Chapter 247: We Two, Shall Stand Upon the Heavens
"Satoru, don't forget the main task."
"Main task? What main task?"
"?"
Aizen narrowed his eyes, his blood pressure rising slightly.
Satoru quickly coughed. "Th-the main task, of course I know."
He grinned and patted the Zanpakutō at his waist.
"I've been prepared all along. I even warmed up earlier."
The reason he had risked discovery by Yamamoto to sneak into Hueco Mundo was simple:
Aizen's laboratory had run out of space.
When constructing the shadow laboratory last time, Satoru had only opened a three-hundred-square-meter area.
On one hand, it was experimental and not suitable to make too large.
On the other hand, his strength at the time was insufficient—neither able to expand further nor shrink back, leaving him stuck.
Now, with Aizen's enhancements and Satoru's own deepening understanding of power, his shadow space could be expanded to a much larger extent.
Before arriving, the two had already formulated a plan.
This time, aside from expanding the Shadow Laboratory's area, they also needed to relocate its coordinates.
From the barren desert directly to Las Noches.
Hiding the shadow laboratory within the shadows of Las Noches!
This inspiration was something Satoru had plagiarized... borrowed from the Wandenreich.
Stealthily pushing a forward base right to someone's doorstep.
When it was time to act, just leap out and strike right in their face—could there be anything more exhilarating?
Under Aizen's gaze, Satoru drew his Zanpakutō.
Then, he almost casually tossed it aside.
Aizen: "?"
Fortunately, Satoru caught himself in time, performing a flashy spin with the blade to cover up his reflexive action.
After twirling it once, Satoru let out a low shout and forcefully plunged the Zanpakutō into the laboratory floor.
With his movement, the surrounding walls and floors began to shift restlessly.
Aizen hurried to protect his experimental equipment.
Szayelaporro watched the scene with excitement.
He understood the general principles of this shadow space, but witnessing the renovation process firsthand was a first for him.
Such a fascinating ability—he must absorb as much as possible and incorporate it into his own research!
Nelliel was somewhat startled, instinctively taking a few steps back.
Harribel shook her head at her:
"Don't be afraid. With Lord Satoru here, nothing will happen."
Hearing this, Nelliel looked at her curiously.
Although Harribel had been at a disadvantage in the previous battle, as someone directly involved, Nelliel knew it was because Harribel wasn't skilled in combat.
If it came down to raw power, Harribel, who had completed her Resurrección on her own, was actually slightly stronger than her.
Why would such a powerful Vasto Lorde place such trust in a Shinigami?
She then glanced at the three female Hollows beside Harribel.
These were likely the "family" Harribel had mentioned earlier.
Indeed, they seemed to share a deep bond.
What Harribel had told her earlier probably wasn't a lie.
If... Harribel and Satoru had truly forged a profound friendship across species, and their conflicts with Las Noches were merely unavoidable, then her own pursuit and attacks would be nothing but pure wrongdoing.
At this thought, Nel's heart grew heavy.
If the truth was as she suspected, then no matter the cost, she must atone to these two!
As Satoru channeled his power, the shadow space rapidly expanded.
Initially, it was just a large room of about 300 square meters.
But after the shadows churned and spread, it had transformed into a massive workshop spanning over 1,500 square meters.
Satoru knelt on one knee, hand gripping his sword, and slowly opened his eyes.
Seeing the altered surroundings, he curled his lips into a smile.
Compared to him, Aizen and Szayelaporro reacted much more strongly.
Aizen strode quickly through the shadow space, touching walls and testing the floor to confirm its stability.
Szayelaporro, meanwhile, closed his eyes excitedly, sensing the slightly distorted spatial fluctuations around him.
After verifying the shadow space's strength and stability, Aizen nodded in satisfaction.
He looked at Satoru.
"Satoru, well done!"
"This is a masterpiece, a work of art!"
"Oh ho, praise me more, praise me more!"
Satoru grinned broadly, flashing a proud smile.
Unfortunately, Aizen had no interest in continuing with praise. He simply waved his hand, urging Satoru to stabilize the space while he went to alter the coordinates of this area.
Standing in the center of the room, Satoru wore a thoughtful expression.
This shadow space reconstruction project might be very important to Aizen.
But for him, it was merely an experiment.
