These two people…
Haruki knew them, but at the same time, he didn't.
He knew them from the manga, but he hadn't seen them in this world yet.
A man and a woman, one tall and one short, wandering in Hueco Mundo without the masks that typically represented Hollows.
They wore tattered cloaks and seemed to have noticed White's presence.
These characteristics were too distinctive.
Coyote Starrk and Lilinette Gingerbuck, the future Primera Espada.
Aizen, of course, also saw the two at this moment. His gaze revealed a hint of curiosity and surprise.
"Strange, why are there Hollows in Hueco Mundo without masks?"
Gin asked curiously, looking at Aizen, thinking that Starrk might be one of Aizen's experiments.
Aizen's lips curled into a smile. "Is it searching for something 'opposite' to itself? To think there's a Menos capable of 'self-Arrancarization.' Interesting. Is there a way… for us to go take a look?"
Haruki understood what Aizen meant.
White was originally a Shinigami's soul, but Aizen had used technology to transform it into a Hollow.
Starrk, on the other hand, was originally a Hollow's soul but had undergone Arrancarization due to certain reasons.
Hollows have Hollow holes, which represent the incomplete soul, or the so-called "heart."
So where did the missing part of the soul, the missing heart, go?
It turned into the mask on the Hollow's face!
Arrancarization involves breaking the mask on the face, transforming that part of the soul into one's own Zanpakutō.
Before Starrk, there had never been a Hollow in Hueco Mundo capable of breaking its mask. No wonder Aizen was so interested in Starrk.
What Aizen wanted to create was the "Shinigamization of Hollows." This experiment had been going on for a long time, but to Aizen, those were all failures, not worthy of being called a "new species."
But Starrk seemed to be close to Aizen's ideal of what an Arrancar, this new species, should be.
Perhaps White had sensed the existence of something opposite to itself, or something similar, which was why it had gone to Hueco Mundo and confronted Starrk.
However, judging by the liquid on their bodies, it seemed like the two had just completed their separation.
But regardless of what Haruki thought, they were about to head to Hueco Mundo.
This was also a good opportunity to see Starrk and Lilinette's soul abilities.
As Aizen opened a Garganta using some method, the three of them entered Hueco Mundo.
They were still wearing the specially designed black cloaks, which not only concealed their forms but also masked their spiritual pressure.
Haruki witnessed Starrk and Lilinette's soul abilities firsthand.
Starrk's soul ability was "Soul Division," while Lilinette's was "Soul Fusion."
'Soul Division: Split off a part of the soul to form a clone. The clone's appearance, spiritual pressure, and even soul essence are different from the original.'
'Soul Fusion: Reabsorb the divided soul and inherit all abilities the clone gained during the separation.'
These two abilities…
Wow, I want them too!
Haruki was envious. He also knew that befriending Starrk wouldn't be too difficult. For someone as lonely as Starrk, even if the one offering friendship was a Shinigami, he probably wouldn't refuse.
Of course, the prerequisite was that you had to be strong.
If you weren't strong enough, you wouldn't even be able to survive near Starrk.
Haruki felt that he should be fine now. After all, he was a vice-captain. If he were to be crushed by a Hollow's spiritual pressure, wouldn't that be a disgrace to the title of vice-captain?
At this moment, Starrk also noticed the arrival of White.
Looking at White, Starrk felt a sense of strangeness.
He noticed that this Hollow seemed different from the ones he usually encountered.
"You are…"
"Roar!"
White responded with a roar. Even without a mouth, it could still produce sound.
White instantly lunged forward, charging straight at Starrk!
Starrk narrowed his eyes and, in an instant, appeared behind White.
"I don't want to fight."
White immediately turned around, its arm sharp as a blade slashing toward Starrk.
But Starrk's figure disappeared once again, this time reappearing next to Lilinette.
After two consecutive attacks failed to hit Starrk, White seemed to grow angry. Its horns began to gather intense light, forming a Cero.
Seeing that White was even using a Cero, Starrk finally showed a hint of seriousness. He raised his hand, seemingly preparing to use a Cero as well.
"Let's stop this, Captain Aizen. There's no need for these two to keep fighting."
At this moment, Haruki spoke softly. In the next instant, he appeared directly between the two.
Boom!
White and Starrk's Ceros finished charging at the same time, both firing toward each other. Haruki, who had suddenly appeared in the middle, naturally became the target.
However, Haruki simply extended a finger. In the next moment, a transparent, smooth, and seemingly fragile mirror-like surface appeared in front of his finger.
Boom!
The two Ceros collided on the mirror surface, impacting Haruki. But at this moment, Haruki had already activated Momo's "Strongest Defense" and Nanao's "Mirror Reflection."
Boom!
The colliding Ceros were reflected by Haruki's "Mirror Reflection," shooting off at a 90-degree angle from the point of collision—directly in front of Haruki!
With a deafening explosion, a massive blast erupted in the distance, engulfing and burning the white sands of Hueco Mundo.
Both White and Starrk were shocked. Neither had expected Haruki to suddenly appear in the middle, let alone block and reflect their Ceros!
"Alright…"
Haruki stood in the air, looking at White, who was hovering higher up, and Starrk, who stood on the spiritual sands. He lightly clapped his hands and said, "I don't think there's any need for you two to fight."
"How about… sitting down and having a proper chat?"
After saying this, Haruki looked up and added, "What do you think, Captain Aizen?"
"…You're too impatient, Murakami." Aizen also stepped forward, his eyes glinting with an unknown light as he looked at Haruki.
"Aren't you curious, Captain Aizen? Both 'White' and the 'Arrancar' are rare. I don't want either of them to be damaged."
Haruki had indeed acted impulsively, but he had no choice.
If the fight continued, the current White would definitely lose to Starrk!
And Aizen would never save his own experiment!
If White were killed by Starrk, Aizen would simply consider his creation imperfect.
But Haruki couldn't afford to think that way—he hadn't obtained the "Cocoon Transformation" ability yet!
...
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