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Human World, Karakura Town Model.
Unlike Hueco Mundo, the battle in the Human World continued.
Aizen and his two companions remained within Captain Commander's Jōkaku Enjō, watching as the Espada of ranks 1, 3, and 4, along with their numerous Fracción, engaged in battle with the Shinigami Captains. Even from an overall perspective, the Arrancar side was showing signs of weakness.
After all, unlike Aizen, Captain Commander, though also in the air, had intervened several times to save his Squad Members when they were in danger.
First, he eliminated Cirucci's three Fracción, creating the beast-god Ayon from his own arm, saving several severely wounded Vice-Captains. Subsequently, he gravely injured the three Fracción, and though he didn't kill them, he rendered them completely incapable of fighting.
However, Captain Commander did not intervene against the other Arrancar.
As the Commander of the Gotei 13, he would not interfere in the battles of other Captains. More strictly speaking, the dignity of those Captains would not wish for him to interfere.
With the enemy's main general not moving, their own main general would naturally not act rashly.
Furthermore, the current situation did not require his intervention at all.
Ukitake and Kyōraku Shunsui, the two most veteran Captains present besides Captain Commander, confronted Starrk, the First Espada, and their battle was extremely intense.
True to his '1' rank, Starrk still held a slight advantage even when fighting two opponents.
On the other side, Hitsugaya Tōshirō, with his counteracting attribute, unhesitatingly engaged the Third Espada, Cirucci. Although ice could effectively counter water, Hitsugaya did not gain much of an advantage in the duel.
As for the Fourth Espada, the situation seemed somewhat grim.
Because Ulquiorra, like Starrk, was simultaneously facing two Captains: the speed-type Soi Fon and the power-type Komamura Sajin.
This lineup was not chosen randomly; it was a battle strategy decided before the fight, based on intelligence gathered about the Espada.
Ukitake and Kyōraku would confront the First Espada, whose details were unknown; Hitsugaya Tōshirō would use his strongest ice-type Zanpakuto to tie down the Third Espada as much as possible; and Soi Fon and Komamura Sajin's goal was to win in the shortest possible time, then join Hitsugaya Tōshirō to face the Third Espada.
The plan was simple, yet it was tailored to the Espada's intelligence and each Captain's abilities.
The development largely aligned with the plan. Although Aizen did not bring the Second Espada, Baraggan, but instead brought the Fourth Espada, Ulquiorra, which was somewhat unexpected, it did not hinder the plan's execution. Rather, it made the plan progress even more smoothly.
Under the combined assault of the two Captains, Ulquiorra was completely suppressed.
Komamura Sajin and Soi Fon, one large and one small, one heavy and one agile, were a terrifying combination when working together.
Avoiding Komamura Sajin's attacks was not difficult, as Komamura Sajin's Bankai, Tenken Myoo, had only one advantage: terrifying destructive power. Its attack speed was extremely slow, and its variations were almost non-existent, basically just chopping, slicing, and swinging. As long as one wasn't directly struck, there would generally be no issue.
But that was only if he was alone.
Almost every time Komamura Sajin attacked with the massive target that was Tenken Myoo, a comparatively tiny figure would launch a surprise attack on Ulquiorra from the shadows.
Since the battle began, many bee-mark patterns had appeared on Ulquiorra's body. To avoid being affected by the 'two-hit kill' ability, Ulquiorra often had no choice but to defend against Soi Fon, enduring Komamura Sajin's terrifyingly powerful attacks.
Fortunately, Ulquiorra was different from the other Espada; he had not sacrificed 'Cero Oscuras' for greater attack power, but had retained it, allowing his body parts, except for his internal organs and brain, to regenerate in a very short time after being destroyed.
So, although constantly injured, Ulquiorra had persisted until now amidst the alternating open and hidden attacks of the two Captains!
"Things are looking a bit grim, Captain Aizen."
Inside the fire wall, Ichimaru Gin wiped away non-existent sweat, saying with a fearful expression, "If Captain Aizen hasn't prepared any trump cards, then your painstakingly created subordinates might die here."
