Bleach: Reborn — Chapter 195 - Encountering Old Friends Again

Several Hollows arrived at the same time. Among them were quite a few Hollows Wayne recognized, all of them candidates for the Espada. Even before Aizen had turned them into Arrancar, he had already gathered them together.

The Second Espada, Baraggan Louisenbairn. Old Bai still looked like the Skull Emperor at this point. Only, the kingly aura he once possessed seemed somewhat restrained now in Aizen's presence. But the ghostly flames flickering in his eye sockets betrayed them, Wayne read thick resentment and murderous intent within them. Unfortunately, fluctuations in a Hollow's gaze like that were not something Aizen could easily read. Or perhaps, Aizen had long known that Baraggan was not truly loyal to him, but since his own strength was more than enough to crush him, he simply didn't care whether Baraggan was loyal or not, as long as he could be used.

Behind Old Bai, Wayne also spotted Ulquiorra, with his two massive bat-like wings. At this moment, Ulquiorra knelt devoutly before Aizen, as if greeting his sovereign, a gesture completely different from Baraggan's mere slight bow of the head.

Ulquiorra had already pledged allegiance to Aizen this early. Wayne couldn't help but glance at Aizen. He had to admit, Aizen truly possessed a personal magnetism all his own. He could use words, strength, faith, intellect, and countless other talents to draw people to him. If Baraggan had been coerced, then Ulquiorra, at this moment, at least held a fair amount of genuine loyalty. Right now, if Wayne were to release his Bankai's Hollow power, jump out, and start fighting Aizen, even Ulquiorra, with whom he'd had a brief encounter, would stand on Aizen's side.

After Ulquiorra, there was another of Wayne's acquaintances. Though "acquaintance" was the wrong word, "enemy" was more like it. Behind Ulquiorra's enormous bat wings was a cheetah-type Hollow, not particularly large in size.

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, he had been recruited by Aizen at this stage too, it seemed. And behind Grimmjow, a whole group of Adjuchas-class Hollows were also bowing toward Aizen from a distance. That must have been Grimmjow's pack, and Aizen had taken all of them in.

Szayelaporro. No surprise there. Szayelaporro was also among this group. After all, after Wayne had left back then, Old Bai and Szayelaporro had made a deal. He just hadn't expected Aizen to appear out of nowhere and take both of them in. Judging from Szayelaporro's demeanor, though, his relationship with Aizen was less that of a subordinate and more that of a collaborator. At least, that was what Szayelaporro himself thought. After all, as a proud scientist, he possessed all the traits common to scientists, aloof, untamed. Perhaps Szayelaporro would also have a hand in Aizen's Hōgyoku experiments. It was entirely possible that he had directly reached a cooperative agreement with Aizen back then.

It was just a pity that the scientific intelligence Wayne had once shared with Szayelaporro was, at this very moment, likely already being deployed throughout Las Noches. In the future, it might well become part of Aizen's power.

Still, Szayelaporro had not handed over intelligence about Wayne's forces to Aizen. Perhaps that was a remnant of respect for a former ally.

Beyond these Hollows, Wayne also saw many of the first-generation Espada who had already been marked with numbers. They were Dordoni, Cirucci, and Gantenbainne. These were likely Hollows Aizen had sought out early on and assigned Espada rankings to at the very start of his plan.

In the future, once Aizen obtained the completed Hōgyoku, those rankings would surely change.

"Hm?" Kaname Tōsen, sensing the surrounding Reiatsu, seemed to notice something amiss. He immediately spoke up, questioning the Hollows before him. "Where is that one?"

"In her own room," Baraggan answered.

"Hmph. Lord Aizen has come in person, and she dares not show herself." Tōsen was displeased. Any disrespect toward Aizen seemed to be a personal provocation to Tōsen.

"It doesn't matter, Tōsen." Aizen did not mind. "The terms of my deal with her are that I will not kill her, but she will fight for us when necessary. For now, we still need her abilities."

"Yes, Lord Aizen," Kaname Tōsen replied respectfully.

"Who is that? Sounds like another Hollow?" Wayne asked. In the original story, Wayne couldn't remember any Hollow being kept prisoner by Aizen like this. Or had this Hollow already died by the time the main storyline took place?

"A rather uncooperative one," Gin Ichimaru said, hands tucked into his sleeves, explaining to Wayne. "A Vasto Lorde-class Menos. We went through quite a bit of trouble capturing her back then."

"I see." Wayne nodded, not particularly concerned.

