"I hope it succeeds this time."
On the experimental platform, Kurotsuki Renya stood side by side with Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, both gazing into the hollow pit carved into the white stone floor below.
Inside the pit lay the unconscious hyena Hollow.
"I've already conducted Arrancarization trials on it," Renya said calmly. "The Hollow showed clear signs of mask fragmentation. However, the moment the mask begins to break, its Reiatsu spikes violently. Whether that surge can be compressed and stabilized into a spiritual core one capable of forming a Zanpakutō depends entirely on the subject's inherent potential."
Renya waited patiently.
Cracks spread across the Hollow's mask. Piece by piece, the white bone disintegrated. When only a fragment on the forehead remained, the hyena suddenly let out a deafening roar.
Its body convulsed.
The massive frame began to shrink, standing upright as the white armor peeled away like shedding skin. In the end, only a small fragment of mask remained embedded at the center of its forehead.
A sharp exhale echoed through the chamber.
The remaining armor shattered completely.
The sealed power condensed and took form as a Zanpakutō.
Standing where the Hollow once lay was now a short, lean young man. His eyes were cold and alert, his black hair wild and untamed. A long Zanpakutō rested at his waist, its presence unmistakably real.
Whoosh.
The young man leapt out of the pit in a single motion and dropped to one knee before Renya.
"Greetings… my lord."
He understood instantly.
Not only was the man before him immeasurably stronger than himself even the woman standing beside him radiated pressure far beyond his reach.
Hueco Mundo had always obeyed one law: the strong rule the weak.
Renya smiled faintly.
"Get up."
The boy rose silently.
Nelliel tilted her head, curiosity evident.
"What's your name?"
Many Hollows possessed rudimentary awareness before Arrancarization, but they were driven almost entirely by instinct. Only after losing their masks did true rationality emerge.
"My name," the boy said quietly, "is Perez Laika."
"Then Perez it is," Renya replied. "Come with me."
Renya turned and left the chamber, Perez following without hesitation. They returned to the palace halls of Las Noches. Renya raised a hand and traced a spiritual pattern in the air.
"Grimmjow," he said evenly. "Come here."
Moments later, a ripple of Reiatsu flared as Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez appeared.
"What is it?" Grimmjow asked impatiently.
Renya gestured toward Perez.
"I'm assigning this Arrancar to you. He'll serve as your subordinate."
Grimmjow glanced at Perez with open disdain.
"I don't recruit weaklings."
"Perez," Renya said calmly, "show him."
In the next instant, Perez vanished.
He reappeared directly beside Grimmjow and slashed downward.
"So fast!"
Grimmjow barely stepped back in time. He reached for his Zanpakutō, but Perez's blade cut toward Grimmjow's wrist, forcing him to withdraw his hand.
"Tch."
Perez pressed the advantage, his Zanpakutō moving like a whirlwind. Every attempt Grimmjow made to draw his weapon was interrupted at the exact moment.
In raw speed, Perez was still inferior.
But his timing and reaction were exceptional.
By controlling distance and attack angles, he effectively sealed Grimmjow's ability to draw his sword.
Forced purely on evasion, Grimmjow was momentarily suppressed.
"Don't get cocky, brat."
Grimmjow suddenly reached out barehanded and grabbed Perez's blade.
Slash.
Blood streaked across Grimmjow's palm but his grip held.
With his free hand, Grimmjow drew his own Zanpakutō and swung.
Clang!
Perez's body shifted abruptly. His posture lowered, his back arching as a muzzle protruded from his face. The Zanpakutō vanished, replaced by black claw-like blades extending from each finger.
"Resurrección."
Perez released without hesitation.
He blocked Grimmjow's strike with one claw and slashed forward with the other.
Grimmjow retreated instinctively.
Black light condensed midair
five diamond-shaped projectiles forming and launching simultaneously.
Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.
Grimmjow countered with five rapid slashes. Each projectile detonated violently. The blast radius was contained but the force was immense.
Cracks spread across Grimmjow's Hierro, blood spilling from his hand.
Pain stalled him for an instant.
That was enough.
Perez appeared behind him, claws reaching
Smash.
A massive hand slammed Perez's face downward.
The ground cratered as Perez was driven into the stone.
At that moment, Grimmjow's mask fragment shifted from his cheek to his forehead. His hair shortened, his body clad in white armor, twin blades extending from his forearms.
An incomplete manifestation of Resurrección: Pantera.
"Compared to me," Grimmjow snarled,
"you're still far too weak."
He raised his arm
Clang.
A transparent barrier blocked his strike.
"That's enough," Renya's voice said calmly.
Grimmjow glanced back, clicked his tongue, and withdrew. The armor dissolved as he returned to normal.
Perez stood up slowly.
He was injured but not crippled.
His Hierro was respectable.
"In a real fight, he'd still lose," Renya assessed silently. "But the gap is clear."
"Grimmjow," Renya asked, "he's stronger than your Fracción, isn't he?"
Grimmjow scoffed.
"Much stronger than those idiots."
"Then train him," Renya said. "Make him useful."
Grimmjow nodded once.
"I will."
"Perez," Renya said, "you will obey Grimmjow's orders."
Perez hesitated, then looked at Renya.
"Lord Renya… may I stay at your side instead?"
He remembered attacking Renya once and being spared.
More importantly, he could not comprehend Renya's strength at all. Grimmjow's power was visible, measurable.
Renya's was beyond perception.
Perez yearned for that height.
Renya smiled gently.
"I already have a guard. She may be lazy but her strength is unquestionable."
"Hoo… hoo…"
The response was Nelliel's quiet breathing. She had fallen asleep on the stone steps nearby.
"I understand," Perez said firmly. "I'll work hard."
"Go," Grimmjow said, shoving his hands into his pockets.
They left together.
After they departed, Nelliel opened one eye.
"The experiment worked," she said. "Las Noches will be lively again."
"I won't create many Arrancar," Renya replied, rubbing his brow. "Low-tier ones are meaningless."
Perez was a benchmark, nothing more roughly high Adjuchas to low Captain-adjacent.
Even after perfecting the Hōgyoku, such individuals would still fall short.
Against the Sternritter-level Quincy, even Visored captains like Kensei Muguruma and Rose Ōtoribashi had fallen before fully unleashed Schrift.
The real combat power lay elsewhere.
Harribel. Nelliel. Ulquiorra. Ginjo. Tsukishima.
Unless he encountered a Vasto Lorde-class Hollow, Renya had no intention of conducting further Arrancarization trials.
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