No no no, now was not the time for internal strife.
Kyōraku raised his right hand with some headache, pressing hard on his nose bridge at this moment.
The great battle would begin the day after tomorrow, and they were still having internal conflicts at such a time? Honestly... just thinking about this kind of thing was enough to give one a headache that made the scalp tingle.
Moreover, for the current primary responsible person, this feeling was even more intense to an incomparable degree.
It was truly exhausting.
But he had to do these things... after all, the old man was right beside him, casting a meaningful look at him with a bland expression at this moment.
—Be content, the old man's situation back then was much more troublesome than yours.
Kyōraku imperceptibly adjusted the hat on his head, his expression showing no change whatsoever.
—No no no, times have changed, don't compare the old ways with the present...
—What nonsense are you talking about? How could the old man's methods be useless? It's clearly because you're not living up to expectations, and you still want to blame others?
—This is why communicating with old people is such a troublesome thing...
—Watch your words and actions, brat!
The mutual complaints between the former and current Captain-Commanders were unknown to others. The Hueco Mundo group nearby watched the Quincy formation slowly departing, and at this moment there were also some different voices.
"Is it okay to just let them leave like this?"
Harribel could always think about problems from a relatively objective angle.
And at this moment, she could also achieve this kind of 'degree'.
"Having reduced strength, at this time no matter what, it should be a great taboo, right?"
While saying this, she also cast an inquiring look to the side. Of course... behaviorally speaking, she was seeking opinions, but this was also behavior that respected others.
Although he wasn't the one being asked.
Baraggan, the former NO.2, had already started speaking on his own.
"It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how many guys like that leave. After all, battle is essentially just a contest between upper-level figures... as long as the high-end combat power isn't affected."
Although this guy always acted very arrogant, the things he occasionally said did indeed have some merit.
However...
"Why would this guy take the initiative to respond?"
"Probably because this feeling of being looked up to feels great."
"But Miss Harribel shouldn't have been asking him, right?"
"Pfft... don't say it, don't say it, it won't be good if he hears."
Although the discussion was already very quiet, there was no helping it... sometimes for some strong individuals, these movements were basically no different from thunder.
Obviously bulging veins appeared on Baraggan's head as he suddenly glared, directly looking behind him at this moment.
"Who's badmouthing this old man behind his back!"
At this moment, no one dared to open their mouth... after all, according to Hueco Mundo's rules, offense was equivalent to challenge.
In the past, just because of a disagreement, fighting until they were a bloody mess and killing each other until the last drop of blood was shed was all commonplace.
But...
It wasn't hard to see that these were also the old rules.
"Calm down a bit, Baraggan."
Stark calmly raised his right hand, gently patting the other party's shoulder at this moment.
The tone at this moment was more like a kind of almost sentimental whisper rather than a threat.
"After all, everyone doesn't have any obvious malice, it's just very relaxed teasing."
It's exactly this kind of behavior that makes people angry!!!
Although he wanted to complain like this.
But Baraggan couldn't say anything at all... after all, Hueco Mundo had always been a place where strength was supreme.
Hard fists were the truth.
And now with the addition of the small Hōgyoku, the original Espada rankings still hadn't changed at all... this meant that the gap between both sides might have actually become even larger.
No matter how unwilling and annoyed he was, at this moment it seemed he could only swallow it all down.
Baraggan could only look deeply behind him at this moment, then withdraw his gaze.
He couldn't say 'no' to someone stronger than himself, just like the attitude Baraggan had maintained from beginning to end... Hueco Mundo respected the strong, and this key point would never change according to others' will.
Perhaps this kind of 'peace' seemed strange and unreasonable to outsiders, but at this moment for these Arrancar present, this was a kind of new attempt and system.
It was also a kind of rule they were willing to follow.
However, although this was what was said... Stark still couldn't make the final judgment at this moment.
He turned his head to the side, gazing toward the position behind him.
"Is this really okay?"
It wasn't a unilateral statement, but seeking others' opinions at this moment.
Stark's gaze directly passed over the people beside him, then settled on a certain figure in the distance.
The other party was lying quite casually on a simple long bench, wearing a simple plain robe, and the one visible eye... at this moment showed traces of laziness.
Aizen Sōsuke.
As one of the main instigators of the Karakura Town battle, this guy was literally a serious criminal.
Under normal circumstances, forget appearing in such an occasion, even coming out for 'fresh air' would be literally a luxury.
But at this moment, even though everyone was unwilling, or many people harbored obvious malice toward him... they still couldn't do anything meaningful to this guy.
Two reasons.
The first was the current Captain-Commander's order.
To maximize the use of available forces, even things that were despised by people had to be picked up and used reasonably.
This was not only Kyōraku's understanding of responsibility, but also behavior that had received Yamamoto's permission... it was hard to imagine how troublesome it would be to convince that stubborn old man, but regardless...
The result was already so.
Even some captains who were unwilling in their hearts could only swallow all these thoughts back into their stomachs at this moment.
And regarding this aspect... it involved the second reason.
Incomparable strength.
With Aizen as the center, at this moment no one could approach within two meters of his surroundings.
This was not only considering the other party's special identity, but also the majestic spiritual pressure that was constantly overflowing from his body...
From a normal person's perspective, it was hard to imagine that a person's spiritual pressure could be powerful to this degree—just standing beside the other party, one could feel the severe pain of flesh being torn.
