The expected effect wasn't achieved.
Gremmy's brows visibly furrowed, seeming somewhat unable to accept this departure from 'control' of reality.
"You... what's going on?"
Mayuri chuckled as he raised his right hand, lightly waving it while his tone imitated the other's composure, becoming extremely teasing.
"Yes, what is going on? Why haven't this guy and I transformed into other shapes as you wished?"
Szayelaporro lightly shrugged, though wordless, his contempt was equally self-evident.
Gremmy fell into a brief thoughtful pause.
For his 'imagination' that had never failed to falter at such a moment was certainly unacceptable to him.
And more than that...
'Why did it fail?'
This had actually become a topic he found increasingly interesting.
Gremmy unconsciously tilted his head, originally wanting to say something...
But his gaze settled on Mayuri's hands, which were withering, decaying, yet quickly returning to normal, then he showed a look of understanding.
I see.
It wasn't that there was no effect.
But while it was taking effect... this guy was continuously restoring his body?
"Your perception is truly weak, only just realizing it now?"
Mayuri raised his right hand, lightly flicking it while a rather smug expression appeared on his face.
"Although I'm not one who likes to boast about myself, with such a barren imagination like yours, you probably can hardly imagine that inconceivable thing?"
So...
"Just by slightly predicting your behavior, I can make corresponding preparations."
Backup flesh replenishment medicine.
He had already embedded thousands of doses of such things within his body.
Just setting them to be periodically injected into the body, using internal circulation to continuously fill in the already 'collapsed' parts.
That way...
"Guh..."
Mayuri's mouth unnaturally bulged for a moment.
But this didn't hinder his 'boasting' behavior, he just turned his head and spat out what was in his mouth.
Gremmy looked at that thing falling from the sky.
It was broken, viscous, like numerous pieces of congealed blood gathered together...
This was probably the 'remnant' after continuous pulling, generation, and destruction inside Mayuri's body.
The imagination was still continuously taking effect, but the result of this internal pulling... just became these inconspicuous fragments of flesh.
The Squad Twelve Captain had regained that irritating and haughty appearance.
"Uh~ where were we just now?"
"Right, right, your attacks lacking imagination are already meaningless to me."
"So how about returning your words to you? If you submit to me now... I could still perform some relatively reserved experimental behaviors on you."
Things like cutting, implanting, even brainwashing... would naturally be postponed.
As for Szayelaporro on the side.
As an Arrancar evolved from a Hollow, after going through blade release and Hōgyoku enhancement stages... the recovery ability of his flesh had almost been enhanced to the extreme.
The characteristic that originally only Ulquiorra possessed had now spread, diffusing to all Arrancar, becoming a 'byproduct' of the enhanced performance.
Merely attacks on flesh and skin, at this point... were completely unthreatening to Arrancar.
Even if possible.
"I could play with you like this all day."
The smiles of these two psychopaths were somewhat creepy, facing them directly would probably make it difficult for a normal person to accept the situation.
And since his 'debut', Gremmy was experiencing this situation for the first time.
His expression became somewhat subtle.
Yet not to the degree of panic... instead, he curled his lips, revealing a rather surprised smile.
"I see, this composure, I..."
"Ah, wait a moment."
Mayuri interrupted the other's statement.
He slightly turned his head, glancing at Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō beside him.
As his Zanpakutō, also a product of the Nemuri Plan, Mayuri had a certain invisible connection with his creation...
And it was at this moment that he felt the brief message being transmitted from Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō.
The Squad Twelve Captain's mouth slightly opened, covering his ear with his right hand, beginning to nod with "mm-hmm" sounds.
"Sorry, time's up."
As soon as the words fell.
Gremmy's expression suddenly showed a very obvious change.
The pain sensation surging from inside his body was like tidal waves, like being covered with ants, making him unable to help but bend his waist, starting to cough violently.
"Cough, cough..."
So itchy.
Along with an undeniable pain.
This heart-scraping, lung-scratching feeling made Gremmy's expression extremely painful, he bent his waist, grabbing his throat with both hands.
As if trying to forcibly push this discomfort back in, exerting strength...
But finally, still unable to suppress this strange impulse and pain, until the moment he felt warmth in his throat, he reflexively spat it out.
A mouthful of fresh blood spurted from his mouth.
Looking at this liquid that had turned black, Gremmy's expression momentarily became puzzled.
Got hit?
When did it happen?
Gremmy slightly opened his mouth, gasping for breath while straightening his body, revealing a confused expression toward the distant figure.
Mayuri tilted his head, his tone still maintaining that casual and smug undertone.
"What's with that expression, it's as if you're blaming me for not explaining the situation to you?"
"But speaking of that... well~ I guess I can explain it to you."
"Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō, my Zanpakutō... looks cool, right?"
Its ability was never a fixed form.
Because it was a modified Zanpakutō, Mayuri could expand and enrich the abilities of his Zanpakutō through multiple preset methods, until it became that unique thing that could handle many different situations.
And now the Zanpakutō was serving this very purpose.
"The result after collection, analysis, and secondary processing."
"A total of one thousand eight hundred and ninety-six toxins, including neurological categories, physiological types, etc..."
"Because I emphasized concealment, they were all previously modified into a colorless and odorless gas."
