Passing through the illusion-layered forest, Sombravida and Tim stepped through the refracted light barrier.
The jungle dissolved.
In its place stood a massive white fortress rising from within a concealed valley.
At the gates—
Dozens of Adjuchas.
Six low-tier Vasto Lordes.
Waiting.
Sombravida instinctively stepped half a pace in front of Tim.
"Welcoming committee?" he muttered lightly.
A Vasto Lorde stepped forward.
"Intruders. Leave. Or die."
Sombravida sighed.
"Is that line mandatory training in the central region?"
No reaction.
Sombravida spoke calmly.
"Inform Szayelaporro Granz that a representative of Barragan Louisenbairn seeks audience."
A Vasto Lorde narrowed his eyes.
"Barragan calls himself King of Hueco Mundo. That title is disputed."
Sombravida paused.
Fair point.
He adjusted smoothly.
"Tell him Eswyn of the western dominion has brought a gift."
Sombravida tossed forward a compact reiatsu-analysis device Tim had constructed.
The Vasto Lorde caught it.
He examined it briefly.
His expression shifted slightly.
"I will report."
He disappeared inside the fortress.
Sombravida exhaled slowly.
Tim whispered, "He didn't crush it."
"That means we passed the first filter," Sombravida replied.
They were escorted inside.
The architecture was… deliberate.
Symmetrical.
Decorative.
Western aristocratic style.
Stone pillars carved with ornate patterns.
Not primitive.
Not accidental.
Szayelaporro's human origin was evident.
They passed rows of incubation chambers.
Incomplete Hollows floated in fluid.
Dissected torsos.
Partially regenerated masks.
Bio-modification chambers.
Szayelaporro did not waste material.
He repurposed it.
At the far end—
A large laboratory desk cluttered with instruments.
Glassware.
Dissection tools.
Reiatsu monitors.
Mechanical and organic devices intertwined.
Facing away from them—
Szayelaporro Granz.
Pinkish-white form.
Octopus-like lower appendages.
Four wing-like extensions behind him.
He was dismantling the radar device.
Completely disassembled.
Already analyzing core structure.
"My lord. The visitors."
"Leave," Szayelaporro replied calmly.
"But—"
"I said leave."
The Vasto Lorde retreated.
Silence returned.
Sombravida did not interrupt.
Scientists in focus were dangerous to disturb.
Time passed.
Three hours.
Forty-two minutes.
Fifteen seconds.
Szayelaporro set down the final component.
"Primitive," he muttered.
"But charming."
He leaned back and finally turned.
Sharp eyes.
Predatory curiosity.
"You constructed this."
It was not a question.
Tim bowed slightly.
"Yes."
Szayelaporro studied him.
"Adjuchas-level intellect. Efficient replication logic. Fascinating."
Sombravida stepped forward.
"We did not come merely to entertain you."
"Of course not," Szayelaporro smiled faintly. "You lack the arrogance for that."
Sombravida spoke plainly.
"Two purposes."
"Technological exchange."
"And strategic alliance."
Szayelaporro's smile widened slightly.
"Alliance? With me?"
"You and Barragan share a common obstacle."
"Susbus Oria."
Szayelaporro waved a hand dismissively.
"That fox."
"Her neurological interference is tedious."
"But manageable."
Sombravida did not react.
"You have remained neutral for decades," Sombravida continued.
"Why?"
Szayelaporro's eyes sharpened.
"Because neither Saros nor Susbus interest me."
Sombravida nodded slightly.
"But a controlled war between them might."
Szayelaporro tilted his head.
"Continue."
Sombravida explained the current balance.
Saros weakened.
Susbus strengthening near ruins.
Barragan advancing.
Szayelaporro listened without interruption.
Finally—
"And what do you offer?"
Sombravida gestured to Tim.
Tim stepped forward.
"Shared development. Reiatsu analysis systems. Field monitoring arrays. Energy compression modeling. We are not limited to what you dismantled."
Szayelaporro's wings twitched slightly.
"Demonstration."
Sombravida remained calm.
"Before demonstration, mutual sincerity."
Szayelaporro suddenly flared his wings.
A nearly invisible mist spread across the chamber.
Sombravida's reiatsu rose instantly.
Gold-tinted pressure dispersed the particles before they reached his skin.
Szayelaporro chuckled.
"Excellent sensory awareness."
"My probe spores are microscopic. They attach to surfaces and analyze cellular response."
"You detected them instantly."
Sombravida's voice remained level.
"If cooperation is your interest, refrain from contaminating guests."
Szayelaporro's smile sharpened.
"You are amusing."
He waved a hand.
Two adjacent incubation chambers lit up.
Inside—
Two Adjuchas-class Hollows.
Different types.
One elastic-bodied.
One muscle-amplified.
Szayelaporro injected a violet fluid into the tanks.
The fluid carried his own reishi signature.
The bodies liquefied.
Merged.
Restructured.
Reassembled.
A new Hollow emerged.
Round torso.
Overdeveloped limbs.
Reiatsu slightly higher than either original.
Tim observed carefully.
"That is not fusion."
"It is structural overwrite," Tim said.
Szayelaporro smiled.
"Correction. It is controlled cellular reconstitution."
"The abilities of both subjects are preserved."
"But their will is overwritten."
The newly created Hollow bowed instinctively.
Tim continued calmly.
"What is the upper stability threshold?"
Szayelaporro's expression shifted faintly.
"Elaborate."
"If two Adjuchas are merged, output increases marginally."
"If two Vasto Lordes are merged, can the result surpass Vasto Lorde?"
Silence.
Szayelaporro's eyes narrowed.
"You assume exponential stacking."
"Incorrect."
"The vessel limits output."
"Reiatsu density obeys structural constraints."
He leaned forward slightly.
"I cannot create a being beyond my own capacity."
There it was.
Tim nodded.
"So your transformation is constrained by host compatibility."
Szayelaporro's smile returned.
"Precisely."
"And that is why your proposal interests me."
He looked directly at Sombravida.
"You possess spatial manipulation."
"Barragan possesses Respira."
"If your war destabilizes Susbus…"
His eyes gleamed.
"Then I acquire data."
Sombravida replied calmly.
"And resources."
Szayelaporro chuckled softly.
"Very well."
"Present your full technological catalogue."
"And perhaps…"
He leaned forward slightly.
"…we may discuss the dissection of Saros together."
Tim glanced briefly at Sombravida.
Sombravida remained composed.
The negotiation had begun.
And neither side intended to lose.
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