Chapter 43

"Hack me to death?"

Szayel Aporro narrowed his eyes, mocking, "Are you joking?"

He stretched his hands behind his back.

Then,

The bone-like wings on his back began to writhe, and eventually produced a puppet fruit.

The puppet resembled a miniature version of Shinji.

Taking the doll, Szayel Aporro opened the top of its head, licked his lips, and inserted his fingers into the doll's abdominal cavity.

"Ah, the spleen, huh?"

Szayel Aporro grinned.

Crack.

He crushed the piece labeled "spleen" without hesitation.

Shinji's steps stopped abruptly!

"Heh? Why stop? Weren't you coming to hack me to death?"

Szayel Aporro snapped his fingers and pulled out another organ.

This time, it was the stomach!

Crack! It too was crushed.

Szayel Aporro watched the immobile Shinji, then covered his head and burst into laughter.

"Why aren't you moving, Shinigami?"

"Does it hurt? It must be excruciating."

"This feeling of helplessness, watching your organs being crushed one by one and not being able to do anything about it, that's the best entertainment!"

Szayel Aporro looked down on Shinji like a god playing with a mortal's life.

At the moment the copy was made, Szayel Aporro had also created a controller doll, a cursed voodoo-like effigy.

Its ability was to "control the opponent's five senses." Damage done to the doll would reflect on the real target.

He could even extract and destroy the internal organs inside the doll to affect the same organs in Shinji's body.

This kind of perverse manipulation of life was Szayel Aporro's ultimate pleasure.

"Next up... the lungs."

He smiled cruelly, then crushed the lungs.

Crack!

Shinji coughed softly, clutching his chest.

"Yes, that's it. That painful expression, truly delicious."

Szayel Aporro twisted the doll's arms, further toying with Shinji.

"Despair?"

Shinji suddenly spoke, expression calm: "Go ahead."

"...Huh?"

Szayel Aporro frowned instinctively.

Did he just say... continue?

Was this Shinigami really not trying to resist anymore? Just going to die like this?

Or was this really all the Gotei 13 had to offer?

"Why'd you stop? Keep going."

Shinji looked up, urging him.

In the distance, Pesche swallowed nervously.

"Pretending to be tough..."

"Stop looking at me with that disgusting expression, Shinigami!"

Szayel Aporro was completely enraged.

He violently twisted the doll's arms,

And grabbed a handful of internal organs, crushing them all without looking.

Crack crack crack,

Fragments of the doll fell to the floor.

Shinji let out a faint groan.

"Still alive?"

"Tch, you got lucky. I didn't crush the heart."

Szayel Aporro adjusted his glasses and held up the heart.

"But... now it's over."

Crack!

The heart shattered.

Shinji... slowly lowered his head.

"It's over, Shinigami!!"

Szayel Aporro laughed maniacally, pointing at Shinji "Did you really think you could challenge me, Szayel Aporro?! I'm not a brainless idiot like Nnoitra!"

"Ah... I'll take good care of your body."

"This body of yours, must be extremely valuable."

He began walking toward Shinji's "corpse",

But then,

Thump... thump...

A deep, resonant heartbeat echoed through the air.

"What...?"

Szayel Aporro's pupils shrank as he instinctively retreated, staring at Shinji's body.

Then, he froze.

Kuchiki Shinji slowly lifted his head, eyes calm but intense.

Despite all his organs being crushed, he was still alive?!

Why?

With injuries like that, he should be dead!

"...What an unexpected bonus."

Clutching his chest, Shinji's eyes shimmered with a faint joy.

In the center of his chest, there was heat.

The Hōgyoku was accelerating its fusion with him.

Szayel Aporro's actions had inadvertently triggered the Hōgyoku's awakening.

If before, Shinji had estimated it would take a month to enter the "Collapse Three Fusion State",

Now, with some extra "training sessions" from Nilu...

It might only take a week!

"What the hell are you...?"

Szayel Aporro took an instinctive step back.

This Shinigami was unnatural.

He ignored a Gran Rey Cero... and now even crushed internal organs had no effect?

Is he a monster...? A god...?

"I didn't expect you to push my evolution this far."

"So,"

"As a thank-you gift..."

