"A self-Arrancarized Vasto Lorde?"
As someone with rich research experience, Aizen naturally saw Ulquiorra's miraculous traits at a glance.
But here was the problem: if it were just that, given Naraku Sora's personality, he wouldn't have made a special trip.
After all, there was the precedent of the former King of Hueco Mundo, Arturo.
"Take another good look."
Naraku Sora placed Ulquiorra between the two of them, allowing him to be observed.
"Little Ulqui's strength might not be high enough yet, but in terms of research value, he absolutely crushes that flashy pink pineapple and the others. His cost-effectiveness is extremely high."
Hearing this, Aizen didn't doubt him. He frowned slightly and looked seriously at the thin young figure.
Compared to Szayelaporro and Baraggan, Ulquiorra's Arrancarization wasn't very thorough; emotionally, he seemed to have a significant defect...
Just as Naraku Sora was about to reveal the answer, Aizen suddenly spoke:
"A Spirit King fragment."
"His mask was shattered by the power of the Spirit King, forcibly breaking the boundaries of his soul. It even allowed him to skip the evolutionary gap between Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde, directly becoming a self-Arrancarized Vasto Lorde."
Ulquiorra froze.
He had originally felt some resistance toward the young man in front of him. Although he was also a Soul Reaper, this guy exuded a hidden, dangerous aura.
Standing before him, his instincts inexplicably flared with vigilance, warning him to stay away from this bespectacled man.
It was completely different from the sense of security he felt by Lord Naraku's side.
This guy was a dangerous element through and through.
However, to his surprise, the other party had pointed out his only secret with a single sentence.
'Spirit King fragment... is that the name of those thorns?'
For a moment, a strong sense of curiosity and thirst for knowledge surged in Ulquiorra's heart.
Just as he was about to ask, Aizen continued without changing his expression:
"Since he is your spoil of war, I should listen to your opinion before dealing with him. Because the Spirit King fragment is too highly integrated with him, forcibly extracting it would cause his soul to collapse."
Ulquiorra widened his eyes slightly, as if he had heard something unbelievable for a Hollow.
"However, since you gave him to me, I will decide for myself."
As he spoke, an utterly terrifying Reiatsu suddenly erupted from Aizen's body. A massive pillar of light shot into the sky, causing the surrounding metal floor to crack and groan.
The air let out a wail of being overwhelmed, and the high-density Reishi in Hueco Mundo even formed visible, distorted lines that scattered around Aizen.
Ulquiorra's pupils shrank, and his breathing suddenly stagnated. It was as if someone had grabbed him by the throat, making even breathing extremely difficult.
'What is this Reiatsu?'
'Why does merely facing him give me the illusion that my soul is about to collapse?!'
'Are all Soul Reapers monsters?'
Ulquiorra was in a daze, breathing heavily. He subconsciously recalled the scene of his previous battle with Naraku Sora—an unadorned sword strike that cleanly sliced the desert in half.
Compared to that exaggerated combat performance, the impact brought by this other Soul Reaper's Reiatsu didn't seem any less impressive.
Naraku Sora, on the other hand, looked at Aizen in surprise, his eyes widening in astonishment.
'No way, bro?'
'Which one of us is actually using cheats here?'
'Brother, you can get stronger, but you can't get this strong!'
'I thought that with my transcendent stats, I could finally overpower my good brother.'
'I didn't expect Aizen's Reiatsu to have already soared to a realm that would make countless Soul Reapers despair—'
'Truly standing at the pinnacle of the heavens.'
Seeing the other party reach out, preparing to forcibly extract his soul under the crushing weight of a Reiatsu like an overturning sea, cold sweat rolled down Ulquiorra's forehead.
Ulquiorra opened his mouth with difficulty, seemingly preparing to say something.
Just as he could no longer bear it, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him, completely isolating that terrifying Reiatsu. The pressure abruptly vanished.
"Ulquiorra, leave this place for now."
Hearing Naraku Sora's emotionless voice, Ulquiorra's expression suddenly became somewhat complicated.
Just as he was about to say something, he inadvertently caught the indifferent gaze of the Soul Reaper opposite him.
His breath hitched, and he turned around, leaving the laboratory.
"He's gone, so stop acting."
Naraku Sora curled his lips, gesturing for Aizen to retract his released Reiatsu, as it was somewhat blinding his eyes.
He absolutely didn't mean he was envious; he simply felt it would harm the flora and fauna in the laboratory.
Seeing someone's nonchalant appearance, Aizen shook his head and said calmly:
"A superior can sympathize with a subordinate, but must never act according to their whims."
"Establishing a bit of authority is the only way for us to go further. On this point, you should learn more from Head Captain Yamamoto."
"However, some things are not suitable for you to do, so I can only step in."
