Bleach: Reborn — Chapter 198 - Encountering Starrk Again

Three days later, Wayne set out as planned. No squad this time, just him. Of course, Wayne going alone meant Aizen, Tōsen, and Ichimaru all came along. The three captains couldn't exactly move around in the open. But with Aizen's Kyokasuigetsu, that wasn't much of a problem.

Wayne stepped through the gate the Senkaimon guards opened and ran all the way to Hueco Mundo. Once through, he activated the positioning device Aizen had given him. Aizen's group appeared before him moments later.

"I've been here plenty of times, and I still think Hueco Mundo puts you in a bad mood." Gin Ichimaru eyed the desolation around them.

"That's precisely why we're building Las Noches," Tōsen said. "Hueco Mundo is uncultivated land. It needs us to develop it before its value can be realized."

"More like extracting the only resources here." Wayne's tone was dry. "As long as you don't break the balance, the resources are endless."

"Ara, so cold, Hinamori-kun." Ichimaru tucked his hands into his sleeves. "What's wrong with using resources wisely to create higher value?"

"I didn't say there was anything wrong with it." Wayne shook his head. "The strong devour the weak. Natural selection. That's the law of nature. Behavior that follows instinct."

"Ah... I think you're starting to sound more and more like Tōsen. And here I thought you were an interesting guy." Gin Ichimaru spread his hands.

Tōsen:? Should I just leave?

"First, we find Coyote Starrk." Aizen cut them off. "Our time in Hueco Mundo this trip is limited. We need to hurry — the Hollow Arrancarification experiments will also take time."

Gin Ichimaru shrugged, said nothing more, and used Shunpo to follow Aizen's steps. Wayne and Tōsen moved to keep up.

About a month ago, Wayne had sent word to Timd, telling him to notify Starrk to relocate. Whether Starrk had received the message was anyone's guess, as a lone wolf, his whereabouts weren't easy to track. Fortunately, Timd had enough clones. As long as they knew the general area, finding Starrk wasn't too difficult. That was also why Starrk, even when hiding, never left the western region. Once he left, Timd would have a much harder time finding him again.

As for feeding Aizen false intel, Wayne didn't even dare think about it. That was just asking to die.

Aizen's sensitivity to Reiatsu ranked among the top five in Soul Society. Hand him a fake coordinate, and Wayne estimated he wouldn't live past five chapters.

Fortunately, the intel had been timely enough, Starrk had managed to leave ahead of time every time before. Hopefully he'd escape smoothly this time too, Wayne thought.

This time, Wayne's plan failed.

As they rushed toward Starrk's previous location, Wayne could clearly sense that transcendent Reiatsu slowly approaching them. It wasn't just him, Ichimaru and Tōsen were on full alert. Aizen, meanwhile, had a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He seemed quite satisfied with the strength of that distant Reiatsu.

The two sides' Reiatsu met.

Through his tinted lenses, Wayne saw the Hollow before him clearly: Coyote Starrk. It had been a long time. But this wasn't the Starrk he'd first encountered. His mask had already fallen away, only a chain-like fragment remained at his jaw.

"Self-Arrancarification?" Aizen was taken aback. This was the first time he'd encountered a Hollow in Hueco Mundo capable of achieving it on their own. It meant the Vasto Lorde before him had independently completed the Hollow's Shinigamification, successfully sealing the core of his power into a blade. "This exceeds my expectations." Starrk's appearance solidified Aizen's pursuit of both Hollowfication and Shinigamification.

"So you're the Soul Reapers who've been hunting high-level Hollows?" Starrk held dual pistols. His expression remained indifferent, his tone carrying a trace of languidness.

"May I ask how you are addressed?" Aizen inquired.

"Coyote Starrk."

"Hello, Coyote-kun. I am Aizen — Sōsuke Aizen." His voice was full of magnetism. "These are my companions: Kaname Tōsen, Gin Ichimaru, Tsukishiro Hinamori. We have been searching for like-minded comrades."

"Comrades?" A strange light flickered in Starrk's eyes. "You're the Soul Reapers who killed Ace Wayne?"

"It seems there is some misunderstanding between us." Aizen understood what Starrk meant. Clearly, this peak Vasto Lorde knew the former Ace Wayne.

