Hearing Kurotsuchi Mayuri's words, Naraku Sora's interest was immediately piqued.
He had some understanding of Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa.
Although he had never seen it in person, he had a general impression of it. He knew that after releasing his Segunda Etapa, Ulquiorra would not only look closer to his original form but also experience a significant boost in strength.
He had originally thought this was an ability exclusive to Ulquiorra, but to his surprise, Mayuri had actually developed research to grant everyone a Segunda Etapa. It was truly a pleasant surprise.
"As expected of the number one tactician under my command."
Sora grinned, full of joy as he declared, "I unilaterally announce that your intellect, Mayuri, has surpassed Urahara Kisuke's and is second only to mine."
Mayuri was quite pleased to hear the first half of the sentence, but the second half felt like a fishbone stuck in his throat.
*'Second only to Naraku Sora? How is that any different from being a complete moron?'*
Despite his internal grumbling, he didn't dare show a hint of it on his face.
After all, Urahara Kisuke's cautionary tale was right there. A single misstep could result in him being ruthlessly subjugated and forced into grueling labor.
In terms of intellect, he prided himself on being able to completely crush his boss. But when it came to martial prowess, no matter how thoroughly he prepared, he wouldn't be able to shake him in the slightest.
The massive disparity had already caused Mayuri to completely abandon any dangerous thoughts of insubordination.
Besides, working under Naraku Sora meant he had an unlimited supply of rare materials, and even his instruments and equipment were of the absolute highest quality.
Most importantly, unlike those nobles who pretended to understand things they didn't, Sora never arbitrarily voiced opinions on fields he knew nothing about.
That point alone was enough to make countless people follow him with unwavering loyalty.
Soon, under Mayuri's guidance, Sora arrived at a spacious and brightly lit laboratory.
Unlike the stingy specifications over in the Soul Society, the one thing Las Noches did not lack was land.
Rooms like laboratories, which were of great use, were always built as large as possible. Sometimes, you couldn't even see the end of them at a glance.
As soon as they entered the room, Szayelaporro Grantz enthusiastically came forward to greet them.
"My King, you have arrived."
Sora waved his hand, paying no mind to the other's enthusiasm. "Pink Pineapple, Mayuri said you two teamed up and figured out the Segunda Etapa. Where are the results?"
"Hurry up and show me."
Although he had heard Sora's peculiar nickname for him countless times, Szayelaporro was still somewhat unaccustomed to it. He could only correct him with a numb expression, "It is Szayelaporro, my King, not Pink Pineapple."
"Same thing, same thing."
Szayelaporro shook his head, powerless to retort.
*'Pink Pineapple it is, then. Who asked the King to have the biggest fists?'*
That was just how Hueco Mundo worked; whoever had the biggest fists made the rules.
While the two were conversing, Mayuri had already released Ulquiorra from his containment vessel.
He was still pale-faced and expressionless, looking like a vengeful spirit who had died an unjust death in a horror movie.
Upon seeing Sora, Ulquiorra immediately bowed respectfully.
"How many times have I told you? No kneeling."
"I'm not a vain guy like Old Man Baraggan. I don't care for all these formalities."
Sora waved his hand with a look of disdain.
"Yes, my King."
Ulquiorra verbally agreed, but judging from his expression, there was a high probability he would do the exact same thing the next time they met.
This kid was great in every aspect, except that he was far too rigid about certain things.
"Lord Ulquiorra, please demonstrate your Segunda Etapa for the King," Mayuri reminded him from the side.
Hearing this, Ulquiorra frowned. "Right here?"
"Since it is my first time using it, the commotion might be a bit large."
The few of them exchanged glances, all seeing a look of surprise in each other's eyes.
"Then let's head outside Las Noches."
Before long, the group arrived on the boundless desert.
Under everyone's expectant gazes, Ulquiorra drew the blade from his waist, holding it in a reverse grip in front of him. His gaze was indifferent as he stared straight ahead.
"Enclose, Murciélago."
It was still the authentic, original release command, without any changes.
The moment his voice fell, a pillar of dark green Reiatsu shot into the sky. A heavy, oppressive sensation crashed down upon the desert like the collapsing heavens.
The originally deep sky had, at some unknown point, become covered by thick clouds.
A heart-palpitating oppressiveness permeated the air.
*Pitter-patter.*
Massive amounts of Reishi gathered within the clouds, undergoing liquefaction.
Dark green raindrops fell, blending into the sea of silvery-white sand.
Ulquiorra's Reiatsu skyrocketed at an inconceivable speed, and the desert beneath his feet began to tremble and rumble.
The momentum of the countless falling Reishi raindrops sounded like a roaring tide, even forming small lakes in the low-lying areas.
His profound and vast Reiatsu transformed into ripples, washing recklessly through the torrential rain.
At the center of the light pillar, Ulquiorra was also undergoing a morphological change.
The clothing on his upper body shattered and vanished. Black liquid flowed from his eyes, branding his skin like a permanent mark.
Dark green flames in the shape of horns formed on both sides of his head. Giant wings resembling those of a fallen angel unfurled from his back, while a white tail grew out. Even his shoulder-length hair turned snow-white.
Seeing this scene, Sora couldn't help but widen his eyes, a look of surprise appearing on his face.
Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa form, compared to the one in his memories, couldn't be said to be exactly the same—it was more like ninety percent different.
His original Hollow hole had also disappeared, replaced by a bead radiating a faint green glow.
After observing for a long while, Sora looked at Mayuri beside him. "You call this a Segunda Etapa?"
Hearing this, Mayuri smiled confidently. "Lord Naraku, Lord Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa didn't just stimulate the original Spirit King fragments within his body."
"I referenced Lord Aizen's Hōgyoku creation project and applied all of its useful technologies to Ulquiorra, personally modifying him."
"I also appropriately injected a few residual Spirit King fragments."
"Coupled with some clever little insights derived from researching you, Lord Naraku, I was finally able to completely perfect the Segunda Etapa technology."
Sora stroked his chin, looking Ulquiorra up and down.
He had to admit, this appearance was indeed much better looking than his previous Resurrección form, and the sense of oppression it gave off was significantly higher.
As for its actual performance, he would have to test it to find out.
"Little Ulqui, attack me with everything you've got."
"Yes!"
Without a single shred of hesitation, the moment the words fell, Ulquiorra erupted with astonishing speed, instantly tearing through the air in front of him.
A black shadow streaked across the sky, heading straight for Sora.
This was the best thing about Ulquiorra; he never questioned the correctness of an order. As long as he received a directive, he would execute it without hesitation.
He was as swift as lightning.
In an instant, he crossed the distance between them. A Moonlight Sword, condensed from countless Reishi, arrived right in front of Sora.
Raised high, it cleaved downward.
The Moonlight Sword, wrapped in flame-shaped Reiatsu, struck Sora's shoulder without any warning.
Then, a resounding clash of metal rang out.
The spectating Mayuri and Szayelaporro widened their eyes, and even Ulquiorra found it somewhat unbelievable.
Although he had long known that his King possessed formidable strength and astonishing defenses, even capable of engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the Soul Society's strongest Soul Reaper...
Wasn't tanking a full-power strike from a Segunda Etapa head-on, without even releasing any Reiatsu, a bit too absurd?
"The attack power is indeed much stronger than before."
After carefully evaluating the strike, Sora gave his honest assessment.
If he hadn't undergone a massive enhancement recently, his defenses would have probably been broken just now.
Looking at the big picture, the project developed by Mayuri and Szayelaporro was significantly stronger than the Segunda Etapa from the original timeline.
Mhm, they definitely deserved the highest merit for this.
They were much better than a certain Urahara Pal, whose head was filled with nothing but slacking off.
Later, when he returned to the Soul Society, he would definitely have to whip him into shape. He needed to make Kisuke shine brightly once more and push him to come up with some new tricks.
At the same time, far away in the Soul Society, Urahara Kisuke shivered, the hairs all over his body standing on end.
*'What happened?'*
He subconsciously looked behind him, but didn't spot that terrifying, demon-like face.
However, the lack of anything there only made Kisuke's heart panic even more.
Based on his years of experience being squeezed and exploited, the appearance of such an omen definitely meant someone was scheming against his frail, helpless body.
*'Damn it, is it still not too late to run away?'*
The moment he thought of the supreme martial prowess Sora had previously displayed in Hueco Mundo, Kisuke's heart filled with absolute despair.
The night was as dark as ink beneath the crescent moon.
A frenzied silhouette darted rapidly across the desert, leaving behind a chaotic trail of afterimages.
The ferocious rhythm of the attacks was so fast that even the spectators' eyes struggled to keep up; they had to rely on special equipment to observe and capture the movements.
Ulquiorra spread his hands in front of him. Dark green Reiatsu continuously condensed, forming a Lance of Lightning wrapped in dazzling electrical arcs.
The next second, violent lightning streaked across the sky.
In an instant, thunder roared furiously, the booming sounds echoing through the heavens.
The bursting lightning surged beneath the moonlight, forming countless beams of light as if trying to slice the night sky into a million pieces.
But when the impact dissipated, Sora's completely unscathed figure appeared once again.
Seeing this, Ulquiorra couldn't help but feel a bit discouraged.
Even though he had brought out his full strength, Naraku Sora was like a mountain towering into the clouds; no matter how he attacked, he couldn't shake him.
"No need to feel down. You've already performed exceptionally well,"
Sora casually offered a few words of comfort. "Next, as long as you familiarize yourself with this skyrocketing power, your combat prowess will definitely rise again."
"Dominating Hueco Mundo is just around the corner!"
Ulquiorra took a deep breath and nodded with a solemn expression.
*'In order to one day become King Naraku's right-hand man and be of use to him, I must become even stronger!'*
After comforting Ulquiorra, Sora turned his head to look at the other side.
He then saw Mayuri and Szayelaporro huddled together, intensely discussing something.
This scene made Sora freeze for a moment.
Come to think of it, in the original timeline, Szayelaporro and Mayuri were absolute mortal enemies.
For them to now be sitting together, calmly discussing a problem, actually seemed somewhat bizarre.
Just as he was pondering this, Mayuri walked over, his expression seemingly a bit conflicted.
"Lord Naraku, the situation is like this."
"After my discussion with Szayelaporro, we've concluded that if we want all the Espada to achieve their Segunda Etapa, our current stockpile of Spirit King fragments will likely not be enough—"