[Hueco Mundo]

With complete control over his hollow mask, Ichigo tells Sôsuke Aizen that he completed phase one of his hollowfication process "You were right, all I had to do was prove to my inner hollow that I do have a killer instinct."

"Good, your hollow powers will be of great use to me," states Aizen with a menacing smile on his face. He opens up a book that tells him how to make the Royal Key and begins to make sure that his plans will fall into place very soon.

--2 months later—

"Tell Aizen that the Hôgyoku is at full power and that we are now ready to accept the final Vasto Lord," states Gin to one of the low-level arrancars. As the arrancars goes to Aizen, Gin checks again to make sure that the information he is sending is correct.

Smiling, Aizen gets up with the good news and head towards Stark, the final Espada "Are you ready to become my strongest creation?" Even though he is a hollow Stark seems to show some compassion towards the pain and killing he is going to do with Aizen's orders "Yes, but I WILL not kill anyone unless they in some way shape or form try to kill me."

As they head towards the place where Stark will become Espada Primero (the first) Ichigo gets in there way "Hey, Aizen, what would happen if I turn into a hollow and then get my masked removed by means of the Hôgyoku?" asks Ichigo with a lot of curiosity. "I'm not sure, but the outcome has too many variables. Therefore, we are not going to even try unless we can narrow those variables down to no variables," states Aizen as he moves around Ichigo.

"Ichigo, the method you are referring to has already been done. It led to the birth of the strongest arrancar-soul reaper, Arturo Plateado. The captains of the Soul Society could not stop him so they sealed him inside something that was stronger than he was. However, the Menos Grande saved him, but he later killed them so he was exiled from Hueco Mundo. He then attacked the Soul Society for trying to seal him away, but in the end he was sealed away by the Kuchiki clan," States Stark as he too continues down the hall. Listening, Aizen wonders if Stark knows where he was sealed and if so he should be released from his cage "Do you know where he was…"

"No, I will not tell you where he has been sealed. It is a violation of our rules," interrupts Stark as Aizen begins to break his mask turning him into an arrancar.

[Karakura Town]

Trapped behind a wall of fire created by Captain-General Yamamoto, Aizen smiles thinking that nothing can stop his plans now "Do you want to dispatch of the fire?" asks Gin as he too smiles at the progress of his plans.

"That won't be necessary," states Aizen as he thinks about what will happen once he enters the real Karakura Town. "Ichigo, I'll give you the honor of destroying your hometown."

"Thank you," nervously states Ichigo as he forces a smile of thanks to Aizen. "It's okay; after all it is the towns' fault that your mother was killed by Grand Fisher. He was attracted to this town because the ground is saturated with high amounts of spiritual energy," reconciles Aizen trying to convince Ichigo the opposite of the truth.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to convey such thoughts," apologizes Ichigo…

"Nonsense, you have nothing to be sorry about. You're just showing the emotion you hold towards your friends who live there," intervenes Aizen as he senses that Ichigo might become a problem with his plans to kill the Spirit King.