******************
I'm picking my next translation project and I want YOU to decide — seven unclaimed novels are up for a vote on my Patreon right now. Go check them out!
https://www.patreon.com/posts/155715184
******************
"I understand."
"You want to stand at the pinnacle of the heavens."
Naraku Sora slammed his fist down, a look of sudden realization dawning on his face.
The sudden, muffled boom of displaced air made Aizen's eye twitch, giving him a clearer understanding of just how absurd Naraku Sora truly was.
No wonder this guy dared to spout nonsense about mastering some divine technique; he actually had the strength to back it up.
Even though he had been beaten to his knees by his own Zanpakutō, the truth was, while the master was absurd, the Zanpakutō was even more so.
After the Tenshintai test concluded and Sora returned from Squad 1, driven by intense curiosity, Aizen had dragged him into the lab to study him all night.
From Reiatsu intensity to soul fluctuations, from Shikai to Bankai...
If it weren't for the fact that Kuchiki Kōga's Muramasa was ineffective against him, Aizen would have even considered taking a look inside Sora's inner world.
Compared to the specimens collected in his lab, Sora's value was simply too high.
In every possible aspect.
"It was just a simple suggestion," Aizen said calmly, not taking Sora's words to heart. "How things develop from here will depend on whether the experimental research goes smoothly, and whether those Menos Grande can accept the leadership of a Soul Reaper."
Sora nodded. "Yamamoto lacks foresight, and Central 46 lacks wisdom. It is only right that the two of us take this world into our own hands."
"I am terrifyingly strong now. I can completely pave the way for you; you just need to do what you want to do."
Because Zaraki Kenpachi constantly showed up to challenge him, Sora had gained a thick-skinned sparring partner.
From initially hacking at each other with swords, he had eventually chosen to catch the blade barehanded to hone himself.
Thus, through countless life-and-death battles, he had grasped the commonalities between Shunko and the Lightning Release mode.
He had completed the first stage of their fusion.
Looking at the elated Sora, Aizen hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Actually, I personally lean more toward having Soul Reapers master the power of Hollows."
Hearing this, Sora blurted out instinctively, "Hollowfication?"
Aizen nodded. "Soul Reaper Hollowfication has always been one of the primary research projects. The secrets within Umino Unpei's body have been completely unearthed."
"His Hollowfication was purely accidental, and its controllability is extremely poor."
"We haven't even solved its biggest side effect: soul suicide."
"Simply put, every time that guy uses his Hollowfication, his lifespan is shortened. A few more high-intensity battles, and without anyone else lifting a finger, he'll die from soul suicide, with no chance of salvation."
"Most importantly, Umino Unpei, unlike you, holds no value for replication."
"His Hollowfication stems from Hell's Phosphoric Qi, and since every subject's resistance to Phosphoric Qi varies, the manifested properties are completely different."
"Just like Gosuke, what he gained was an overall increase in strength."
At this, Sora suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Sōsuke, I think I should be able to withstand Hell's Phosphoric Qi now. How about letting me try?"
Hearing this, Aizen narrowed his eyes, and the temperature in the laboratory instantly plummeted.
An inexplicably heavy, oppressive Reiatsu immediately filled the air, causing the floorboards beneath their feet to creak in protest.
He enunciated every word clearly.
"Naraku Sora, remember this: under no circumstances are you allowed to actively make contact with Phosphoric Qi."
Stared down by a gaze brimming with killing intent, Sora felt a sudden wave of guilt and could only nod repeatedly.
Seeing that a certain someone had taken his words to heart, Aizen retracted the Reiatsu that had made the very air tremble. He sighed and added in an exasperated tone, "Phosphoric Qi destroys the structure of the soul. This is a form of annihilation even more unsolvable than soul suicide."
"Based on the incident previously caused by Takeda Goki, I suspect that when a Soul Reaper's soul is invaded deeply enough by Phosphoric Qi, they will transform into a creature of Hell."
"Just like Zommari Rureaux."
"He appears to have regained his life, but in reality, everything is under Hell's control."
"I don't have any leads on this for the time being, and moreover, Zommari's body is constantly breaking down. It won't be long before he completely dissipates."
"As for whether he will return to Hell or decompose back into Reishi, that remains unknown."
Aizen was not omnipotent.
He knew well that a single person's wisdom had its limits, so he wasn't opposed to collaborating with Urahara Kisuke and Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
It was just that the current experiments regarding Soul Reaper Hollowfication and Hell were too shocking, especially since the subjects were former Captains of the Gotei 13.
Those two, who were still bound by the rules, would likely find it hard to accept.
He would lay his cards on the table with them once he had completely earned their trust.
A crescent moon hung high in the pitch-black night sky, scattered stars dotting the cosmos, highlighting a profound shade of deep blue.
A massive palace stood among stone pillars, exuding an ancient, weathered aura, as if it had been ground down by endless time.
A figure wrapped in a thick purple coat sat upon a throne, immovable as a mountain. He lowered his head, occasionally glancing at his somewhat rough, large hands.
Even though many days had passed, Baraggan still couldn't recover from the shock of that day.
Whenever he recalled what had happened, his expression would grow dazed.
That day, he had sensed a violent fluctuation of Reiatsu in Hueco Mundo. Without thinking too long, he immediately led the Hollows of Las Noches to the site of the battle.