If he could truly succeed in controlling coordinates and freely navigate vehicles within the shadow world, then he should be able to accomplish similar feats after returning to the Soul Society.
When that time came, the pursuit of the Wandenreich wouldn't be limited to scattered needle-point sampling like before.
Instead, he could drive a wild dump truck and engage in joyful chases within the shadow space.
Thus, breaking through the Wandenreich's barrier layers and completely eradicating the Quincy would be within reach!
"What are you thinking about?"
Aizen's voice suddenly sounded beside him while he was lost in thought.
Satoru jumped in surprise and quickly turned his head.
"Sōsuke...? Don't you need to monitor the coordinate instrument?"
"We're still far from Las Noches. As long as we maintain the space's course and keep moving forward, that's sufficient."
To explain it properly would involve numerous complex principles spanning spatial and mathematical knowledge.
Aizen habitually translated this into plain language for Satoru's understanding.
Satoru nodded.
He glanced around.
Szayelaporro was enthusiastically writing something on a screen, likely having received some knowledge from Aizen.
Nel and Harribel were chatting in the distance, seemingly getting along quite well already.
Finally, his gaze settled on Aizen.
Aizen wore the glasses Satoru had previously given him, his naturally curly hair falling loosely, combined with his face that hadn't fully transitioned from adolescence to adulthood.
He carried a rather quiet, artistic aura.
Satoru hesitated slightly.
If he let Aizen plan this matter, he would probably incorporate the Quincy into the scheme as well.
After all, to rebel against the Soul Society, especially the Soul King Palace, relying solely on their own strength would definitely be insufficient.
Currently, the Quincy were just scattered remnants—their king hadn't been revived yet.
With a little scheming, he could lure them out to fight the Shinigami, depleting the Soul Society's combat strength—their plan would undoubtedly be easier to accomplish.
But... he didn't want to do that.
When the name "Sternritter" was mentioned, Yamamoto's uncontrollable rage, overwhelming killing intent, and near-distorted obsession were all etched into Satoru's eyes.
Whatever the reason, he had no desire to join forces with Yamamoto's most hated enemies.
If he lacked the strength, he'd rather pay the price to become stronger himself than see the disappointed look in Yamamoto's eyes upon learning he had allied with the Wandenreich.
Under Aizen's gaze, he spoke:
"I was thinking about the Wandenreich."
Hearing this, Aizen pondered for a few seconds.
Then, with a somewhat amused smile, he replied:
"I understand."
"You were worried just now that I might want to utilize the Wandenreich's combat power, so you thought I'd stop you from moving against them."
"Were you hesitating about whether to voice your true intentions?"
Satoru looked at him with surprise.
Had this guy Sōsuke awakened some kind of mind-reading system or something?
In an instant, he'd already imagined the title of a trashy light novel:
Transmigrated into the Soul Society, Am I Being Mind-Read by Aizen?
Seeing Satoru's expression, Aizen couldn't help but laugh.
"Don't worry, I don't possess any mind-reading abilities."
"If I needed such tricks to discern your thoughts, I wouldn't be fit to scheme for anything else."
He lifted his head, gazing at the shadow-formed ceiling.
"Satoru."
"Huh?"
"Don't underestimate me, and don't underestimate yourself."
"Though we may still be young and weak compared to the Soul Society, compared to the Soul King's realm... we are special existences, fundamentally different from the common masses."
"Optimizing plans to perfection, ensuring every step follows the most correct path, never missing any opportunity to gain advantage—this is indeed a clever approach."
"But it's merely the wisdom of mortals."
"Mortals aim to walk farther than others."
"Yet we are destined to leave the ground and ascend to the skies."
"Since we already exist in a different dimension from mortals, why bother whether each step is right or wrong?"
"The vast sky is ours to traverse as we please!"
"If you don't wish to borrow the Wandenreich's power, then we shan't borrow it."
"If you want to erase the Wandenreich, I shall erase it with you."
"Before us... there are no enemies!"
Watching Aizen tilt his head slightly, eyes filled with confidence, Satoru was genuinely surprised.
He hadn't expected Aizen to say such things.
After a few seconds of silence, he clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"Sōsuke, you're getting better and better at this."
"What, trying to sweet-talk me too now?"
Aizen shook his head:
"I don't need such tricks with you."
"? Want to fight?"
