Chapter 331: You're Letting Me Leave?
"Hungry, so hungry ahhhhh!!!"
Inside the life support pod, Shinji Hirako screamed in agony.
White foam gushed from all his facial features.
The next moment, terrifying Reiatsu violently erupted!
The tubes inserted into Shinji Hirako couldn't possibly absorb such massive Reiatsu and were instantly blown away.
The container shattered, nutrient fluid splattering everywhere.
A Reiatsu barrier floated before Aizen, blocking all the flying liquid.
Crack!
Under everyone's gaze, Shinji Hirako stepped on the broken glass of the life support pod.
A helmet-like mask appeared on his face.
Though it lasted only a few seconds, Shinji Hirako had completely entered Hollowfication state.
Aizen stroked his chin.
"Hmm... entering the state this quickly even under non-voluntary conditions?"
"Used properly, this could serve as a control ability."
When facing multiple enemies of similar level, suddenly using the Hōgyoku to Hollowfy one or two would certainly cause massive chaos.
The specific operational methods could be verified through future experiments.
Aizen's mood lifted pleasantly.
Meanwhile, Shinji Hirako had fully entered his state.
With a loud roar, he drew his Zanpakutō and charged straight at Aizen.
"Lord Aizen!"
Tier Harribel didn't hesitate, using Sonído to block in front of Aizen.
If Aizen got cut down right before her eyes, she wouldn't be able to face Satoru.
Several other Arrancar rushed over to protect Aizen.
However, before they could even react, they saw that Aizen had somehow already appeared in front of them.
Facing the unstoppable Hollowfied Hirako, Aizen simply raised his Zanpakutō.
First, he deflected Hirako's descending blade to the side.
Then, pressed downward—
BOOM!!!!
Hollowfied Shinji Hirako crashed headfirst into the ground.
A terrifying Reiatsu, like an orbital weapon, descended from the endless sky, pinning him down mercilessly.
Centered on Shinji Hirako's body, a cylindrical pillar of Reiatsu two meters in diameter immobilized him completely.
Yet those around him felt nothing at all.
"Gulp."
Several Arrancars couldn't help but swallow hard.
Powerful Reiatsu was nothing new.
Starkk and Baraggan Louisenbairn also possessed Reiatsu beyond ordinary comprehension.
But to wield Reiatsu with such precision, as if it were a work of art—that truly demonstrated skill.
As expected of Lord Mikami's close friend!
"Roar!!! Uooohhh!!!"
Shinji Hirako lay prone on the ground, struggling wildly.
However, under the suppression of Aizen's Reiatsu and Zanpakutō, even standing up was a distant hope.
Aizen looked down at Shinji Hirako beneath his feet, pondering for a few seconds.
Then, he crouched down and began manipulating the latter's head with his Zanpakutō...
...
...
Shinji Hirako had a nightmare.
In the dream, Satoru became the ruler of the Three Realms, seated upon a lofty throne, emitting a resoundingly evil laugh.
Below, countless muscular brutes roamed freely.
Among them were Shinigami, Arrancars, and even Quincy.
On the throne, Satoru raised his right hand, pointing his index finger to the sky, while placing his left hand over his chest, declaring—
"From this day forth! All beautiful girls in the world shall become part of this great king's harem! Everyone else must marry muscular brutes!"
Shinji Hirako's pupils trembled violently.
He turned to flee, but before he could take more than a few steps, a rough, large hand grabbed his shoulder.
Terrified, he turned back and saw a fully muscular Aizen smiling eerily at him.
"Captain Hirako, where are you going?"
"Eeeekaaaaahhhhh!!!!!"
With a heart-rending scream, Shinji Hirako's eyes snapped open.
After a brief moment of panic and existential doubt, he gradually sighed in relief.
Just a dream... Thank goodness, thank goodness.
Still shaken, he assessed his situation.
This place... seemed to be a hospital, with decor similar to the Fourth Division.
White bedding, the faint scent of disinfectant.
He frowned, rubbing his temples.
If he remembered correctly, he seemed to have been modified by Aizen with something...
At this thought, Shinji Hirako's pupils contracted.
Hollowfication!
An ability he'd never heard of, yet inexplicably surfaced in his mind.
Trembling slightly, he pressed his hand to his forehead.
Then, he pulled downward.
