In the main hall of Las Noches, the vast chamber lay in near-total darkness, lit only by the glow of a few floating screens.
"What's that commotion outside?"
From the throne above, Aizen asked in his usual calm tone, gazing down at the two figures before him.
One stood tall and silent. The other was kneeling with head lowered.
"Reporting, Lord Aizen! It's just some trash causing trouble, not worth your concern. I'll send people to eliminate them at once!"
The one on his knees was the current Octava Espada, Szayelaporro Granz. From the instant he'd been summoned, he had known Aizen's intention. A heavy tension pressed on him, forcing him to answer almost before Aizen finished speaking.
"Oh? And what do you think?"
Aizen's gaze shifted to the other.
The one standing was Ulquiorra, Cuarta Espada.
He thought a moment before speaking. "I investigated. The disturbance came from an Adjuchas called Shin, releasing a Cero while fighting a Gillian."
Because Shin always concealed his face with a mask when dealing with subordinates, Las Noches's intelligence had reported him as nothing more than an Adjuchas.
"An Adjuchas-level Cero? Quite a racket for one of those…" Aizen's lips curved faintly.
The volume of a Cero meant little in itself. But for one blast to shake the halls of Las Noches—it was clearly no ordinary Adjuchas.
Szayelaporro grew agitated, as if trying to cover something. "Lord Aizen! It's just worthless trash. Allow me to dispose of it immediately!"
Aizen gave him a sidelong glance before focusing again on Ulquiorra.
Ulquiorra inclined his head slightly, then said, "We also investigated Shin's background. Because of his ability to accelerate corpse decomposition, Grimmjow's fracción recommended him to the Espada to clean up battlefields around Las Noches. In my judgment, he poses no threat to us. But anyone who can tamper with reishi on that level… has some value."
Aizen nodded. Between the two answers, he clearly favored the latter.
But that was only the appetizer. Now he turned to the main issue. "As I recall… Gillians should not be surfacing so easily, should they?"
Hueco Mundo was divided into two realms: the upper surface, home to Aizen's Arrancar army and the upper-ranked Hollows; and beneath the sands, the Great Forest of Menos, where countless Gillians roamed under the command of Adjuchas loyal to Las Noches.
Normally, Gillians never emerged onto the surface, much less approached Las Noches.
So for Shin's group to encounter three Gillians—something was clearly amiss.
Sure enough, Szayelaporro began to unravel under questioning. He bowed lower, voice shaking. "Lord Aizen! The Gillians… they were sent by me."
"Oh… is that all?" Aizen asked softly from the throne.
Szayelaporro trembled, then suddenly blurted, "Ah! I forgot! I also gave orders to… Rudobōn!"
Rudobōn, the Overseer of White Sand, was a massive sand-based Arrancar. He guarded the outskirts of Las Noches and several entrances to the Menos Forest. His strength was considerable, earning the Espada's trust.
Aizen said nothing, letting silence stretch, waiting.
Sweat beaded on Szayelaporro's brow. How could Aizen's intelligence be this sharp?
Finally, he confessed further. "I also summoned a former Espada exile, Arrancar Number 103, Dordoni… But I only suspected them! I acted solely to eliminate hidden dangers for Lord Aizen. For this presumption, I willingly accept punishment!"
Aizen rose from his throne, smiling faintly. "Since you had your reasons, I will not blame you. But if there is a next time…"
…
Under the night sky of the endless desert, at the edge of the battlefield.
Though it had been a struggle, Pesche and Dondochakka had secured victory. One tended to Nel, the other devoured a Gillian—the rare feast of reishi could not be wasted.
As for Shin, he stood before his own kill.
The Gillian he had personally cut down was already dissolving rapidly, its body breaking apart faster than normal. Soon it would vanish completely.
Shin wasn't about to waste it. He opened his system—the "Attribute Editor."
The moment his hand touched the corpse, the familiar chime rang.
[Ding~ Congratulations, Host. R-rank attribute "Cero" collected. "Cero" proficiency +1000.]
Shin shook his head. He had acquired this attribute many times already; he didn't need it.
With a snap of his fingers, he discarded it.
[Ding~ "Cero" attribute discarded. 1000 Reiryoku points refunded.]
He sighed. "Tch… after all that effort, barely worth it."
After all, a single Columnar Cero had cost him far more than 1000 points of energy.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? Devouring Hollows is done with your mouth. What are you doing pawing at corpses with your hands? You're an Arrancar, don't you know basic common sense?!"
At some point, Pesche had appeared behind him, burping as he scolded.
Before Shin could explain, Dondochakka also came over, grinning too broadly. "Ha ha, Shin… who are you really… ha ha~"
Shin blinked. "What kind of question is that? You know who I am."
"Ha ha ha, then let me ask again. Who are you really? Because that Cero you fired back there—that wasn't any ordinary Arrancar's level!"
Pesche froze. "Wait—that bizarre Cero was Shin's?!"
He had been on the far side of the dunes and missed the details.
"Whoa~ Never would've guessed~"
If that Cero had truly come from Shin, then his strength was way beyond what they thought.
Pesche, experienced as a fracción, decided to test him. While Shin was distracted, he struck a sudden palm straight at his chest.
The blow landed clean. A crisp cracking sound rang out.
Fragments scattered to the ground—the broken remains of the mask Shin had been hiding inside his robes.
The air froze.
A few seconds later, Nel burst into tears. "Shin saved Nel, and now you've broken Shin's mask… Waaahhh! You better go apologize, all of you~!"
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150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter