The Alchemist in Bleach

"Who!?" Upon hearing the sudden voice, Szayelaporro immediately looked towards the doorway warily. At the same time, he shouted sharply and hid behind Barragán.

Well, there's nothing we can do about it. After all, he's really weak right now. An enemy who can infiltrate the Void Palace silently is probably beyond his ability to deal with. He's very self-aware.

Barragán was satisfied with Szayelaporro's reaction. He didn't lack fighting power; in fact, he had the fighting power of an Adjuchas. What he lacked was a brilliant mind, and Szayelaporro clearly fit that description perfectly. He hadn't realized it before, but after truly losing him, he discovered how important Szayelaporro was to him.

Therefore, as long as Szayelaporro survives, that's his greatest contribution; as for the fighting, leave that to the other brutes...

"Shinigami? And... Arrancar... What a strange combination. Shinigami actually teaming up with Hollows. But who gave you permission to enter my Las Noches?!"

As the Grim Reaper and two Arrancar slowly walked in, Barragan's face showed some anger. Although he had no face, the death power emanating from his body perfectly reflected his rage.

Upon hearing this, Aizen, who had faked his death in Soul Society, pushed up his glasses and said with a smile, "Of course, he was your subordinate. Of course, you certainly cannot allow such a betrayal, and I have always disliked this kind of person. So, I was a little presumptuous just now and executed him on behalf of Your Majesty. I am very sorry."

As he spoke, Aizen placed his right hand on his chest and bowed slightly.

Seeing this, Barragan's mood calmed down, and the aura of death on his body slowly merged into his body. This scene made Aizen's pupils behind his glasses shrink slightly. The information was wrong!

Fortunately, it's not a big problem.

Therefore, Aizen still wore a confident smile on his face, quietly watching Barragan, who had withdrawn his aura of death, not far away.

On the other hand, Barragan wasn't really calming down either. Just kidding, no matter how many mistakes his people made, it wasn't up to outsiders, especially not a Grim Reaper, to deal with them!

And whether that guy really betrayed him is another matter entirely.

So his anger did not subside; instead, it intensified!

However, thanks to Ichiro's previous actions, his mindset has undergone a complete transformation, and he has regained the caution he had before becoming the King of Hueco Mundo.

Therefore, Barragan managed to control his anger well in the face of Aizen's show of force.

The fact that these three were able to eliminate Vastod silently was enough to demonstrate their strength. Even if that guy was a fraud, he was still Vastod!

Even he couldn't solve it quietly!

Well, to put it simply, he chickened out...

"Let's get straight to the point, what is your purpose?"

Aizen smiled and glanced at Stark beside him, saying, "Then I'll be blunt: do you crave power?"

Barragan raised his white eyelids slightly, glanced at Wolf and Lilyne beside Aizen, and asked, "Like them, a legendary Arrancar? I know my spiritual pressure isn't enough."

"Well, how should I put it? Well, your strength isn't quite there yet, but I have a way to let you awaken your power earlier. That way, you might be able to take full control of your abilities during the awakening process. What do you say?"

"Help me become an Arrancar? How? Do you think I'd believe you?"

Aizen's smile deepened. He wasn't afraid of your doubts, he was afraid of your disregard.

The fact that there are still doubts shows that there is still hope in his heart. If there is hope, then there is a possibility of success!

Aizen flipped his right hand, and a sphere emitting a strange color floated in his palm, firmly attracting the attention of Barragan and Szayelaporro behind him!

Seeing this, Aizen said nothing. If they couldn't even resist the temptation of something as powerful as the Hogyoku, then it would be useless to summon it, because they would only get lost in the power of the Hogyoku. Their original form might evolve rapidly, but the faster they evolved, the easier it would be for them to become puppets of the Hogyoku!

Of course, Aizen believed they wouldn't get lost in the world, since he had carefully selected them, and he was very confident in his judgment.

Sure enough, within seconds, the two of them were able to break free from the allure of the Hogyoku thanks to their strong willpower.

Upon waking, Barragan glanced warily at the Hogyoku floating in Aizen's hand, then looked at Aizen with a serious expression and asked, "Is the method you mentioned using this?"

"Yes, this thing is called the Hogyoku." Aizen's right hand held the Hogyoku, which swayed slightly. Aizen seemed slightly dissatisfied with Aizen calling it a thing. "It has unlimited evolutionary capabilities! Whether it's a Shinigami becoming a Hollow or a Hollow becoming a Shinigami, it can be completed ahead of time through it!"

Barragan glanced warily at the Hogyoku, which clearly possessed self-awareness. Although he was greatly shocked by the Hogyoku's power, he still calmly asked, "So, what's the price?"

"The price? Your freedom!"

"Ha~ Just as I thought! Did you think I would give in to you?"

"Do you have a choice? The rule of Hueco Mundo is the survival of the fittest, and right now, it's clear that I'm stronger. You have no other choice!"

Barragán narrowed his eyes and asked, "Aren't you afraid that I'll turn against you in the future?"

Aizen smiled nonchalantly and said confidently, "Would you worry about something impossible? I don't care what you're planning, as long as you don't disobey my orders."

Looking at the confident Aizen, Barragan fell silent. After repeated confirmation, he finally understood who the man before him was. He sighed and asked, "You are Aizen Sousuke, right? Where is your true form? I should already be under your spell, right?"

Upon hearing this, Aizen's expression froze. His reaction drew a surprised glance from Stark, who was standing nearby. This was the only time Aizen had lost control of his emotions since they had just finished speaking.

No, to be precise, it was the only time Aizen lost control of his emotions since he met him!

Although it was only a little bit, it was enough to surprise Stark. You know, when Aizen learned that he was a self-made Arrancar, he was only surprised and did not lose control of his emotions. He had always been in a state of complete control.

Now, I'm actually being swayed by a single sentence from Barragán...

That's really strange...

However, Aizen is still Aizen. He quickly composed himself, and a confident smile returned. He casually dispelled the genjutsu of Kyoka Suigetsu, revealing the Hueco Mundo palace littered with limbs and remains. He said casually, "The information about Kyoka Suigetsu, Ichiro gave it to you, right? I remember your only interaction was that battle more than ten years ago. It seems I wasn't wrong after all~"

Standing amidst the ruins of Las Noches, Aizen gently placed his left hand on his Zanpakuto and asked, "Choose, Barragan: Surrender, or die?"

Looking at the mountain of corpses behind Aizen, Barragan fell silent...

In this situation, even without that terrifying illusion that manipulates the five senses, he probably still wouldn't be able to win. At this moment, Barragan regretted not taking the information left by Ichiro seriously, mistakenly thinking it was just a trick to distract him.

But then again, can he really make any preparations to face such an opponent?

At this moment, Barragan was filled with self-doubt. Just a few years ago, he was the King of Hueco Mundo, so how did such a bunch of monsters suddenly appear...?

After thinking for a moment, Barragan sighed resignedly, "I understand, I'll listen..."

He was speaking with his head down when Barragan suddenly jumped up!

The black power of death surged forth like a tidal wave!

It instantly engulfed Aizen and the other two!

Barragan, enveloped in black flames, slowly floated into the air, coldly watching the three people submerged by the "tide," and said disdainfully, "Arrogant fools, daring to dispel illusions before me? Ha~ In the torrent of time, turn into dust!"

"Clap clap~" Just as Barragan was about to relax, suddenly, sporadic applause rang out from the side, and the figures of Aizen and Stark appeared. This scene made Barragan's pupils, or rather, the soul flames in his eyes, shrink.

"That's a pretty cool way to put it, but what made you realize that I've dispelled the illusion of a mirage?"

Looking at the three people who had suddenly appeared out of thin air on the other side, Barragan felt a chill run down his spine. At that moment, he truly understood what Ichiro had meant in the intelligence report:

If you haven't personally touched Aizen, then please don't believe anything you see, hear, smell, or sense with your spiritual power. Never think you've broken the illusion, because you may very well be caught in an illusion that you've broken. Similarly, it can be trapped in another illusion. Remember this!

At the time, Barragan was extremely dismissive, believing that such an ability could not possibly exist. Even if it did exist, how could someone with his spiritual pressure be hypnotized to this extent?

Really? He didn't believe it!

However, as it turns out, it really can...

In fact, Ichiro has already taken Barragan's spiritual pressure factor into account in this advice, otherwise you can't even trust your sense of touch!

That's why people say Kyoka Suigetsu is the strongest illusion-type Zanpakuto.

Unfortunately, it's too late to say anything now; the defeat is inevitable!

......

