Chapter 270: The Beginning of Change at Las Noches
Eighth Division, barracks.
Lisa Yadōmaru carried a stack of documents as she arrived at the captain's office.
Truth be told, she didn't have high expectations of actually finding anyone here.
No one understood better than her just how unreliable their captain could be.
Expecting their captain to quietly handle official duties would require nothing short of miracles—like chickens pecking through all the rice in the world or Komamura finishing his noodles...
Somehow, the mischievous story Satoru had once told suddenly surfaced in her mind.
Swish!
She slid open the study door.
The sight that greeted her made Lisa freeze in surprise.
Their captain was actually sitting at his desk, diligently handling official business!
Lisa's expression shifted immediately as her hand went to the hilt of her zanpakutō:
"Imposter! What have you done with our real captain?!"
"Huh?"
Kyōraku looked genuinely confused.
But then he lowered his voice and beckoned her closer.
"Come here, little Lisa, come over here."
Lisa narrowed her eyes and took half a step back.
"Captain, if you try anything inappropriate, the Female Shinigami Association won't go easy on you."
"What nonsense! I have some big news to share—you'll regret it for a whole year if you don't hear this!"
After successfully luring his vice-captain closer, Kyōraku cupped his hand around his mouth:
"Little Lisa, I'm going to tell you something, but you absolutely mustn't tell anyone else."
"I heard... Old Man Yama sparred with Satoru, but because of his age, his reactions were too slow, and Satoru seized the opportunity to break one of his arms!"
"In the coming days, Old Man Yama will definitely find excuses to take his frustration out on me. If you see him, tell him I've been completely focused on handling division affairs and haven't gone anywhere."
Upon hearing this, Lisa showed an astonished expression.
Satoru... broke one of the Captain-Commander's arms?
Since their captain was the Captain-Commander's disciple, he probably wouldn't joke about such matters.
She had indeed often heard similar rumors about Satoru being rebellious and constantly scheming to overthrow the Captain-Commander and seize his position.
But she had always treated them as jokes.
How powerful was the Captain-Commander?
According to their captain, even if all members of the Gotei 13 joined forces, they still couldn't defeat him.
For such an immensely powerful Captain-Commander to have his arm broken by Satoru?
Even accounting for factors like underestimating his opponent, this still demonstrated just how terrifying Satoru had become.
She adjusted her glasses, hiding her eyes behind the lenses' reflection.
"Understood, Captain."
"Since you're handling official business, I'll leave these documents with you."
"I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."
With that, she placed the stack of documents she was carrying on the desk and quickly departed.
Looking at the pile of documents on his desk, Kyōraku made a pained expression.
Picking up his pen, he rested his chin in his hand and thought for a moment.
Then, overwhelmed once more by the urge to share his news, his fingers traced patterns on the desk, drawing a Reiatsu diagram.
As he moved, a thread of Reiatsu shot out with a whoosh.
A few seconds later, he grinned:
"Hikifune-senpai, I have something to tell you, but you absolutely mustn't tell anyone else..."
...
...
"Seriously, can anyone explain this?"
"I went straight home, slept through the night with Suì-Fēng, didn't go anywhere or say anything to anyone, so how did I end up being accused of getting carried away and spreading the news everywhere?"
"There must be some villainous schemer behind this, poisoning people's minds against me!"
"Just wait, sooner or later, I, Satoru, will purge all these treacherous rebels and restore Seireitei to its righteous state!"
In Las Noches, seated imposingly upon the bone throne, Satoru complained incessantly.
Below the throne stood three figures.
Tier Harribel, Satoru's unwavering loyalist—the kind who would never betray him no matter what happened. She listened quietly, though barely comprehending his words. After hearing him out, she adopted a solemn expression:
"Satoru-sama, whoever dares oppose you shall face me as your blade!"
Satoru beamed with delight: "Splendid, splendid! As all know, my sword and I are as close as family. Becoming my blade guarantees excellent treatment."
The other two were Starkk and Lilynette.
Starkk sat slumped against a corner wall, looking as though he were sleepwalking. To him, Satoru's declarations might as well belong to another dimension. Well, technically they did. In any case, none of this concerned him. He found his current life quite satisfactory—surrounded by companions who wouldn't perish from his leaking Reiatsu, gradually becoming familiar faces over time. Though poor at conversation, occasionally exchanging greetings with them was enough to content him.