"I've heard from some Hollows that in recent years, a few Soul Reapers have been hunting powerful Hollows. They're either captured or killed by you. And Ace Wayne, whom I knew, died at your hands."

"The Ace Wayne you speak of seemed unwilling to become friends with us. He even attacked and harmed us. We had no choice but to act."

Heh... tui. Wayne cursed inwardly.

"Then what is your purpose in seeking me out?" Starrk continued.

"To ask you to be our comrade, of course."

"In that case, let's first settle the matter of Ace Wayne before discussing anything else." As his words fell, Starrk raised his right hand. A deep blue Cero shot toward Aizen. No fabricated excuses, Starrk simply wanted to do what he could for a Hollow he'd once thought could become a friend.

BOOM!

Aizen did not dodge. He let the Cero blast toward him. But seconds before it made contact, Kaname Tōsen stepped forward and slashed it apart with a single strike.

"If you wish to raise a hand against Lord Aizen, you'll have to go through me first." Tōsen raised his Zanpakuto horizontally and chanted the release incantation. "Cry, Suzumushi!"

BZZZ!

Tōsen's Zanpakuto emitted a rapid wave of Reiatsu. The buzzing sound flooded Starrk's ears instantly. He lost consciousness for a brief moment, but only a moment. Starrk's awareness snapped back. The guns in his hands twitched, and a Cero shot toward Tōsen.

Tōsen raised his blade and slashed the Cero apart again, then stepped forward with Shunpo, preparing to engage in close combat. He didn't expect Starrk to blast him back with a continuous volley of Cero from one gun.

"This guy." Tōsen retreated, eyeing the burns on his arm. He bared his teeth and clicked his tongue.

"Stand down, Kaname." Aizen stepped forward. "You are not his match. Let me handle this."

As he walked forward, Aizen drew Kyokasuigetsu.

Wayne's brow furrowed slightly. He closed his eyes beneath his tinted lenses.

"Your Reiatsu is worthy of praise. How about this, Starrk-san." Aizen raised Kyokasuigetsu high toward Starrk. "We fight. If you win, do as you please. If I win, you come with me. Return to our base together. Become our comrade. At the same time, I will grant you greater power — whether it's restraining your Reiatsu or elevating your Reiatsu level."

"Are your comrades all as powerful as you?" Starrk withdrew his leveled, aiming hand.

"You'll see when you come." Aizen left the hook dangling.

"Then let's give it a try." Starrk's Reiatsu surged. The dual pistols in his hands transformed instantly into two Reiatsu longswords. On the other side, Aizen swung his Zanpakuto. The two charged at each other.

Sigh...

Wayne let out a long breath. Sensing the unmoving Aizen before him, and Starrk slashing at empty air on the other side, a pang of sorrow hit him. He'd even had Timd inform Starrk of Aizen's abilities. He never expected Starrk would let his guard down. The moment the two drew their blades, Starrk was already under control. Or perhaps Starrk didn't have the habit of fighting with his eyes closed, so even knowing, he had no way to counter it.

Even an existence as powerful as Starrk couldn't escape Kyokasuigetsu's hypnosis. In Wayne's understanding, aside from the Ancient Hollow Beasts and the Nine Great King Hollows, Starrk should be the strongest Hollow he knew of. Yet he still fell under Kyokasuigetsu's hypnosis. Was Kyokasuigetsu truly without counter?

He set the question aside. As long as he kept his eyes closed when facing Aizen, he wouldn't be hypnotized. That was enough.

About ten minutes later, the battle on Starrk's side reached its conclusion. Aizen seized an opening, his real body advanced directly and slashed Starrk. What followed was a storm of attacks, preventing Starrk from unleashing his full power and ending the fight.

"Hah... so strong." Starrk knelt on one knee, drenched in blood, panting heavily. He knew he still hadn't used his full strength. But he no longer intended to.

A powerhouse like Aizen, if he truly wanted to kill him, he would have done so already.

"Sorry, Wayne kid. Your vengeance — this is as far as I can take it." He muttered quietly under his breath, then wearily stood. "I still have some things to take care of. I'll head to your base in a few days. Mm... that skeleton gentleman's territory, right?"

