Bleach [86-89] (Patreon)

Chapter 86: Killing Aaroniero!

If Renji encountered Rukia in her current state, he would definitely be shocked.

So, let Hollowfied Rukia deal with Hollowfied Shiba Kaien.

As soon as the words were spoken, Yoshio had already charged toward Renji.

Of course, he absolutely wouldn't let Renji see his face, so he put on a mask as soon as he appeared.

This time, he didn't use Appearance Mimicry, because Appearance Mimicry also had a cooldown period of three days, which was the cooldown for most abilities.

Many of the souls he had obtained had this three-day cooldown, though offensive abilities like Destructive Death Ray and Fireball didn't—mainly the functional ones had cooldowns.

A void mask emerged, covering Yoshio's face, and in the next moment, he appeared in front of Renji, who was hiding in the quartz tree.

Renji's pupils dilated instantly, and he immediately swung Zabimaru, but Yoshio's speed far exceeded his.

Zabimaru had just been swung when Yoshio's finger touched Renji's forehead.

"Byakurai."

Yoshio said softly, and in the next moment, a surge of spiritual energy flooded into Renji's body. Light flashed from his hand, and Renji, who had been preparing to attack, lost consciousness and fell straight to the ground.

Byakurai was a special Kidō, a combination of Hadō and Bakudō, which could induce a state of lethargy and even make spiritual pressure disappear.

After doing all this, the mask on Yoshio's face vanished. He looked at the fallen Renji and said, "This place is actually quite suitable for training. Your reaction just now was pretty quick."

It had to be said that Renji and the others were all geniuses. Even Rukia, with slightly inferior aptitude, could comprehend her Zanpakutō's Shikai shortly after graduating, not to mention top students like Renji and Kira.

The reason Rukia was still just a squad member in the Shinigami ranks, not even the lowest-level seated officer, was deliberately arranged by her brother, Kuchiki Byakuya.

Because becoming a seated officer meant taking on seated officer-level missions, which could be very dangerous.

It had to be said that Kuchiki Byakuya, as a brother, performed quite well behind the scenes. If he could be a bit nicer to Rukia on the surface, it would be perfect.

Yoshio shook his head, then carried Renji back to where Rukia was.

At that moment, Rukia was fighting Aaroniero.

Aaroniero hadn't become an Arrancar yet. Although he had the ability to devour Hollows, he was essentially still a Gillian.

Moreover, with his strength, he was no match for Rukia at all.

Yoshio looked over and discovered Aaroniero's Souls Ability.

["Hollow Devour: Devour the opponent's soul, gaining their abilities and memories."]

He was like Baraggan, possessing an inherent ability identical to a Souls Ability.

And similarly, Yoshio's attitude toward him was the same as toward Baraggan.

Although he coveted this ability, there was no need to curry favor.

First, people like Baraggan and Aaroniero were hard to please; they were extremely vicious Hollows, unlike Starrk and Nelliel, who could be communicated with amicably—they were beyond saving!

Even after becoming Arrancars, they still belonged to the type deeply immersed in the essence of the void.

Making friends with such Hollows was really too difficult.

Second, it wasn't cost-effective.

Even if he went to great lengths to please such Hollows, the abilities gained wouldn't allow Yoshio to ascend instantly like Aizen's "Apotheosis."

Was the Hollow Devour ability that amazing? Didn't he already have the potential for infinite abilities? Third, sometimes the dead are more useful than the living.

In the original story, Szayelaporro was very interested in Aaroniero's abilities, especially the special liquid he used to sustain life, but due to Aizen's presence, he couldn't confront Aaroniero.

But regardless, Aaroniero, as an extremely special Hollow consumer, had immense research value; if he really died, Yoshio could collect his parts and maybe even sell them.

So, he didn't care about Aaroniero's life or death—he was just a somewhat special Gillian, common in Hueco Mundo.

At that moment, Rukia was fighting Aaroniero, who had transformed into Shiba Kaien.

"We don't need to fight at all, do we?"

Aaroniero said with a gloomy face, "Although I don't know what happened, you've turned into a Hollow now. We're both Hollows. Are you avenging this Shinigami?!"

After transforming into Shiba Kaien, he had released Shikai, but it was clear that even Shiba Kaien's abilities were no match for Rukia.

Rukia swung her massive scythe, closing in step by step. Once the scythe cut the body, even a Hollow's Super High-Speed Regeneration couldn't heal the wound.

In a short time, Aaroniero was already severely injured.

He possessed Shiba Kaien's memories, so he naturally knew the woman before him was Rukia Kuchiki.

But he didn't know what had happened to Rukia Kuchiki—why had she appeared in Hollow form with such immense power!

"I'm not trash like you."

Rukia made a bloodthirsty expression and said, "And..."

"Your current appearance really disgusts me."

Deep purple spiritual energy immediately emerged on Rukia's scythe. She swung it, and in an instant, a crescent-shaped slash shot out.

Aaroniero's trident quickly stirred the seawater, but the purple crescent slash directly cut through the water and pierced Aaroniero's body in an instant!

Aaroniero's eyes widened. Fortunately, while this slash had the property of ignoring defenses, it didn't prevent wound healing. He quickly activated Super High-Speed Regeneration to reconnect his severed body.

But Rukia's body shattered, and in the next moment, it reassembled behind Aaroniero. The scythe in her hand swung down heavily, leaving a long wound on Aaroniero's body!

A horizontal dark purple slash, plus a vertical scythe cut— the two wounds formed a cross, and in an instant, blood sprayed from the cross-shaped wound!

Blood splattered onto Rukia's face, making her already "dark gothic girl" image appear even more eerie and terrifying.

Looking at the suddenly fallen "Shiba Kaien," at his incredulous eyes, and watching his body quickly revert to Aaroniero's true form, Rukia retracted her scythe.

Yoshio arrived there, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Aaroniero's true body.

He pulled out a few test tubes from his pocket and collected the liquid and some tissue samples from Aaroniero's body.

Chapter 87: Returning to Las Noches

"What are you doing?"

Rukia saw Yoshio cleaning up the remains and frowned.

"These are precious experimental materials; don't waste them."

Yoshio looked at the test tube in his hand, watching the liquid gradually sink into the reishi sand, and shook his head regretfully.

"I'll leave this guy to you."

Yoshio tossed Renji in front of Rukia and said, "How long can you maintain yourself in the outside world now?"

Dark Rukia was, after all, just Rukia's sub-personality; she couldn't suppress her main personality.

Her awakening was largely due to the spiritual pressure of the second-generation Hollow White stimulating the first-generation Hollow White within her, the resonance of the two spiritual pressures awakening Dark Rukia from the depths of her consciousness and taking control of her body.

Of course, this state couldn't last forever.

"I feel like I can maintain it for at most a day," Rukia said. "Any longer, and this foolish main body might notice something."

Yoshio continued, "Then, there's still time. Do you want to come back to Las Noches with me?"

"Las Noches? Is that your base in Hueco Mundo? Is Kisuke Urahara really behind you all?"

"Alright, you'll find out about these things sooner or later. Let's head back to Las Noches first."

Yoshio took Rukia and the unconscious Renji, hurrying toward Las Noches.

…

On the way, Yoshio couldn't help but ask, "Hey, Rukia..."

He turned to look at Rukia walking beside him and said, "As a Hollow, you have a Hollow hole in your abdomen, but why no mask?"

"..." Rukia didn't speak at first, seeming to think. After a while, she slowly said:

"Didn't I tell you? Shinigami is my main body..."

"Other Hollows, when they reach the mid-level Menos Grande stage, their bodies shrink and take on various forms, mainly animal forms."

"And my 'animal form'... is 'Shinigami.' So, it's not that I don't have a mask; Rukia Kuchiki's face is my mask!"