"Let me show you my real power."

Shinji slowly drew Reiji.

At that moment,

The Hōgyoku's power fused with his Reiatsu.

A blue-purple energy surged from the blade of Reiji.

In the next second,

Shinji raised his sword, and in a flash, a slash passed cleanly through Szayel Aporro and landed behind him.

"Did you hear it...?

The whisper of Reiji."

As the sword returned to its sheath with a soft click,

Splurt!

Szayel Aporro froze in place.

He slowly looked down at his body, where arcs of blue-violet electricity crackled.

Blood sprayed, and his body collapsed, lifeless, into a pool of crimson.

"He... he killed him?"

Dondochakka, who had returned with Nilu, stared in disbelief at Szayel Aporro's corpse.

"Even Szayel Aporro was cut down in one blow? The mystery behind Lord Shinji's power is unfathomable..."

Two top-level Espada, killed in one short battle.

Pesche stood up, deeply moved.

With that...

Nilu's revenge had been fully exacted, by Lord Shinji.

The two villains responsible for breaking her mask, damaging her Reiatsu, and forcing her demotion,

Had been slain.

"Szayel Aporro... isn't dead."

Shinji interrupted.

"Nani?!"

Pesche's pupils shrank. He looked at Szayel Aporro's corpse in alarm.

The Reiatsu was completely gone, the body sliced in half, how was he still alive?

"Because that Szayel Aporro wasn't the real one."

"Just a copy. A split-off. A clone."

Pesche was stunned.

Szayel Aporro... wasn't truly dead?

"Szayel Aporro is a very special case among the Espada."

"In Espada, there are five confirmed Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar, true royal-level Menos Grande."

"No. 1: Coyote Starrk.

No. 2: Baraggan Louisenbairn.

No. 3: Tia Harribel.

Former No. 3: Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck.

No. 4: Ulquiorra Cifer."

"But aside from them,"

"There is one hidden, deeply buried, irregular existence..."

"Szayel Aporro."

"Despite currently being only Adjuchas-class, his abilities are terrifying."

"In life, he was a human alchemist. His brother, a military officer, often brought him defeated enemies as experimental material."

"That's when Szayel Aporro began experimenting on humans, and became a scientist."

"Later, both brothers died and became Hollows. Szayel Aporro devoured his brother's soul and many others."

"Through relentless hunting and evolution,"

"He gained power strong enough to surpass even Vasto Lorde-class beings."

During this period, Szayel Aporro evolved into a Vasto Lorde-class Hollow.

Because Szayel Aporro frequently required living subjects for his experiments, he became accustomed to suppressing his own power in battle.

After being recruited by Baraggan and serving as a researcher in Hueco Mundo, Szayel Aporro was later incorporated into the Espada by Aizen, who had overthrown Baraggan and assumed control of Las Noches, as the original Espada No. 0.

In other words, he was once the strongest among the Espada!

However, in order to study the nature of perfect life and to complete his "Rebirth Notification" process, Szayel Aporro split his body into two. The separated part became his elder brother, Espada No. 15, Ilforte Granz.

As a result, his power declined, and he regressed to the Adjuchas-level Menos Grande, thus being removed from the Espada rankings.

It wasn't until after the success of his "Rebirth Notification" that he re-entered the Espada ranks as No. 8.

It was also during this time that Szayel Aporro used a device of his own creation to assist Nnoitra in ambushing Nilu, seriously injuring her and reducing her to the Adjuchas level.

"So Szayel Aporro is also a Vasto Lorde Menos Grande…" Pesche muttered in a daze after hearing Shinji's explanation.

No wonder.

Even though there was a gap of three ranks between Szayel Aporro and Nnoitra, their relationship was oddly close. Szayel Aporro didn't speak to Nnoitra with any real respect, and Nnoitra didn't seem to mind.

This was likely because Szayel Aporro was once Espada No. 0!

"His real body never came here. What we fought was most likely just a clone or a fragment of himself," Shinji said, pausing for a moment before raising his hand. A bolt of lightning shot out, instantly crystallizing the surrounding sand and encasing Szayel Aporro's body.

"Captain Shinji, what are you doing?" Pesche asked, confused.

"Taking him back. Even if it's just a clone or fragment, this body likely holds high research value."

After all, Szayel Aporro's original body was once a Vasto Lorde-level king-class Menos Grande. That alone made this corpse worth preserving.

It was unfortunate Kurotsuchi Mayuri wasn't around, or he'd have loved it.

But Unohana Retsu might find some value in it too.

"Let's go, Pesche."

Nearby, Dondochakka lifted the stone shell that held the body with ease.

Thanks to Pesche and Dondochakka, there was no longer any need for the child-form Nilu to fight. She could now rest.

"Yes, Magical Balance!" Pesche nodded.

A Garganta opened up before them.

Several hours later, back in the Soul Society.

Shinji returned directly to the Kuchiki estate through the portal. As soon as he stepped out, he bumped into Rukia, squatting outside and looking spaced out.

"That's… a Menos Grande?!"

The ahoge on Rukia's head bristled as she pointed in shock at the two odd-looking humanoids behind Shinji.

Rukia rubbed her eyes and looked again.

Yup. That was a Menos Grande, no doubt.

Why was a Menos Grande at the Kuchiki residence?!

Without hesitation, she drew her Zanpakutō and charged straight at them.

Shinji immediately grabbed her by the neck and restrained her. Compared to his size, Rukia looked tiny in his grip.

"Let go, Shinji! They're Hollows! Adjuchas-class Menos Grandes!"

"They might even be Arrancar!" Rukia shouted, her Zanpakutō radiating cold spiritual pressure.

After joining the Thirteenth Division, Rukia had quickly learned her Shikai: Sode no Shirayuki, said to be the most beautiful Zanpakutō in all of Soul Society.

"They're not enemies. They're Nilu's subordinates. I'll report to the captain and arrange for them to join Squad 10," Shinji explained.

Hearing that, Rukia stopped struggling, and the spiritual pressure faded.

With a reddening face, she jumped out of Shinji's arms.

Lowering her head, she mumbled, "So... they're not enemies."

Her voice was soft, filled with a hint of shy sulking, almost as if she were pouting for attention.

So Shinji acted boldly.

"Of course not."

As he stroked her ahoge, he looked out of the room, and saw the pouting face of the blonde Hair, Matsumoto Rangiku.

"Captain Shinji~"

Rangiku said in a sweet, accusing tone as she rushed over and buried Shinji's head in her chest.

"You're the worst! You left me all alone to manage the entire Squad 10 while you were off having fun in the human world!"

"Rangiku… I can't… breathe…"

"You heartless man! How could you do this to me,"

"Rangiku… seriously… I can't take it anymore…"

"Still resisting? You won't even let me vent?"

Cold sweat poured from Rukia as she tugged gently at Rangiku's sleeve "Um… I think Captain Shinji's soul is about to leave his body…"

She wasn't imagining it, she did just see a faint ghost float out of Shinji.

Maybe it was real?

"Ah? He's really suffocating?"

Rangiku finally let go.

Shinji flopped to the floor with a thud, half-dead.

Her chest alone was a lethal weapon. Shinji barely survived that.

After taking a deep breath, he glanced at Rangiku again.

Yep. Definitely a weapon of mass destruction.

"Aww, Rukia~ Come over here! Let me see how much you've grown!"

"Miss Rangiku! Please stop!"

But it was too late.

Rangiku reached for Rukia with her wicked hands.

Rukia hugged herself and trembled in a corner.

"Let me check your development, come on now~"

"Huh? Still flat? That won't do. Rukia-chan, you have to catch up!"

At that moment…

Rukia slumped to the floor, her spirit broken.

She had lost the will to live.

Shinji gave her a sympathetic look.

"Huh? And who are these two?" Rangiku finally noticed Pesche and Dondochakka trembling in the corner.

Pesche: "…"

This is a Shinigami?!

Dondochakka: "…"

Even Lord Shinji can't win against her. Better keep a safe distance from now on!

"Alright, Rangiku, stop teasing Rukia. She's still a child."

Hearing that, Rukia gratefully hid behind Shinji… only to freeze.

Just a child?

She looked down at herself.

Then at Rangiku's massive chest.

So this was Shinji's type, huh?