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“I-I am so sorry...”
“I expected as much.”
The Arrancar reporting to me in his battered state was the very one I had assigned to a task earlier. As I suspected, he had returned defeated, unable to overcome Nelliel’s two Fracción. Had I known it would turn out like this, I should have sent a few more of them.
“Be that as it may, you really are quite useless.”
“I am truly, deeply sorry...”
I offered a thin smile to the Arrancar who had botched the job. Terrified, he trembled violently, bowing his head in a desperate apology, but I felt no inclination to grant him forgiveness.
Thud.
Fwish.
I placed my hand on his head and harvested his life force using Life Absorption. Even if it was two-on-one, these Arrancars had already had their masks removed. For him to be beaten and scurry back like this was pathetic. Even if he couldn’t kill them, he should have at least managed to suppress them.
“I suppose I’ll have to procure my own Fracción myself.”
I reached into my robe and pulled out the Hogyoku I had kept safely tucked away. The Hogyoku I received from Is—Aizen—was still in my possession. Whether I’ll return this one if I obtain the one Kisuke Urahara made, or if I’ll just keep both, remains to be seen. But for now, it was mine.
“Since there are no existing candidates to my liking, I have no choice but to manufacture one.”
A Fracción—an Espada’s subordinate—is usually selected from the Números ranked 11 or lower, effectively serving as an Espada's adjutant. There’s no limit to the number of Fracción one can have; some Espadas choose many, while others have none at all. I fell into the latter category for now, but I felt the need to craft a truly capable subordinate.
Is had created a specific Arrancar just to counter Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto’s Ryujin Jakka. I didn't quite grasp the exact process she used for that ‘Anti-Ryujin Jakka’ model, but if she could do it, there was no reason I couldn't.
The standard method for completing an Arrancar involves using the power of a Hogyoku that has reached a temporary state of completion by being fed the Reiatsu of two Captain-class individuals. This breaks the boundary between Hollow and Soul Reaper, creating a mask-less Arrancar.
The question was how to replicate the process used for something like Wonderweiss. To use the word 'modify' implies there was a base Hollow used as a medium. That would mean destroying the Hollow’s individual personality and then manipulating what was left. If that process caused them to lose everything, I would indeed get the capable subordinate I wanted—but they would be nothing more than a mindless robot or a doll.
“This is more of a headache than I thought.”
Simply making an Arrancar wasn’t difficult, but planning a modified Arrancar was proving to be quite the mental tax. However, if I wanted a Fracción that met my specific standards, I had to endure a little tedious labor. First, I needed to find the Hollows to use as raw materials for the modification.
“Let’s start by gathering about a hundred Adjuchas. And maybe ten or so who have already become Arrancars.”
Before diving into the full-scale production of a modified Arrancar, I needed test subjects. Female Hollows are relatively rare, so I decided to start my experiments with the more abundant male Hollows.
“We’ll do a simple test on retaining will, another on whether they can possess the specific abilities I want, an experiment on their physical appearance, and finally, a test on their loyalty toward me. Those four should cover it, right?”
A vast number of Arrancars and Hollows would be consumed as the experiments progressed, but that didn’t matter. This sprawling Hueco Mundo was still teeming with countless Hollows. If I ran out of Arrancars, I could just make more. Even if every single Hollow and Arrancar—aside from the Espadas and their immediate subordinates—were consumed by my experiments, Is would simply laugh it off. Tibel might get a little angry, but that was it. There was no real downside.
“Then let’s get a move on. My goal is to finish before Is returns.”
I headed toward the laboratory of the Octava Espada, Szayelaporro Granz. That would be the site of my modification experiments. I could have just saved myself the trouble and gone to fetch Nelliel myself, but this was a way to gain a Fracción while killing some boredom.
Update! Update! Update!
It’s inevitable that Fracción are treated like pets. To an all-powerful protagonist, a Fracción is just a pair of hands and feet to do the annoying tasks he doesn't want to deal with. That’s why he treats them as things to be chosen for their cuteness or playfulness. It’s not that I don’t know the lore surrounding Fracción; I’ve just tailored it to fit the protagonist’s character.
Additionally, as mentioned, since the MC adopted the Aspect of Death, he no longer attaches much meaning to death itself. He can smile and conduct biological experiments like this without blinking an eye.
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