The concentration of Spirit Particles within the laboratory was climbing, the air slightly distorting due to the high density of Spiritual Pressure.
Szayelaporro gradually released his own Spiritual Pressure to its limits, attempting to provoke the six Hōgyoku inside the container, but received absolutely no response from them.
The Hōgyoku were like pools of stagnant water.
They continued to rotate slowly within the container, their dark purple fluorescence flickering rhythmically. Not a single Hōgyoku drifted toward him even a fraction, nor was there any sign of resonance.
"As expected... do I still need to use Resurrección?"
As a Vasto Lorde, Szayelaporro had never considered the reality that he might be rejected by the Hōgyoku.
The corners of his mouth slowly curled into a smirk. "Sip, Fornicarás."
Pink Spiritual Pressure erupted with a boom, instantly filling the entire laboratory as four butterfly-like wings spread from his back.
Throughout Las Noches, the Espada uncoordinatedly raised their heads, casting their gazes toward the laboratory. Finding no signs of a fight, they lowered their heads once more.
Lilynette rubbed her sleep-deprived eyes. "That guy Szayelaporro? What the hell is he doing?"
"An experiment, probably," Starrk said, lying on a lounge chair on the balcony without even opening his eyes. "At any rate, a fight hasn't broken out."
Retracting his gaze, Grimmjow propped up his chin and looked at Ulquiorra beside him. "Hey, use your Segunda Etapa and fight me."
"I refuse."
Meanwhile, inside the female Espadas' chambers.
Resting her head on Nelliel's lap, Soifon tilted her head slightly, emerald-green strands of hair brushing past her cheek.
Harribel also raised her eyes toward the wall, as if she could see the scene inside the laboratory through the thick palace walls.
"It's Mr. Szayelaporro's Spiritual Pressure." Nelliel's fingers subconsciously combed through Soifon's hair. "What is he doing... he seems very excited."
Soifon closed her eyes, finding a more comfortable position on Nelliel's lap pillow. "He's probably conducting an experiment to stimulate Resurrección evolution using the Hōgyoku."
Nelliel looked down at Soifon's relaxed profile, hesitating for a moment before asking softly, "Lady Soifon..."
"Hmm?"
Soifon hummed through her nose.
"Do you think... Harribel and I can also learn Segunda Etapa?"
As her voice fell, both Nelliel and Harribel instinctively focused their gazes on Soifon's face.
She slightly opened her eyes, meeting their gazes respectively. After a few seconds of silence, she raised a hand, extending her index finger to wag it side to side.
Seeing this obvious gesture, the expressions of the two women immediately fell, and Harribel lost her aloof demeanor.
"How could this be..."
"Are we not strong enough?"
The two spoke up at the same time.
Looking at their disappointed expressions, the corners of Soifon's mouth couldn't help but curl into a mischievous smirk.
She sat up from Nelliel's lap pillow, turned around, and reached out to pat the bone mask atop Nelliel's head...
"I'm just joking with you."
"Once that guy's experiment succeeds, you won't even need to learn Segunda Etapa, you'll naturally know how to do it."
Harribel tilted her head slightly. "To gain power upon the success of an experiment... Is it the Hōgyoku?"
Suddenly, Soifon turned her head, leaning her face close to Harribel's to meet her gaze.
"..." Harribel shrank her head back a little. "Lady Soifon, did I say something wrong?"
"You aren't wrong." Soifon shook her head seriously. "I didn't expect you to be quite smart... Harribel, you might just have a talent for scientific research."
"I... am not that amazing."
Receiving praise that she felt didn't belong to her, Harribel lowered her head in shame.
It wasn't that Harribel was smart; rather, based on her knowledge and experiences, only Aizen's Hōgyoku possessed such a convenient ability.
In the laboratory, Szayelaporro, in his Resurrección form, surged his Spiritual Pressure toward the container once more.
This time, all six Hōgyoku lit up simultaneously.
The dim purple light grew blazing hot. The Hōgyoku began to tremble violently, seemingly observing Szayelaporro, who stood before them in the most primal state of a Hollow.
Szayelaporro's smirk widened further and further.
"Yes... just like that..."
He slowly reached out his hand. The moment his Resurrección-altered fingers touched the outer wall of the container, it opened automatically. The Hōgyoku trembling the most violently shot out from within, then began to orbit around his body.
