Chapter 264
"We'll talk about it when we get back."
Okay, take care.
"The same to you."
Aizen successfully created a Captain-level Hollowfication prototype.
The development of Soul Society...
It is visibly accelerating.
Volume 1: Chapter 158, The Little Things About Scientists
"Um..."
First Division Barracks.
Haruto has been coming quite often lately.
He could practically memorize the number of wrinkles on Captain-Commander Yamamoto's face.
Right now.
The esteemed Genryūsai was slowly reading through the long report—because he hadn't sought Isane's help, the report was noticeably less concise than before, easily revealing a problem with his attitude: he had definitely used a ghostwriter before.
"Haruto Shihoin."
"Yes!"
"Next time, let your assistant write it for you."
"... yes."
Actually, that wasn't his own adjutant assisting him.
Haruto was originally going to continue complaining, but then he decided against it.
"Regarding the records on this page."
Captain-Commander Yamamoto waved his hand, Chōjirō Sasakibe was sitting to the side of the chair, took the report.
"Why are the Tenth Division Captain Miyano Fujimaru and the Tenth Division Lieutenant Kuno Matsuri going to the battlefield?"
"They came to help."
Haruto said very seriously.
They did not receive any instructions.
"Anyway, we're in a rest and recuperation phase..."
"I have a life-or-death bond with them in Hueco Mundo; we worked together to take down a Vasto Lorde. You should have already received the report, Captain-Commander."
When Haruto returned to Soul Society, he went straight to the First Division, so the report was definitely drafted by Haru Kusaka.
"Then?"
Shigekuni Yamamoto raised an eyebrow.
"They were delayed by Captain Hirako, so they arrived a bit late—by the time they reached the deepest part of the waterway, I had already dealt with the traitor Kitahara Kenshin."
Haruto gestured with his eyes to the Zanpakuto placed in front of him.
Haruto Bakkōtō.
The nobles behind this dared not speak out, and Haruto did not believe that Captain-Commander Yamamoto could convict a high-ranking nobleman based solely on a weapon.
It would be better to gather clues discreetly first.
"And then..."
"We were attacked by Vasto Lorde."
--That was Vasto Lorde, which fell from the sky and pierced through three underground levels. As for why the Garganta wasn't observed...
This is beyond his control.
"If I hadn't evacuated the members of the Fourth Division and Eighth Divisions before the battle with Kitahara Kenshin, they probably would have been caught in the crossfire as well."
Haruto said, still shaken.
"With your abilities, rescuing those two from Vasto Lorde shouldn't be difficult."
The person who answered the call changed from the Captain-Commander to Chōjirō Sasakibe had received the report.
"No, I can't handle Vasto Lorde. Otherwise, I wouldn't have invited so many people to help me back in Hueco Mundo —killing Vasto Lorde is no small matter, and I don't like to share credit with others."
"..."
I'm sorry.
The team captains present exchanged glances.
--The last time Gillian-class Menos Grande appeared in Seireitei was more than a thousand years ago, not to mention that the visitor cruelly murdered the captain and vice-captain of the Tenth Division; if it weren't for the fact that the vice-captain of the Second Division was slightly stronger, he would probably have also fallen victim to the other party's poison.
Almost all the team leaders who could be assembled are here.
"The traitor Kitahara Kenshin's strength wasn't the weakest among the captains, so how did you manage to kill him instantly?"
It's not that no one suspects Haruto was the one who committed the murder.
After all, the number of captains who died at Haruto's hands was not just one or two—within the Seireitei, many people, whether nobles or Gotei 13, considered him a bloodthirsty executioner.
If Vasto Lorde's scent hadn't actually been found at the crime scene, he would now face even more charges.
"As a Zanpakuto of the same type, I am Kitahara Kenshin."
"... Beheading's performance in close combat is terrifying."
More than one captain raised objections, but they were not targeting Haruto.
But he couldn't move even with Shunpo.
"As a member of the Shihoin Clan, I am confident that I can kill him without touching his blade."
