You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

After all, Iori's status is different from his. It's already a great favor that she can spare the time to help him. If he upsets Iori, his research project will become like water without a source or a tree without roots.

Moreover, he knew that he was not "irreplaceable" to Iori.

A highly skilled swordsman can understand his opponent's beliefs simply by exchanging blows; this applies to masters in any field, including a scientist like him. After only a few collaborations with Iori, he realized that Iori's abilities were actually no less than his own.

The reason they rely on him so much is that, as a "king" and a "warrior," Iori can only devote a portion of his time to scientific research, and they need someone to take his place in driving various projects.

If necessary, Iori is capable of developing it independently—Szayelaporro is content with his current life and does not wish to develop to that point.

Compared to Aizen Iori, the former boss Barragan was practically illiterate! He was completely incapable of understanding the sweetness of science and had no interest in the nature of the world or its operating rules!

Szayelaporro only submitted to him for convenience and had no real respect for him.

After changing bosses, his treatment actually improved instead of decreased. Not only was he second only to the "King and Queen" in status, but he also received a lot of technical information from Soul Society. Some time ago, his boss even brought a lot of unheard-of magical materials.

What surprised Szayelaporro the most was the supercomputer. With this thing to help calculate data and simulate experiments, the speed of research and development increased more than double!

He was once a traitor under Barragán, but now he has become the new king's loyal hound... Such is the wonder of life.

Of course, there were also some complaints:

Sometimes he felt that Iori shouldn't bother with so many trivial matters. He should just focus on one area like him. Trying to do so many things at once is a complete waste of her talent.

"Alright, tell me, what are the specifics?"

Iori stood at the edge of the tower, gazing at Hueco Mundo, which slept in silence.

A beast-shaped Adjuchas knelt down behind him and said respectfully, "It has been confirmed, there is no doubt that it is her!"

Our people have already contacted her, but she refused, saying..."

"say what?"

“She said… who the King of Hueco Mundo is has nothing to do with her. She rejected Barragan back then, and she will reject you now… In her eyes, there is no difference.”

Having said that, Adjuchas gritted his teeth and said hatefully, "Arrogant fool, daring to compare His Majesty with the false king! Even you, in your status, personally extended an invitation, yet she is so rude, she deserves to die!"

"No need to be angry. No one can forcibly change a free will. I will not force anyone to be my subject... However, she is indeed a bit arrogant."

Am I no different from Barragán...? Interesting.

Iori gazed at a distant point and smiled slightly: "Then let her experience it for herself."

……

Boom!

"No, this is impossible... Ugh!"

The bone sword slammed heavily to the ground, and the voluptuous, dark-skinned beauty knelt down, struggling to support herself. Several beast-like Adjuchas rushed up from the side to protect her.

"stop!"

"Hribel! Halibel, are you alright?!"

"asshole……"

"You guys stand down!"

Although the lower half of her face was covered by a bone mask, some beauty could still be seen. The female Vastod with deep yellow hair was full of wildness, even more so than the Antelope Knight. Her overall appearance resembled a ferocious carnivorous fish, with a thick tail growing from her rump.

She sternly rebuked her companion who tried to protect her, then looked up in disbelief at the man who had defeated her—

It was Aizen Iori, wearing a white trench coat.

"The new king of Las Noches... is he a human? No, a Shinigami... but what is this illogical power...?"

“Hriber, I’ve heard that name before.”

Despite easily defeating her opponent, Iori didn't act condescendingly; her tone was very calm, even gentle.

This attitude was completely different from the guards he had brought with him on this trip—the guards despised Heliber for daring to refuse Iori.

“You are a powerful figure that even Barragan would try to win over, and you are also a very rare Vastord. I heard that you were born arrogant and have never obeyed anyone... But today, I see that your words and actions are quite polite, and you are not as arrogant as I imagined.”

