Ten years had passed in the blink of an eye since Kenpachi Kuruyashiki awakened.
"Still can't remember anything?"
Yūshirō, Lilynette, and Harribel stood around Kenpachi Kuruyashiki, questioning him.
"Aside from the name of my Zanpakutō, I can't remember a thing!"
"But judging from common sense, I'm probably a Shinigami!"
"Although... it seems like Shinigami aren't supposed to be able to use Hollow powers, right?"
"So what exactly am I? Honestly, I really don't know myself!"
"Hahaha..."
Kenpachi Kuruyashiki laughed loudly and without a care. In the ten years since he had awoken, he'd only remembered the name of his Zanpakutō, but he had also successfully subdued the Hollow within him. Still, not a single memory from his past had returned.
"It's likely due to your soul having suffered two severe traumas—two life-or-death battles that caused a total loss of your memories."
Dressed like a proper butler in a black tailcoat, Szayelaporro stood with a stack of analytical reports in his hand and explained to Kenpachi Kuruyashiki.
"Is that so?"
"So I got hit in the head during a fight and lost my memories?"
"Hahahaha… that's honestly so me!"
Kuruyashiki burst into laughter. Even though he didn't remember who he used to be, something about the story just felt right—like losing his memory in some brutal fight was exactly the kind of dumb thing he would've done.
"So, what do you plan to do next? In the past ten years, you've mastered your powers. Should I send you back to the Soul Society? Or would you rather stay a few more years and return with me?"
Yūshirō asked from his spot on a beach chair.
"Hmm… I think I'll go back with you. If I lose control again, I'm afraid I might cause damage to the Soul Society—or worse, accidentally kill an old comrade..."
Kuruyashiki shook his head at Yūshirō's suggestion. He felt safer sticking by Yūshirō's side—though not for his own safety, but for the safety of others around him.
"It can't be helped."
Yūshirō nodded in agreement. It truly was for the best. If Kuruyashiki were ever again consumed by Hollow power like before, Yūshirō would be able to stop him immediately.
Time passed again—this time, fifty long years.
Over those fifty years, Yūshirō stopped playing around with Harribel and Lilynette and instead focused on controlling his spiritual pressure. After decades of dedicated training, something astonishing happened:
Yūshirō's spiritual pressure vanished.
"Yūshirō, I seriously can't sense a trace of your spiritual pressure anymore. What happened?"
"Don't tell me something's wrong with your body?"
Lilynette looked at Yūshirō Shihōin with concern, completely baffled by the changes.
"My original idea was to suppress my spiritual pressure—but the more I suppressed it, the more violently it tried to erupt. Eventually, it began leaking out uncontrollably and even endangered the lives of people around me. So I took a different approach. Instead of suppressing it, I let it flow freely, releasing it over and over until it grew stronger and stronger. And in the end… I surpassed the limits of a Shinigami."
Yūshirō grinned as he explained.
"You surpassed the limits of a Shinigami?"
"As expected of Lord Yūshirō!"
Harribel praised him with heartfelt admiration.
"So, you're even stronger now?"
Lilynette asked, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Hahaha… strong or not, I've always been invincible."
Yūshirō chuckled softly. Since he had always been the strongest, becoming stronger didn't feel much different to him.
"You really are a monster, huh?"
Wearing a white coat custom-tailored by Szayelaporro, Kenpachi Kuruyashiki chuckled at Yūshirō's words. At first, he had been eager to fight Yūshirō. But the more his own strength grew, the more he realized that Yūshirō Shihōin had only ever shown him a glimpse of his true power. Eventually, he gave up comparing himself. After all, there's no point in comparing a person to a monster.
"Strange… by my calculations, Lord Yūshirō should have reached this level of power forty-five years ago. So why did it take so much longer?"
"Unless… these years weren't just about surpassing the limits of a Shinigami, but about surpassing his own limits even beyond that?"
"If that's true, then Lord Yūshirō has already gone far beyond what I can comprehend. But in that case… can my plan still be realized?"
Szayelaporro had a complex expression—excited by the growth of the ultimate life-form he admired, yet troubled by the possibility that his own plan was no longer viable.
"Now that I've fully mastered my powers, it's time to return to the Soul Society."
"Will you come with me?"
Yūshirō Shihōin asked the four in front of him.
"Of course!"
Lilynette, Harribel, Szayelaporro, and Kenpachi Kuruyashiki responded without hesitation.
Soul Society
The Onmitsukidō (Stealth Force)—like the Kidō Corps, a special unit independent from the Gotei 13.
Today marked the inauguration of Shihōin Yoruichi as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Stealth Force and the head of the Shihōin clan.
Inside a resplendent palanquin, Shihōin Yoruichi wore a ceremonial robe of intricate elegance. She looked every bit like a noble princess—graceful, dignified, and beautiful. As the only direct female heir of one of the Soul Society's Five Great Noble Families, she truly deserved the title of princess.
"So beautiful… so noble..."
In the crowd of Stealth Force members stood a petite girl with straight bangs, dressed in a skintight black bodysuit—Yoruichi Shihōin. Her eyes shone with admiration as she gazed at the elegant woman before her. Nobility, strength, beauty—Yoruichi embodied everything Yoruichi Shihōin dreamed of in the perfect woman.
But fantasies often shatter in the next instant.
"Sis! I'm back!"
In the middle of the ceremony, a white figure stepped out in front of the palanquin and called out cheerfully.
"Who dares interrupt the Commander's inauguration?!"
Several black-clad Stealth Force operatives swiftly moved to block the figure, shouting angrily.
"Aha! Welcome back!"
But the next moment, the elegantly dressed Yoruichi leapt out of the palanquin without a care for formality—and ran straight into the arms of the white-clad figure.