Satoru grinned, raising a fist.
Aizen also lifted his hand, forming a fist, and gently tapped it against Satoru's knuckles.
Looking at each other, both broke into smiles.
...
...
After a heartfelt conversation with Harribel, Nel gradually solidified her perspective.
Harribel was a serious person who wouldn't tell lies.
Hearing the story of how she came to know Satoru, Nel slowly realized that Satoru probably wasn't a bad person after all.
The one truly pressing aggressively was Las Noches.
Fortunately, he had made the right choice and avoided a grave mistake.
He would find an appropriate opportunity to apologize to the two of them later.
As he was thinking this, he heard celebratory cheers from the trio of men not far away.
"We succeeded."
"Boss! We did it! If the coordinates are correct, this is the place!"
"Perfect!"
Satoru grinned, rubbing his hands together like a fly.
"Can we create a periscope or something to see what it's like up there?"
"Just a moment."
Aizen nodded and began operating the controls.
After a short while, he pressed a button.
The shadow above gradually turned transparent.
Nel looked up curiously, wondering what the three were busy with.
A few seconds later, her pupils contracted.
Above them was a crescent moon.
Beneath the crescent moon stood silver, dilapidated structures.
Occasionally, they could see Adjuchas-level Menos Grande patrolling the area.
This... was Las Noches?
She was currently underground beneath Las Noches?
She stood frozen in place, her mind racing through countless possibilities.
Just moments ago, they had been in the desert, who knows how far from Las Noches. How could they have reached beneath Las Noches so quickly?
Most importantly... why had these people moved their shadow base here?
As she rapidly processed these thoughts, Satoru let out a laugh.
"Excellent, excellent!"
"My Satoru Empire Special Operations Team has infiltrated the enemy capital!"
"Next time, I'll bring my empire's elite forces, burst out, and launch a fierce surprise attack!"
"Baraggan and Tsunayashiro will be utterly defeated!"
"Las Noches is already within my grasp!"
"Keh heh heh heh heh!!!"
Hearing Satoru's bold declaration, Nel's eyes widened beneath her mask.
Invasion?
Elite forces?
Occupying Las Noches?
This Shinigami truly intended to destroy Hueco Mundo!
With an angry shout, she charged at Satoru.
But before she could reach him, several figures in the room moved simultaneously.
Aizen, Szayelaporro, and Harribel struck simultaneously from different directions, hitting Nel's body.
Facing three opponents of equal or higher level, Nel had no time to react before she was knocked to the ground.
Satoru walked over, looking at her with some dissatisfaction.
"Minister Nel, how dare you attack your king? Have I wronged you in any way?"
Nel stared wide-eyed: "Satoru, you really plan to bring the Shinigami army to destroy Hueco Mundo!"
Hearing this, Satoru curled his lip.
"Bring the Shinigami army?"
"How could that be... if I brought Teacher and the others, wouldn't Las Noches become Central 46's territory after we conquer it?"
"Las Noches will be my son Aizen's domain. He will replace Baraggan and become the new King of Hueco Mundo!"
Aizen: "..."
Szayelaporro showed a curious expression:
"Boss, weren't you just calling yourself the king? Why would you pass the throne to Aizen?"
Satoru glared: "How could a mere King of Hueco Mundo match my nobility?"
"When Sōsuke ascends the throne and becomes King of Hueco Mundo, I shall be the Harem King of Hueco Mundo!"
Aizen: "..."
Watching Satoru laugh heartily, he mentally noted down several heavy marks in his mind.
...
...
Several days later, in the mountains of Rukongai.
Yamamoto stood leaning on his cane in a clearing, silently watching the troublesome disciple he had impulsively accepted not far away.
Satoru stood there, his face beaming with a smile.
On his body was a black Shinigami Uniform and a white haori.
Bullshit!!
Yamamoto's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, bloodshot with fury.
Wasn't this just a plain white cloth with the number "eleven" scrawled on it in brush ink?!
Whoosh!!
In the instant the flames erupted, the wooden cane disintegrated into ashes, revealing the Zanpakutō within.
Witnessing this scene, Satoru was greatly alarmed, the smile vanishing from his face.
"Teacher, what are you planning to do?!"
"You mustn't, you absolutely mustn't do that!!"
"Ryūjin Jakka!!!!!!!!"