The Hōgyoku's light intertwined and tangled with his pink Spiritual Pressure, pulsing like the breathing of a living creature. Szayelaporro could feel his resonance with the Hōgyoku deepening.
Come...
He opened his arms wide, the four white wings on his back fully extending as his pink Spiritual Pressure surged toward the Hōgyoku like a tidal wave.
The Hōgyoku slowly moved forward, then was drawn toward his somewhat indescribable Hollow hole...
Embedding, filling, restructuring.
His Resurrección form was being rewritten. The Hōgyoku's patterns gradually spread across his body, emitting a pink fluorescence, as power crept upward along Szayelaporro's Spirit Particle veins.
When the final wisp of the pattern finished connecting, Szayelaporro opened his eyes.
So this was it... the feeling of having the emptiness in his soul filled was so magnificent. He had never felt this much bliss.
The Spiritual Pressure in the laboratory reached its peak in an instant, and all the instruments simultaneously blared piercing alarms.
"It's a success..."
Amidst the blaring alarms, the laboratory's automatic door quietly opened. Sōsuke Aizen's unmasked footsteps appeared behind Szayelaporro.
After his eyes scanned up and down Szayelaporro's current appearance a few times, Sōsuke Aizen perceived the other party's Spiritual Pressure and revealed a satisfied smile.
Spiritual Pressure of this level barely lived up to the title of a Vasto Lorde Arrancar.
"Congratulations."
Sōsuke Aizen clapped his hands lightly, speaking to Szayelaporro, who was still fully immersed in the sensation of power and had not yet snapped out of it.
Turning around, Szayelaporro quietly looked at this King of Hueco Mundo, making no move to deactivate his Hōgyoku-enhanced Resurrección.
The immense power had nearly gone to Szayelaporro's head. He looked at Aizen, who had appeared in the laboratory, with an inflated sense of self. The wisdom of a scientist had been temporarily suppressed by the bestial nature of a Menos Grande. He seemed to feel that the man before him didn't look like much after all...
"I see... is it because your power is too strong that you want to vent a little?"
"Alright, very well. I will oblige you."
"Come, let me witness your newly acquired power, Szayelaporro."
Ultimately, he is still a Menos Grande. No matter how much he masquerades as civilized, his true nature will always be exposed at times like this...
Concealing the flash of contempt in his eyes, Sōsuke Aizen spread his arms wide, maintaining his usual masterful, commanding demeanor, as if deliberately trying to provoke the other party.
"Then... I shall respectfully accept."
His reply did not even include the words 'Lord Aizen'.
Feigning the accumulation of Spiritual Pressure, Szayelaporro completely disregarded the fact that this was a laboratory. In less than a second of charging, a pink Gran Rey Cero was fired directly toward Sōsuke Aizen.
The charging time was entirely different from what he had previously shown Sōsuke Aizen!
"Hah!"
"Didn't expect that, did you! Aizen—!"
"This is the power brought to me by the Hōgyoku you worked so hard to create!"
The cherry-pink Gran Rey Cero swallowed Sōsuke Aizen's figure. However, the experimental facilities behind Szayelaporro seemed unaffected by this concussive force; aside from the tremors caused by the Cero's aftermath, there was absolutely no damage.
The torrent of Spirit Particles slowly dissipated.
"My, my..."
The smoke and dust slowly cleared. In the center of the laboratory, Sōsuke Aizen stood with his sword drawn.
Using his standing position as a dividing line, the Cero's energy had been precisely split in two, parting to both sides like a severed stream of water.
Step, step, thud!
A chill shot straight up from Szayelaporro's spine into his brain, and he involuntarily took two steps back...
Thud—
With a low, muffled sound, his back seemingly collided with an invisible wall.
He whipped his head around to look behind him. The laboratory equipment was completely intact; a transparent barrier of Spiritual Pressure perfectly separated the lab from the area where they had just clashed.
Rippling shockwaves from the Cero's impact still lingered on the barrier's surface.
Dankū. And it had been completed the very instant the Cero was fired.
Cold sweat instantly soaked Szayelaporro's back. The frenzy that had rushed to his head due to his surging power was extinguished in a flash, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him.