Clearly, Starrk was well aware of Aizen's movements. Partly because of Wayne's intel, and partly because, as a top-tier powerhouse in Hueco Mundo, his own intelligence network was naturally no worse than anyone else's. The pity was that the Hollows delivering messages to him couldn't get too close. Including Timd's clones, every time they delivered a message, the clone would simply evaporate. Starrk's power was simply too overwhelming.

"I see. It seems you already know of our movements."

"I don't know your purpose, but I do know that in that skeleton gentleman's territory, many formidable individuals are stationed," Starrk said flatly. "Once my business is finished, I will come."

"Mm, then it's settled." Aizen wasn't afraid of Starrk running. This time he'd mobilized four captain-class combatants to find him. If they could find him once, they could find him a second time. Starrk was already under Aizen's hypnosis. With just a slight use of his ability, Starrk would be unable to escape Aizen's palm.

"We will remain in Hueco Mundo for several months. I hope to see you at Las Noches then. At that time, I will grant you the method to control your power."

"Ah. I'll be there." Starrk nodded slightly, then dragged his injured body away.

"Is it really fine to let him go like this, Captain Aizen?" Gin Ichimaru stepped forward.

"It's fine, Gin." Aizen's eyes narrowed slightly as he smiled. "The seed of suggestion has already been planted. He will definitely come. You did well this time, Tsuki. We've gained a very powerful ally."

Wayne didn't answer. He only lowered his head slightly. Whether to show respect to Aizen, or to express regret for Starrk, it was unclear. Once, Wayne had thought Starrk could become his teammate. They could face Aizen together. Pity the world is unpredictable. Wayne had only just advanced to Vasto Lorde, before he could even go find Starrk, Aizen had raided his home. He was lucky the Dominator of Hueco Mundo had revived him for another life. Otherwise, it truly would have been a wrongful death.

"Let's go. Back to Las Noches. Hollowfication still requires a great deal of time and experimentation." Aizen turned, thrust Kyokasuigetsu into the air, and opened the Senkaimon. The group of four headed to Las Noches.

When they arrived, the sight was striking, the entire Las Noches was already more than half complete. Credit went to Szayelaporro's prowess. He'd combined the power of technology with the abilities of Hollows, and in just two years, he'd built this massive Las Noches into shape. Not only that, inside Las Noches, a device simulating daylight had already been constructed at the canopy. From this moment on, Hueco Mundo had a sun, blue skies, and white clouds. A pity there were no green trees. The surface was still a sea of sand.

"Lord Aizen, you've returned." Harribel greeted him. It wasn't that she'd volunteered, Aizen's Senkaimon had opened, and she happened to be nearby.

"Tia, gather all Espada candidates and the dozen-plus reserves in the council hall. We are about to begin the Arrancarification experiments." After witnessing Starrk's self-Arrancarification, Aizen was convinced that a Hollow's Shinigamification would be easier than a Soul Reaper's Hollowfication. He planned to use the Hollows as test subjects first, to feel the energy emitted by the Hōgyoku when granting Shinigamification to Hollows, and thereby penetrate the secrets of Soul Reaper Hollowfication.

"Yes, my lord." Harribel bowed, then went to gather the personnel.

Aizen and the others moved to the council hall, preparing to conduct the Hollow Shinigamification experiments there, the Arrancar experiments.

"The Hōgyoku can be regarded as an omnipotent wish-granting device. Any change at the Reiatsu level, the Hōgyoku can realize. But because my control over its power is insufficient, I have been unable to properly wield its strength. Now, with Tsuki-kun's help and having witnessed Coyote's self-Arrancarification, perhaps we are on the verge of a breakthrough in this area."

Seated on the throne, Aizen toyed with the Hōgyoku in his hand while explaining his theoretical findings to Wayne and the others.

"We'll know once we try it." Gin Ichimaru was indifferent toward the Hōgyoku experiment. He was merely curious about the process and the result.

"Lord Aizen, I suggest we start the experiments with ordinary Hollows," Tōsen advised.

"Ordinary Hollows may not be able to withstand such a high concentration of Reiatsu," Wayne picked up. "I think we could start at the Gillian level. Though Gillians aren't powerful, they have the advantage of numbers."

"The Reiatsu of Gillians is too mixed — it's impossible to determine a dominant consciousness. They're not like entry-level Adjuchas, which possess independent individual sovereignty," Aizen explained. "We'll start with entry-level Adjuchas."

➤ Next: Experiment — Words Unspoken