"Hirako Shinji, open your eyes."
Through the hazy veil of sleep, Hirako Shinji seemed to hear someone calling his name.
Forcing past his mental exhaustion, Shinji opened his eyes. The bright lights of the laboratory stung his pupils for a moment, but he quickly adapted.
"Naraku Sora..."
He finally made out the blurry figure standing before him—the very culprit who had framed him and brought him to this state.
Just as he opened his mouth to curse, a rush of sticky liquid surged into his oral cavity, stuffing it completely full.
Only then did Shinji realize he was suspended inside a giant container, completely surrounded by an unknown, viscous fluid.
Bizarrely, he could still breathe in this state, and it didn't even hinder his ability to observe the outside world.
*I remember now.*
Just moments ago, he had been tailing Aizen, trying to uncover evidence of his treason against the Soul Society.
The good news was that he had gathered the evidence.
The bad news was that he was completely screwed.
Despite all his calculations, he had never anticipated that Aizen would be so overwhelmingly powerful.
With just a mere release of Reiatsu, Aizen had utterly crushed the strength Shinji had always taken pride in.
They weren't even in the same dimension of power.
*Right, before I passed out, Aizen said something about using me as some rare material.*
*Has that bastard really grown this audacious?*
*Attacking his superior so brazenly—isn't he afraid of being discovered and held accountable by Central 46?*
However, the moment this thought surfaced, Shinji's expression suddenly froze.
*I almost forgot. Central 46 is gone.*
The highest judicial authority in the Soul Society was now Squad 1, and the one presiding over everything was Head Captain Yamamoto.
And the man backing Aizen was none other than the grinning Naraku Sora standing right in front of him.
With Sora running interference, it was entirely unknown whether Head Captain Yamamoto would ever discover what was happening here.
*Damn it, from the ordinary Soul Reapers all the way up to the judges, they're all his people. How am I supposed to win this?*
At the thought of the inhumane atrocities that might happen next, Shinji couldn't help but feel his vision darken.
*Is there any hope left for the Soul Society?*
While he was observing the environment outside the container, a figure walked over.
Seeing that familiar face, Shinji's expression instantly changed. Ignoring the liquid flooding his mouth, he roared in fury:
"Aizen Sōsuke!!"
"What exactly are you trying to do?!"
Under his furious glare, Aizen's lips curled into a faint smile as he slowly approached.
"Exactly what we agreed upon earlier, of course."
Hearing this, Shinji's eyes widened in rage.
"You bastard, who agreed to anything with you?! Don't go making decisions for others!"
Aizen nodded, explaining as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"When I extended the invitation, you didn't object, Captain. So, I took that as your tacit consent."
Shinji's face darkened.
*Was it that I didn't object? I was knocked unconscious by this bastard's Reiatsu! Even if I wanted to object, I didn't have the ability to!*
"I always felt that you were a dangerous and untrustworthy guy, which is exactly why I chose you to be the Lieutenant of Squad 5."
"But I never expected..."
Aizen's smile deepened as he spoke softly.
"Then, Captain, have you ever considered that it was precisely your distrust that led to today's events?"
Shinji gritted his teeth, his face full of indignation.
"No!"
"From the very first moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were up to no good. No matter what I did, you were always going to walk down this path of sin."
"So, what exactly are you going to do to me?!"
Aizen chuckled lightly.
"Don't be so impatient, Captain. You will find out soon enough."
"When the time comes, you might even thank me."
Looking at that vile, triumphant face, Shinji flew into another rage. He instinctively erupted with all his Reiatsu, attempting to shatter the container imprisoning him.
However, no matter what he did, it only stirred up a few insignificant ripples in the fluid soaking him.
A Captain-class Reiatsu seemed completely useless against this viscous liquid.
Aizen paid Shinji no more mind. Instead, he walked over to the control console to make the final data adjustments.
This was different from the previous Hollowfication surgeries.
This time, the experiment included something entirely new. Hirako Shinji might just become the first person in the Soul Society to reap the benefits of this uncharted territory.
Consider it his reward for providing cover for Aizen all these years.
Under Shinji's despairing gaze, Aizen pushed the final control lever.
A device resembling a laser cannon aimed at the container. In the center of its firing port rested a gemstone emitting an eerie glow.
As a massive amount of Reishi gathered, the surrounding air fluctuated noticeably, and visible lines of energy emerged around it.
A brilliant light bloomed. A beam blasted from the firing port, flawlessly piercing through the container and striking Shinji squarely in the chest.
"Guaaaahhh!!"
Agonizing pain erupted from the very depths of his soul, instantly crushing Shinji's resilient will and forcing a bloodcurdling scream from his throat.
He felt as though his entire being had been torn into countless pieces and then shoved into a centrifuge to be violently blended.
His soul was shattering.
His Reiatsu surged to unprecedented heights.
Naraku Sora walked up beside Aizen and asked curiously,
"Will this really work?"
Aizen shot him an exasperated look. "Didn't you say your world-shaking intellect told you it would definitely work?"
Sora gave a sheepish laugh.
"I felt like I could make it work, but I can't guarantee it'll work for anyone else."
Beside them, Szayelaporro twitched his lips and muttered,
"According to the data analysis from multiple Hollowfication experiments, the first phase of the trial has already reached a one hundred percent success rate."
"After completing Hollowfication, the Soul Reaper's soul will synchronize with the injected 'Hollow'. Once the synchronization rate reaches one hundred percent, they can perform a sword release."
"Although it's all theoretical data on paper, it still has a solid basis."
Aizen nodded.
As the lead of this experiment, he naturally understood all of this.
Hollowfication surgeries no longer posed any difficulty for them.
Inspired by the Arrancars and Sora's bold ideas, what he was pursuing now was allowing Hollowfied Soul Reapers to master the ability of sword release.
That is, the so-called "Resurrección".
An Arrancar's Resurrección involved returning their original "core" to their body, thereby revealing their true form and strengthening themselves.
If a Hollowfied Soul Reaper was treated as a Hollow, then they too should possess a "core".
By simply returning the portion that belonged to the Hollow, they could unleash an even greater power.
Before conducting the experiment, they had already run countless deductions and even used the Hōgyoku to complete simulations.
It could only be said that everything was proceeding exactly as envisioned.
Amidst the agonizing roars, white liquid chitin seeped from Shinji's pores, rapidly forming into an armor-like mask.
Sora nodded. It looked exactly like the mask from his memories.
It seemed Captain Hirako had survived the first hurdle.
The white chitin continued to spread, directly enveloping Shinji's entire body to form a complete suit of armor.
At this moment, he looked just like an ancient samurai.
The next second, a terrifying Reiatsu violently erupted!
The liquid surrounding his body instantly evaporated. The sturdy walls of the container collapsed entirely, shattering into countless fragments that sprayed outward.
*Crack!*
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Shinji stepped out of the container, crunching the glass fragments beneath his feet. His cold, golden, slit-like pupils locked onto everyone in the laboratory.
At this moment, he had completely lost his sanity.
Without any hesitation, he drew his gleaming blade.
Golden Reiatsu swirled around Shinji's body, radiating an overwhelming sense of oppression.
"Judging purely from observation, it's increased several times over compared to before his Hollowfication."
Kurotsuchi Mayuri's voice drifted over from behind. "Compared to the previous Hollowfication surgeries, this is also significantly stronger."
"Barring any surprises, the experiment should be considered a success."
Urahara Kisuke chimed in from the side, "Because both experiments were conducted simultaneously, Captain Hirako is currently still in a state of mindless frenzy."
"He's likely going to cause some rather severe destruction next..."
Before he could even finish his sentence, Shinji let out a beastly roar. Visible soundwaves rippled outward from him as he immediately charged at the person closest to him.
Aizen remained perfectly calm. He reached out and raised a finger, preparing to fire off an incantation-abandoned Black Coffin to deal with him.
However, before he could even release his Reiatsu, a figure had already appeared in front of him.
Looking at Shinji at such close range, a flash of curiosity crossed Sora's eyes. This Resurrección form seemed a bit different from what he had imagined.
In the original timeline, Tōsen Kaname had completely devolved into an absolute monster.
But Shinji merely seemed to have gained a suit of samurai armor.
Not only did he not become ugly, but his badass factor had actually gone up a few notches.
*If it's just this, it seems pretty acceptable.*
Sora grinned. He stretched his arms, his bones and muscles shifting with loud cracks. A tyrannical Reiatsu erupted from his body, descending like the crushing weight of a collapsing sky.
"Haymaker!"
*Boom!!*
Shinji took the hit head-on. His chest instantly caved in, and he shot backward like a meteor, crashing through instruments and equipment before slamming viciously into the wall.
"Roar..."
Even with his body contorted and bone fragments piercing through his joints and flesh, Shinji still displayed a ferocious fighting spirit.
It was as if he absolutely would not rest until he had slaughtered everyone present.
Sora activated Sonído, instantly appearing right in front of Shinji, and delivered another solid punch.
The world finally fell quiet.
Looking at Captain Hirako, whose life or death was currently uncertain, Aizen sighed.
*This guy seems to have gotten stronger again.*
He hadn't felt it too strongly during the battle with Yamamoto in Hueco Mundo, but now, at such close proximity, the sheer density of his Reiatsu was exceptionally clear.
*At this rate, my only advantage probably won't last much longer.*
While Aizen was lamenting this, Sora stared at the unconscious Shinji lying on the ground, a thoughtful look flashing through his eyes.
Then, a cluster of Reishi flames ignited at his fingertips.
With a flick of his finger, the flames landed flawlessly on that waist-length, beautiful blonde hair.
In his unconscious state, Shinji's brows furrowed tightly, and he broke out in a heavy sweat, as if he were experiencing some unimaginable nightmare...