Arrancarization Experiment

Wang Xun stood in front of the experimental table, calibrating the last few nodes with the Reiatsu at his fingertips.

Wang Xun withdrew his hand and his gaze fell on the spell base plate in front of him. All the densely packed nodes had been calibrated, and the Reiatsu circuit was unobstructed.

He checked it a third time to make sure there were no omissions.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The experiment Aizen set out for the Arrancar takes place today.

I heard soft footsteps behind me.

Wang Xun turned around and saw Kaname Tōsen push open the stone door of the laboratory and walk in.

He looked well, and his Reiatsu was stable.

Compared to the weak state he was in when he was first sent back from the Wandenreich, he was a completely different person.

But Wang Xun knew that the real Kaname Tōsen still lying in the prison of the Maggot's Nest.

The person in front of them was merely a Quincy disguised Kaname Tōsen.

How are the preparations going?

Kaname Tōsen asked.

"All ready."

Wang Xun gave up the experimental table.

"The technique nodes have been calibrated, and the Reiatsu circuit is clear. The three Hollow materials are in good condition. Fifth Seat Tōsen, please proceed."

Kaname Tōsen walked to the experimental table, his Reiatsu probing into the base of the technique, as if checking something.

After a moment, he nodded.

"Excellent. We can begin the experiment once Lord Aizen arrives."

Wang Xun watched as he withdrew his hand.

The movement was very composed, exactly like the way Kaname Tōsen handle experiments in real life.

But Wang Xun noticed a detail: Kaname Tōsen's fingers unconsciously curled up slightly.

Wang Xun calmly withdrew his gaze.

Footsteps sounded again, Aizen came from behind.

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes, Lord Aizen."

Kaname Tōsen bowed deeply in respect.

"Everything is ready, we can begin at any time."

Aizen nodded and walked to the observation position in the experimental area.

His position allowed him to have a complete view of the entire experimental platform, with every operational step within his line of sight.

"Let's begin then," Aizen said. "Tōsen, you take the lead, Wang Xun assist."

"Yes."

Kaname Tōsen's voice remained calm.

He walked to the main seat of the experimental table and placed his hands lightly on the surgical base plate.

Reiatsu surged from his palm and injected into the nodes of the base plate.

The densely packed intricate patterns lit up one by one, outlining complex designs in a deep blue halo.

The Hōgyoku in the container began to fluctuate, resonating with the base plate of the technique.

Wang Xun stood to the side, holding a notebook in his hand, his gaze fixed on the experimental data.

His task was merely to assist, record data, calibrate nodes, and provide support when needed by Kaname Tōsen.

But at this moment, most of his attention was focused on observation.

Kaname Tōsen begin the first step of the operation.

Reiatsu flowed from his fingertips into the first Hollow's sealing container.

The magical patterns on the container lit up, and the seal slowly dissipated.

The Adjuchas's Reiatsu overflowed from the container, violent and chaotic.

Kaname Tōsen begin guiding this Reiatsu to connect with the energy of the Hōgyoku.

Wang Xun the first mistake.

Kaname Tōsen made a mistake in manipulating his Reiatsu, although the error was small, only a very slight deviation.

But the real Kaname Tōsen would never make such a mistake in the details.

However, the fake Kaname Tōsen remained unaware, continuing the experiment with a stable Reiatsu output and composed movements.

Wang Xun did not offer any reminder.

The experiment continued.

The deviation in the first step is amplified in the second step, Reiatsu waveform begins to deviate from the preset trajectory.

Kaname Tōsen sensed something was wrong, and he subtly adjusted his fingers, trying to bring the waveform back.

However, the adjustment was in the wrong direction, causing the waveform to deviate even further.

His movements changed slightly, and Wang Xun noticed that a fine layer of sweat had appeared on his forehead.

Different Reiatsu converge in the experimental circuit, requiring extremely precise coordination to achieve balance with the energy of the Hōgyoku.

Kaname Tōsen's fingers never stopped, and the pace of his Reiatsu output began to accelerate.

But the number of errors kept increasing.

Each error is small, but when they accumulate, the entire experimental circuit begins to spiral out of control.

The first one let out a painful roar.

Its Reiatsu vibrated violently the moment it connected with the energy of the Hōgyoku, and fine cracks appeared on its mask.

The cracks spread outwards like a spider web, and then the entire mask exploded.

The ethereal body writhed wildly in the petri dish, its Reiatsu collapsing irreversibly.

Kaname Tōsen abruptly activated his Reiatsu in an attempt to stabilize the Hollow's state, but this only hastened its collapse.

