"Sōsuke, you know, in principle, I can definitely beat that old man."
Inside the palace of Las Noches, a bruised and battered Naraku Sora had commandeered Baraggan's throne. For extra comfort, he hadn't forgotten to add a thick, soft layer of animal pelts over it.
"But the problem is, the old man is the one dictating the principles right now."
Baraggan: "..."
Facing such workplace bullying, the former King of Hueco Mundo was furious but didn't dare utter a word.
Aizen glanced at the bruised and swollen Sora, then found an equally battered, if not more miserable, Urahara Kisuke in the corner of the palace.
He then saw the latter flash him a grin, wearing a completely satisfied expression.
Aizen: "..."
*Did Naraku Sora beat the brains out of this guy?*
*He was beaten to such a state, so why did he look like he was enjoying it?*
Considering that this was entirely Urahara Kisuke's own doing, Aizen felt no sympathy for him.
Both of them had equally rotten personalities. Ending up like this could be considered a fitting end.
"Sōsuke, is there any way for me to get even?"
Naraku Sora began seeking outside help.
Aizen pondered for a few seconds before answering seriously, "You just need to act like you normally do."
"Head Captain Yamamoto is getting on in years. Even if Hollowfication has improved his physique, his blood vessels won't be able to withstand his blood pressure spiking time and time again."
"Given enough time, he will definitely become the first Head Captain to die of sheer anger."
Hearing this, Naraku Sora's eyes lit up.
"Brilliant."
"Sōsuke, you really are the more malicious one."
Aizen: "..."
*I shouldn't have engaged in conversation just now. It would be better if this bastard was beaten to death by Yamamoto sooner rather than later.*
Just as Naraku Sora was plotting how to anger the old man to death, a tall and straight figure walked in from outside. Instantly, a scorching heat surged in, dispelling the cold air.
"Ah, the Head Captain has arrived."
Hearing Naraku Sora's deliberately exaggerated tone, Yamamoto immediately glared at him fiercely.
Truth be told, his rebellious disciple was quite tough.
In their final clash, although he hadn't used his Zanpakutō, he had exerted his maximum combat power in his base state.
Yet even so, it still took a considerable amount of effort to take Naraku Sora down.
But at the same time, it also allowed him to notice some clues.
"Sō... Never mind, kid."
Yamamoto looked at Aizen. He had originally planned to call him by his first name directly, just like Naraku Sora did.
But at the critical moment, he suddenly remembered what he had seen in that world without his rebellious disciple.
Without Naraku Sora to keep him in check, Aizen appeared gentle and humble on the surface, but in reality, he would do whatever it took to achieve his goals.
He had not a shred of affection for the people around him. Whether they were Captains or Arrancars, they were all nothing more than tools to realize his ambitions.
He had even come close to overthrowing the entire Soul Society.
Therefore, the young man before him was absolutely not a kind-hearted person.
The only reason he acted so mildly was entirely because that brat Naraku Sora was around.
*Putting it that way, did my rebellious disciple save the Soul Society once again?*
Yamamoto's expression suddenly became somewhat subtle.
Aizen gave Yamamoto a rather strange look, not quite understanding why the old man's attitude had suddenly become so peculiar.
*Was this another poor soul whose brain had been broken by Naraku Sora?*
Seemingly sensing Aizen's offensive thoughts, Yamamoto coughed lightly.
"Didn't you say you wanted to test some things earlier?"
"I have already recovered. Let's start early. Squad 1 still has a mountain of squad duties left to handle."
"Besides, I also have some questions."
Aizen nodded. "Head Captain, please follow me."
With that, he walked toward the outside of the palace.
There were numerous buildings within Las Noches. The laboratories dedicated solely to testing numbered over a dozen.
From Reiatsu to spiritual energy, from Reishi to spiritual ribbons, and even physical strength and various bodily functions were tested.
Aizen was also very curious to see if Yamamoto, having mastered Hollowfication, could reach the state he had envisioned in his mind...
Or rather, the realm.
Seeing the two leave, Naraku Sora also stepped down from the throne and walked over to the corner.
Seeing this, Urahara Kisuke closed his eyes and played dead.
"Hey, isn't it a bit late to play dead now?"
Naraku Sora kicked Urahara Kisuke, who was pretending to be a corpse on the ground. "Hurry up and use your invincible Benihime to heal us, then get back to working for this Great King."
"Dedicate your final light and heat."
Urahara Kisuke: "..."
*If this guy had spoken even a single word of human decency, I wouldn't be seizing every second to slack off.*
*Not only does he enforce an inhumane policy of exploitation, but he also beats me up from time to time.*
*What's even more outrageous is that after beating someone up, he doesn't even pay for the medical expenses and instead makes me use my Zanpakutō to heal us.*
*Is there any justice? Is there any law?*
Despite his mouth being completely unwilling, his body honestly followed along.
As a researcher, Urahara Kisuke was also very curious about how much the overall strength of Yamamoto Shigekuni, the strongest Soul Reaper in the Soul Society, had improved after mastering Hollowfication.
Szayelaporro watched the soaring numbers on the screen, his eyes twitching.
