"Tier? That's a nice name. I'll remember it." Although Toshiro already knew, he still nodded seriously.
"I'm Hitsugaya, Hitsugaya Toshiro."
Although mentioned earlier, Toshiro introduced himself again formally.
"Are you going to Las Noches to cause trouble for Baraggan?" Harribel asked, somewhat worried.
A Shinigami naturally wouldn't go to Las Noches to chat with Baraggan, the King of Hueco Mundo.
But Harribel knew well that Baraggan wasn't easy to deal with. Toshiro had just saved her and her companions, so she didn't want him to face any danger.
"Exactly," Toshiro nodded.
There was nothing to hide. A Shinigami going to Las Noches certainly wasn't for a visit.
"You should be careful. Baraggan isn't simple," Harribel reminded.
"Thanks for the warning, but I believe in my strength," Toshiro said confidently.
Harribel nodded and didn't say more. She had witnessed Toshiro's strength earlier… he easily killed Pedro, who defeated her. In her view, Baraggan might not be Toshiro's match.
Then, the two fell into silence, unsure what to say. The atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
"Cough, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now," Toshiro said.
"Yeah. Hope we meet again," Harribel said.
"We will meet again. Definitely..." Toshiro said meaningfully.
With that, Toshiro turned and left.
Harribel watched Toshiro's retreating figure, lost in thought.
"Uh... Harribel-sama? He's already gone far. Could you maybe help us first?" Apacci, severely wounded and lying on the ground, asked weakly.
"Ah... oh!"
Harribel snapped out of it, then somewhat embarrassedly helped the severely wounded Apacci, Sung-Sun, and Mila Rose up.
At this moment, Sung-Sun teased, "Ara ara, is Harribel-sama also feeling spring in her heart?"
Mila Rose, however, said calmly, "Between a Shinigami and a Hollow, it's impossible, Harribel-sama. Besides, our bodies are different… even that can't be done. Hehehe..."
As she spoke, Mila Rose started giggling lewdly.
Harribel said angrily, "What are you talking about?! I just... just..."
But she couldn't finish.
"Alright, our cave was destroyed during the fight. Let's find a new place to settle. Your injuries aren't light… you need proper rest," Harribel said.
…
Las Noches.
Although the renovation of Las Noches had only been ongoing for a month, a small palace for Aizen to live and conduct experiments had been built.
In Aizen's laboratory, Baraggan was undergoing Arrancar modification.
Soon after, Baraggan successfully became an Arrancar, his outer appearance transforming into a burly, robust old man.
Feeling the unprecedented power within his body, Baraggan thought to himself, 'Aizen, I'll make you regret giving me this power sooner or later.'
"So, Baraggan, are you satisfied with this power?" Aizen asked.
"It's amazing. This power is excellent, Aizen-sama." Although Baraggan desperately wanted to kill Aizen immediately, he maintained a respectful facade.
"By the way, Baraggan, call Pedro over. I have something for him to do," Aizen said.
"Pedro? My apologies, Aizen-sama. After undergoing your modification to become an Arrancar, Pedro immediately went to seek revenge on Harribel," Baraggan explained.
"What?" Aizen frowned.
To defeat the Soul Society in the future, Aizen recently planned to form an [Espada] composed of Arrancar. Harribel was one of his chosen candidates.
To subdue Harribel, Aizen intended to have Pedro seek revenge on her, then appear at the critical moment to save her and subdue her in one go.
But he never expected Pedro to have already actively gone for revenge.
"How long has Pedro been gone?" Aizen asked.
"Aizen-sama, Pedro left immediately after becoming an Arrancar. It's been quite a while. Harribel is probably already dead," Baraggan answered matter-of-factly.
"Well, whatever. In that case, just let Pedro become an Espada," Aizen said somewhat helplessly.
Originally, to subdue Harribel, Aizen planned to sacrifice Pedro.
After all, although Pedro, after becoming an Arrancar, was slightly stronger than the current Harribel, Pedro was ultimately just an Adjuchas, while Harribel was a Vasto Lorde. Once she became an Arrancar, her strength would far surpass Pedro's.
If possible, Aizen even wanted to form an Espada composed entirely of Vasto Lorde Arrancar. But unfortunately, Vasto Lorde were too few, and there weren't many in all of Hueco Mundo.
Since Harribel was likely already killed by Pedro, Aizen temporarily gave up on sacrificing Pedro. Although Pedro wouldn't be as strong as Harribel after becoming an Arrancar, he wasn't weak either and could become an Espada.
Seeing Aizen's helpless expression, Baraggan inwardly sneered.
Baraggan knew about Aizen's desire to subdue powerful Vasto Lorde. Moreover, Pedro had mentioned wanting revenge on Harribel to Baraggan before leaving. But Baraggan didn't stop Pedro at all, nor did he inform Aizen.
Baraggan would take revenge on Aizen someday. For him, the weaker Aizen's forces, the better. Naturally, he wouldn't remind Aizen about Pedro seeking revenge on Harribel.
Otherwise, if Aizen subdued Harribel, it might somewhat affect his revenge plans.
"Hmm?!"
At that moment, Aizen suddenly sensed a powerful Reiatsu rapidly approaching Las Noches from nearby.
"Oh, interesting. Baraggan, a special guest has arrived. Go welcome them," Aizen said with an amused smile.
…
Not far outside Las Noches.
Toshiro looked at the already-under-renovation Las Noches in the distance, his expression turning grave.
'Aizen is here too?!' Toshiro thought.
Although Aizen hid his Reiatsu using a special method, and Toshiro didn't notice initially, upon seeing Las Noches under renovation, Toshiro knew Aizen had already subdued Baraggan and taken control of Hueco Mundo.
Because Toshiro knew that when Baraggan ruled, Las Noches was just a ruined wreck. Only when Aizen took over did Las Noches become a true palace.
Then, Toshiro activated his [Dragon's True Eye] and saw that Aizen was indeed here!