NABC Chapter 246
Chapter 246
Chapter 246
“Kaelith, don’t forget our main objective.”
“Main objective? What main objective?”
“...”
Aizen narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling a spike in blood pressure. Kaelith gave an awkward cough.
“I-I know what you’re talking about. Of course I do.”
With a sheepish chuckle, he patted the Zanpakutō at his waist.
“I’m all set. That skirmish just now was my warm-up.”
The reason Kaelith risked sneaking into Hueco Mundo, even with the chance of Yamamoto discovering him, was simple: Aizen’s lab had run out of space.
When he built the original Shadow Space lab last time, Kaelith only opened up around three hundred square meters. On one hand, it was experimental—no need to make it huge. On the other hand, his power back then was limited; he’d reached the ceiling of what he could manage.
Now, with Aizen having “added some points” to Kaelith’s growth and Kaelith himself achieving deeper mastery of his own abilities, he could expand the Shadow Space considerably.
They had planned it all before coming here. Besides enlarging the Shadow Lab, they wanted to shift its coordinates—from this empty desert straight beneath Las Noches, nesting the entire lab in the shadows of the fortress.
Kaelith had stolen…ahem…borrowed the concept from the Wandenreich. They’d move their forward base quietly right up to the enemy’s doorstep. Then, at the critical moment, they’d jump straight out and fight right in the enemy’s face. What could be more fun?
Under Aizen’s watchful gaze, Kaelith drew his Zanpakutō—then almost tossed it away out of habit.
“...?”
Aizen blinked. Thankfully, Kaelith covered his slip by twirling the blade with a flourish. After a spin, he thrust the Zanpakutō into the laboratory floor with a low shout.
In response, the walls and floor began to shift and ripple. Aizen hurried to shield his equipment, while Szayelaporro looked on with fascination. Though he understood the broad mechanics of the Shadow Space, it was his first time seeing the remodeling process firsthand. He was eager to absorb this knowledge for his own re
He lifted his head toward the dark, shifting ceiling.
“Kaelith.”
“...Yes?”
“Don’t underestimate me. And don’t underestimate yourself. True, compared to the Soul Society or the Royal Palace, we’re both still immature, still weak… But we’re different from the masses on a fundamental level. Optimizing plans, never missing a single potential advantage—yes, that’s quite clever, but it’s only the logic of ordinary people.
An ordinary person’s goal is to move further than others on the ground. We, however, are destined to leave the ground behind and take to the sky. We exist on another plane, so why concern ourselves with each step, right or wrong? The sky is vast—ours to walk as we please.
“If you don’t want to use the Wandenreich, then don’t. If you want them gone, I’ll help you eradicate them. Before us, no enemy stands invincible.”
Kaelith blinked, caught off guard by Aizen’s statement. After a few seconds of silence, he clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“Sōsuke…you’re getting really good with words now. Are you trying to swindle me, too?”
Aizen shook his head. “I don’t need flowery tricks to deal with you.”
“Oh? Is that a challenge?”
Kaelith grinned and lifted a fist. Aizen lightly clenched his own, tapping Kaelith’s knuckles. They exchanged a look and both broke into smiles.
…
Meanwhile, after a lengthy chat with Harribel, Neliel felt more certain she’d made the right choice. Harribel was an earnest person who disliked lying. Hearing how she’d come to know Kaelith, Neliel realized Kaelith likely wasn’t evil at all—Las Noches had forced his hand. At least Neliel hadn’t made a grave mistake. She would apologize to them both when the time was right.
Just then, over by the three men, someone shouted in excitement.
“It worked!”
“Boss, we did it! If these coordinates are correct, we’ve arrived!”
“Excellent!”
Kaelith rubbed his palms together in anticipation. “Can we install some sort of periscope to see what’s above?”
“On it.” Aizen began adjusting a few controls.
Moments later, he pressed a button, and the ceiling of the Shadow Space grew transparent. Curious, Neliel lifted her gaze to see what they were up to. Within seconds, her pupils shrank.
Above them hung a pale crescent moon, silhouetting decrepit silver buildings. Adjuchas-level Hollows occasionally roamed the area in patrols. This was…Las Noches?
They were directly beneath Las Noches now?
She froze. Moments ago, they’d clearly been in some remote desert. How had they ended up under Las Noches in such a short span? More importantly…why bring their hidden base here?
Kaelith let out a triumphant laugh.
“Great, great! My Special Operations Squad has infiltrated the enemy capital! Next time, we’ll bring our elite forces, jump out, and hit them right in the face! Senzo Tsunayashiro? Baraggan? They’ll be crushed! Las Noches is as good as mine! Keh heh heh heh!!”
Neliel’s eyes widened at his gleeful boasting. Invasion? Elite forces? Seizing Las Noches? So he *was* here to destroy Hueco Mundo after all! She gave an enraged shout and charged at Kaelith.
But before she could reach him, three figures moved in unison: Aizen, Szayelaporro, and Harribel all struck from different angles. Facing three opponents on her level—or beyond—Neliel couldn’t even react before being knocked to the ground.
Kaelith strode over, frowning.
“Minister Nel, why the sudden attack? Have I not treated you well?”
Neliel glared fiercely. “Kaelith, so you really *do* intend to lead a Shinigami army and wipe out Hueco Mundo!”
Kaelith gave an exasperated snort. “A Shinigami army? As if. If I showed up with my teacher and the rest, the moment we conquered Las Noches it’d turn into the property of Central 46. But I want it for Aizen. He’ll replace Baraggan and become the new King of Hueco Mundo.”
Aizen: “...”
Szayelaporro tilted his head. “Boss, you were just calling yourself ‘king’—why hand the position over to Aizen?”
Kaelith scowled. “How could a mere Hueco Mundo throne be worthy of me? Once Sōsuke ascends and becomes ruler of Hueco Mundo, I’ll be its *Emperor of the Harem*!”
Aizen: “...”
Watching Kaelith cackle like a maniac, Aizen silently added several thick lines to the ledger in his mind.
…
A few days later, in a mountain region of Rukongai, Yamamoto stood with both hands resting on a wooden cane, staring wordlessly at the miscreant disciple he’d rashly accepted.
Kaelith stood there, beaming from ear to ear in his black Shihakushō and white haori.
Except—haori, my foot! Yamamoto’s eyes practically bled with rage. It was a plain scrap of white cloth, with the number eleven scrawled on the back in ink.
Fwoosh!
As flames flared, Yamamoto’s wooden cane was reduced to ashes, revealing the Zanpakutō hidden within. Seeing this, Kaelith’s face fell, his smile vanishing.
“Teacher, what are you doing?! You can’t— You mustn’t—!!
Ryūjin Jakka!!!”