This is still one of my favorite Bleach stories, I keep coming back to it over the years. Have you consider reposting to AO3? FFN's not doing so well these days.

J, even though this is my second read, somehow..

Great story. Thanks for writing.

This is Aizen's stupidest ending yet. And it’s not about the blow, but about the situation itself. If I were Aizen, I would keep Yuzu and Karin or one of them close until the end of the process of creating the King's Key, so that Ichigo would not have the opportunity or desire to make this move. So that Ichigo's mere presence next to Aizen would kill Ichigo's own Reiatsu sisters. And your Aizen lost his victory right before the end... while he should have known Ichigo’s strength and his will. He was OBLIGATED for the success of this plan to keep Yuzu and Karin close to him and constantly threaten their death, not giving Kurosaki the possibility of another outcome. For some reason, you quoted Sun Tzu and the importance of not completely creating a hopeless situation (but the meaning of this phrase can be applied in different ways and it does not at all exclude that the only way out of the situation is accepting defeat and surrendering weapons), but you yourself wrote a situation where the enemy handed all the chances into Kurosaki’s hands at the very end. His only option to ensure the safety of his sisters had to be death and that was all Aizen had to offer. Ichigo's death ensured the safety of his sisters and Ichigo had to come to terms with this and accept the terms of the deal. But your Aizen acted very stupidly, being in the most advantageous situation. 170 thousand words about preparation, danger and Aizen's intelligence... simply wasted. How, with such an attitude, Aizen managed to pull off all the previous machinations is a mystery.

Congratulations. You just created one bad plot for a time travel fanfic. You give Ichigo the power that can destroy both Aizen and his Espada with the Privaron Espada, simultaneously devastating all of Las Noches with just his presence, but you just forced him to sit on his butt and wait for the most ridiculous reasons until the worst happens. Well, congratulations. It happened. He could have rushed in there already at the moment when he had fully recovered and learned to open the Garganta and fight with his eyes closed. Even if he scattered and destroyed the Espada and Privaron Espada, forcing Aizen to escape from Las Noches, that would be progress. Aizen would have lost his resources even if he remained alive and with the Hogyeku. His plans would be delayed for at least several months. This could have given Urahara and Mayuri time to come up with a way to negate Aizen's zanpakuto abilities, a way to suppress Aizen's reiatsu using some kind of device that Ichigo could attach to Aizen during a fight, etc. But you decided to give Aizen time not only to prepare for Ichigo’s attack, but to be the first to make a move. You gave Aizen the opportunity to make a new plan, although Ichigo was well aware of how important it was to attack first before Aizen began psychological warfare. But Ichigo did nothing but unnecessary preparation with Soi-Fong, useless strategy discussions with the old fart Yamamoto, discussions of filler parts and films that do not fit or exist in the original canon at all. And even if they existed in the original canon, they were worth worrying about AFTER Aizen.

Of course it is difficult to accept even at the time of battle with Eizen, but the words of the empty Ichigo "I am Zangetsu" were completely true.

I just finished rereading this story again. It's still my favourite Bleach time-travel fic.

10 years later, I reread Hogyoku ex Machina for the upteenth time. My apologies for my belated review. In many ways, this was the Bleach story that I wanted. This fic better than canon respected the bond between Zangetsu, the hollow, and Ichigo and delved into the character of Ichigo with more maturity than canon. With Thousand year blood war finally being animated, I wish I could see how this world would handle the threat of the Quincy, and how the Quincy would handle the threat of a transcendental being. And you even set up the "I am my sword arc" a bit with Zangetsu saying " from us, there will be one more trial" (tho that may refer to ressurecion).

Regardless of if you ever return to this world (or if you even see this review), thank you for sharing Hogyoku ex Machina with us. It, more than anything else, has kept my own enthusiasm for Bleach alive.

You may think this is a bad cliche, but I absolutely adored this story. It was excellent, so well written, and compelling. I've had a hard time putting it down. I literally have to wake up for work in 3 hours, but couldn't stop until I got to the end. I have loved this story. Everything about it was fantastic.

LMAO! I totally thought Muramasa was going to wind up with Yuzu, before Shiro even mentioned Ichigo had sisters. Muramasa just casually stabbing Ichigo? Ahahahahahaha! Love it! I can't wait to see what happens next!

I love Yamamotos character in this. His view fits with his canon personality perfectly.

When he said, "You should have killed me, boy." I could hear it in his voice. Great job.

so shit

Good chapter

its so funny reading a fanfic that tries to explore on bleach lore before the series is ended so now half the lore in this story is wrong its a good read tho no doubt

a very good story... I loved it. I hope you continue the sequel even if its been 9 years since you've updated... cries in anime tears...