SI Szayel the Perfect Life Form!

READ THE NOTES

[TIMESKIP]

SZAYEL'S POV

Back at his base, Szayel was busy preparing his plans for the mission. He had already developed strategies for when he might encounter the ESPADA, but this had accelerated his timetable. As he thought it over, he mused: would the original Szayel have received this same mission?... Nah! Probably not. The original Szayel seemed like someone who would refuse or perhaps be too submissive and apathetic for Baraggan to consider for such a task. Most likely, it was because I'm more grounded and different from his weak, spineless fools that he decided to use my strength now.

"HUMF! HUMM~! HUM!"

"Ah! Sorry, Roka. I got lost in thought again!" Once again, he found himself spiraling. This often happened when he was stressed, frequently leading him to wrap his tentacles around Roka. Judging by the wet spot on one of his tentacles, he might have overdone the "silencing" this time.

"Well! LET'S GET TO THE EXPERIMENTS!"

_______________________________________

NARRATOR'S POV

Szayel moved toward an operating table where a large Adjuchas Hollow lay restrained and connected to various devices. The Hollow's torso was open, and its organs were being modified and altered by Szayel's idle hands, a slow, insane smile creeping onto his face.

"Kukukuku, all for the sake of the keikaku!"

"P-please, L-Lord Szayel! Let me go!" begged a shark-like Hollow strapped to the table, now one of Szayel's experimental subjects.

"Oh? Come on~ don't be a crybaby! His Majesty said I could do whatever it takes to complete this mission, and that's exactly what I'm doing! Besides, it's YOUR fault that Harribel has alienated herself from His Majesty! So just endure it like a big boy, HA-MMER-HEAD! KukukukaKAKAKAK!"

"GYAAAAAH!"

_______________________________________

[TIMESKIP]

Hundreds of kilometers away from Baraggan's territory, a unique group of Adjuchas, led by one of the few Vasto Lordes in this decaying world, was once again dealing with an annoyance.

"WATCH YOUR CLAWS, YOU IDIOT!"

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT YOU'RE SO SMALL, HORNS!"

"What dramatic bitches—"

"SHUT UP, SUNG-SUN!" The bickering voices united against their companion.

These were three of the pack members and loyal followers of the Vasto Lorde, who observed the hunt from a distance, a faint smile on her lips. This was Tier Harribel, watching to see if her companions' hunting skills were improving.

They were hunting a Hollow that had wandered into their territory and attacked a sleeping Apacci. To most, the sight of a giant lion, a deer the size of a car, and a snake as long as a bus would be terrifying, but this intruder had shown exceptional audacity.

"My girls are growing stronger... HUH?!"

While observing their hunt, Harribel sensed a strange presence. A powerful reiatsu approached from the coast, heading straight for them, aggressive and without any attempt to conceal itself. Watching carefully, Harribel saw what appeared to be a massive shark-like Adjuchas, similar to herself.

In a burst of 「sonido」Harribel positioned herself between her companions and the intruder.

"STOP RIGHT THERE! WHO ARE YOU?!" Tier commanded, addressing the large Adjuchas. Perhaps it was a newly born Hollow?

The giant was still some distance away, but Tier's warning reiatsu seemed to catch its attention, as it paused momentarily.

Looking at him, she couldn't help but feel he seemed oddly familiar—WAIT???

"HARRIBEEEEL!" Roaring with fury, the Hollow used 「sonido」 to appear in front of her, bringing down a gleaming attack with his hand—

BOOOM

"LADY HARRIBEL??"

Running toward her was Harribel's three companions.

"STAY BACK!" At her command, the three halted in their tracks!

The trio stared, wide-eyed, at the scene before them. Harribel stood with a deep cut on her sword-wielding arm, panting heavily, while the Hollow bore a diagonal wound across its chest yet showed no signs of pain.

"Hahahah! Is this all your strength?" mocked the Hammerhead Hollow. "I'll finish you here and rise through the ranks of Hueco Mundo—all thanks to this NEW, INVINCIBLE POWER! I am now a being BEYOND a Vasto Lorde! Ahhahaha!" The Hollow seemed drunk on power, rambling and ignoring Harribel, who was being tended to by her allies.

'Beyond a Vasto Lorde? How? Just days ago, he could barely survive a weak strike from my blade, but now he can subdue me effortlessly? How did he gain this power??' Harribel thought, feeling the sting of the wound on her arm and the exhaustion from the Hollow's raw spiritual pressure.

Before her, her subordinates knelt.

"W-WAIT!"

"NO!" The three roared in unison, agreeing for the first time.

Apacci was the first to speak.

"Lady Harribel, for years you've protected us. Now it's our turn!" the deer declared, taking charge of the group.