Meanwhile, Lilynette perched brightly-eyed on the armrest of Satoru's throne, swinging her feet excitedly.
"Satoru, Satoru! Take me to see it next time! I want to visit that... Soul Society you mentioned!"
"Ho! No problem, leave it to me!" Satoru laughed heartily, thumping his chest in promise.
Starkk: "..."
Bringing an Arrancar Hollow to Soul Society. One dared propose it, the other dared agree. He could only hope they were joking...
"Yo, Starkk!"
Just as Starkk yawned and prepared to sneak a nap, the sudden voice startled him. Someone had ghosted beside him unnoticed. Though he hadn't been particularly vigilant, the ease with which this person approached demonstrated significant improvement in his abilities.
"S-Satoru-sama?" Starkk imperceptibly shifted away from 3↑U.
"Starkk, look at your current state! As the only Menos Grande in Las Noches who achieved Resurrección naturally—our theoretical strongest combatant—you muddle through each day in lethargy! How can such a you uphold the banner of positive energy? How can you set an example for other Hollows? If outsiders saw this, they'd think Hollows were degenerate creatures!"
?
Starkk's eye twitched involuntarily. Wasn't it possible that Hollows were inherently amalgamations of negative emotions? A non-degenerate Hollow would be the real anomaly! Though bursting with retorts, his lethargy restrained him.
"Perfect timing—I've been wanting to practice against long-range opponents. You'll be my sparring partner. We'll battle twenty-five hours daily, improving and inspiring each other! Persisting this way, not only will our strength grow, but our bond shall deepen. Years later, it'll become a legendary tale in Hueco Mundo!"
Chuckling, Satoru reached to grab Starkk's hand.
??!!
Starkk's pupils trembled violently. Twenty-five hours a day? So I'd have to fight you sleeplessly and still owe you an hour?! He could already predict Satoru's next justification.
As for the missing hour, let Lilynette make up for it... or something like that.
"Hoho, my beloved warrior Starkk, are you perhaps wondering how to battle me for 25 hours when there are only 24 in a day?"
"Rest assured, I am different from that scoundrel Baraggan... the missing hour can be compensated by Lilynette!"
Starkk silently gazed at the sky.
He suddenly recalled something Satoru had once said.
Folks, who could possibly understand this.
Fortunately, just as he was in despair, a savior descended.
"Satoru, come here for a moment. I need your help."
Aizen arrived in the hall.
Seeing Satoru dragging Starkk along while the latter wore a look of utter despair, he first showed a puzzled expression before settling into his usual resigned gaze.
Don't get used to this!
Starkk screamed internally.
If this continued, he feared he wouldn't die from loneliness but from being tormented by someone first.
Putting Starkk down, Satoru followed Aizen through the long, massive corridor to a secret laboratory.
In the center of the room stood a large glass container housing the meticulously crafted Hōgyoku.
Somehow, Aizen had managed to move it from the Soul Society.
Upon entering the room, Aizen suddenly seemed to remember something and looked at him:
"I heard you tore off one of Yamamoto Shigekuni's arms?"
"Yamamoto's injuries were so severe he couldn't even go to the Fourth Division, and is currently receiving secret medical treatment within the First Division?"
"?"
Satoru widened his eyes.
Damn, what kind of new version is this now?
He said incredulously, "Where did you hear this?"
"From Captain Hirako."
"Alright, after we return this time, let's capture him and conduct Hollowfication experiments."
Satoru grinned, revealing a murderous smile.
After hearing Satoru's original version, Aizen nodded thoughtfully.
Truthfully, he hadn't believed Shinji Hirako's version from the very beginning.
The reason he asked was simply to make Satoru explain the situation in detail himself.
From Satoru's account, Yamamoto's strength was indeed far beyond what he had imagined.
Although he was already very strong himself, and had Satoru who was even stronger than him in direct combat by his side, facing a monster like Yamamoto Shigekuni, even if the two joined forces, they would likely be far from being a match.
In the future, when he needed to ascend to the Soul King Palace, he would definitely have to get past Yamamoto.
Considering this, two paths lay before him.
First, enhance his strength and defeat Yamamoto head-on.
Second, make arrangements in advance and defeat Yamamoto through schemes.
At this thought, a plan instinctively surfaced.
If he could reach an agreement with the Wandenreich, having them intervene at the critical moment of his battle with Yamamoto would certainly throw Yamamoto into disarray and expose openings.
However, almost instantly, he dismissed this plan.
If the Wandenreich emerged, the Soul Society would inevitably face catastrophic destruction.
Countless people would perish in this calamity, Captain-class included.
He could easily imagine how someone who valued emotions more than life itself would react when that time came...
Moreover, speaking of which.
He was Sōsuke Aizen, the one destined to stand atop the heavens.
Relying on the power of Quincies would be beneath his dignity.
Then... what should he do?
Perhaps he could try cultivating a Hollow with special abilities?
Other abilities didn't matter, as long as it could counter Yamamoto's Ryūjin Jakka.
After some thought, it didn't seem impossible.
Hmm, he would add this to his research topics later.
Thinking of the Zero Division, Aizen fell into new contemplation.
The intelligence he possessed was still far too limited.
He had almost no concept of the Zero Division's actual strength.
Although he had Kirio Hikifune as a reference, it wasn't very useful.
Vast differences in strength among Captains weren't uncommon.
Naturally, there would be disparities in strength within the Zero Division as well.
Furthermore, as the Soul King's direct guards, the Zero Division might possess special abilities that could enhance their strength even further?
There was still a long way to go to achieve his and Satoru's goals.
While Satoru was still pondering how to exact revenge on Shinji, Aizen had already completed a macro-level plan.
The gap between them was something someone would probably never catch up to.
...
...
What Aizen planned to do today was an Arrancarization experiment.
Last time, using Kiganjo for Hollowfication experiments had provided him with many valuable data points.
Utilizing this data, Aizen had further improved the Hōgyoku.
Since he didn't have any suitable Shinigami test subjects at hand, he changed tracks to conduct Arrancarization experiments.
Compared to Shinigami, Hollow test subjects were available in endless supply.
Under Aizen's arrangement, a group of top-tier Adjuchas filed into the experimental area.
A moth-shaped Menos Grande waited nervously outside the door.
Ahead of her, a humanoid Hollow walked in.
After a while, heart-wrenching screams erupted from the room!
Along with the screams came layers of surging Reiatsu.
The moth Menos Grande couldn't help but tremble.
What exactly was happening inside that room?
Before coming here, Aizen had only told them this was an experiment that could help them become stronger.
At the time, the moth Menos Grande had felt somewhat excited.
Now, she just wanted to ask: Is this experiment... legitimate?
While she was feeling anxious, the door to the experimental area opened.
"Next."
Aizen stood in the room, pushing up his glasses.
The moth Menos Grande quickly peered inside.
She saw Satoru holding a humanoid Hollow, casually tossing it into a distant corner.
There, many Menos Grande were already piled up.
No, to be precise, it was a pile of Menos Grande corpses!
The moth Menos Grande couldn't suppress a mournful cry.
Instinctively, she wanted to turn and flee.
But if she gave up today, she might never get another opportunity like this.
An Adjuchas's entire existence was a struggle against degeneration.
If they couldn't grow stronger, they would eventually regress into Gillians, losing all memories and reason.
And once that happened, they could never become Adjuchas again.
Compared to that, even death—being devoured by other Menos Grande—was preferable.
Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and flew into the room.
Satoru sat backwards on a chair, raising his hand to greet her.
Under normal circumstances, being greeted by the new king of Las Noches would have excited her.
But now, she just wanted to give her all to complete this experiment.
Aizen held a file folder, checking the name written on it.
"Tirruchi Sandāwicchi."
"Y-yes, that's me!"
The moth hurriedly responded.
Aizen nodded.
Then, he took out a gemstone shimmering with brilliant light and approached her.
The moment the gem touched her forehead, the moth Menos Grande felt as if she were being enveloped by invisible hands.
The hands exerted tremendous force, crushing her into fragments and molding her into various strange shapes.
Unprecedented agony made her emit piercing screams.
The desperate cries continued for several minutes.
Her voice grew completely hoarse, until she could no longer make a sound.
But gradually, she began to feel an unprecedented surge of power welling up inside her.
Standing nearby, Aizen's usually calm eyes revealed a satisfied gleam.
Crack—
The moth Menos Grande's mask shattered.