Bleach : I Pick Up Attributes in Seireitei Chapter 156 156: The Act

Rukongai, a remote village.

By the ti Hasumi Ren arrived with his team, the mbers of the Tenth Division were already securing the scene, their expressions grave.

"Fourth Seat Hasumi," a Tenth Division mber greeted him, stepping forward. "The injured are inside. Please, follow ."

"Their condition is very strange. It looks like they've been infected by Hollow poison, but it's not quite the sa..."

Ren nodded and followed him into a dilapidated house.

Inside, four people lay on the ground.

Their skin had taken on an unnatural, ashen-white hue. They curled up in agony, groaning as their bodies twitched slightly.

Ren's gaze swept over them, his pupils shrinking slightly. It was indeed the manifestation of Hollow poison infection.

He stepped forward, crouched down, and placed his hand on one of their foreheads.

The pale green spiritual pressure of Kaido seeped into the person's body.

A mont later, Ren withdrew his hand.

His face remained expressionless, but waves of shock rippled through his mind.

These patients were bizarre.

This wasn't ordinary Hollow poison. Instead, it looked more like... the failed products of so Hollowfication experint.

*'Could this be Aizen's doing?'*

*'But why were these test subjects dumped here, requiring the Fourth Division to treat them?'*

Ren's heart sank.

He knew this likely wasn't a coincidence, but rather a part of Aizen's sches.

*'Could this plan be related to ?'*

*'Is my deploynt here today also a part of Aizen's design...'*

Ren took a deep breath and stood up.

"Their injuries are highly unusual. We can only provide preliminary treatnt for now," he said to the squad mbers beside him. "The conditions here are too limited for a detailed analysis. We'll have to bring them back to the Fourth Division barracks for a thorough examination later."

"Yes, sir!"

Upon receiving Ren's orders, the Fourth Division mbers imdiately got to work.

As Ren continued checking the patients, his gaze swept across the surroundings.

Suddenly, nurous tiny motes of light appeared in his field of vision.

They were fragnts indicated by the system.

Ren's movents paused for a fraction of a second.

*'Hollowfication fragnts.'*

*'To think I can absorb Hollowfication fragnts from these victims.'*

This ant that the power of Hollowfication was indeed present within their bodies.

It also ant his guess was correct.

This was undeniably a Hollowfication experint.

Ren maintained his composure, continuing to direct his team's efforts without showing any outward reaction.

But his mind was already racing.

*'If this is Aizen testing the waters, what is his goal?'*

*'And where is Aizen right now?'*

*'Is he... nearby?'*

Inside another ruined house not far away.

Aizen Sosuke stood with his hands behind his back, his body enveloped in a faint Kido barrier.

The barrier distorted the light, allowing his figure to blend seamlessly into the surrounding shadows.

His gaze pierced through the dilapidated wooden window, landing precisely on Ren.

The young man was crouching beside the victims, earnestly examining their injuries.

His movents were practiced, his expression focused—indistinguishable from any other experienced dical officer.

The corners of Aizen's mouth curled up slightly.

*'Excellent.'*

*'Everything is proceeding according to plan.'*

He retrieved the Hogyoku from his robes.

The small crystal emitted a faint, eerie blue glow in his palm, with countless tiny specks of light faintly visible swirling within it.

Ever since absorbing that fingertip of the Soul King, the Hogyoku's level of activity had noticeably increased.

Aizen's gaze fell upon the Hogyoku, a flash of satisfaction crossing his eyes.

He then withdrew his gaze as the power of Kyoka Suigetsu gradually activated.

An Adjuchas-class nos Grande appeared before him.

Its eyes glead with a crimson light, radiating a suffocating, oppressive aura.

But it was not real.

It was rely an illusion created by Kyoka Suigetsu.

Aizen controlled the Hollow, making it slowly approach the village.

*'The show is about to begin.'*

Back in the village, the first to notice the anomaly were the Tenth Division mbers.

"What is that?!" a squad mber pointed into the distance, his voice laced with terror.

Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing, only to see a massive black silhouette stepping out from behind a building.

