When the Squad Members of the Fifth Division saw that Seigen had been subdued, they all gathered around, wanting to see what was wrong with their Captain. This naturally included Aizen, who had been pretending to be dead.
Hirako stared at the roaring monster, which was completely different from the seemingly fierce but actually kind-hearted Seigen. This was the first time they had ever encountered Captain-level being infected by a Hollow.
"Captain Nangong, is there any way to save him?"
Hirako asked again, and the surrounding Squad Member all cast hopeful glances his way.
"We can only try! Success isn't guaranteed. This incident is definitely man-made. You guys go and deal with the surrounding threats first..."
As he spoke, Zero pulled out an empty Bait Steel Pipe, indicating that this was the reason for the gathering of the void. Everyone was extremely surprised upon hearing this, and they all speculated about the enemy's purpose.
The moment Zero saw Seigen, he knew what the other was Hollowfication Soul Reaper, just like him; except he was doing it in Hueco Mundo, while this madman in the shadows was experimenting on Captain-level Shinigami.
The Squad Members dispersed, and Zero used ' Complete Dankū Seigen and Sealing within the Barrier, ensuring unobstructed vision, before beginning to heal Seigen...
'First, break the mask to slightly suppress the Hollow's power, then extract as much of the Hollow as possible. Breaking the mask should be fine, right?'
Zero was a little uncertain; his mood had already plummeted the moment he saw Seigen.
When Yanis invaded his body, he didn't grow a mask or such a large hole. Even in that situation, it took a life-or-death gamble to make Yanis submit.
And the data that Yanis possessed couldn't offer him any good advice, since the methods used by these Hollows, who could infiltrate the enemy's body, were all different.
Zero could only rely on the limited knowledge he had gained in the Laboratory to make his judgment. He knew that if he was not careful, Seigen's soul would collapse and disappear, leaving only a few pieces of clothing behind.
"Roar!"
Seigen's mask shattered, revealing his pale face. The tentacles that appeared behind him transformed into Reishi to fill the void, and the void began to be suppressed into his body, no longer showing any trace.
It worked. Apart from looking a bit disheveled, Seigen no longer had any signs of weakness.
Zero failed when he tried to extract the Hollow's Reishi through the 'Healing Way'. The Hollow's violently gathered Reishi were completely different from the Reishi that caused the disease. They consciously joined forces to resist Zero's Healing Way within the Seigen's body.
Stimulated, the Seigen of the Bakudō spell once again exhibited ethereal characteristics, this time beginning with a mask and a hollow chest...
'If that doesn't work, then use Blood Drink to forcibly extract it?'
'Boss, no! The absorption ability is indiscriminate. If you drain his Reiryoku, he'll really die...'
That makes sense!
Zero's Bakudō remained tight; had Yanis not reminded him, Seigen would have been sucked to death... Without this method, Zero was somewhat helpless.
In the shadows, Aizen also saw the situation through Dankū. He noticed Zero's change in expression after the failed Healing Way, indicating that he might not be able to save the Hollowfication Seigen.
'Is he beyond saving? It's possible he didn't want to, but the fact that he created the Healing Way just to save Shusuke Ihana makes him seem like a completely heartless person. Could it be that his Hollowfication nature is too profound?'
Aizen frowned slightly, beginning to doubt the others. He had been certain that Zero had a way to suppress Hollowfication, which was why he chose Seigen, who had a good relationship with Zero and whose strength was even greater than Seigen of Kensei Muguruma, as his test subject.
This was not good news for Aizen. Being unable to save him meant he couldn't get more information, and without more detailed information, the 'Hōgyoku' that existed to help him break through his own limits as a Soul Reaper would be useless.
He didn't want to instantly dissipate into Reishi after breaking the boundary... Therefore, Aizen concluded that he might need a new plan...
After several hours, there was still no solution. It wasn't until Kasumioji Yakumo and Kuchiki Ginrei gathered together that they reported the situation to the Seireitei.
Zero also sensed something was wrong. If the Central 46 found out about Seigen's situation and couldn't quickly come up with a solution, given the Central 46's nature, they would most likely choose to eliminate Seigen as a threat.
Zero couldn't possibly take Seigen to Hueco Mundo in public. If Hirako and the other Squad Members hadn't seen it, he could have made Seigen disappear and dumped him in Hueco Mundo Laboratory, where he might have been saved.
To be fair, among all the Captain, he and Seigen had always had a good relationship, at least slightly better than his half-disciple, Kensei.
Kyōraku may seem to drink with Zero frequently, but he deliberately maintains a certain distance from Zero, given his identity as Kongqing.
Upon careful consideration, Zero realized that Seigen was actually one of the few friends he had in the Gotei 13. As for the others in the 11th Division, including Maki, they all followed him out of respect for him.
The Barrier was lifted, but Seigen was still Bakudō by the Binding Spell. His mask, shattered once more, did not reappear. Just when everyone thought he was stable, Seigen roared, and his terrifying Reiatsu surged through the heavens and earth once more...
