Looking at Aizen's expression, Hasumi Ren knew the hardest hurdle had already been passed.
Just as Aizen's voice faded, Ren slightly closed his eyes.
The next moment, dark red spiritual pressure surged from his body.
The power was violent and freezing, carrying the brutal aura unique to Hollows.
It swirled and condensed around Ren, then slowly covered his face.
A bone-like mask materialized from nothing, gradually taking shape.
The only pity was that the amount of spiritual pressure for the Hollowfication was slightly insufficient.
A Level 1 Hollowfication formed a mask that only covered half of his face.
But that aura, that oppressive feeling, was undeniably real.
Aizen simply stood there, watching the changes on Ren's body.
For the first time, a genuine, uncontrollable excitement and curiosity appeared on his face.
"A controllable... Hollowfication."
His voice was very soft, so soft it was almost inaudible.
But a tempest of emotion surged within his eyes.
He had researched the Hogyoku for so many years and conducted countless experiments.
Those test subjects either collapsed on the spot, lost their minds after Hollowfication, or briefly maintained their sanity before breaking down.
Not a single one could rationally and freely control their Hollowfication like the young man before him.
Furthermore, this was without any modifications from the Hogyoku.
No, perhaps it did have some connection to the Hogyoku.
As Aizen pondered this, the curiosity in his eyes grew even more intense.
However, after Aizen's initial excitement cooled and he gradually calmed down, he noticed a few discrepancies.
Although this Hollowfication successfully shattered the boundary between Soul Reaper and Hollow, it still seemed to fall short of the perfect Hollowfication he had envisioned.
No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like a half-finished product.
Or perhaps, its most rudimentary stage.
Aizen took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
"Fascinating."
He walked a circle around Ren, his gaze sweeping up and down his body as if admiring a rare work of art.
"A partial Hollowfication. Controllable, stable, and without side effects... but unfortunately, this is not the ultimate form of this power."
Ren dispelled the Hollowfication, and the mask slowly vanished.
"What do you mean?"
Aizen stopped walking and stood in front of him.
"Although your very existence is the form I wish to achieve through the Hogyoku—shattering the boundary between the powers of a Soul Reaper and a Hollow—it is... too low-level."
He looked at Ren, his eyes gleaming with an unprecedented light.
"Hasumi Ren, the Hollowfication I envision is far more complete than this."
"This mask only provides you with an amplification of spiritual pressure and an enhancement of physical attributes, but you have not acquired the unique abilities of a Menos."
"Hierro, High-Speed Regeneration, Sonido..."
"However, I can help you fully develop these in the future."
Ren didn't speak, merely watching him quietly.
Aizen continued.
"Earlier, you said you agreed with my ideals. To be honest, I don't believe you. I don't think you genuinely want to follow me."
His tone was blunt, completely devoid of any concealment.
Ren's brow twitched slightly.
Then, Aizen smiled.
"But I don't care."
He reached out and gently patted Ren's shoulder.
"Whether you believe in my ideals, what schemes you have behind my back, or what you want to gain from me—I don't care about any of that."
He looked into Ren's eyes and enunciated every word clearly.
"I only care about one thing: you are valuable enough. Your very existence makes you worth keeping around."
Ren fell silent.
Aizen's candor exceeded his expectations.
This man was indeed arrogant to the extreme.
He didn't care if others were sincere, nor did he care if they harbored conspiracies. He only cared whether a person possessed a value that interested him.
"So, what you're saying is..."
Aizen withdrew his hand and stood with his hands clasped behind his back.
"What I'm saying is, you can stay. You can remain by my side, observe me, study me... or even plot something."
He smiled, a hint of amusement playing on his lips.
"I am quite curious to see what you will ultimately manage to achieve."
Ren looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke.
"What do I need to do to make you believe I'm serious?"
Aizen raised an eyebrow.
"You mean you wish to show your sincerity?"
"Yes. Words are empty. Are you really that comfortable letting me stay by your side?"
Aizen chuckled.
"You're right. A little sincerity is indeed required."
Just as he was about to continue, a flurry of hurried footsteps echoed from the nearby woods, accompanied by the crisp clash of blades and heavy panting.
Two dark figures burst through the bushes, stumbling out into the open.
Trailing behind was a man in an Onmitsukido uniform, with an ordinary face and slightly dull eyes.
In front of him, he was chasing a man dressed in luxurious robes.
At this moment, the man's clothes were torn and he was covered in blood. He was the target of this mission: the rebel noble.
The Onmitsukido member roared, swinging his blade at the rebel noble.
The rebel noble turned to block, and the two became locked in combat.
The sound of clashing metal echoed through the forest, and blood splattered across the fallen leaves, dyeing them red.
It wasn't long before the Onmitsukido member found an opening. He violently thrust his Zanpakuto forward, piercing right through the rebel noble's chest.
The rebel noble let out a muffled groan and collapsed to the ground, twitching a few times before falling completely still.
The Onmitsukido member gasped heavily for air, raising a hand to wipe the blood from his face.
Looking up, he caught sight of Ren and Aizen standing not far away, and instantly froze in place.
"Eh? Fourth Seat Hasumi, and... Lieutenant Aizen?"
He clearly hadn't expected to encounter two high-ranking Soul Reapers here. Stunned for a moment, he stood rooted to the spot, at a loss for what to do.
Aizen looked at Ren, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips.
"What impeccable timing. It is almost as if he was meant to appear here at this exact moment."
"Hasumi Ren, you and Urahara Kisuke have grown rather close."
"However, that isn't necessarily a bad thing for our plans."
Hearing this, Ren's hand, which was about to draw his sword, paused.
The implications behind Aizen's words just now were far too complex.
*What exactly does he mean by that?*
*Could it be...*
At this moment, a thought that filled him with a creeping sense of dread couldn't help but surface in Ren's mind.
*Does Aizen know about my plan with Urahara?*
*Or is he just probing?*
In that split second of Ren's distraction, Aizen smiled faintly and gave a light wave of his hand.
"Hado #90—"
"Black Coffin."
Amidst Ren's shocked expression, the Onmitsukido member was instantly sealed within a black box formed entirely of spiritual pressure before he could even react.
The next moment, the Black Coffin dissipated.
The body housing the modified soul reappeared, but it looked as though it had been crushed into a bloody pulp. It slumped limply to the ground, completely lifeless.
Following that, Aizen casually waved his hand, using Hado #54 - Abolishing Flames to incinerate the two corpses until nothing remained, leaving not a single trace behind.
He turned around, his gaze calmly falling on Ren. His face held no excess emotion, as if he had merely crushed an insignificant ant.
"Save your proof of loyalty for next time."
The forest breeze picked up once more, carrying the faint scent of ash as it brushed past their cheeks.
Ren glanced at the ashes on the ground, then looked back at Aizen, a trace of complex emotion flashing through his eyes.
"Alright."