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Darkness, vibration, shaking, then stability…
Time passed imperceptibly, and Ishikawa, who had completely lost his perception of the outside world, could only feel the changes in his environment.
Ishikawa woke up in a daze. He had a nightmare, the content of which was very familiar because he had dreamt it many times before. However, each time he woke up, he completely forgot it, leaving only a vague sense of irritation.
But this time…
He hadn't forgotten; on the contrary, the dream's content was incredibly clear to him.
His opened black eyes were lifeless, like those of a dead person. After a while, his scattered gaze slowly converged, gradually gaining spirit and a hint of vitality.
Ishikawa let out a soft breath. The pain that shot through his body with that breath caused his pupils to gradually focus, and he fully woke up.
As soon as he awoke, he instinctively observed his surroundings.
This was an utterly dark space, and beneath him was a pristine, vast ground. The familiar environment made Ishikawa feel a slight sense of relief.
It seemed he had fortunately survived.
Ishikawa's lips twitched. Although he didn't know how many days had passed, recalling the scene before he fainted still filled him with lingering fear.
Because…
His current hiding place wasn't some secret spot, but rather the foot of a Gillian completely enveloped in a black, wizard-cloak-like garment!
He hadn't even used any Kido or barriers for concealment or defense. He had simply crawled in and collapsed onto the foot; because Kido, barriers, and Spiritual Crests would all emit Reiatsu fluctuations, easily revealing his location.
At that time, his injuries were too severe, so severe that he had no time to find a better hiding place.
However, this should be considered a blessing in disguise. Judging from the familiar surroundings, no one had discovered him.
Moreover, the Gillian beneath him had evidently not devoured its kind or taken steps large enough to throw him off or trample him to death while Ishikawa was unconscious.
All in all…
The outcome was still good.
However, the injuries were not optimistic.
Ishikawa suddenly missed Captain Unohana. Because in Soul Society, no matter how severe his injuries were, Captain Unohana could always save him. Every time he woke up from a coma, his physical condition had already passed the danger, and he would then receive the most thorough recuperation from the Fourth Division.
Originally, he had only been amazed by Captain Unohana's mastery of Kaido and hadn't felt the importance of the Fourth Division. But now he suddenly realized… the Fourth Division truly belonged to that type of Squad that was disliked when not needed, but absolutely indispensable when required.
However, nostalgia was useless.
He was in Hueco Mundo; no matter what he thought, Captain Unohana couldn't possibly appear here.
The immediate priority now was to find a way to heal his injuries.
Before he fainted, he had only performed a simple Reishi suture on his wounds to prevent himself from bleeding to death while unconscious.
If such injuries were on someone else, after so many days, even if bleeding was prevented, it would be virtually impossible to wake up again.
As someone proficient in Kaido, Ishikawa naturally understood this point.
The reason he was confident he wouldn't die was entirely due to his gamble on his physique.
Adding points to his physique not only enhanced his pure physical strength and defense but also greatly improved his body's self-healing ability.
From the results, he won the gamble!
Although his physical condition was still extremely poor, it was much better than before he fainted, barely considered out of the danger period… No, until he regained the ability to move and could escape with Shunpo, he couldn't be considered out of the danger period.
With this thought, Ishikawa carefully checked his own condition.
The injuries from forcibly integrating 'Hado No. 88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō' into his body had mostly healed due to the physique points. His most severe injury now was the wound on his chest, inflicted by Nnoitra. When he took that blow, he had completely refrained from using Reiatsu for defense, instead enduring it with his body.
That scythe not only tore his flesh but also severed his ribs, and his internal organs suffered varying degrees of damage.
The Reishi sutures on the surface of his flesh offered no relief for the internal injuries. Ishikawa now found it incredibly difficult to even lift a single finger.
In such a state, let alone healing himself, staying conscious was a challenge for Ishikawa.
His only consolation was…
The Reishi concentration in Hueco Mundo was extremely high. Even after many days without food, he didn't feel hungry here.
And high Reishi concentration had another benefit for Ishikawa, one only he could enjoy.
—Development Spiritual Mark!
Before losing consciousness, to prevent himself from absorbing Reishi on his own due to the 'Development Spiritual Mark' and thus revealing his location, Ishikawa dispersed the Spiritual Crests within his body at the last moment.
The Development Spiritual Mark he created could be engraved on the 'Spirit Core', accelerating the speed at which the 'Spirit Core' converted atmospheric Reishi into his own spiritual power. The higher the atmospheric Reishi concentration, the better the effect!
