Chapter 255: Senzou, My Beloved Comrade and Kin
Every Shinigami present was well aware of Satoru's infamous reputation.
Back then, the reason the Tsunayashiro Clan was defeated and forced to flee the Soul Society was precisely because of this guy.
But driving them out to Hueco Mundo wasn't enough; he actually pursued them here and clashed fiercely with the clan head.
If not for that battle exposing the clan head's abilities, how could Baraggan have so easily killed him?
This so-called 'life-and-death bond' probably meant Satoru lived while they were the ones who died!
"Satoru… have you come to finish us off?!" one Shinigami stepped forward, shouting angrily.
Hearing this, Satoru adopted a pained expression:
"Good brother, why would you say such a thing!"
"Senzou and I were sworn brothers, beloved comrades and kin! The moment I heard he was in trouble, I rushed here immediately!"
"Alas, heaven envies the talented. Despite my haste, I was still a step too late."
"However, even though Brother Senzou is gone, I cannot abandon his clansmen!"
"Rest assured, I am fully aware of the situation. With Satoru here, I will never stand idly by and let Baraggan have his way!"
"I will stop Baraggan, even if I must wager the Tsunayashiro clan… ahem, even if I must wager the life of my son, Seinosuke!"
"?"
Hearing the last part, the Shinigami opposite him nearly lost his composure.
Seeing that Satoru didn't seem intent on attacking, he furrowed his brow, lost in thought.
As the leader of the cover force, his mind was no less sharp than Satoru's.
Quickly, he grasped the general situation.
Was Satoru planning to take the Tsunayashiro Clan in Hueco Mundo under his wing?
By normal logic, he should refuse vehemently without a second thought.
This man is the sworn enemy of the Tsunayashiro Clan, the very culprit responsible for reducing them to their current pitiful state.
But... they had to admit, at this moment, they no longer possessed any bargaining power.
Under the relentless pursuit of Las Noches, the surviving members of the Tsunayashiro Clan numbered less than half of what they started with.
Without the protection of a powerful guardian, mere escape was no guarantee of survival in Hueco Mundo.
And Satoru, without a doubt, was precisely the kind of powerful guardian who could protect them.
He took a deep breath.
"Satoru, if we surrender to you, what are your plans?"
"Don't be fooled by Hueco Mundo's vastness; Baraggan's spies are everywhere."
"Without sufficient preparation, you cannot secretly develop your forces right under Baraggan's nose."
"When the time comes, with your strength, you might escape Baraggan's assault, but we would certainly die!"
Hearing this, Satoru chuckled.
"Develop forces?"
"Didn't I just say? I won't stand idly by and let Baraggan do as he pleases."
"I'm taking you all with me to kill Baraggan, avenge Brother Senzaemon, and seize his throne while we're at it!"
The Shinigami: "...?"
Seeing Satoru's dead-serious expression, his legs suddenly felt weak.
Damn it, retreat quickly!
This guy isn't a schemer—he's a madman!
He opened his mouth, about to say something, but suddenly turned to look into the distance.
Satoru Mikami also glanced over curiously.
Just moments ago, a terrifying Reiatsu erupted about a dozen kilometers away.
Judging by the nature of the Reiatsu, it belonged to a Hollow.
Its power far exceeded that of an ordinary captain; even within the Gotei 13, this immense Reiatsu would rank within the top five.
The Shinigami's eyes widened, and he exclaimed in disbelief, "Over there... that's where the main family forces are!"
He shifted his weight, ready to rush toward the location.
But before he could move, he felt a hand press down on his head.
Satoru stepped past him, releasing the hand on his head.
"Don't rush, it's fine."
"From the fluctuations in the Reiatsu, the other party doesn't seem to have killing intent."
"Moreover... the man whose cunning in the Soul Society is second only to mine has already headed over."
Seeing Satoru's confident and composed demeanor, the Shinigami looked at him in astonishment.
He hadn't even been able to perceive how Satoru had appeared beside him just now.
After all, among the second-generation disciples of the clan, he was considered quite outstanding.
Otherwise, the clan head wouldn't have brought him to Hueco Mundo.
In terms of age, he was at least two hundred years older than Satoru.
Didn't this mean... if Satoru wanted to kill him, or even kill all the Tsunayashiro present, none of them would have the power to resist?
The Shinigami swallowed hard.
Satoru...
This man was becoming more and more unfathomable.
