Seeing that Aizen had no intention of explaining further, Lilynette's gaze toward him became even more wary.
Ren ruffled Lilynette's green hair and smiled. "Don't overthink it. We should have a little more trust in our business partner!"
Aizen, walking ahead, paused slightly before laughing softly. "Haha, I won't hide it from you—the Hogyoku is not yet complete. Once I finish my final plans, I will be able to help others evolve."
"One hundred percent success? That is truly impressive," Ulquiorra said flatly. Since the mask on his face had completely vanished, his emotions were richer than before. Most importantly, he seemed to have gained a faint understanding of what it meant to have a "heart."
Aizen didn't reply. After leading Ren and the others to a cluster of buildings, the three Soul Reapers departed.
The moment they left, Ren's group became like wild horses off their leashes, charging straight for the beds and sofas.
"This sofa is so soft! Look at the size of this bed!"
"And there are so many rooms. From now on, we each get our own!"
"Eh? You two aren't sleeping with me? How cold can you be? Sob sob~" Ren put on a dramatic display of fake tears.
"Fine, fine! Tonight, you shall attend to this Queen!" Lilynette laughed triumphantly.
"As you wish, Ma'am~"
A few days of blissful peace passed before Aizen returned, bringing a group of people—or rather, a group of Hollows—to Ren's quarters.
"Let me introduce you. This is the leader of the Espada, Ren," Gin Ichimaru said, gesturing to the group behind him. "Beside him are the First Espada, Lilynette, and the Second, Ulquiorra. That centaur is Ren's second lady, Nel. Oh, and Lilynette is the first lady."
Aizen added with a smile, "I thought the 'Espada' concept you mentioned before was quite good, so I brought some promising candidates. Feel free to take your pick."
Ren scanned the group behind Aizen. The most prominent among them was a skeleton wearing a golden crown. He could clearly feel a sense of hostility radiating from the creature. The others were mostly unfamiliar faces; Aizen hadn't slicked his hair back yet, and the future Espada hadn't all taken their places.
"Their strength isn't up to par," Ren said casually. "Keep the skeleton. The rest can leave."
He then turned to Aizen. "I didn't expect you to bring people to me just because I mentioned the name once."
"If you grow stronger, my own power grows," Aizen replied. "I'm leaving them in your hands. I hope your Espada can help me stall the Captains of the Gotei 13 when the time comes."
"No problem!" Ren grinned. "So, when do we move?"
Las Noches was built, and the Espada were taking their seats. All that remained was the other half of the Hogyoku that Aizen so desperately craved.
"Within the next few days. Some pieces are already in motion. It won't be long before we achieve our goal." Aizen looked at Ren. "Would you like to use the Hogyoku? I can lend it to you."
Since the Hogyoku was currently an incomplete product, Aizen didn't mind letting Ren experiment with it. But Ren shook his head, uninterested. "I don't have much use for it. However, once you've truly completed it, you can let Nel use it."
Aizen agreed without hesitation. As long as Ren handled the Gotei 13 so he could focus on creating the Ouken, these were minor details. Besides, Aizen was confident that even if he handed the Hogyoku to Ren, Ren wouldn't be able to steal it.
Leaving the skeleton behind, Aizen departed for the Soul Society to begin his scheme. He didn't ask for Ren's help with this stage; if he couldn't handle the internal politics of the Soul Society himself, he would be looked down upon by his ally.
As soon as Aizen was gone, the skeleton, Barragan Louisenbairn, stopped hiding his arrogance. He looked at Ren coldly. "Brat, give up the position of leader of the Espada yourself, and I might spare the other three."
Ren couldn't be bothered to argue with an idiot. He looked at Ulquiorra. "Make him see reason."
"Understood."
Green sparks flickered in Ulquiorra's hand as a Lanza del Relámpago manifested in his palm. Just as he was about to strike, Ren stopped him. "Wait! Go outside. Leave Las Noches before you fight, otherwise we'll waste time rebuilding the place."
Ulquiorra didn't want his new home destroyed either. He looked at Barragan. "Outside."
In an instant, Ulquiorra vanished. Barragan's hollow eyes flickered with green fire; the speed Ulquiorra just displayed was enough to suggest he was a threat. "Hmph, what use is speed? Let's see if you can even touch me."
With a soft sound, Barragan also disappeared.
In the desert, Ulquiorra waited for several moments before Barragan finally arrived. Without a word, Ulquiorra hurled a spear of lightning. The moment it struck Barragan, it simply dissolved and vanished.
"Hm?" Ulquiorra frowned. He fired a Cero Oscuras, but the result was the same—it dissipated the moment it touched the air around Barragan.
Is it magic negation? Ulquiorra wondered. He prepared for melee combat, but suddenly sensed an immense danger!
He blurred away, putting distance between them. Looking back, he saw the sand beneath Barragan's feet rotting and turning to ash. A halo of black light surrounded the skeleton; anything it touched aged and crumbled instantly.
"It isn't negation," Ulquiorra realized. "It is pure time."
Ulquiorra was familiar with time-based powers; Ren possessed similar abilities, and Ulquiorra had felt them before. He knew how to break it. "If the force is great enough, even time cannot erode me."
He condensed another spear, but this one was much smaller and more concentrated. "Focus and unity—strike one point!"
The tiny point of light radiated an intense brilliance. With a flick of his wrist, the point of light pierced straight through Barragan's body.
KABOOM!!
The spear exploded with a green radiance that rivaled the sun, bringing a brief morning to the eternal night of Hueco Mundo.
Ulquiorra lowered his hand and spoke calmly: "From today on, you are the Third Espada."
Long after Ulquiorra had left, Barragan collapsed to his knees in the void. "The gap... how can the gap be this large?"
He touched the tiny point on his sternum where the attack had hit. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, he knew he was no match for Ulquiorra.
A monster like that is only the Second? Then that child is the First... and the strongest is that... Leader.