Chapter 3. Arrancar
.
.
.
Well i'm a bit confused as to the reaction of the previous chapter, in a single day i got the same amount of likes and followers as i got in over a week, but i got less reviews.
But hey, let's hope this chapter has a better reception. thanks to those who left a review in the previous chapter. It's because of you that I keep writing. Well enjoy the chapter.
.
.
.
POV. Aizen.
.
.
.
A year before the meeting with the MC.
.
.
.
Aizen was sitting on his throne in Las Noches. he was recapitulating the events of these last few years. he had overthrown Barragán from the throne and had taken control over all of his territory.
In all these years he had managed to create the first generation of perfect Arrancar. although until now he had only gotten Adjuchas of a somewhat remarkable power level and Menos Grandes. they were just a prototype of his true army. the increase in power that those Adjuchas and Menos Grandes obtained were only a forecast of the true plans that he had in mind.
If a few simple Adjuchas managed to increase their power to the level of a beginning captain, then the highest level Adjuchas would reach the level of an experienced captain with no problem. but his plans were not to gather simple Adjuchas. his plans were at a higher level. his true goal was to gather the Vasto Lordes, Hollows who were at the top of Hollow evolution and who could rival the captains.
If naturally they were already at the level of a captain, when they became an Arrancar, they would surpass that level easily. and that was what he was currently doing. he was gathering information from former Barragán subordinates. o well, Kaname was the one gathering the information.
About possible rumors or incidents that Barragán had with some other Vasto Lorde. He currently he was already keeping an eye on the Vasto Lorde Tier Haribel. she was not as powerful as Barragan, but, she was powerful enough to openly oppose Barragan.
But Aizen was snapped out of his thoughts, as Kaname entered the throne room and said.
"Lord Aizen, I bring news of the possible location of several Vasto Lordes."
That intrigued Aizen.
"Several Vasto Lordes?" Aizen asked curiously.
"That's right, Lord Aizen. Apparently the female Vasto Lorde, Tier Haribel was not the only Vasto Lorde to openly oppose Barragan." Kaname said calmly.
Right now Aizen's curiosity was at its highest point.
"According to several Hollows that were under the command of Barragán. once upon a time there was an Adjuchas who was known as the Beast of Wraht: Peacock Demon. it is said that his hunger was unmatched. he caused many massacres, devouring entire hordes of Hollows."
"Barragán was looking for him to include him in his ranks, but that Hollow was always on the move, so it was quite difficult to find. The only trace of him, was the devastation that he left behind when he fought with entire hordes of Hollows."
"As expected, that Hollow evolved into a Vasto Lorde. Many Hollows thought his slaughter would stop, as he had managed to reach the peak of Hollow evolution. But it was quite the opposite. His slaughter increased, the devastation that left on his way was now much worse. The only thing that changed in his habits was that he established himself in a place remote from Barragán's domains. And he was in charge of eliminating all the Hollows that were close to his new territory"
"Barragán sent some of his strongest subordinates after him, Barragán still wanted to add him to his army. But as expected of someone with that reputation, those Hollows never came back. Barragán was furious, and he was going to go after him personally, but he was unable to do that, as a new Vasto Lorde began to cause trouble in his territory. Tier Haribel had settled near Las Noches."
Barragán decided that it was more important to focus his attention on Haribel, since she was closer to his palace. but then rumors came that Peacock Demon made an ally to another Vasto Lorde, those rumors intensified when several Hollows said that they saw them prowling his territory, they even saw them hunting together. Barragán couldn't do much now, taking on three Vasto Lorde at the same time wouldn't be smart. so Barragan decided to leave those two alone for now."
"But the news about that Vasto Lorde did not end there, as a few years later it was revealed that he had made another alliance with another Vasto Lorde. Again, that was reaffirmed as several Hollows claimed to see from a distance the fight between two Vasto Lordes .it is said that they fought to see who would be the leader."
After Kaname said that, Aizen said.
"Let me guess. The Vasto Lorde known as the Peacock Demon was the victor of those fights."
To which Kaname nodded in confirmation and said.
"It is said that Barragan himself had some respect for him for having two Vasto Lordes under his command."