Next, Mila-Rose, the lioness, chimed in:

"Besides, how could we repay the favor of you saving our lives if we can't save yours?" she said confidently.

Finally, Sung-Sun, the snake, hissed before speaking:

"Moreover, it's our turn to sacrifice, as you did for us, Lady Harribel."

Harribel smiled at her girls, remembering saying similar words to them once. It seemed they had grown.

"Then... let's fight together!"

"YES!"

The Hollow, having finished his ramblings, now faced them with a wide grin.

"Hehehe, I'll enjoy tearing you all apart! Finally, my master will recognize my strength!"

With a surge, the Hammerhead Hollow launched himself at the four female Hollows, who charged forward together.

Far from the scene, a certain pink-haired Vasto Lorde watched with a smirk on his lips.

"Well, who would've thought? I guess this is the classic 'power of friendship'? What do you think, Roka?" By his side, his assistant watched with her usual apathetic curiosity.

"Is it wise to sacrifice such an important experiment, Lord Szayel?" the spider-like Hollow asked, tilting her head toward the scene manipulated by her master.

Szayel scoffed, watching the "battle" unfold as he replied:

"Nah, he's nowhere near what I aspire to create. Besides, I'm borrowing an idea from a certain troublesome man. Sacrificing this artificial Vasto Lord will earn Harribel's unwavering loyalty, so it's worth it! AH, look! The fight's over!" Both the Vasto Lorde and his assistant turned to observe the battlefield, where things had not gone well for the future queen.

On the battlefield, Harribel found herself being strangled by the artificial Vasto Lorde.

Her companions had been tossed around like ragdolls, burned and torn apart by the "Lanzas Relámpago" of the artificial Hollow.

"It's... all my fault... I was naive and... they paid for it... I'm... sorry... but... I CAN'T GIVE UP!"

FOOOSH

"GHA!" A slash appeared on the chest of the artificial hollow, and with this attack, Harribel managed to break free from the hollow's grip.

"I-I WON'T BACK DOWN!" Harribel shouted. Despite her determination, she knew her body was worn out and injured, but she refused to fall without fighting for her girls.

The hollow touched the wound on its chest before laughing at the injury.

"That's it? Hahahahaha! That's not enough to pierce my 「Hierro」–HAAA!" With a *sonido*, he reappeared in front of Harribel, slashing her chest with his sharp fins.

"AAAH!"

"Hyaaaa!"

Before she could defend herself, he struck her again with a powerful punch, sending her rolling away, creating a loud crash and a cloud of dust.

"You'll have to do more than that to hurt me, Harribel. Your blade cannot harm me!"

The hollow walked toward her trembling and wounded body as she tried to stand once more to fight. It was a commendable determination, yet futile.

Harribel could only lament in a trembling voice:

"I-I'm sorry… my sacrifice... was useless…"

Soon, a 「Lanza Relámpago」 formed in the artificial Vasto Lorde's hand. He raised it, ready to finish Harribel, who simply closed her eyes, regretting that she wasn't strong enough for her companions. And then—

"She might not be, but as for me? My little fish?"

"GAAAAAH!"

Harribel, who had been awaiting her death, opened her eyes to an unusual scene!

"Huh?"

The spear that had defeated her and her companions was being held like a simple needle by a new hollow on the battlefield.

He had large wings, a slender and tall body, with long pink and blond hair, and his lower half was composed of countless purple tentacles. The hollow glanced backward, ignoring his opponent's struggles to break free from his grasp.

"Hey, Harribel, right? Are you okay?"

Hearing the question, Harribel could only respond with a nod. The hollow let out a satisfied sigh before turning to face the artificial Vasto Lorde, still speaking to her:

"I heard what you said earlier, 'sacrifice... was useless...' right? Well, I don't know about your opinion, but to me, every sacrifice is useless if you don't have the power to keep those you love safe. But, anyway, it's my fault you ended up like this. After all, this hollow was one of my experiments. I gave him a body, but not a mind… so, let me apologize and clean up the trash I created..."

"W-WHAT? WAIT A MOMENT! L-LORD SZAY–" Before the hollow could finish, he stopped mid-sentence, terrified as he saw several of Szayel's tentacles pointing at him, charging a *Cero*.

"Shut up… you... are nothing but... TRASH."

BOOM

As if it was nothing, the hollow who had crushed Harribel earlier was completely obliterated by the *Ceros* unleashed from Szayel's tentacles.

Harribel could only watch in shock at her savior.

He slowly turned toward her, his voice sounding animated.

"So... what do you think about a job opportunity for you and your companions?"

After witnessing this entire rollercoaster of emotions and extreme physical and mental exhaustion, Harribel could only slowly nod her head before her eyes rolled back, and she passed out, everything fading to black.