"Tsukishiro-kun, now that you have a rough understanding of our forces, I will next explain our ultimate objective." Aizen strolled into Las Noches. "The ultimate goal of our plan is to create the Ōken in order to enter the Soul King's Palace and successfully meet the Soul King. To achieve this, we will need to expend a great deal of time and resources to complete the Hōgyoku, as well as to increase our strength to oppose those who would stand in the way of our plan."

"The Seireitei?" Wayne naturally knew what Aizen was referring to.

"Correct. That is why I chose to cooperate with Hollows. While researching Hollowfication, I am also researching the Shinigamification of Hollows — the two are interconnected. And the Hōgyoku happens to be capable of accomplishing both simultaneously." Aizen walked unhurriedly to the seat at the very front of the first completed council chamber.

"And at present, in addition to collecting the souls of Soul Reapers and Hollows, we must also use Hollows to conduct Shinigamification experiments, while simultaneously searching for comrades who can join our ranks, and using the Hōgyoku's power to enhance their strength."

"I understand, Lord Aizen." Wayne nodded. "So, we need to find entrenched powers and make their leaders submit to us, killing several birds with one stone."

"As expected of Tsukishiro-kun — you grasped my meaning instantly." Aizen smiled faintly.

"In that case, we've already acquired Baraggan's territory. The next step is to visit those other territories I mentioned?"

"Exactly, Tsukishiro. The intelligence you provided is highly valuable. At the same time, I also need to consult the Skull Emperor to verify the accuracy of that intelligence."

"You mean...?"

"Regarding the intelligence on Szayelaporro and Harribel." Aizen leaned back in his chair, resting his right arm on the armrest and propping his head against his hand. "Oh, I forgot to tell you — Ace Wayne of the West was slain by me long ago. The reason I never mentioned this intelligence before was simply that I found his abilities quite useful for helping me conceal the truth of my experiments."

"Oh?" Wayne scratched his head. Inwardly, he was cursing up a storm. Well, thanks a lot for that.

"So, my report on the various major powers this time... was actually more of a disservice to Lord Aizen?"

"Don't worry about it, Tsukishiro." Aizen tilted his head and smiled. "You've already given me a much better excuse to travel to and from Hueco Mundo."

"Turning a disadvantage into an advantage, one might say." Gin Ichimaru lightly patted Wayne on the shoulder.

"In that case, the next force we need to deal with is..." Wayne began to ask.

"Let's start with the North. Baraggan," Aizen summoned.

Soon, the Skull Emperor stepped forward. Watching Old Bai, who was clearly furious but dared not voice it, Wayne felt a tightness in his chest. His former ally, now forced to bow so low before another, it left a bitter taste in Wayne's heart.

"The North was once already incorporated into my territory. However, after learning of that brat Wayne's death, my subordinates reported that the woman called Harribel did indeed flee north. As for whether she has since established dominance there, I cannot say for certain."

When his own name was mentioned, Wayne clearly saw the ghostly flames in Baraggan's eyes flicker slightly, clearly a sign of regret over his death. But for now, Wayne could not reveal himself. He needed to accomplish his own objectives first.

"What is her strength?" Aizen inquired.

"A beginner-level Vasto Lorde. Her ability is water control," Baraggan described simply. "Her form does not exceed two meters. She was defeated by me."

"Her ability is decent, but she's too weak, unfortunately." Aizen shook his head. "Tsukishiro, Gin — go and locate this Vasto Lorde. Bring her back to see me."

"Yes, Lord Aizen," Gin Ichimaru and Wayne acknowledged the order in unison.

"And this is...?" Baraggan seized the opportunity to ask.

"A new comrade of ours," Aizen introduced briefly. "Tsukishiro Hinamori."

Wayne gave Baraggan a slight nod. Baraggan merely responded with a faint tremble of the ghostly flames in his eyes, saying nothing more. Perhaps Baraggan felt that his chances of revenge had just shrunk by another fraction.

"Well then, Lord Aizen, we'll be off." Gin Ichimaru grinned, drawing his Zanpakuto. With a light poke at the air, half the blade vanished, and a Senkaimon rapidly manifested. Gin then made a welcoming gesture toward Wayne, only to stop halfway through. He had just remembered: the young man before him couldn't see.

"Let's go, Hinamori." In the end, Gin simply spoke.

"Mm." Wayne did not hesitate and walked directly into the Senkaimon.

A Senkaimon was different from a Garganta. A Garganta was a weave of spatial fault lines, whereas a Senkaimon opened a path through the void, using one's own spiritual power as the foundation to traverse space. In terms of speed, the Senkaimon was faster. Within the void, Gin Ichimaru paved the way ahead while Wayne followed behind.

"Ah, this is wonderful. With Hinamori joining us, things will be easier for me in the future," Gin said as he ran forward, paving the path, glancing back at Wayne. "Hinamori-kun, were you frightened by Lord Aizen's plan?"

"To be honest, I was a bit shaken," Wayne offered a flattering reply. "It's hard to imagine that the Hollowfication I spent so much effort investigating, and Ace Wayne's death, were both the work of Lord Aizen."

"Regarding Yagami China's death — aren't you angry?"

"I am." Wayne nodded. "She was my comrade."

"And yet, you still wish to join Lord Aizen?" Gin asked in a probing tone.

"I joined because, in Lord Aizen's plan, I saw hope for changing Soul Society. As for the Soul King or whatever, I have no interest. As long as the decaying Soul Society can be revitalized, and my sister's wish can be fulfilled, that's enough. As for Yagami China — if Lord Aizen can bring her back to life in the future, then isn't all our effort now precisely for welcoming that moment?"

"Heeeh..." Gin Ichimaru glanced back at Wayne. He did not say anything more.

"And you?" Wayne spoke. "Captain Ichimaru, what reason do you have for joining Lord Aizen?"

Hearing this, Gin glanced back at Wayne again. After a long silence, Gin spoke. "There is someone I absolutely must defeat. Because he holds something in his hands, something that belongs to my friend. I have to take it back. For that, I need power."

"Sounds like our goals aren't so different." Wayne naturally knew exactly who Gin was referring to, but he did not expose it.

Of course he couldn't expose it. If he exposed Gin Ichimaru right now, the two of them might end up crossing blades right here in the Senkaimon.

Then again, maybe that wasn't such a bad idea. On second thought, if he killed Gin Ichimaru now, Aizen would lose an arm in the future, and Wayne could conveniently take his place. With Wayne's current strength, if he wanted to kill Gin, he only needed to fully release his power to fight Gin to a standstill. And Wayne was confident he could kill Gin in open combat. The only problem was, if Gin used the Senkaimon to flee at that moment, Wayne wouldn't be able to chase him down.

After thinking it over, Wayne abandoned the idea. After all, Rangiku was part of this equation too. Although Wayne had a grudge against Gin, as Rangiku's drinking buddy, Wayne decided to cut this double-agent some slack. For better or worse, Gin could potentially be an ally. At worst, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Yeah. For Miss Rangiku's sake, I'll let you off.

"Captain Ichimaru, has Lord Aizen been laying the groundwork for a long time? I feel like subduing that Baraggan or whatever should have been an incredibly difficult task. But from Lord Aizen's demeanor, it didn't seem to take much effort at all."

"Ah." Gin Ichimaru responded. "Captain Aizen's Zanpakuto ability can make them all fight each other. By the end, only Baraggan was left. So we got him to fall into the trap quite easily." Gin did not reveal the true nature of Aizen's Zanpakuto ability to Wayne. Likely, he was worried Wayne might turn traitor. Furthermore, Aizen's Kyokasuigetsu was completely ineffective against Wayne, who kept his eyes shut at all times. So, before a consensus on combat cooperation was reached, Gin would not divulge that secret.

Of course, Aizen voluntarily revealing it himself was a different matter.

"I see." Wayne nodded, feigning understanding.

"After Baraggan, Captain Aizen then found Ulquiorra. That guy is cold as ice, but after fighting Captain Aizen for three days, he was successfully brought into the fold. It seems Captain Aizen made him some kind of promise that convinced him to join us."

"And that leopard?" Wayne continued asking.

"Him?" A trace of a smile curled at the corner of Gin Ichimaru's mouth. "He was a coincidence. On one of our first trips into Hueco Mundo, we stumbled upon him and his companions. At the time, that bunch of idiot Hollows were in the middle of acknowledging Grimmjow as their leader. It seemed they had realized they'd reached the limit of their evolution, so they were begging that Adjuchas to devour them. But Captain Aizen told them he had a way for them to grow further, so they pledged allegiance."

"Tch. What a brutally simple method," Wayne couldn't help but remark.

"Captain Aizen is far stronger than you imagine, you know." Gin Ichimaru glanced back at Wayne with a smile. "Let's go. We're almost there."

"Mm."

PS: Due to personal reasons, updates will be suspended for the last few days of October. I will resume updating after I am discharged from the hospital. Please be patient and wait a while.

➤ Next: Overpowering a Vasto Lorde