Deicide 3

Aizen tells Isshin that the Hogyoku has at last come to know his heart, and explains that the orb carries a will of its own, something he only recognized after mastering it. He reveals that its real function is not dissolving the border between Shinigami and Hollow but seizing and materializing the desires of those around it. By his account, this force engineered the so-called miracles tied to Ichigo, Rukia, and Kisuke Urahara.

He argues that Urahara misjudged the artifact because the collapse of the Shinigami and Hollow boundary happened to be Urahara's own wish, which the orb simply granted. Aizen credits it for Ichigo draining Rukia's powers and for awakening the abilities of Orihime Inoue and Yasutora Sado. He adds that Shinji Hirako's group becoming Visored proved the orb's true reach, since their Hollowfication served both as an experiment and as confirmation. Acting on his theory, he had sent Rukia to Ichigo, and he begins outlining the artifact's limits before Gin knocks Ichigo into a building.

Gin mocks the block Ichigo landed as a lucky accident, angering him. When Isshin tries to speak, Ichigo snaps that his father should stay out of the way, promising victory in a few more blows, which only makes Isshin smile. Gin asks whether he cut the monologue short; Aizen answers that he had already finished as the Hogyoku envelops his body. Stunned, Ichigo and Isshin argue over what is happening. Just as Aizen praises the orb's name, Urahara shoots him from behind and is welcomed onto the battlefield.

Aizen redefines the Hogyoku as a device that captures and realizes the hearts around it, retroactively crediting it for the pivotal events of the series. The artifact then engulfs his body, signaling a new transformation, and Kisuke Urahara arrives, opening his assault with a surprise shot at Aizen's back.

The 401st chapter continues the Deicide portion of the Fake Karakura Town battle and appears in the forty-sixth volume, BACK FROM BLIND. Flashbacks recall figures such as Kaien Shiba, the newly made Visored, and Ichigo's early allies. Its material was adapted in anime Episode 297.