Aizen knew Barragán's arrogance firsthand, that someone managed to have the respect of the self-proclaimed god king of Hueco Mundo, that was a feat to be reckoned with.
"And where is that impressive Vasto Lorde located?" Aizen asked.
"It is somewhat removed from the territory of Las Noches. We can send the spy cameras to corroborate that information, but the cameras will take several days to reach that place." Kaname said in response.
"Send the cameras, and keep me informed if the information on this Vasto Lorde is correct. He would be a great addition to the army if the rumors are true." Aizen said somewhat pleased.
"Immediately, Lord Aizen." after saying that, Kaname left.
There is no doubt that this day had been perfect, finding the location of 3 possible Vasto Lordes was a sign, a sign that fate was on his side. What would be the odds of finding 3 Vasto Lordes at the same time? they are so rare that in these years that he has been in Hueco Mundo, he had only found 2 Vasto Lordes, but from one day to the next they arrive with information on the location of 3 Vasto Lordes.
It is simply unquestionable that fate was on his side. now it only remains to wait, and see what the behavior of this Peacock Demon is. With the information they just gave Aizen, it sounds like he's a rather interesting Vasto Lorde.
.
.
.
1 week later.
.
.
.
Aizen, Kaname and Jin were in a room with a big screen. on the screen was an image of the endless Hueco Mundo desert. apparently the Peacock Demon's lair was further removed than expected. but the reason they were gathered in that room was that the spy camera's sensors had just registered several Reiatsu presences in the area.
And since they were the only presences in the entire area, it is believed that they had just found the Peacock Demon's lair. the three Shinigami were curious to meet this mysterious Vasto Lorde. The Vasto Lorde who managed to earn Barragán's respect.
The first thing they saw was a somewhat large rock formation, it seemed to have a cave, it didn't seem like a big deal, but their attention was diverted by a large Hollow, it had a kind of tiki mask. it was on top of the rock formation. it seemed that he was standing guard.
"So he has gathered more subordinates." Aizen said with a slight smile.
"He appears to be an Adjuchas." Gin said with his trademark snake smile.
Kaname didn't say anything. at this point he wasn't much help, since he couldn't see anything on the screen.
So far no other Hollow had been shown. and the Hollow in the tiki mask looked like he was sleeping right now. but after almost an hour of absolutely nothing happening, another even bigger Hollow came out of the cave and jumped towards the sleeping Hollow, this Hollow seemed to be another Adjuchas too, it had huge arms, and its mask was similar to a skull , only his mask had a somewhat pointed nose.
After what seemed like a scolding from the largest Hollow. they exchanged positions and now the new Hollow stood guard.
"Looks like they're somewhat organized." Gin said.
"That's right, it seems that our mysterious Vasto Lorde is someone who takes a lot of precautions. He most likely has other Adjuchas under his command." Aizen said confidently.
"And he still has the other two Vasto Lordes under his command. Are you sure you want him to join us, Lord Aizen? From what I hear, he's not one to put his head down that easily." Gin said that with a slight smile.
"We don't even know what he looks like yet, Gin. We can't judge his character based on hearsay." Kaname said in a serious voice.
But before Gin could say anything in response to Kaname's comment, something caught his attention and he said.
"But look who decided to show up at last." He said that with his typical smile.
On the screen three humanoid beings could be seen walking towards the lair that was being guarded. one was a woman, she looked like a centaur she had a ram-like mask and she had green hair.
The other Vasto Lorde could not be distinguished, as he wore a white robe with a hood that covered his entire body.
And finally, there was the Vasto Lorde they had heard so much about.
He was a humanoid form, his torso was bare, his hollow hole was in the pit of his stomach, his arms were covered by a kind of gloves up to the middle of his biceps. His hands had claws that seemed quite sharp.
The lower half of his body was covered by what looked like a long skirt with some colorful patterns. his mask resembled that of a peacock, he had long hair, up to his shoulders and was white in color. and what stood out the most about him were his huge white wings.
"It certainly looks impressive." Gin said.
Aizen didn't say anything, he was simply analyzing the 3 Vasto Lordes more thoroughly.
After a few minutes of silence, Aizen finally said.
