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

"Who told you to fool me? If you're going to do it, then do it boldly!"

Meat dishes are meat dishes, and vegetable dishes are vegetables. What's with this incongruous mix of bean products?

"Regarding the publisher's censorship..."

Chunshui shook his head: "Besides, I should write some serious novels too. Those love stories will never improve my writing skills."

"Tsk!"

Iori curled her lip. "Pretending to be high-minded. If you ask me, meat dishes are still the best... they just get greasy easily."

While talking to Chunshui, Iori flipped through his collection of works with great interest.

"By the way, haven't you named the characters in your new book yet?"

"It's decided, one will be named 'Zaki' and the other 'Ihei'."

"?"

Iori closed her book and looked up: "Could it be that his surname is something like Lan?"

"Haha, you thought it was based on you? Don't flatter yourself, this is an original story I made up."

Chunshui said in a serious tone, "The male and female protagonists' surname is 'Aizen,' the one from Aizen Myō-ō, and it has absolutely nothing to do with your family."

"..."

Chapter 573 Yuuki's Battle Plan.

Iori slowly opened his eyes, and the deep blue sky of Hueco Mundo came into view. As the residence of the king, he naturally lived on the top floor. The transparent spiritual barrier allowed him to directly appreciate the night sky of Hueco Mundo—although there was nothing in Hueco Mundo except for a moon.

"Well……"

He propped himself up, and the silk sheet slipped off his muscular upper body, revealing well-defined muscles... No, he looked completely different from usual. Not only had his muscles disappeared, but his figure had also become "smaller," making him look like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy.

This is exactly what he looks like after activating his power [Destined Youth]. As for why he did this during peacetime...

He turned to the side and looked down:

Esdeath lay on her side beside him, her long, silver hair, tinged with sky blue, cascading down her pillow like a waterfall. Her breathing was steady and peaceful—this queen, so arrogant and unruly on the battlefield, only showed such rare gentleness at this moment.

As expected, she was half-naked, just like Iori, but her sleeping posture was surprisingly girlish, which made Iori chuckle to herself.

However, he doesn't seem to have the right to laugh at others now, after all... his performance last night was quite "inexperienced".

Of course, this wasn't meant to deliberately please Esdeath; it was just a little playful thing between husband and wife.

Sometimes Iori feels it's really unfair. Esdeath can openly demand that Iori become a minor according to her own fantasies, but if Iori makes a similar request, she will be looked at with contempt, and sometimes she might even be called a pervert or something.

Isn't this a form of sexism? As a true advocate for gender equality, Iori feels it's time to discard this outdated notion.

—No matter what, Iori is the one who ultimately "benefits"~

Occasionally, I switch to a passive style, letting myself be manipulated in bed, and the feeling of being ravaged by a strong older sister is also quite nice.

"Well……"

"Wake you up?"

"Ok?"

"I have a lot of work to do today, sorry."

"Humph……"

He rose quietly, his fingertips brushing against Esdeath's cheek. Esdeath frowned slightly, seemingly aware of the loss of warmth, but quickly drifted back to sleep.

Iori donned a pure white robe for the Lord of Hueco Mundo, and stepped barefoot onto the cool ground, feeling the subtle fluctuations emanating from the floor constructed of spiritual particles. She nodded slightly.

Hueco Mundo is desolate, but his palace is quite luxurious. From the furniture to the heating, cooling, and soundproofing, everything is adjusted to be extremely comfortable using spiritual technology. After all, he's not a skeleton like Barragan; he has all the sensory pleasures a living person should have, and if he has the ability, he naturally wants to treat himself well.

"It's another peaceful day~"

Drawing back the curtains, Iori watched as the horizon slowly turned bluish-white, the deep blue night sky being chased away by a red sun, and felt extremely relaxed.

Hueco Mundo naturally doesn't have a sun, but as the ruler of the three realms, it wouldn't be difficult for him to create a small celestial body directly, especially since it's not a real star, only the size of the moon.

……

The towering golden throne was inlaid with a deep blue crystal. Iori sat on it, resting his chin on one hand, his gaze calmly fixed on the two female Arrancar kneeling below.

Artificial morning light streamed through the stained glass of the dome, casting a dreamlike glow over the entire hall. Compared to the old Hueco Mundo, under Iori's leadership, it has become increasingly vibrant and colorful.

"Let's begin the report."

He spoke calmly, his voice echoing in the throne room.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Nellyel spoke first, her gentle voice carrying an undeniable will. Although it was just an ordinary high-level meeting, perhaps due to her overly serious personality, her words conveyed a strong sense of loyalty.

"The outer forces of Las Noches have completely taken control of the known areas of Hueco Mundo and are now exploring the vast desert and no-man's-land. So far, they have not seen the 'end of the world'."

The wandering Hollows in the eastern dunes have been completely absorbed. The unusual Hollows appearing in the western Hollow Forest have incited a considerable number of miscellaneous Hollows, who wish to betray the binding contract of Las Noches… The purge of the rebels was completed yesterday.

She raised her head, her emerald eyes gleaming with a deep light: "As per your instructions, we have established watchtowers in each territory, which are guarded in rotation by third-tier Kyrian Arrancar."

"Excellent, you executed it very well."

Iori nodded, her expression serious and appreciative.

Halibel followed closely behind, his golden eyes calm and loyal: "An unusual gathering of Hollows has occurred in the north. Investigations have revealed it's influenced by fluctuations in souls from the mortal realm. We've already dispatched people to disperse them. Furthermore..."

She paused briefly, "Stark has applied for another long sick leave, for about a hundred years... not yet approved."

"It's like this again..."

Iori tapped the armrest of the throne with his fingertips, the crystal resonating crisply. He narrowed his eyes slightly: "Approved. There's no need for it for the time being. Let him slack off if he wants."

"As ordered."

Helibel bowed his head in response, his long golden hair cascading down like a waterfall.

Nellyel hesitated for a moment, then added, "Also, Szayelaporro has been frequently visiting the laboratory set up in the East District recently, seemingly researching some kind of high-density spiritual device. We've received multiple reports of abnormal spiritual pressure fluctuations."

"Scientists always have one or two little secrets."

"And another thing is... in the past few months, Lady Aizen Sousuke has started to frequently enter and leave Hueco Mundo."

Halibel hesitated. She had also been to Soul Society and knew about the relationship between Iori and Yuuki—after all, surnames were the most eye-catching.

“We tried to monitor what she was doing, but we were discovered every time; no one could keep up. Your Majesty, we are incompetent and beg for your punishment!”

"It's not your fault, after all, it's her... It's actually a good thing that you can't keep up. Even if you can see what she's doing, it's most likely that she's deliberately trying to mislead you into making the wrong judgment."

Iori's face showed no anger, but rather a sense of relief: "Let her be. Whatever she wants to do, you don't need to interfere."

"Yes... Your Majesty."

It felt like they were expecting her to cause trouble—Hriber found it rather strange.

But she didn't dare ask Iori such a sensitive question, so she suppressed her gossipy instincts and obediently lowered her head.

"Don't be so serious, you two. As the executives of Hueco Mundo, you are truly second only to the emperor. You can be more relaxed. Besides, girls look better when they smile."

"Yes,"

The two female Arrancars nodded slowly and seriously, but they still didn't seem relaxed or casual. It seemed that it would take some time to change this way of getting along.

Halibel then asked, "Your Majesty, are you really not going to do anything about your sister? I have a feeling that she might be planning something that could threaten the entire Las Noches and even Hueco Mundo."

"I wouldn't be surprised if it threatened the entire Three Realms."

Iori waved her hand: "However, I wouldn't dare interfere with my sister's 'interests,' hehe~"

……

The simulated afternoon sunlight streamed through the sky, casting a languid golden hue over the independent palace.

Stark, the Wolf King, lay in a hammock, his face covered by a straw hat he'd somehow acquired, looking utterly bored.

As the footsteps grew clearer, he lazily raised his hand: "Oh, all done with work? What brings you to visit me today?"

Iori walked to his side, sunlight casting dappled shadows on his white trench coat: "I've come to keep my promise."

Stark sat bolt upright, his straw hat slipping off to reveal his perpetually weary eyes: "You mean... that 'soul clone'?"

His voice carried a rare hint of excitement.

But that's normal. Anyone who has searched and longed for their whole life is about to have their wish fulfilled. How could they remain calm about it?

In the original story, Stark didn't ask for help; he deliberately broke free and split his soul into two. But in this timeline, he really couldn't do it on his own.

Because the current Stark knew Iori before becoming an Arrancar, and many of his colleagues are capable of countering his "powerful aura," he has several Arrancar friends. This makes him far less lonely than in the original story, and his desire to "become weaker" is not as strong.

Not to mention that Stark was unaware of his original evolutionary path, even if he had known, he probably wouldn't have taken it seriously—it's all about mindset. Once his loneliness was alleviated, his motivation to evolve would naturally decrease significantly.

"What exactly do you plan to do?"

It was a great thing for Stark that Iori was now fulfilling his promise, but he was no longer in such a hurry, so he quickly regained his composure.

"The Third Law - The Cup of Heaven".

Iori raised her hand, and a dazzling golden halo appeared in her palm. "Haven't you always wanted a 'partner who will never be separated from you'?"

With his current level of skill and abilities, he could create a soul clone of Stark while ensuring that Stark's strength remains unchanged or even increases.

"Okay, I'll leave it to you!"

Stark nodded.

True loneliness is hard to shake off. Although he has quite a few friends and companions now, most Hollows aren't exactly known for their enthusiasm. Stark really needs someone he can communicate with without any barriers.

"Buzz!"

The halo slowly expanded, and spiritual particles gathered like a vortex, engulfing the figure of Wolf King Stark within it.

The air around the holographic ring began to tremble, and the palace pillars emitted a faint hum, making the figures within the halo increasingly clear—

With short, light blonde hair, an arrogant smile, and a white bone helmet shaped like bull horns, her petite body gradually solidified.

As the last spiritual particle merged in, the newborn soul opened its eyes, which were exactly like Stark's, but it was not as lazy and immediately went to Stark's original body.

"Hey, are you my other half?"

Lilynette put her hands on her hips, looked up at Stark, and said, "You look incredibly—unmotivated!"

Stark paused for a moment, then chuckled helplessly and reached out to ruffle her hair. "Likewise, kid."

Watching the two bicker, Iori recalled how they looked in the "original work" and nodded in satisfaction.

Thankfully, although it changed Stark's fate, the split soul form was still a blond tomboy, not some muscular giant—it's definitely better to be a girl!

……

"Let's use this to cut off Yamamoto Genryusai's head!"

In a laboratory, Aizen Sōyūhime placed a long-handled weapon that resembled a road sign on a special storage shelf, nodded in satisfaction, and noticed a small label on it that read "Sealed Fire Series No. 013".

It seems that even Yuuki is quite wary of the Captain-Commander and has prepared a lot of things for this purpose.

Aizen Yuuki's laboratory is located on the east side of Hueco Mundo, separated from Iori's palace by several corridors. The straight-line distance is not long, but it feels like being in another world.

None of the Hollows within the palace, including the Espada, could detect such a brightly lit, isolated area.

There are no decorations like those commonly found in Las Noches. Instead, there are semi-transparent incubation chambers filled with various Hollow biological tissues—no corpses should be left here, but Yuuki clearly has the ability to leave them behind.

Some were specimens taken from different ethnic groups, while others were synthetic life forms (hybrids) that she cultivated herself.

Yuuki stood before the central experimental table, her slender fingers gently tracing a row of specially made recording scrolls. Her gaze lingered on the leftmost, jet-black scroll—[Sealed Flame Release].

"Yamamoto Genryu Sai Shigekuni..."

She whispered the name.

"Just a fleeting opening..."

Yuki's lips curled up slightly, and the image of Yamamoto being defeated flashed through her mind.

Her gaze continued to move, sweeping over the other scrolls and noting down some of her battle plans.

There's no need to invest effort in ordinary captain-level characters; having Kyoka Suigetsu is enough. Therefore, Yuuki's target is only three people:

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni – countered by using fire-sealing tools or biological weapons.

Retsu Unohana – Never kill anyone in the Fourth Division, and always remember not to push Unohana to the brink.