Even though there was no captain in the team, there were still several captain-level fighters among them.
Shiba Kaien, Ikkaku Madarame, and Yumichika Ayasegawa—as long as they didn't provoke a Vasto Lorde, they wouldn't be in any real danger.
After all, Hueco Mundo hadn't yet been upgraded by Aizen using the Hōgyoku. Without the Arrancar, only the higher-tier Menos posed a real threat.
Of course, there were some lower-tier Menos that could still threaten captain-level Shinigami, but the expedition team wasn't made up of just one Shinigami.
They would likely lose a lot of cannon fodder, but the truly strong members would be able to return.
However, they were destined not to find White, because Aizen hadn't yet created a second White.
"It's just a transfer."
Haruki smiled, comforting Momo. "The 4th Division isn't far from the 5th Division. You two can still meet up easily."
"That's true… I just wonder how Renji is doing. It's been so long, and there's been no news."
"Don't worry. Renji is strong. I'm sure he'll come back from Hueco Mundo much stronger. Who knows? He might even become a vice-captain before you and Kira."
"I don't want to become a vice-captain!" Momo quickly said. "I just want to stay in the 5th Division!"
Since Haruki was the vice-captain of the 5th Division, if she wanted to become a vice-captain, she'd have to transfer to another division, right?
That wouldn't do. She had to stay in the 5th Division because only the 5th Division had Aizen.
Seeing the strong admiration for Aizen in Momo's words, Haruki sighed inwardly.
Poor kid. Trusting anyone but Aizen would be better. Aizen was a cold and ruthless man.
After talking with Momo for a while, Haruki walked out of the office with her.
Haruki wanted to get some fresh air, but he happened to see Aizen outside as well.
Once Momo was out of earshot, Haruki said coldly, "Didn't I tell you not to come out unless absolutely necessary?"
If anyone else saw Haruki speaking to Aizen like this, they'd think he was insane. But only Haruki knew that the Aizen in front of him wasn't the real Aizen.
This was one of Aizen's subordinates, disguised as him using Kyōka Suigetsu.
The real Aizen had been conducting experiments in the lab recently.
"Vice-Captain Haruki," the fake Aizen said, "Captain Aizen's experiment seems to be complete. He asked me to bring you over."
"Understood." Haruki nodded.
White II was already done?
That was fast. It had only been two years.
For Shinigami, two years really wasn't much.
When Haruki arrived at the lab, he saw Aizen sitting in front of a computer, typing away as if adjusting some program.
Curious, Haruki walked over and looked at the code on the screen.
Crap, I don't understand any of this.
Although he had no idea what the lines of code meant, Haruki kept a straight face, pretending he understood.
Ah, so that's how it is.
Haruki had been studying scientific knowledge recently. His training included reading.
Because he often read, his relationship with Nanao had improved significantly. They frequently went to the library together, borrowing books and recommending useful ones to each other.
However, most of the books Haruki read were related to training, such as techniques for improving Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō, as well as principles of spiritual energy usage.
As for scientific theory, he was still just a beginner.
If he were in the Research and Development Institute, he'd probably be relegated to running errands and moving supplies.
But that's fine. The tides will turn. Just wait until I outwork them all!
"Captain Aizen, this isn't the same as White, is it?"
Even though he didn't understand any of it, that didn't matter. He believed Aizen wouldn't go through all this trouble just to create the same thing.
Scientists like Aizen pursued the unknown. When unexpected changes occurred, Aizen would get excited.
The original White was an accidental creation after fusing with Haruki's "soul supplement pills," but Aizen had already figured out its data and principles.
In other words, White no longer held much mystery for Aizen.
So why would Aizen spend so much effort creating something he had already "lost interest in"?
Therefore, Haruki guessed that this new White must be different from the original.
This had nothing to do with scientific knowledge. Haruki simply believed he understood Aizen.
Aizen smiled. "As expected of Murakami. You're absolutely right."
He stood up and led Haruki to a device that resembled a hibernation pod.
Inside lay another "White."
However…
This White was different from the original.
It was entirely black, similar in shape to the original White, but…
It only retained…
a pair of eyes!
This "White" had no ears, no nose, no mouth. Its appearance…
reminded Haruki of Aizen after merging with the Hōgyoku in the original story.
When Aizen entered the second stage of his Hōgyoku transformation, his body was covered in a milky-white substance, and his face only had a pair of eyes, with no other sensory organs.
Or perhaps… it resembled an "Asauchi."
When Ichigo Kurosaki was training in the Soul King Palace, he was thrown into a pile of Asauchi by Ōetsu Nimaiya, the God of the Zanpakutō. The Asauchi he saw at the time looked somewhat similar to this.
The only difference was that this "White" was black, while Aizen in his second Hōgyoku stage and the Asauchi were white.
"Is this… a Zanpakutō?"
Haruki murmured.
Ōetsu Nimaiya once said that Aizen's creation of "White" was similar to his own process of creating Asauchi. This form made Haruki recall that statement.
Could Aizen have turned White into an actual Zanpakutō?
If so, would Ichigo even need to go to the Soul King Palace to forge his Zanpakutō in the future?
"Only somewhat similar."
Aizen said, "But it's not a Zanpakutō. And it's too early to call it a new species. Let's let it hunt first."
"Right now?" Haruki asked, puzzled. "The Soul Society is still very wary of White. If White II is discovered, it could draw a lot of attention."
"No need to worry." Aizen turned around, looking at Haruki calmly. "If it's tripped up by something this trivial, then White II would be a failure."
"…I see." Haruki said softly. "Captain Aizen, can I ask what the biggest difference between White II and the original is?"
"That…"
Aizen's lips curled into a mysterious smile. "You'll find out soon enough."
...
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