Chapter 225 – 225 ⥤ The World!

“You show promise.” Akira looked at the hamster-like Hollow before him with satisfaction, “Sōton, I have three questions for you to answer truthfully.”

The hamster nodded enthusiastically.

As one of the lowest-ranking Hollows in Las Noches, its original fate had been merely to serve as fodder, powerless against being devoured by stronger Hollows.

Sōton had abandoned all hope for its future — until it learned that Las Noches’ God-King Baraggan had fallen to a Shinigami.

At first, it believed the Shinigami would follow their duty and exterminate all Hollows. Yet unexpectedly, that Shinigami transformed and became Las Noches’ new God-King.

Even more surprising was how Las Noches underwent earth-shattering changes after Lord Kisaragi ascended to the throne.

Powerful Hollows flocked to Las Noches in waves, and under Lord Szayelaporro and Lord Aizen’s direction, the once-desolate palace transformed into a vast city.

Even a low-ranking Hollow like itself found purpose — planting trees and creating forests around Las Noches.

As Lord Kisaragi had said, “To have a decent life, you need some greenery around. Preventing desertification is the first step in transforming Hueco Mundo.”

Though it didn’t fully grasp the lord’s meaning, following orders diligently was enough.

As other low-ranking Hollows proclaimed, “With the lord’s arrival, Las Noches found peace; with the lord’s arrival, justice prevailed!”

The changes in their lives were undeniable.

This was why Sōton showed such fanatical loyalty. No longer living in constant fear, its future now brimmed with hope.

“First question, my name.”

“Lord Kisaragi!”

“Good, second, can you guarantee your loyalty no matter what happens?”

“Yes, my lord!”

“Final question, are you willing to undergo the Arrancar experiment?”

“Ready at any time!”

Sōton’s fanaticism would have unnerved even Kisuke.

If someone were to demand such devotion from him in the future, it would be pure torture.

Satisfied with the hamster’s performance, Akira nodded approvingly, then gave Aizen an “OK” hand signal.

In the next moment, the miniaturized Hōgyoku emitted a blue-purple beam of light that completely engulfed Sōton.

Countless monitoring devices and instruments rose up in the laboratory, locking onto Akira and Sōton at the room’s center.

Piercing screams erupted as the Hollow’s fur began falling off. The grotesque mask on its skull cracked, with faint Reiatsu light bursting through.

“Roar! I feel my lord’s presence! My lord, I worship you!” The frenzied Sōton babbled, its short limbs twitching wildly as if electrocuted.

Aizen and the others gathered before the screen, frowning as they studied the rapidly changing data.

“The Reiatsu surge has exceeded Sōton’s physical limits. By past experience, this Arrancar experiment should have failed.” Szayelaporro analyzed seriously, “Yet according to the Reishi fluctuations, an invisible force is connecting its soul, preventing collapse.”

Mayuri nodded while operating the split screen, “The spirit network is crimson red, soul traces extraordinarily strong. The connection method shows third-party driving force — originating from Hueco Mundo beneath us.”

Kisuke pondered, “Based on the Captain’s words, his ability can share others’ soul damage through fanatical faith. Without doubt, Sōton has succeeded.”

As he spoke, the white bone mask on Sōton’s face peeled off completely, revealing a large Campbell’s dwarf hamster face.

Unlike other Hollow Arrancar, Sōton didn’t evolve from animal to human form. Having been a hamster before death, it maintained its hamster form even after becoming an Arrancar.

This was similar to Kukkapūro.

{T/N: For those who don’t know, he’s a Hollow dog that accompanies Yammy Llargo.}

The previously shed fur grew back, and its body expanded significantly.

“Has a bit of a Forest Sage King feel.” Akira circled around Sōton, showing no particular reaction to the Arrancar experiment.

From his perspective, this was just an ordinary procedure.

“So, what’s the secret?” He looked at the four researchers with a bewildered expression, spreading his hands.

Aizen took a deep breath, his expression tinged with helplessness. Clearly, this fool had no idea what had happened to himself.

Could this be what they call “fools have fool’s luck”?

“According to our observations and analysis.” He said steadily, calming his emotions, “Your Schrift { W } and Soul Immortality ability are connected. ‘The World’, as its name suggests, while its specific ability remains uncertain, clearly relates to the world beneath us. I suspect the source of amplifying power is world force itself. And the first step in sharing soul damage is absolute loyalty — or rather, fanatical faith.”

Kisuke added from the side, “This reminds me of Mimihagi.”

Mayuri removed his haori with a strange expression.

The text “It’s free, might as well believe a little” made his eye twitch. This had already become the 11th Division’s standard uniform, just like the Wandenreich’s Quincy uniforms.

Aizen noticed this and silently sighed again. These words were written at someone’s request. He never expected things would develop this far.

After the explanation, Akira’s face showed realization, “So that’s what it means. Those who chant my true name shall find eternal life in reincarnation.”

Aizen slightly narrowed his eyes, instinctively feeling these words didn’t suit that person.

Through this research, they temporarily confirmed another function for Akira. Beyond being Las Noches’ mascot, he could serve as a mediator for Arrancar experiments. A 100% success rate was now within reach.

No time like the present.

With Aizen’s permission, low-level Gillians began entering the laboratory one after another.

Originally, even with restructuring the Hōgyoku, they couldn’t perform Arrancarization on low-level Hollows. Because their corresponding souls were too weak, the slightest mistake would lead to complete collapse.

However, with Akira present, everything became possible. Any Hollow loyal enough could break through their soul limits.

They used this opportunity to screen out Hollows with ulterior motives.

On this day, tragic howls echoed endlessly above Las Noches.

But there were bright spots that made Akira happy — particularly Harribel and Nelliel’s Arrancarization.

Unlike the other misshapen Arrancar, these two female Hollows’ new forms were breathtaking.

Harribel’s voluptuous brown form was clad in a white uniform that revealed her slender waist, her curves impossible to ignore. One particularly devoted admirer couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Nelliel, meanwhile, wore a white uniform that perfectly accentuated her impressive figure, creating an alluring silhouette.

Just as Akira was about to pull them both aside for a chat about life goals, Aizen turned his attention to the Black-Winged Demon clan.

Unlike someone preoccupied with impure thoughts, he remained focused on his ideals.

The Black-Winged Demons were undoubtedly Las Noches’ most promising Hollow species — among the finest in all of Hueco Mundo. They would make perfect Arrancar, whether as test subjects or for other work.

Countless ideas sprouted in Aizen’s mind.

For some reason, the newly empowered Black-Winged Demons felt an inexplicable chill run through them. In that bone-chilling moment, the group of Arrancar Hollows shivered in unison.

The Hollows exchanged confused glances.

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The annual Shin’ō Academy graduation season had arrived.

Akira, who had been serving as Las Noches’ masco—ahem, I mean—God-King and was dying of boredom, was overjoyed.

He immediately volunteered, snatching the recruitment work from Sajin, donning the latest promotional haori, and heading out eagerly.

The Captain accompanying him was Shunsui Kyōraku, who was equally bored.

Unlike Akira who occasionally got carried away with enthusiasm, Shunsui handled recruitment every year solely to admire lovely young women.

Though his reputation made recruiting female Shinigami difficult, he remained undeterred.

This year was special, however. Due to someone’s influence, two geniuses had emerged among the graduates.

The final graduation assessment had changed accordingly. Beyond the written exam, there was now a combat assessment.

Unlike before, graduates would face each other in combat. The judges included two bored Captains, the teachers, and the academy principal.

To encourage competition, the principal announced that the top performer could choose their Division without fear of rejection.

Moreover, the better the performance, the higher their starting position would be in their chosen Division. Some exceptional graduates could even become Seated Officers or Lieutenants immediately.

These enticing rules set the graduates’ spirits ablaze.

On the combat platform, the battles commenced.

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

“Hoho, Senior, look! That kid’s about to give in!” From the judges’ seats, Akira grinned. “Indeed, indeed. That makes eighteen losses for you. To place so many bets, you must be quite wealthy!”

Shunsui placed his straw hat on the table before him with a frustrated sigh.

He couldn’t fathom it. How did this guy predict every winner before the fights even began? Could such an ability to see the future truly exist?

As the two bantered, two figures on platforms three and seven seized everyone’s attention.

“Look, it’s Big Sis Matsumoto!”

“The opponent was defeated instantly — is this the gap between genius and mediocrity?”

“So powerful, she’s in a completely different league!”

On the combat platform, the young woman extinguished the dissipating smoke from her fingertip, her orange hair dancing in the wind as she radiated vigor.

A single ordinary Byakurai had been enough to instantly defeat her opponent, demonstrating their vast difference in ability.

“Another instant victory!”

“Damn, there wasn’t even a chance to fight back!”

“The opponent fell before they could even try!”

On the other platform, Gin Ichimaru slowly sheathed his sword, offering a harmless smile as he bowed to his fallen opponent.

But just as he turned to leave, he sensed something. He looked up and to the left.

Their eyes met!

Whether due to their shared ambitions or the mutual understanding between geniuses, when their gazes crossed, they both recognized the fierce fighting spirit in each other.

The combat assessment moved swiftly forward.

Being mere Shinigami candidates, these graduates possessed limited combat techniques. Though their tenacious fighting spirit provided some entertainment value, the childlike sparring made Akira drowsy.

He poked Shunsui beside him.

“Senior Kyōraku, this is too dull. Why don’t we two have a match? Just to liven things up for everyone.”

Shunsui raised an eyebrow, “?”

Listen to yourself! You can withstand Yama-jii’s Ryūjin Jakka now — only a fool would fight you! I want to live a few more years!

Shunsui shook his head decisively, “Let’s not speak of this again.”

After a moment’s thought, seemingly feeling this wasn’t safe enough, he added seriously:

“I’ll send the stakes to the 11th Division tomorrow.”

One injured student after another was carried off the combat platform as the graduates experienced firsthand the gap between themselves and genius.

Though they graduated from the same school, the difference between people could exceed even that between humans and dogs. It was devastating.

Soon, the combat assessment reached its final match.

When Akira saw the two figures on the combat platform, his eyes lit up and his drowsiness instantly vanished. This was what he had come for today.

The Shin’ō Academy’s Big Sister, Rangiku Matsumoto!

The perennial genius, Gin Ichimaru!

Though their destinies had changed for various reasons, there was no doubt that these two were first-rate geniuses now.

What could be more thrilling than a battle between geniuses?

Under countless watchful eyes, the two exchanged names, and at the referee’s signal, the battle exploded into action.

The clear ring of drawn steel echoed across the combat platform. In the next instant, the two figures clashed, producing brilliant sparks. Visible waves of Reiatsu rippled where their blades crossed, drawing gasps from the spectators.

The audience hadn’t expected a mere graduate assessment to feature such an intense battle. From their presence alone, these two were already no weaker than official Seated Officers.

Chaotic blade light erupted on the combat platform as surging Reiatsu flowed freely, filling the Kidō barrier.

After brief exchanges, both sides simultaneously realized they couldn’t overcome their opponent with conventional methods.

So, when their Reiatsu built to a crescendo, decisive voices rang out in unison.

“Growl…”

⤫ Shikai: Haineko ⥤ Initial Release: Ash Cat! ⤬

“Shoot to kill…”

⤫ Shikai: Shinsō ⥤ Initial Release: God Spear! ⤬

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T/N: If you want more Chapters like this, check out my Patreon! Take a look at my other translations too, you might like them!

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/mrblackwing

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep