Chapter 232

Shinji Hirako suddenly stopped in his tracks, frowning as he surveyed his surroundings. The original settlement no longer existed.

The wooden house was completely blown away, with broken planks and broken beams scattered across the ground within a radius of hundreds of meters.

The surrounding area was filled with deep trenches carved out by Cero, each several meters long, and the air was filled with the acrid smell of burning Reishi.

Hirako crouched down, running his finger along the edge of one of the deepest grooves.

The Reiatsu lingered, but it had a texture he had never experienced before.

"What kind of monster left these marks..."

Love Aikawa landed beside Hirako, his Zanpakuto drawn and held horizontally in front of him, his brows furrowed.

"This kind of destruction wasn't caused by normal combat. It looks like a berserk rage, a pure outburst of anger."

Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi descended from the right, his gathered robes fluttering gently in the wind.

"If it's some kind of unknown Hollow, then its Reiatsu level is quite high..."

"Who cares what level it is," Hiyori Sarugaki knelt on one knee on the highest section of the broken wall, her gaze quickly sweeping across the ruins below. "We need to find Kensei first. With such a commotion here, he can't possibly be away."

Lisa Yadōmaru adjusted her glasses, drew her sword, and stood guard at the rear, keeping watch on the surroundings.

Hachigen Ushōda landed in the center of the ruins, his hands already in the starting stance, his senses spreading outwards.

Only Mashiro Kuna did not stop.

From the moment she landed, she began searching through the ruins piece by piece, prying open broken planks, kicking away scattered stones, and scanning every corner where someone might be hiding.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, her movements quickened, and her breathing became more rapid.

"Kensei! Where are you? Answer me!"

No one answered.

Only her voice faded away in the empty wasteland amidst the ruins.

Hirako straightened up, about to tell Shiro to calm down, when the next moment, he sensed a strange Reiatsu at the edge of his perception.

"All personnel on alert."

Hirako's voice suddenly tightened.

The six figures adjusted their positions almost simultaneously, spreading out in a fan shape, and all their Zanpakuto.

Their gazes were fixed on the due north direction, deep within the most thoroughly destroyed ruins, where Reiatsu was approaching at an unreasonable speed.

The moment it burst forth from the depths of the ruins, everyone frowned slightly.

A humanoid illusion.

Although he was still wearing the Shinigami uniform, he no longer resembled Soul Reaper at all.

The entire face was covered by a solid white bone surface, with two bottomless black holes in the eye sockets.

Several thick bone pillars protruded from its torn skin, pulsating slightly with its heavy breathing.

"Is this the monster that caused all this? But why...?"

Love Aikawa gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his pupils trembling.

Hirako did not answer.

He stared at the approaching figure, his gaze moving from the tattered armband on its shoulder to the bone pillar behind it, and then to the intact white bone surface.

Shinji Hirako had already recognized the person in front of him.

Although he didn't want to admit it.

Mashiro Kuna had already rushed out.

Her Shunpo was faster than ever before, so Hirako didn't even have time to reach out and stop her.

Her figure left a straight white trail between the broken walls, heading straight for the white monster.

"Kensei!"

When Mashiro Kuna called out this name, his voice trembled uncontrollably.

She recognized that faint remnant belonging to Kensei Muguruma, which could only be discerned by those who had spent many years by Kensei's side, hidden at the very bottom by the mutated Reiatsu.

The monster that caused all this could not possibly be...

However, Kensei noticed the commotion and in the next second, Kensei instantly appeared in front of everyone and threw a punch.

Mashiro Kuna couldn't dodge in time and was hit head-on. He was sent flying backward, crashing through half of the broken wall behind him, sending debris flying everywhere.

Hirako reacted the fastest, Shunpo to catch Mashiro Kuna as she was sent flying backwards, instantly handing her over to Lisa behind him. Then, Zanpakuto, the blade flashing a blindingly cold light in the night.

"He can't hear you, Bai."

Hirako stared intently at the former Captain of the Ninth Division ahead.

"Don't treat him like Kensei; he's an enemy now."

Before he could finish speaking, he pressed down on him head-on.

The Zanpakuto collided with Kensei's right arm, sparks flying.

Love Aikawa attacked from the left flank, Zanpakuto and striking Kensei in the back with maximum force.

Kensei staggered forward from the blow, but only a shallow mark remained on his back.

That's not the feel of Soul Reaper's skin.

It's Hierro.

A phantom Cero appeared in front of Kensei, the dark red beam of light grazing Love's shoulder and blasting a charred crater in the ground.

"His defense is very strong!"

Love shouted and rolled away to avoid it.

"Ordinary slashes can't penetrate!"

Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi flipped his Zanpakuto, thrusting the long blade straight at Kensei's side, searching for the gap between the bone pillars.

