Countless Capable Subordinates
*'A Transcendent?'*
In the distance, Yamamoto narrowed his eyes. He suddenly felt that the situation was spiraling wildly out of control.
At First-Class Reiatsu, this brat dared to beat up his teacher and set Hueco Mundo ablaze.
Now that he had made another breakthrough, he would probably storm the Soul King Palace, drag the Spirit King off his throne, and take the seat for himself.
As a prominent figure at the Captain level, how could he be so reckless and nonsensical?
*'No, I must thoroughly knock some sense into him.'*
*'Even though this brat has far surpassed the requirements to graduate, as long as I draw breath, I will always be his teacher!'*
Just as Yamamoto opened his mouth to speak, he suddenly saw the spectating crowd jumping down into the crater one after another, using Flash Step to rush toward their location.
*'Ah, that's right.'* As the Head Captain of the Gotei 13 and the strongest Soul Reaper in the Soul Society, if he were to fall, it would inevitably trigger unimaginable turmoil.
He had been so engrossed in beating up his disciple earlier that he completely forgot about this detail.
*'I'll definitely pay attention to that next time.'*
*'Still, these guys have some conscience, knowing to come and check on my condition. Once we return to the Soul Society—'*
Yamamoto was just thinking about how to ease the burden on Ukitake Jūshirō and the others when his expression suddenly froze, a flash of astonishment crossing his eyes.
The group that was supposed to be rushing toward him had instead stopped in unison beside Naraku Sora. They were incessantly asking about his well-being, checking him up and down, looking absolutely terrified that something might have happened to him.
*'Wait a minute!'*
*'You're comforting the wrong person! I'm over here!'*
Yamamoto stared at the scene of everyone crowding around Naraku Sora, hesitating to speak.
Bound by his pride as the Head Captain, he couldn't just say it outright. He could only cough incessantly, nearly coughing his lungs out in the process.
"Ahem, Captain Unohana, why don't you go check on the teacher and heal him while you're at it?" Ukitake Jūshirō spoke up with some concern upon hearing the coughing.
Hearing this, Unohana Retsu calmly glanced at Yamamoto and replied expressionlessly, "Those minor injuries won't affect the Head Captain. He can handle it perfectly well on his own."
Yamamoto was left speechless. *'?'*
*'I was nearly disemboweled by that brat, and you're saying it won't affect me?!'*
Basking in everyone's concern, Naraku Sora didn't forget to flash a wide grin in Yamamoto's direction, as if to say, *'The truly popular one here is me, Naraku Sora!'*
Seeing this, Yamamoto felt his blood pressure spike.
*'You little bastard!'*
*'I will definitely clean house and rid the Gotei of this disgrace today!'*
Inside the laboratory of Las Noches.
Sporting a massive bump on his head, Naraku Sora sat on a chair. His body was covered in electrode-like patches, with the other ends of the wires connected to a heavily modified machine.
Looking at the man who had taken a direct punch from Yamamoto yet only suffered superficial wounds, Aizen felt a sense of awe.
After breaking through to the Transcendent realm, every aspect of this guy's physical and spiritual attributes had undergone a qualitative leap.
Furthermore, he was still improving at an unfathomable speed, as if the potential within his body was truly limitless.
Watching the constantly flickering values on the screen, a thoughtful look flashed through Aizen's eyes.
Because there were too few examples, he couldn't immediately determine whether this was unique to Naraku Sora himself, or if every Transcendent possessed their own distinct characteristics.
Compared to what he had observed from Yamamoto, Naraku Sora's changes had somewhat exceeded his expectations.
Not only had he shattered the boundaries of his soul, resulting in an exaggerated amplification of his Reiatsu, but even the durability of his spiritual body had received an absurd enhancement.
Aizen even suspected that a fully incanted Hadō #90: Black Coffin wouldn't be able to breach this unfathomable Hierro defense.
While Aizen was immersed in his thoughts, Naraku Sora began to explore and familiarize himself with his newly metamorphosed body.
First was his Reiatsu.
In a word: powerful.
Compared to when he had First-Class Reiatsu, his current spiritual pressure felt as though it could crush the entirety of Las Noches.
Next was his physical body.
Previously, his spiritual body and his Hierro were two separate things. Although both belonged to him, there was a distinct difference between them, much like nails and skin belonging to different tissues.
But now, things were different. His Hierro and his spiritual body had fused into one.
The most direct sensation was that the defensive strength of his internal organs had been vastly reinforced.
Additionally, his manipulation of Reishi had also been enhanced.
Naraku Sora raised his right hand and gently pinched his fingers together. Countless Reishi in the air rapidly gathered, forming a small shortbow that rested in his palm.
Aizen stared in confusion. *'?'*
*'What kind of nonsense is this guy pulling now?'*
*'Why does that shortbow look somewhat like the weapon Ishida Sōken used to wield?'*
"Hmm, it seems to be missing something," Naraku Sora muttered to himself, furrowing his brows.
The next second, countless Reishi surged into his body. Branch-like patterns surfaced on his arms, giving off an incredibly eerie vibe.
After doing all this, he looked up at Aizen and grinned. "Sōsuke, do I look like a Quincy to you?"
Aizen fell silent.
*'I would bet the rest of Urahara Kisuke's lifelong vacation days that if you appeared in front of Head Captain Yamamoto looking like this, he would immediately hack you to death.'*
"How did you do that?" Aizen asked curiously.