This level of disparity further intensified the 'chasm' between each other.
In many people's eyes, the current Aizen had become a monster in another sense.
Just something with human appearance... an alien.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this that even though the other party currently had the name of 'special pardon', no one dared to step forward and remove these restraints from Aizen.
Of course...
As the person in question, this dismissive attitude was also one of the reasons.
And after hearing the other party's whisper and feeling Stark's gaze...
Aizen, who had originally been resting with closed eyes, slowly opened his eyes.
He lazily surveyed everything in front of him, the light in his eyes completely restrained, as if he were an extraordinary being observing the world from the sidelines.
Without any joy or sorrow, much less any emotional fluctuations.
He just calmly moved his gaze until he cast his eyes toward the direction of the Hueco Mundo group.
"How rare..."
After a low murmur like a sigh.
Came Aizen's tone that was almost mocking.
"You actually thought to seek my opinion? Stark... I'm no longer your leader, and I also no longer have any connection with Hueco Mundo."
This wasn't to distance himself from responsibility.
Because after saying these words, Aizen had already closed his eyes on his own.
"You've had quite a few complaints about me before, right? It doesn't matter, this degree of thinking is indeed reasonable."
"It's just that I've already lost interest in researching old things... you are certain nodes and results on my research path."
"From a certain stage's perspective, it's indeed worthy of joy. But unfortunately... I've already stepped into the next stage."
These things naturally had no value for Aizen either.
—Stripping away the mask.
The guy after exposing his true nature was just this terrible.
The tone without any concealment not only made many Arrancar show disgusted expressions, but at this moment made the atmosphere much more tense.
Some guys with relatively violent tempers had even started flexing their muscles.
Even knowing they couldn't win, they would still fight... in a certain sense, this was also a characteristic of being 'Hollows'.
"What did you say?!"
From the tone, this was definitely not a 'peaceful' exchange.
However, Stark seemed completely unmoved. He just maintained that rather respectful posture and slightly lowered his head at this moment.
"I don't agree with your thoughts, but just like my respect... these things won't be affected by external changes."
Stark's thoughts had always been simple.
"I'm not some smart guy. Being able to stand in this position is just because I'm relatively good at fighting..."
"Lord Aizen, you completed my origin tracing and also let me find my own belonging."
"Even if it's just for the sake of these things, I would still do such things..."
Stark was born from loneliness and was also one of the few powerful beings who could naturally become Arrancar... precisely because of his desire for companions that he appeared among the Espada.
Having gratitude toward Aizen wasn't surprising.
It was just this overly simple value system.
It really made people speechless to the point of wanting to laugh.
Aizen's gaze settled on him behind, and after brief silence, he couldn't help but curve his lips, revealing a long-lost and refreshing smile.
"It's indeed very much like something you would say."
Sighing lightly.
The isolated prisoner in a high position simply adjusted his sitting posture at this moment.
Supporting his chin with his right hand, crossing his legs, Aizen slightly tilted his head and said in a condescending tone.
"So, what exactly do you want to ask?"
Without doubt, recognition in another sense... although the form was likely to make people somewhat angry, this was his style.
Stark's head drooped down.
"I want to know if you have any method to unite these people."
Without immediately answering.
Aizen just pondered and said.
"Rather than this, I'm more curious why you would have such thoughts?"
As an Arrancar, why would he pay attention to the so-called alliance to this degree? Was he simply afraid?
Of course not.
Stark's gaze flickered slightly, hesitating for a moment.
Then he said softly.
"I just feel... the guys I originally found disgusting and scary are actually not much different from us."
Precisely because he had experience fighting in Karakura Town, Stark could sigh like this.
—If they had used their real ability, I definitely wouldn't have survived until now.
However, these guys who were far stronger than himself were now forced to join hands with him because of certain things.
So absurd, yet it also sufficiently illustrated the seriousness of the situation.
There was nothing in Hueco Mundo.
Empty, desolate, without any factors that would allow reason and morality to survive.
Even as Arrancar, Hollows, many 'natives' could hardly say they liked this environment that was extreme enough to make people despair.
But... regardless.
That was the homeland of the Hollows and others.
Even if unwilling to admit it, this was also the essence imprinted in the depths of their souls, an existence like a brand.
"That Yhwach wants to destroy everything, right? From this perspective... we never had any choice from the beginning."
If they didn't want to die, joining hands was the only way out.
In this regard, Stark, who had once been opponents yet fought side by side once, deeply agreed with Kyōraku's view.
And after hearing the other party's statement, Aizen fell into brief silence at this moment.
The smile on his face had somehow already been withdrawn.
Now he just calmly looked at Stark not far away, as if re-recognizing the other party, sizing him up from top to bottom.
Until finally showing a faint smile.
"If that guy were still here..."
Perhaps he would also say similar words?
"Lord Aizen, what do you think?"
"I have no objections. From my perspective, I'm not interested at all in how the three worlds turn out."
Just.
"I still have to wait for a certain guy to return... so before that, necessary peace and tranquility are also indispensable parts."
Aizen's lips curved up slightly.
"It's not easy to unite those guys. Even if you convince the Quincy, there are plenty of guys on the Soul Reaper side who find it hard to accept."
"So if you want to promote this consensus, you need someone who has sufficient weight in both camps and can also speak up."
"So... do you have anyone in mind?"
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Powerstones?
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