"Roar!"
Just as Raizen Kō raised his borrowed Asauchi and began to murmur the release incantation he had been practicing, a sudden thunderous roar echoed through the air, instantly changing the expressions of all three Shinigami.
"Another Hollow?"
Feeling the chaotic and violent spiritual pressure spreading outward like a storm, Raizen Kō, Madarame Ikkaku, and Ayasegawa Yumichika all became serious.
"Why are Hollows appearing in Rukongai so frequently lately?"
Ayasegawa Yumichika frowned as he sensed the unfamiliar Reiatsu drawing closer, his tone filled with helpless irritation.
If it weren't for the familiar dilapidated streets and rundown buildings surrounding them, he would have almost believed they had somehow wandered straight into Hueco Mundo itself.
Raizen Kō was equally shaken. At this very moment, he clearly sensed spiritual pressure that had already reached the level of an Adjuchas-class Hollow, and yet there had been no disturbance from a Garganta or any other spatial anomaly.
That could only mean one thing—this Hollow, just like the previous incident in East Rukongai District 57, had somehow been born directly within the Soul Society.
"An Adjuchas appearing naturally in Soul Society? That's impossible!"
Raizen Kō muttered under his breath, his expression grim.
He knew very well how Menos Grande evolved.
For a Gillian-class Menos to be born, at least a hundred ordinary Hollows had to devour one another until their souls fused into a single entity. Alternatively, an unusually intelligent Hollow would need to consume hundreds of its kind to forcibly evolve into a Gillian.
To further evolve from Gillian to Adjuchas was even more difficult. A Gillian would need to devour countless others of its own kind, fighting and consuming relentlessly, and even then success was not guaranteed.
That was precisely why Adjuchas were considered rare existences even in Hueco Mundo.
Of course, Raizen Kō knew very well that these were only the normal rules of Hollow evolution—and they certainly did not include abnormal exceptions like his true body, Yekawa.
But by all logic, for an Adjuchas-level entity to appear inside the Soul Society, it would require the deaths and consumption of at least tens of thousands of Rukongai residents.
If such a massive loss of souls had occurred, the Thirteenth Division would have noticed long ago.
That was why Raizen Kō found the current situation so unbelievable.
Without wasting any more time, the three of them simultaneously activated Shunpo, rushing at high speed toward the source of the Reiatsu.
Before long, they arrived at a badly damaged street. The buildings nearby were half collapsed, and the ground was scarred with deep claw marks and scorch marks.
The moment Raizen Kō saw the Hollow responsible, he froze on the spot.
The creature in front of them looked exactly like a miniature Gillian.
It was clearly the most common, unintelligent type of Menos Grande, but its massive body had strangely shrunk to only about five meters tall—far smaller than the usual towering hundred-meter height of a normal Gillian.
Even more unsettling was its mask.
The clown-like mask that normally covered a Gillian's entire face was now only half intact. The exposed portion of its head was pitch black, covered in jagged spikes and twisted flesh.
Judging by the Reiatsu it emitted, it had barely reached the Adjuchas level.
"This is… an Arrancar?"
The moment he laid eyes on the grotesque figure, Raizen Kō finally understood everything.
The reason Adjuchas-level spiritual pressure had suddenly appeared in Rukongai was not because a true Adjuchas had evolved here.
Rather, someone—most likely Aizen Sōsuke—had forcibly created this being.
By using over a hundred human souls from Rukongai to create a Gillian, and then experimenting with primitive Arrancarization, its spiritual pressure had been artificially raised to Adjuchas-level.
However, judging from its unstable appearance and violent, mindless behavior, it was obvious that the experiment had failed.
This creature had not regained any intelligence at all. It was merely a pseudo-Arrancar, an incomplete prototype.
Realizing this, Raizen Kō immediately decided not to act.
He knew that this was almost certainly part of Aizen's hidden experiments, and there was a high chance that Aizen himself or one of his subordinates was secretly observing the outcome.
If he displayed too much strength at this stage and attracted Aizen's attention, it would only cause unnecessary trouble.