Reason reclaimed the high ground.
In the next second, Szayelaporro made an instinctual choice.
Instantly deactivating his Resurrección form, he abruptly lunged forward, executing a highly practiced flip in mid-air before falling to his knees in front of Sōsuke Aizen.
"Please... forgive my insolence, Lord Aizen!"
"It was the power of the Hōgyoku that eroded my mind! I was momentarily blinded by the power, which is why I committed such a foolish act! My loyalty to you has never changed, the heavens are my witness..."
His voice trembled out of fear.
"Enough."
Aizen's voice interrupted him.
Szayelaporro's body stiffened. He maintained his kneeling posture, not daring to lift his head.
He could feel Aizen's gaze land on him, devoid of killing intent.
Then, he heard Aizen's soft sigh of amazement: "Fascinating."
Szayelaporro froze, then cautiously raised his head.
Aizen had already sheathed Kyōka Suigetsu and was examining him with great interest.
"Stand up, Szayelaporro," Aizen said. "Let me see how you look now."
Szayelaporro stood up hesitantly, subconsciously pushing at the glasses-like mask on the bridge of his nose...
But he pushed at nothing but air.
Where is my mask? Did it fall off?
Such an absurd thought echoed in his mind, only to be dismissed with self-deprecating mockery.
You've got to be kidding. An Arrancar losing their mask? You might as well say they died.
No matter how much they Arrancarified, an Arrancar would still possess a mask. It was their physiological trait as Hollows.
At that same time, Soifon arrived at the scene with the two female Espadas.
Walking at the forefront, Soifon's gaze landed on Szayelaporro, her eyebrows twitching.
The two behind her also paused in surprise upon seeing his appearance without the glasses mask.
Nelliel blinked her large emerald eyes, curiously observing Szayelaporro's new look. "Mr. Szayelaporro... you look a bit different?"
"Ah? Me?"
Only after receiving Aizen's approval did Szayelaporro dare step in front of the laboratory's mirror. He was also very curious as to what he looked like now.
Originally, his appearance after Arrancarification was no different from a human's. Now that his unremovable mask was gone from his face, there were no longer any flaws in his outward appearance.
"Your Hollow characteristics have almost completely vanished." Aizen walked up beside him, standing shoulder to shoulder as they looked at the reflection in the mirror. "If not for the fact that the nature of your Spiritual Pressure remains that of a Hollow, I would have thought you were a Shinigami, or a human."
To think that after filling the Hollow hole with the Hōgyoku, his Hollow traits would actually vanish along with the hole's completion. This was quite a new discovery.
Based on this alone, Aizen could forgive the other party's disrespect from earlier.
After all, it was normal for a domesticated pet to occasionally hiss; there was no need to beat it to death.
"Oh? It can make the Hollow hole disappear?"
Soifon subconsciously cast a glance over Harribel's body.
Because the location of her Hollow hole was rather private, Harribel, upon noticing Soifon's teasing gaze, could only blush slightly as a sign of respect.
Retracting her teasing gaze, Soifon asked the man, "Was the experiment dangerous, Szayelaporro?"
Szayelaporro shook his head repeatedly, then nodded. "Lady Soifon, I wouldn't call it dangerous, but one must first use the power of Resurrección to pull the Hōgyoku..."
Having said that, he looked somewhat guiltily at the two leaders before him, recounting the process by which he completed his 'experiment'.
It was completely unreplicable, relying entirely on whether the Hōgyoku could resonate with the post-Resurrección Spiritual Pressure and choose the host.
—This couldn't be considered a successful experiment at all.
After listening to Szayelaporro's description, Soifon turned around and walked straight out of the laboratory.
"Grab those Hōgyoku and all of you follow me."
A few seconds later, the group arrived at the desert site from their previous experiment. The massive crater blasted out by the Lanza del Relámpago had already been refilled by the fine sand blown in by the wind.
Raising her hand, Soifon used [Tenteikūra] to call Starrk, Ulquiorra, and Grimmjow.
It wasn't long before several figures appeared around the sand dune one after another.
Grimmjow was the first to arrive. With his hands stuffed in his pockets, his gaze landed on Szayelaporro's face, suddenly pausing.
"—Who the hell are you?"
The Arrancar's unique method of identifying people by their masks.