A bony texture, never felt before, appeared on his face.
Along with the Hollowfication, Shinji Hirako felt the Reiatsu within him surge violently.
That Reiatsu, mixed with Hollow power, elevated his strength layer by layer.
Since becoming a captain, Shinji Hirako hadn't experienced such exhilarating power growth in over a century.
For a moment, he even forgot his current predicament, feeling a thrill of excitement.
But soon, he calmed down.
This was Hollow power... Why would a Shinigami like him possess Hollow power?
What exactly had Aizen done to him?
Then, a more pressing issue arose before him.
Now that he had become half-Shinigami, half-Hollow, would the Seireitei tolerate such a thing?
If discovered, what would Central 46 do?
What would Captain-Commander Yamamoto do?
Swish!
As Shinji Hirako's thoughts raced, the hospital room door slid open sideways, revealing Aizen's figure standing there.
Seeing Shinji Hirako, he curled his lips into a smile.
"Good morning, Captain Hirako. It seems you slept well."
"Aizen…"
Shinji Hirako gritted his teeth.
Aizen chuckled lightly:
"Congratulations, Captain Hirako, for successfully surviving the Hollowfication procedure."
"You must have already sensed it—your current strength has been significantly enhanced."
"However, as the price for gaining this power, you also bear the risks that come with it."
"If Seireitei, Captain-Commander Yamamoto, or even the Zero Division were to discover that you've violated taboos to obtain such power, what would they do?"
"And it's not just them—your subordinates, your allies… I doubt any of them would accept someone who could turn into a Hollow at any moment."
"How does it feel to wake up one day and suddenly become public enemy number one? Quite interesting, isn't it?"
Interesting my ass!!!!
Shinji Hirako widened his eyes, glaring furiously at Aizen.
This entire situation was all this bastard's fault!
Staring at Aizen, he suddenly remembered the dream he'd just had.
Goosebumps rose on his skin.
Aizen walked over and checked the monitoring equipment by the bedside.
"Hmm... Heart rate normal, some fluctuations in brainwaves. Be careful not to get too agitated—it's not good for your health."
"All parameters look good, Captain Hirako. I never would have guessed you'd make such an excellent test subject. Pity we didn't utilize you earlier."
After completing his notes, he nodded.
"Alright, you may leave now."
"?"
Shinji Hirako was momentarily stunned by Aizen's words.
"Leave? You're letting me go?"
"Otherwise? Did you want to stay?"
Aizen seemed surprised. "If that's the case, I don't mind. I happen to have several new projects that require test subjects..."
"No, what I mean is... Aren't you afraid I'll report everything I know to Central 46..."
Before he could finish, Hirako's face darkened.
Damn it. Behind Central 46 stood the Five Noble Clans.
Aside from one family that remained completely uninvolved, the other four were already firmly in Satoru's pocket.
As for reporting to the Captain-Commander... Leaving aside whether he'd believe it, even if he did, it wasn't certain he'd be willing to completely break relations.
Even the Zero Division might not offer much support in this matter.
After all, the Zero Division's duty was solely to guard the Soul King Palace. What happened in Hueco Mundo wasn't particularly important to them.
Fuck. When he thought about it this way, despite possessing crucial intelligence, it was completely useless?!
Just as his mentality was beginning to crumble, Aizen spoke:
"It's fine, Captain Hirako."
"Although there aren't many who can help you, you can continue striving alone with the goal of defeating me and Satoru."
"As your subordinate, I'll support you."
"Honestly, I'm quite curious to see how far you can go."
Hearing this, Shinji Hirako grew irritated.
This bastard—what did he take him for? Some kind of toy to be played with at will?
Then Aizen added:
"Of course, if you keep jumping around, it would become rather troublesome."
"To add some excitement to the game, I'll establish a penalty rule."
"You can scheme against us all you want, but every time I catch you, I'll shave your head bald."
"Just like now."
As he spoke, he produced a mirror from somewhere.
Looking at his reflection, Shinji Hirako felt like he'd been screwed over by Komamura.
At some point, his hair had been completely shaved off again!
"Bastard... So last time really was intentional!"
"Heh, I don't understand what you're saying, Captain Hirako."
"After leaving here, ask for the 'gatekeeper' and someone will take you back to the Soul Society."
Having said this, Aizen put away the mirror and turned to leave.