"We are going to study them for a while, to know what actions to take with these Vasto Lordes." To that both Gin and Kaname simply nodded in confirmation.
.
.
.
1 year later.
.
.
.
Throughout this year Aizen was not only keeping an eye on Peacock Demon, he was also gathering new more powerful Adjuchas, and kept searching for more Vasto Lordes. unfortunately he couldn't find any more Vasto Lordes, for now.
In this year, they also got the surprise, that Peacock Demon, is the Vasto Lorde that Yoruichi met 20 years ago. a few months before he framed Urahara and his allies. Yoruichi arrived at the Gotei 13 to give a report that made the captains somewhat uneasy at the time.
According to her report, a Vasto Lorde with the ability to control and absorb Hollows had come to the Rukongai with the intention of attracting low-level Shinigami. Just for the simple fact of being a Vasto Lorde, he was already a priority for the Gotei 13. But what put them in a state of alert, is that apparently that Vasto Lorde had a partner powerful enough to overcome a captain easily.
Since then, Yamamoto gave the order that, for a time, the captains would accompany the squads in the investigation of Hollow anomalies. it was clear that this Vasto Lorde was planning something. he also found out, that Peacock Demon's partner and the presence that Yoruichi felt back then, was a perfect Arrancar.
Somehow, Peacock Demon managed to make, to that Arrancar obey him. so, that Vasto Lorde is not a common Hollow. He also occasionally attempts to invade Soul Society, but due to Yamamoto's orders, he has been unsuccessful in his attempts.
What was he trying with those attempts? Aizen had his theories about him, but they weren't concrete yet. but he was sure of something, and that is that he came to understand in essence the Vasto Lorde known as Peacock Demon. and that was, that he is on an endless quest to increase his power. Aizen knew that, because he saw something that intrigued him. Peacock Demon was training his Reiatsu. so far no Hollow that he had seen so far, trained his power to have a better control of it.
Neither Barragán, nor the Vasto Lorde Tier Haribel trained, they were stuck with their power, but Peacock Demon did not, he trained his Reiatsu control, kept increasing it, and was even teaching the other Vasto Lorde and the Arrancar to meditate and control their powers, to have better control of it, and have greater effectiveness.
Peacock Demon had shown to be an unusual Hollow.
That's why he came to the conclusion that what drives him is the search for power. And Aizen can give it to him, at last he had found an opening. he also seemed to be a fairly laid-back Vasto Lorde, after all the rumors he'd heard about him, Aizen expected him to be a more destructive Hollow.
Maybe that's why he managed to make an alliance with the Vasto Lorde woman, she was quite calm too and it seems that she liked the peaceful life they had.
although he still did not know what the Arrancar's motivations were, for him to be with them, but it was clear that he was not the one who made the decisions, that was what confused him. he had many conclusions, but none was a satisfactory answer.
Another thing he noted, is that he is willing to sacrifice as many Hollows as necessary, if his sacrifice resulted in any benefit to him or his companions.
He also analyzed Peacock Demon's powers, and they were interesting. being able to control Hollows at your will was quite a useful ability. Aizen could see how he would be quite a power in his army.
He also seemed to be someone quite organized, he had a certain network of information. apparently he already suspects that something happened to Barragán, it seems that he had studied it quite a bit. enough to notice the anomalies in Las Noches. this was somewhat inconvenient, since from what he learned from him this year, he doesn't get into unnecessary fights.
So, if he reaffirms his suspicions of what is happening in Las Noches, it is most likely that he will retreat even further from his current position, even he could lose track of him. and that would be inconvenient, since he along with the Arrancar and the Vasto Lorde would be quite useful to him. so he would have to preempt Peacock Demon's plans.
It was time to pay them a visit.
.
.
.
The encounter
.
.
.
POV MC.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Sōsuke Aizen. And they are my partners Kaname Tōsen, and Gin Ichimaru."
(this is not good, how the hell did they find us?) I thought in disbelief.
But before someone did something stupid, I said.
"What are 3 Shinigami supposed to do in Hueco Mundo? You are very far from your home, don't you think?" I said in the most authoritative voice I could muster. Besides, I already knew what they were doing here, I was just trying to make some time.
