Time flowed by and night passed.
Leaving Rias and Akeno to catch up on sleep, Tatsuma came to the basement.
After the expansion, a training area was specially built in the villa's basement.
In the center of the training ground, two slender figures were constantly practicing with wooden swords, emitting crisp sounds.
"Hmm? Tatsuma, why are you here?"
Noticing someone approaching, Xenovia stopped her movements and looked over.
"Usually at this time, aren't you running around Kuoh Town?"
"I came to see Rukia." Tatsuma looked towards the other person present.
"How's your condition?"
Rukia replied, "I've recovered about seventy percent."
After being renovated, the inside of the villa came with the effect of nurturing the soul. Staying inside the villa twenty-four hours a day, Rukia's Reiatsu, which had originally dried up, was restored.
Although only ten days had passed, her Reiatsu had recovered about eighty to ninety percent.
It was precisely because of this that Rukia would run to the basement early in the morning, and train with Xenovia. This counted as her rehabilitation training.
The goal was to be able to return to her peak immediately after fully recovering, and return to Soul Society to report.
"You're recovering well, it seems it's time to tell you some truths."
Just then, Tatsuma's voice rang out.
Tatsuma asked, "Rukia, have you heard of the hōgyoku?"
Rukia shook her head. "I haven't heard of it."
Xenovia asked, "I haven't heard of it either, what is that?"
Tatsuma answered, "You can think of the hōgyoku as a man-made Sacred Gear, but it's a Longinus-level Sacred Gear."
"After gaining the hōgyoku's recognition, the host can achieve a certain degree of immortality and break through racial boundaries to become stronger."
"Huh? That powerful?!" Xenovia was a little surprised.
As one of the strongest forces in the human world, the Church's intelligence network spans the globe.
As a former Holy Sword User of the Church, Xenovia's position within the Church was not low but during her time in the Church, she had never heard any news about the hōgyoku.
She asked, "This shouldn't be the case. Could it be that the hōgyoku was only recently created?"
"No, the hōgyoku was created as early as a hundred years ago, but its creator thought it was too dangerous, so he hid it and didn't let anyone find it."
Speaking of this, Tatsuma didn't give the two time to react or think, and raised his hand to point at Rukia.
"Rukia, the hōgyoku is inside you."
"Ah?"
Rukia was stunned for a moment, a look of confusion flashing in her eyes.
"Tatsuma, are you sure you're not mistaken? That hōgyoku you just mentioned is on me?"
Tatsuma nodded. "Haven't you always been wondering why Kisuke would scheme against you? This is the answer."
"You mean, the creator of the hōgyoku is Urahara?"
Tatsuma nodded. "Yes, to be precise, he is one of the creators of the hōgyoku. The current hōgyoku is still incomplete."
Tatsuma revealed the state of the hōgyoku and some of the past events involving Kisuke and Aizen.
After listening, Rukia's brain immediately overloaded and fell silent.
Not only her, but even Xenovia, who was watching from the side, was shocked by this series of revelations.
"Tatsuma, you mean Rukia losing her Reiatsu wasn't a coincidence, someone was deliberately plotting against her?"
"Yes."
"Hiss... That Shinigami named Aizen is a bit terrifying. Rukia, can you beat him?"
Rukia sighed helplessly, "Of course I can't beat him."
Although she had acquired Shikai through training and possessed strength comparable to a Vice-Captain, the gap between a Vice-Captain and a Captain is even greater than the gap between an ordinary person and a Vice-Captain. The two sides are not on the same level at all.
Not to mention Tatsuma had just mentioned that Aizen had hidden his true strength.
He could become a Captain without even revealing his full strength. If he were to reveal his true strength, wouldn't he be able to take down a Vice-Captain with a single strike?
It's absurd to even think about it, this is not an enemy she can handle at all.
Rukia asked, "Tatsuma, are you sure your information is not wrong?"
"I'm not doubting you, it's just that what you said is too beyond common sense."
"Especially Captain Aizen, the impression he left on me is completely different from what you described."
Tatsuma said, "Nonsense, if you could all see the problem, wouldn't he have been exposed long ago?"
"..."
That seems to make some sense.
Rukia fell silent again.
The amount of information was simply too much.
So much so that Rukia didn't even know where to start asking questions at this moment.
As if sensing her difficulty, Xenovia stepped forward to help ask, "Tatsuma, from what you said, the hōgyoku and Sacred Gears have differences."
"In that case, can you take the hōgyoku out of Rukia's body?"
Tatsuma nodded. "Of course, in fact, I came here today for this very matter."
Tatsuma looked at Rukia and asked, "Do you need help? Or are you planning to continue carrying the hōgyoku?"
"...Let's take it out."
Rukia hesitated for a moment and gave her answer.
Although the hōgyoku is a good thing, it's better for someone with strength to hold onto it. For someone with insufficient strength like her, holding the hōgyoku would only bring trouble.
Even if she were lucky enough to survive this ordeal with Aizen, there would be others who would cause trouble later. Since that's the case, she might as well ask Tatsuma to take the hōgyoku out of her body.
This way, not only can she reduce trouble, but she can also verify whether Tatsuma's information is true, killing two birds with one stone.
Rukia asked, "Tatsuma, what do I need to do?"
"You don't need to do anything, just don't resist."
Tatsuma raised his hand and pressed it on Rukia's shoulder.
Without any resistance, he completed the analysis in just a few seconds. The composition of Rukia's soul appeared in his mind, and he quickly found the location of the hōgyoku.
"It's hidden quite deeply."
Tatsuma activated a new Senjutsu, forcefully tearing open a gap in Rukia's soul.
Rukia, who was just about to say something, let out a muffled groan and immediately lost consciousness, falling into a coma.
Holding Rukia to prevent her from falling, Tatsuma's hand continued to go deeper, inserting into Rukia's soul.
Two seconds later, he withdrew his hand. In the center of his palm, a gem flashing with blue-black light came into view.
His gaze swept over it, and Tatsuma put away the hōgyoku and looked at Rukia, whose aura was rapidly decreasing.
It was time to save the patient.