"Damn… I can't move…"
Jūshirō Ukitake struggled to remain standing, his frail body trembling violently as blood spilled from his lips. His Reiatsu flickered unstably his chronic illness had worsened under the strain of battle.
Before him, the Sternritter Askin Nakk Le Vaar watched calmly, adjusting his stance with clinical indifference.
"You're already at your limit," Askin said lazily. "Your Reiatsu composition… I've analyzed it completely."
He raised a hand slightly
But before he could act
A violent hurricane erupted across the battlefield.
BOOM!
The gale struck Askin head-on, blasting him backward and tearing apart the ground beneath his feet.
"…Who?"
Askin narrowed his eyes.
From the distance, a burly figure approached, wrapped in white bandages, a wind sac formed behind his back by compressed air currents. The surrounding atmosphere twisted violently with his arrival.
"I am Kensei Muguruma," he said coldly. "And I'll be your opponent."
He stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Ukitake.
"Kensei… you came to save me?" Ukitake asked weakly.
Kensei exhaled sharply.
"With your condition, you shouldn't even be on this battlefield. The Gotei 13 can't afford to lose you."
Despite the strained history between the Visored and Soul Society, no one harbored resentment toward Ukitake. His kindness and integrity had earned universal respect even among those who had once been cast out.
Ukitake smiled faintly.
"I am still a captain of the Gotei 13… protecting Seireitei is my duty."
Kensei clicked his tongue.
"I'm not here for Seireitei," he said bluntly. "I'm here because Kurotsuki Renya told me to get you out alive."
"…Renya?"
Before Ukitake could process that
Askin's voice echoed again.
"You two seem distracted. Haven't you noticed?"
Kensei glanced downward.
His body was covered in fine, grid-like Reishi constructs microscopic control fields binding his movements.
"I've finished analyzing your Reiatsu," Askin said. "Now I adjust the dosage."
The Reishi tightened.
Kensei's muscles stiffened. His control began slipping.
"You think increasing your Reiatsu output will break this?" Askin continued. "Reiatsu is density of the soul. Unless your very soul changes… you can't escape my control."
Kensei stared at him silently.
Then
"Is that so?"
A hollow mask suddenly formed over his face.
In the next instant
BOOM!
His fist slammed into Askin's chest with overwhelming force.
The compressed wind exploded inward, crushing bone and tearing through flesh as spiraling pressure shredded his internal organs.
Askin's eyes widened.
"So… that's it…"
His ability had failed because Kensei's state had fundamentally shifted no longer a standard Shinigami Reiatsu signature, but a hybrid fluctuation combining Hollow and Shinigami properties.
Kensei removed his mask slowly.
"I'm not just a Shinigami… and not just a Hollow either."
Askin collapsed.
Behind him, Ukitake finally regained his footing.
Without another word, the two retreated from the battlefield.
Elsewhere
A small figure struggled on the ground.
"Don't move," a young boy said casually. "I already imagined your body as fragile as a biscuit."
It was Gremmy Thoumeaux, the Sternritter "V" The Visionary.
Before him, Yachiru Kusajishi trembled, unable to move properly.
Gremmy reached out
But suddenly
A barrier materialized between them.
"Bakudō #81 Dankū."
A tall figure appeared, grabbing Yachiru and retreating instantly.
"Who are you?" Gremmy asked, intrigued rather than angry.
The man adjusted his glasses calmly.
"My name is Hachigen Ushōda."
A former Kido Corps master.
"I'm not here to fight you," Hachigen continued. "I was only instructed to retrieve her… by Kurotsuki Renya."
"…Renya?"
Gremmy's interest deepened.
Before he could act
"Time… stops."
The battlefield froze.
Gremmy's body halted mid-motion.
Another figure appeared
Tessai Tsukabishi, former Grand Kido Chief.
"You're faster than expected," Hachigen said.
Tessai nodded.
"I refined the technique while in the Human World."
He glanced at Gremmy.
"I'll take him to Renya."
Moments later, space distorted and they vanished.
When Gremmy regained awareness, the environment had completely changed.
Before him stood a calm figure.
"Kurotsuki… Renya," Gremmy muttered.
Renya smiled faintly.
"What matters is simple," he said. "I'll be the one to kill you."
Gremmy laughed.
"Kill me?"
With a wave of his hand, massive stone enclosed Renya completely.
"You can't breathe in there. Pressure will crush you."
Silence.
Then
CRACK.
The stone shattered effortlessly.
Renya stepped out.
"Is that all?"
Gremmy's expression darkened.
Water flooded the space.
Then
Vacuum.
The battlefield transformed into outer space.
"In the vacuum, your body will collapse," Gremmy said. "No oxygen. Internal pressure imbalance. You'll die instantly."
Renya's body reacted blood vessels rupturing, skin tearing, organs destabilizing
Then
It stopped.
His form stabilized.
From his back, three pairs of butterfly-like wings emerged, patterned with dark markings.
He moved.
And the "space" itself split apart.
Gremmy's pupils shrank.
"…Impossible."
Renya stepped forward calmly.
"Evolution requires pressure," he said. "You helped me complete mine."
This was no longer a Shinigami transformation.
It was transcendence.
His Zanpakutō had fused with his arm. His Reiatsu… could no longer be perceived.
Gremmy trembled.
"I can't feel anything…"
"That's because you're already being crushed."
In the next instant
Gremmy's body disintegrated under overwhelming, invisible pressure.
No imagination.
No reconstruction.
Only annihilation.
Silence returned.
Renya looked into the distance.
There, a colossal figure continued to regenerate endlessly
Gerard Valkyrie.
"The Miracle…"
Renya's wings flickered.
And he vanished toward his next target.