Intelligence was a crucial component in both individual battles and large-scale wars. Kōe, being a transmigrator, was no exception to this rule. In fact, he was arguably in the most danger in this upcoming war.
After all, during the Karakura Town war, Aizen had specifically designed the Prince of Extinguishing Flames, Wonderweiss, just to counter Old Man Yama. He had also maintained a constant state of vigilance against Urahara Kisuke, even though the man was a defeated opponent from the past.
Now, the duo from the manga of his past life had become a trio. Furthermore, Kōe had never seen the release of Kyōka Suigetsu. If everything proceeded according to Operation Fisherman, he would be the only person besides Ichigo who hadn't been completely hypnotized.
Would Aizen ignore the existence of this potential threat? Perhaps he would, or perhaps he wouldn't. Only Aizen himself knew the answer.
If Kōe relaxed his guard simply because he was familiar with the events of the Karakura Town war, he would likely suffer a terrible fate. Aizen's attitude toward him would probably be vastly different from how he treated others.
Possessing greater immediate combat strength than Ichigo, lacking necessary intelligence, and yet remaining unaffected by Kyōka Suigetsu—these conditions were more than enough to constitute a massive threat.
It was the classic blind spot. The most crucial areas were often the easiest to overlook—such as his own safety.
But if he could plant his own spies in Las Noches and have them relay intelligence on Aizen's activities in Hueco Mundo...
Kōe wouldn't necessarily be invincible, but he at least wouldn't end up fighting blind, trapped in the awkward position of a craftsman without his tools.
However, Szayelaporro could never understand this mindset of investing in the future. To him, managing Las Noches was nothing more than a burden.
In the past, he had only submitted to Baraggan to secure a more comfortable research environment. Ruling Hueco Mundo? Why would such a boring endeavor be considered fun by some people? He simply couldn't fathom it.
Without Lord Ao's orders, Szayelaporro felt he definitely wouldn't have chosen to rebuild Las Noches. Finding a few obedient servants to maintain his research materials would have been enough, or perhaps seeking out other Vasto Lorde to collaborate with wouldn't have been a bad idea either.
This was one of the things he found most strange. After killing Baraggan, it was perfectly normal for Las Noches to change hands. Of course, considering Baraggan's self-proclaimed title as the King of Hueco Mundo, it was more accurate to say that Hueco Mundo itself had changed hands.
Yet the old king was dead, and the new king refused to ascend the throne. Instead, he pushed Szayelaporro to the forefront—not to assist in ruling, but merely to ensure that Las Noches remained the largest faction in Hueco Mundo.
At first, Szayelaporro thought this was a test from Ao, so he diligently maintained Las Noches after its reconstruction, even setting aside his most important research.
But as time passed, Szayelaporro's mind began to wander. First, he moved his laboratory deep underground beneath Las Noches. Eventually, he stopped showing his face in Las Noches altogether unless absolutely necessary.
Back then, even though Roca would occasionally visit Las Noches to ask about the progress of his spatial experiments on Ao's behalf, Szayelaporro hadn't seen Ao himself in a long time. He assumed Ao wasn't interfering with his actions simply because he wasn't in Hueco Mundo, and that Roca was merely bluffing.
It wasn't until Ao personally arrived at Las Noches a month ago that Szayelaporro realized all of this had been tacitly permitted. If he had truly ignored Ao's orders and abandoned Las Noches, he didn't know what the consequences would have been. He likely would have met the exact same fate as Baraggan.
However, such a thing was unlikely to happen anyway. He followed Ao's orders not just out of fear of his martial prowess, but because Ao could bring him substantial gains. The ability to directly intervene in the evolution of Hollows—such a method was simply unheard of.
It wouldn't be strange for someone with such power to do anything, but doing something without asking for anything in return was highly suspicious. What exactly was the purpose of Las Noches' existence to Ao?
"I am leaving Hueco Mundo."
"Please give your orders, my lord."
"Just keep things as they are, and then..."
"And then?"
The answer to his question still lay in the words Ao had left behind. But before Szayelaporro could think further, a frantic ringing suddenly echoed behind him, completely interrupting his train of thought.
"Have some little mice slipped in?"
In the long, winding underground corridor, six massive Adjuchas, each carrying an iron cage on their backs, advanced cautiously into the depths.
"Be careful, all of you! Don't break anything here, not even a single stone!" the slightly smaller Adjuchas leading the group warned irritably.
Hearing this, the six behemoths behind him moved even more carefully. They looked like six elephants trying to walk on a tightrope, a truly comical sight.
The lead Adjuchas nodded in satisfaction. If these idiots were caught and used for experiments just because they dirtied the place, he would have to go find a new batch of lackeys to do the heavy lifting. That would be a complete waste of time.
The symbol of Las Noches was the throne on the surface, but the truly important place was Lord Szayelaporro's laboratory—which was, naturally, also the most dangerous.
After twisting and turning their way deep beneath Las Noches, before they could even spot the tightly shut doors, a gruff voice suddenly rang out. "You're too slow, Meggro!"
"Gilton?" The lead Adjuchas, Meggro, turned his head. The one speaking was indeed Gilton, but shouldn't this guy be up on the surface right now?
"Trash! Idiots!"
"You're in big trouble, Meggro, hehehe."
Goluachi, and Kusendodo too. Meggro glanced around. All of his companions who had just been on the surface were now gathered here.
It wasn't just them. A slender figure with six wings on his back, looking much like a fairy, appeared in his line of sight. Meggro's legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees in a bow. "Lord Szayelaporro!"
*What could have happened to make Lord Szayelaporro appear in person?* Meggro quickly filtered through his recent actions in his mind. *I shouldn't have done anything to draw the lord's attention.*
But given this lord's temperament, absolutely anything could provoke his displeasure—like accidentally letting drool fall onto the floor tiles of Las Noches, even though he had never explicitly forbidden drooling in Las Noches...
And once the lord set his sights on you, nothing good ever came of it. Meggro begged for mercy in his heart. He knew begging was useless, so he was mostly just praying.
"Get over there!"
"Yes, yes!" Relieved, Meggro hurriedly crawled toward his companions. Szayelaporro's slightly androgynous voice rang out again. "Sneaking in like this... you didn't just get lost, did you? It's fine if you are lost. I will give you a proper welcome, and then send you to a suitable place."
Meggro turned his head and looked in the direction Szayelaporro was facing. There was nothing there but empty air.
*Was Lord Szayelaporro talking to the air?* Just as this thought crossed his mind, the air in front of them suddenly rippled. Three white shadows twisted, and as the ripples spread, they actually transformed into three... humans?
"A pleasure to meet you. Are you the King of Hueco Mundo?"