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"You!" Urahara Kisuke exclaimed in shock. "You're insane!"
"If you could develop Masks through technology, why couldn't you have fused Shinigami and Hollow souls into a single entity from the very beginning?" Qin Yi demanded. "Why couldn't you have made this powerful state eternal from the start?"
Qin Yi's eyes glowed crimson, and a malevolent aura surged around him, making him resemble a true Hollow.
Crack-crack!
Plates of bone-white armor began to encase Qin Yi's body, starting with his feet and arms, then spreading to his abdomen, chest, and finally reaching his jaw, which turned bone-white.
The sight was terrifying, making him resemble a living skeleton.
Urahara Kisuke froze, stunned by Qin Yi's words. Electrical sparks ignited in his mind, and inspiration surged through him.
"What you're saying isn't impossible! But the risks are far too great! If things go wrong, you could truly cease to exist!"
Qin Yi opened his mouth, the stark white bones clacking together with a metallic, grinding sound.
"Hurry!"
Standing beside him, Li Yuanli saw that Qin Yi's eyes were already completely covered by the Hollow mask, causing his pupils to constrict. He shouted urgently, "Hurry! Listen to His Majesty!"
Urahara Kisuke hesitated no longer. With a swift motion, he drew his Zanpakutō, his gaze sharp and decisive, and thrust the blade forward.
"Good luck!"
Pfft!
The blade pierced directly into the center of Qin Yi's chest, piercing both flesh and soul.
Without a moment's hesitation, Urahara Kisuke hoisted Qin Yi's motionless body onto his shoulder and sprinted toward the underground training grounds.
"Follow me, everyone!"
The moment the Zanpakutō struck Qin Yi, a crimson-black aura began to emanate from his body, coiling, twisting, and radiating in sinister, ominous lines. The consciousness within him seemed to fade away completely in that instant.
Within a mere five breaths, the group had followed Urahara Kisuke and leaped into the underground training grounds.
He moved swiftly, placing Qin Yi gently on the ground before retreating rapidly.
Buzz!
Urahara Kisuke swiftly established a barrier formation, drawing Li Yuanli, Kenpachi Zaraki, and Yachiru into the array. The four of them worked together to create a four-sided pyramidal Barrier, completely enveloping Qin Yi.
"I don't know what's going to happen next," Urahara warned urgently. "We must proceed with utmost caution!"
He shot a sharp glance at Li Yuanli.
"Your King's Aura is even denser than yours. If he transforms into a Hollow, it could spell disaster!"
Li Yuanli froze, startled.
"He's about to become the first legendary Hollow King in history… no, perhaps in the entire history of this world since its creation!" Urahara declared gravely.
"Hollow King?" Li Yuanli echoed, puzzled. Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru both turned to stare, their curiosity piqued.
"Hollows are divided into three classes: Low-Class Hollows (Gillian), Middle-Class Great Hollows (Adjuchas), and High-Class Great Hollows (Vasto Lorde). All of them gradually evolve by devouring each other in the harsh environment of Hueco Mundo."
"But above these three classes exists a legendary being: the Hollow King!" Urahara Kisuke said gravely.
As he spoke, he pursed his lips, seemingly tense when discussing this entity.
"Hollow King?" Kenpachi Zaraki asked, his voice laced with skepticism.
"Indeed! Legend has it that all Hollow abilities originate from the Hollow King. That's why, if you've ever fought them, you've likely encountered a technique called Gran Rey Cero! Hueco Mundo also has its own Hollow King, but it differs from the one you, and your King, might transform into! If he becomes a Hollow, he'll be a born Hollow King, and he will be even more powerful and far more insane than those who evolve through devouring! He'll be incredibly dangerous!"
Urahara Kisuke's voice was grave, beads of sweat already forming on his forehead.
The four present could now sense an even more ominous and terrifying presence, one they recognized all too well: the Hollows.
"Your Majesty!" Li Yuanli's voice trembled.
If Qin Yi transformed into a Hollow King here, losing consciousness and becoming a mindless creature driven only by slaughter and devouring for evolution, how would Li Yuanli explain it to the people of Qin's Nation? How would he bear the weight of such guilt?
"What should we do now?" Yachiru pressed.
"We wait," Urahara Kisuke said grimly. "The Shinigami transformation energy I've injected into him is currently battling the Hollow power within him!"
The four fell into tense silence, straining to maintain the Barrier.
Fifteen minutes later, their gazes sharpened, beads of sweat trickling down their cheeks as tension gripped them. They watched as Qin Yi's entire body became completely encased in bone-white armor.
He stood motionless, yet the ominous aura radiating from him plunged everyone into terror.
Hollow! This is the overwhelming presence of a Hollow King!
At that moment, Qin Yi seemed to have truly transformed into a Hollow.
His humanoid form remained unchanged, but his entire body was encased in bone armor. A hideous skull mask concealed his face, while his hands and feet had become skeletal claws. A slender bone tail extended from his back, and a stark white bone flower protruded from his forehead. Across the armor's surface ran chaotic, crimson lines that pulsed with an eerie energy.
Black-red energy surged around him in undulating waves.