And the healing of Kaido also had the ability to restore the target's Reiatsu. Or rather, every time Kaido was performed, the first step was to restore the target's Reiatsu, and then, with the cooperation of the restored internal Reiatsu and the caster's external Reiatsu, the body would recover.
By using the spiritual power generated by the Development Spiritual Mark to operate Kaido, Ishikawa could treat himself from within, even without the ability to move.
The only thing that made Ishikawa hesitate was…
Once the treatment began, his location would immediately be exposed.
But he had no other choice now. Although Ishikawa's physique was strong, his defense could even rival an Adjuchas's Hierro, but he did not possess super-fast regeneration. With his current injuries… if he did nothing, he might lie there for several years and still not regain the ability to move.
Ishikawa really wanted to use his detection circuit to check the surroundings, but unfortunately, he couldn't even perform a detection circuit now.
A cold aura emanated from his hand. Even without looking, Ishikawa knew it was the aura from his Zanpakuto.
The hilt of the long blade was as if coated with glue; even though Ishikawa had long released his grip, it remained firmly stuck to his hand.
A wailing child, consumed by sorrow, playing wantonly and unrestrained?
Indeed…
That subconscious aversion was not an illusion.
Although the release of the Zanpakuto was understood during battle, that feeling of wanton and joyful, unreasonable, annoying… acting completely without regard for consequences, like a mischievous child, Ishikawa had experienced it long ago.
It was too similar, which made him somewhat averse.
Perhaps sensing Ishikawa's thoughts, the cold aura in his hand grew thicker.
"Hoo—"
He slightly opened his mouth, exhaled a long breath, and tried to close his hand, gripping the Zanpakuto. He entered the state of Blade Meditation while lying down.
Vaguely, the eerie playful sounds of children entered his ears.
Ishikawa paid no mind, instead engraving the Development Spiritual Mark within his body. Combining the external Reishi drawn in by Blade Meditation, he began to treat himself from the inside out.
Buzz—
The incredibly dense Reishi in the atmosphere rapidly condensed, forming a faint glow on Ishikawa's body.
The moment the treatment began, Ishikawa focused all his attention inward, examining the injuries throughout his body to timely adjust the Reiatsu changes of Kaido.
…
However, Ishikawa didn't know that almost simultaneously with the start of his treatment, a rather excited whisper came from outside.
"I found you!"
The whisper was not loud, but it was incredibly clear in the silent environment.
Looking around, one could see countless Gillians lined up neatly in the dark Forest of Menos, being inspected by a young girl.
Tier Harribel looked at one of the Gillians with excitement, a sweet smile on her face.
"You, lift your foot."
The Gillian she pointed to instinctively complied, its dark outer garment slowly lifting to reveal a foot, the same color as its mask, like it was wearing white long boots. It extended its foot in front of Tier Harribel; and on the foot… lay a young man in ragged clothes, his pants torn into strips, barely covering his modesty.
Almost the instant he felt the external light, Ishikawa opened his eyes. When he saw the purple-haired girl in front of him, his eyelids twitched slightly.
Although he had always wanted to find a female Hollow after coming to Hueco Mundo…
But this timing, wasn't it just too terrible!?
Meeting Ishikawa's gaze, Tier Harribel blinked.
Originally, her purpose in pursuing him was simply to kill this Shinigami and thereby prove her worth to that person.
But after nearly a week of searching…
She became curious about what kind of despairing expression this Shinigami, who thought he had escaped, would show when she found him, or how he would beg for mercy.
However, Ishikawa's reaction somewhat disappointed her.
His expression, rather than despair, gave a sense of 'Are you messing with me?' His reaction upon seeing her was also strange. For a brief moment, he seemed instinctively happy, and only then did despair set in.
"???"
This situation left Tier Harribel feeling utterly bewildered.
She didn't know whether to be angry at the Shinigami's lack of cooperation or to just kill him directly.
It seemed like capturing him alive and taking him back to Las Noches to lock him up wouldn't be bad either.
After all, Captain-level Shinigami of the Gotei 13 were extremely rare creatures in Hueco Mundo. Capturing him and putting a collar on him to keep him as a pet was clearly a good way to deal with him, and it would also maximally humiliate those Shinigami.
However…
This thought was just that, a thought. The opponent was a Shinigami who had almost killed Aaroniero.
To be safe, killing him immediately was the best course of action. This would prevent him from relaying information about Arrancar and Espada back to Soul Society, causing trouble for that person's plan.
How to deal with him?
The four words simultaneously appeared in the minds of the human and the Hollow, staring at each other.