The scene before Gremmy's eyes began to blur, he hoarsely opened his mouth, only able to see that stick insect-like Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō opening its mouth, spitting something gaseous into the air.
So, the talking earlier was just to buy time?
"By the way, your physical constitution is truly terrifying..."
"After all, the toxins have already reached such a concentration, if ordinary people were present they would simply drop dead, which wouldn't be surprising."
"But you can still move for so long... heh, did you also give your body some similar commands?"
Enhancing physical constitution, immune to specific types of attacks.
Such behaviors could indeed be achieved by simply 'imagining'.
But now Mayuri wasn't worried about his methods being exposed.
After all, the thousands of toxins were extremely invasive, even if one could imagine their body could resist, they couldn't achieve 'perfect' resistance.
"Gulp..."
An obvious swallowing sound came back.
The continuously falling figure forcibly halted its momentum, and Gremmy, now standing steady, slightly raised his head.
His face was covered with bulging veins, now protruding one by one as his body involuntarily trembled slightly...
Like wrestling with something invisible, his teeth slightly clenched, his breathing becoming extremely rapid.
He withstood it.
'Immune to toxins, body enhancement, internal barriers, purification of red blood cells...'
This process wasn't simple.
After all, Gremmy had built a defensive line that could block through various processes.
—Although theoretically, he could completely imagine his body being completely immune to external influences.
But this behavior itself was a 'hypothesis'.
Because that phenomenon of stopping material exchange inherently meant that this living organism had developed an absolute 'isolation' from the outside world.
No longer needing oxygen, unable to continue touching other things.
Apart from the fact that he still existed in this world, Gremmy would become a creature of a different dimension.
Such an ability close to the 'essence', he naturally couldn't achieve.
After all, Yhwach hadn't 'bestowed' him with this aspect of power, which was also why the Quincies had restrained him, not letting him contact external objects.
But... this ability's uncertainty was too strong.
If not restrained, it might develop uncontrollably, eventually forming some ridiculous disaster.
Quick resolution.
Mayuri could fully understand this situation, so he half-turned his head, urging the person beside him.
"Hey, hurry up."
Szayelaporro's lips slightly curled upward, revealing that familiar and teasing face.
"Such an impatient guy..."
He made a gesture with his hands slightly open.
The tail-like appendage behind him began to 'bloom', invisible light points scattered and danced in the air.
Spore-like substances drifted and flew in the air, dropping, sticking, hanging on everyone present.
Szayelaporro slowly opened his eyes.
His right hand slightly opened, as if playing with something invisible, now making a subtle kneading gesture.
Then...
A three-dimensional map, as if the entire sky had been miniaturized, appeared in his palm at this moment.
"Mmm, I can see it~"
Controlling puppets.
In the most basic form, Szayelaporro could 'register' all affected individuals in the surroundings by secreting liquid from his body, generating similar puppet objects.
These things could establish a mysterious connection with the original body.
In the original storyline, Uryū and Renji suffered greatly at his hands.
And now after being enhanced by the Hōgyoku, his ability had been greatly strengthened.
No longer extracting and registering specific targets, but directly secreting spore-like substances, capturing the entire space.
As 'individuals' within it, not just Gremmy, but even Mayuri and the released Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō appeared within.
"I feel like if I wanted to, I could do some very excessive things to you now?"
Faced with such explicit provocation, Mayuri's reaction was quite calm.
He just glanced sideways at him, seemingly conveying the central idea of 'you can try if you want' with his gaze.
"Hehe, how scary~ I was just saying it."
As for what the person himself was thinking, perhaps only Szayelaporro knew.
After briefly interacting with the Squad Twelve Captain, Szayelaporro refocused his attention on the present.
He carefully examined the 'sky sandbox' in front of him, as if observing his most exquisite work, showing a satisfied expression.
Szayelaporro raised his left hand, index finger slightly raised, lightly tapping the puppet symbolizing Gremmy.
Bang...
The sudden invisible force made Gremmy's body involuntarily jerk.
"...?"
What was that?
Standing in place with nothing else around, why did he feel like someone suddenly pushed him?
Unable to investigate further.
In the distance, Szayelaporro was already grinning as he extended his left hand, completely removing the left arm from the puppet symbolizing Gremmy.
Gug gug gug... pop!
Gremmy's left arm directly twisted off with rotation, finally collapsing, turning into scattered flesh.
"..."
Not recorded in Squad Eight's intelligence, Gremmy also found this situation very surprising.
As for Szayelaporro, he now didn't give the other any room for understanding.
Fingertips continuously tapping lightly.
Left arm, both legs, torso, organs, spine...
Each part disintegrated, like a broken puppet, displaying a sense of helplessness that made one sigh.
So... is it done?
Just as the thought emerged, Gremmy's body, like light paper, instantly collapsed and shattered.
Pop!
Flesh vanished into nothingness, replaced by Gremmy's voice penetrating from the air.
"I see, that was truly an interesting experience."
"I already imagined my body could be immune to toxins, but even so I couldn't restore freedom of movement..."
"You did a lot of tricks in there, right? Not just toxins, but some things you didn't explicitly mention."
Silence as a response was another form of acknowledgment.
Mayuri just calmly looked around at the surroundings, but didn't see the other's figure appear.
Gremmy seemed to have merged into the air.
"Thanks to you all, I've also realized a further advanced power."
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Powerstones?
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