"It doesn't matter."
Aizen chuckled lightly, "That only proves one thing..."
"Their strength is not enough to continue walking with me."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
Ichimaru Gin clicked his tongue a few times, "How cold, Captain Aizen."
Beside him, Kaname Tōsen, his eyes covered by his blindfold, looked towards Ichimaru Gin's position, his brow clearly furrowed.
"Don't radiate such cold killing intent over there; it's quite frightening."
Ichimaru Gin smiled indifferently, which made Kaname Tōsen's frown deepen. He even gripped the hilt of his sword, as if ready to cut down Ichimaru Gin if he dared to disrespect Lord Aizen again.
Ichimaru Gin seemed not to notice, instead raising his head and opening a slit in his narrowed eyes: "Something very interesting seems to be happening in Hueco Mundo."
"It is indeed somewhat unexpected."
Aizen nodded, also looking up.
Almost everyone present had not noticed that just above Aizen's head, there was a tiny, almost imperceptible fissure, and within that fissure, an orange-yellow light, as if a large eyeball was observing through the crack.
"An interesting guest has come to visit the master's house while the master is away."
Ichimaru Gin frowned, immediately realizing that the 'interesting' in Captain Aizen's words seemed slightly different from his own 'interesting.'
An interesting guest?
This clearly did not refer to Szayelaporro, whose Reiatsu could still be felt through the Dangai even from here.
And in Ichimaru Gin's memory, only two people could be described as 'interesting' by Captain Aizen.
One was Ichigo, who had already invaded Hueco Mundo before they came to the Human World, and he certainly couldn't be considered a 'guest.'
The other...
Was Ishikawa, who had already lost his Shinigami powers.
"Oh, has he recovered?"
"Yes, and he has become stronger."
Upon receiving Captain Aizen's answer, a strange glimmer appeared in Ichimaru Gin's eyes, but it was immediately hidden by his re-closed eyelids. He chuckled, saying:
"That's truly terrifying."
Aizen shook his head, offering no comment, merely gesturing with one hand towards the void.
Accompanying his movement, the imperceptible fissure in the void rapidly expanded, and a strange aura immediately roared out from the opening like a tidal wave.
"Black Portal?"
In the battlefield, everyone involuntarily stopped their actions and looked at the Black Portal that had opened again.
"Such a strong Espada actually has backup?"
Kyōraku Shunsui said with a smile, but a look of solemnity flashed in his eyes: "That's truly hard to believe."
In the void, the fissure expanded rapidly, becoming astonishingly large.
Compared to the Black Portal through which Aizen and his companions had previously appeared, this one was like the difference between an ant and an elephant.
And just then...
A figure emerged from the massive Black Portal. Everyone was stunned when they saw this person.
It was a small Arrancar boy with slightly spiky golden hair, purple eyes, freckles, and noticeably protruding front teeth, his face clearly showing a sense of idiocy.
"Wah wah wah Ahhhhhh—"
The little boy had barely appeared when he let out a roar like an infant, looking up at the sky.
"Roar—!"
Accompanying his roar, a similar roar came from the giant Black Portal behind him, and a colossal creature slowly emerged from within the Black Portal amidst the roaring.
And just as everyone's gaze was fixed on the giant monster, the golden-haired little boy in front of the monster silently vanished.
Splurt!
The sound of blood spurting echoed. Ukitake, who was confronting Starrk and simultaneously observing the giant monster in the void, suddenly had his abdomen pierced by the golden-haired little boy who had appeared out of nowhere.
"Ukitake—!"
...
Boom—!
At the same time, outside Las Noches.
White sand swirled, and under the night sky, three purple light pillars shot up, dyeing the entire Hueco Mundo in a purple hue.
"That's quite a commotion."
Cirucci exclaimed. Whether it was her or Picaro, when Ishikawa reconstructed their spiritual nucleuss, he used every means to suppress the commotion during the reconstruction. So, this was the first time she had witnessed such a situation!