A second later, Ulquiorra and Starrk, bringing Lilynette along, arrived simultaneously.
Starrk walked over while yawning, Lilynette clinging to his back with sleep-filled eyes.
But when Starrk saw Szayelaporro, his yawn abruptly stopped halfway. "You're Szayelaporro, right? Where's your mask?"
Suppressing his bad habit of pushing up his glasses frame, Szayelaporro spread his hands. "Everyone, this is the product of evolution."
He tirelessly recounted the experiment once again.
"Interesting." Grimmjow took two steps forward, staring at Szayelaporro and sizing him up. "Hey, let's fight."
Szayelaporro instinctively wanted to refuse.
But before he even had the chance to open his mouth, Soifon's voice rang out: "You may."
"Perfect timing. I also want to see the actual effects of the Hōgyoku," Soifon added. "Be careful with your strikes; don't end up killing Grimmjow."
Being around Aizen, Soifon had also learned quite a few skills in fanning the flames.
The battle erupted in an instant.
"Grind, Pantera!"
"Sip, Fornicarás."
Almost at the same time Grimmjow completed his Resurrección, Szayelaporro also completed his.
From the very beginning of the fight, Grimmjow was suppressed by Szayelaporro in all aspects. It was as if his status as No. 4 was fake, to actually be effortlessly thrashed by the No. 6 scientist. (No. 5 actually, since Barragan died, he moved up two spots).
On the sand dune, Sōsuke Aizen had stepped up to Soifon's side at some unknown point.
"Captain Soifon, it would be best not to hold too many expectations," Aizen said softly. "The Hōgyoku filling the Hollow hole essentially just mends the flaws in a Hollow's soul."
"However, the individual's upper limit was already predetermined."
Soifon shot him a glance. "So, is that the conclusion you reached after taking that Gran Rey Cero just now?"
"More or less..."
Aizen already knew what level Szayelaporro's power was at. The reason he didn't oppose the spar was simply to let the Espadas get a good look at the power of Hōgyoku-enhancement to boost morale.
Watching the almost completely one-sided battle unfolding above, Soifon asked, "Captain Aizen, what do you think the Gotei 13's odds of winning will be if they face these Hōgyoku-enhanced Espadas a year from now?"
Aizen didn't answer immediately, instead asking in return, "Is the Captain-Commander included in that calculation?"
Soifon was just about to pick up the conversation, but the battle in the sky was already nearing its end. Azure and pink Gran Rey Ceros clashed against each other, and subsequently, the pink overwhelmingly eclipsed the blue, looking as though it was about to swallow Grimmjow's body...
Swoosh—
Aizen was just about to move, but Soifon had already appeared in front of Grimmjow, drawing Suzumebachi and slicing Szayelaporro's Cero apart with a single strike.
Captain Soifon's speed has gotten even faster...
Silently watching the figure in the sky, Sōsuke Aizen furrowed his brow slightly. He felt that if he didn't fuse with his Hōgyoku soon, he might not even be able to see her taillights.
Behind her, Grimmjow had already deactivated his Resurrección. Panting heavily, he stared at Szayelaporro for a few seconds before finally letting out a cold snort and dropping down to the sandy ground below.
Although dissatisfied, he admitted that the current Szayelaporro was indeed stronger than him.
On the flip side, although Szayelaporro had won, there was not the slightest hint of joy on his face.
In a single day, his Gran Rey Cero had been effortlessly cleft apart twice. If these two weren't his direct superiors, Szayelaporro would probably start suspecting if this Hōgyoku-enhancement was actually a reverse buff.
"So amazing..."
Nelliel's small mouth gaped open. Even as the No. 4, she had felt pressure from the opponent's Resurrección state just now.
"As long as we fuse with the Hōgyoku, we can fill our Hollow holes..."
Harribel's point of focus was quite different; she still remembered Soifon's teasing from earlier.
"That's great..." Starrk rubbed his right hand over Lilynette's head. "Everyone is getting stronger. This way, we won't be lonely in the future, Lilynette."
"Take your hand off, I won't grow tall like this, you bastard!"
"Sorry, sorry..."
Starrk apologized while scratching his head.
Having generally grasped the strength of Hōgyoku-enhancement, the five Arrancars present all stepped forward.