Over all these years I have expanded my traps, before I only had them inside the lair, but now they are scattered around the lair as well. I don't intend to fight Aizen, I know I don't have a chance, but if I can avoid falling into his perfect hypnosis, it will be a big point in my favor.
"You're right. We're a long way from home. But before I answer your question, may I know who I'm talking to?" Aizen replied with a slight smile.
I gave Nelliel and Stark a quick glance to see what they were thinking, and they both nodded in confirmation. after all, they had already introduced themselves to us. so I stepped forward and said.
"The woman on my left is called Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, the man on my right is Coyote Stark and I am Goeritz Shen. Now answer my question Aizen." I knew it wasn't a good idea to provoke this man, but I wasn't going to act submissive to him either.
Aizen just gave us a smile and said.
"The answer to that question is easy to answer. I am about to rebuild Hueco Mundo and soul society. Soul society is ruled by incompetents, it is ruled by an incompetent king who has no interest in the beings he is supposed to guide ."
"This is where I come in, I will overthrow the king of the soul, I will create a fairer world for souls, for you, a fairer world for all. But the obstacles are too many and in order to achieve that, I need your help." Aizen exuded charisma and confidence with every word he said.
If it wasn't for my knowledge of my past life, I would have believed his statement.
"Are you saying that you betrayed your own, to make a revolution and create a more peaceful world?" Nelliel asked somewhat intrigued, certainly the idea of a peaceful world would catch her attention.
"of course. But taking on the entire soul society won't be easy, so I've developed a method to increase your powers. I can turn you into perfect Arrancars. you will no longer have to be bound by hunger, and you will gain the combined powers of a Shinigami with those of a Hollow." when he said that, he stared at us.
(so the bastard had already been watching us. I already found it strange that he would give a speech about wanting to create a world of peace, that's something that would attract Nelliel's interest. and now he gives me the speech about increasing my powers . how is it possible that he is several steps ahead? I am supposed to be the one with future knowledge. Then why am I the one who is being disadvantaged?)
I was feeling a great deal of frustration right now.
"But of course, I'm sure you already know that, don't you? After all, you have a perfect Arrancar with you." Aizen said that as he looked at Stark.
"The process of becoming an Arrancar is quite risky. Why should we trust you?" Stark said in a serious voice.
"As I said, I have created a method to create perfect Arrancars without any risk. But if you don't believe me, let me show you." when he said that his hand went to the handle of his katana.
In an instinctive reflex, I made several of my feathers come out of the sands and wrapped around the hilt and sheath of the Katana, preventing him from drawing his sword.
the movement was so sudden that Nelliel and Stark looked at me for a few seconds surprised by my sudden action. Aizen also stared at me with a slight smile, as he signaled to Gin and Kaname not to attack. he didn't seem worried at all.
"I'm sorry Shinigami, but I know that the Aori you are wearing are from a captain's. And captains always have some pretty weird abilities on their swords. So forgive me for not trusting you when a captain tries to unsheathe his sword in my presence." I said that as my feathers tightened on the hilt of his sword.
At that, both Stark and Nelliel tensed up. In all these years, I had taken care to earn their trust with my actions, I had never let them down, I have never given them any reason to distrust me. so they had all their trust in me.
"Of course, I see that you care about your teammates. but, I just want you to know something, if I really wanted to hurt you guys, I would have done it from the moment I arrived."
When he said that, an enormous spiritual pressure began to be exerted on us. it was as if the weight of the sea was pressing down on me. but my Hollow instincts kicked in instantly, thanks to the fact that I was in a more alert state due to already knowing those three, and unfolding my wings in an attempt to intimidate, I began to unleash all my power at once.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" I gave a great Hollow roar.
I was trying to nullify the effects of Aizen's power on us. of course that was a futile attempt. but at the time I wasn't thinking clearly.
"Whoaaaaa, that's impressive. The rumors about him were definitely not lying." Gin said with a smile.
"Certainly, he is almost on the same level as Barragán, there is not much difference between his powers currently." Aizen said with a smile.
