It's Time to Use My Astonishing Intellect
Kurotsuchi Mayuri was in a very good mood.
His career in scientific exploration had actually been quite bumpy, filled with hardships that were difficult to explain to outsiders.
As early as his days as an Academy student, he had displayed astonishing talent for scientific research. However, the Soul Society of that era clearly lacked any concept of such things.
Therefore, he had no choice but to grope his way forward alone.
After joining the Gotei 13, in order to scrape together sufficient research funding, he frequently worked for the nobles in exchange for generous compensation.
Those empty-headed fools often made completely unrealistic, outrageous demands. Sometimes, even after dozens of consecutive revisions, he still couldn't meet their standards.
What was even more absurd was that after optimizing a plan dozens of times, they would ultimately choose the very first draft.
He had finally managed to accumulate a little funding and originally planned to research things that interested him.
Yet, he was targeted by Shutara Senjumaru and forcibly drafted into a research group.
Fortunately, although this woman had a somewhat nasty personality, she was much smarter than those noble idiots. At the very least, she could understand human speech.
Moreover, the research group would occasionally receive a grant, which helped alleviate some of his financial pressure.
Life continued like this until he met Naraku Sora.
Although there had been a tiny bit of unpleasantness at the beginning, Mayuri quickly discovered the strengths of this superior of his.
The funding that had always given him endless headaches became the most trivial of issues under Naraku Sora.
No matter how much funding was needed, as long as he asked, this guy could get it for him. Sometimes, he would even double the requested amount.
What was even more delightful was that Naraku Sora also provided all sorts of highly sophisticated equipment, as well as rare materials he wouldn't have even dared to dream of.
In the past, he never would have imagined that he would have the Menos Grande of the entire Hueco Mundo cooperating with his research.
Right now, Naraku Sora had readily agreed to procure enough Spirit King fragments for him to use.
Was there anything in the world more joyous than this?
Looking at Naraku Sora, who was patting his chest in assurance, the corners of Mayuri's mouth split open, revealing a highly eerie smile. "Lord Naraku, we absolutely adore you!"
Naraku Sora didn't particularly care about Mayuri's adoration.
Right now, he only wanted to know where he could get some Spirit King fragments.
When they annihilated the Tsunayashiro family previously, they had indeed plundered quite a few. Unfortunately, Aizen had gradually used them up over the years.
A large portion of them had been used to perfect the Hōgyoku.
Naraku Sora stroked his chin.
At this point, it was time to activate his astonishing intellect.
"Sōsuke, my good brother!"
"Hurry up and use your invincible brain to think of a solution!"
Seeing Naraku Sora suddenly barge into the laboratory, Aizen's hand trembled, nearly ruining the liquid Sekki-seki he had just extracted.
Veins faintly bulged on his forehead as his blood pressure soared.
Based on his understanding of Naraku Sora, every time the man pulled off some breathtaking stunt, he would usually quiet down for a while.
In a certain someone's own words, this was called a "cooldown period."
But this time, the cooldown was far too short.
It had only been a few days since he had a battle with Yamamoto that shook Hueco Mundo, nearly getting himself purged by the old man.
What was hard to accept was that this guy had actually used the opportunity to break through to the realm of a Transcendent.
This inevitably gave Aizen a sense of urgency. The moment he returned to the Soul Society, he threw himself into the research project regarding his fusion with the Hōgyoku.
But just as he had finally made some headway, this guy actually came back again.
Aizen rubbed his furrowed brow, trying to smooth it out so he wouldn't look quite so annoyed.
"Speak. What is it this time?"
Naraku Sora pulled out a nearby chair and plopped down onto it. He took a few deep breaths, cleared his throat, and under Aizen's unfriendly gaze, finally gave a detailed account of what had happened earlier in Hueco Mundo.
"So, that's how it is."
"I promised Mayuri that I would help him get enough Spirit King fragments."
"Besides, ever since the Captains of the Gotei 13 underwent Hollowfication, the Espada are clearly struggling to keep up with the current meta."
"Tier Harribel and the others are deeply loyal. We can't play favorites, can we?"
Aizen was taken aback for a moment before furrowing his brows.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri had previously mentioned the Segunda Etapa project to him, but he had been busy with other research at the time, so he had only offered a few inconsequential suggestions.
He hadn't expected that, with Szayelaporro's assistance, the man would actually complete the project.
As expected of a scientist acknowledged by Urahara Kisuke.
In certain fields, even he was inferior.
Aizen subconsciously recalled the artificial Soul Reaper that Mayuri had created a few years ago, Kurotsuchi Nemu.
It was said that her growth rate was extremely fast, and she already possessed the strength of a Lieutenant.
At this rate, it probably wouldn't be long before she became a Captain-class Soul Reaper.
Compared to the Menos Grande created using the Hōgyoku, Kurotsuchi Nemu's scientific value was undoubtedly higher.
It was just that Mayuri seemed to have been influenced by a certain someone, treating Nemu entirely with the attitude of an elder.
He treated her as a living, breathing person, rather than a so-called proud masterpiece.
