At first, Naraku thought this was just a simple trial.
But when the savage roars nearly blew the top of his skull off, he finally realized—
That damned woman was screwing with him.
There was no way this was just an illusion.
He swung a Genryū-style vertical cut, cleaving a lunging Lesser Hollow clean in two. Sticky blood sprayed out, staining the white sand beneath his feet a deep crimson.
Good news: Lesser Hollows were weak—sometimes even worse than fresh Shinigami recruits.
Bad news: in this sea of Hollows, they were the most common, most disposable, and practically endless. No matter where he looked, there was no end in sight.
He was just a Ninth Seat, not even a vice-captain—so why did learning Shikai mean being thrown into a nightmare like this?
Question: how black does Shutara Senjumaru's heart have to be?
This was like her saying: "That's attack, that's defense, now let's go kill that clown Ashina Genichiro."
Or like finally isekai-ing into a fantasy world ready to show off—and discovering the door can't be opened from this side.
Naraku threw a straight punch and shattered the head of a Hollow to his left. White and red exploded everywhere, like someone overturning an ink vat in a dye shop.
Zanpakutō, fists, even his head and torso—everything became a weapon to kill Hollows.
Wherever he went, blood flowed. His efficiency was terrifying.
But against sheer numbers, no matter how many he slaughtered, it was a drop in the ocean. The vast sea of Hollows didn't shrink at all.
Above, a crescent moon watched quietly over the carnage.
Countless arcs of lightning gathered and wrapped around his blade. With a single Genryū cleave, he plowed open a trench tens of meters long.
Every Hollow caught in the path was annihilated the instant they touched it. Thunder boomed as lives were erased, shockwaves rolling in all directions.
It was still Hadō #11, Tsuzuri Raiden, doing the heavy lifting.
The difference was that Naraku, using his perfect grasp of Shakkahō, converted his Reiatsu into Kidō-type energy—
Then poured it all through the guard into the blade, unleashing a strike packed with overwhelming destructive force.
His mastery of Kidō shone brightest in that moment.
Amid endless slaughter, Naraku slowly learned the power that truly belonged to him.
Skkrt—
Even human strength runs out eventually. As the Hollows in front of him were erased, a deadly opening suddenly appeared at his back.
But the full-power bite that hit him only tore open a thin layer of skin; once it split flesh, it couldn't get past the utterly ridiculous hardness of his bones.
Blood-red Reiatsu surged over his body, embodying pure brutality.
Hollows were crushed and erased without pause, thick blood flowing into rivers. Wind and thunder erupted under his violent steps, suffocating shockwaves rolling outward.
He earned brilliant results—at the cost of horrific wounds.
Even if the Hollows could only barely break his skin when they went all out, over time the cuts added up.
Blood fell like rain, merging into the scarlet river streaming beneath his feet.
A ring-shaped explosion fused with Hadō #33, Sōkatsui, blew out from Naraku's position, blue flames devouring the surrounding Hollows—
Clearing out a wide area in one strike.
Naraku stood in the center, drenched in gore, his white teeth frighteningly bright against all the blood, like a beast whose ferocity had been fully awakened.
His eyes burned with a terrifying light, as if fire were raging inside them.
"The real fight's only just getting started."
He whispered softly. Reiatsu thick as blood-mist wrapped his Zanpakutō as dazzling light gathered at its tip.
With a roar that shattered the air, Naraku grinned and charged into the depths of the Hollow sea—
Until it swallowed him whole.
...
...
Blistering flames rose from the ruins and wreckage, spreading, expanding, lighting up the land around him.
As far as he could see, scorched earth stretched to the horizon, split with countless cracks.
Hot winds reeking of sulfur and ash stirred and lifted the black smoke that blotted out the sky, revealing a blazing red firmament full of warped stars.
Naraku took it all in, a hint of discomfort flickering in his eyes.
Compared to this ruined world, he preferred the Hollow sea that had just swallowed him.
At least Hollows were still alive.
But now, everywhere he looked was dead stillness. Even the stars in the sky were twisted and warped, like melted shards of glass.
There wasn't a single sign of life.
Only dried-up skeletons struggling to crawl free of fissures in the ground—skulls twisted, torsos warped and gnarled—like they'd endured suffering beyond words.
Naraku stared quietly at it all. This place reminded him of somewhere he'd only ever read about in stories—
Hell.
Not long ago, he'd fought himself to death in that sea of Hollows, burning every last scrap of Reiatsu to resist the endless tide—until his life was snuffed out.
That method had drastically shortened the time he needed to grasp his own power.
Even now, he had no idea how Shutara Senjumaru had made that desperate final stand feel so real—
Right down to the pain of dying.
And when he finally understood his own power, he opened his eyes to this strange yet faintly familiar—
Inner world.
"You seem to find this place rather unsettling."
The calm voice held a faint, lazy undertone, like someone just waking from a long sleep.
Naraku turned toward the sound.
Under the red sky, amid twisted, snaking stars, a slender figure like living flame slowly took shape.
Her black skirt rippled like water, trailing down from the stars, untouched by dust.
Countless crimson lines intertwined to form a solemn yet eerie pattern that seemed to shift and redraw itself without end.
A pair of gem-like crimson eyes shone brilliantly, like the very core of the world.
Naraku stared in shock at the tall figure under the sky. The hem of her dress revealed a glimpse of long, pale legs that almost hurt to look at.
She stood in stark contrast to the ruined world around them.
Her delicate face carried a familiar kind of beauty, as if he'd seen her somewhere before. She tilted her head and smiled at him.
"I'd like to make this place more beautiful too—but its shape depends entirely on you."
"This is your inner world. It belongs only to you."
She walked up to him step by step. Her pale hands gently cupped his cheeks, and her smooth forehead rested lightly against his.
Her voice, soft yet steady, sounded by his ear:
"No matter where you are, I will always stay by your side—even if it means overturning the world itself…"
The moment she finished, Naraku's view blurred.
When it cleared again, a mature, refined face filled his vision.
Shutara Senjumaru smiled, thoroughly pleased with herself.
"Brat, I told you—I never lied to you, did I?"