After breaking his mask once again, Ginrei Kuchiki said seriously, "His condition is very unstable. We absolutely cannot let him get close to Seireitei. I've already asked Captain Unohana to come over. Hopefully, she has a solution."
"It's no use. Even without the mask, he hasn't regained consciousness, which shows that the infection has penetrated deep into his bones and cannot be removed."
After glancing at Zero, Kasumioji Yakumo stated the situation that Zero had already anticipated.
Give me some time, I'll find a way to solve this problem!
Seeing Zero's serious expression, the two of them remained silent. Their opinions didn't matter; approval from above was required.
As the Vice-Captain, Hirako was merely cleaning up the mess within the team. After the Bait was found, the Ragged Hollows stopped gathering.
Soon after, Unohana arrived. She frankly stated that she had no solution yet, but she brought with her two Captains of the Kidō Corps: the Great Kidō Chief, Tessai Tsukabishi, and the Vice Kidō Master Hachigen Ushōda.
The two men received orders to bind Seigen together with Bakudō Seigen and take him back to Seireitei, where he was placed in the Ninth Division The Jail.
The day after returning to Seireitei, the investigation into the incident of using Rukongai as Bait to summon Rukongai was completed, and the sixth seat of the Fifth Division, Sakiya, was arrested.
When this person was attacked by a Hollow, Aizen intervened and saved him. While the person was unconscious, Aizen impersonated him and attacked Seigen. Then, he had his bald stand-in secretly take the guy to a distant place, creating the illusion that he had disappeared.
When Sakiya woke up, he had no idea what had happened; when his entire force was wiped out and he disappeared for a while before returning to the team, Hirako noticed him.
The dozen or so Steel Pipes resembling Bait found in his home also prove this point...
However, Sakiya, unaware of the reason, believed that it was Spirit Weapon he had bought in Rukongai a month ago, which could injure Hollows in an explosion.
But when the inspection team lit one up in front of him, attracting more than a dozen Ragged Hollows, Sakiya was dumbfounded. He knew he had been tricked by that gangster peddler, and it was too late to cry foul now.
Kyōraku went to investigate that vendor. Any organization capable of producing something like that must be very dangerous and must be eliminated... However, Aizen's arrangements didn't leave him any correct clues...
The handling of a minor Seated Officer is simple: strip him of his Reiryoku and send him to the World of the Living. But the handling of the Seigen requires some thought.
Not long after, on the fourth day, the sage of Central 46 risked going to the Jail to take a look at Seigen... because the sages themselves had low Reiryoku, this was a dangerous mission for them.
After observing the situation of the Seigen, Central 46 announced that the verdict would be delivered the next day, which caught Zero, who was still trying to find a solution, somewhat off guard.
In Yama-jii's office, Zero, having no other choice, came here. Given that he could obviously guess how the verdict would be, he wanted to ask Yama-jii to help him buy some time.
How confident are you?
Seeing the impatient Ling, Yama-jii, with his back to him, sighed inwardly, "That kid is still a kid, he can't keep his composure."
"The success rate is less than 30%. I have completely suppressed his power. Even if he Hollowfication, any Fifth Seat can stop him with Bakudō." Zero indicated that he had taken precautions.
"I'll give you half a month," Yama-jii paused, then turned and looked sternly at Zero. "Don't forget your duties. As members of the Gotei 13, everyone is prepared, including Seigen Kyōshiba."
"I'll find a way to expose that fake one."
Ling calmly walked out of Yama-jii's office. To Yama-jii, this was probably just the loss of a subordinate, and it wouldn't cause him much of a stir.
It's possible that, aside from his disciples, Yama-jii wouldn't be moved by the deaths of others; he was a true Captain-Commander of Soul Reaper.
In Rukongai, watching Kyōraku running through the dark alleys, Aizen's lips curled into a faint smile.
In Aizen's view, the Hollowfication of the Seigen was a failure, and Aizen was somewhat dissatisfied that he did not get to see the Hollowfication form as Soul Reaper.
So Aizen chose to provide Kyōraku with some 'clues' to lead him to suspect the guy who was busy saving people. Kyōraku was also very clever and was able to uncover even the most deeply hidden clues.
Ultimately, Kyōraku discovered that the Nangong Family had separated their production workshop, which was a factory producing various Spirit Weapon, such as glasses and umbrellas.
Factories were one thing; various entertainment venues were also built. Decades ago, when Zero's memories of his past life were not so fading, he suggested simple entertainment activities similar to billiards and cockfighting from his previous life.
It was unexpectedly popular, and business has been booming ever since.
Under the management of Kuzō and his retainers, Zero's capital continued to grow, and he was never short of money. Because he trusted Kuzō and his Vassal, Zero rarely went to visit his own businesses.
Because they didn't check, many oversights occurred.