The faint killing intent in Tier Harribel's eyes made Ishikawa realize that his years of hard-practiced, targeted communication skills were finally about to become his lifeline at this moment.
But…
Who was this female Arrancar?
Ishikawa's eyelids twitched slightly. Although there seemed to be a vague memory of such a person, even Ishikawa, who usually had an excellent memory, didn't have much of an impression of her.
"Forget it, I'll just kill you directly."
Tier Harribel gave Ishikawa a sweet smile, but the words she spoke made Ishikawa's heart tighten.
"Tier Harribel."
Tier Harribel slowly drew her Zanpakuto from her waist and said coldly, "That is the name of the one who will kill you."
Tier Harribel?
Ishikawa's eyes lit up, and he finally remembered the identity of the girl before him.
No. 105…
No, she was very likely still Espada No. 5!
Although the exact time of her demotion was uncertain, it shouldn't be far from the date she lost her Espada rank.
The blade was slowly raised. Tier Harribel looked at the Shinigami before her and mercilessly brought her Zanpakuto down.
But…
"I can make your Arrancarization more complete!"
Whoosh—
The sharp sound of air being cut abruptly ceased. The keen edge grazed Ishikawa's cheek, but looking at the blade so close, Ishikawa breathed a sigh of relief.
He had gambled correctly!
His impression of Tier Harribel in his memory wasn't deep. He only knew that after she was eliminated from the Espada, she had been eager to prove her worth, desperately wanting to rejoin the Espada ranks; however, her lack of strength caused all her efforts to fail.
And she herself was obsessed with victory to the point of near madness.
For victory, she even forcibly stripped away the burdensome body after her Release Form. This stripping wasn't a simple change of form, but a permanent injury. After the stripping, she would forever lose a part of her body in her Release Form, equivalent to literally cutting off and discarding her own limbs.
She could be said to be extremely ruthless, both to her enemies and to herself.
For such a person, a further evolution would undoubtedly hold a considerable allure!
But this alone wouldn't allow him to escape. He also needed to make her believe that he could achieve this.
"Although these are just some personal ideas, as long as you provide me with enough research materials, and it would be best if you could personally cooperate with my research. If you don't believe me, you can try holding my hand first. Although it's just a general concept, it should more or less have some effect."
Ishikawa looked at the cold-faced Tier Harribel and added fuel to the fire.
And he dared to say this because he had his reasons.
Ishikawa had previously researched some Hollows and already had a certain understanding of their body structure. The knowledge that allowed him to analyze Hollows so easily was not Kido, nor was it his memory of Arrancar, but rather…
Development Spiritual Mark!
Ishikawa's Development Spiritual Mark was created based on the Shiba family's magical Spiritual Crests.
Although many core Spiritual Crests knowledge could only be learned and performed by those with Shiba family blood.
But after creating the Development Spiritual Mark, under the system's deduction, Ishikawa also gained advanced Spiritual Crests knowledge that differed slightly from the Shiba family's. It was this knowledge that allowed him to research the structure of Hollows so quickly.
It should be known that…
When each Asauchi was forged, inscriptions for 'soul guidance and Hollow purification' would naturally appear on the hilt. These inscriptions were created by the Shiba family's ancestor and integrated into the rules. It could be said that besides researching methods for becoming living sacrifices, the Shiba family's Spiritual Crests also had extremely high attainments in the study of Hollows.
Ishikawa had previously researched that his Development Spiritual Crests, while unusable on Shinigami, had unexpected effects on Hollows. Although… the Hollows he had experimented on earlier had all directly exploded from the greatly increased spiritual power within them after Ishikawa engraved the Development Spiritual Mark on them.
But with enough experimental material, and even Arrancar cooperating with his research, plus the system's deduction…
While Ishikawa couldn't create Arrancar, he had a certain degree of confidence in further evolving existing Arrancar. Although his initial research goal was to acquire the innate abilities of Hollows for himself.
Tier Harribel stared into Ishikawa's eyes, not giving an immediate answer.
After a long stare, Tier Harribel slowly withdrew her Zanpakuto and said in a gloomy tone, "I hope you're not lying to me, otherwise I will absolutely make you experience the most painful death."
As she spoke, she slowly bent down and reached out, gripping Ishikawa's free left hand.
Almost the instant their hands touched, she felt a surge of spiritual power spread from his palm, covering her body, as if engraving something.
A flicker of vigilance flashed in Tier Harribel's eyes.
But the next second…
That flicker of vigilance turned into disbelief!!!
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