Dark Rukia said with a hint of self-mockery, "I'm just a Hollow wearing Rukia Kuchiki's skin."

As she spoke, she touched her face; though it looked like flesh, in her hand, it was a mask.

"Hōgyoku... what a strange tool."

Yoshio said softly.

But he knew this wasn't just the work of the Hōgyoku alone.

The Hōgyoku, Hollow White, the 'The Animals' he generated with Souls Ability, and even some inherent traits of Rukia Kuchiki herself—these four factors combined to produce a special effect, leading to Dark Rukia's birth.

In terms of complexity, this was even more intricate than the theatrical version's Dark Rukia's origin.

The two hadn't had time to think further when they already arrived at Las Noches.

"Inside Hueco Mundo... there's actually such a structure?"

When she saw Las Noches, Rukia was also shocked.

After all, in the Shinigami's impression, Hueco Mundo was just a barren wasteland, not a place that could nurture civilization.

However, this vast complex of buildings showed that things were far from simple.

During Yoshio's tenure in charge of Las Noches, he had also made some modifications to the area, making it indeed more prosperous than the previous Las Noches.

"This couldn't have been created by you all, right?"

Rukia looked at Yoshio doubtfully.

Yoshio shook his head: "Wasn't there ruins where you were before? Don't underestimate Hueco Mundo. Over millions of years, civilizations have been lost within Hueco Mundo."

"As long as there's intelligence, no matter how flawed the monster's intellect, no matter how bloodthirsty or brutal it is, groups will eventually unite."

"Either the strong dominate the weak, or they band together against the strong. In any case, on a timescale of millions of years, anything you think is unimaginable is possible."

"..."

Rukia didn't speak and entered Las Noches with Yoshio.

Most of the Hollows in Las Noches looked at Yoshio with vigilant or even resentful eyes. An ordinary person might feel uncomfortable in such an atmosphere, but Yoshio seemed indifferent.

"Walking with you feels a bit unsafe."

Rukia said, looking at Yoshio's back.

She wondered what this guy had done to these Hollows to make them hate him so much?

Yoshio smiled bitterly: "Whatever, it's not my problem."

Aizen had directly given the King of Hueco Mundo a "treat, behead, beat the dog" treatment, crushing the king these people worshiped into mud. How could these Hollows who revered Baraggan as a god endure it?

If Aizen could use the Hōgyoku to turn these Hollows into Arrancars and grant them great power, that would be fine. But now Aizen had barely appeared, and these Hollows felt no gratitude toward him.

Even he, who came with Aizen, had become a target.

But it was just some unfriendly stares; if they really wanted to do something, they couldn't.

If anyone truly rebelled, Yoshio would activate Destructive Death Ray.

Yoshio led Rukia to his room and said, "Rest here for now; I'm going out to handle some things."

Then he added, "Roka Paramia!"

Shortly after he spoke, a spider-type Menos Grande appeared.

Yoshio said, "This is my friend; take good care of them."

"Yes, master." Roka Paramia nodded respectfully.

Then Yoshio headed to Szayelaporro's laboratory.

As soon as he reached the door, the lab door opened.

From inside came Szayelaporro's somewhat impatient voice: "What do you want now, Shinigami?"

"Providing some research materials."

Yoshio said, "But it seems you're not welcoming me right now, so forget it."

With that, he shrugged and turned to leave.

"Wait!!"

Szayelaporro heard Yoshio's words and quickly said, "What research materials can you provide?"

Yoshio took out a jar of the liquid that had burst from Aaroniero's body, contained in a reagent bottle, and said, "This stuff, but I have a condition."

"Hm?" Szayelaporro hadn't shown himself yet. From inside the lab, he asked, "What condition?"

"I want to share all your research results on this jar of liquid."

Szayelaporro didn't answer. Instead, a tentacle extended from inside and wrapped around the reagent bottle.

After a while, there was a surprised "Oh" from inside, and then Szayelaporro said, "Come back for it in a month; don't disturb me during this time."

Chapter 88: Nelliel Arrives

It seems... Szayelaporro is in a very critical moment.

Has he already embarked on the path to becoming what he considers the perfect life form?

He's indeed in a hurry.

Yoshio looked at the lab door closing again and couldn't help but smile.

Szayelaporro's evolution is a good thing; after all, making friends with Hollows is difficult, but making friends with Arrancars is much simpler.

Although gaining Szayelaporro's favor is bound to be extremely difficult, Yoshio is determined for the sake of the perfect life form ability.

After leaving the lab, Yoshio touched the reagents in his pocket again.

He had packed six bottles of liquid reagents in total, plus a sample of Aaroniero's body tissue.

One bottle to Szayelaporro, some of the rest for Aizen, and finally, he needed to keep some for himself.

Although his research skills were average, he was consciously working to improve them.

To become an excellent ultimate BOSS in the Shinigami world, one must have the ability to innovate and reform.

Aizen created the Hōgyoku, transformed Arrancars, and led Hueco Mundo in a "transcendence."

And Yhwach also granted Quincy Schrift and Vollständig abilities, even developing the Sternritter's ability to steal Bankai.

Well, it might not have been Yhwach personally researching it, but it definitely had some connection to him.

Technological progress is the primary productive force!

Therefore, Yoshio had been studying scientific books diligently, striving to enhance his basic skills in various areas.

With Tōshirō Hitsugaya's 'Kirinji' ability, he even sometimes used it to focus on 'scientific learning' while forgoing training!

Although his research level wasn't very strong yet, Yoshio was still preparing to try it himself.

He even planned to set up a laboratory in Las Noches and his safe house.

After returning from Szayelaporro's place, Yoshio saw Rukia sitting on the bed reading a book.

"I forgot, you used to write novels in Seireitei."

Rukia looked at the book's content and said, "Are you planning to write novels about Hueco Mundo too?"

Yoshio recognized at a glance that it was the adapted Naruto story he had told Lilynette, and smiled, saying, "Hueco Mundo is just too boring; I have to inject some vitality into this dull world, right?"

"What are you planning to do next?" Rukia asked again, "There's still two days, right?"

Yoshio had said he would send Rukia back to the Gotei 13 in three days, and Dark Rukia was about to fall into slumber.

So she was asking how Rukia would handle the remaining two days.

"Three days was just a number I blurted out. Let you and Renji have a good sleep, and then I'll send you back to the dispatch team."

Yoshio didn't care much.

The thing about him impersonating as Yoruichi to take Rukia away was indeed something he said offhand.

Because he didn't know how long Dark Rukia could maintain herself; he just vaguely felt that with the second-generation Hollow White's spiritual pressure, he could awaken Dark Rukia, but after awakening, how long she could last...

That was hard to say.

Yoshio took Rukia away just to figure out what exactly had happened to her and invite her to join his newly formed Espada.

Yes, Yoshio planned to make Dark Rukia one of the Espada.

Szayelaporro was Espada Cero, Starrk was still Espada Uno, Baraggan was Espada Dos—these three positions wouldn't change, but the rankings of the subsequent Hollows would depend on Yoshio's arrangements.

In the original story, Aizen was a perfectionist; he insisted on assigning suitable, distinct aspects of death as the standard for Espada.

For example, Grimmjow and Loly Aivirrne both had "destruction" as their aspect of death, so only one could become the sixth Espada, while the other was directly excluded.

Halibel and Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck both represented "sacrifice," so when Nelliel was the third Espada, Halibel had no suitable stage.

But Yoshio wouldn't do that; moreover, Hollows' aspects of death aren't limited to one.

For instance, Nnoitra had madness, despair, and possibly ecstasy as three forms of death.

Yoshio had always suspected that each Hollow's aspect of death was related to their evolutionary trajectory after becoming a Vasto Lorde or Arrancar, which indeed couldn't be easily changed, but there was no need to be so rigid.

However...

What was Dark Rukia's aspect of death?

