However, unlike her original Arrancar form—where she exuded the elegance and maturity of a refined woman—Nelliel, lying before Makoto, now bore a stark contrast. She had reverted into a childlike form, resembling Yachiru Kusajishi in size and stature.
A crack ran across the skeletal mask atop her head, and a fresh wound on her face continued to ooze blood…
"You recognize this Arrancar, Asura?" Aizen asked casually.
"I know a little about her."
Makoto nodded before explaining, "I heard some information about Neliel from another Vasto Lorde, which is why I was searching for her in this region."
"I see… So I unintentionally stole your prey? What a shame."
Despite his words, Aizen's tone carried no hint of remorse—just a detached indifference as he elaborated further.
"In my search for Baraggan, I had to confirm the identities of every Vasto Lorde in Hueco Mundo by analyzing their spiritual pressure. I encountered this Arrancar not long ago…"
"However, I lost interest in persuading her to join me after sensing the immense spiritual pressure you unleashed earlier. So, I planned to eliminate her instead."
"Unexpectedly, breaking her mask triggered an unforeseen transformation, so I decided to keep her for further study."
Pausing, Aizen turned to Makoto, amusement flickering in his gaze.
"But since you have use for this experimental subject, I'll leave her to you. It shouldn't take long for you to derive some meaningful conclusions about Arrancar transformation see, correct?"
Having no alternative but to go along with the situation, Makoto gestured for Grimmjow to carry the unconscious Nelliel on his back and offered a token word of thanks for Aizen's 'generosity.'
Satisfied, Aizen did not press Makoto any further. Instead, he turned his attention to leading the Hollows toward Las Noches.
_" way ee ear
By the time Aizen and his forces arrived at Las Noches, Kaname Tōsen and Gin Ichimaru were already waiting inside, having been contacted in advance through Kidō.
What truly caught Makoto's attention, however, was the sight of Kyōka Suigetsu being reverently returned to Aizen—held in Tōsen's hands as though it were a sacred artifact.
'Tch… Captain Aizen sure loves to take risks.'
Makoto couldn't help but feel a sense of regret.
Had he known earlier that Aizen was temporarily without Kyōka Suigetsu, he would have ensured that Aizen experienced the true meaning of a righteous 10-on-1 beatdown.
Imagine—the Visoreds, Kisuke Urahara, Yoruichi Shihōin, and even Captain Unohana joining forces… coupled with Makoto himself.
Without Kyōka Suigetsu, even with Aizen's overwhelming personal strength, he would have been utterly crushed.
Hell, there was even a chance that, after being thoroughly beaten, Aizen might have dropped his loot, and they could've pried the Hōgyoku right out of him.
Alas, with Kyōka Suigetsu once again in Aizen's grasp, that fleeting opportunity was now lost.
With his Zanpakutō restored, Aizen had no fear of being outnumbered—on the contrary, an all-out assault against him would only result in self-inflicted chaos and bloodshed among allies.
Unimpressed with the dilapidated state of Las Noches, Aizen wasted no time assigning responsibilities.
Gin was ordered to reorganize the Hollow forces and oversee the reconstruction of Las Noches.
Tōsen was placed in charge of supervising the process.
Makoto found Aizen's personnel decisions to be quite fitting.
After all, a supervisor doesn't actually need eyesight—whether blind or not made no difference in such a role. In fact, occasional strategic blindness could be beneficial in certain situations, making Tōsen the perfect candidate.
Meanwhile, Makoto, Starrk, and Baraggan, as top-tier Vasto Lordes, were given a surprising amount of freedom.
Aizen neither imposed restrictions on them nor assigned them any menial tasks—a clear sign of respect for their strength.
Taking advantage of this, Makoto quietly led Grimmjow and Nelliel into Las Noches to settle in.
For a Shinigami like Makoto, this situation was undeniably strange.
It was almost like a flower nurtured by the gentle spring breeze suddenly uprooted itself and moved into a den of hawks, assuming a position of authority among them.
The only real downside?
Since Aizen had only just taken control, he had yet to begin large-scale Arrancar experiments.
As a result, unlike in the original timeline—where Las Noches was filled with elite Fracción and well-trained Arrancar retainers—the current Las Noches was still in its primitive stage.
Everywhere Makoto looked, he saw Gillian-class Menos and beast-like Adjuchas.
His gaze inevitably drifted back to Neliel, now in her childlike form.
A naturally evolved Arrancar and Vasto Lorde…
She and Starrk were among the few Hollows who had naturally reached the pinnacle of their evolution.
However, with her mask shattered, Nelliel seemed to have regressed, falling into an unstable state.
'Her spiritual energy is still leaking, and her spiritualy is steadily declining… If this continues, she'll soon fall below the Vasto Lorde level.'
After conducting a preliminary examination, Makoto arrived at a basic conclusion.
However, what intrigued him most was that Nelliel's Arrancar transformation remained stable—despite the damage to her mask and Hollow hole, her physical form was indistinguishable from a normal human child.
'Interesting…'
Lost in thought, Makoto began removing the oversized clothing that no longer fit Nelliel's shrunken body.
After all, a thorough examination was necessary.
Of course, when he had told Aizen earlier that he intended to "dissect and analyze" Nelliel…
He didn't mean that literally.
In medicine, "dissection" typically refers to a surgical autopsy…
But for someone like Makoto, who could constantly perceive the microscopic structure of spirit particles, there was no need for something so crude.
With just his eyes, his hands, and the right tools, a mere surface analysis would suffice.
Soon, he removed the last piece of clothing, gently slipping it over Nelliel's head—
And then…
She suddenly opened her eyes.
Her large, innocent emerald-green eyes blinked up at Makoto, framed by long, fluttering lashes—
Eyes filled with childlike curiosity and pure confusion as they studied the figure looming over her.
"..."
Makoto froze.
His hands stiffened mid-motion.
At this moment, with Nelliel's small frame, her innocent gaze, and her childlike expression, Makoto couldn't help but feel that…
Whatever research he was about to conduct—
It no longer seemed very… appropriate.
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