Meanwhile, after leaving Cyrus behind, Aizen regrouped with Gin and Tosen and departed Hueco Mundo.
Gin kept his usual narrow-eyed smile as he studied Aizen's expression.
Before he could decide how to broach the subject, however, Tosen spoke for him.
"Lord Aizen, did something happen?"
Tosen was not naturally curious.
He had simply noticed that Aizen's mood was different and wanted to know whether there was anything he could do to help.
"A troublesome individual."
Aizen's answer made both men pause.
"Sounds like he exceeded even your expectations, Captain Aizen."
Gin smiled as he spoke.
"He did. Which means our plans will need to change."
Change?
A faint glint appeared behind Gin's narrowed eyes.
Just how powerful did this stranger have to be for Aizen to alter a plan that had been prepared for so long?
Gin had joined Aizen when he was still very young and understood better than most how powerful—and meticulous—the man truly was.
He also knew that Aizen's intention to seize control of Hueco Mundo had existed for years.
Much of what they had done until now had, directly or indirectly, been preparation for that goal.
Yet one unexpected stranger had appeared, and Aizen was already reconsidering everything.
"I know what you're wondering."
Aizen continued calmly.
"What he possesses is an entirely different system of power. It's unusual, apparently very high-level, and extremely valuable for research."
Cyrus's overwhelming strength alone was not enough to make Aizen reconsider his plans.
What truly interested him was the unfamiliar power behind that strength.
Aizen's goal had always been to transcend the limits of a Shinigami and reach something greater.
If this newly discovered form of power could contribute to that pursuit, he had no intention of ignoring it.
The problem was Cyrus himself.
Aizen could not see through him at all, while Cyrus clearly knew far more about Aizen than he should.
Fortunately, Cyrus also seemed interested in the powers of Shinigami.
As long as both sides wanted something, there was at least the possibility of a transaction.
For now, though, Cyrus was staying in Hueco Mundo.
If Aizen continued with his original plan to seize control of the realm immediately, direct conflict between them would become difficult to avoid.
It would be better to withdraw, observe how Hueco Mundo changed after Cyrus's arrival, and decide what to do afterward.
Besides, Aizen had not yet obtained the most important piece of his plan.
It was still too early to expose himself.
So rather than returning to Las Noches, the three Shinigami left Hueco Mundo entirely and returned to Soul Society.
Baraggan, meanwhile, remained in Las Noches waiting for them to come back.
He waited.
And waited.
No one returned.
His anger only grew.
Baraggan had already sensed Aizen's terrifying strength, and being forced to endure such an open display of superiority had infuriated him enough.
Now the man had simply disappeared without bothering to finish what he started.
That somehow made it even worse.
In short, Baraggan was in an exceptionally bad mood.
…
Back aboard the Rose Hunter, Cyrus looked over the three Hollows sitting before him.
Coyote Starrk wore the exhausted expression of a man who deeply regretted getting involved in any of this.
He was an Arrancar who had achieved the transformation on his own and, in another future, would become the Primera Espada.
Nelliel looked far more nervous.
The petrification had already been removed from her body, revealing white armor-like plating and an antelope skull resting atop her head.
She kept her head lowered, seemingly unsure where she was even supposed to look.
She also appeared to have become an Arrancar naturally, though perhaps not a completely stabilized one.
Harribel was different from both of them, having followed a more conventional path of Hollow evolution.
"First of all, I'm not a Shinigami."
Cyrus raised one hand as he spoke, then pointed behind them.
Three clusters of green vines emerged from the deck, twisted together, and hardened into seats.
All three Hollows took the hint and sat down.
"Good. That means you're at least willing to hear what I have to say."
"What about me?"
Lilynette, who had been hiding behind Starrk the entire time, immediately stuck her head out.
"They all got chairs!"
Cyrus glanced at her and created a fourth vine seat without complaint.
"As I said, I'm not a Shinigami, so I have no particular interest in killing you."
"Then… what do you want from us?"
Nelliel finally raised her head and asked quietly.
Starrk and Harribel clearly wanted the same answer, because both looked toward Cyrus.
"Good question."
Cyrus spread his hands.
"I have no idea."
The three Hollows stared at him.
Then Cyrus pointed at the deck beneath their feet.
"As you can see, my ship has run aground."
A ship had run aground.
In Hueco Mundo.
All three of them were internally screaming at the absurdity of that sentence.
"So I'll be staying here for a while. Once I understand this world better, I'll decide what to do next."
"Then what about all those Hollows you killed earlier?"
Harribel asked in a low voice.
"They came after me."
Cyrus looked at her as though the answer were obvious.
"What was I supposed to do, stand there and let them kill me?"
Starrk couldn't stop himself.
"I'm pretty sure they couldn't kill you even if you stood there and did nothing."
Cyrus turned toward him.
"If a huge swarm of rats—actually, you probably don't know what rats are."
He corrected himself without missing a beat.
"Would you let a huge crowd of Hollows jump around in front of you forever without doing anything?"
"Of course not."
Harribel answered almost instinctively.
Compared with Starrk and Nelliel, Harribel had followed the more typical path of Hollow evolution.
She might have fought less after reaching her current level, but before that, she and her companions had battled other powerful Hollows countless times.
That was simply how Hueco Mundo worked.
Even someone with Starrk's or Nelliel's personality could never completely avoid it.
"So basically, we were exactly the same as those idiots who rushed you."
Starrk covered his face with one hand and groaned.
"Pretty much."
Cyrus nodded.
"If you hadn't come looking for me, I probably wouldn't have gone looking for you."
He paused.
"Well… maybe."
Starrk slowly lowered his hand.
Cyrus thought about it more carefully and realized that, among the inhabitants of Hueco Mundo, these were some of the few people he actually remembered.
The three in front of him.
Or rather, four if Lilynette counted separately.
There was a very real chance he would have eventually sent someone to find them anyway.
"So here's how things will work."
Cyrus settled back comfortably.
"For as long as I'm staying in Hueco Mundo, you work for me. When I eventually leave, you can go back to whatever you were doing before."
"Don't worry. I'm not a monster. I won't work you too hard."
Starrk stared at him.
"Do we actually have the option to refuse?"
Cyrus ignored the question completely.
"First job."
He pointed at Starrk.
"Take Las Noches for me."
Starrk's expression froze.
"As for Baraggan, beat him up and bring him here."
"Huh?"
Starrk looked utterly defeated already.
"That guy's a pain to deal with."
"But he isn't stronger than you."
Cyrus pointed toward Nelliel and Harribel.
"And you've got help."
Then he gestured specifically toward Harribel.
"She should be particularly willing."
Harribel fell silent.
He wasn't wrong.
Not long ago, she and her companions had clashed with Baraggan's forces and come away badly hurt.
If Cyrus was giving her an opportunity to settle that score, she had very little reason to refuse.
"So go."
Cyrus waved them away.
Footsteps approached from behind.
Robin appeared carrying a tray.
"How is it?" Cyrus asked.
"Pretty good."
Robin looked down at what she had brought.
"This environment really is unusual. The food seems to spoil much more slowly here."
With that, she carried the tray over and placed it in front of the three Hollows.