Bleach: The Strongest Shinigami

Grimmjow fell silent.

Though he didn't fully accept the wisdom from the youth before him, he had to admit some of his words rang true.

Admitting defeat isn't shameful — death is. For someone who lives for battle, death means never experiencing the thrill of combat again, their journey ending forever.

"I don't understand..." Grimmjow lifted his head with difficulty.

Akira's earlier slam had shattered his spine. Only a Hollow's extraordinary resilience had kept him alive — any other being would have already dissolved into Reishi and returned to either Hueco Mundo or Soul Society's embrace.

"Aren't you worried I'll kill you once I grow stronger? Don't underestimate an Adjuchas' potential. I've never been devoured by a Hollow of the same attribute, so when I accumulate enough power, I'll evolve into the highest form — a Vasto Lorde. When that time comes, who knows which of us will prevail!"

Hearing this, Akira let out a contemptuous snort, clasping his hands behind his back with supreme confidence.

"Those who fall to my blade are never considered my opponents. I'll give you time to catch up, until you can no longer see my back!"

Grimmjow's pupils trembled violently, his perception of the Shinigami shifting. He had to revise his earlier judgment — perhaps true wisdom did lie beneath that brute's exterior.

The Hollow hung his head, contemplating these words, his sky-blue pupils wide with shock.

What magnificent confidence! A true warrior should be like this Shinigami before him, unfazed by any challenger who had previously fallen to their might.

"I admire your magnanimity." Grimmjow lowered his proud head, "Now, I no longer wish to die, so... Please save me."

Seeing this, Akira broke into a grin.

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"Sōsuke, we've got a big job!"

Inside Las Noches, Akira's voice boomed through the void.

His strike had been too powerful — Kaidō could only keep Grimmjow alive. To fully heal him, they needed to reconnect all his shattered bones.

Admitting he wasn't skilled at such delicate work, Akira was thankful to have his capable brother Aizen.

He carried the limp Grimmjow to his friend, "A 99% complete Vasto Lorde — a rare find. Miss this village, and you won't find this shop again."

Aizen gave him an exasperated look but remained silent, turning his attention to Grimmjow.

The damage was extensive — shattered bones and mangled tissue that even an Arrancar's High-Speed Regeneration couldn't mend. It was clear evidence of someone's heavy hand.

His Reiatsu was extraordinary, far beyond an ordinary Adjuchas. The "99% Vasto Lorde" label wasn't mere hyperbole. Soon, Grimmjow might truly evolve into a complete Vasto Lorde.

While Aizen performed the surgery, Akira observed from the side.

Though such surgery would challenge even the most skilled human doctors, it proved simple for a Shinigami of Aizen's caliber and Reiryoku mastery.

Years of studying Adjuchas and Gillian anatomy had given him unparalleled expertise. He could execute the most complex procedures with precision and speed.

After the final suture, Aizen passed the healing duties to Akira. Though he'd never admit it aloud, Akira's Kaidō abilities surpassed his own.

Under their combined care, Grimmjow drifted into unconsciousness.

Aizen shifted his gaze from Akira to the white panther on the operating table. Their earlier conversation had revealed him as Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez — though someone had insisted on calling him "Thin Eyebrow Janjaken" — a lone wolf who roamed Hueco Mundo seeking worthy opponents.

In essence, he was a pure warrior, much like Kenpachi Zaraki.

Grimmjow had tracked them to Las Noches by following their Reiatsu. Though he hadn't witnessed their battle with Baraggan, he'd felt their overwhelming power splitting heaven and earth. This only strengthened his resolve to challenge them.

Then he met Akira, the Brute.

The encounter nearly broke his warrior's spirit. If not for Akira's peculiar philosophy, Grimmjow would have chosen death.

To him, the defeated had no right to live.

"A worthy subordinate.," Aizen observed, then added, "Akira, you've grown wiser. Adjuchas of Grimmjow's caliber are rare in Hueco Mundo. Bringing him to Las Noches strengthens our future plans."

Akira laughed, "Finally recognizing that I'm the wisest person in Soul Society? Come on, Sōsuke, it's not too late to beg. I'll share just a tiny bit of my wisdom to help you achieve all those unfulfilled ideals!"

Aizen: "..."

He needed to take back his previous words. This guy was still as unreliable as ever.

"This is Szayelaporro's former laboratory." Aizen said, changing the subject, "I've done a brief inspection. There are many experimental results related to Hollow Arrancarization. Perhaps inspired by you, he shifted his research to focus on individual power enhancement."

"Before this, he was obsessed with creating perfect life forms. According to the analysis charts, he tried nearly three thousand different experimental methods before finally finding the right direction recently — using Shinigami power to break through the soul's limits."

Though he didn't fully understand, Akira listened carefully out of respect for his good brother. Aizen, mindful of his friend's easily overloaded brain, tried to explain things in the simplest terms possible.

Akira needed to understand this content himself, or their future plans might face unexpected complications.

"I have to say, Szayelaporro is quite the madman." Aizen sighed, "Even with a success rate below eighty percent, he used the process on himself. Fortunately, luck was on his side — he gained the power to break through soul limits, though this power wasn't perfect."

"As for Baraggan, while he didn't grasp the scientific aspects, his abilities let him control this power effectively. He too broke through the soul's limits, though his results weren't even as good as Szayelaporro's."

At this, Akira raised his hand, "Teacher Aizen, if Hollows can use Shinigami power to break through soul limits, could it work the other way around too?"

Aizen was stunned, not expecting such an inference from him.

He felt somewhat pleased, "It's certainly possible, though far more difficult and dangerous. Comparatively, Shinigami's Souls and Spiritual Bodies are more fragile, unable to withstand such violent power..."

At this point, Aizen suddenly froze.

