Chapter 262
Experience.
"And..."
"?"
Haruto was all ready to rush up and kill Kitahara Kenshin with a single punch: the other party had indeed taken drugs and used the Bakkōtō to enhance his muscle strength, so that his speed and strength had been greatly increased to a level close to the Second-Class Spiritual Pressure through excessive exploitation of his potential.
But Haruto can use Shunkō--
Even a single, initial Shunkō is enough to crush the opponent with a single punch.
However, at that moment...
"Who told you that's all I've done?"
Kitahara Kenshin had barely finished speaking.
A white pill was ejected from the tentacle of the Bakkōtō and shot straight into Kitahara Kenshin's mouth.
The next second.
A violent Reiatsu surged into the sky.
It blasted a giant hole directly into the second waterway above!
"A-Qing!"
"I saw it..."
Haruto, who had just returned from Hueco Mundo, was all too familiar with this kind of Reiatsu.
That is--
"Virtualization...?"
Volume 1: Chapter 157, The Man's Trap
Hollowfication.
A small experiment that both Aizen and Kisuke Urahara conducted.
If it were anyone else here, they might mistake it for the power of the Bakkōtō, but Haruto would never be wrong:
Kitahara Kenshin's Visored couldn't be more obvious.
Not to mention, his body was covered with an irregular, thick layer of white carapace, as if it had been splashed with paint.
The problem is...
"Release Hollowfication in Bankai state?"
The Visoreds are skilled in Hollowfication, and their captains can easily use Bankai. However, only Ichigo Kurosaki can successfully fuse these two powers simultaneously. This is partly due to the lower level of Hollow fusion and partly due to the immaturity of the Hōgyoku technology. We will not consider the part about being born a "king" for now.
"How is this possible!"
Aizen may have already begun Hollowfication experiments, but for a long time his goal was to destroy the Rukongai. Not long after he set his sights on the Soul Reaper, he began Hollowfication Experiments on Captain-level like Hirako.
Kirio Hikifune hasn't even joined the Zero Division yet, and according to Haruto's estimation, the tragedy is still at least several decades away.
Kitahara Kenshin before my eyes...
The fact that one can use Hollowfication in Bankai state indicates that research in this area has long since entered a deeper stage.
Accidental?
Such a possibility cannot be ruled out.
However, when facing Aizen, no amount of caution is excessive; the slightest carelessness would be a death sentence.
"Kisuke Urahara?"
Haruto's brain was working at lightning speed.
"No."
Haruto knew Kisuke Urahara's character well.
If he were to conduct experiments with the Hōgyoku, he would start with himself first— Benihime Kisuke Urahara's Bankai allowed him to fully utilize his talents—otherwise, he would be far more suspicious than Aizen at this point in time.
He is indeed conducting an important study.
"So important that he didn't even show up when the Maggot's Nest was attacked, and he wasn't even seen at Captain-Commander Yamamoto's meetings."
Kisuke Urahara knew a great deal.
The existence of the Soul King Palace and the Zero Division was no secret to him.
"Yoruichi must have stepped in to protect him, otherwise Kisuke Urahara wouldn't still be able to stay quietly in the lab—speaking of which, my appearance was just in time; that Urahara guy has to owe me a favor."
These are all superficial appearances.
Actually, there's an even more important reason:
Haruto provided Kisuke Urahara with the data on the Hollowfication after taking Heavenly Bedding Pill. With so much unique information, it was impossible for Kisuke Urahara give up the Hōgyoku experiment, no matter what the critical moment.
"..."
Is it really just a coincidence?
Haruto's brows furrowed even more.
"Using the Bakkōtō, which contains the power of the void, makes it possible to achieve both Hollowfication transformation Bankai?"
"Perhaps."
Whether it's the pills from the Fushizuku Clan or the Bakkōtō from the Kasumioji Clan.
Or perhaps Kitahara Kenshin received the "information" and went to Seijōtōkyorin to massacre the Central 46 Chambers.
Haruto originally thought that these were the secret instigators of several noble families: to kill those who disagreed with him politically, and if possible, to trick Haruto as well; the underground sewers were definitely being monitored by some means.
But I still can't take that risk.
Now it seems...
It's highly likely that Aizen is behind the scenes, or even the mastermind behind the mastermind.
As the most active Soul Reaper in the Gotei 13 in recent years, Haruto has definitely come into Aizen's sights.
They might even be important targets for observation.
In the current situation, the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light.
"Step back."
Whether it's Aizen behind the scenes or the nobles on the "front stage," they all want to verify or do something through Kitahara Kenshin.
Haruto would never let them succeed.
Testing oneself?
The Bakudō #99 is already the biggest trump card that can be revealed.
Kitahara Kenshin is on the verge of madness.
Regardless.
Medicine, the Bakkōtō, and the Hollowfication.
Suffering from mental and physical stress simultaneously, Kitahara Kenshin could no longer maintain his composure.
Even Ichigo is controlled by "instinct," let alone Kitahara Kenshin, who has clearly just come into contact with these external forces.
He looks...
"Shh."
Haruto blocked Ayaka's sentence from being finished.
"They're different."
"... Um!"
As expected of Haruto's bedmate, Ayaka quickly understood Haruto's meaning and its implications.
The concern shown.
"Whoosh."
Guided by Hanatarō, the group quickly left in the direction of the waterway exit.
"Hollowfication."
Haruto looked at Kitahara Kenshin, who was standing very close to him.
"The enhancement level is similar to Bankai, but thankfully Bankai's not multiplicative."
Kitahara Kenshin's Bankai caused his Reiatsu to surge by about seven times, and after Hollowfication, this number doubled again in a short period of time.
In addition, there's the boost from the Bakkōtō...
Kitahara Kenshin did indeed possess the ability to contend with Second-Class Spiritual Pressure for a short period of time.
Even when he had completely lost his reason, he couldn't maintain this state for even ten seconds.
The Bakkōtō is merely a creation of a hollow body. It would be quite difficult for Kitahara Kenshin to devour a real hollow—aside from the arm wielding the sword and the Visored, he is completely unrecognizable as human—to do so. It would be remarkable if he didn't suffer a backlash.
"If it were me before I advanced."
"Zheng."
The left hand, which was pressed against the end of the hilt, slowly moved down along the rough rope to the tsuba, where the surface of the blade was smooth and shimmering like gentle waves.
A gentle flick.
The shimmering, clear water instantly cleansed away all the filth in this little world.
"Clang."
"This is really troublesome."
Drawing the sword? Sheathing the sword? Shikai?
Apart from that fleeting moment when the sea and sky blended into one, outsiders could not discern anything unusual.
"Puff."
After that...
Apart from the Zanpakuto to the ground and the Bakkōtō that writhed with slime, there was no trace of Kitahara Kenshin left in the world.
"..."
"Come out, you two."
Haruto shouted towards the waterfall with its dramatic drop.
"We've only been apart for a few days. Do you think you can hide your Reiatsu from me?"
"..."
"Whoosh."
Only when the hilt of the Seisen sword deliberately emitted a crisp metallic clang did the two figures appear together not far behind Haruto.
"You two."
"The missions I received from the Captain-Commander... I don't recall hearing about any support from the Tenth Division?"
Appearing behind Haruto was none other than the captain of the Tenth Division, who had fought alongside him in Hueco Mundo.
The vice-captains, the Miyano siblings— the Expeditionary Force members who returned from Hueco Mundo are all on standby (on leave), and the two of them shouldn't be here.
"... Haruto."
Miyano Fujimaru's expression was somewhat complicated.
"Captain Miyano."
"You..."