The Power of the Hollow

After finishing his conversation with Hinamori Momo, Seiya stood up to leave.

"Does the Captain have plans tonight?"

Curiosity was a natural trait—Hinamori didn't lack it in the slightest.

Seiya let out a quiet chuckle, sighing softly before answering.

"Yeah, I made dinner plans with someone… Want to come along, Hinamori?"

"Eh?! Ah… I-I think I'll pass!"

"I figured~ Looks like I'll need to get a little closer to you before you'd agree to an outing like that."

It wasn't quite workplace harassment—

But it still made her anxious enough to quickly excuse herself.

"Well then, Captain Arima, I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Yeah, take care on your way back."

As the door clicked shut, Seiya's smile faded.

Now that his duties were settled for the day, he took a moment to compose himself, then headed out.

His destination was all too familiar.

The Ninth Division headquarters.

After greeting the guards as usual, he walked straight in.

Passing through several layers of security, he finally reached his intended location.

A dimly lit room, filled with cables, monitoring screens, and—

Two figures hunched over their desks, their backs turned to him.

They looked as if they hadn't left this underground labyrinth in days.

One of them finally stirred, slowly turning around—

His signature gentle smile in place.

"You're here, Seiya-kun."

Aizen Sōsuke.

Ever since several weeks ago, he had completely abandoned his work in the Third Division, throwing himself entirely into his research.

His dedication was admirable, sure—

But his health was a different matter altogether.

Seiya sighed as he slipped off his haori, rolling his shoulders with a casual stretch.

"You haven't seen the sun in days, have you, Aizen-sensei?"

Aizen's smile remained unchanged.

"Humans are not plants, Seiya-kun. We do not require sunlight to survive."

"You don't have to make it sound so philosophical, Sensei. I'm just saying you shouldn't stay underground forever."

"I understand your concern, but time is of the essence. I cannot rest until I unravel these mysteries."

Typical.

Aizen was completely absorbed in his work.

Seiya sighed again.

"And your responsibilities in the Third Division? You're just ignoring them?"

"With Kyōka Suigetsu maintaining my illusion, and with your assistance… It hasn't been an issue."

Besides—

Aizen's fingers moved swiftly across the keyboard, the glow of multiple monitors reflecting in his tired eyes.

"Kira Izuru is a promising young officer. Familiarizing him with administrative duties early on will only benefit him in the future."

—Hah.

Leave it to Aizen to make skipping work sound righteous.

Seiya studied the dark circles under Aizen's eyes and grimaced slightly.

He was beginning to look like a cave-dweller.

"Come grab a drink with me later, Aizen-sensei."

And of course—

"Tōsen, you should come too."

His invitation was met with silence.

Tōsen Kaname remained expressionless, but Seiya could tell he was waiting for Aizen's decision.

Aizen himself seemed ready to decline—

But after a brief pause, he reconsidered.

"I suppose… after working so intensely, a bit of relaxation wouldn't hurt."

That ability to flip his own convictions in an instant—

Truly terrifying.

Aizen picked up a wet towel, wiping his face to remove the slight sheen of oil from working for too long.

Then, he adjusted his collar slightly before shifting the conversation back to business.

"Since we'll be heading out soon, let's finish our work quickly."

It was logical—tying up loose ends before taking a break.

Seiya had no complaints about that.

He turned to Tōsen, watching as the man silently retrieved several thick stacks of documents and handed them over.

"These are the compiled reports and data summaries from the past week."

—Good grief.

Seiya's head ached just looking at the sheer volume of paperwork.

Not even checking the contents yet, just the weight alone was enough to tell him—

This is going to take hours to read.

Still, he took the stack with respect, giving a small nod.

"Thanks for the hard work, Tōsen."

The other man twitched slightly, as if uncomfortable with the praise.

But he simply nodded and turned back to his own work.

"It was nothing."

—Hah.

He's kind of shy, huh?

Seiya began flipping through the documents, his brows furrowing as he read.

Aizen, sensing his focus, started explaining.

"Over the past few months, we've been carefully analyzing your Hollow replica's capabilities."

Seiya nodded slightly, turning his gaze to the monitor beside him.

Displayed on the screen was a white dragon, its eyes closed, as if dormant.

It was his Yaksha replica.

—Ever since its creation, Aizen had been obsessed.

He had thrown himself into research, practically ignoring everything else.

And now, after months of study—

They finally had concrete results.

This report was the culmination of Aizen and Tōsen's relentless work.

Even Seiya himself probably didn't know as much about his replica as they did.

Aizen cleared his throat, his expression serious.

"There's a lot of information, so I'll keep this brief."

"First and foremost—Seiya-kun, your Hollow form is incredibly deceptive."

"While its classification should place it at the Adjuchas level, our findings indicate otherwise."

He paused, waiting for Seiya to reach the relevant section in the report.

Then, Aizen smiled slightly.

"It actually possesses power on par with a Vasto Lorde."

It wasn't unexpected—but still, Seiya raised a brow.

"What exactly are you basing that conclusion on?"

It was a fair question.

After all, Hollow classifications weren't set in stone.

There was no official documentation governing their ranks—

Only a general understanding that had formed over centuries.

"It's based on multiple factors," Aizen replied smoothly.

"Normally, Vasto Lorde are identified by their human-like appearance, superior abilities, and exceptional spiritual pressure."

"But all of that is merely surface-level."

"The true defining trait…"

"Is the difference in spiritual pressure."

Power ruled Hollows.

The bigger the spiritual pressure, the higher one ranked.

Seiya clicked his tongue, shaking his head with mild amusement.

"So it all comes down to 'might makes right,' huh?"

"For Hollows, that is the only law."

"Your Hollow's spiritual pressure vastly exceeds White's. Based on our calculations, it has reached the level of a Second-Class Spirit Power."

"Simply put, if your replica was released right now, nearly half the current Captains would be unable to defeat it."

A bold claim.

But one that made perfect sense.

Many current Captains were still inexperienced, and some weren't even born when the last Vasto Lorde had surfaced.

"Additionally, I have a theory—"

Aizen's eyes gleamed.

"Your Hollow's power may be directly linked to your own."

Seiya paused.

It made sense—his own power had already reached Second-Class Spirit Level.

And his Yaksha replica was born from his own Bankai.

Of course it couldn't exceed his limits.

Seeing Seiya's small nod, Aizen's smile widened.

"I thought as much."

He was thoroughly pleased.

A rare look of excitement crossed his usually calm features.

"With this, Seiya-kun…"

"Your Hollow…"

"Is the ultimate Shinigami Slayer."

Seiya let out a long sigh, rubbing his temple.

"You're making it sound so dramatic, Sensei."

But—he couldn't deny it.

His Yaksha form was frightening.

A Hollow that could dismantle spiritual energy itself…

What was he even becoming?

Aizen, still smiling, suddenly spoke.

"Now then, Seiya-kun."

"Shall we see it for ourselves?"

Without hesitation—

Seiya raised his hand,

fingers grazing his cheek.

Energy surged within him.

And then—

A white Hollow mask materialized.

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Powerstones?

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