But Kensei was faster than he had anticipated.

The Hollowfication Kensei Sonído, and Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi was struck head-on in the chest by a knee strike, sending him flying backward.

Just then, a golden beam of light shot from the side and precisely wrapped around Kensei's right ankle.

It contains the Bakudō of Hachigen Ushōda.

The sixty-third method of Bakudō: Sajō Sabaku.

Kensei looked down at the light rope on his feet, and with a sudden tug, the light rope was stretched several inches longer.

Hachigen Ushōda stood motionless, his hands forming a mudra.

More strands of light surged from Kensei's feet, wrapping around his legs and waist, layer upon layer, firmly fixing him to the ground.

Kensei roared to the sky, his dark eye sockets on his bone surface turning towards the direction of Hachigen Ushōda, about to condense Cero.

But his limbs were already locked.

Mashiro Kuna climbed out of the pile of rubble, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.

She broke free from Lisa's support and walked towards Kensei, who was firmly locked in place by the light rope.

Kensei.

Mashiro Kuna's voice was hoarse.

Kensei's roar gradually subsided.

Beneath the white bone surface, the eyes were fixed on Mashiro Kuna's direction, seemingly trying to identify something, or perhaps simply drawn by the sound.

At this moment, Hachigen Ushōda's sealing technique added several more layers, firmly pressing Kensei to the ground.

The situation looks like it's about to be brought under control.

On a hillside several hundred meters from the battlefield, Aizen looked at everything before him and spoke softly.

"Time is up."

He stood in the shadows, his fingers gently pressing on the Hōgyoku.

Behind him, Wang Xun subtly adjusted his stance and withdrew his senses from Kensei.

He had witnessed the entire battle.

Kensei's Hollowfication ability truly boosted his abilities, significantly increasing his base stats and bringing his Hierro to the Adjuchas level.

The High-Speed Regeneration is also rapidly repairing the damaged areas.

However, Kensei Muguruma loses his mind, his attack pattern becomes simplistic, and he fails to coordinate his Cero and close-range combat rhythms, resulting in him being suppressed when facing multiple Captain-level opponents.

At that moment, Aizen activated the Hōgyoku.

Below the hillside, Hachigen Ushōda's hands trembled violently, and a strange feeling arose within his body.

The Sajō Sabaku were still in operation, but a layer of white bone had already seeped from his mouth.

The mask covered his face, disrupting his Reiatsu rhythm.

He gritted his teeth, trying to maintain the Bakudō spell for a few more moments before losing consciousness.

But the mask already covered the entire face.

The Sajō Sabaku Kensei's body crumbled inch by inch.

Kensei roared to the sky, and in the instant he broke free, he threw a punch at Mashiro Kuna, who was closest to him.

Mashiro Kuna dodged to the side, Kensei changed his move and swept his fist across her shoulder, leaving a bloody gash.

Behind her, an equally powerful Reiatsu exploded without warning.

The mystery surrounding the Zhaotian Bowl has been demystified.

He was enveloped in a layer of dark red Reiatsu as he charged towards Bai from behind.

Caught in the middle, Mashiro Kuna instinctively retreated, barely managing to avoid the combined attack of the two.

Before she could even settle in, a third anomaly erupted in her peripheral vision.

Lisa Yadōmaru.

She hadn't put the knife down yet, but the mask had already covered her entire face.

"Everyone..."

Mashiro Kuna stood still, looking around. Several vice-captains also had masks on their faces.

She stood there, trembling, as if something inside her was awakening.

The mask began to spread from the corner of her mouth.

She felt her consciousness fading, but she gritted her teeth and fought with the last bit of clarity.

But the mask still covered her entire face.

The next moment, darkness descended.

Kaname Tōsen unleashed his Bankai.

The Suzumushi Final Form: Yama Cricket.

This absolute darkness enveloped the entire ruins, disrupting the plans of several captains who wanted to provide support to their vice-captains.

Then, Kaname Tōsen began to approach the captains.

He needed to facilitate Aizen's Hollowfication Experiment, and injuring these captains was one of his objectives.

Wang Xun stood motionless on the hillside.

The system notifications were flashing frantically in his field of vision.

A large number of Hollowfication Fragment surged out from the captains' bodies, crossing a distance of hundreds of meters to enter Wang Xun's body.

[High-grade Hollowfication Fragment detected x31, Hollowfication experience +3100]

In the darkness, Kaname Tōsen's Suzumushi continued to strike.

Several vice-captains were severely injured in succession while completely losing their senses, and the process of Hollowfication accelerated through their wounds.

At the same time, Kaname Tōsen also Zanpakuto at those Captain-level characters.

Several captains, caught off guard by the sudden and bizarre Bankai, were injured by Kaname Tōsen.

The next moment, their faces were also covered by masks.

