As the five-second countdown ended, the system notification rang out again amid Bai Chen's calm anticipation:
"Congratulations, Host. Sign-in successful!"
"Reward obtained: Sage Mode (Enhanced Hollowfication)!"
The moment the voice fell silent, Bai Chen felt it instantly—
A vast new body of theory and knowledge appeared inside his mind as if it had always been there.
More importantly, his perception changed.
The reishi in the air—those invisible, flowing particles—suddenly became clear to him.
His sensitivity and affinity skyrocketed by more than a hundredfold.
Even though Karakura Town's reishi density was nowhere near as rich as Soul Society's, Bai Chen still had a powerful certainty:
If he wanted to, the instant he activated Sage Mode, he could gather and absorb the reishi spread across the entire sky above Karakura—
and it wouldn't be an illusion.
He really could do it.
He could draw it all into his body in a single breath and fuse it with the black spiritual pressure already within him.
This was the terrifying strength of the system's localized, Soul-Reaper version of Sage Mode.
"Not bad… not bad at all."
"No prep time. No need to stay still to absorb 'natural energy.'"
"No restrictions. No drawbacks."
"This Sage Mode I awakened…"
"Honestly, the sign-in rewards are as broken as ever."
Bai Chen wore a satisfied smile as he tested the feeling. It was just as perfect as he'd imagined.
Enhanced Sage Mode.
Even for that reward alone, this trip hadn't been wasted.
"The only downside is…"
"It still doesn't tell me the duration."
"So I'll have to confirm that through real combat."
He sighed lightly, then swept the thought aside.
Next, his mind moved—and his Three-Tomoe Sharingan opened.
A dark red shadow spread around his eyes, and three black tomoe spun into being.
From midair, Bai Chen looked toward the end of his vision—
A massive warehouse stood there, battered and old, like a long-abandoned factory.
The air around it was layered with Kidō barriers that ordinary people would never sense.
But with his heightened perception—and his near-absolute control over reishi—
Bai Chen saw the barrier's full structure at a glance.
"A binding barrier above the 90th level…"
"So it's like Urahara's shop."
"Built over years by Hachigen, I guess."
After seeing through it, Bai Chen's lips curled into an amused smile.
Perfect.
He needed a real fight to test Sage Mode's duration.
And the system had clearly stated—
His Sage Mode was an enhanced, evolved version of hollowfication.
And what a coincidence:
Every member of the Visoreds was a former captain-level Shinigami.
Every one of them could hollowfy.
He had to admit—
In canon, the Visoreds' on-screen record was… tragic.
They were supposed to stand above normal captains, yet they often became stepping stones in Ichigo's growth.
Worse still, during the Thousand-Year Blood War, they were beaten down relentlessly—one after another—reduced to punching bags.
But for Bai Chen?
Their strength was perfect.
Not too strong.
And there were plenty of them.
A ready-made rotation of sparring partners.
A full lineup for a proper "gauntlet test."
They were the ideal tools to measure Sage Mode's true performance.
"If I'm not wrong…"
Bai Chen slowly descended.
"I've been lingering near this area for a while."
"Even through the barrier, they should've felt my presence by now."
He landed smoothly and stepped forward.
"And if I force my way in…"
"They'll probably get the shock of their lives."
As he walked, Bai Chen could already imagine the expressions that would appear on their faces once he barged in uninvited.
Inside the abandoned warehouse—
Just as Bai Chen expected, the Visoreds had already sensed him.
"Hachigen…"
"You didn't misread that, did you?!"
"There's a captain-level presence outside the barrier—out of nowhere!"
"And it's ridiculously strong!"
In the middle of the warehouse, under his flat-brimmed cap, Hirako Shinji no longer looked relaxed.
For the first time in a long while, his face showed genuine tension.
A stranger.
Unknown motive.
Unknown identity.
Even after a century in hiding, even with Shinji's laid-back personality—
this kind of "uninvited guest" still made cold sweat slide down his cheek.
And if even Shinji looked like that…
The others—Rokurota Kensei, Sarugaki Hiyori, and the rest—were even worse.
Their brows were drawn tight, their bodies coiled, ready to draw blades at any second.
"My sensing can't be wrong."
Hachigen's pink hair trembled slightly as his expression turned grim.
"And that presence is getting closer."
"It looks like they're planning to break in from the outside."
As the former vice-captain of the Kidō Corps, Hachigen's barrier techniques were near the pinnacle.
He had built this defense layer by layer over countless years.
But now, after sensing that pressure—
his confidence began to crack.
He couldn't even guarantee his own barrier would hold.
"Captain-level?!"
Kensei frowned, still skeptical.
"A captain can't just casually drop into Karakura!"
"And if captains come to the Human World, they're required to limit their reiatsu first!"
His voice was sharp, filled with irritation.
Hatred toward the Gotei 13 had never faded.
"And even if they've found us," Hiyori sneered with arms crossed, back to the door,
"this barrier blocks reiatsu detection and intrusion."
"They can't just waltz in from outside—right, Hachi?"
Hachigen opened his mouth to answer—
Then he saw something.
His face drained.
He jerked his arm up, pointing at the entrance, voice shaking.
"…No way."
"How?!"
"Without triggering my reiatsu sensing—"
"They've already breached from the outside!"
"Who is that?! How did they do it?!"
Everyone snapped their gaze toward the door.
And there—
On the warehouse entrance, the invisible barrier rippled into view.
White rings of distortion spread outward like waves across glass.
And inside those ripples—
A figure in black stepped forward, calm and unhurried.
Bai Chen.
He emerged as if he were walking through water.
Uninjured.
Unbothered.
Like the barrier wasn't even there.
The scene felt unreal—like a horror film suddenly becoming real life.
Hachigen's heart nearly stopped.
The rest of the Visoreds' faces changed instantly.
Shinji, Kensei, Hiyori—every one of them went stiff.
The already-heavy atmosphere dropped into an icy abyss.
Low.
Oppressive.
Suffocating.
"This… makes no sense!"
Hiyori snapped, panic breaking through her rage.
"A barrier we spent years building—"
and it's less useful than tissue paper?!
She couldn't understand it.
No one could.
How could someone ignore a 90+ binding barrier and enter freely?
It was beyond logic.
Shinji forced himself to breathe and spoke through clenched teeth:
"Everyone…"
"Looks like the worst-case scenario just walked in."
His hand slid quietly beneath his sleeve—resting on his Zanpakutō.
He didn't want a fight.
After decades of peace, he didn't want to start another conflict.
But—
Instinct told him the same thing his eyes did.
A battle was unavoidable.
As the ripples faded and Bai Chen fully stepped into the warehouse, he met the Visoreds' hostile stares head-on.
The corners of his mouth lifted into a playful curve.
He lowered his voice slightly and greeted them like an old acquaintance—
"Former captains… exiled and erased from the records."
"Looks like my uninvited visit…"
"…isn't exactly welcome."
The moment his words landed, the air turned razor-sharp.
The standoff reached the edge of violence—
a single spark away from exploding.
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