Experiment, Preparations Begin

Toshiro and Rukia were quite dazzled as they watched from the side.

Mainly because of Aoto's technique just now.

Though he had also attacked with dragon shadows formed from spiritual pressure, the real highlight had been his spearwork, both highly impressive and incredibly dangerous.

There really were not many people in the Soul Society who used long weapons.

Even Shiba Kaien's Nejibana did not fully bring out the advantages of a forked weapon.

Aoto's spearwork was truly one of a kind.

Toshiro had only seen his master's Ryuki, never what it looked like in actual combat.

Thinking it over carefully... he felt that no matter how thickly he froze his ice, it would be difficult to stop his master's final thrust.

That fierce strike had stabbed out from a direction no one could have expected...

If his master had not held back at the end, Vice-Captain Shiba might at least have been left with a scar on his head.

Toshiro felt that even after watching from the sidelines, if he had been in Vice-Captain Shiba's position, he would have been unable to react in time to dodge and would have been stabbed to death outright.

His master really was amazing!

Aoto put Ryuki away, walked over, and pulled the half-crouching Kaien to his feet. "Feel better now?"

"Hell yeah!" Shiba Kaien nodded heavily. "One more time, and I definitely won't lose to you again!"

"Things never happen a third time." Aoto spoke leisurely. "If I hadn't been muddled from drinking just now, I definitely wouldn't use the same ultimate move on the same person twice. See? You dodged so much faster this time. The third time, this move definitely won't work on you!"

"And besides... exposing this move in front of so many people is a huge loss for me!"

Aoto looked around at the surrounding crowd. "You've all watched the show for so long. Aren't you going to pay me for my trouble?"

Aoto and Kaien's fight had drawn quite a crowd... after all, the two of them had run all the way out from the Seireitei, so attracting attention was perfectly normal!

And since they had enjoyed such a good show, they ought to pay for the trouble.

"No payment, but there is a challenger." Madarame Ikkaku stepped out from the shadows, though his gleaming bald head had exposed him long ago. "Aoto, let's have a match too!"

"Not fighting you!" Aoto immediately refused. "Every time I fight you, Captain Zaraki comes running over right away. No thanks."

It really was strange.

Whenever Aoto and Ikkaku started fighting, Zaraki Kenpachi would find them in less than a minute... as if the two men's spiritual pressures combined would bug out his talent for getting lost and give him incredibly precise directions.

At that, Ikkaku could not help grumbling and cursing.

Ayasegawa Yumichika laughed from the side... if he wanted to spar with Aoto, Aoto would have no choice but to use Shakukuro.

After all, Aoto did not like fighting opponents who could not go all out, so he refused to fight Fuji Kujaku.

"Omaeda, you go!"

From the shadows, the petite Soi Fon ordered the big fat man beside her.

But it was obvious that Marechiyo Omaeda, who had only recently replaced his retired father as vice-captain, did not feel the same way.

As vice-captain, he also acted as commander of the Stealth Force's Second Division, the Patrol Corps!

He had files on every Soul Reaper in the Gotei 13.

Who was Hyakume-ki Seikyo? Though he was only a Fourth Seat, he was someone who could truly use Bankai. Even Shiba Kaien was no match for him, so how could a wastrel vice-captain like him possibly be his opponent?

Soi Fon's answer was simple. "If you don't go, you're forbidden from eating snacks at work!"

The instant she finished speaking, Omaeda charged out.

"Crush him, Gonryōmaru!"

Omaeda released his Shikai right away, charging Aoto while carrying a massive flail.

Though this form looked somewhat inelegant, Gonryōmaru was actually the strongest physical Zanpakuto among direct-attack types!

Once that flail came down, few people could remain standing.

However, Omaeda seemed only to know how to throw it, without learning any of its other applications.

"What a waste!" Aoto grinned. "Smash him, Suikotsu!"

Aoto's Zanpakuto transformed once more, becoming a steel rod with a hammerhead attached to its front by a chain.

But his weapon was not a flail.

A flail was entirely chain or rope behind its head, with no steel rod portion at all.

Aoto's Suikotsu was a chained mace, the ancestor of flexible weapons. The flail had evolved from it.

He swept the rod sideways, and the chained mace's head smashed head-on into Gonryōmaru.

Though Gonryōmaru was the strongest physical-type Zanpakuto, Aoto's spiritual pressure was superior, and his sweeping strike carried greater force. Gonryōmaru was sent flying straight back.

It was Omaeda's first time seeing Gonryōmaru knocked back.

Though fat, he was still a Stealth Force division commander. Even in a frantic scramble, he managed to avoid the returning Gonryōmaru.

But Gonryōmaru continued flying backward and smashed apart the tree Omaeda had just been hiding behind.

Soi Fon had no choice but to reveal herself as well.

The captain of the 2nd Division... wasn't she going to fight Master too?

Toshiro was very nervous.

But clearly, Soi Fon would not bully the young.

After giving Aoto a deep look, Soi Fon left directly.

After recalling his Zanpakuto, Omaeda followed after her.

That didn't seem too humiliating after all!

Watching their retreating backs, Aoto could not help muttering to himself, "They call themselves the Stealth Force, but every one of their Zanpakuto is more conspicuous than the last."

Kaien heard that, but did not understand what he meant.

Whose Zanpakuto in the Stealth Force was also conspicuous?

But none of them could compare to Captain Soi Fon's Zanpakuto, Suzumebachi... that tiny, concealed Zanpakuto truly was the most suitable for the Stealth Force.

As Soi Fon departed, the people who had come to investigate the situation also left one after another.

But Soi Fon was not the only captain among them.

Tosen Kaname, captain of the 9th Division, had been there as well.

If he had not left so quickly, Aoto would definitely have discussed with him just how many transformations a Shikai could undergo.

But now... it was time to go back and continue eating!

After that fight, Aoto felt hungry.

Shiba Kaien was probably about the same.

At least Toshiro would not have to eat leftovers by himself!

At the 9th Division barracks, after parting ways with his vice-captain, Tosen Kaname returned to his residence.

Though it was quite spacious, he only used the smallest room.

It was enough for him to live in.

And now, Tosen Kaname was writing a report.

It was an observation report on Shiba Kaien, one of the Five Great Noble Families, whose crimes were beyond forgiveness.

And he was a vice-captain whose spiritual rank was about to break through to Third Class... perhaps he was a perfect test subject for the final experiment of the first stage of Hollowfication experiments.

Recently, Aizen's Hollowfication experiments had broken through a bottleneck.

They could now maintain the Hollow soul that needed to be fused into a Soul Reaper's soul as an independent Hollow.

In other words, they had created Hollows capable of merging into Soul Reapers' bodies according to their will.

The experiment was ready to begin!