Deep in Las Noches, Ulquiorra stood motionless.
The massive screen before him flickered with data. Behind him, a girl slept in a glass tube.
His eyes snapped open.
A vision flashed through his mind—a Soul Reaper in white, palm raised. Golden lightning erupted from his hand.
Then nothing.
"Aaroniero is dead."
His voice carried no emotion. Just cold fact.
The moment that image appeared, he'd known. Synchronous Recognition was Aaroniero's gift—and his burden. Every enemy the Ninth Espada faced, every battle, transmitted directly to his kind.
The feed had cut out. Only one reason for that.
Ulquiorra didn't move. His orders were simple: stay here. Guard the girl.
Nothing else mattered.
Somewhere else in Las Noches, Shigure pressed forward.
Grimmjow's directions were proving accurate. The corridors matched perfectly.
Whether Aizen had already left for Karakura Town didn't matter now. First priority: find Ulquiorra. Figure out what modifications Aizen had made.
More Fracción tried to stop him.
They died quickly.
Spiritual pressure and Kidō made short work of them. No hesitation. No mercy.
Finally, he reached the right corridor.
His Resonance Vision activated. There—Ulquiorra's distinctive spiritual signature.
Shigure's eyes narrowed.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
The Resonance Eyes showed everything—surface and depth, soul and spirit. What he saw made no sense.
Ulquiorra's soul remained Arrancar. His core spiritual pressure was definitely Hollow.
But his body told a different story.
Every inch of skin, bone, and blood vessel radiated pale blue energy. The same exact nature as Shigure's own spiritual pressure.
"Aizen, you bastard."
The Hōgyoku's work, no doubt. But what did it do exactly?
Shigure expanded his vision to maximum range. The architecture confirmed it—they were near Las Noches' center. Throne room close by.
No sign of Aizen. No sign of Gin or Tōsen. The top three Espada were gone too.
"I'm late."
They'd already moved to the World of the Living. But that was fine. The Soul Society captains were there. Urahara too. The Visored if things got desperate.
They could handle themselves.
Shigure stepped forward, then froze.
Behind Ulquiorra, in a laboratory setup, something impossible caught his attention.
A girl. Petite. Arrancar features. Floating in a massive test tube.
Dozens of black cables connected to the container. Monitoring equipment everywhere.
But her spiritual pressure...
"How is that possible?"
He'd never seen anything like it. Her energy was completely internalized. Not a trace leaked out.
Even spirit-concealing gear showed some signature to his Resonance Vision. This girl showed nothing.
Perfect containment.
"Aizen's experiment."
Had to be. The reason for all the secrecy. The locked laboratories.
But why leave her here? Had he abandoned this prototype?
Or was this part of the plan?
Shigure pushed the questions aside. Time to get answers.
He moved through the halls unopposed. Reached Ulquiorra's floor.
The Fourth Espada stepped out to meet him.
Those emerald eyes fixed on Shigure's face.
"Long time no see, Ulquiorra."
"So you've come, Segawa Shigure."
Shigure kept walking. Casual pace. Like they were old friends meeting for coffee.
"After Tsukishima City, Aizen still trusts you?"
He gestured toward the laboratory. "Left you alone to babysit the girl in the tube."
Something flickered in Ulquiorra's gaze. Gone in an instant.
"You know about her."
His voice stayed flat. Emotionless.
"Then I cannot let you leave alive."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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