The container hovered in the center of the desert. The five Hōgyoku rotated slowly within the transparent Spirit Particle container, their purple-black fluorescence pulsing like beating hearts.
Harribel was the first to step out. She looked at Soifon, and after receiving an affirmative look from the latter, she took a deep breath.
"Destroy, Tiburón."
Almost the instant her Resurrección was complete, a Hōgyoku lit up. It flew out of the container, circled once around Harribel, and finally settled into her armor-covered abdominal Hollow hole.
Harribel's body trembled slightly.
The moment the Hōgyoku touched the Hollow hole, the emptiness deep within her soul was filled, and her flaws as a Hollow were forcibly corrected.
Seeing her succeed, the remaining four Arrancars simultaneously activated their respective Resurrección forms, utilizing their Spiritual Pressures to pull the remaining four Hōgyoku from the container.
The fusion ritual proceeded slowly.
Five figures of varying forms hovered in mid-air, bathed in differently colored lights, undergoing the modifications of the Hōgyoku.
"Is there any issue with this process?"
Soifon took a few steps back, whispering her question to Szayelaporro.
"No, Lady Soifon." Szayelaporro stood at attention. "I have observed it carefully. Their fusion process is almost identical to mine. If there are no surprises..."
Schwing—
The next moment, a Zanpakutō gleaming with cold light was leveled right in front of Szayelaporro's mouth.
Soifon shook her head at him, stopping the man from finishing the rest of his sentence.
Don't raise a flag.
Harribel was the first to complete the fusion.
She looked down at her abdomen. The spot where her Hollow hole had once been was now covered by a layer of pale golden crystalline patterns, resembling a gem set into her shark-like armor.
Harribel turned her head, looking at Soifon on the sand dune.
The moment their eyes met, Harribel uncharacteristically averted her gaze, a faint blush creeping up the tips of her ears.
We are both women, there is nothing to be ashamed of, damn it...
At the same time, the remaining Arrancars completed their Hōgyoku-enhancement modifications one after another.
Stepping forward on her Resurrección hooves, Nelliel came before Soifon and did a twirl.
The lance in the enhanced Nelliel's hand had turned into a pink energy construct, radiating a terrifying compressed power from within.
However, she didn't maintain her Resurrección state for long, quickly reverting to her human form as she returned to Soifon's side.
"Lady Soifon!"
"My mask really disappeared!"
Nelliel spun around in front of Soifon, then raised a hand to touch her own head, looking completely thrilled.
With that said, she lowered her body, presenting her mask-free head in front of Soifon.
Pat pat—
"Nel, you're supposed to be an antelope, right..."
"Hmm?"
"Nothing..."
Seeing how much the other party enjoyed her head-pats, Soifon couldn't bring herself to retort.
Seeing this, Harribel also deactivated her Resurrección. She brushed her fingers against her cheek, discovering that the mask that had once covered it had vanished as well.
"Lady Soifon, thank you."
She pulled down the zipper of the collar that always covered the lower half of her face, revealing her mysterious visage.
Why are you thanking Soifon? Is there any possibility that I was the one who made the Hōgyoku...
Standing to the side, Aizen held back a sentence he didn't dare speak out loud.
The joys and sorrows of humanity are not shared. Sōsuke Aizen could only silently walk over to the male Arrancar side and casually suppress Grimmjow, who was trying to find someone else to spar with.
Although you've gotten stronger, you still must yield under my Spiritual Pressure.
Looking at the prostrating Pantera, Aizen's mood improved considerably.
Right at this moment, a long-unheard voice drifted over:
"Aizen, Soifon... what exactly are you doing?"
The voice was very soft, yet it rang out clearly in the ears of the two.
Soifon and Aizen turned their heads simultaneously.
They saw that on the other side of the sand dune, a person had appeared at some point—Azashiro Kenpachi.
Azashiro Kenpachi, who had only recently completed his fusion with Las Noches, was currently furrowing his brow as he observed the Espadas, whose strength had been enhanced yet again.
"Why are you bestowing such immense power upon the Arrancars?"
Azashiro's voice carried a hint of incomprehension. "This makes them inconvenient to manage! Power breeds ambition, and ambition triggers rebellion... Do you two not understand?"
____
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