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Hueco Mundo.
A gentle breeze swept through, carrying white sand that formed wave-like patterns across the ground.
At the end of the wind, a colossal architectural complex, towering into the clouds and occupying nearly half of the inner circle, stood tall. White sand piled up beneath the structures, forming arched dunes.
Tier Harribel stood on the floating bridge, gazing at the scene below.
This unchanging sight, no matter how many years passed, filled her with an indescribable disgust.
Compared to staying here, she preferred being in the Forest of Menos.
It's just a shame…
Now, she could no longer easily leave Las Noches.
Thinking of this, Tier Harribel lowered her head to look at her right leg.
Her attire was as usual: fingerless long gloves, a short skirt with two plate-like attachments on the back, and boots with straps.
However, next to the purple strap on Tier Harribel's right leg, a number had appeared, just below the hem of her skirt.
—9.
Looking at this number, Tier Harribel sighed softly.
Ever since Ishikawa's rampage in Hueco Mundo, she, who had just voluntarily given up her Espada position not long ago… was suddenly given the number NO. 9 by Aizen, becoming one of the first 'Espada' survivors.
Once upon a time, gaining Aizen's recognition and retaining her Espada number was a goal she would have pursued even at the cost of her life.
But at some point, Tier Harribel found that the Espada no longer held any appeal for her.
Inheriting Aaroniero's seat and becoming an Espada did not make her happy.
All she felt was a sense of confinement and unease about the future, and that unease intensified after that person returned to Hueco Mundo.
She really wanted to abandon her Espada status again, but she could never find a suitable reason.
"Sigh—"
Sighing softly, Tier Harribel turned and left the suspension bridge, heading towards her living quarters.
But just a few steps out, a figure suddenly landed behind her, kneeling on the ground: "Lady Tier Harribel, Lord Aizen has commanded all Espada to immediately proceed to the meeting hall."
"Understood."
Tier Harribel nodded: "I know."
The bone-like figure respectfully assented, then dissipated into ashes.
That's why…
She didn't want to stay in Las Noches.
Tier Harribel shook her head and proceeded towards the meeting hall.
Soon, she arrived in front of a building.
The building's door was not closed, and Tier Harribel walked straight in. As soon as she entered, a very long stone table came into view.
The head of the stone table was empty, while figures with terrifying presences sat on either side of it.
"Hmph~"
A cold snort, full of derision, came out. Nnoitra looked at Tier Harribel walking in from outside and said with disdain, "This cheap woman, who abandoned her Espada status out of fear of death and then became an Espada by luck, is truly an eyesore!"
Tier Harribel acted as if she hadn't heard, not even glancing at him.
She had heard similar remarks countless times. Although her original NO. 5 number had become Nnoitra's property.
But for Nnoitra, a woman like her becoming an Espada was already deeply disgusting, not to mention that she had voluntarily given up her Espada position when he provoked her to avoid exposure. His reaction was quite normal.
Though annoyed, she felt more contempt for him.
Nnoitra's brow furrowed slightly. Tier Harribel's reaction, to others, seemed like she was afraid to speak or even make eye contact with him due to fear.
But every time he faced this cheap woman, he always had a feeling of facing Nel, especially the way she looked at him. It gave Nnoitra the illusion that she didn't see him as important at all!
That's right!
It was just an illusion.
But the feeling in his heart still made Nnoitra…
Very displeased!!
Such a waste was simply not qualified to be an Espada.
"That's enough."
A cool female voice came out. The speaker was a female Arrancar with brown skin, emerald green eyes, a full bust, and long golden hair tied into three braids.
Because half of her face was covered by her high-collared attire, her exact appearance couldn't be seen clearly, but just from the exposed facial features, one could tell she was a very beautiful woman.
"What?"
Nnoitra glanced at the female Arrancar: "Is there something wrong with what I said?"
The female Arrancar frowned upon hearing this and looked up at Nnoitra.
"Forget it."
Tier Harribel sat in the empty seat next to the female Arrancar and said softly, "Halibel, he's not wrong."
"Heh heh—"
Nnoitra immediately scoffed.
Halibel looked at Nnoitra with icy eyes, then glanced at Tier Harribel beside her, a hint of either disappointment or pity flashing in her eyes, finally shaking her head and saying nothing more.
Sorry~
Tier Harribel silently whispered in her heart.
Halibel had always taken good care of her, and Tier Harribel was naturally very grateful for this.
But if possible, she still wanted to keep a low profile as much as possible, not to draw too much attention to herself.
It would be best if she could be kicked out of the Espada ranks by Aizen for acting cowardly…
Thinking about it carefully.
Her return to the Espada was entirely due to that idiot Ishikawa, who said something about clearing his own suspicion and made her launch an attack to gravely injure him to near death just as he was leaving Hueco Mundo.
It was precisely because of that attack…
She re-entered Aizen's sight and inherited Aaroniero's seat.
Otherwise, with the strength she had displayed, it wasn't as if there was no one in Aizen's personal guard who could replace her Espada position.
"A waste is a waste."