Within moments, the illusory form completely disintegrated, transforming into Reishi that dissipated within the petri dish.

"Material Number One, Destroyed."

Wang Xun calmly recited the data, his pen gliding across the paper, his voice completely still.

Kaname Tōsen did not respond.

He gritted his teeth and focused all his attention on the remaining few phantoms, continuing the experiment of docking with the Hōgyoku energy.

But the mistake was irreversible; the more he tried to control it, the greater the deviation became.

The second illusory mask began to shatter.

This time it was even faster. The Hollow exploded inside the sealed container, its Reiatsu becoming extremely chaotic, before bursting into a cloud of blood mist with a muffled bang.

The laboratory fell silent.

All the experimental subjects perished.

Kaname Tōsen stood motionless in front of the lab table.

His fingers were still lightly pressed on the surgical base plate.

Aizen didn't speak immediately. He sat in the main seat in silence for a moment, his gaze falling on the three empty culture dishes, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Want."

Aizen's voice was not loud, and it contained neither anger nor blame.

But in the quiet laboratory at this moment, it was as if a pebble had been thrown into a stagnant pool.

Kaname Tōsen's body stiffened slightly.

"How come your skills have become so rusty?"

Aizen's tone was calm, as if he were just asking a casual question.

But Wang Xun, standing to the side, could clearly see the beads of sweat on Kaname Tōsen's forehead sliding down his cheeks.

Kaname Tōsen lowered his head.

"I... haven't been feeling well lately."

His voice was hoarse and filled with shame.

Aizen was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"Your injuries have just healed, so it's not your fault. You can go now, and let Wang Xun come."

Kaname Tōsen's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing.

He stepped back from the control panel, placed his hands at his sides, bowed deeply to Aizen, and then turned and retreated to the side.

Aizen turned his head and looked at Wang Xun.

"Wang Xun, come here."

Wang Xun put down his notebook and walked to the main seat on the lab bench.

He could feel Kaname Tōsen's gaze fixed on him, a gaze that was gloomy and resentful, along with an extremely tense and suppressed feeling.

Wang Xun ignored him and took over the experiment that Kaname Tōsen failed, restarting it.

The traces of Kaname Tōsen's actions were still visible; the nodes he had messed up looked like a tangled mess of threads.

Wang Xun's Reiatsu followed the threads one by one, straightening the distorted circuits and recalibrating the misaligned nodes.

His fingertips moved swiftly and precisely on the technique base plate. Under his calibration, the experimental circuit, which had been on the verge of collapse, stabilized again, and the Reiatsu fluctuations returned to normal.

Aizen observed this and nodded slightly.

Wang Xun raised his head and looked into the depths of the laboratory.

There were only a few remaining sealed Hollow materials left, which were spares prepared in advance at his suggestion, enough to run another complete round of Arrancar testing.

"Decode."

Wang Xun gave the order softly.

A new Hollow was released from the sealed container.

The blue light of the Hōgyoku onto the petri dish, enveloping the Hollow's form in a deep blue hue.

Wang Xun activated the technique's base plate, and the energy of the Hōgyoku flowed into the culture dish along the Reiatsu circuit, beginning to come into contact with the Hollow's Reiatsu.

Wang Xun's control over Reiatsu was extremely precise.

He divided the output of the Hōgyoku energy into dozens of thin streams, which simultaneously acted on different parts of the mask.

In the petri dish, the first crack appeared on the illusory mask.

Then, more cracks appeared on the mask.

Then, the mask began to break apart, peeling off piece by piece from the edges.

White bone fragments detached from the void's face, suspended in the culture medium, emitting a faint spiritual light.

As the mask was removed, the Hollow's form began to shrink.

The phantom was originally nearly three meters tall, but as the mask peeled off, its body shrank at a visible speed.

Its thick limbs became long and slender, its bulky torso became firm, and its ferocious outline gradually approached human form.

Arrancar.

While it is far from perfect, it is indeed Arrancar.

Wang Xun did not relax.

He continued to channel the energy of the Hōgyoku, attempting to stabilize the form of the Arrancar.

However, wisps of dark red Reiatsu emanated from the Hollow Hole in its chest, as if something was tearing it apart from within.

Its face contorted, white liquid gushed from its mouth, and the shattered mask reformed on its face.

reverse.

Wang Xun increased his Reiatsu output, attempting to stabilize its form again.

However, the reversal process was already out of control. The illusory figure swayed violently between its Arrancar and its original form several times before completely collapsing.

Wang Xun dispersed the Reiatsu from his fingertips and gently exhaled.