The man paused, then said in a relaxed but unyielding tone:

"Even a king's patience has its limits. Consider this my interview, and also your last chance—"

Become my subordinate, Halibel!

~~~~~

Chapter 312 I was really just curious (Bonus Chapter)

This may be the first time Halibel has met Iori, but Iori has known her for a long time.

The Vastods that appeared in the original timeline of Bleach can be referred to by their Hollow forms as a wolf, a skeleton, a shark, an antelope, and a bat. In addition, there is a Szayelaporro whose soul split and fell to Adjuchas.

If we disregard characters from novels or games, these are the top combatants in Hueco Mundo. Considering the sheer number of Hollows, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Vasto Lorde is one in a million.

Interestingly, in a race like the "Void" that evolves by devouring human souls or killing its own kind, powerful individuals should be war freaks, but this is not actually the case.

For example, the Vastods who stand at the pinnacle of the Hollows generally don't have a strong desire to attack. Even Barragan can only be described as arrogant and indifferent, but not bloodthirsty.

Stark the Wolf was a complete slacker, while Antelope and Shark seemed like positive characters, even serving in Seireitei would be considered moral exemplars. Bat was a melancholic poet, and the perverted Szayelaporro abandoned martial arts for literature...

This also corroborates Iori's theory:

The higher the level of evolution of the Void, the further it moves away from its bestial nature, and it becomes like a human.

For Iori, who is dedicated to conquering Hueco Mundo, these Vastodes are essential to bring under his control. Firstly, each of them is a captain-level warrior, which can greatly enhance the power of Las Noches. Secondly, as the highest-ranking Hollows, they are naturally the leaders of the Hollows, which can help Iori reduce management costs.

Moreover, he already knew the personalities of these people and could give them his full trust.

In particular, the antelope "Nelieel" and the shark "Hribel" both possess a certain chivalrous spirit.

Nel has compassion for the weak, while Halibel is unwilling to become strong by devouring others, so much so that when attacked by a Hollow, he only defeats it instead of killing and devouring it.

—This shows that whether or not one can evolve really depends mainly on talent!

Those with talent, like the wolf king, the antelope, and the shark, can become Vastodes no matter how laid-back they are, while those without talent will be useless no matter how much they fight and kill all day long...

"As expected... but do you think I'll give in?"

Halibel stared defiantly at Iori: "Bylegan couldn't make me kneel, and neither can you!"

Zheng!

The sharp spear tip pressed against Helibel's neck, and a burst of wind pressure exploded, blowing away the three Adjuchas that had been surrounding Helibel.

Iori raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised:

It was Nelliel who made the move!

What could possibly provoke the usually mild-mannered Antelope Knight to attack?

As expected, after Nelliel subdued Halibel in one move, she looked down at her fellow human with a cold glint in her eyes: "How dare you compare Her Majesty Iori to something like Barragan? That's utterly disrespectful!"

“Apache! Rhodes! Sunsun… Ugh!”

He was initially worried about his companion's condition, but the stinging pain on his neck brought Helibel back to his senses, and he glared at the Antelope Knight head-on.

"They're all the same! There's no difference!"

"You guy..."

"Violence may subdue a beast, but it can never make me submit!"

Helibel said coldly, "Whether it's Barragan or your master, calling themselves the King of Hueco Mundo is nothing but a megalomaniac sitting on a cold stone chair."

He neither ruled properly nor brought about any change in Hueco Mundo; he simply indulged in so-called worship and fear, making all decisions based on his own whims… a tyrant lost in his own dream!

These words immediately enraged the guards brought by Iori, with Nelliel reacting the most fiercely:

puff!

With a slight adjustment of the gun's direction, it easily pierced Helibel's skin, pinning her shoulder to the ground.

"Hribel!"

The shark's three companions, a female Adjuchas resembling a snake, a deer, and a lion, charged forward despite the disparity in strength, but the outcome was predictable.