When he reached the door, he glanced back.
Shinji Hirako looked over.
Then he started slightly.
The Aizen before him now wore no smile—only a quiet, icy coldness.
"Captain Hirako."
"I look forward to seeing you survive until the end."
"I'm quite curious what expression you'll make after witnessing the new world."
With these words, he closed the door and left.
Shinji Hirako stared at the door for a long time without speaking.
...
...
Stepping out of the Garganta portal and setting foot once more on the soil of Soul Society, Shinji Hirako let out a sigh of relief.
He had thought he would never return to Soul Society in his lifetime.
Either becoming Aizen's permanent test subject or simply being killed.
Never did he expect that guy Aizen would actually release him.
He couldn't help but recall the words spoken to him in the Garganta passage earlier by that green-haired female Arrancar—
"Mr. Hirako, if I'm not mistaken, the reason Lord Aizen let you go is because of Lord Mikami."
"Satoru?"
Shinji Hirako was puzzled: "Why?"
"Because... Lord Mikami is a gentle person. He doesn't wish to see his path forward paved with the corpses and blood of others."
Upon hearing this, Shinji Hirako scoffed.
"Satoru might be that kind of person, but Aizen wouldn't care about such things."
"I know that guy all too well. To achieve his goals, he wouldn't even blink at killing me, let alone wiping out the entire Gotei 13."
Nel shook her head.
"Lord Aizen... he truly doesn't care about these things."
"But, he does care about Lord Mikami."
"I believe that unless it's something he absolutely cannot accomplish, he won't go against Lord Mikami's wishes."
Shinji Hirako clicked his tongue.
Though reluctant to admit it, what the Arrancar said seemed to make some sense.
That guy Aizen did seem to behave somewhat differently when Satoru was present versus when he wasn't.
He suddenly remembered a movie he had secretly watched while slacking off during a mission in the human world.
A little girl and a giant monster understanding each other, the monster capable of destroying everything without hesitation, yet never going against the little girl's wishes...
No, he shouldn't dwell on this any further.
Just thinking about casting Satoru as the little girl and Aizen as the monster gave him a feeling akin to having slept with Komamura.
If anything, it should be the other way around for those two...
With mixed emotions, Shinji Hirako returned to Seireitei.
Having been absent for so many days, the Fifth Division must be in complete chaos by now.
He needed to carefully consider how to explain his whereabouts these past few days.
Entering the Fifth Division, he soon encountered some squad members.
"Captain Hirako!"
Seeing Hirako, the squad members immediately bowed without hesitation.
"Oh, busy?"
Hirako grinned: "These past few days... huh?"
Before he could finish, he was surprised to find two members turning to leave.
He quickly stopped them.
"Wait, you two. After not seeing your captain for several days, aren't you at all curious to ask where I've been?"
Hearing this, both of them paused in confusion.
"Captain... hasn't been around for days?"
"Oh, now that you mention it, I haven't seen the captain recently..."
"I don't really have any impression of it."
After confirming with each other, one of them smiled apologetically.
"Sorry, Captain. Vice-Captain Aizen has been handling all the squad affairs. None of us really needed to seek you out, so we didn't really notice..."
"Oh, what were you going to say earlier? Where have you been these past few days?"
Hirako: "..."
Under the puzzled gazes of the two squad members, he turned around and slowly walked away.
Walking along the long wooden corridor, he encountered another group of squad members.
One of them spotted him and suddenly exclaimed.
"Captain Hirako!"
"Hmm?"
Shinji Hirako's eyes lit up.
Sure enough, someone had noticed his situation!
Under his somewhat expectant gaze, the squad member excitedly said:
"Who would've thought! You've started liking the bald hairstyle too!"
"Not long ago, I saw you with it once and thought someone had forcibly shaved your head. I never expected you'd go bald again so soon!"
"I really like the bald hairstyle too. It's an honor to share the same taste with you!"
Hirako: "..."
He suddenly felt an impulse to join Satoru's faction and just destroy this world.
After a brief moment of frustration, he gritted his teeth.
Aizen... Aizen!
He and that bastard were absolutely irreconcilable!
Satoru had deep background connections and was difficult to deal with, but could you, Sōsuke Aizen, be the same?
You're not from the Mikami family!
I, Shinji Hirako, will definitely make you know my power!!!