Chapter 253
"This is the signal transmitter from the Seireitei Research Institute."
Haruto pulled out a small, dark box and tossed it to Haru Kusaka.
"After you return to headquarters, use this to go back to Soul Society. Captain Hikifune will open the gate as soon as he receives the message."
"... Where is Haruto?"
Haru Kusaka took the box, glanced at it a few times, and then stopped paying attention to the little item.
"I still have some things to take care of here..."
You can go first.
"..."
Haru Kusaka and the Miyano siblings exchanged a glance.
"Good!"
Faced with this man shrouded in secrets, Shihoin, their reason told them that they absolutely could not get involved any further.
Dealing with Vasto Lorde was exciting enough; they didn't want to be drafted into it... that would be even more foolish.
"Take care of yourself."
"You too."
Volume 1: 152, Third Class? Second Class!
Silent silver sand.
They're all gone.
After Haruto's perception range was completely cleared, there was no longer any trace of the Hollow or the Soul Reaper.
"This place is still too close to Las Noches."
"Whoosh!"
With a few Shunpo, Haruto quickly distanced himself from Las Noches in the opposite direction.
"..."
"That's about it."
Haruto was the only one left in the vast open space.
Forget about the void; in this desolate place, you can't even see the skeletal tree canopy sprouting from the top of the Forest of Menos.
"Don't let go..."
A terrifying aura, completely different from Reiatsu, surged from Haruto's limbs and bones at the same time.
"I'm about to burst from holding it in."
"Bang!!"
The small tornado began to form from nothing at the center of Haruto, and then rapidly expanded into a storm eye large enough to blot out the sky.
There wasn't much Reiatsu left in Haruto's body; this strange and drastic scene came from the Soul King Hakusui that had merged with Haruto.
That's right.
Hammerhead was personally killed by Haruto.
Five years later, the Soul King Hakusui finally absorbed the fuel that could trigger a qualitative change—in terms of quantity, Valley of Screams Haruto already met the requirements for activation and evolution; what was missing was this final catalyst.
"Call!!"
The hurricane grew stronger, but it did not develop into a severe sandstorm.
The dense Reishi that permeated Hueco Mundo —whether they came from the natural environment or from the countless corpses of Hollows beneath his feet—were all swept up and absorbed by the increasingly exaggerated hurricane, flowing madly into Haruto's body through all 20,000 pores without leaving a trace.
This astonishing absorption speed was more than a hundred times faster than when Haruto was meditating in Soul Society.
Soon.
"Bite."
After a moment of extreme pain followed by extreme pleasure, Haruto felt with certainty that something inside his body was breaking down and rebuilding.
At the same time.
His Reiatsu also began to rise like a rocket.
Third-Class Reii symbolizing Captain-level?
No, no, no.
In the instant the storm arose, Haruto shattered the barrier that separated countless Soul Reaper, and his true form successfully entered the level of Third-Class Reii.
However.
This is just the beginning.
Haruto's absorption of Reiatsu did not slow down over time. On the contrary, because his strength had achieved a class leap, the already overwhelming storm continued to expand, and violent lightning and thunder even appeared.
The desert is beginning to disappear visibly.
Even the Forest of Menos, which runs through the earth's surface, began to be drawn into this frenzied power.
Physical body, mental state, Reiatsu.
Everything was improving at an unimaginable speed—the overwhelming sense of exhilaration even caused Haruto to lose all awareness of his surroundings, immersing himself completely in this indescribable feeling.
I don't know how much time has passed.
When Haruto Eye Opening again, he felt his vision momentarily change.
It formed a cross shape...
Or is it observing the world with four pairs of eyes simultaneously?
Thump!
Haruto banged his head hard, trying to banish the strange feeling of dizziness from his mind.
He succeeded.
The sight just now seemed like some kind of illusion; Haruto's senses quickly returned to normal, and even his mind was clearer than ever before.
"..."
How far is it?
Retract the foreword.
His senses didn't return to normal; rather, they became abnormally so: Haruto casually glanced at the recurring scenery in the distance of Hueco Mundo, only to find that his senses "descended" to that corner of the earth along with his gaze.
You should know...
The distance between them had already exceeded ten spirit miles, yet Haruto did not use the "Kakushitsuijaku" technique.
Transformed perception.
How strong am I now?
Haruto, suspended in the air, casually grabbed a handful of sand formed from ethereal remains from the far distance, and with a gentle squeeze, restored them to Reishi; before these Reishi could disappear, they were all absorbed into Haruto's body along his skin.
"..."
"It seems like we don't need to try anymore."
Haruto focused his spirit into his body.
Within seconds, he understood his current level.
"The Soul King Hakusui..."
"I can no longer feel its existence, either materially or spiritually."
The original sense of alienation from the fused souls had completely disappeared.
The real threshold lies between the third and fourth classes.
Only by overcoming this obstacle and becoming a soul that will not "dissipate" can one truly unleash the full power of the Soul King Hakusui.
This was Kirio Hikifune had told him a long time ago.
"You can't remove the Soul King Hakusui from my body unless you kill me."
"You want to kill me..."
"It's hard to say about the Second-Class Spiritual Pressure."
Compared to the Vasto Lorde he had just defeated, Haruto could clearly sense his own power.
Second-Class Spiritual Pressure.
Captain for a century.
This is Haruto's current level.
The Soul King Hakusui could no longer help Haruto further compress his Reiatsu, because it had become a complete part of Haruto's body: instead of advancing to the Third-Class Reii, it directly pulled him into the Second-Class Spiritual Pressure realm after the Hakusui was activated.
Certainly.
Even among those at the Second-Class Spiritual Pressure, there are differences in strength. Haruto's current state can only be considered that of a novice who has just entered this stage.
But!
His apparent Second-Class Spiritual Pressure is merely his current basic combat strength.
A strategic overview.
Those abilities and skills that should have been mastered only by Captain-level, Haruto could originally only use through his talent and the Soul King Hakusui. Now, he can not only multiply the power of these methods, but also explore areas that were previously inaccessible.
For example...
His favorite modification to Kidō: the modification he made to Number 99.
Not only that.
"..."
Haruto touched his waist.
Where only the scabbard of Seisen was originally attached, the second Zanpakuto has now fully formed, even intersecting with Seisen's scabbard.
Haruto had been able to manifest his Zanpakuto in his hand for a long time, which originated from Fullbring and Quincy Cross Zanpakuto; however, since it had never shown Shikai, Haruto had left it there and not paid much attention to it: he still needed to train Seisen's Bankai.
Now.
Seisen's Bankai was just a hair's breadth away when the second sword miraculously appeared on its own.
Are you two trying to see who's faster?
"Clang."
"..."
Haruto was certain that the sound he heard was not an illusion.
The two Zanpakuto actually clashed against each other's sheaths.
"I can't wait any longer."
Haruto forcibly de-materialized the second sword, then stuffed Seisen directly into the Kukai Box.
"The heat has already been set enough; we won't waste time on the remaining part of the Jinzen."
"Let's go find Kisuke Urahara and borrow his Tenshintai."
There wasn't any particular reason.
That is...
It seems a bit excessive that a Captain-level Second-Class Spiritual Pressure like him doesn't even know Bankai.
What?
You're actually just a vice-captain?