Chapter 20

Reiatsu kept climbing as if there was no limit, as though reaching another dimension.

An unimaginably massive influx of power surged into Shinji's body.

For a long time, Shinji had been at the limit of a Shinigami—his Reiatsu unable to grow any further. But now, that limit had shattered, and his power was rising at an absurd rate.

"It's still increasing…"

Shinji moved his hands, feeling his body tremble slightly. A change beyond what the naked eye could perceive was taking place—his very genes were disintegrating and reorganizing. His existence as a lifeform was undergoing transformation.

Lowering his gaze, Shinji looked at his chest.

There, mysterious blue-purple vein-like patterns began to spread, branching out across his body.

Along with this, his strength, speed, defense, stamina, and Reiatsu—every aspect of his being—had improved exponentially.

"It feels like I can destroy everything at will… So this is the 'Benger Fusion State,' the Chrysalis Stage..."

Shinji slowly descended to the ground.

The blue-purple veins gradually receded, converging back into the Hōgyoku.

Only a few vein-like lines remained at the center of his chest, connecting him to the Hōgyoku, resembling a heartbeat.

"Thankfully, my evolution is different from Aizen's. I still retain my human form."

"Unlike Aizen, I don't have to take on that bizarre Hollow-like shape. I won't be locked out of my Shinigami form until I reach the 'Hengliu Fusion State.'"

After examining himself to ensure that he hadn't transformed into an inhuman form, Shinji let out a sigh of relief.

Feeling the sheer power now coursing through him—completely surpassing the limits of a Shinigami—he was certain that he had ascended beyond his previous existence.

While familiarizing himself with his new body, Shinji casually put on his clothes to conceal his chest. He then raised a hand, manifesting a completely transparent, glass-like shield in front of him.

"A single shield…?"

Shinji clenched his fist slightly, and the transparent shield shattered.

A single shield was a defensive ability that could only be used in the fusion state. It allowed the Reiatsu released from his body to form a glass-like barrier, which he could deploy at any time during battle. Though its defense was average, it was still enough to block slashes from a captain-class Shinigami.

Shinji pointed his finger again.

This time, countless transparent shields appeared, stacking upon each other continuously. In mere moments, they formed an incalculable number of layers.

"Million Shields."

Seeing this, Shinji smiled.

By stacking 1,000,000 layers of Reiatsu-formed shields, he could create a massive barrier that completely nullified any attack. Its defense was absurd.

With Shinji's current resilience, even if an attack managed to pierce through all million layers and strike him, it might still not be enough to cause damage.

"But there are still some flaws… I need to set the defensive direction in advance. This needs improvement."

As he analyzed the mechanics of Million Shields, considering ways to optimize it, Shinji casually raised his Zanpakutō.

Then, he slashed toward the dense, purple poison mist lingering before him.

Boom!

A blue-purple sword pressure erupted, sending an unimaginable shockwave forward.

The poisonous mist was instantly obliterated, but the attack didn't stop there.

Boom!

A deafening explosion followed as the shockwave struck the barrier beyond. The sheer impact shattered it instantly.

The devastation continued—cracking the earth, toppling massive trees, and even splitting an entire mountain in half.

The terrified animals fled in all directions, wailing.

Even the awakened Quincy Masters, witnessing this apocalyptic destruction, stared in horror.

Meanwhile, in Karakura Town, civilians looked on in shock as they saw a distant mountain suddenly break apart.

It was a spectacular, yet deeply unsettling sight.

The reverberations from the slash lingered for a long time, dust and fog blanketing the sky.

"So this is the sword pressure of the 'Benger Fusion State'?"

Shinji looked at the scene with mild surprise.

That attack just now—it was merely a casual slash.

He hadn't even infused his Reiatsu into it, let alone utilized the power of the Hōgyoku.

This was purely the strength of his body and Zanpakutō alone—just swinging the blade had produced such overwhelming devastation.

"Renji, are you okay?!"

At that moment, Kurosaki Masaki's stunned voice rang out.

"Renji" was completely fine, even after being poisoned by that captain-class Shinigami?

"How is that possible?!"

Masaki herself had been able to resist the poison only because of her Blut Vene—her Quincy defensive technique.

Her members had no such resistance; they were instantly overwhelmed by the poison.

But "Renji"—who had completely given up resistance—why was he completely unharmed?

Masaki knelt on the ground, her beautiful eyes wide with disbelief.

The ruins surrounding her were the result of the aftermath of Shinji's attack.

"Hey, maybe the poison mist was just to obscure my vision."

Shinji grinned as he shrugged.

"That's impossible… my Blut Vene was activated just now, how could—"

Masaki's expression remained one of doubt and confusion.

At that moment, a faint groaning sound could be heard.

Hearing it, Masaki shook her head.

"It wasn't me, I didn't say anything."

Shinji: "…"

"No, I know you didn't say anything… but someone definitely did."

With an exasperated look, Shinji turned his gaze toward a pile of collapsed stones.

"Huh?"

Masaki stared blankly, still trying to process what Shinji meant.

"Buried alive, huh…"

Sighing, Shinji rubbed his temples before reaching into the rubble.

Then, he pulled out a small figure—Nilu.

Clearly, the faint groan from earlier had come from her.

"You… you're okay?! Nilu thought you were going to die!"

The moment she was free, Nilu clung to Shinji like a koala, wrapping her arms around his head and bursting into tears.

"Damn it, stop rubbing your snot all over my face!"

Shinji cursed as he struggled to pry her off.

Looking past Nilu, his gaze shifted to Kurosaki Masaki, who was still lost in thought over his previous words.

"Where's Kurotsuchi Mayuri?" Shinji asked, scanning the area.

"He ran away." Masaki replied nonchalantly.

Shinji: "???"

While Kurosaki Masaki focused on stabilizing her members, Shinji had question marks all over his face.

"You just let him run away?"

Seriously? With her captain-level Reiatsu and Blut Vene, she could've given Kurotsuchi Mayuri a real headache. He couldn't cut her, and his poison wouldn't work.

As long as Masaki didn't do something dumb like deactivating Blut Vene, she could have stalled Kurotsuchi Mayuri until he had an aneurysm. At this stage, he didn't even have the superhuman drug to counter Quincies.

"And how exactly was I supposed to chase him?" Masaki retorted. "He just sank into the ground like some kind of ghost. Am I supposed to dig up all of Karakura Town looking for him?"

"That was way too creepy... it was like seeing a real ghost..." She clutched her chest, still spooked.

Shinji's face darkened.

Lady, you are a captain-level Quincy. You literally smack around Adjuchas-class Hollows like they're nothing. And you're scared of ghosts?

Taking a deep breath, Shinji peeled Nilu off his head. "Why is it that everywhere I go, I run into women like you?"

Just a few days in, he already ran into an Adjuchas.

Then Adjuchas-class Arrancar.

Then Nnoitra.

And now, Kurotsuchi Mayuri.

Kurosaki "The Walking Catastrophe" Masaki.

"I'm a Quincy. Where there are Hollows, there's me!" Masaki puffed out her chest proudly, then immediately deflated.

"But who knew we'd get baited like this? That guy, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, lured us in with a Menos Grande as bait to capture the Quincies."

"Who is that guy, anyway?" Masaki asked curiously.

"...A very dangerous lunatic," Shinji replied. "Captain of the Twelfth Division of the Gotei 13 and Director of the Shinigami Research & Development Institute."

At that moment—Shunpo!

A blur landed in front of Shinji, and Shiba Isshin stood there, looking serious.

"What happened? A Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar?"

He had felt Shinji's massive burst of Reiatsu and rushed over.

Then, he noticed the Quincies lying around, and when he saw Masaki, his entire demeanor changed.

"It's you?"

"The perverted old man who was following me?"

They spoke at the same time.

Shiba Isshin's face darkened.

...Perverted old man?

Excuse me? I am a handsome man!

Look at this face!

Shiba rubbed his own face in disbelief. "I wasn't following you. I just wanted to talk."

"Yeah? Then why were you shadowing me for days? Pervert." Masaki snorted.

Shiba Isshin: "..."

I'm innocent!

"Besides," Masaki continued, "I already have someone I like. His name is Abarai Renji. So stop bothering me, pervert old man!"

With that, she bounced over to Shinji and grabbed his hand.

In Shinji's completely bewildered expression and Isshin's increasingly murderous gaze, she smiled brightly.

Shinji: "Huh???"

Shiba Isshin: "Nani???"

Wait, Abarai Renji... who?

Shiba scratched his head, trying to recall.

Oh, right!

Wasn't Abarai Renji that guy from soul burial training with Kuchiki Shinji? The one who got attacked by a Menos Grande?

Not as talented as Shinji, but still a genius. Skilled in Zanjutsu, Hakuda, and Shunpo—but absolutely hopeless at Kidō.

If he remembered correctly, he had joined the Eleventh Division recently.

"But what does Abarai Renji have to do with Shinji?" Isshin muttered, pointing at Shinji's face.

Shinji: "..."

"Shinji? Who's that?" Masaki asked suspiciously.

"...Wait, you don't know? The guy in front of you is Kuchiki Shinji," Isshin blurted out.

Shinji: "..."

Thank you so much, Shiba Isshin!

I swear, I will kill you one day!

Masaki's expression went blank.

Her aura suddenly felt... blackened.

A heavy silence fell.

Shinji felt the sudden urge to step back.

Masaki slowly turned to him with a sweet—but terrifying—smile.

"Oh, so your name is Kuchiki Shinji."

"Hey... actually, my nickname is also Abarai Renji," Shinji tried to play it off.

"So your name is Kuchiki Shinji, huh, Renji-kun?"

Shinji: "..."

This murderous aura—danger!

Subconsciously, he took another step back.

Forcing a nervous smile, he tried to explain, "I was on a mission, so I couldn't reveal my real name..."

While talking, he shot a death glare at Isshin.

You absolute traitor.

Isshin, still laughing, acted like he saw nothing.

"You really shouldn't lie to girls," Isshin said, smirking. "That's just wrong."

Deep inside, he was cheering.

Finally, a chance to break them apart!

If this turned into a fight, he could swoop in and win Masaki's heart!

Just imagining the future made him grin.

Shinji's young. He'll be fine.

And hey, there's always Matsumoto Rangiku for him.

So Isshin was all set.

Then— "It's really... unforgivable to lie to me like that," Masaki said slowly.

Isshin's heart raced.

Yes! Do it! Beat him up!

"But... I forgive you!"

Isshin: "???"

Masaki beamed, hugging Shinji's arm and leaning her head against him.

"As compensation, take me to a movie~~~" she said cutely, dragging out her words.

Shinji: "???"

Isshin: "???"

Hold on.

That's it?

You were just about to kill him!

Now you forgive him just like that?

So as long as you're young and handsome, you can get away with anything?!

Isshin's soul left his body.

He stood there, completely petrified.