It failed.

But this failure is completely different from Kaname Tōsen's previous failure.

Those three Hollows collapsed at the very first step of their Arrancarization; they couldn't even withstand the shattering of their masks.

The Hollow he controlled not only successfully shed its mask, but also briefly maintained its Arrancar form.

However, the power of the Hōgyoku was not complete enough to support the long-term maintenance of the Arrancar form.

During the stable phase, the energy of the Hōgyoku becomes insufficient, causing the form of the void to reverse.

"Lieutenant Aizen."

Wang Xun turned around and handed over the recorded data.

"The experiment on the Arrancarization has made some progress, but the power of the Hōgyoku is not yet fully realized."

"To achieve a breakthrough, it may be necessary to strengthen the power of the Hōgyoku."

Aizen took the notebook and flipped through a few pages.

Then he looked up at the fragments of Reishi left behind after the Arrancar collapsed.

Aizen was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Good, this experiment wasn't a waste of time."

He stood up from his seat, walked to the petri dish, and felt the lingering Reiatsu fluctuations.

"The Hōgyoku is indeed not complete enough."

He said his voice was very calm.

"But it's only a matter of time. Once we get the other Hōgyoku from Kisuke Urahara, the success rate of Arrancarization will increase significantly after the two Hōgyoku are fused together."

He turned around and looked at Kaname Tōsen.

"Tōsen, you stay here and review the data from this experiment. Subsequent experiments will need to consider new variables."

"Yes."

Kaname Tōsen responded with his head bowed.

Aizen's gaze lingered on him for a moment before shifting away.

He looked at Wang Xun.

"Thank you for your hard work. In a few days, come with me to Hueco Mundo again to bring back some new experimental materials."

"Clear."

Wang Xun nodded.

Aizen said nothing more and turned to walk out of the laboratory.

But as Wang Xun passed by Kaname Tōsen, he noticed that Aizen's gaze shifted slightly.

From that angle, you could clearly see Kaname Tōsen's face.

It was just a fleeting moment.

Then he looked away, pushed open the door, and went out.

Kaname Tōsen stay in the lab to clean up the mess, removing the residue from the petri dishes and organizing the experimental data.

Wang Xun packed his things and left the laboratory.

The moonlight was cool and clear, and the night breeze was slightly chilly.

He walked across the wasteland west of Rukongai, the scene from just now replaying in his mind.

Aizen's last glance at Kaname Tōsen.

He could sense that Aizen had begun to have doubts.

Wang Xun was even more certain that Aizen might have been suspicious ever since Kaname Tōsen sent back.

He didn't believe the Quincy would be so kind.

However, Aizen was confident that he knew Kaname Tōsen well enough to understand his every habit and reaction.

After all, Kaname Tōsen his subordinate, having followed him for many years; their tacit understanding couldn't be replaced by acting skills.

But Loyd's disguise was indeed flawless.

He read Kaname Tōsen's memories, personality, and even the abilities of his Zanpakuto.

Unfortunately, even with the corresponding memories, the brain is not enough to process such complex data in the face of ever-changing experiments.

This is a flaw that he cannot overcome.

Today's Arrancar experiment is undoubtedly an excellent test.

Kaname Tōsen's performance only made Aizen's doubts, which he had been watching from the sidelines, even more difficult to conceal.

Even though this fake Kaname Tōsen inherited all of the real Kaname Tōsen's memories, he could not inherit the feel for the craft that Tosen Kaname had accumulated through countless experiments.

Every tiny mistake was a warning to Aizen: there was something wrong with Kaname Tōsen.

So after the experiment was over, he would leave Kaname Tōsen alone in the lab.

Leave him alone, give him some space, and see if he reveals his intentions when he's unsupervised.

Kaname Tōsen, or rather Loyd, if he were smart enough, should have been able to detect Aizen's probing.

But he has no other choice now.

This is an invisible pressure that forces him to make mistakes and expose himself.

Aizen's next move is now in the works.

Take Wang Xun to Hueco Mundo, leaving Kaname Tōsen guard the experimental base alone.

This is a trap, an opportunity for the fake Kaname Tōsen.

This is the perfect time if he wants to do something.

Kaname Tōsen to make a move, it would prove that his identity is questionable.

If you don't take action, then continue to be suspicious and keep probing until Kaname Tōsen reveals a weakness.

Wang Xun quickened his pace and headed towards Seireitei.

This matter needs to be communicated to Kisuke Urahara as soon as possible.

Perhaps the drama of the real and fake Kaname Tōsen is about to unfold.