Its pace was slow, but with every step it took, the ground trembled slightly.

*'An Adjuchas.'*

Ren's pupils contracted slightly.

*'Why would an Adjuchas-class Hollow appear here?'*

But in the next mont, the image before his eyes tore slightly.

It was the trace of Kyoka Suigetsu.

Ren's heart sank heavily.

*'An illusion.'*

*'This Hollow was created by Aizen using Kyoka Suigetsu.'*

*'What exactly is that man trying to do?'*

"Everyone, on high alert!" a Tenth Division mber shouted sharply. "Protect the injured and prepare for battle!"

The squad mbers imdiately sprang into action, though fear was etched onto every face.

Against an Adjuchas-class Hollow, their numbers ant absolutely nothing.

The Adjuchas slowly ca to a halt.

Its gaze swept over the crowd, finally landing on the Hollowfied victims.

"Soul Reapers..." Its voice was hoarse and low, dripping with thick malice. "Who gave you permission to interfere with my experint?"

Experint?

The squad mbers exchanged bewildered glances, completely lost.

In the next instant, the Hollow's figure materialized right in front of several victims.

The intense spiritual pressure radiating from its body erupted instantly, sweeping toward the victims with a malicious intent.

The Hollowfied victims suddenly began to thrash violently.

"No, don't..."

"Save ..."

They let out agonizing wails as their bodies began to twist and deform.

The previously faint traces of Hollowfication now spread rapidly.

Bone fragnts jutted out from their mouths, covering their faces.

Then, one victim's body exploded, turning into countless black Reishi particles that dissipated into the air.

Followed closely by the second, and then the third.

The surrounding squad mbers let out terrified screams, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Ren stood frozen in place, staring blankly as the scene unfolded.

In his field of vision, countless tiny motes of light drifted out from the dissipating remains and surged toward him.

System prompts flashed by, and Ren's Hollowfication experience increased slightly.

But Ren had no ti to care about that.

His entire focus was locked onto the Hollow's illusion.

Ren knew that Aizen was absolutely nearby.

*'But what on earth is he trying to do?'*

At that mont, the Adjuchas slowly turned its head.

Its gaze landed squarely on Ren.

An eerie glint flashed through those crimson eyes.

Then, it moved.

Its massive body charged at Ren with unbelievable speed, a giant claw raised high, carrying the montum to tear through anything in its path.

"Fourth Seat Hasumi!" the squad mbers behind him cried out in alarm.

Ren's pupils shrank. He activated Shunpo, his figure instantly dodging to the side.

The giant claw slamd down, narrowly missing him and smashing a deep fissure into the ground.

Rubble flew in all directions as a cloud of dust filled the air.

"Interesting," it chuckled hoarsely. "How convenient. I'll just use you as my next test subject."

Ren steadied his footing and tightly gripped the Zanpakuto at his waist.

But he knew this was rely an illusion.

The real threat was absolutely not what stood before him.

"Hurry and call for backup!" Ren shouted sternly. "Go find Captain Unohana!"

The squad mbers behind him snapped out of their daze. Soone imdiately turned to run, but then hesitated for a mont.

"Eh, Captain Unohana? Shouldn't we get the Eleventh Division or the Fifth Division..."

"Never mind that, just go!"

"R-Right!"

The Fourth Division mbers ran off into the distance, but the Hollow made no move to pursue them.

It only stared at Ren.

Ren stared back vigilantly, his footsteps shifting slowly.

He knew he had to put on an act.

To play the part of an ordinary Soul Reaper who, despite being targeted by an Adjuchas, still managed to keep his cool.

To play the part of a dical officer desperately stalling for ti while waiting for rescue.

Because Aizen was nearby, watching.

The Hollow lunged at him again.

Ren pushed his Shunpo to the limit, his figure darting through the ruins, narrowly evading the lethal strikes each ti.

Just then, a bizarre spiritual power suddenly surged from all directions, beginning to invade his body.

Ren's heart tightened. Just as he thought this was another one of Aizen's tricks...

He saw the system prompt appear once again.

Seeing this, Ren was montarily stunned.