There was no denying it – this so-called Superhuman Drug was nothing short of torture in certain situations.
But… if Nemu had this drug in her body, how could she live normally? No one knew. Perhaps Nemu was simply a unique creation of Mayuri's, with a physiology unlike any other.
Mayuri looked at the immobilized Szayel Aporro before him and said calmly:
"For us scientists, perfection equals despair. You can surpass everything that has come before, but you must never be perfect."
He gripped the zanpakutō embedded in Szayel Aporro's chest.
"A scientist is a creature that must constantly suffer under this contradiction, and from that suffering, derive pleasure. So the moment you uttered the word 'perfection'…"
Mayuri snapped his blade off, leaving the broken remainder stuck inside Szayel Aporro's body.
"…you were already doomed to be defeated by me, if you can even call yourself a scientist."
Indeed, Mayuri was a special existence among the Shinigami.
Whether he could be called a good person was debatable, but as a scientist, he was undoubtedly someone who truly loved his research – a man who would dedicate his entire life to it.
And so, before Renji and the others, this great scientist gave Nemu an… indescribable massage to revive her.
If you wondered why it was indescribable, just look at Renji and his group's bright red faces.
Of course, Mayuri had no such intentions toward Nemu. To him, she was just his experiment to maintain.
"Captain Mayuri, please treat me as well. I still need to fight," Renji said seriously.
However, Ishida shook his head frantically, having overheard that Mayuri implanted surveillance bacteria in him earlier.
"No way! I'd rather die here than be modified by you!" Ishida tried to crawl away towards Chad, but Mayuri snapped his fingers.
Nemu instantly silenced Ishida with her ample chest, enveloping him completely.
Satisfied, Mayuri administered treatment to Ishida nonetheless. Needless to say, it involved more than just simple medical care.
"Alright, Nemu. Help me dig open Szayel Aporro's palace," Mayuri said with a smile.
To Renji and the others, that smile was nothing short of terrifying.
Nemu obeyed, her arm transforming into a drill as she began excavating the palace like a giant digger machine, astonishing everyone.
She even dug up Pesche and Dondochakka, who had been buried under rubble during the battle.
"Oh? You two? Strange Hollows… but I have no interest in you. Nemu, keep digging. I need to find Szayel Aporro's lab," Mayuri ordered.
Renji blinked. "Isn't this whole place destroyed? How can you find his lab?"
"Of course I can," Mayuri shook his head. "As a fellow scientist, I'm sure Szayel Aporro built his lab to be exceptionally sturdy. Even if the palace was destroyed, his lab would remain untouched."
After all, that was exactly how Mayuri built his own.
Sure enough, Nemu's excavation soon revealed a completely intact room among the rubble.
It was Szayel Aporro's laboratory, filled with all kinds of rare materials and research data.
"Hahahaha! This is it. This is why I came to Hueco Mundo to support them!" Mayuri burst into manic laughter.
Meanwhile.
Having defeated Aaroniero, Rukia was preparing to leave his palace with Senna when suddenly, they encountered a new enemy.
"Damn it…"
Rukia glared into the shadows. "Who's there?"
From the darkness emerged an Arrancar who looked almost like an Indian ascetic – bald, with skull-shaped earrings, and wearing an odd robe resembling a Chinese Tang suit, except with an extremely deep V neckline.
"Don't be nervous. I am the Séptima Espada, Zommari Rureaux," he said as he stepped out.
To Rukia and Senna, Zommari appeared as a tall, muscular dark-skinned man with thick lips, golden eyes, and a line of bony protrusions along his bald head like a Mohawk. His Hollow hole was in his right chest, and his skull earrings were part of his mask remnant.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm not here to avenge Aaroniero. I'm simply here to eliminate intruders in Las Noches."
Senna immediately stepped in front of Rukia.
"Rukia, you defeated Aaroniero alone earlier. Leave this one to me."
Rukia nodded confidently. After all, Aaroniero was the Novena Espada, known for his limitless growth potential, and she had defeated him without even using Bankai. This one was only the Séptima Espada, two ranks higher – he couldn't be that much stronger.
"Oh? Little Shinigami girl, you intend to fight me alone?" Zommari asked with interest.
In truth, he would have preferred to fight Rukia. He had already seen her abilities and was confident he could defeat her. But facing Senna, whom he knew nothing about, left him cautious.
Senna drew her zanpakutō, wind swirling at her feet, and flash-stepped behind Zommari in an instant, slashing down.
She was fast, but Zommari was faster.
With a Sonído, he instantly appeared behind Senna, drawing his sword to counterattack.
Senna managed to block just in time, but another slash came from the side.
Her eyes widened as she quickly leapt away, wind at her feet.
What she saw next shocked her completely.
Two identical Zommaris stood before her, facing different directions, both speaking in perfect unison:
"I am the Séptima Espada, and also the fastest among the Espada."
"My Sonído is so fast it creates afterimages. I call this technique 'Gemelos Sonído.' But it's merely a magician's trick."
Senna narrowed her eyes. To her, it was anything but a simple trick.
She amplified the wind at her feet, dashing between the two Zommaris with two swift slashes.
But then, a third Zommari appeared behind her.
However, this was within Senna's calculations.
"Hurricane!"
A powerful vortex erupted at Zommari's feet, launching him toward the ceiling. But it turned out to be yet another afterimage.
After her triple attack, two more Zommaris appeared to flank her from both sides.
They slashed straight through her body – only to find it was an illusion as well.
The real Senna clapped her hands with a devilish smile.
"Impressive. You've forced me to use an ability similar to yours."
Her words infuriated Zommari.
"An ability like mine…?" he scoffed.
Although her illusions had slipped past his detection, he was convinced she wasn't achieving this with speed alone – there had to be another power involved.
"Hmph. Then let me show you my true limit!"
He let out a low growl, and four identical Zommaris appeared simultaneously around Senna.
"How about now? Try to guess which one is the real me."
All five spoke in unison.
Senna merely sighed.
"I told you, this technique is useless against me."
Then she smiled mischievously like a little devil.
"In that case, I'll show you mine too!"
She plunged her zanpakutō into the ground and shouted:
"Clone Technique!"
In an instant, dozens of Sennas appeared, surrounding Zommari from all sides.
"What?! How can your speed be this fast?!" Zommari was stunned.
Senna smirked.
"I told you… your trick isn't anything special."
Rukia, watching from a distance, covered her face in exasperation.
"Senna… there she goes again."
She couldn't help but feel sorry for Zommari. Even if he figured out how Senna was doing it, what could he do? If he guessed wrong once, it would cost him his life.
Especially since each of her clones carried her reiatsu. There was no way to distinguish the real one.
If Ichigo were here, he'd just blast everything with a Getsuga Tenshō and be done with it. But unfortunately for Zommari, he didn't have such a move.
Faced with Senna's endless army, Zommari finally cracked. He decided to use his Resurrección.
"Calm yourself… Brujería."
He held his zanpakutō upright, hands pressed together, and released his true form with a solemn chant.
Neither Senna nor Rukia expected this. After all, Senna hadn't even used her Shikai yet, and she had already forced an Espada to release their Resurrección.
It made them mistakenly assume that the remaining Espada would all be just as weak.
But Zommari's released reiatsu was far greater than Aaroniero's.
It was just… his appearance was too unsightly to look at.
(End of Chapter)
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