ROAR!
Suddenly, Qin Yi moved. With a slight opening of his mouth, he unleashed a bestial roar that warped the very air before him. The four-cornered pyramidal Barrier trembled violently under the assault.
"This guy's power... it's terrifying!"
"Yachiru!" he shouted.
The other three were drenched in sweat, their faces strained with tension.
All four knew perfectly well that when a human died and transformed into a Hollow, their power would far surpass what they possessed in life. And someone like Qin Yi, who had single-handedly slain Kenpachi Chengdui, would become an utterly terrifying Hollow.
"Your Majesty!" Li Yuanli murmured.
Within the Barrier, Qin Yi let out a low growl, then remained motionless, seemingly lost in his own world, temporarily trapped there.
His slender tailbone suddenly flicked, leaving a deep gash across the ground.
After a long moment, Qin Yi's entire body suddenly convulsed. His bones ground against each other with a spine-chilling creak that startled the four observers.
"He's awakening!" Urahara Kisuke shouted.
Then, they saw Qin Yi slowly raise his right hand, clenching his fingers into an empty fist.
Buzz!
In the void, a long, twisted blade materialized with blinding white light, its surface wreathed in swirling crimson and black energy.
"That's... a Zanpakutō!" Li Yuanli shouted.
All four were stunned. Qin Yi, despite being a Hollow, had somehow summoned his Zanpakutō.
"That blade! It's brimming with ill omens!" Urahara Kisuke said grimly.
The white blade, edged with black and crimson, combined these three colors in a simple yet imposing design. The hilt, crafted from bone and chains, exuded an ancient and unsettling aura.
A palpable aura of dread rolled outward in relentless waves, churning the air.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Qin Yi gripped the long blade. His bone-white fangs parted, and he uttered the Zanpakutō's name:
"King of Hell"
This blade, known as the King of Hell, symbolized the Lord of the Underworld, a symbol of authority and dominion.
Immediately afterward, Qin Yi threw his head back and unleashed a thunderous roar.
Roar!
The metallic, ear-shattering cry tore through the air, its reverberations shattering the combined Barrier of the four. The surging shockwave sent them tumbling backward.
"What a terrifying aura! This is bad! Prepare for battle!" Urahara Kisuke roared.
On the battlefield, Qin Yi was already enveloped in swirling crimson and black light. An overwhelmingly powerful Reiatsu, tinged with Hollow energy, swept outward, causing the ground to tremble, buckle, and crack as fissures snaked across the terrain.
What shocked them even more were the crimson and black lines that began to writhe and entangle around Qin Yi. As these lines intertwined, they wove themselves into an extraordinarily high-grade, domineering yet eerily sinister robe.
In a mere three breaths, accompanied by a whirlwind, Qin Yi appeared before the four Shinigami, clad in the bizarre crimson and black robe.
The robe's crimson and black patterns were composed of eerie, twisting lines. At the cuffs and hem, ferocious dragons gaped their jaws in a roaring pose. On the chest, a demonic ghost wearing a golden crown opened its maw as if to devour all that lay before it.
The demonic ghost on the chest radiated an aura akin to a Lord of the Underworld… a savage, terrifying presence that sent chills down their spines.
Qin Yi stepped forward, his bony feet clicking against the ground. The ominous and overwhelming aura around him surged again, suffocating the surrounding air.
With a casual swing of his long sword, he cleaved through the void.
Whoosh!
A gale erupted, tearing through the walls of the underground training facility and carving an impossibly deep chasm.
"Is he a Hollow or a Shinigami?" Kenpachi Zaraki exclaimed, his voice tinged with horror.
If he were a Hollow, he wouldn't possess a naturally manifested Shihakushō and Zanpakutō. Though Qin Yi's Shihakushō and Zanpakutō were utterly unique, even strikingly different from those of Shinigami, they undeniably carried the shadow of Shinigami.
"I don't know," Urahara Kisuke replied gravely, gripping his Zanpakutō tightly and shaking his head solemnly.
At this moment, the immense Reiatsu of a Shinigami and the ominous aura of a Hollow coexisted in perfect yet paradoxical harmony within Qin Yi's being.
If pressed to describe it, Qin Yi's current state closely resembled that of the Hollow Mask, but with a far greater balance. When the Mask transformed, the Shinigami aura was suppressed while the Hollow aura surged, creating a completely different sensation compared to Qin Yi's aura.
"He's like... the Lord of the Underworld!" Yachiru muttered.
At this moment, Qin Yi stood with his Zanpakutō in hand, clad in the Fierce Dragon Robe of the Demonic Ghost. His aura was as deep as an abyss, truly resembling the malevolent king who ruled the underworld.
That terrifying Reiatsu, that ominous aura, was enough to make any Shinigami or Hollow tremble.
Crack!
Suddenly, a crisp sound rang out.
The four of them jerked their heads up, only to see a corner of Qin Yi's mask had shattered.
A moment later, the entire mask shattered into fragments.
"It seems," Qin Yi declared, "I have succeeded!"
"Having crossed hell, I have now arrived in paradise!"
(End of Chapter)