Satoru raised a hand to his ear.
Aizen's voice came through—
"Satoru, come over here. There's an unexpected discovery."
"Let me guess... you found a Menos Grande that has become an Arrancar on its own?"
"Hmm?"
"And not just one—there are two of them together?"
"Hmm... Have you encountered them before?"
"Heh, why would I need to encounter them? I, Satoru, the Child of Destiny, need only a simple calculation to know everything in this world~"
After showing off, Satoru cut off the communication.
He turned to the Tsunayashiro Clan Shinigami beside him.
"Come on, follow me to rescue them!"
With that, he stomped his foot and soared into the sky.
Just as the Tsunayashiro Shinigami was about to follow, he suddenly noticed something at his feet.
Looking down, he saw several torn pieces of white cloth.
If he remembered correctly, this should be the captain's haori Satoru had been wearing earlier?
He had clearly taken it off before the battle began, yet it was still torn apart by the residual shockwaves from his own attacks.
Recalling Satoru's fighting style moments ago, he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
What a wild man...
...
...
Across the silver sea of sand, Shinigami lay scattered in disarray.
Of nearly a hundred Shinigami, fewer than twenty remained standing.
All of them stared in terror at the figure seated on a distant sand dune.
It was a middle-aged man draped in a tattered black cloak, his eyes downcast.
Beside him, a girl similarly clad in tattered black cloak watched them with keen interest.
"Starkk, look, look... those guys seem to be able to withstand the Reiatsu you're emitting."
The girl nudged the man beside her with her elbow.
But Starkk paid her no mind.
Compared to those Shinigami, his attention was completely focused on the man not far away.
Dressed in black Shinigami uniform, with a wooden plaque bearing the character "Five" tied to his arm.
A tall, slender figure with soft, tousled brown hair—he looked like a newly emerged, reticent young man.
But... without a doubt, this was an illusion.
From this man, he felt pressure.
Since his birth in Hueco Mundo, he had lived for countless years, yet he had never felt such a degree of pressure from anyone else.
"Are you... a Shinigami?"
He looked at Aizen before him and asked.
Aizen nodded. "At least for now, yes."
Starkk frowned slightly. "Are you here to kill us?"
Though he had never seen a Shinigami before, he had heard about these beings from other worlds through the mouths of other Hollows.
Shinigami and Hollows were mortal enemies; when they met, only one could survive.
That was all he knew about Shinigami.
"Regarding that, you need not worry."
Aizen smiled.
"You are beings I have never seen before—those who have completed the Arrancar transformation through your own power."
"To me, you are incredibly precious research subjects. If possible, I would not lay a hand on you."
Starkk gave a somewhat mocking smile.
"Ha... Should I thank you?"
"No need for thanks. This is merely a choice based on analysis."
"..."
Listening to their conversation, the green-haired little girl beside them couldn't help but speak up:
"Starkk, why bother talking with him? Let's just finish him off!"
"Hmm... Though I don't want to fight, it seems that's the only way."
Though their exchange was brief, all Starkk could sense from Aizen was coldness.
This man, while smiling and speaking to him, held not a trace of warmth in his eyes.
This guy wasn't joking.
He truly intended to capture him and Lilynette and take them back as research materials.
Though he didn't know what the research entailed, it didn't take much thought to realize it was nothing good.
He slowly rose to his feet.
Lilynette grinned, her expression brimming with excitement.
In the vast expanse of Hueco Mundo, she had never encountered an enemy worth taking seriously.
The rare chance to go all out was thrilling just to think about.
She reached out and grabbed a curved-blade longsword, which fell into her hand.
Seeing her action, Starkk shook his head.
"Lilynette."
"Ugh... Fine, fine."
Lilynette grumbled discontentedly, set down her sword, and walked over to Starkk's side.
Aizen showed no urgency, not even drawing his blade, and simply watched the two calmly.
Under his gaze, Starkk reached out, preparing to press his hand onto Lilynette's head.
But halfway through the motion, he suddenly looked up in surprise.
Aizen also lifted his head with a resigned expression.
Under their watchful eyes, a figure descended from the sky amidst the pale moonlight of Hueco Mundo, accompanied by wild laughter!
Despite the incredible speed, just before landing, the figure merely flipped in the air and landed steadily on the desert sands.
"Hold your positions, all!"
"How can the party start before this commander has arrived?"
