Zero's face suddenly stiffened; no, to be precise, Ryūsaki's face became very stiff.
'What should I do? He doesn't seem to believe you're the real person.'
'It's alright, I'll make him believe me.'
Zero ended the internal dialogue with Ryūsaki's consciousness because Yanis was already shouting, "Don't think I don't know! Back then, you Quincy had the ability to imitate others, and some even became like Lord Nangong. Don't try to fool me!"
Yanis's disbelief is understandable. Not to mention Quincy, Menos Grande also have the ability to read information. For example, Yanis himself in the past could even read the abilities in the minds of souls.
The two didn't continue fighting; they just stared at each other, determined to fight to the end.
Looking at Yanis, whose eyes were full of wisdom, Zero couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, saying helplessly, "It's also my fault. I deliberately got sealed away in order to reach the peak, making you bleed for nothing, but I didn't gain anything in return."
"You probably think I'm here to trick you because I've read information about some Arrancar, right?"
Upon hearing this, Yanis remained silent.
"But that's impossible. First of all, my physical body is sealed, so my memories can't be read no matter what. Have you had your memories read?"
"Moreover, we once coexisted as one. If you name an opponent I encountered in a certain place, and they weren't just small fry, I can answer that question."
"As for 'minor fish,' I can't answer that, because we've killed and eaten too many..."
As Zero's voice faded, Yanis's expression shifted between light and shadow. Yes! If this person was fake, he couldn't fool him at all.
Where did you meet me?
Yanis broke his silence and asked calmly.
"Let me think... Hmm, it's the East District 21 the East Rukongai Soul Society. Your organization launched a Hollow attack on a small town, and I happened to be there."
Zero thought for a moment and answered, then continued, "I was careless at the time, and you invaded my body. I used all my strength to drive you to my left hand, and I was just about to cut off my entire left hand."
"I never expected you to be so afraid of death, begging for mercy and wanting to become a part of my body. You even volunteered to help me absorb Reiryoku, and that's how our long-term symbiosis began."
Zero smiled slightly. Yanis's hand trembled, and the sword fell to the ground. Bending down to pick it up would be too embarrassing, so he quickly drew another one and asked, feigning composure, "Who was the strongest opponent you encountered in Rukongai?"
Kenpachi Zaraki!
This time, Yanis didn't ask any further questions. He knelt down, tears welling in his eyes, and cried out, "Greetings, Boss! Do you know how much I've missed you?! Waaah~"
When the first question was answered so precisely, Yanis had no choice but to believe it and stubbornly asked the second question.
Ling Dan chuckled lightly, "Weren't you just trying to kill me? Now you're missing me?"
He didn't pay attention to Yanis's actions just now, after all, no one would believe that someone sealed with the highest level of authority could suddenly appear.
"I didn't believe you just now... Boss, how did you get out? Are you going to reorganize Hueco Mundo's power and become the King of Hueco Mundo?" Yanis wiped away his tears and said cheerfully.
"Let's not talk about that for now. How's Hueco Mundo doing these past few years?"
"Boss, these really are..."
Upon hearing that Zero wanted to know about the current situation in Hueco Mundo, Yanis began to recount the recent events, including the large-scale war that Ryūsaki had already heard about from Szayelaporro's subordinates.
Furthermore, Yanis embellished his account of joining the council only to be expelled.
However, he didn't mention that a large part of Ling's achievements were due to him, so he often referred to himself as 'the other half of Nangong Ling '.
The ambitious Yanis wanted to gain a seat in the council, but due to his lack of strength, he could only become a second-rate figure. He harbored resentment and privately slandered those people... Then, he was chased and beaten by Grimmjow, who threatened to eat him.
In the end, Nel was kind-hearted and simply drove him away...
Yanis talked non-stop for over ten minutes, repeating at least ten times his desire for Zero to return as king and for him to be Zero's loyal lackey.
Zero finally said impatiently, "Let's put that aside for now. Actually, my main body hasn't come out yet. This is my clone Ryūsaki Ishida. He'll be responsible for breaking the seal and letting me out."
Zero changed the subject, saying seriously, "I can't stay too long. If you really want me to come out, could you please pass on a few words to Ulquiorra and the others..."
Inside the Chains, the two whispered to each other, and Ryūsaki even disabled the Blanks Monitor on her body.
Outside the Chains, the Void beings had grown impatient. When the Chains finally disintegrated, only Yanis remained standing there, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.
Ultimately, Yanis chose to travel to the ruins of Las Noches...
Ryūsaki has returned to the Wandenreich, to his Inner World.
"It's obvious that loyalty can change after such a long time apart. Are you really that sure he'll still do what you say?" Ryūsaki asked.
Ling calmly replied, "Yes, he will. When I first sent him to guard the Hueco Mundo from the Soul King Palace, he had far more soldiers under his command than this."
"It's obvious he's been ostracized, and many of his subordinates have deserted."
"The remaining Espada, apart from Grimmjow, are all relatively mild-mannered. He probably brought it upon himself by being ostracized."
"He wants to return to the core area, and he definitely hopes I can break the seal and support him."