Although there was also a good chance that Aizen would not even notice him, Raizen Kō preferred to be cautious.
Until this clone possessed strength comparable to a high-level Squad Captain, he had no intention of entering Aizen Sōsuke's field of vision.
Besides, dealing with a mere pseudo-Arrancar was more than manageable for Ikkaku and Yumichika.
"Bloom, Fujikujaku!"
Ayasegawa Yumichika wasted no time and released his semi-Shikai, charging toward the enemy with elegant yet deadly movements.
"Gillian were already ugly enough, but you're even worse! Something this hideous doesn't deserve to exist!"
The curved blades of Fujikujaku unfolded like flower petals as Yumichika slashed toward the pseudo-Arrancar's neck.
"Extend, Hozukimaru!"
At the same time, Madarame Ikkaku activated his Shikai as well, transforming his Zanpakutō into a long spear and sweeping viciously at the Hollow's legs.
Under the combined assault of two officers whose strength was already close to Vice-Captain level, the pseudo-Arrancar stood no chance at all.
Yumichika's blade sliced open its neck, while Ikkaku's spear severed both of its legs in a single powerful strike.
"Roar!"
Crippled and enraged, the creature lashed out wildly. The nails on its remaining hand elongated like steel blades, stabbing toward the two Shinigami.
Unfortunately for it, those attacks could not even come close to touching them.
Unlike true Arrancar, this imperfect experiment seemed incapable of using Sonido, leaving it helpless after losing its legs.
In desperation, it opened its mouth and began gathering spiritual pressure.
A black-red Cero formed inside its throat.
But Ikkaku had no intention of giving it that chance.
With a fierce grin, he hurled Hozukimaru forward, cleanly slicing off its already damaged head.
Just like that, the pseudo-Arrancar was swiftly and efficiently eliminated.
Moments later, its body crumbled into spiritual particles and dispersed into the air of Soul Society.
"Tch… that's it?"
Ikkaku looked at the fading remains with obvious dissatisfaction.
Then he turned toward Raizen Kō with excitement.
"Little Kō, come on! Let's continue our fight!"
Raizen Kō shook his head and calmly returned the borrowed Asauchi.
"Ikkaku-senpai, let's spar again next time."
The sudden appearance of the pseudo-Arrancar had completely killed his previous enthusiasm for battle.
Just as Ikkaku was about to protest, Yumichika stepped in.
"Enough, Ikkaku. Hollows have been appearing far too often in Rukongai recently, and that half-masked creature was especially strange. We need to report this to the Captain."
Reluctantly, Ikkaku agreed and left with Yumichika.
Not long after they departed, the air in the ruined street shimmered.
A curtain-like illusion faded away, revealing the figure of a dark-skinned Shinigami with dreadlocks.
It was Tōsen Kaname.
Eleventh Division Barracks
Ayasegawa Yumichika stood before a large, intimidating man wearing a Captain's haori, an eyepatch, and small bells tied into his spiky hair.
There was no mistaking him.
Zaraki Kenpachi.
"So you're saying this Raizen Kō brat can fight evenly with Ikkaku without even releasing his Zanpakutō?"
Kenpachi asked with obvious interest.
"That's right, Captain!" Ikkaku confirmed excitedly.
"Captain, shouldn't we report that strange Hollow to the Captain-Commander?"
Yumichika asked again.
Kenpachi waved his hand dismissively.
"It's just a Hollow. No big deal. Cleaning up Rukongai is the Ninth Division's job anyway. Go tell Muguruma Kensei about it."
"Yes, Captain."
That Night, in a Forest of Rukongai
"Lord Aizen, the experiment succeeded in increasing its spiritual pressure to Adjuchas level. However, it failed to regain intelligence."
"It was eliminated by the Eleventh Division's Third Seat and Fifth Seat."
Aizen Sōsuke listened calmly to Tōsen Kaname's report.
"It was only a low-level Gillian. Losing it is of no consequence."
Pushing up his glasses, Aizen smiled faintly.
"Kaname, focus on perfecting your Bankai. The next stage of the plan will require it."
"Yes… Lord Aizen."