The Arrancarization of Hollows in Hueco Mundo was undoubtedly a grand event for every Hollow in Las Noches.
Every Hollow's eyes burned with desire. They longed to become stronger through Arrancarization, to reach a higher level of existence, and to achieve further evolution.
Stark, watching the intense desire in the eyes of the other Hollows, couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
What Haruki had said was true. If you wanted to make friends and avoid loneliness, you had to "fit in."
If everyone else wanted to do something and you didn't, you wouldn't be able to integrate into the group.
"Don't think you're so special," Haruki said softly beside him. "There are many powerful beings in this world. You're not the strongest. In such a situation, the desire to become weaker is still too arrogant."
"Maybe," Stark sighed.
Then they fell into silence. Amidst this silence, more and more Hollows underwent Arrancarization.
Even Baraggan, enduring humiliation, allowed Aizen to perform Arrancarization on him.
Stark sighed and then walked over with Lilynette.
At this moment, Haruki was momentarily stunned.
Wait.
Stark and Lilynette were originally one being but also two separate individuals.
They had already reached the stage of Arrancarization. What would happen if they were further enhanced by the Hōgyoku? Haruki had no idea.
But now, a question arose in Haruki's mind.
If both Stark and Lilynette were enhanced by the Hōgyoku, would that count as one enhancement or two?
Haruki scratched his head. This really touched on the limits of his knowledge.
If they could be enhanced twice, wouldn't that be a bit overpowered?
When Aizen saw Stark approaching, he seemed slightly surprised but didn't refuse to enhance his power.
The power of the Hōgyoku acted on Stark, and in an instant, a soft light enveloped both him and Lilynette.
Under the influence of the Hōgyoku, Stark immediately activated his Resurrección, causing Lilynette to merge back into his soul.
As the light gradually dissipated, Stark's form underwent another transformation.
All the Arrancars present were focused on Stark, knowing that his changes would represent the possibility of their own further evolution.
Under the gaze of everyone, a Hollow hole suddenly appeared on Stark's chest... again!
Stark and Lilynette's Hollow holes had originally been near their chests. But now, Stark had one Hollow hole on his chest and another on his abdomen.
Most importantly, these two Hollow holes seemed to be filled with some kind of energy, as if they were being plugged. This was somewhat similar to White's Hollow hole.
However, White's Hollow hole was blocked by a flesh-like mass resembling a heart, while Stark's was filled with an intangible energy.
The two pistols in his hands also underwent some changes. Although their shapes remained the same, the patterns on them were different.
The patterns on the two pistols now resembled crescent moons, with the tips of the crescents emitting five rays of light.
This appearance...
Haruki thought for a moment. It actually looked a bit like Stark from the Bleach mobile game, where the Espada were enhanced by the Hōgyoku.
However, the colors weren't as vibrant. The cheap, flashy colors from the mobile game were gone, replaced by the traditional black and white of Bleach.
Was this... a Second Release?
"How do you feel now...?"
Aizen seemed very interested in Stark's new form, as this was the only special Arrancar in Hueco Mundo.
He looked at Stark, who had closed his eyes, and asked, "How does it feel?"
"It's..."
Stark opened his eyes, looked at his hands, and instinctively said, "Not bad."
As he spoke, he seemed to relax. Then, his body reverted to his initial Resurrección form, with only one Hollow hole remaining. Shortly after, he deactivated his Resurrección entirely, and Lilynette split off from his body once more.
After returning to their separate forms, only a trace of their previous transformation remained.
Both Stark and Lilynette now had a faint, mysterious light within their Hollow holes. This light emitted an intangible force, seemingly filling the Hollow holes.
"This guy..."
Baraggan looked at Stark with resentment. There were already Shinigami above him, but why was there a Hollow who had advanced further down the path of evolution than him, the King of Hueco Mundo?
This shouldn't be!
He was supposed to be the King of Hueco Mundo, the god of all Hollows! Nothing in this world should defy him!
"With this, the Hollows of Las Noches have basically all completed their Arrancarization."
Haruki jumped down and said to Aizen, "It feels like we can officially form the Espada now."
Then, he added, "By the way, there's still one Hollow who hasn't undergone Arrancarization."
"Szayelaporro Granz?"
Aizen said indifferently, "Don't worry about him. He won't be coming out of the laboratory anytime soon."
Aizen seemed to know everything about Szayelaporro's experiments.
Haruki wasn't surprised by this.
Ever since obtaining Haruki's "super tonic," Szayelaporro had been holed up in his laboratory, conducting some secret research.
The last time Haruki saw Szayelaporro was a month after handing over the liquid from Aaroniero. He had gone to the laboratory to collect the research data.
Since then, three years had passed, and Szayelaporro had remained in his laboratory, never coming out.
He must have been undergoing an extremely important evolution, working toward the eternal life he so desperately desired.
However, just because Haruki couldn't see it didn't mean Aizen couldn't.
Szayelaporro's scientific abilities were indeed impressive, but it depended on who you compared him to.
With Aizen's technology, he could easily infiltrate Szayelaporro's laboratory. To Aizen, nothing about Szayelaporro was a secret.
So when Aizen said Szayelaporro wouldn't be coming out anytime soon, Haruki didn't doubt it.
Perhaps, based on Aizen's judgment, Szayelaporro no longer needed enhancement from the Hōgyoku.
"What do you plan to do next?"
Haruki stood beside Aizen and asked, "It seems like the new measures regarding Yoruichi Shihōin and Urahara Kisuke are about to be announced, right?"
Hearing this, Aizen smiled slightly and said, "Murakami, you didn't do anything wrong."
"Urahara Kisuke... has indeed been living too comfortably in the human world. If he were to rot there, it would be quite boring for me."
Aizen adjusted his glasses, which reflected the moonlight. He said softly:
"It's time to make them feel a sense of urgency—one that could even cost them their lives."