Tier Harribel wanted to keep a low profile, but Nnoitra was relentless, his mockery not only uncontained but becoming even more brazen. But before he could say anything more…
"Yawn—"
A yawn interrupted Nnoitra's words. A figure slumped over the table groggily propped himself up: "Can you be quiet? I'm so sleepy right now."
This was an Arrancar with short, curly dark brown hair and a bit of stubble on his chin, looking like a disheveled uncle: "Does anyone know what Aizen summoned us for? If it's not something essential, then I'm going back to sleep."
"It's nothing major."
As soon as his words fell, a gentle chuckle came from outside the meeting hall.
Upon hearing this, everyone on both sides of the stone table turned to look.
Tap—
Accompanied by crisp footsteps, a tall figure dressed similarly to the Arrancar, accompanied by two others, slowly entered the meeting hall.
This person was none other than Aizen.
"But before we begin the meeting, let us first have a cup of black tea."
Under everyone's gaze, Aizen slowly came to the head of the stone table and sat in the principal seat.
Behind him, Ichimaru Gin and Kaname Tōsen stood one on each side, like guards.
Almost simultaneously with Aizen's words, a female Arrancar in a blue striped dress, with medium-length black hair and half her face covered by a mask, walked in carrying a tray.
The female Arrancar placed the teacups from the tray one by one in front of everyone.
"Thank you."
When she placed a cup in front of Tier Harribel, Tier Harribel smiled at the female Arrancar, and Halibel, beside her, also nodded at the female Arrancar.
A hint of confusion flashed in the female Arrancar's eyes, but then she walked past the two as if emotionless, picking up the teapot and beginning to pour tea for everyone in the room one by one.
Tier Harribel glanced at the female Arrancar, shaking her head inwardly.
Loly Aivirrne.
This was the name of the female Arrancar pouring the tea. Regarding her origins, the other Espada present, except for Szayelaporro, might not know much.
But as a former Espada, Tier Harribel knew her origins very well.
According to Tier Harribel's knowledge, this female Arrancar was not naturally formed but was an artificial spider Hollow created by Szayelaporro. It was only later, after losing its usefulness, that Szayelaporro gave her to Aizen as an experimental subject for Arrancarization experiments.
And what was most surprising was…
This artificial spider Hollow, as an Adjuchas, had attained an almost human appearance, but for some reason, she did not possess a Zanpakuto, meaning she basically had no combat ability.
However, due to her healing abilities, she was not discarded but was kept in Las Noches like a servant, doing chores and healing the Espada.
Since the Espada almost never got injured, she spent most of her time doing servant's work.
Tier Harribel had interacted with her many times, but perhaps because she was artificial, she lacked the instincts and desires of a Hollow, and in some ways, her emotions were extremely deficient, making it difficult to communicate with her.
Shaking her head, Tier Harribel didn't dwell on it any longer.
She would try to ask Aizen if he could send her to be her subordinate later.
Tier Harribel's former subordinates had been reassigned elsewhere after she gave up her Espada position, and after Tier Harribel became an Espada, she had been trying to give up her Espada position, so she hadn't looked for another subordinate.
"Has everyone received it?"
Aizen propped his chin with one hand and said gently, "Don't be nervous, just listen to me while drinking." As he spoke, he reached into his embrace with his right hand and pulled out a diamond-like object.
The moment that object appeared, everyone present couldn't help but look over.
Because…
That object was precisely the Hōgyoku, used to break the barrier between Shinigami and Hollows!
"You should all be familiar with the item in my hand—" Aizen chuckled softly, looking at the Hōgyoku between his right index finger and thumb, or more precisely, at the dark red glow on the surface of the Hōgyoku.
Blood continuously rotated on the surface of the Hōgyoku in a certain pattern, as if it were a swimming fish.
"And the purpose for which I summoned you here…"
As he spoke, an indescribable fluctuation suddenly surged around Aizen, and an unknown energy poured into the Hōgyoku between his thumb and index finger.
Everyone's expressions became solemn, and they all looked towards the surface of the Hōgyoku in unison.
The blood light on the surface of the Hōgyoku was rapidly condensing under the pressure of that immense Reiatsu, trembling wildly as if about to collapse… or rather, it had already collapsed; the blood, originally condensed into a single point, turned into countless tiny blood mists, floating on the surface of the Hōgyoku, staining the entire Hōgyoku crimson.
But no matter how powerful the external force, the blood mist seemed to be integrated with the Hōgyoku, unable to be expelled from it.
As the blood mist spread, it instead shielded the Hōgyoku's own aura even more tightly!
"It is precisely because of this item—" Aizen chuckled softly, "or rather, because of the blood on it."
"After these past few days of analysis, I have already understood how to break this seal; to break this seal, a large amount of blood from the same source as the Sealed Artifact is required."
Aizen finished speaking, a faint smile flashing in his eyes as he looked at the Hōgyoku in his hand.
One should say…
As expected of the only person in the entire Soul Society he acknowledged?
The principle of the seal was not complicated, which was why he hadn't paid much attention to this seal back then.
But after returning to Hueco Mundo, he discovered…
In this not-so-complicated seal, the composition of the blood was extremely peculiar.
A large amount of fresh blood combined with Reiatsu, then compressed by Urahara Kisuke using some unknown method, integrating it with the Hōgyoku!
If it were just like this, it wouldn't be troublesome; it would just mean some impurities were added to the Hōgyoku.
But what was strange was…
The compressed fresh blood possessed an ability to obscure all internal energy, even perfectly concealing the Hōgyoku's fluctuations.
Initially, he even thought this was some substance created by Urahara Kisuke and once felt admiration for him.
However…
When he finally deciphered the small trick Urahara Kisuke left to prevent him from examining the blood's composition, he discovered…
This substance was indeed blood, and he was not unfamiliar with the owner of the blood.
Even a few days ago, he could have obtained a large amount of blood to break the seal with just a wave of his hand.
But at that time…
He had completely failed to connect the blood on the Hōgyoku with that curious young man.
"I summoned you here because I want you to do something for me!"
…
At the same time, Urahara Shop.
Urahara Kisuke sat in a small room filled with research equipment, holding a Denreishinki, his expression somewhat strange.
"…So, Ishikawa didn't actually see the Hōgyoku with his own eyes? And Aizen didn't collect his blood?"
"Yes, why? What's wrong?"
Yoruichi's somewhat puzzled voice came from the other end of the line; she was a bit confused as to why Urahara Kisuke would be so fixated on whether Ishikawa saw the Hōgyoku after she told him about her experiences in Soul Society these past few days.
"No wonder…"
Urahara Kisuke muttered to himself, "No wonder Ishikawa is so quiet…"
"Quiet about what?"
"Uh… this…"
A drop of cold sweat seeped from Urahara Kisuke's forehead; he didn't know how to explain it to Yoruichi and finally couldn't help but sigh, "In short, I'm sorry to Ishikawa, but I really couldn't think of any other safer method… Regarding this matter, I will personally explain it to Ishikawa…"
"Hmm… help me tell him… it's best not to leave Seireitei casually during this time… Hmm, try to stay with Commander Yamamoto…"
Don't leave Seireitei? Stay with Commander Yamamoto?
Yoruichi's confusion deepened; she really couldn't understand why Urahara Kisuke still acted as if someone was going to trouble Ishikawa, even though Aizen had already left Soul Society.
Had this scoundrel done something bad behind her back?
"Anyway, just tell him that for me."
As the words fell, a busy signal immediately came through Yoruichi's ear.
Disconnected?
Yoruichi stared at the Denreishinki in her hand for a long time, then suddenly slammed it onto the ground, saying angrily, "That bastard Kisuke, why is he always so mysterious!?" As she spoke, she stomped on the Denreishinki a few times, still feeling annoyed!
Then she continued walking along the tunnel.
Beyond the tunnel was an extremely vast space.
It was the Ōkaku Training Hall.
But unlike usual, the Ōkaku Training Hall was now filled with various blades of different shapes.
Two figures constantly moved through it, and sparks from clashing blades could be heard from time to time.
"How's it going?"
Yoruichi glanced at them, then walked to the edge of the Ōkaku Training Hall, where a lounge chair was placed. Ishikawa was lying on it, sipping hot tea and eating dori monaka he had personally bought, looking as leisurely as could be.
"I don't know either…"
Ishikawa was not lying; he genuinely didn't know Ichigo's current progress.
Although he had recently been trying to re-establish a connection with the newly born consciousness of his Zanpakuto, it would still take some time for it to nurture to reach the conditions for using Bankai, which is the so-called 'communication'…
After all…
It was shattered right after it was born, and then completely pulverized by Ishikawa himself…
This caused Ishikawa's newly born Zanpakuto's consciousness to never truly awaken or mature.
In short…
It was like an immature embryo still in the womb; communication was simply out of the question.
"Oh, by the way, Urahara Kisuke just contacted me and asked me to tell you…"
"Stop!"
Ishikawa hurriedly waved his hand, "I completely don't want to have any communication with him."
Ever since he returned from Hueco Mundo last time, Ishikawa had completely cut off contact with Urahara Kisuke; that guy simply embodied the word 'surveillance' to the fullest.
Who knew if he would secretly scheme against him? That bastard was absolutely capable of doing it.
Ishikawa even refused all of Urahara Kisuke's calls!
Now that Aizen had fled and he had become a Sage, the pressure that had always weighed on his heart finally dissipated. Ishikawa just wanted to relax properly.
He absolutely did not want to get involved in the confrontation between Urahara Kisuke and Aizen.
Given that time, he would rather make more friends, so that when Aizen acted again, he would truly have the power to protect himself.
"Uh."
Yoruichi looked at Ishikawa's repulsed expression and couldn't help but laugh, "Looking at you two, all chummy, weren't you cooperating quite happily?"
"Who was chummy with him?"
"Really?"
Yoruichi laughed heartily, "I actually think you two are quite similar, both equally sly and mischievous."
With that, Yoruichi remembered what Urahara Kisuke had asked her to convey and couldn't help but ask again:
"Are you really not going to listen to what he asked me to convey?"
"No."
"Then forget it, anyway, he said he would contact you himself."
Contact me?
Ishikawa chuckled.
He would never answer, no matter what!
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