Every scientist poured their entire heart and soul into their laboratory, viewing it as something more important than their own lives. It held their lifelong pursuits.
Kōe had always felt that scientists were just a bunch of lunatics. Kurotsuchi Mayuri was one, and although his good friend Urahara Kisuke usually seemed fine on the surface, he could imagine that when Urahara dove into his research, he was absolutely no different from Mayuri. Anyone who could invent something like the Hōgyoku could never be associated with the word "normal."
Coincidentally, Kōe had close ties with this group of madmen. Of the two most famous scientists in Soul Society, one was his best friend, and the other was a collaborator who had taken the fall for him.
And now, he was about to get involved with Hueco Mundo's famous scientist, Szayelaporro. It was just unknown whether their relationship would be that of a thief and a homeowner, or a robber and a homeowner.
Szayelaporro's laboratory was not located in the core of Las Noches. Instead, it was situated underground in a depression about thirty kilometers east of Baraggan's open-air palace. Right now, Kōe was standing before its main doors.
Of course, with this short distance, if Baraggan noticed anything, he could rush over in mere minutes. To minimize trouble, it would be best for Kōe to act as a thief and avoid making any major commotion.
But this was no simple shack, after all. Kōe was the most qualified person to speak on how difficult it was to infiltrate a scientist's private laboratory.
For example, his best friend Urahara Kisuke had never allowed him or Yoruichi into his laboratory since they were young.
Or, for instance, entering the Royal Weaving Facility to reach Mayuri's laboratory. Just thinking about the complex procedures along the way still gave Kōe a headache, and that wasn't even Mayuri's private lab.
As for Szayelaporro's laboratory, aside from the two Adjuchas guarding the surface, there were practically no defensive measures along the way. Compared to the Royal Weaving Facility Kōe had visited, it was lacking by more than just a little.
The laboratory's main doors and the surrounding walls hidden within the rock face were likely made of some special material native to Hueco Mundo. Its ability to block Reiryoku was somewhat similar to the function of Sekkiseki.
However, unlike Sekkiseki, Kōe had inspected it using his Kōki mask. The entire laboratory, including the main doors, was saturated with Reiryoku that carried a unique signature.
Unlike the World of the Living, the primary—and arguably the only—energy source in Soul Society and Hueco Mundo was Reiryoku. The vast majority of defenses were also established based on Reiryoku.
But looking at it now, Hueco Mundo was somewhat different from Seireitei.
Urahara had previously explained to Kōe that there were three main defensive models in Seireitei: Kidō barriers, Sekkiseki to block Reiryoku, and a mechanical-like defense constructed by combining Sekkiseki with Reiryoku.
The first two were easy to understand and implement, but they were also the two models with the narrowest range of application. The most crucial one was the third model.
When Kōe had entered the Royal Weaving Facility back then, it utilized this third model. The basic principle involved using the natural, untainted Reiryoku present in Soul Society as a connecting thread. This allowed the connected mechanisms to produce different reactions based on the distinct personal Reiryoku signatures they detected.
Even Hikifune Kirio's laboratory was defended using this model.
However, the laboratory before Kōe was rather bizarre. Reiryoku carrying a personal signature could be explained by it being a private lab, but this method of filling it up—like soaking a sponge with water—was far too crude, wasn't it?
If entering a door in Seireitei was like solving a nine-ring puzzle—where those with brute strength could just snap it, and those without could use finesse to open it...
...then Szayelaporro's laboratory was, to an outsider, an iron box without a keyhole. Aside from breaking it open with brute force, there wasn't the slightest possibility of using a trick.
Compared to Seireitei's approach of doing the most with the least amount of Reiryoku—putting resources exactly where they mattered most—this defensive model was inefficient to the extreme. Yet, against Kōe, it was the most effective.
The uniform layer of Reiryoku on the outside prevented him from seeing the interior of the laboratory through his Kōki mask. He also couldn't observe the flow of Reiryoku to find a weak point in the defense for a focused breakthrough.
Setting aside the fact that the Reiryoku carried a personal signature, whether he used finesse or not, he would definitely alert the owner of this Reiryoku. Forcibly breaking through Reiryoku of this scale would certainly be noticed by Baraggan, who was only thirty kilometers away.
Originally, Kōe's plan was to use the Kōki mask's ability to observe the distribution and flow of Reiryoku, allowing him to quietly enter Szayelaporro's laboratory. Even if the absent Szayelaporro noticed, it wouldn't be a problem, as long as the nearby Baraggan didn't come over to bother him.
But looking at it now, things were definitely going to develop in the direction he least wanted to see.
Thinking of this, Kōe couldn't help but sigh. *The homeowner isn't home, but this will definitely attract the neighbor. To be reduced to such a state as a thief is truly a bit pathetic.*
Fortunately, he had already prepared for a brute-force breakthrough. The other party was a scientist, and he didn't absolutely have to be a thief. For someone called the Ninth Generation Kenpachi, acting as a robber wasn't a problem at all.
Based on his observations, the Reiryoku contained within the laboratory walls was roughly at the level of a Hadō #79. Coupled with the material's inherent Reiryoku-blocking properties, Kōe estimated that it would require a Hadō of level 85 or higher to open it.
Once Reiryoku of that level erupted, it would definitely attract Baraggan's attention. Kōe had made preparations for this as well; Resen, situated on the other side of Las Noches, was his contingency.
Kōe hadn't yet begun to deeply study Resen's stagnation ability, but he already understood the basics. This forced stagnation ability would halt the current action of whatever Resen targeted, but it wasn't a permanent block.
This meant that once the ability stopped, the object's original action would continue. The wind would still blow, and the clouds would still move.
Of course, Resen couldn't stagnate things that were too strong. Through Kōe's preliminary experiments, this "strength" likely referred to the strength of Reiryoku, and had nothing to do with the intensity of the object's physical action.
This meant that Resen couldn't stagnate Kōe even if he was taking a leisurely stroll, but he could stagnate a speeding object that contained very little Reiryoku, such as a missile in the World of the Living.
Because of certain limitations, this inherently powerful ability was somewhat impractical. However, when applied in the right situation, it could still yield unexpected results.
For instance, the thing Kōe was currently having Resen stagnate was the key to luring Baraggan away and buying himself time.
If anyone who had participated in the Star Eradication campaign were beside Resen, they would be astonished to find that they were all too familiar with the blue-glowing object buried under the sand about a kilometer away from him.
A Boundary-Breaking Talisman—or more accurately, a Boundary-Breaking Talisman on the verge of activating. It was the key item the Shinigami used to invade the Sternritter Fortress, and it was the very thing Kōe had Resen stagnate.
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