Thinking of this, Aizen glanced at Naraku Sora, who was still chattering away endlessly, and his brows slowly relaxed. "The Tsunayashiro family's collections from over thousands of years have been completely exhausted. The Spirit King fragments we previously gathered from all over the Soul Society have also mostly been used on the Hōgyoku."
"If you want to find Spirit King fragments now, you'll probably have to turn your sights to the World of the Living."
Hearing this, Naraku Sora paused, suddenly realizing something.
If he remembered correctly, aside from Soul Reapers, Hollows, and Quincies, there was another special group that possessed formidable power—Fullbringers.
In his memory, the source of this group's power was Spirit King fragments.
It was precisely because of the Spirit King's power that their lifespans were no shorter than those of Soul Reapers, and their growth rate even exceeded them.
Just as Naraku Sora was stroking his chin in thought, Aizen stated calmly, "A while ago, Ishida Sōken specifically sent a cross-world communication, saying that he discovered abnormal Reishi fluctuations in Karakura Town. Judging from the traces, they belonged to neither Soul Reapers nor Quincies."
"It seems to be related to humans."
"I personally went to the scene to collect the residual Reishi. After a series of analyses, I finally concluded that this power might be related to the Spirit King."
"Now, you just need to head to the World of the Living and find the owner of that Reishi."
"That is not how a Fullbring is used."
In Naruki City, within a gloomy alleyway, a young man was holding an unconscious middle-aged man by the collar, a faint light glowing in his palm.
"To possess such power, yet willingly live such a mediocre life, not even daring to strike against a Menos Grande, the natural enemy of Fullbringers."
"I will hold onto your Fullbring power for you."
As his words fell, a light bloomed from the middle-aged man's chest, flowing like water entirely into the young man's hand.
With the loss of this certain something, the middle-aged man's appearance rapidly aged. His originally peaceful facial features began to twist, as if he were enduring unspeakable agony.
Just as the young man was enjoying the pleasure brought by his increase in power, a crisp sound suddenly came from the entrance of the alley.
*Click.*
The young man's expression changed drastically, and he whipped his head around to look in the direction of the sound.
He saw a pale-faced young man holding something resembling a camera, taking pictures to record the scene.
"Absorbing the life and power of your own kind?"
"It is, to some extent, similar to a Hollow."
"Could I trouble you to come with me, sir?"
The moment their eyes met, the young man's pupils shrank drastically. Alarm bells rang in his mind as an unprecedented sense of crisis instantly enveloped his entire body.
It felt as if an icy hand was tightly gripping his heart.
It made it almost impossible to breathe!
Under the intense fear, he reached out and yanked the cross necklace from his neck. Accompanied by a flash of light, the necklace instantly transformed into a massive two-handed sword.
Without any hesitation, the young man swung the blade forward with a backhand slash.
*Clang—*
The resounding clash of metal erupted in the alleyway. Sparks splattered against the walls, leaving behind faint scorch marks.
Ulquiorra's slender fingers were spread wide, gripping the blade of the two-handed sword in his palm. He looked expressionlessly at the young man who was now mere inches away.
"So you chose to resist in the end?"
"Lord Aizen said that as long as you don't die, no matter how mangled you are, it won't affect your normal usage."
"So, are you ready?"
As soon as his words fell, a terrifying, irresistible force transmitted through the two-handed sword.
Immediately after, a pale hand suddenly appeared in his line of sight, magnifying infinitely.
In the next second, Ulquiorra pressed his single hand against the other party's shocked face, pulled him in, and violently hurled him forward.
Accompanied by an explosive sonic boom, the young man was instantly sent flying. He smashed through the building behind him mid-air and crashed into a stone pillar, sending a visible wave of dust sweeping outward.
Ulquiorra stood in place, opening his seemingly ordinary right hand, a trace of bewilderment flashing in his eyes.
When he was in Hueco Mundo earlier, even after using every trick in his arsenal, he couldn't leave a single mark on Naraku Sora.
But after coming to the World of the Living, a seemingly powerful human couldn't even block a casual strike from him.
The sheer disparity in strength left Ulquiorra momentarily confused.
*What level of strength am I even at right now?*
*With this kind of power, can I truly serve Great King Naraku better?*
Just as he was lost in thought, a dark green, crescent-shaped sword pressure surged into the sky, tearing straight through the air and cleaving toward Ulquiorra.
But at the exact moment the attack was about to hit, that pale hand reached out once more. Under the young man's incredulous gaze, it firmly grasped the sword pressure.
*Crack!*
Countless Reishi fragments scattered from Ulquiorra's palm. A hint of boredom flashed across his calm face as a soft murmur echoed in the alleyway.
"Too weak—"
His emotionless gaze instantly locked onto the young man in the smoke. Under the latter's horrified stare, Ulquiorra raised his right hand and extended a finger.
A jagged light bloomed at his fingertip.
*Boom!* A terrifying beam of light tore through the sky, accurately striking the figure attempting to flee. The instantaneous explosive impact immediately knocked him unconscious, leaving him lying charred black amidst the ruins.
Ulquiorra activated Sonído, appearing beside the young man. He took out his Denreishinki and made a call. "Fullbringer, Ginjō Kūgo."
"Capture complete—"