Yuta raised his head and looked at the sky.
There was no spiritual pressure reaction at all. It seemed that creating the Hōgyoku was not enough to make the members of Squad Zero descend.
But this was normal. After all, there was no way to pass through the seventy-two-layer barrier between Seireitei and the Soul King Palace. If it was breached, it would create a hole, and that hole would take time to recover.
If Aizen Sōsuke entered through the Garganta before the barrier recovered and reached the Soul King Palace, Yuta might have had to confront him there. Judging by the strength of their battles so far, the entire Soul King Palace could be destroyed in the process. For safety reasons, there was no way Squad Zero would descend before Aizen Sōsuke was dealt with.
In that case, Yuta no longer pressed the matter. Some temporary research projects of the 12th Division also required his guidance.
After completing his obligations, Yuta returned to the mansion on the mountainside.
Inside the room, filled faintly with the scent of heather, Rangiku Matsumoto was sleeping deeply. She had clearly exhausted herself again the night before.
Originally, Yuta had intended to restrain himself out of concern for her body, but Rangiku had insisted otherwise, clinging to him as if refusing to let him rest. He had no choice but to accept the challenge. Their clash had continued until dawn, ending with Rangiku thoroughly spent and unable to move.
Yuta opened the door gently. The hinges gave a soft squeak.
"Who?"
Awakened by the faint sound, Rangiku reacted immediately from her position on the bed. After having absorbed Yuta's power twice now, her spiritual pressure had risen to the level of a lieutenant's third seat and possibly higher. At this moment, her reiatsu was on par with that of an ordinary captain. Her perception reflected this-she was so sensitive now that even the lightest noise alerted her instantly.
"It's me," Yuta answered calmly.
Since their relationship had changed, Rangiku no longer called him "Yuta," but instead referred to him more intimately as "husband." She still struggled to understand why, even after her reiatsu had reached the level of a captain, she could not perceive any spiritual pressure from him. To her, Yuta was like an empty void.
In the past, she could rationalize it as the enormous gap between herself as a vice-captain and Yuta's far superior level. Yet now, even though she had reached a captain-level reiatsu, she still could not sense any trace of his power. This could only mean that Yuta had reached a level far beyond even a captain. The realization left her shaken by how little she truly understood the scale of his strength.
Seeing that it was Yuta, Rangiku relaxed again, stretching out her arms toward him with a small smile.
"Hug me…"
Yuta stepped forward, embraced her gently, and gave her a light pat on the hip that produced a crisp sound.
"Get up, little lazy pig," he said.
"Not until I get a kiss," Rangiku murmured playfully.
Yuta leaned down and kissed the corner of her mouth.
"Mua," he whispered softly.
Rangiku kissed him back, then rose from the bed with a smile and began dressing herself in her shihakushō.
To anyone familiar with Rangiku, the change in her appearance would have been astonishing. Since being with Yuta, she seemed younger, her skin smoother and firmer than before. Though she had never looked old among the Shinigami, her beauty now had a sharper presence. She carried herself like a mature woman whose charm could captivate men and women alike without effort.
It was something that even caused her a moment's self-consciousness.
"Yuta... could you help me adjust my uniform a little?" she asked softly.
In the past, she had not cared at all if others saw her body, but now she wanted to keep such things only for him.
Yuta obliged without hesitation. With a simple motion and control of spiritual energy, he adjusted the fit of her shihakushō, making the uniform more modest and concealing what had once been left exposed.
Then Yuta produced a Hōgyoku from his hand.
Although this version lacked the number of Shinigami souls incorporated into Aizen Sōsuke's Hōgyoku, and Kisuke Urahara's had been sacrificed in the process of creation, the three Yuta had crafted were still powerful. They did not possess the same near-limitless ability as Aizen's original, but their strength could not be underestimated.
The Hōgyoku ensured that its host's body would be protected from death, allowing them to evolve when their abilities reached their limit, forcing new growth whenever their lives were at risk. In other words, anyone fused with a Hōgyoku effectively had an absolute guarantee of survival. Each "death" would only lead to rebirth in greater strength.
Furthermore, there was no upper ceiling for growth. As long as a person reached the peak of one stage, the Hōgyoku allowed them to push through to the next without obstruction.
Yuta intended to give two of the three Hōgyoku to Rangiku Matsumoto and Kuchiki Rukia.
"What is this?" Rangiku asked, surprised at the sight of the shining orb.
Once Yuta explained, Rangiku shook her head and protested firmly.
"Husband, something so precious should belong to you. What danger could ever come to me? But the battles you face always leave me worrying…"
Yuta's voice was steady. "Who do you think your husband is? Do you truly believe any of them can kill me? If they can, I'll admit defeat."
If anyone else had spoken such words, Rangiku would have taken them for arrogance bordering on madness. But since it was Yuta, she accepted without hesitation. She nodded and no longer resisted.
Yuta placed the Hōgyoku at Rangiku's tanzhong point.
The fusion began almost immediately. Light radiated from her body as her form lifted gently into the air. After a short while, she descended again, her feet steady on the floor as her long hair billowed back into place across her back.
Looking down at her hands, Rangiku spoke softly, "There's no special feeling..."
PS GOALS: 150 PS= 5-10 extra chapter on an update.
💕💕
READ 45+ ADVANCED CHAPTER AT MY P@TREON! FOR ONLY 10$
at [email protected] /Zaneninjacat
💕💕
💀💀 gimme powerstones!💀💀