Naraku Sora squeezed his fingers, directly crushing the Reishi shortbow, and grinned. "It's nothing much. I just figured I could do it, and then I did."
"Maybe it's a unique trait of a Transcendent."
Aizen frowned.
That was as good as saying nothing at all. Yamamoto was also a Transcendent, but it wasn't like he could do these things.
Clearly, what was special wasn't the realm itself, but a certain someone.
While Aizen was deep in thought, Naraku Sora stretched his arms, recklessly absorbing all the Reishi in the air. The branch-like patterns instantly covered half of his body.
A maniacal smile surfaced on his face. "What tyrannical ambition! What absolute madness!"
"There is nothing in this world that can stand in my way anymore!"
"Sōsuke—no, my adopted son—from this moment on, the unbearable vacancy of the throne in the heavens is coming to an end. From now on..."
"I will stand at the pinnacle of the heavens!"
Aizen was speechless. *'...'*
*'Perhaps I should create another project to research why a certain someone's world-shaking intellect is inversely proportional to his martial prowess.'*
Although Naraku Sora's current expression was unexpectedly hideous, Aizen forced himself to calm down and focus on the problem at hand.
Thanks to a certain someone, the time he had spent on training over the years was no less than what he had spent on scientific research; in fact, it was even more.
Right now, he had already reached the so-called limit of a Soul Reaper.
Aizen could clearly perceive the barrier blocking the path ahead.
It was incredibly fragile.
It felt as though with just a little push, he could completely shatter it, allowing a brand-new world to unfold before his eyes.
But a voice in the bottom of his heart told him that this wasn't what he wanted.
Relying on Hollowfication to break the soul's boundaries and become a Transcendent like Yamamoto Shigekuni was absolutely not the correct path.
He had a better option.
For instance, the Hōgyoku.
The current Hōgyoku and the one he had initially created were two completely different things.
A steady stream of materials, inspiration drawn from world-shaking intellect, and the assistance of Urahara Kisuke and others had caused the Hōgyoku to undergo an unimaginable qualitative transformation.
Toying with the gemstone he had detached from the machine, a peculiar light flashed in Aizen's eyes.
*'A Transcendent, huh? It truly does give one something to look forward to...'*
Although the bloodthirsty spectators were curious about the changes in Las Noches and Hueco Mundo, they held important positions. Coupled with the heavy official duties within their squads, they couldn't leave the Soul Society for long.
Therefore, after Kyōraku Shunsui and the others confirmed that Yamamoto and Naraku Sora were fine, they took a brief tour around Las Noches before—
hurriedly departing.
Naraku Sora had originally planned to follow them back, but just as he was about to leave, he saw the arrival of an unexpected guest.
It was Kurotsuchi Mayuri, wearing a white lab coat and sporting a scarab beetle pattern painted on his face.
Every time he saw this guy, the pattern on his face would be updated, just as unstable as his mental state.
If one had to find the most psychologically twisted person in the Soul Society, Naraku Sora would definitely nominate him first.
Upon seeing Naraku Sora, Mayuri's mouth split open, revealing a terrifying smile capable of stopping a child's nighttime crying.
"Lord Naraku, don't be in such a hurry to leave."
"The project Szayelaporro and I have been researching has made new progress. I imagine you would be quite interested."
Hearing this, Naraku Sora paused in surprise.
What project could possibly have anything to do with him?
Could it be... research on the supreme physical body of a Transcendent?
Seeming to see through Naraku Sora's thoughts, Mayuri's mouth stretched even wider. His golden teeth gleamed under the light, and paired with the pattern on his face, he looked exceptionally eerie.
"The research project concerning you is still in the queue. This is a project I mentioned to Urahara Kisuke a while ago."
"I wonder if you remember what is so special about Ulquiorra Cifer?"
Hearing this, Naraku Sora thought for a few seconds.
Then, a look of realization dawned on his face.
"His semi-Arrancar state?"
A hint of gratification appeared on Mayuri's face. Although Naraku Sora was usually a bit unreliable, he kept everything related to those close to him firmly in mind.
It was no wonder so many people chose to follow him loyally.
"Lord Naraku, it's like this. Through Szayelaporro and my in-depth research on Mr. Ulquiorra, we discovered that a certain amount of the Spirit King's power exists within his body."
Ever since joining the Naraku Research Group, Mayuri had had no shortage of contact with Spirit King fragments, and had even participated in the project to perfect the Hōgyoku.
The data Aizen had accumulated over the years was also shared with him without reservation.
In Aizen's eyes, whether it was Urahara Kisuke or Kurotsuchi Mayuri, they were not only scientists with talent on par with his own, but also powerful assets in his research.
"The Spirit King's power again, huh."
Naraku Sora stroked his chin thoughtfully.
This stuff was truly miraculous. Whether they were villains or heroes, everyone flocked to it.
Mayuri nodded, his expression serious. "Through stimulation via special methods, Mr. Ulquiorra has already perfectly mastered this power, and used it to develop his Segunda Etapa."
Naraku Sora's eyes widened in surprise.
Grinning like a mad scientist, Mayuri continued, "Inspired by this, I realized that under certain conditions, Spirit King fragments can unlock even more potential within Arrancars."
"Perhaps, the other Espada can also achieve—"
"Segunda Etapa!"