Looking at the three figures in the pillar of light, Cirucci's eyes flickered with a contemplative expression.
Among these three, Nel and Roka, after finishing, should both choose to stand on her side. As for Grimmjow, if he still wanted to cause trouble, Cirucci was confident she could suppress him, even if he used his second Cero.
Of course, she wasn't trying to become the ruler of Hueco Mundo by doing this.
Cirucci's thoughts were extremely simple: if Soul Society lost, Aizen would inevitably set his sights on Ishikawa again. Although Ishikawa had no interest in establishing a faction.
However, to contend with Aizen, he would need to gather some strength. Only then would it be possible to survive Aizen's pursuit.
This was also the main reason Cirucci had always been enthusiastic about 'picking up people'.
Ishikawa could vaguely guess some of Cirucci's thoughts. Although he clearly knew Cirucci was doing it for his own good, he couldn't help but feel a bit speechless.
Because both Nishijin Ori and Cirucci...
These two forcibly found him a large group of subordinates without asking for his opinion!
He hadn't even gotten rid of the title of 'Great Villain', and he already had a vague feeling that he might gain another title like 'Hueco Mundo Master'.
Shaking his head, Ishikawa glanced at the three of them, then turned to Cirucci and said, "The reconstruction of their spiritual nucleuss is basically complete. However, unlike you two, the foundation of their spiritual nucleus reconstruction is based on the Reiatsu Crest I newly comprehended, so this state might last for a while... Speaking of which..."
Ishikawa looked at Cirucci with a strange gaze: "I wanted to ask earlier, why did the Hollow Marks in your bodies turn into Reiatsu Crest?"
Cirucci's expression also became somewhat strange upon hearing this:
"Didn't you do it?"
Ishikawa was startled. Was it because his flesh and blood had been incorporated?
Thinking of this, his mouth twitched slightly. He always felt that the connection between himself and the Arrancar whose spiritual nucleuss were reconstructed by his hand seemed to be getting closer and closer, and he didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing.
However, looking at Cirucci, the sudden shift of the spiritual nucleus's foundation from Hollow Mark to Reiatsu Crest didn't seem to have any negative effects on them. Instead, the Shinigami and Hollow Reiatsu within their bodies became more stable.
Shaking his head, as long as there were no drawbacks, Ishikawa was too lazy to investigate, after all, he wasn't a scientist like Kurotsuchi Mayuri who wanted to understand everything clearly.
"Ah, right..."
Thinking of Kurotsuchi Mayuri, Ishikawa suddenly remembered that Szayelaporro seemed to have gone to find Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
Ishikawa was actually a bit confused about Szayelaporro's change. Although Cirucci had explained the reason to him, he couldn't understand why the situation he was currently witnessing hadn't happened after Szayelaporro's death in his memory.
In the end, he could only attribute it to having inadvertently changed something.
Ishikawa didn't care about this, anyway, he had never relied on his memories, nor had he ever fantasized that everything would develop exactly as he remembered.
"Hmm?"
Ishikawa's brows furrowed slightly: "Does he want to die?"
After thinking of Kurotsuchi Mayuri, Ishikawa immediately extended his investigative senses and surprisingly found that Kurotsuchi Mayuri was still in his original spot and hadn't left, as if he hadn't noticed Szayelaporro heading towards him.
Do these scientists not care about their lives for research?
After a moment of contemplation, Ishikawa said to Cirucci: "You watch over these three here, I'm going to Kurotsuchi Mayuri's side for a bit." With that, Ishikawa stood up to leave, but then seemed to remember something and said: "Regarding your subordinate, she is quite special. I didn't dare to make any changes to her brain, only clearing all the traces Szayelaporro left in her mind."
Although Ishikawa had studied Hollows, his main direction of research was the evolution of Hollows, not modification.
Therefore, his treatment of Roka was simply to help her reconstruct her spiritual nucleus, just like with other Arrancar, and then clear Szayelaporro's aura. Ishikawa wasn't very sure if he could erase the countermeasures left by the other party.