As he spoke, Satoru looked toward the two figures on the sand dune.
Sure enough, just as he had expected, it was Starkk and Lilynette.
Starkk... a handsome older man, not worth mentioning further.
But Lilynette was even cuter than he had imagined.
With her soft green short hair and pink-purple eyes, she had a sweet, fruity charm.
During the invasion of Karakura Town, she wore Las Noches-style clothing. Though revealing and somewhat provocative, it wasn't actually perfect.
Highly exposed outfits suited beings like Harribel, who possessed bold and generous proportions.
For a young girl like Lilynette, rather than showing more skin, wrapping herself in a thick, oversized cloak like she did now left more room for imagination.
Thinking this, Satoru stepped forward with a refreshing smile.
"Pleasure to meet you both. I'm Satoru Mikami."
"Uh... I'm Starkk."
The handsome older man seemed to be the polite type, following Satoru's introduction with his own.
Lilynette frowned, staring at Satoru without speaking.
Noticing this, Starkk spoke for her:
"This is Lilynette."
Satoru nodded thoughtfully.
After a few seconds, as if reaching some realization, he showed a saintly smile and extended his hand to Lilynette.
"Might the lady be willing to spend this evening with m—mmph!!"
Before he could finish, someone covered his mouth from behind.
Aizen had a dark expression.
Intervening at such a moment and stopping Satoru in such an inelegant manner went completely against his aesthetics.
But with two Arrancar Menos Grande before them and so many Tsunayashiro Shinigami behind them, letting Satoru finish that sentence would make the situation even more embarrassing.
Had Satoru been alone here, he could say whatever he wanted.
But dragging Aizen into the humiliation was absolutely unacceptable!
Seeing Satoru get cut off mid-sentence by Aizen, Starkk glanced at Lilynette.
He felt an unprecedented comfort in Satoru's presence.
Though they'd never met before, and their identities were that of a Hollow and a Shinigami... standing face to face, he felt no pressure at all.
This Shinigami seemed completely unconcerned about his Hollow identity.
Moreover, he seemed reasonably strong, not collapsing under his Reiatsu.
In every aspect, it made him willing to try deepening their acquaintance.
Unfortunately... the other seemed to take orders from that glasses-wearing man, so there was no choice but to fight.
Sensing Starkk's gaze, Lilynette nodded as well.
Standing together, Starkk reached out and placed his hand on Lilynette's head.
"Hunt them down, Los Lobos!"
BOOM!!!
A massive wave of Reiatsu swirled into a storm, enveloping the battlefield.
Watching the storm before him, Satoru suddenly thought how perfect it would be to insert some intense BGM at this moment.
Like... Brave Heart?
As the storm dissipated, Starkk's form was revealed.
He now wore a hunter-style wolfskin coat.
In his previously empty hands, he held two long pistols.
Lilynette, who had been beside him, had vanished.
Satoru showed a somewhat regretful look.
Aizen first seemed puzzled, then understood.
"I see... that girl was a portion of power split from your soul."
"That's how she could complete her Arrancar transformation independently."
"I was just wondering how someone with her relatively weak power managed to become an Arrancar. Now I understand."
Hearing this, Lilynette's angry voice came from Starkk's gun:
"Damn glasses! Who are you calling weak?!"
Aizen smiled slightly but didn't respond.
Both a self-made Arrancar and a soul split... Could there be any better experimental material in this world?
So happy.
Meanwhile, Satoru suddenly seemed to remember something.
He raised his hand: "Report, I have a question!"
Starkk looked at him strangely.
"Excuse me, Teacher Starkk, between you and Lilynette, who is the main soul?"
The gun that Lilynette had transformed into shouted: "Of course it's me!"
Ignoring the noisy gun, Starkk showed a thoughtful expression.
After a moment, he shook his head: "It's hard to define. In theory, we are two equal individuals—either of us could be the main one."
Hearing this, Satoru's eyes lit up:
"So, could Lilynette be the hunter, and you transform into the dual guns?"
Starkk made a noncommittal sound.
This was the first time he had considered such a thing.
Inside the dual guns, Lilynette grew a bit excited.
"That's a great idea, Starkk! Let's try it next time!"
Starkk scratched his head.
Although the proposal itself wasn't problematic, he couldn't shake the feeling—whether it was just his imagination or not—that Satoru hadn't made this suggestion with entirely good intentions...