Never mind, he'd leave that for Aizen to consider later.

…

About half an hour later, Rukia closed her eyes, and her body began to change.

Her white hemp clothes turned black, reverting to her Shinigami uniform. Her somewhat dull hair turned black again, and her aura gradually returned to that of a Shinigami.

During the transformation, her breathing became a bit rapid for a moment, but after it completed, her breathing stabilized.

Yoshio looked at the sleeping Rukia and cast 'Byakurai' on her as well.

When the time came, he would toss Rukia back.

After instructing Roka Paramia to settle the two, he left the room again.

Because he sensed a familiar spiritual pressure.

He went out and saw Starrk.

Beside Starrk was a massive antelope-shaped Menos Grande.

"Long time no see, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, or should I say... Miss Antelope?"

That's right, the one accompanying Starrk was Nelliel!

When she saw Yoshio, she exclaimed in surprise, "It's you? Why are you still in Hueco Mundo?"

"I said we'd meet again," Yoshio said with a smile. "Next time we meet, perhaps everything will be different."

"..." Nelliel frowned, looking around, and asked, "What did you do to them?"

"I don't know why, but my captain became the King of Hueco Mundo," Yoshio said. "It's the Captain Aizen you saw before; he's very powerful."

"...He is indeed strong." Nelliel was silent for a moment, then said, "You... you're not just trying to become the King of Hueco Mundo, are you?"

"Smart." Yoshio extended his hand. "Stay in Hueco Mundo and come with us. If you follow us forward, perhaps you'll see a world completely different from before."

"Hueco Mundo... in our hands, it will change completely."

"..."

Nelliel looked at Yoshio and slowly said, "I have nowhere else to go, but whether I join you or not, I need to see for myself before deciding."

Chapter 89: All Hollows in Hueco Mundo Arrancarized, Convincing Starrk

That said, Nelliel had basically already joined Las Noches.

Two days later, Yoshio tossed the still-in-Byakurai-state Rukia and Renji onto the reishi sand near the ruins of the Hollow White evolution, then released Fireball Technique.

The Fireball Technique attracted the Shinigami's attention, and after Rukia and Renji were taken away, the Hueco Mundo Dispatch Team returned.

As for how they would report the Hueco Mundo situation upon return, and how Seireitei would handle Kisuke Urahara and the others afterward, that was beyond Yoshio's control.

During this time, Yoshio became busy. He started mobilizing the Hollows in Las Noches to search for mid-level Menos Grande and high-level Menos Grande, preparing to gather powerful Hollows when Aizen arrived, making it convenient for Hōgyoku experiments.

Of course, because he also needed to monitor the situation in Seireitei, Yoshio basically returned to Seireitei every night.

As the Lieutenant, Yoshio naturally had the authority to know the Central 46's reaction after the Hueco Mundo Dispatch Team's report.

Upon learning that Yoruichi Shihouin was involved, Second Division Captain Suì-Fēng reacted particularly strongly, insisting on going to Hueco Mundo to capture this criminal group.

But the Central 46 didn't allow it, instead temporarily halting further actions on the Bull-Head Hollow incident.

Because Kisuke Urahara was simply too dangerous, Seireitei needed time to consider how to deal with this great criminal.

And seeing Yoshio tarnish Kisuke Urahara and the others' reputations, Aizen said nothing.

…

…

Nearly three years had passed, and Soul Society still had no follow-up actions, which made Yoshio, who was preparing to watch the show, feel very bored.

And today, he entered Hueco Mundo with Aizen.

This time, Aizen was already prepared to use the Hōgyoku for Arrancar experiments on Hollows.

However, such "Arrancar" experiments also carried certain risks.

After all, the Hōgyoku Aizen created wasn't perfect yet.

In the end, a mid-level Menos Grande named Shawlong Koufang decided to become the first Hōgyoku Arrancar test subject.

Originally, the first was supposed to be Grimmjow, but Shawlong preempted Grimmjow, preparing to become the first experimental body.