Even in his base state, Yamamoto had still reached a terrifying level that ordinary Soul Reapers or Arrancars could not match.
Looking solely at his Reiatsu, he had already reached the upper limit of the so-called First-Class Spiritual Power.
Although it was only by a little bit, he was indeed stronger than before he mastered Hollowfication.
And this wasn't even counting the Reiatsu amplification he would gain after releasing Hollowfication, Shikai, and Bankai.
"Should I release my Bankai?"
At this moment, Yamamoto actually seemed a bit eager to try.
"Many of the devices in this laboratory are not heat-resistant. Head Captain, you should try Hollowfication first."
Watching the Head Captain of the Gotei 13 communicate with him so calmly, Szayelaporro felt a bit strange.
From the moment he gained independent consciousness, the memories in his mind dictated that he must fight Soul Reapers to the death.
The two sides were absolute opposites, and there was no possibility of reconciliation.
But ever since Naraku Sora took over Las Noches, Soul Reapers could frequently be seen in Hueco Mundo.
Although some were still hostile, most were capable of communication.
For example, certain Captains of the new Gotei 13.
In his capacity as a scientist of Hueco Mundo, he had even established an even closer cooperative relationship with Urahara Kisuke and Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
They would gather every few days to research various projects.
From Soul Reapers to Menos Grande, to Quincies, and even matters concerning the Sinners of Hell.
Yet even so, Szayelaporro still never expected that one day, he would be able to converse peacefully with Head Captain Yamamoto.
It somewhat overturned his understanding of the world.
And all of this was thanks to one person.
*Great King Naraku really is amazing.*
Similarly, even Yamamoto himself hadn't noticed that, due to a certain rebellious disciple, his level of trust in the Arrancars of Las Noches was extremely high.
After communicating with Szayelaporro, he initiated his Hollowfication without another word.
His aged hand pressed down on his face as countless Reishi gathered, condensing into a bone-white mask with black and red patterns that gently settled into place.
It was still a Reiatsu test, but this time it directly exceeded the instrument's upper limit.
Looking at the numbers resetting to zero, Szayelaporro's face was filled with surprise.
"It seems that, just as Lord Aizen predicted, it has indeed exceeded the upper limit of First-Class Spiritual Power."
"What does that mean?" Yamamoto frowned.
He was only a warrior; he didn't possess their kind of knowledge.
Aizen checked the status of the instruments, turned around, and slowly spoke:
"Spiritual Power is a hierarchical system unique to the Soul Society, usually linked to the soul."
"And breaking through this upper limit means that the boundaries belonging to a Soul Reaper have been shattered. In a sense..."
"Head Captain Yamamoto, you are no longer a pure Soul Reaper."
"Through research on the soul and some other aspects, I have named your current state—"
"Transcendent."
Yamamoto's eyes widened.
Although he didn't quite understand why Aizen had given it such a name, he subconsciously felt that the so-called "Transcendent" possessed a miraculous magic.
It was as if everything was meant to be this way.
"Actually, the change in Reiatsu is only secondary," Kurotsuchi Mayuri suddenly added from the side. "The most important thing is that the Head Captain can continue to increase his strength through methods like training."
"Just like a thousand years ago, going from Second-Class Spiritual Power to First-Class Spiritual Power."
Yamamoto let out a deep breath, feeling somewhat emotional.
It had been at least a few hundred years.
After the battle with Yhwach, he hadn't slacked off in his training, still working hard day after day, year after year.
But since some unknown day, his strength had become completely fixed.
Even though he was already the strongest Soul Reaper in the Soul Society at the time, Yamamoto was still somewhat unwilling to accept this.
Because he knew very well that with his current strength alone, he had absolutely no possibility of defeating Ichibē Hyōsube of the Zero Division.
Even if the other party didn't use his name-controlling abilities, he still wouldn't be a match.
This was the conclusion he had reached after multiple trips to the Soul King Palace.
Although he himself wasn't entirely sure why he had set Ichibē Hyōsube as the target to chase after.
But as a Soul Reaper, wasn't trying to become stronger an instinct?
To Yamamoto, failure was nothing, but his strength no longer changing was what truly brought despair.
But now, everything was different.
Yamamoto's mood instantly brightened.
Beside him, Aizen calmly explained, "Hollowfication merely helped you acquire a combat method and break your existing shackles."
"If you want to become stronger, you still need to work hard yourself."
Yamamoto grinned. "This is enough."
"However, I still have a question."
"Please ask."
He pointed a finger at Naraku Sora, who looked like a street punk not far away, and gestured:
"During the previous battle, I realized that this kid's Hollowfication seems to be, well, different from mine?"
Hearing this, a flash of surprise crossed Aizen's eyes, amazed by Yamamoto's keen perception.
"In fact, that is indeed the case."
"Our Hollowfication is an acquired, artificial creation, but Sora is different."
"He is more like... he was born this way."
"His Hollow part and Soul Reaper part are perfectly fused together, indistinguishable from one another. Even without actively Hollowfying, he still possesses Hollow abilities."
"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a Hollow wearing the skin of a Soul Reaper."