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At this moment, Nelliel pouted slightly, watching Aozaki Reiji silently from behind him.
Watching Cirucci depart, Aozaki Reiji turned his head, and a green shadow flashed past.
Immediately after, Nelliel, dragging a clear afterimage at astonishing speed, crashed into Aozaki Reiji's embrace in the blink of an eye...
A loud 'boom' resounded!
Aozaki Reiji was sent flying.
"Reiji is too much!"
Along with a soft, sweet voice, Nelliel, with her horned mask, burrowed into Aozaki Reiji's arms, calling out in a spoiled manner.
Her actions were so adorable they made Aozaki Reiji's heart melt.
"Nel, get up first..."
Aozaki Reiji flew back several meters.
But to avoid damaging Aizen's meticulously designed laboratory, he still used a little force to stabilize his body.
Of course, at this time, Nelliel had not transformed into a child.
And the name "Nel" was Aozaki Reiji's affectionate term for Nelliel.
Nelliel herself also loved this address very much.
"No, I want Reiji to pat my head!"
Nelliel hugged Aozaki Reiji's waist tightly, refusing to let go.
Aozaki Reiji was truly torn between laughter and tears.
Faced with such a request from an adorable girl, he simply couldn't refuse.
In his helplessness, he could only reach out and gently caress Nelliel's beautiful hair, feeling its silky touch.
Nelliel looked utterly blissful, making soft hums, as if this was the happiest thing in the world.
She had the appearance of a mature woman, yet acted like a spoiled child, this contrasting cuteness was truly amusing.
Aozaki Reiji looked at her adorable appearance and couldn't help but laugh.
Nelliel did not have the experience of becoming a child as in the original work, and coupled with her composure in the face of the Arrancar army when they first met.
Aozaki Reiji had thought she would be a cold and aloof mature woman.
But after spending more time together, he realized that this woman was essentially an enlarged version of "Little Nel" from the original work.
She was calm and reliable during battle, but in private, she would become clingy and adorable.
It could only be said that a person's true nature indeed does not change easily.
Aozaki Reiji looked at the smiling Nelliel, and his gaze instantly softened.
Actually, it was not Nelliel, but Sung-Sun, who usually assisted him with the Arrancar experiments.
If Nelliel were to assist, her constant clinginess would severely affect work efficiency.
Nelliel was responsible for the defense of Las Noches.
It was just that today she had nothing to do and wanted to be with Aozaki Reiji, which was why she was brought along.
Thinking of this, Aozaki Reiji suddenly asked:
"Have those two people been found?"
"Those two people?"
Nelliel tilted her head.
"Those two Arrancar who don't belong to Las Noches."
Aozaki Reiji reminded her.
"Oh, you mean them... We've conducted a carpet search of Hueco Mundo and found some clues."
Nelliel said, wrapping her arms around Aozaki Reiji's neck, "But... do those two people you mentioned really exist? Can a Hollow become an Arrancar by its own power?"
"Don't believe me?"
"No, it's not that! I trust Reiji the most!" Nelliel shook her head. "I'll tell my companions to hurry up and find them."
.....
In the Captain's Office of Soul Society, the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.
Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
One of the most powerful Shinigami in Soul Society's history, he sat in his office chair, his eyes as sharp as a hawk's, staring intently at the man opposite him.
Aizen Sōsuke stood there quietly, his expression solemn, exuding a heavy aura.
After a long silence between the two, Yamamoto broke it, speaking in a deep voice:
"Speak, what exactly happened?"
Aizen nodded slightly, he gently pushed up the glasses on his nose, took a deep breath, and then said in a solemn tone:
"Regarding the recent Shinigami disappearance incidents, I have already investigated thoroughly..."
Yamamoto's gaze remained fixed on Aizen, without the slightest relaxation.
"According to my investigation, there is a Vasto Lorde-class Hollow named Szayelaporro in Hueco Mundo."
"He is a mad scientist and also the chief researcher of Las Noches."
Aizen's tone carried a hint of gravity, seemingly full of caution towards this scientist.
"To realize his insane experimental plans, he captures various spiritual bodies as experimental subjects."
"Because of this, the Shinigami stationed in the Human World have also become one of his targets."
Aizen's words made Yamamoto's brows furrow even deeper.
Yamamoto stroked his long beard, seemingly having thought of something, and after a moment of contemplation, he said in a deep voice:
"The Shinigami Research and Development Institute detected an imbalance in the number of Souls in Hueco Mundo; is that also due to Szayelaporro's experiments?"
Aizen nodded, answering affirmatively:
"I cannot give you an accurate answer, but your judgment should be correct."
"As far as I know, before he started capturing Shinigami, he used Adjuchas from Hueco Mundo as research material."
As his words fell, both men fell into a brief silence.
"Then what about Kucihki Captain? He went to the Human World to assist you, why can't this old man contact him?"
"Where is he now? Why didn't he come with you to see this old man?"
Captain-Commander Yamamoto frowned.
Aizen shook his head, a hint of helplessness on his face:
"Well... to be honest, I'm not sure about Kucihki Captain's whereabouts either."
"That Menos Grande named Szayelaporro is terrifyingly powerful; Kucihki Captain and I barely managed to defeat him by working together."
Aizen paused, then continued:
"However, after killing Szayelaporro, we encountered another skeleton-shaped Menos Grande."
"That Menos Grande was even more powerful, and seemed to be related to Szayelaporro; I heard Szayelaporro call him 'Your Majesty'."
"Facing such a formidable enemy, Kucihki Captain and I fought with all our might, but we still couldn't resist and could only barely escape."
"After that battle, I lost contact with him."
Captain-Commander Yamamoto's face turned ashen upon hearing this.
With nearly three thousand years of experience, and having dispatched expeditionary forces to Hueco Mundo more than once since becoming Captain-Commander, he could be said to be very familiar with the situation there.
Hearing Aizen's description of the skeleton-shaped Menos Grande, his heart sank.
Wasn't that Baraggan, the King of Hueco Mundo?
He recalled his younger days, when he had fought a Menos Grande from the same era as Baraggan.
At that time, despite giving his all, he ultimately failed.
Later, that Menos Grande was sealed by the Zero Division, which finally ended a major crisis that had plagued Seireitei.
From this, it was clear that Baraggan, who had jointly ruled Hueco Mundo with that Menos Grande at the time, was by no means an ordinary opponent.
With the Captain-class strength of Kuchiki Kōga and Aizen Sōsuke, both with third-grade Reiatsu, it would be extremely difficult for them to escape if they encountered Baraggan.
From what he knew, Aizen practically had no ability to fight him head-on.
As for Kuchiki Kōga...
He was notoriously good at internal battles, but terrible at external ones!
Muramasa's ability was very strong when used on Shinigami.
But against Hollows, its most important ability was essentially useless, and only a few of its attached Kido had some effect.
If he encountered Baraggan, he would likely face a grim fate!
Yamamoto sighed deeply.
Thinking that Kuchiki Kōga might die, he felt regret.
After all, no matter what, he was considered an excellent junior.
But even more, he worried for his old friend who might lose his son-in-law.
He was already old, and still had to experience such a tragedy of a parent outliving their child.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but recall his own young disciple.
Fortunately, although that brat was also troublesome, he was strong enough, and his fists were hard enough.
Otherwise, with his troublemaking personality, he would sooner or later have to outlive his own child.
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