Without Iori even lifting a finger, Nelliel merely glanced at her, and with a sweep of her spear, sent the massive deer flying. With a swift movement, two more impacts followed, and the lion and snake were also thrown to the ground by the sudden force, their heads slammed into the earth.

"Stop... Ugh! Stop!"

Halibel gritted her teeth, but as soon as she gathered a little spiritual pressure, she was suppressed again by the returning Antelope Knight!

—The aftereffects of her previous battle with Iori (or rather, being beaten one-sidedly) are too severe. She and Nel are clearly players of the same level, but now she is completely powerless to fight back.

"You ignorant fool who's like a frog in a well!"

The Antelope Knight paid no attention to the three Adjuchas, merely rendering them immobile before continuing to interrogate Helibel. He heard her sneer: "How laughable that you would judge our king based on your impression of Barragán!"

You must understand, Emperor Aizen is different from that corrupt and decadent false king; he is destined, or rather, has already changed this world. Hueco Mundo is no longer what you remember; without your knowledge, everything is changing rapidly…”

"If you're going to do it, then hurry up and do it!"

"Killing you would be a piece of cake for us, but our king has come here in person. If we fail to achieve our goal, it would be tantamount to failure. You have no other choice but to lower your proud head and submit to His Majesty Aizen!"

The Antelope Knight, unlike her usual calm and gentle demeanor, spoke in a rather domineering tone, as if if Helibel were to utter a single word of dissent, she would raise her spear again and pierce his throat.

This wasn't her usual style... This stark contrast made Iori glance at her a few more times.

Halibel did not answer directly, but simply stared coldly at his opponent.

"Your Majesty, please hand her over to me. It won't take long; I will make her realize just how big a mistake she has made."

"Do you want to take her back to Las Noches?"

Iori asked with interest.

The Antelope Knight answered honestly, "This is to let her know the greatness of the King... I think she will understand."

Nelliel was full of confidence. She believed that as long as Helibel was not out of his mind, he would not fail to see the potential of the new system created by Iori!

“I see… You are ‘gentle,’ Nel.”

Iori nodded slightly, her expression profound, while the Antelope Knight smiled somewhat awkwardly.

She wasn't actually as irritable as she had appeared. The reason she preemptively punished Halibel was actually to help this uncooperative shark. Otherwise, if the other guards and Iori herself had intervened, it would have been hard to say what would have happened to Halibel...

In the process of teaching Halibel a lesson, Nelieel unknowingly shifted the topic of discussion from "surrender or die" to what it is now.

Iori was absolutely right to praise Nelliel for being "gentle"!

On the surface, Nel's words and actions are utterly despicable:

"You have no right to refuse!"

Nellyel signaled to the troops to bring Helibel under control, and the three-headed Adjuchas, who had been blasted away, received the same treatment.

"You wouldn't want anything to happen to your companion, would you?"

"Well!"

Helibel became agitated, and the guards almost couldn't restrain her.

"rat!"

"Don't you know better than I what Hueco Mundo is?"

But rest assured, we are people of Hueco Mundo, not wild beasts like you who roam the wilderness. We will not kill indiscriminately unless necessary.

"Hmph! These things are hard to explain, you'll just have to see for yourself."

After a pause, Neliel suddenly realized she had said a bit too much. She glanced at Iori for help, only to find her lord looking at her with a mocking gaze. A surge of pride rose within her, and she coldly said to Halibel:

"You can only be stubborn now. Once you understand what kind of being our [King] really is, you'll become more docile than a rabbit."

"wishful thinking!"

Halibel remained expressionless, but his eyes held a resolute determination: "I will not surrender to any powerful force! Absolutely not!"

……

"My king!"

On the tower platform of Las Noches, Halibel led the three Adjuchas to kneel before Iori, bowing her stubborn and noble head.

"I am willing to become your sword, clearing all obstacles for the great cause of Las Noches! To bring true order and freedom to this world!"

“I am very pleased, Halibel.”

Iori smiled calmly: "Although our meeting wasn't very pleasant, the outcome was happy. It's great that you understand what I'm doing."