If Spiritual Body strength was linked to soul strength, did that mean Akira's soul strength had reached an inconceivable level?

Or perhaps this guy was the most suitable Shinigami to serve as experimental material?

However, he quickly dismissed this thought. Before achieving a 100% success rate, he wouldn't risk such a dangerous experiment on his friend.

If it failed, the consequences would be unthinkable. Not only would the 11th Division lose control, but the entire Gotei 13 and Seireitei would face immeasurable disaster because of that person.

Most unacceptable of all was that he would have to continue forward alone again in the future...

Aizen shook his head.

"There's no rush to hollowfy Shinigami. With Szayelaporro's research data and my understanding of this content, we'll soon achieve breakthrough results in Arrancar technology. However, before that, we need to establish a more complete laboratory in Hueco Mundo. Szayelaporro's equipment and instruments are far too rudimentary..."

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Before long, a Garganta opened in Las Noches, and Aizen and Akira returned to Soul Society with several large-bodied Adjuchas.

They needed the Adjuchas as laborers for transporting the vast amount of equipment.

Aizen planned to relocate his entire laboratory from the 80th District of Rukongai to Hueco Mundo. He had meticulously collected all the equipment and instruments over time.

Akira had later invested in a portion of it — as he called it, "investing" — which granted him usage rights to his friend's research outcomes.

"Be careful, you can't afford to break that!"

"That's equipment worth ₭3,000,000! How dare you bite it?"

"Wait — stop eating the centrifuge!"

During the moving process, Akira made a fortunate discovery — a natural-born transport expert:

Tom Bari Bordex (Zommari Rureaux)!

A whale-like Adjuchas and one of Baraggan's former royal guards, he was possibly the strongest Adjuchas in Las Noches.

His massive body could store countless items in his stomach. When wrapped in powerful Reiatsu, these items would remain intact, protected from his stomach acid.

A whale-shaped walking storage bag!

Akira's eyes lit up as he loaded the entire laboratory into Zommari's stomach and had him wait.

He then secretly returned with Aizen to the underground laboratory in Junrinan (1st District), where their most precious experimental material — Subject #0, Szayelaporro Granz — remained contained in a glass vessel.

During Szayelaporro's transport, they encountered a small setback.

The pink-haired subject, having seemingly developed resistance to Aizen's drug, awoke and attempted to break free from the Bakudō restraints.

Then Akira delivered another solid punch.

Weakened from his long immersion, Szayelaporro offered no resistance and immediately blacked out.

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When the two returned to Las Noches, what greeted their eyes was a scene of thriving prosperity.

Under the leadership of top lackey Ggio Vega, the Adjuchas were rebuilding Las Noches — following both Akira's orders and Aizen's requirements.

This was mainly because Baraggan's aesthetics had been atrocious. The enormous palace hadn't even had walls, let alone a roof, making it extremely rudimentary. The few rooms that existed had been built by Szayelaporro at his own expense.

No wonder that guy didn't respect the Skeletor (a joke, not an error).

As Baraggan's subordinates, forget overtime pay — they couldn't even guarantee basic wages. How could he expect loyalty?

Compared to Las Noches' previous treatment, Akira felt he was a first-class benefactor.

Hueco Mundo didn't lack building materials, and with the Adjuchas all being strong and robust, construction proved even less demanding than their daily activities.

Thus, through their overtime work, a massive palace framework now stood in the vast desert.

Walking through the newly built palace, Akira heard a long-absent system prompt.

〈 Location Check-in: Las Noches! 〉

〈 Obtained Reiatsu Level +3! 〉

〈 Reiatsu Level increased! Currently at Level 95! 〉

〈 Obtained Zanjutsu Level +3! 〉

〈 Zanjutsu Level increased! Currently at Level 80! 〉

〈 Obtained Hakuda Level +4! 〉

〈 Hakuda Level increased! Currently at Level 80! 〉

〈 Obtained Kidō Level +5! 〉

〈 Kidō Level increased! Currently at Level 70! 〉

〈 Obtained Hohō Level +6! 〉

〈 Hohō Level increased! Currently at Level 70! 〉

〈 Obtained Exclusive Trait: The King Must Not Be Dishonored! 〉

〈 The King Must Not Be Dishonored: Even if bearing Hueco Mundo's weight and needing to hold up Las Noches with one hand, the new king remains invincible in this world! Comes with an aura of pressure, enemies who look directly at you will feel awe! 〉

The cheat ability had activated once again.

Because he never gave up training, his various indicators never stopped improving. The only regret was that as his abilities entered their late stages, improvements gained through training became increasingly minimal.

He couldn't help but sigh with some regret. Compared to some real chosen ones with their cheat abilities, he was still somewhat lacking in this aspect.

Fortunately, he had his cheat ability to make up for it, barely allowing him to keep up with the pack.

He'd originally thought Las Noches wouldn't trigger a Location Check-in this time, but it turned out that it was Baraggan's Las Noches that hadn't been recognized by the system.

Indeed, that abandoned plaza so crude it lacked walls and a roof wasn't worthy of being called Las Noches.

Moreover, things had progressed this far, yet old Smitty Werbenjägermanjensen was still stubbornly claiming his domain was boundless — that all under moonlight was the king's territory...

After thoroughly dismissing the Bonejangles, Akira gathered several Adjuchas to test his new ability.

The effect proved impressive. Upon making eye contact with him, the Adjuchas' faces filled with terror — they couldn't even muster the courage to raise their heads, let alone fight.

Though it offered no specific numerical advantages, this emotional impact could instantly turn the tide of battle. A formidable ability indeed.

Excited by this confirmation, he rushed to find Aizen, who was busy with his experiments.

"Look me in the eye, you punk!"

Aizen: "?"

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