After Aiyan's use of both the Full Hands and the Red Hands, Unohana Yachiru's injuries had fully healed, and her Reiatsu had recovered to seventy to eight percent of its peak.
At this moment, she was fully capable of struggling or resisting, and with Shunpo, she could easily evade no matter what.
But now—facing Aiyan's Blue Hands that penetrated deep into her soul, facing Shinigami's most forbidden act of soul modification—she simply lay quietly in Aiyan's arms, allowing the man before her to toy with her soul without the slightest resistance.
She showed no fear of becoming neither human nor ghost, or of losing herself entirely.
"Are you not afraid?"
Aiyan looked down at Unohana Yachiru, seeing the calm smile on her face, and couldn't help but ask.
"To step into a higher realm…"
"This is what every Shinigami dreams of."
"Why should I be afraid?"
The smile at the corners of Unohana Yachiru's lips deepened.
As early as the moment she saw Aiyan modify Hikifune Kirio and Shutara Senjumaru, she had already known—the man before her possessed the ability to break the boundary between Shinigami and Hollow.
After all, if even a Hollow Mask could be altered into a Shinigami, then a Shinigami could just as easily be altered into a Hollow.
"What's more, if I can truly be myself, why would I have any reason to fear?"
Impatience and desire flickered in Unohana Yachiru's eyes.
A great villain, unmatched in Soul Society's history, yet under the sharp blade of Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's Ryūjin Jakka, she had gradually been reshaped—first into the First Generation Kenpachi, then into the Captain of the Fourth Division.
It would be fine if she had been satisfied with it—but was she?
"It should be you… at a higher level."
Hearing this, Aiyan's expression turned unusually serious.
No wonder—even someone as arrogant as an Aizen would regard Unohana Yachiru differently.
Unlike when he modified the souls of Hikifune Kirio and Shutara Senjumaru, this time, when modifying Unohana Yachiru's soul, Aiyan was entirely focused.
Over the past year, although he had rarely participated directly in the Shinigami-Hollow hybridization experiments conducted by Aizen, he knew every detail of each test—the final data, conclusions, and more.
Now, with Matsumoto Rangiku's soul structure after merging with the Hōgyoku serving as a reference, he understood clearly what the ideal mask structure should be.
Kurosaki Ichigo…
Yes—he was the protagonist of the Shinigami world, the favored child created through Aizen's intricate designs and fortuitous circumstances.
However, Ichigo was a product of chance. Aiyan's work was deliberate—controlled, replicable, even mass-producible.
Boom.
Under the bright moon of Hueco Mundo's eternal night, in the endless desert, a man and a woman remained locked in an embrace.
Here, where day and night were the same, and where both were Shinigami whose lives spanned millennia, time lost its meaning.
No one knew how long had passed.
Aiyan suddenly withdrew his Blue Hand from the depths of Unohana Yachiru's soul.
Her eyes had been closed, as if she had been sleeping. When she opened them again, they were deep and cold—purple-black irises brimming with pure, unrestrained bloodlust.
Soon, the bloodlust remained unchanged, but her pupils contracted sharply, glowing with a piercing yellow light.
Just meeting her gaze was enough to send chills down the spine.
If there was one word to describe those eyes—it was hunger.
"My… Reiatsu!"
Unohana Yachiru murmured in disbelief.
Boom.
As soon as she spoke, a wave of immense crimson Reiatsu burst from her body.
In an instant, the silver sands of Hueco Mundo erupted into a blood-red tide that shot into the sky, dyeing the world in crimson. Like a roaring tsunami, the waves of power engulfed several kilometers in all directions, turning everything into a sea of blood.
This was the Reiatsu she had possessed only in the moments before releasing Bankai—now unleashed without even drawing her Zanpakutō.
Her Reiatsu, stagnant for centuries, was now rising at a terrifying rate.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, blood rain poured from the sky.
Nestled in Aiyan's arms, Unohana Yachiru lifted her head. Her dignified, graceful face was now covered by a black, tiger-striped mask.
It was the visage of a predator that devoured men whole.
Her yellow-brown eyes radiated pure bloodlust and an overwhelming killing intent.
"Do you like it?"
Aiyan studied the mask he had crafted for Unohana Yachiru's soul.
A mask in the shape of a white tiger—born for the kill—perfectly suited Unohana Yachiru.
"Mm."
The corners of Unohana Yachiru's lips curved upward. It was a smile—pleasant, even charming—but it sent shivers down the spine and weakness to the knees.
"After breaking the boundary between Shinigami and Hollow, I can clearly feel—the bottleneck is gone."
"Not only has my strength increased, not only have I gained Hollow abilities, but my Reiatsu—once stagnant no matter how much I fought or trained—is now growing rapidly."
"I've seen Kirio and Shutara after their Hollowfication. At that time, they didn't have this kind of growth. It's as if their transformation only drew out their existing potential, exhausting their souls."
Unohana Yachiru reached up and removed the mask from her face.
"So, they were failures at best."
"Only I am the perfect creation—Shinigami and Hollow power fused seamlessly, fully interchangeable. My soul exists in a dimension above both Shinigami and Hollow."
"The most important part is that by breaking the boundary between Shinigami and Hollow, what I gain isn't just Hollow abilities. My Reiatsu and soul functions have surged, and the wall that blocked my growth has been torn apart. For a long time to come, my Zanjutsu, Kido, Hakuda and Hohō—my Reiatsu, my Zanpakutō—will continue to grow through battle and training."
Aiyan reached out and caressed her forehead.
It was the touch of a craftsman admiring his most exquisite masterpiece.
If Kurosaki Ichigo was the work Aizen most proud of, then Unohana Yachiru and Matsumoto Rangiku were his most satisfying creations.
One born from the power of the Hōgyoku.
One born from the power of the Blessing of Both Hands.
Both shared Ichigo's most terrifying trait—not merely the possession of multiple powers, but a limitless capacity for growth, unbound by any bottleneck.
Shinigami's "Four Great Powers"—
Ichibei Hyōsube: Ten thousand years of mastery.
Yhwach: Thousands of years.
Aizen: Hundreds of years.
Kurosaki Ichigo: Three years.
That is the advantage of a soul that exists on a higher dimension.
"The most perfect work?"
"What about you?"
"Before, I couldn't understand—but now, after breaking the boundary between Shinigami and Hollow, I can clearly feel the gap between us."
Unohana Yachiru's eyes sparkled with a bright, almost playful satisfaction at Aiyan's evaluation.
"Even though you still exist within the Shinigami's dimension, you are an Emperor above me."
"The most important thing is, I can feel it—your Reiatsu, your Kendō, Kidō, Hakuda, Shunpo—every ability has reached the very limits of a Shinigami. In other words, aside from your Zanpakutō, you have reached the pinnacle in every field."
"So… what will you do next?"
She looked at Aiyan with anticipation, eager to see how the man who had remade her so completely would ascend into a higher dimension.
[Your Reiatsu is unique—you have created your own Reiatsu Practice method, Reigen Kuzushi (Spirit Source Collapse), breaking the boundaries of Shinigami.]
...
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