While the defeat of Hueco Mundo was already certain, the battle between Zero and Istra on the other side was also gradually coming to an end. There's not much to say about this battle; just like how Ichiro was chased and beaten by the Great Hollow Moyashi back then, Istra is now being utterly defeated by Zero.

Yamoshi's abilities are truly disgusting, especially against opponents skilled in energy attacks, such as Ichiro and Istra...

Moreover, Istra was even more unfortunate than Ichiro.

Ichiro discovered it early and didn't give Yamoshi much energy, but Istra was different...

His unique ability, Limb Explosion, is extremely powerful, comparable to Wang Xu's Flash!

However, there's a problem: like Wang Xu's flash, this is also an energy attack...

He was traumatized after being brutally beaten by Mo Yaxi twice because of this!

The first time was when he was in Adjuchas. Moyasi came to recruit him, but he refused and didn't want to go. Then Moyasi beat him up, blowing off half of his body, and he escaped in the chaos.

The second time was after he became a Vastod and went to challenge him himself, and then, well, he got a sound beating again...

Then I developed a psychological trauma.

This is also why Ichiro installed Moyashi's ability on the Bursting Divine Machine, as this ability is a natural counter to Hollows!

Of course, this is actually a good thing for Istra as well. At least his psychological trauma from Moasi should be gone now, since he's lost his life anyway.

Seeing that Zero's victory was certain, everyone withdrew their shocked gazes and turned to look at Ichiro, finally unable to hold back their questions and asking why Zero was showing signs of being a Hollow.

"This is the Vasto Lorde mimicry mode, which can simulate Vasto Lorde's abilities and combat style. Different abilities can be used in different scenarios."

"Mimicry again...that name sounds so familiar..."

Ichiro ignored Shunsui's sarcastic remarks and looked at Zero, who was displaying great power, and said quietly, "The ability Zero is using now is the first Vasto Lorde I encountered when I first came to Hueco Mundo. That was the most difficult battle I fought! I had to use almost every trick in the book to kill him!"

"Because of this ability to absorb energy?"

"Yeah, that guy's skin is thick and tough, and with that ability, I had no way to deal with him. Even if it were Number 99's Hado, he would probably have absorbed it. If it weren't for Captain's Yachiru no Tsurugi, I might have already died." Looking at Number Zero, who had crippled Istra, Ichiro said with some emotion.

The captain walked behind Ichiro, preparing to pat him on the head as usual. He paused halfway through his hand, then placed it on Ichiro's shoulder and said softly, "It's all over now. You survived."

"Hmm~"

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Chapter 211 Urahara's Discovery

"The ability to mimic Vastodes, do we still need Vastodes? Can every Burst God Machine be equipped with one?" The Captain-Commander asked, looking at Zero who was working on sealing Istra.

If each Burst Machine requires one Vastod to build, then its value would undoubtedly be reduced considerably, although it would still be very valuable.

“No need,” Ichiro explained. “The ability of the Mimic Vasto Lorde is different from the Mimic Zanpakuto and Mimic Fullbring. This technology absorbs some of the advantages of the former two and is more perfect. It can be directly constructed. The disadvantage is that it has no growth potential and is very poorly compatible with the Shinigami’s body. It is only suitable for use by mecha.”

"So what is this now..." the Captain-Commander said, looking at Zero, who was capturing Istra.

He no longer asks many questions about Ichiro's techniques, since he can't understand them anyway. He just needs to know that the ability is awesome and whether it can be replicated. As for going deeper into the details... well, forget it.

"This research material is very rare for Vastod. There are still many things we don't understand about them."

Of course, there was one more thing Ichiro didn't mention: taking Vastod back was itself an experiment... but it was inconvenient to talk about this experiment, otherwise, for the sake of prudence, the Captain-Commander wouldn't have agreed.

In fact, Ichiro was right. The Captain-Commander was indeed very cautious. Even though Ichiro didn't reveal the real experiment, he still walked up to Istra, who had been completely sealed by Zero, and carefully examined the seal, afraid that there might be a loophole.

After watching for a while, the Captain-Commander pointed to the strange force field surrounding Istra and turned to Ichiro, asking, "What is this thing?"

"Spiritual particle binding force field".

The captain looked up at Zero in front of him, raising an eyebrow. Although he already knew about Satoshi's existence from Ichiro, he still felt a sense of unease every time they talked.