Shawlong was Grimmjow's subordinate; he wanted to use his life to confirm for Grimmjow whether the Hōgyoku was truly that miraculous and could really grant Hollows great power.

Under the effect of Hōgyoku, the originally stalled evolution of Shawlong began to change. The mask on his face started peeling off, eventually shedding nearly three-quarters.

His body was also transforming.

Shawlong Koufang was already an excellent Adjuchas; his form was very close to human, and now, he had completely turned human.

Only the hollow hole and the broken mask still indicated Shawlong's identity.

His body condensed an extremely high concentration of spiritual pressure, and in terms of quantity, it was much denser than before his revival.

"This..."

Shawlong Koufang stared at his hands in shock, his eyes filled with uncontrollable excitement!

The spiritual power growth he hadn't felt in years was happening again, and this long-lost sensation made him uncontrollably excited.

Not just him—the surrounding Hollows watching were also excited.

Even some Vasto Lordes couldn't help but be shocked; even Starrk, who originally seemed uninterested, couldn't help but take another look at Shawlong Koufang.

"This is it..."

Aizen looked at Arrancar Shawlong Koufang with satisfaction, extending his hand as if inviting the surrounding Hollows, or perhaps the world itself.

"Gentlemen, follow me to a new world."

The Hollows showed eager eyes; they had all seen what kind of evolution Shawlong had achieved after becoming an Arrancar. Not a single Hollow didn't want to become like Shawlong.

"I'm next!"

Grimmjow stepped forward; he had originally planned to be the first test subject, but Shawlong had beaten him to it.

Yoshio walked up to Starrk and said, "Do you want to try?"

"Me?" Starrk was a bit puzzled. "I should already be what you call an 'Arrancar,' right?"

In the original story, Starrk joined Las Noches and became an Espada quite late.

It wasn't until Aizen openly betrayed Soul Society and took control of Las Noches that he was discovered by Aizen and invited to join the Espada.

By then, the Espada in Las Noches had already been completed.

And he was already an Arrancar himself, so he naturally didn't need Aizen to use the Hōgyoku for further Arrancarization.

But now it was different; because of Hollow White, they had discovered Starrk early, so perhaps Starrk could benefit from another wave of the Hōgyoku.

Yoshio continued, "Arrancarization isn't the endpoint for Hollows. As far as I know, Hollows can also achieve 'Segunda Etapa.' Don't you want to try?"

"Forget it." Starrk leaned against the wall, looked up at the dim sky above Las Noches, at the crescent moon that, despite its best efforts, still couldn't emit much light, and said softly:

"I... I don't want to get stronger anymore."

"This... this is a bit arrogant." Yoshio also followed Starrk's gaze upward, looking at the crescent moon, and said, "Do you think getting weaker will get you companions?"

"If you really believe that, I can only say, you really don't seem like a Hollow."

"..." Starrk remained silent, while Yoshio lowered his head and pointed at the surrounding Hollows with his finger.

"Do you see their eyes..."

"..." Starrk glanced but still didn't speak.

Then Yoshio continued, "Those are eyes that want to become stronger. For Hollows, evolution is their eternal goal."

"To put it bluntly, for Hollows who have lost their 'heart,' what they most desire to pursue is that lost heart, and what they fear most is 'degenerating' to the point of losing not only their heart but also their reason."

"You are a powerful Vasto Lorde; you've experienced the stages of evolution and naturally understand the fear of 'regression,' so you should understand even better."

Yoshio said softly, "A Hollow who wants to get weaker, who wants to degenerate, cannot survive among Hollows who want to evolve, and will inevitably not be accepted by other Hollows."

"The times have changed; you can put away your arrogant thoughts. With Captain Aizen's Hōgyoku, you no longer have to worry about your spiritual pressure killing Hollows, nor about the people around you being weak."

"Moreover..."

Yoshio glanced at Lilynette beside him and said, "Didn't you already have a companion back then?"