"Damn it, who are you?"
The fiery red Zanpakutō slashed through everything in front of it.
But there was no joy in Shiba Isshin's eyes.
A clean miss.
The opponent's Shunpo mastery wasn't inferior to his. In fact, their strike speed was even faster than his!
That level of power…
The opponent was undoubtedly captain-class.
But—
Who was it?
Countless faces flashed in Shiba Isshin's mind, yet he couldn't pin down the attacker's identity.
There was simply too little intel.
All he could tell was: the enemy possessed a Zanpakutō and released Reiatsu at the captain's level.
But just that…
Wasn't enough to make any solid conclusion.
You couldn't just say it was a Gotei 13 captain based on spiritual pressure and a sword. After all, there were others with captain-class strength in Soul Society outside the official ranks.
"Tsk tsk tsk, who cares about that sort of thing~"
Ichimaru Gin's fox-like eyes narrowed in a mocking smile, deliberately teasing the man in front of him.
"You bastard!"
"What the hell are you trying to do?"
Shiba Isshin cursed aloud.
The man in front of him wasn't weaker than him. And he didn't intend to kill Isshin—he just wanted to hold him here.
Every time Isshin tried to break away and assist Kanbaru, this slippery ghost would instantly strike. But the moment Isshin paused or held back, the opponent also stopped moving.
What the hell kind of tactic was this?
He couldn't kill the guy.
And he couldn't ignore him either.
"What do I want?" Gin tilted his head, smiling faintly. "That's something you'll have to find out on your own, slowly."
"Captain Shiba Isshin of the 10th Division, I would've loved to play a little longer, but I'm afraid that'll have to wait."
He turned as if to leave.
"Don't screw with me!"
"I won't let you go!"
Shiba Isshin inhaled deeply, prepared to unleash Bankai.
But the next words out of Ichimaru Gin's mouth froze him in place.
"Is that side really just being ignored?"
"You left a Hollowfication-level enemy to that brat?"
"Captain Shiba, are you seriously okay with that?"
His voice was light—playful—but every syllable struck like a hammer.
Shiba Isshin's eyes widened.
He suddenly locked on to Kanbaru's Reiatsu.
And his pupils shrank in horror.
That kid's Reiatsu… was rapidly fading!
---
"Despair, is it?"
"Such overwhelming force."
"Only power like this can change the world entirely."
Kaname Tōsen stood amidst the rubble, speaking with eerie calm.
"Though the outcome deviated slightly from our plan..."
"...it turned out to be even more entertaining."
Aizen smiled softly, as if completely in control. "It's time. Gin, let's go. If this continues, Soul Society will sense something's off."
"Ah~ As always, Captain Aizen is correct."
Footsteps sounded behind him.
Ichimaru Gin, now cloaked in black, approached with his trademark fox grin.
"So that boy's name is Kurosaki Kanbaru, huh?"
"What a delightful little specimen."
"I wonder what he'll do with that taste of Hollow power."
Aizen's eyes sparkled with intrigue. That final moment… Kurosaki Kanbaru had intercepted the Hollowfication Reiatsu instead of Kurosaki Masaki.
How… unexpected.
And delightful.
Their voices faded into silence, vanishing like ghosts on the wind.
---
Meanwhile, beneath the ruins—
"Kanbaru! Are you okay?!"
"Damn it! If only I were stronger!"
"Get up! Don't die on me!"
Kurosaki Masaki cradled Kanbaru in her arms, tears streaming.
"I just bought you two cups of milk tea… That doesn't mean you had to die so dramatically!"
"Also—let go! I can't breathe!"
A muffled voice came from the mess in her lap.
Kanbaru's head popped out, gasping.
Good grief. He'd almost suffocated!
"Eh?"
"You're actually okay?"
Masaki looked up, her beautiful face tear-streaked, her eyes gleaming like wet sakura petals in bloom.
"Seriously…"
"Were you crying with chili oil in your eyes or something?"
Kanbaru squinted suspiciously.
"Nonsense! These are pure feelings from the heart!"
Masaki quickly stuffed something into her skirt, sniffing defiantly.
…Was that a chili oil bottle?
Not gonna lie, that was some potent stuff. Just one dab and your eyes wouldn't stop leaking.
"True feelings, huh?"
Kanbaru raised an eyebrow.
You sure you haven't just… fallen in love with me?
My stepsister's feelings are turning spicy. Is this what they call entering the forbidden zone?
Masaki flushed bright red, flustered. Her beautiful eyes darted away. "S-So if you're okay… then that's fine, right?!"
"Yeah, yeah. Everything's according to plan."
Kanbaru climbed out of her arms and stood.
The sticky white bone-mucus from Hollowfication fell away from his body, shedding like molted skin.
The Hollowfication process—interrupted.
"'Plan'? Since when did you have a plan?" Masaki frowned. "No one told me anything!"
Kanbaru shot her a sidelong glance but didn't answer.
Raise a good girl for a thousand days, use her for one mission. Just remember to wipe the tears later.
Everything—hiding his power, making Masaki panic, and simulating Hollowfication—was to deceive Aizen.
And by the looks of it…
It worked.
Aizen still thought everything was under control.
But in truth—it's my turn now. Kurosaki Kanbaru's turn.
Hollow power? Hollowfication?
Compared to the Hōgyoku… that trash-tier power wasn't even worth his sneer.
The Hōgyoku doesn't "grant Hollowfication."
It reconstructs souls based on desire. Hollowfication is just one outcome—an inferior one.
What Kanbaru sought wasn't degeneration—but evolution.
Survival was the goal.
To survive, he needed enough power to challenge Yhwach, the Father of All Quincy.
Only with that power could he resist the sacred Schrift system and the Almighty in its completed form.
Therefore—
He needed a perfected Hōgyoku.
There was no turning back.
"If I had remained in Soul Society, there would've been no way forward."
"But you gave me a window…"
After all his calculations…
It was finally time.
Kanbaru stood tall, eyes sharp, locking onto the Reiatsu marker he'd secretly placed on Aizen.
"Target position locked."
"Next—"
"I'm coming for the Hōgyoku."
Note: Five new chapters have been uploaded on Patreon. Properly translated.
Enjoy 30+ advanced Chapters
patreon.com/FrancisMW
Kindly subscribe for as low as $5.
Other options are available $10,$15 and $20
Continue reading and enjoy new chapters.
patreon.com/FrancisMW