Aizen leisurely inspected the lab, now almost devoid of intact instruments. Her gaze swept over the shattered tanks, their contents spilled—bodies now unrecognizable. She walked to the damaged control panel and pulled a mostly incomplete experiment log from the rubble.
Flipping through it briefly, Aizen slowly shook her head. "Records severely damaged. Can't decipher much in a short time."
"You're going to repair this thing?"
Kensei approached, looking at the damaged notebook, then looked suspiciously at Aizen.
"It'll take time, and full restoration is impossible." Aizen tucked the notebook away. "But first, we should find Szayelaporro."
"I knew it. No one surpasses you in scheming."
Yoruichi pursed her lips. She'd guessed that after saying those words, Szayelaporro wouldn't easily escape Aizen's grasp.
"Just a necessary insurance measure. And it might not even work." Aizen turned and walked in the direction she sensed. "While using Kurohitsugi, I implanted a special spiritual pressure marker into his body. I can sense his location."
Aizen paused momentarily, then continued forward. "Theoretically, as long as he's still using this body, it can't be erased."
Led by Aizen, the group advanced leisurely. The impatient Yoruichi urged them to hurry multiple times, but Aizen still didn't speed up.
"Here."
Aizen stopped before a cave entrance. The moment she spoke, Yoruichi had already flashed inside.
The cave wasn't large. Entering, Yoruichi warily scanned the interior. But the expected Szayelaporro wasn't there—or rather, no living Szayelaporro was there.
In the center of the cave lay only a riddled, perforated shell. The Zanpakutō Ikomikidomoe, which he had taken, was also nowhere to be seen.
Under the combined assault of Aizen's Hollowfication and Hōgyoku-enhanced Kurohitsugi, Szayelaporro's body was covered in mangled flesh, lying motionless on the ground, long since stopped breathing.
"As I expected."
Aizen walked to the shell, crouched, and briefly examined it. A flicker of surprise and understanding crossed her eyes. When she sensed the marker stop moving earlier, she suspected additional circumstances. Now, it seemed she was right.
Kensei circled the discarded body once, then turned to Aizen, his face slowly spreading into a mischievous, punchable grin.
"Yo." He deliberately drew out the word. "So the always infallible Lady Sōsuke can make such mistakes?"
Yoruichi immediately burst out laughing. She draped an arm over Kensei's shoulder, also smiling mischievously. "Seems this Hueco Mundo scientist does have some tricks. Even shook off Lady Aizen's marker."
Nelliel blinked, looking at the grinning Kensei and Yoruichi, then at Aizen, half-understanding.
Facing their coordinated teasing, Aizen's expression remained unchanged.
She rose, brushing non-existent dust from her clothes. "He abandoned this body. A clever move."
"Looks like we're going home empty-handed today."
Kensei shrugged. He'd hoped to retrieve Ikomikidomoe today. Seemed they'd be staying in Hueco Mundo a while longer.
"That madman is ruthless. Abandoning a Vasto Lorde's body just like that."
Yoruichi stroked her chin. She hadn't expected that pervert to actually make such a crazy move.
"Let's go." Aizen turned and headed out. "Though there were unexpected developments, overall, it's still within the plan."
Kensei followed, still grinning. "Sōsuke, you're not just covering up for your mistake, are you?"
Aizen glanced at him. "Hope you maintain this energy later."
When the four returned to the base, Harribel and the others were still waiting outside. Seeing Kensei and the others return safely, Harribel sighed in relief.
"Lord Kensei." Harribel nodded in greeting. "How did it go?"
"He got away, but Sōsuke still has a way." Kensei spread his hands. "What about here?"
"Everything's normal!" Apacci eagerly replied, appearing full of energy, clearly still savoring their earlier triumphant display.
Rose added. "With Baraggan defeated by you, no reckless Hollow would dare come here."
Aizen walked directly into her lab, beginning to analyze the fragmented experiment logs she'd found at Szayelaporro's.
Harribel led Apacci and the others back to rest. After cleaning the battlefield, they had been waiting outside for Kensei's return, standing guard for any stragglers.
Kensei and Yoruichi lounged on the sofa. Bored, Yoruichi transformed back into a cat for Kensei to groom while they waited for Aizen's analysis results.
Nelliel quietly half-crouched to the side, looking between Kensei playing with Yoruichi and the direction of Aizen's lab, as if pondering something.
After an unknown time, the lab door finally opened. Aizen emerged, holding the results of her analysis.
"Smooth enough." She walked to the center of the living area and placed her records on the table. "Though many were damaged, the key parts remain."
Aizen flipped through the deciphered results, showing the diagrams to Kensei. "This is Szayelaporro's concept. By laying eggs within another creature's body, he can give birth to a new body."
"Embryo Announcement?" Kensei raised an eyebrow. He remembered this technique was only mastered by Szayelaporro after splitting. How could he use it now?
"Indeed."
Aizen confirmed Kensei's statement, continuing to flip through the records. "But according to the restored records, this technique isn't perfected yet. Using it now won't allow him to recover completely as intended."
"Meaning that guy is still hiding in some nook or cranny." Yoruichi, in cat form, stretched languidly. "Licking his wounds while scheming revenge on us."
A hint of worry appeared on Nelliel's face. "Doesn't that mean Kensei is still in danger?"
She remembered Szayelaporro's drooling over Kensei, his dangerous intentions...
"Relax. He won't get the chance."
Kensei patted Nelliel reassuringly.
"Exactly." Aizen crossed her legs and spoke calmly. "If Szayelaporro wants to continue his attack, he'll need power surpassing ours. There aren't many in Hueco Mundo he can cooperate with."
Aizen paused, tapping her fingers on the table. "His ideal cooperative target would be Baraggan, who also has a grudge against us."
"Based on my analysis, Szayelaporro will likely modify both the Zanpakutō Ikomikidomoe and Baraggan. Only then can he gain stronger power in a short time to take revenge on us."
Hearing this, Kensei excitedly tossed Yoruichi into the air. "So I might get the chance to turn Baraggan into a Zanpakutō too?"
His excitement wasn't unwarranted. Baraggan's power, in a sense manipulating time, was quite tempting.
Perfect for scaring Old Man Yama. If he didn't hand over the Captain-Commander position, Kensei could use Baraggan's ability to make him even older.
They say youth prevails in fistfights. Then he could launch a spectacular rebellion against Old Man Yama.
"Hey, aren't you worried that pervert might create something terrifying?"
Yoruichi, tossed into the air, landed nimbly on Kensei's head and tapped the head beneath her in dissatisfaction. Though they'd defeated them once, this unknown danger couldn't be ignored.
"The situation isn't optimistic." Aizen's gaze fell on Kensei. "To counter this potential threat, we need greater countermeasures. That requires expanding our Arrancar ranks."
Kensei's heart skipped a beat. He had an ominous premonition.
The next moment, Aizen spoke the words Kensei didn't want to hear. "So, Kensei, you should understand what I mean."
"Sōsuke, you're taking advantage of this to get back at me!" Kensei yelled, both hands clutching his waistband. "Last time was so much. You definitely can't use it all."
"Experiments require advance reserves."
Kensei was speechless. Looking at Aizen, who was already preparing to rise, he mobilized his super brain and came up with a solution. "Wait! Isn't it just Arrancars? I'll directly find you some ready-made ones. And their strength isn't weak."
"Oh?"
Aizen raised an eyebrow. She had indeed been teasing Kensei, but didn't expect this unexpected gain.
Seemed she needed to learn more about the information Kensei possessed.
"If so, I'll leave it to you."
Aizen nodded. If Kensei said so, he definitely had confidence.
"Don't underestimate my intelligence network."
Kensei patted his chest. Putting aside everything else, Ulquiorra and Stark were ready-made Arrancars. He wondered if those two would have changed.
It wasn't that Kensei was unwilling to cooperate with Aizen. It was mainly because of the awkward incident last time with Nelliel watching. If Aizen came privately, discreetly, he'd be more than happy.
For science, after all. Nothing shameful about it.
Nelliel watched Kensei's retreating back. After a brief pause, she walked to Aizen and, with resolve, spoke.
"Lady Aizen, please let me Arrancarize too."
A barely detectable smile curved Aizen's lips. She nodded. "Of course."
Nelliel's reaction was exactly as she had anticipated.
Perfect timing to test the Hōgyoku data after it had resonated with her.
***
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