His original intention was to take them all down while both sides were mutually wounded.
However, upon arriving, he found that on the apocalyptic battlefield, only Szayelaporro Grantz, who was also a Vasto Lorde, remained.
What surprised him even more was that Szayelaporro's appearance seemed to have undergone a slight change from what he remembered.
Then, Szayelaporro extended an invitation, claiming he had a way to help him reach a higher level.
Baraggan scoffed at this and threatened to take down this fool who dared insult the King of Hueco Mundo, intending to make him submit completely.
The battle broke out instantly.
What Baraggan found incomprehensible was that, despite supposedly being at the apex of Hueco Mundo, he was completely suppressed in a head-on clash of Reiatsu.
Even his power of senescence, which rotted all things, couldn't erode the outer layer of Szayelaporro's Reiatsu defense.
Faced with an absolute disparity in strength, Baraggan was defeated.
Yet, to his even greater surprise, Szayelaporro didn't choose to kill him. Instead, he collaborated with him, using some incomprehensible technology to shatter the shackles on his soul.
Baraggan Louisenbairn had completed his Arrancarification.
The feeling of an unbound soul was like shedding chains and swimming freely in the ocean; his entire being felt relaxed.
This brand-new realm allowed Baraggan to see a whole new world.
Now, he increasingly felt the insignificance of Hueco Mundo. He didn't even care about his former nemesis, that bizarre Menos Grande who had walked a different path.
If that guy appeared before him again, he could erase him with a wave of his hand.
As for that miraculous fellow, Szayelaporro, he was filled with curiosity.
Afterwards.
Las Noches began attempting to expand its territory once more, subjugating various Menos Grande.
His originally dormant ambitions, catalyzed by this swelling power, began to spread once again.
Clenching his five fingers slightly, materialized Reiatsu burst forth. Baraggan looked toward the crescent moon, his expression growing ever more profound, like the very incarnation of death.
Hueco Mundo was his territory to begin with!
Beneath the boundless desert, two massive figures were fleeing desperately.
One was a Menos Grande resembling a longhorn beetle, with a huge body and a horned mask on its head.
There was a massive chunk missing from its waist, a small half of its body seemingly erased out of thin air. Blood seeped out continuously, and its presence was extremely weak.
Beside it was a humanoid Menos Grande. Its upper half had the curvaceous appearance of a human, while its lower half was in the stance of an antelope.
"Lady Nelliel..."
A weak voice rang out amidst the howling winds.
"I'm already beyond saving. There's no need to waste your energy on a dying man. With your speed, there's no way those guys can catch up to you."
Hearing this, the antelope girl turned her head, her expression resolute.
"Pesche, please don't say such self-defeating things. I will never leave any comrade behind, whether it's you or Dondochakka."
"Once you've healed your wounds, we'll..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Nelliel suddenly narrowed her eyes, staring straight ahead.
The boundless silver desert abruptly collapsed, and several giant, worm-like creatures burrowed out from underground. A tyrannical, chaotic Reiatsu instantly filled the air.
Without any hesitation, the worms acted entirely on instinct. They violently opened their blood-red maws, which resembled those of lampreys, and gathered a crimson light.
BOOM!!
Dozens of dazzling Ceros blasted forth, dyeing the dark sky and instantly engulfing the silver sea of sand ahead.
In an instant, explosions rocketed into the sky, and countless grains of sand swept outward, blotting out the sun.
Two figures dashed out from the thick smoke. Nelliel's body was covered in charred black marks, displaying extensive burn wounds.
To protect the heavily injured Pesche, she had actively taken the brunt of the Ceros' impact.
Unlike other Menos Grande who reveled in slaughter and destruction, Nelliel had maintained a kind nature ever since she gained consciousness, utterly despising meaningless battles.
However.
Recently, the previously dormant Las Noches had suddenly begun expanding outward for some unknown reason.
The Vasto Lorde named Baraggan Louisenbairn wanted to forcibly unify Hueco Mundo and become its sole king.
Flocks of his Adjuchas subordinates appeared everywhere, searching for Menos Grande worthy of being conscripted into Las Noches.
Nelliel's group had been targeted by them.
During an outing, they accidentally ran into them head-on. To cover the other two, Dondochakka was taken away by the Adjuchas on the spot.
And Nelliel, in order to take care of the heavily injured Pesche, had no choice but to run for her life, unable to fight back against the Hollow swarm.
The deadliest part was that Las Noches had somehow found a group of mindless, giant worm Menos Grande.
Like hyenas, they relentlessly dogged Nelliel and Pesche's every step.
Looking at the worm Menos Grande opening their blood-red maws once more, Nelliel's heart sank, and a trace of despair began to spread.
Was she really going to die here?
Just as Pesche prepared to struggle forward, attempting to block this incoming wave of Ceros for the Lady Nelliel he followed...
The space in front of them suddenly tore open, revealing a deep, pitch-black corridor. The sound of an argument drifted out from within.
Before Nelliel could react, a figure wearing a haori leaped out from inside—
Planting himself squarely in front of them.
The next second.
Countless tyrannical Ceros plowed deep, scorched trenches into the earth, instantly and completely engulfing that figure.
---------------
Want more chapters? 50+ extra chapters are available on my Patreon:
patreon.com/Hard_Worker