Whoosh! Whoosh! Two sharp cracks split the air as chains snaked around Reno's defenseless hands.
Reno finally snapped awake, his eyes darting around in terror. All he saw was darkness tinged with crimson, punctuated by incessant crackling and thunderous roars.
As his eyes adjusted, Reno's surroundings came into focus, sending a chill down his spine. He could see nothing but swirling, chaotic Dark Red Lightning raging around him. The only additions were the four chains binding him. Reno's solitary figure, trapped at the heart of this colossal maelstrom, seemed utterly insignificant.
An overwhelming sense of mortal danger flooded Reno's mind, making every hair on his body stand on end.
"No...!"
A desperate, anguished cry tore from Reno's throat as he struggled violently, but all his efforts were futile.
Crack! A deafening thunderclap erupted. Amid Reno's hoarse screams, a massive bolt of Dark Red Lightning broke free from the surrounding chaos and slammed into him.
"Ah..."
A searing pain instantly engulfed Reno's entire body. He screamed in agony as the lingering Dark Red Lightning crackled and coiled around him.
Boom! Before Reno could catch his breath, another wave of Dark Red Lightning struck him relentlessly. From that moment on, his screams never ceased.
Reno was unaware that he had arrived at a mysterious place within Hell: the Dark Thunder Prison. He was the first soul to ever visit this place since its creation.
This was due to the unique nature of Reno's spiritual body, not merely because of his bizarre rebirth before being dragged through the Gate of Hell.
More importantly, it was because half of Reno's soul belonged to another world—a soul alien to this realm. The purpose of the Dark Temple's Thunder Prison was to annihilate all souls that did not belong to this world.
Crackle... Each time the Dark Red Lightning struck Reno, a faint crimson thread of lightning would spontaneously emerge from within his body—a lightning even more crystalline and translucent than the Dark Red Lightning itself.
It was the residual energy from the Void Lightning that had transported Reno to the Bleach World!
A miraculous phenomenon began to occur within Reno. The Dark Red Lightning of the Dark Thunder Prison, influenced by the residual lightning within Reno's body, not only resisted destruction but underwent a bizarre transformation, causing his body to continuously evolve!
This was something the Dark Thunder Prison had never anticipated.
A year later, Reno had lost track of time. All he knew was that he had seemingly become completely desensitized to the pain of the Lightning Strikes.
He no longer screamed when struck by the Dark Red Lightning of the Dark Thunder Prison.
"What's happening? Is my body evolving?"
Even while enduring the Dark Red Lightning's brutal torment, Reno found himself pondering this question.
Though still bound by four chains, Reno could sense the changes within himself.
He had initially been in his Wolf Hollow form, but now his hands and feet were slowly reverting to their human shape, filling him with both shock and elation!
"If this continues, will I revert to my human form? Or will I break through and become an Arrancar?"
Either outcome filled Reno with excitement. At the same time, he realized the cause of these transformations: the Void Lightning that had brought him to this world.
"I knew the protagonists in transmigration novels wouldn't die so easily! The key to survival was hidden within my own body!"
Reno's gaze fell upon the faint sparks of electricity that accompanied each strike of the Dark Red Lightning—the Void Lightning!
Realizing he wouldn't die from Hell's torment, Reno endured the relentless Lightning Strikes and began actively sensing the Void Lightning lingering within his body.
Focusing his consciousness inward, Reno quickly located the residual Void Lightning, scattered throughout his body.
Boom!
Another Dark Red Lightning Strike slammed into him. Reno's consciousness clearly registered how the Dark Red Lightning, upon striking him, was influenced by the Void Lightning within his body.
Gradually, it began evolving every cell in Reno's body until the Dark Red Lightning's energy was completely exhausted. Most of the energy, however, dissipated outside his body.
Having discovered this, Reno immediately began experimenting to see if he could actively control the Void Lightning within him, testing bit by bit.
Time continued to flow. Once Reno had fully mastered the Void Lightning within his body, he completely escaped the torment of the Lightning Strikes!
Crack!
A bolt of Dark Red Lightning split from the Thunder Prison and struck Reno. Yet in that split-second, an even more refined bolt of lightning erupted from Reno's body, completely devouring the Dark Red Lightning before returning to his core.
Reno was now actively seizing the Dark Red Lightning, deliberately channeling its power to refine his Hollow Form into a human shape.
Gradually, Reno's Hollow Form reverted to its human appearance, though a white mask still covered his face. He continued absorbing Dark Red Lightning from the Dark Thunder Prison, determined to shatter the mask.
Unbeknownst to Reno, his actions weren't merely breaking his Hollow mask; they were also refining and evolving his physical body. It wasn't so much evolution as transformation—using the Dark Red Lightning's power to reshape his Hollow body.
Three years later, Reno's body had fully regained its human form. The mask had completely vanished, leaving only the Hollow Hole on his chest as proof of his Hollow origins.
A crimson Zanpakuto now hung at his waist, marking the successful completion of his Arrancar transformation—a unique Arrancar with no trace of his Hollow mask remaining.
"I'm getting out of this hellhole!"