Hearing Zero's words, Ryūsaki asked again, "Then how can you guarantee that the remaining Espada will still do as you say? Or maybe they don't even trust Yanis?"
"Once they hear what I had Yanis relay, they will surely understand the dangers of the Quincy and the relative importance of the Hollows. They will then be able to distinguish between what is more important and what is less important. At that point, they won't be able to refuse to do as I say."
Zero revealed a wicked smile and continued, "If you still don't believe me, then next time I accept a mission, I'll have two teams of Holy Soldiers storm into the vicinity of the core area and ignite the Hueco Mundo with pillars of Reishi fire."
"At that time, as a hidden card that appears out of nowhere, with their excellent killing ability, they can easily reduce the number of souls your His Majesty absorbs, hehehe..."
Ryūsaki stopped asking questions. That was his true form, so he should just do as he pleased. In any case, he wouldn't interfere with breaking the seal himself.
The captured Hollows have already been used for various assessments, and Yhwach has selected several hundred more suitable candidates to become Holy Soldier.
As for those who failed the assessment, they were immediately Auswählen by him.
Part of the power was used to upgrade newly recruited Holy Soldiers, silence them, and gain their loyalty; the other part was used to restore their own power.
"An emperor born for war will, if he loses war, revert to a weakened state where his five senses are shut down and he is unable to move... So what the book said was true."
Ryūsaki couldn't help but think of the book he had seen in Sōken's study before; the description in the book matched Yhwach's character perfectly.
The book was written by another Quincy remained in the World of the Living and did not participate in the great war a thousand years ago, but were eventually wiped out by the Soul Reaper.
He kept killing, kept creating killing, just so he could continue to live.
Five months later, in Soul Society, the Twelfth Division.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi, along with more than a dozen staff members, stood outside a transparent glass tank, each three meters long, wide, and high, to observe the data.
Inside the jar, a blackish-red sphere about 1.5 meters in diameter was placed in the center. The sphere emitted very weak Reishi fluctuations because its Reishi structure was too stable.
However, inside this glass tank, even the Reishi in the air were drawn to near imperceptibility by Mayuri Kurotsuchi; only its surroundings still emitted Reishi fluctuations.
"Isolation and protection procedures activated."
"Startup complete."
"Prepare to deploy Experimental Subject Three."
The three staff members in charge of the operation were very attentive; their Captain, vice-captain, and all the Seated Officers were watching, in case of any mistake...
Needless to say, the freakish Captain would definitely subject them to inhuman modifications to prevent them from making mistakes again.
The Experimental Subject was modified from the core part of the Bakōtō. It has Sanjo lively and constantly wriggling tentacles, with its eyes, which are also the core part, in the middle of the tentacles.
Unlike ordinary Bakōtō, this modified Experimental Subject carries a trace of ethereal Reiatsu.
Ikkaku of the cube-shaped glass tank was opened, and the Experimental Subject was placed inside. The Experimental Subject, upon entering, clearly felt uneasy, its single eye constantly darting around.
Half a minute later, it instinctively approached the black and red sphere, placed its tentacles on it, and began to absorb the Reishi within.
"Hmm, not bad, not bad. The absorption rate is slow but stable; it's practically a semi-finished product."
Mayuri Kurotsuchi, holding a magnifying glass, observed the boundary between the tentacles and the Reishi particle sphere. Upon discovering that it could forcibly absorb Reishi, she felt pleased.
That sphere was made to mimic the barrier of that shadowy space, and its sturdiness was identical.
Akon said seriously, "If Number Three can eat it, it means it can also eat that barrier. But now we'll see if it can reach the expected level after it finishes developing."
"Hmm, expedite the modification of the other Experimental Subjects. Also, request any remaining Bakōtō from higher-ups. Ideally, our Twelfth Division could wipe out those remnants in one fell swoop. Hmph."
With a cold laugh, Mayuri Kurotsuchi left the Laboratory, satisfied. He was going to report to the Captain-Commander.
At least from now on, we must begin preparing for war.
The World of the Living.
The blond-haired boy who stirred up trouble in the original timeline is now lying in his crib, crying loudly, while his mother tries to soothe him.
Isshin was frantically preparing formula and had dark circles under her eyes, clearly indicating she hadn't had a good rest lately.
Soon after, the crying stopped, and two more people appeared in the Hall... no, to be precise, a person and a cat.
Tessai Tsukabishi and Yoruichi arrived, and they checked on Masaki and Ichigo separately...
Yoruichi's cat-like face turned serious as she said, "Masaki, you sensed it correctly. There is no longer any Hollow power in your body. That Hollow, along with the seal, has been transferred into this child's body."
"How so."
Masaki's expression changed drastically, filled with disbelief.
Isshin held her hand and comforted her, "It's alright. Since the seal is still there, it means Ichigo is not in danger."
"Yes, as long as this kid doesn't become Quincy or Soul Reaper, it will be difficult for that Hollow's power to awaken, and the kid won't be devoured," Yoruichi agreed.
Even the previously silent Tessai Tsukabishi spoke up, "If an emergency arises, I can come and help reinforce the seal."
For a moment, it seemed as if this child's life had already been planned out.