"..."
Use the Shunpo to suppress opponents of the same level.
Of the eleven captains present, only Yoruichi Shihōin, who had just earned the title of "Flash Goddess," could do this.
Haruto said that.
This is tantamount to an open declaration that he could defeat half of the team captains present instantly upon meeting them.
"..."
Do any of you colleagues have any further questions?
Haruto's report, if not flawless, was at least riddled with holes.
But.
Many Soul Reapers were present...
Either they didn't want to get involved, or they didn't want to offend Haruto.
The discussion about Kitahara Kenshin's death and Haruto's true strength ended there.
The rest.
They were discussing how to retaliate against Las Noches.
The Vasto Lorde chased after Soul Society from Hueco Mundo was undoubtedly the work of Baraggan, who had just lost a major general.
Baraggan cannot be killed.
However, sending out the real main force to raze his Las Noches... that's a stance that still needs to be shown.
But.
These are things Haruto shouldn't be concerned with.
The World of the Living.
Karakura Town, Urahara Research Institute.
Welcome.
Kisuke Urahara hung his hat on a hook by the door—getting in here wasn't easy; Kisuke Urahara 'd gone out specifically to bring Haruto in.
"So it was built in the World of the Living after all."
Haruto, who was entering for the first time, looked around the not-so-large space.
No wonder I couldn't get back immediately.
"Feel sorry..."
Kisuke Urahara instinctively lowered his head.
"No, consider it that we both cleaned up the mess together."
Haruto quickly interrupted him.
At this point, Kisuke Urahara has not yet received guidance from Yoruichi and Hirako, and has not shown much of a captain's demeanor in areas outside of research.
Even if...
Even if he were ranked among the team captains, he would still be ridiculously strong.
"Speaking of which, wouldn't it be quite troublesome to build it in the World of the Living?"
Haruto casually pulled up a chair and sat down, refusing the tea offered by Kisuke Urahara.
Even though the tea produced by the Shihoin Clan is of very high quality, Kisuke Urahara the simple, unpretentious tea bags from the shopping street.
It's not that it tastes bad, it's just that Haruto's palate has become a bit picky lately.
"Although Karakura Town is a rare Jūreichi, it must be quite troublesome to convert the test subjects from Reishi to Kishi every time, right?"
Haruto asked.
Reishi and Kishi.
The former constitutes the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, while the latter are the fundamental particles that constitute the World of the Living —if it's hard to understand, just think of them as atoms or something similar.
"The main concern is safety, and I completed the necessary conversion equipment immediately."
Kisuke Urahara pointed to a large, square box in the corner of the room and answered.
"No wonder."
"So..."
After tapping a few times on the keyboard illuminated by dozens of computer screens, Kisuke Urahara gently turned his chair to face Haruto.
"Haruto."
Since their Valley of Screams, the two have been friends for five or six years, so it's normal for them to address each other by name in private... Or perhaps Kisuke Urahara isn't quite "accepting" addressing Haruto Shihoin.
Could you please explain what you mean by Hollowfication?
This is the main reason why Kisuke Urahara invited Haruto here.
"Besides you, there are other people in the Seireitei conducting Hollowfication Experiments."
Haruto nodded.
"However, his research progress is probably not as fast as yours. After Kitahara Kenshin became Hollowfication, he was completely unable to maintain his rationality; the other party may have also relied on research related to the Bakkōtō, after all, he didn't have the Heavenly Bedding Pill to refer to."
After hearing Haruto's explanation, Kisuke Urahara nodded thoughtfully, then continued to ask him:
How Hollowfication is it?
"The Reiatsu amplification is only at the level of a normal Bankai, but it couldn't maintain its human form after Hollowfication."
When Kisuke Urahara appeared in the waterway, he was wearing a mask and was in the form of a "Visored" figure, completely embodying the image of Soul Reaper.
"Because of the missing fragments of Vasto Lorde?"
"It's hard to say, but I don't think it's the main reason."