[50 High-grade Hollowfication Fragment detected, Hollowfication experience +5000]

The numerous fragments that had gushed out from their bodies accumulated layer upon layer within Wang Xun's body.

Then, a crisp notification sound rang in my mind.

[Hollowfication level increased ↑]

[Hollowfication: 1v6 (Experience: 3480/12000)]

A completely new power exploded within him.

It wasn't the gradual accumulation of the past, but a qualitative change that surged from the depths of the soul.

The Hollowfication Reiatsu surged like a burst dam, and Wang Xun felt that the Hollowfication Reiatsu within his body had even surpassed his own Spiritual Might level.

Bone no longer just covers the face.

He could sense that, if he wanted, the Hollowfication bone structure would no longer be confined to the mask and could extend to certain parts of his body.

Meanwhile, another instinct, closer to the virtual, is awakening.

Hierro.

High-Speed Regeneration.

Wang Xun slowly exhaled.

After his Hollowfication was upgraded to Iv6, the improvement it brought him was significant, approaching the level of a high-level Adjuchas Menos Grande.

Even though he is only at the fourth level of Spiritual Might now, after Hollowfication, he is no longer the captain, but he is better than the captain.

Wang Xun turned his attention back down.

Kaname Tōsen's Bankai dissipated because Shinji Hirako had distanced himself the instant he noticed it and was not enveloped by the Bankai.

However, he also could not escape the corrosive effects of the Hōgyoku. The bone material gushing from his mouth formed half a mask on his face, but fortunately he was not injured and could temporarily suppress it.

"What... is this...?"

Footsteps sounded behind him, Hirako turned around.

Then he saw Aizen.

I saw that extremely gentle smile.

And the white-haired young man standing behind Aizen.

Aizen's appearance did not surprise him; he was merely angry.

But when he saw Wang Xun, he paused for a moment.

Aizen slowly walked out, the Hōgyoku rotating gently in his palm, its azure light reflecting on his smiling face.

Looking at Hirako's current appearance, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

The darkness in the distance dissipated, Kaname Tōsen suddenly appeared in front of Hirako, charging forward with his sword.

Hirako roared and questioned Aizen, while raising his sword to parry. Even with the effects of Hollowfication, he still managed to overpower Kaname Tōsen in a few rounds.

The blade sliced across Kaname Tōsen's ribs, leaving a deep gash that exposed the bone.

Tōsen used a few Shunpo to retreat to Aizen's side, pressing his hand to his wound, breathing heavily, and looking pale.

Shinji Hirako did not pursue.

His left hand trembled slightly uncontrollably, and a mask was growing out of his forehead.

He has been suppressing it for far too long.

Hirako Zanpakuto against the ground to support his already unsteady body, and looked up in Aizen's direction.

Aizen turned his head to look at Wang Xun.

"Let's show them what stable Hollowfication is all about."

"This is your pledge of allegiance."

"Kill them, and from now on, you will be one of my trusted men."

"Wang Xun, I've given you the opportunity. The choice is yours."

Wang Xun remained silent for a moment.

Then he drew his sword.

He walked slowly toward Shinji Hirako.

Then, a veiled mask appeared on his face.

"Wang Xun..."

Hirako gritted his teeth, suppressing the speed at which the mask grew, and raised his Zanpakuto from bottom to top.

Blades clashed, sparks flew.

Hirako's swordsmanship remained sharp; even in his Partial Hollowfication state, the Fifth Division Captain's swordsmanship was not to be underestimated.

But Wang Xun's every strike was faster and heavier.

The amplification after Hollowfication allowed his basic abilities to surpass Hirako's current state in every aspect.

Soon, Wang Xun a horizontal slash, and a huge wound appeared on Hirako's chest.

Hirako grunted, knelt on one knee, Zanpakuto slipped from his hand, hitting the dust with a dull thud.

Blood was gushing from the wound in his chest, and the Hollowfication mask completely covered his face, swallowing up his last shred of consciousness.

The last thing he saw before he fell was Wang Xun raising his blade high, expressionless.

Aizen nodded slightly, shifting his gaze from the fallen Shinji Hirako to Wang Xun's movements.

He was waiting for Wang Xun's knife to fall.

This was the only chance he was giving Wang Xun.

Wang Xun was also waiting at this moment.

He was waiting for Kisuke Urahara to arrive.

Just then, a Reiatsu rapidly approached from the direction of Seireitei.

Aizen stopped in his tracks.

He looked up at the direction from which the Reiatsu was approaching, his smile vanished for a moment, and his expression turned colder than before.

Why is she here...?

Unohana on a broken wall at the edge of the ruins.

She straightened up, glanced at the Hollowfication captains scattered on the ground, and then at Aizen in the distance.

Finally, the gaze fell upon Wang Xun, who was raising his knife.