But suddenly Aizen released more of his power again and easily overshadowed mine.
but to my growing fear, I saw how Aizen's hand went towards his sword and with his absurd power, he began to remove my feathers from his sword. my feathers didn't exert any resistance, it was as if my feathers had never been blocking Aizen's sword in the first place. but he didn't pull the sword from him, he just pulled my feathers from his sword.
But before Stark or Nelliel did anything to try to help me counter Aizen's power. he stopped and said.
"As you can see, I have the power to subjugate you if I want to. But I don't want to make myself your enemy. What I just told you, my goals are true. I want to change the world, I want to overthrow the incompetents of Soul Society, and it is true that I need your help."
"And what happened a moment ago, I think there was a mix up, what I wanted to show you a moment ago was not my sword, it was what I had in my pocket."
when he said that, he took out a rare item. it was a small spherical artifact, that thing exuded overwhelming power. And instantly I knew what it was. but thanks to my mask that expression was not shown on my face.
"This is the Hōgyoku, it's not complete yet, but it can still do a lot of things, and one of those things is the creation of perfect Arrancars." when he said that he spread it out in front of us so that we could feel the enormous power of that thing even more. it was certainly impressive.
"So what do you say? Will you help me create a new world?" Aizen seemed to be so honest, he seemed to be someone really trustworthy.
But I wouldn't fall for his lies, I know he sees us as mere disposable pawns. so why not use force to force us to serve him? he maybe he wants us to follow him blindly, and not try to plot against him.
"If what you say is true, that you don't want to become our enemy. then let us decide if we really want to help you or not. I will discuss it with my companions and let you know our answer." I said in a tense voice. feeling how Aizen's power crushed me really made me tense.
"What is there to think? You are being asked to be part of a plan to improve the lives of many beings, you are being asked to be part of a just and noble cause." Kaname said in a serious voice.
We all turn our attention to him. and I said.
"You're asking us to be part of a war we didn't ask for, you're asking us to follow complete strangers into a fight against all of soul society." I replied with the same serious tone of voice.
I already knew what my response to Aizen's proposal would be, but I wanted some time to make it clear to Stark and Nelliel that Aizen was not someone to be trusted, that he was someone who would not take no for an answer, and that the best The decision to take would be to accept Aizen's proposal, but we didn't have to let our guard down with his nice words.
But before Kaname could say anything else to me, Aizen held up his hand so He wouldn't say anything and said.
"Okay, I'll let them make their decision. But let me tell you, once this war starts, the soul society will never leave you alone, the captains will never leave your kind alone, so sooner or later you will be hunted like animals. they are barbarians who will only seek to eliminate you and keep power for themselves as they have done for thousands of years."
"So at some point you'll have to decide what's best for you, your survival or the survival of Soul Society. If you change your mind, you can find me in Las Noches. That's where I am currently." Aizen said that as he turned around and calmly walked away.
At that, the other two subordinates of his followed. After they left, the enormous tension that he felt just now dissipated.
"What will we do?" Nelliel asked.
Stark sighed and said.
"I don't think that guy won't take no for an answer."
"So you noticed that too." I said that while stretching my wings a bit. all this tension made my wings feel a bit stiff.
"But I couldn't feel any lies in his statements, he really wants to change things for us." it seems that he has convinced Nelliel with his words.
"Let's discuss this inside the lair." I said that while I looked around.
I couldn't see any abnormalities, so how the hell did Aizen manage to spy on us? this day he was a slide of emotions, so I was pretty tired mentally.
When we entered the lair, Edorad, Pesche and Dondochakka, were holding a rather restless Lilynette. her job was to protect her in case a fight had broken out.
After a few minutes, we managed to calm her down, but it was time to discuss the most important things and I said.
"Meet in the lair room please."
That's why we were all in the same room. but before anyone said anything. I spread my wings and started to release a lot of my feathers, all my feathers started to create a dome around us. when I finished, I said.
"This dome is sound proof, for prying eyes and ears."
"You think he was watching us?" Stark said lying on a bed made of my feathers.
"He came with a goal in mind, he already knew the location of our lair, he knew what words to say to get our attention, and he knew of your existence." I said that while looking at everyone in the room.
"So he lied about his target?" Nelliel asked.
