Bleach: Reborn — Chapter 199 - Experiment — Words Unspoken

“That guy didn’t show up again! She doesn’t put Lord Aizen in her eyes at all.” In the assembly hall, Tōsen’s voice was exceptionally furious.

Within Las Noches there was a Vasto Lorde with an extremely peculiar personality. She would not obey any of Aizen’s commands except those related to battle. Only when there was fighting would she appear. And today, she had once again slapped Tōsen in the face. Aizen’s summons — she did not attend.

Aizen had summoned all the Hollows of Las Noches, yet she did not appear, because it was not a battle, so there was no need. Wayne found a Vasto Lorde with such a personality very interesting. What kind of Hollow could not even have her emotions stirred by Aizen’s personal charisma? Could it be one encountered by chance when recruiting Szayelaporro from the central region of Hueco Mundo?

That made sense too. As a Vasto Lorde, she was also necessary for Aizen to recruit. And according to the last inquiry, Aizen said she seemed to possess a special ability. Perhaps it was because Aizen needed her that he allowed her to act this way.

Right now, the experiment on Hollow Shinigamification was very important, but it did not require everyone to participate. Aizen also did not wish to use this disobedient Vasto Lorde as a test subject right from the start. In any case, if she didn’t come, she didn’t come. Aizen did not take her to heart.

“Relax, Captain Tōsen.” Wayne looked at Tōsen with amusement, yet his expression was exceptionally calm. “It’s just a Hollow, no need to quibble with her. Our experiment is still more important.”

“It seems it’s about time to find an opportunity to teach that disobedient fellow a lesson.”

“That’s a Vasto Lorde, you know. Can you even beat her?” Gin Ichimaru, unlike Wayne, already had his narrowed fox eyes brimming with mirth. “Although that fellow only just entered the Vasto Lorde stage less than a dozen or so years ago, with that special ability, you might not necessarily win, you know.”

“Tch... whether I can win or not, we’ll only know after fighting.” Tōsen said through gritted teeth.

In the years since the Hollow Wayne had fallen, Tōsen had already improved tremendously in Reiatsu and combat techniques, yet such growth still meant, in Ichimaru’s eyes, that he could not beat this Vasto Lorde. This showed just how powerful that Hollow’s ability was. This made Wayne even more interested in this Vasto Lorde. He had to know, in Wayne’s memory he was not aware that Aizen’s forces had such a Vasto Lorde. Or perhaps it was precisely because of her eccentric personality that Aizen had already sacrificed this Vasto Lorde before he even attacked Karakura Town. After all, Hollowfication experiments required materials, and in Aizen’s eyes, Vasto Lorde-class Menos were really no different from grunts.

“Alright, Gin, Kaname.” Aizen did not get angry. Instead, he surveyed the nearly eighty Adjuchas-level gathered below. “We don’t need her right now, let her be. We are about to begin the Arrancarification experiment on Hollows.” Having said this, Aizen stood up. He slowly paced into the crowd of Hollows.

“Let’s start with you.” Aizen pointed at a humanoid Hollow about three meters tall, half-kneeling before him. “My companion here, state your name.”

“Padandel.” The humanoid Hollow bowed his head slightly. His voice trembled a little, whether from fear of Aizen’s pressure or from having no confidence in this experiment.

“Very good, Padandel. Are you willing to offer your loyalty to me?”

“Yes, my master.” Although Padandel trembled, he had no choice but to bow his head and reply. After all, the experiment might not mean death, but refusing would certainly mean becoming nourishment for the Hōgyoku right now.

“Then, my loyal companion, come with me.” The corner of Aizen’s mouth lifted slightly. He turned and walked toward the direction of the laboratory.

“Szayelaporro, you come too.” Aizen said as he walked.

“How wonderful.” Szayelaporro, whose lower body was covered in tentacle-like forms, had his mask’s mouthpart open and close slightly. He was naturally extremely interested in this kind of experiment. And so, filled with excitement, Szayelaporro followed Aizen into the laboratory.

Inside the laboratory, ripples of blue light drifted slowly in arcs. Outside the laboratory, all the Hollows remained silent, either half-kneeling or prostrate, not daring to make the slightest sound.

Wayne observed that even Baraggan was unwilling to speak, merely sitting silently to one side, lightly tapping his own skull with the fingers of his large skeletal hand.

Even as the King of Hueco Mundo, Baraggan felt a measure of nervousness about this so-called Arrancar experiment. But for the sake of his freedom, he now had no choice but to swallow this unwillingness.

After a long while, the laboratory suddenly blazed with white light, accompanied by Padandel’s agonized roar. However, that roar lasted only an instant before vanishing without a trace, and along with it, his Reiatsu also disappeared.

“...Next.” Aizen’s somewhat angered voice, steeped in Reiatsu, passed through the laboratory and reached the main hall. This also declared that the first Arrancarification had failed.

“...” Tōsen said nothing. He casually pulled up an aberrant-shaped Hollow from beside him and walked toward the laboratory.

“Tsuki, you come too.”

“Alright.” Wayne rose and walked toward the laboratory.

The so-called laboratory was actually an independent space. Aizen and the Hollow were inside that space, while outside was an empty room where Szayelaporro recorded data. Upon arriving at the laboratory, Wayne saw the scattered chunks of corpse on the ground, the blood splattered across a wall, and the faint glow slowly emanating from the Hōgyoku. He understood. That Hollow just now had probably failed to properly handle the injection of Soul Reaper Reiatsu, causing the two streams of Reishi within his body to clash and produce an explosion. And the reason for Aizen’s displeasure was probably that he had not managed to fully raise a Reiatsu barrier in time to block the blood, resulting in it splattering onto his shoes.

“Szayelaporro, read the experiment data for Tsuki-kun.” Aizen adjusted his mood and spoke calmly.

“The Soul Reaper Reiatsu converted by the Hōgyoku produced a massive conflict with the Hollow’s Reiatsu upon entering the body. Before the Soul Reaper Reiatsu could even touch the Hollow’s spiritual core, the body could not bear the burden and exploded.” Szayelaporro spread his hands. He had no goodwill toward this newly arrived Soul Reaper. However, with research at hand, he preferred to focus his attention on the study. It was just that facing this newcomer, he felt a scientist’s disdain, thinking that Wayne probably could not understand matters in this area.

“What about the Reiatsu wavelength?” Wayne spoke a relatively professional term, causing Szayelaporro’s expression to freeze for a moment, indicating that he himself was someone knowledgeable in the field.

“There was simply no matching to speak of.” Szayelaporro was about to press a button but remembered that the Soul Reaper before him was also blind. He could only continue speaking. “The Reiatsu wavelength of a Hollow is chaotic, whereas a Soul Reaper’s Reiatsu is extremely orderly. But you must understand, even though a Hollow’s Reiatsu is chaotic, it still follows rules of chaos. If a Soul Reaper’s Reiatsu barges in recklessly, it will only cause conflict between the two.”

Wayne did not say much. He entered the laboratory and examined the corpse that had shattered all over the floor.

“Any findings, Tsuki?” Aizen asked.

“The problem seems to lie in the wavelength.” Wayne looked around, then touched a piece of mask and tossed it into his mouth.

Seeing Wayne’s action, Szayelaporro in the other room cursed inwardly: Holy shit. Immediately, he began to take this newcomer seriously. This was a Soul Reaper who could eat Hollows. Wouldn’t the Reishi conflict within his body? Holy shit, holy shit. No wonder Aizen called him in. So this guy really was an expert in this area. He had to get his blood, had to slice him up, had to do research!

In an instant, Szayelaporro transformed into Mayuri Kurotsuchi. Countless thoughts of wanting to dissect Wayne began to surge forth.

“Hm?” Suddenly sensing a chill like a thorn prickling his back, Wayne instantly turned around and scanned his perception. Only then did he recall that Szayelaporro was not inferior to Mayuri Kurotsuchi in scientific research.

Seeing Wayne turn around, Szayelaporro reined in the mad thoughts within his mind. After all, this Soul Reaper was now one of Aizen’s people. No matter how much he wanted to make a move, he could not possibly escape Aizen. He might as well use a transactional method to obtain this Soul Reaper’s blood.

“Lord Aizen, I think I need you to perform the experiment just now once more so I can see. I need to know the specific process and steps. But this time, Lord Aizen, try lowering and slowing down the output frequency from just now. I will use Reiatsu perception to sense it.” Seeing Szayelaporro restrain himself, Wayne turned and spoke his thoughts to Aizen.

“Mm.” Aizen did not deny it. He once again tossed out the Hōgyoku in his hand, letting it land on the forehead of the new Hollow Tōsen had just brought in. Then he spoke softly. “My companion, how should I address you?”

“Abaint Latas.” The aberrant Hollow said trembling with fear.

“Abaint, are you willing to contribute a portion of strength to our faction?” Aizen looked playfully at the aberrant Hollow before him. Although this Hollow was nearly five meters tall, within Aizen’s field of vision, he was still as insignificant as an ant.

“Yes, my lord, I am willing.” How could Abaint dare to refuse? He could only obediently admit defeat. Even if today his fate was grim and his prospects poor.

“Very good. Thank you for your dedication, Abaint.” A smile hung at the corner of Aizen’s mouth. He slowly pressed the Hōgyoku against the aberrant Hollow’s forehead.

The next second, the Hōgyoku once again emitted a faint, ghostly glow. From the center of the Hōgyoku, strands of white Reiatsu were produced, beginning to flow along Abaint’s mask and into his entire body.

“Uuu...” The aberrant Hollow let out bursts of mournful cries. Clearly, he was doing his utmost to resist this invading Reiatsu.

“Szayelaporro, report the situation.” Wayne’s expression remained unchanged as he waited for Szayelaporro’s report.

“The Reishi permeating the body are clashing. The moment the Soul Reaper’s Reishi entered the body, they were disrupted and collided with the Hollow’s Reishi. That pitiful fellow is putting up resistance.” Szayelaporro reported. “If this continues, when that fellow’s Reiatsu is exhausted to a certain degree, he won’t be able to endure the Reishi impact and will ultimately explode and die.”

“No matter. Let us find the critical point.” Wayne said calmly. At the same time, he spoke to that aberrant Hollow. “Don’t resist. Try letting it travel through your body.”

“Er-aaahhh!” The aberrant Hollow’s voice was hoarse. He tried to do as Wayne said, but at that very instant of relaxation, the Reiatsu that had been slowly entering his body was like a dam being breached, rapidly rushing into his body and producing an explosion.

BANG!

A crack split open on the aberrant Hollow’s mask. At the same time, wounds burst open across the surface of his flesh — the result of Reishi exploding inside his body.

“Roar!” Abaint cried out in agony. In just an instant, he once again used his own Reiatsu to suppress the Reishi that had entered his body.

“Shatter, Kyokasuigetsu.” Seeing this, Aizen used Kyokasuigetsu on this Hollow, directly erasing his perception of pain. This time, the Reishi produced by the Hōgyoku rapidly entered the body. This Hollow’s body instantly split open. Countless chunks of flesh burst apart, blood continuously gushing out. His mask also shattered layer by layer.

In just over three minutes, this Hollow ultimately exploded and died.

Having perfectly raised a Reiatsu protective barrier, Aizen sighed softly. He turned his head to look at Wayne.

“Tsuki-kun, do you have any findings?”

“I do, my lord.” Wayne spoke plainly. “Overall, it is still that the Soul Reaper’s Reishi and the Hollow’s Reishi cannot merge and will produce conflict within the body. But in the experiment just now, I already perceived his mask fracturing. Although we cannot prove that was a precursor to Arrancarification, at least we have seen hope.” Wayne performed his analysis.

“The chaotic and orderly nature of Reiatsu wavelengths are inherently in conflict. Since we cannot fundamentally resolve this problem, then let the Hollow regulate it himself. Just like how I can absorb the Reishi of Hollows. It’s just that we may need to slow this process down infinitely. After all, disrupting is far easier than sorting out.”

“Secondly, I discovered that the Hollow’s bodily explosion is due to the conflict of Reiatsu. Therefore, we need to create a tool that confines the Reishi within the body, preventing the Hollow from exploding. However, this aspect is not my strong suit. I also don’t know how to handle it.”

“No matter. Leave this to me.” Szayelaporro spread his hands. “I can create a type of seal that, while preventing Reiatsu from leaking out, can also help the Hollow recover physical injuries.”

Hearing this, Wayne nodded, tacitly acknowledging Szayelaporro’s words.

“Finally, we seem to need a Reiatsu vessel.”

“Oh?” Aizen expressed surprise at this statement from Wayne.

“Just like our Zanpakuto. We are forcibly loading a surge of energy into the Hollow’s body. Without a Reiatsu vessel, these Hollows will simply find it impossible to escape the fate of exploding.”

“Mm...” Aizen fell into slight contemplation. But very quickly, he thought through the theory behind it. He had fallen into a misconception. He had always believed that during Hollowfication or Shinigamification, the vessel would strengthen as Reiatsu rose, and had overlooked its own potential. That was why the experiments had failed time and again.

But this time, through Wayne’s explanation, he also understood. If there were a vessel, perhaps it could help the Hollow control that suddenly surging Reiatsu, and then let the Hollow regulate the power on its own, strengthen itself, and achieve the breakthrough of the boundary between Hollow and Soul Reaper. And as for this vessel, Aizen also knew how to go about creating it.

He only needed to rely on the Hōgyoku to create a sealing object that could bear power. And the first choice for this sealing object was a Zanpakuto. However, not a Soul Reaper’s Asauchi, but a blade-like tool directly created by the Hōgyoku with abilities similar to a Zanpakuto, to be used as the Hollow’s Zanpakuto.

“It seems that for the next period of time, we will be quite busy.”

➤ Next: Found You