"Hoo~"
After explaining everything, Ishikawa let out a light breath, his eyes flashing with anticipation.
Although Baraggan was gone, the current Szayelaporro was clearly a good target.
Ishikawa really wanted to know how strong he could be now!
Although Ishikawa could feel a completely different change in himself compared to before reconstructing his spiritual body, he was actually clueless about how strong he could exert. He just had a feeling... that it shouldn't be difficult for him to single-handedly beat all the Captains of the Gotei 13, except for Captain-Commander Yamamoto and Unohana Retsu.
Cirucci nodded upon hearing this, then wanted to caution Ishikawa to be careful, as the aura Szayelaporro had just displayed was simply too terrifying.
However...
Before she could speak, she saw Ishikawa take a step forward with his right foot, followed by a loud bang, and Ishikawa then disappeared from his original spot.
Cirucci stared blankly at the spot where Ishikawa had disappeared. The ground where Ishikawa had been previously didn't even have a single grain of white sand stirred up. The booming sound wasn't due to the impact of stepping on the ground, but rather came from the void the instant Ishikawa's figure vanished.
Looking from afar, Ishikawa's figure had already disappeared, but a distorted trace was left in the void.
The next second...
White sand rolled back, and a straight, enormous gully suddenly appeared with a roar, tens of thousands of tons of white sand rolling out like a hundred-meter tsunami to both sides of the gully.
..."
This scene made Cirucci swallow nervously.
She suddenly realized that both Aizen and Ishikawa...
Were so strong that she found it somewhat incomprehensible!
...At the same time, in Section 8!
Under the ruins, Kurotsuchi Mayuri was eagerly searching through the material library of his laboratory, as if observing his own collection, completely ignoring the terrifying aura rapidly approaching outside the laboratory.
Buzz—
A sound of tearing air came, and a figure appeared at the entrance of the underground laboratory.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri in the laboratory turned to look outside, revealing a mouthful of teeth, and laughed strangely: "You arrived even faster than I imagined."
"How are my collections?"
Szayelaporro was not in a hurry to eliminate Kurotsuchi Mayuri. Instead, he said smugly: "Everything in here is the finest material I've collected bit by bit since my birth. Many things I wasn't interested in have been destroyed by me."
With that, he showed Kurotsuchi Mayuri an equally distorted smile:
"However, I haven't collected a Shinigami Captain as material yet. Since you've come in, don't leave."
"Oh? I'm quite looking forward to you visiting my laboratory."
Kurotsuchi Mayuri let out a strange laugh, without showing the slightest fear on his face. He seemed even more arrogant than Szayelaporro...
Szayelaporro's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this. Just as he was about to speak, he seemed to sense something and suddenly turned his head to look into the distance.
Boom—
The deafening roar grew from small to large, and a figure suddenly appeared at the location. It was none other than Ishikawa, who had rushed all the way here.
When Szayelaporro clearly saw that the newcomer was Ishikawa, his eyes immediately lit up: "Hahahaha— I'm really lucky! Not only did I gain a Shinigami Captain, but I also got the research material I've been dreaming of."
With that, he completely ignored Kurotsuchi Mayuri in his laboratory and turned his gaze to Ishikawa.
Compared to Kurotsuchi Mayuri, he was more interested in Ishikawa, who was full of unknowns.
It was just that he had always struggled with not having the strength to capture him.
But now...
He possessed that strength.
Facing Szayelaporro's extremely fanatical, excited, and eager gaze, Ishikawa couldn't help but frown.
"Come on, release."
Szayelaporro smiled upon seeing this, spreading his arms like a madman and saying: "I'll give you the chance to release. Come, let me see your abilities."
"Is that so?"
Ishikawa didn't feel disgusted. Instead, he chuckled and, with a casual wave, his Zanpakuto instantly materialized from the void.
Immediately...
He vanished from his original spot, reappearing behind Szayelaporro.
"I, however, don't want to give you the chance to use Cero."
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