"Is there anything I can do?"
Facing Shendu's gaze, Harribel could now meet it calmly.
"Call Cortez over with Apacci and the others."
After a moment of thought, Shendu decided to bring Cortez and the others in first to try again.
When four Hollows squeezed through the slightly narrow gate, Szayelaporro and Kurotsuchi Mayuri left the laboratory with great interest.
In a sense, the process of Arrancar completely exposed one's privacy to others.
Even if Harribel didn't mind this, Szayelaporro and Kurotsuchi Mayuri were still wary that Shendu might hold them accountable afterward.
For a ruler whose punishments were notoriously harsh, it was better to avoid unnecessary actions.
Otherwise, the consequences could be severe.
"Master Harribel, do you have any orders?"
Mila Rose was as fiery as ever, still showing little respect toward Shendu.
Her loyalty was to Harribel, not Shendu.
For Shendu, who had used their lives as leverage to force Harribel to submit to him, they still harbored resentment.
It was only after Shendu "slightly punished" some disobedient Hollows and displayed their fates in the Forest of Hollows that the three women, Hollows, became less rebellious.
No one knew whether this tyrannical ruler might impose those punishments on them.
To be safe, it was better to submit.
"Experiment, evolve, Arrancar."
Harribel's words were as concise as ever.
"Ah, do you want us to participate in this kind of dirty experiment?"
Oddly enough, both Mila, Apacci, and Sung-Sun understood exactly what Harribel meant.
Even Shendu, standing off to the side, couldn't help but marvel at how they could grasp the intent so clearly.
"Ha! What, are you scared?"
Apacci stomped her hoof and looked at Mila provocatively, her eyes full of mockery.
"Mila Rose?"
Hearing this, Mila immediately turned to her, growling in response.
"Who's scared?!"
"You sounded like you were trembling just now, Apacci!"
Even though she said so, Shendu noticed a hint of nervousness in her eyes.
For this group of Hollows, experimentation was definitely unfamiliar territory.
What's more, the Arrancar process completely shattered their understanding of what it meant to be a Hollow.
Transforming their own form was not something they could accept easily.
The other Adjucha who participated in the experiments were fearless because of their unwavering loyalty.
However, these three were so devoted to Harribel that typical brainwashing techniques had no effect on them.
"You two, stop arguing."
Sung-Sun coiled her long white snake-like body and mocked her companions in a sarcastic tone.
"Shouting so loudly will only make Lord Harribel think you're cowardly."
"Even His Majesty Shendu will look down on you."
Hearing this, both of them immediately turned their ire toward Sung-Sun.
"Since you're so confident," Apacci's pink and blue eyes shifted mischievously as she spoke slyly, "why don't we start with you?"
Mila, who was about to lose her temper, caught on and joined in, teasing sarcastically:
"Apacci is right."
"Sung-Sun, you should go first."
Faced with their verbal attacks, Sung-Sun was at a loss for words.
Why had these two, who were usually at odds, suddenly teamed up?
And...
Sung-Sun glanced uneasily at the operating table not far away. It was clean and polished, reflecting the incandescent light.
Yet, for some reason, it exuded a biting chill.
Was this the fear Harribel often spoke of?
Even when facing Shendu in battle, they were only momentarily shocked.
But now, the inexplicable fear in her heart made her whole body tremble.
No...
She suddenly realized—she had no legs.
Sung-Sun glanced down at her coiled body, her snake tail trembling uncontrollably.
While the three were arguing about who would go first, Cortez stepped forward without hesitation.
She snorted disdainfully at them, her expression full of contempt.
"Cowards."
"Your Majesty, I'll go first!"
Shendu glanced at Mila and the others with a half-smile. The three of them quickly lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.
Perhaps, in their eyes, Cortez's behavior was a disgrace to Harribel.
Cortez, being a Hollow in the form of a horse, looked extremely awkward lying on the operating table.
Her body was covered in armor-like white bones, even her mouth and nose were encased.
However, this form was typical for a Hollow.
As Shendu extracted her soul, Cortez immediately fell silent, lying motionless on the operating table as if dead.
Seeing this, Apacci and the others shivered, and Sung-Sun whispered tremulously:
"Your Majesty, did the experiment fail?"
"No," Shendu replied calmly. "It's only just beginning."
The Reiatsu of a Shinigami was injected into Cortez's soul. After a brief stabilization, it was returned to her body.
During this process, Shendu made a surprising discovery.
After countless battles, Cortez was infinitely close to the level of a Vasto Lorde.
One or two more powerful Adjucha consumed might be enough to meet the conditions for evolution.
"Perhaps she has the potential to ascend."
Shendu began pondering the remaining Espadas.
Weren't the loyal Cortez better than those unruly leaders?
As the Shinigami Reiatsu fused with the Hollow Reiatsu, Cortez's body began to transform.
The armor-like white bones fell away, revealing a slim, humanoid figure.
To Shendu's surprise, Cortez had an exceptional physique.
With her elegant curves, delicate features, and fair skin, her transformation was remarkable.
It turned out Cortez was a racehorse girl—specifically, a warhorse girl.
While speed was not her specialty, she excelled in combat, where no enemy could stand against her.
Unlike the agonized screams of other Hollows undergoing Arrancar, Cortez only let out a few muffled groans, her endurance evident.
Once her transformation was complete, even her voice carried a seductive allure.
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