplish something of that scale? A single artifact replacing the divine engineering of the Soul King himself?

Mayuri's excitement began to stir. The possibilities were... intoxicating.

As for the hundred thousand souls needed to create the Ōken? Please. In his mind, that was practically a donation drive. Being sacrificed for the Ōken was honor.

But one thing still didn't sit right with him.

According to all research and calculations, the Hōgyoku wasn't supposed to fully awaken for several more months. So how…?

Did Aizen have a backup plan?

Kurosaki Ichigo, who had been silent until now, finally cried out:

"The Hōgyoku is already awake?! But I thought it needed Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka to awaken it early! What the hell is going on?!"

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Marvel With Spider Power and Omnitrix

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