Naraku Sora nodded thoughtfully.
"Then Ulquiorra..."
"He is useful, but not of much use."
Aizen lowered his gaze slightly, his nimble fingers dancing across the console. He quickly pulled up a record filled with names.
Naraku Sora leaned over curiously.
'A bit strange, let me take another look.'
After a simple identification, a surprised expression appeared on his face.
This list recorded most of the sinners in the great underground prison. Aside from the unknown situation of the eighth level, [Muken], the rest were all on it.
"This is what I recorded when you took me to the archives during my first visit to the Shino Prison. Through data analysis summaries and close observation, I filtered out the sinners who might possess Spirit King fragments."
Aizen spoke calmly, as if this were just an insignificant matter.
"The number of Spirit King fragments is actually far greater than you imagine."
"Long ago, the Tsunayashiro family began collecting them. For example, Kakyo was one of them."
"Tsunayashiro Tokinada married her with the goal of obtaining the Spirit King fragment deep within her soul."
"Therefore, there is no need to worry about a lack of materials."
"As for Ulquiorra Cifer, his half-Arrancar state actually holds more research value than the Spirit King fragment within him."
"If you truly wish to share the burden, just send over the people whose names are marked in red after we return to the Soul Society."
Looking at Aizen, who clearly cared a lot but pretended to be indifferent, the corners of Naraku Sora's mouth curled into a cheerful arc.
Upon leaving the exclusive laboratory and arriving in the corridor outside, Naraku Sora was surprised to find Ulquiorra waiting by the wall.
"Lord Naraku, that Soul Reaper didn't give you a hard time, did he?"
Noticing his arrival, Ulquiorra's eyes lit up, and the gloom on his face was swept away.
"How could he give me a hard time? Sōsuke is my best friend."
Naraku Sora thought for a moment, trying to salvage a bit of Aizen's image, lest the team's morale scatter and make them difficult to lead in the future.
"Don't be too afraid. That guy just looks a bit cold, that's all."
Ulquiorra wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Naraku Sora waving his hand.
"Come with me. I need your help with something."
"Oh, understood."
Ulquiorra obediently followed.
He respected this Soul Reaper who had solved his life's dilemmas from the bottom of his heart.
Furthermore, just a moment ago, His Majesty Naraku had saved his life from the hands of an unfamiliar Soul Reaper, allowing him to continue fulfilling his meaning of survival.
Compared to his kin who ostracized him, following by Naraku Sora's side made him feel an unprecedented sense of security.
Before long, the two arrived at the prison that had been expanded several times.
Naraku Sora casually opened a cell door and motioned for Ulquiorra to enter.
He didn't expect the other party to walk in without a second thought, even closing the door behind him.
Naraku Sora: "..."
A sin value even more outrageous than Nelliel's had appeared. The former at least had two hundred and fifty, but when it came to Ulquiorra, it didn't even reach three digits.
'I'm really curious, how did this guy even survive until now?'
'Does he not need to eat at all?'
Naraku Sora suddenly remembered that Ulquiorra had previously mentioned that when he first gained consciousness, he only had a pair of eyes on his face.
It wasn't until he left his tribe and, with the help of the Spirit King fragment, broke his mask that he became the way he was now.
"By the way, how do you maintain your vital signs?"
Naraku Sora voiced the doubt in his heart.
Ulquiorra paused for a moment and answered honestly:
"The Reishi density in Hueco Mundo is very high. Even without a mouth, I can absorb Reishi through my skin to sustain my life."
Naraku Sora shook his head in disappointment.
These Espada-level Menos Grandes were all somewhat mavericks. Trying to squeeze some profit out of them probably wouldn't be as simple as he thought.
If nothing unexpected happened, Harribel's situation should be similar to Nelliel's.
Leaving Ulquiorra to wait in place, Naraku Sora turned and left the prison, soon returning with the still-unconscious Harribel.
He casually tossed her into a cell.
Naraku Sora blinked, a somewhat helpless expression appearing on his face.
The insignificant increase in Reiatsu was so small that even he found it hard to notice.
Just grinding for a single day would increase his Reiatsu by more than this.
She was a Vasto Lorde, after all; this little bit of profit was truly pitiful.
Fortunately, besides the two of them, there were other spoils of war.
Not long after, Naraku Sora returned to the prison carrying two half-dead, gasping Menos Grandes, casually tossing them into two empty cells.
The difficulty of breaking through to First-Class Spiritual Power was much higher than he had imagined, but fortunately, the power of Hollows was as unpretentious as ever, steadily contributing to his stats.
Naraku Sora slowly spread his five fingers. Between his palms, pitch-black Reiatsu rose like materialized smoke, quickly wrapping around his steel-like arms.
As he stretched his body, his muscles rippled like flowing water.
Heat boiled within him!