"No, just like you, I couldn't sense any lie in his statement." I already knew that long before Aizen even arrived in Hueco Mundo.
"But don't be fooled by his fine words about a better world. With the display of power he showed us, it's clear that he won't hesitate to attack us if the situation calls for it." I said looking at her seriously.
"So what will we do?" Lilynette asked.
"It's like Stark said, I don't think he'll take no for an answer. Besides, f he's staying in Las Noches territory.. That means Aizen has already taken care of Barragán." I said with a serious voice.
"How are you so sure about that?" Nelliel asked.
"Simple, do you really think that Barragán would be willing to offer his help to a Shinigami to create a better world? Do you really think that Barragán would follow a Shinigami in a just cause?" When I said that, Nelliel remained silent, apparently she didn't believe that Barragán did all that either.
"Also, I wanted to discuss this earlier, but those shinigami got to our lair first. Apparently they are gathering Hollows with broken masks in the Palace of Las Noches on behalf of Barragán. Do you know what that means?" I asked them.
"Arrancars." Stark said.
"Exactly, putting the pieces together, we have a general picture of what is happening in Las Noches, that Aizen guy overthrew Barragán and is gathering Huecos with the broken mask to create the Arrancars. It seems he is gathering an army. reinforcing the fact that he will face soul society." he was looking at all of them when I said that.
"So what do you suggest?" Edorad asked.
"Well, I have a couple of suggestions, but we will put it to a vote, if you agree my suggestions would be…"
.
.
.
POV Aizen.
.
.
.
"Are you sure they will accept your proposal, Lord Aizen?" Gin asked as they returned to Las Noches.
"they will accept." Aizen said confidently.
"How are you so sure?" Gin asked again with his typical smile.
"Despite his greed for power, that Vasto Lorde is unusual, he cares about his companions, the fact that he just found out that there will be a war soon, will force him to take matters into his own hands ." Kaname replied.
"He certainly is an unusual Hollow. He somewhat resembles the female Vasto Lorde Tier Haribel." Gin said thoughtfully.
"yes and no, you could say they are opposite sides of the same coin." Aizen said.
"The only thing they are alike is that they care about their comrades. But that's it. Haribel is willing to sacrifice for her comrades, Goeritz Shen is willing to sacrifice everyone else to save their comrades."
Haribel is not willing to sacrifice other Hollows to increase her powers as Vasto Lorde. Shen is willing to sacrifice entire hordes of Hollows in order to increase his power, even if that increase in power is comparable to a grain of sand."
"That is why I am convinced that they will join us. I have just given him two options, it is the survival of him and his companions or the survival of the soul society." Aizen said with a slight smile.
"So he would rather crush soul society than have himself and his comrades hunted down like animals." Gin said with a slight smirk. but after a few seconds of silence he said.
"How will we know that he won't end up betraying us? Wouldn't it have been better to use force, as we did with Barragán?"
To which Aizen replied.
"He will not betray us, since the best survival option he has for him and his companions, is to be on our side. And I didn't use force to subjugate them because I need him to be 100 percent loyal to me. the chances that he betrayed us are much greater if I used force to make him follow my orders."
"He has almost the same power as Barragán, but unlike Barragán, he does use his brain. The fact that an Arrancar that is much stronger than him obeyed him is a sign of that, and his power is much more versatile than Barragan's."
"Barragán just destroys everything. Shen on the other hand, controls, manipulates, and knows how to use words to his advantage. If he had subjugated him by force, in the future he would be a bigger threat than Barragán. and his power is much more useful to me being alive, as to eliminate him for things that can be fixed from this moment."
As expected, Aizen was completely confident in everything he had just said. after Aizen cleared up Kaname and Gin's doubts. They returned in complete silence to Las Noches.
.
.
.
1 week later
.
.
.
"Lord Aizen, they have arrived." Kaname said in the throne room.
Aizen just gave a triumphant smile at the news he had just been given.
.
.
.
Well, here's today's chapter. This is a slightly shorter chapter. but I think this is a good time to end it. please share this story to your friends who like this kind of stories or think they like it.
Well, please leave a review, that's all I ask. Your reviews inspire me to write these stories faster.
until next time.