Chapter 103: Aftermath

A final blade of light streaked through the air, propelled by Tsunayashiro Tokinada's last reserves of spiritual pressure. The attack contained unimaginable madness and destructive intent—a desperate man's final grasp at revenge.

"It's natural to feel resentment," Uehara Shiroha remarked, dismissively ignoring Tokinada's ultimate struggle as he prepared his own blade. "Don't worry. You won't feel so irritable once you're cold." He slashed downward with graceful precision. "I'll grant you eternal peace! No need to thank me—consider it your year-end bonus. We in the Court Army are so generous."

In the world of Shinigami, a weak mind spelled certain doom. This wasn't the "Arkham Asylum Talent Development Center," where greater insanity translated to greater power. Tsunayashiro Tokinada possessed neither the ability to overcome his situation nor the courage to accept reality—a true clown in every sense. His schemes and ambitions had been utterly ridiculous from the start.

It was better for such a waste to die quickly and be reborn. Most importantly, Uehara simply disliked him—the primary reason for Tokinada's demise.

With a single strike, Tokinada's aged body shattered like glass. Even in this moment, he refused to relinquish his grip on Enrakyōten, roaring with his final breath: "I'll be waiting for you in hell!"

"You won't have that opportunity," Uehara replied with casual confidence. "Even if you truly descend to hell, I would merely become its king and continue to defeat you just the same. Without me, hell is merely a life sentence. With me present... hell becomes truly hellish."

The keen edge of Uehara's blade swept away Tokinada's last vestiges of resentment and struggle. His madness, his viciousness, even his status as one of the five great nobles—all proved meaningless before absolute power.

Standing amid the devastation, Uehara surveyed the Tsunayashiro family's remains with satisfaction. Their earlier exchange of Ryūjin Jakka's Shikai had transformed the entire hall into an unrecognizable charred ruin. All corpses had been reduced to ash, saving the trouble of cremation.

These figures who had once stood at the pinnacle of Soul Society's power structure were now mere specks of dust. In his eyes, the supposedly untouchable Tsunayashiro family had amounted to nothing special. Uehara had merely added fuel to an already burning flame, accelerating their inevitable downfall. He hadn't even exerted himself seriously in the process.

Now came the time to collect his spoils. After tens of thousands of years of exploitation and parasitic existence, the Tsunayashiro family had accumulated vast wealth and resources. Since he had effectively "avenged" the Tsunayashiro family's many victims, these riches rightfully belonged to him.

With this thought, Uehara gazed upon the horrifying scene before him, nodded appreciatively, and exclaimed, "What a feast!"

In the Soul King Palace, members of Squad Zero observed the destruction of the Tsunayashiro family and Tokinada's demise through special instruments designed for such surveillance.

Senjumaru Shutara, a woman of breathtaking beauty and frigid temperament, expressed amazement: "What an entertaining spectacle! I never anticipated such a remarkable junior would emerge from Soul Society. His destiny greatly intrigues me."

The perpetually youthful Kirio Hikifune smiled innocently: "Hehe! I'm quite interested in him as well! This fellow is not only handsome but also courageous. He even dared to move against the five noble houses. Hmm! Truly an exceptional Shinigami!"

Tenjirō Kirinji, sporting his characteristic slicked-back pompadour, responded with exaggerated concern: "Hey, what are you two going on about? This guy is creating serious problems for us! Captain, are we really going to allow him to continue acting with such impunity? My patience grows thin!"

Zero Squad Captain Ichibē Hyōsube scratched his head, feigning distress: "They're all so troublesome, especially this youngster who dared to plot against the five noble families who shaped our world. Such audacity!"

Despite his words, his expression remained remarkably relaxed. He made no move to rise, showing no intention of seeking justice for the fallen Tsunayashiro family.

"Are we truly not going to intervene?" asked the Sword God Ōetsu Nimaiya, confusion evident in his voice. Hadn't Hyōsube always emphasized that the establishment of the Three Realms was inseparable from the contributions of the Five Great Noble Houses?

That their Zero Squad existed in part due to these founding families? Now that one of these houses faced extinction, this bald-headed sage remained motionless? Though they had been friends for tens of thousands of years, sometimes even he couldn't fathom his old friend's thoughts.

"This is the Soul King's will!" Hyōsube chuckled. "Besides, we owe a debt to the ancestors of the Tsunayashiro family—what relevance does that have to the current Tsunayashiro clan? This is merely an internal conflict within their house. We outsiders mustn't interfere. As for Tsunayashiro Tokinada, he insisted on pursuing his own agenda and committed countless atrocities. His death merits no mourning."

At the mention of the Soul King, all Zero Division members displayed profound respect while simultaneously expressing surprise. Uehara Shiroha was merely a Shinigami. Regardless of his strength, he could at most equal Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's level. Such an individual should be inconsequential to the Soul King Palace. Why would the Soul King hold him in such high regard?

That night, Uehara Shiroha, returned to his mansion. He had just arranged for the Court Army to assume control over the Tsunayashiro family's inheritance and had managed all necessary concluding tasks.

All blame conveniently fell upon the deceased Tsunayashiro Tokinada—the perfect scapegoat. His Court Army and Uehara himself were portrayed as loyal protector, their words and actions beyond reproach. For such a "great loyal servant" to receive a modest reward and acquire Tokinada's assets seemed entirely reasonable, did it not?

He anticipated voices of opposition, of course. But he remained unconcerned. Soon, Aizen would begin causing trouble, diverting the attention of both the nobility and the Gotei 13. They would have no time to concern themselves with Uehara's activities.

This would allow him to easily appropriate the Tsunayashiro family's accumulated wealth of tens of thousands of years. At that point, money would truly become just a number to him.

While contemplating these matters, Uehara emerged from empty space, replacing the shadow clone he had left as a disguise with his actual body. Within his luxurious mansion, he began dispelling the numerous shadow clones distributed throughout the spatial dimension while casually practicing his calligraphy.

Due to his shadow clone technique reaching such advanced proficiency, the number of clones he could deploy for training purposes continued to increase. It now required a substantial portion of his day merely to absorb the training experiences from these duplicates.

The mere thought of growing stronger sent a thrill through Uehara Shiroha. This sensation of rapid advancement was truly exhilarating, making him willing to invest whatever time necessary to absorb the experiences of all his shadow clones. Only by possessing overwhelming power could one truly experience the magnificence of extraordinary existence.

As long as he completed his tasks methodically, Uehara's spiritual pressure would continue to increase—a form of disguised immortality. Yet true immortality required genuine strength. Without power, one could neither protect loved ones nor oneself. The inevitable result would be continuous loss, helplessly watching as everything precious was taken away. Under such circumstances, immortality would transform into an inescapable curse.

Now, however, Uehara possessed the power to control his own destiny. He lived peacefully, steadily, and freely—this represented genuine immortality.

After attaining such formidable strength, Uehara understood the true meaning of enjoyment. As the saying goes, "happy things in life make you feel refreshed," and the reverse held equally true. With powerful spiritual energy and physical capability, he approached every activity with enthusiasm, finding interest in even the most mundane observations.

Simple daily activities like painting, singing, or fishing provided him with pleasures beyond what ordinary people could experience. He never encountered monotony or boredom in these pursuits.

Of course, much of this enjoyment came from the people who served him. He no longer needed to express his desires for food or entertainment, or even glance in a particular direction. His subordinates naturally anticipated his wishes, preparing everything in advance to satisfy his every need. He effortlessly enjoyed luxuries beyond the imagination of ordinary souls.

As for romantic companionship—the courtesans from Flower Street were enchanting and attentive in countless ways, while the beautiful Shinigami women each possessed their own unique charms. With such variety and abundance, how could Uehara ever grow weary or disinterested?

Indeed, talent brought enjoyment, talent brought pleasure. This understanding had motivated his creation of the Court Army—simply to enhance his quality of life.

While contemplating these matters, Uehara completed absorbing the training experiences from all his shadow clones. Since acquiring the EX Unlimited Blade Works, he had dedicated all his clones to perfecting this ability. Their relentless practice had long since elevated the Unlimited Blade Works's proficiency to the mastery level.

This mastery had allowed him to easily control the projection of Enrakyōten and defeat Tsunayashiro Tokinada so thoroughly that even the noble's own mother wouldn't have recognized him. After this practical combat application, his Unlimited Blade Works had grown marginally stronger. He sensed he stood merely one step away from achieving the breakthrough to the great success level.

Fortuitously, Uehara completed the painting in his hand, fulfilling today's daily task.

A system prompt immediately appeared: [Congratulations on completing the daily task - drawing, reward: White Album +1, Unlimited Blade Works +1!]

With this increase in attribute points, Unlimited Blade Works finally underwent the transformation from quantitative change to qualitative improvement, ascending to a higher level.

"Boom!" A tremendous sound erupted, reminiscent of a singularity explosion, as his soul evolved. The Zanpakutō at his waist underwent a remarkable metamorphosis.

With a mere thought, Uehara transported himself to the Shunkyō space. Essential changes had occurred within this dimension. Because his Shunkyō had transformed, the corresponding space had evolved into a higher-dimensional existence.

All these changes were attributable to the Unlimited Blade Works's effects. EX abilities were far from simple. Beyond merely copying and projecting weapons Uehara had witnessed, the Unlimited Blade Works could enhance existing weapons' power. This wasn't ordinary enhancement but an improvement of fundamental essence—equivalent to an elevation in status.

After reaching the great success level of proficiency, the system's enhancement capabilities had improved dramatically, becoming vastly more potent. Consequently, both Shunkyō and its dimensional space had undergone earth-shaking transformations.

Gazing at the vastly expanded Shunkyō space, Uehara spoke with quiet authority: "Let there be light!"

Instantly, soft white illumination filled the enormous expanse.

"There must be sky and earth!"

Gravity manifested. Clear air ascended while turbid elements descended, establishing heaven and earth. A continent materialized within the space.

For the first time, the broken sky dimension witnessed the division of firmament and ground.

"Let there be sun!"

A massive crimson sun slowly rose, ascending high above to illuminate everything below.

Observing this newly reformed Shunkyō space—now resembling a miniature world—Uehara nodded with satisfaction. He could sense that under the Unlimited Blade Works's blessing, this dimension possessed boundless vitality and fortune. This place was evolving into a genuine world with infinite possibilities. All universal elements found nurture within, as the fundamental laws gradually manifested.

Uehara maintained absolute control over this space. Like a creator deity, he could transform the world with a mere gesture. He carefully experienced this godlike authority—a power that transcended mere utility, overriding time, space, and conventional rules.

The evolved Shunkyō had surpassed the limitations of Shinigami power, ascending to an existence beyond conventional understanding. His authority over spatial rules had likewise strengthened. This Zanpakutō now exceeded the comprehension and control of both monk and sword god. Even Yhwach, after absorbing the Soul King's power, would be unable to nullify Shunkyō's Bankai, despite the monk perceiving no change in its name or abilities.

In reality, Shunkyō's power had expanded dramatically. Originally, its first-stage Bankai could eliminate enemies from past—a capability approaching Transcendent-level power. The second-stage Bankai could target enemies from both past and future, creating an attack that even Transcendents couldn't withstand.

Now, the current Shunkyō could annihilate a Transcendent with merely its first-stage Bankai. Should the second-stage activate, even pseudo-Soul King-level entities would falter. In terms of destructive capability, Shunkyō's Bankai now rivaled Old Man Yamamoto's Zanka no Tachi.

Most terrifying of all, Shunkyō's Bankai remained immune to counter, defense, or neutralization. This constituted Uehara's ultimate technique and formed the foundation of his ability to challenge Soul King Yhwach. With this trump card, he could deliver shocking surprises to even the most ancient and powerful beings.

Simultaneously, when confronting Aizen after his fusion with the Hōgyoku, Uehara could maintain effortless control. He would certainly succeed in the special task of obtaining the Hōgyoku.

After completing this new special assignment, his strength would enhance further. Yet this represented merely the beginning—Unlimited Blade Works could grow stronger still, and Shunkyō's abilities would continue to evolve.

With the task system's support, even the perfect-level Infinite Blade System represented not an endpoint but a beginning. Perfect-level EX abilities already matched Soul King power—an unattainable realm for others but merely a starting point for him. Eventually, even a resurrected Soul King might struggle against his might.

This was true invincibility!

After completing his training, Uehara remained immersed in contemplation of the Unlimited Blade Works's power. He considered its many applications, and having familiarized himself with several powerful characters from the storyline, he tailored a "luxury package" specifically for them. With the adaptable Unlimited Blade Works, he could arrange these individuals precisely as needed.

Sensing several powerful spiritual pressures gathering, Uehara's gaze sharpened. His observation and hearing perception immediately expanded outward. His vision penetrated numerous obstacles and various barriers, revealing distant scenes.

At that moment, the First Division Executive Office hosted an emergency captain meeting. All captains had assembled, with Jūshirō Ukitake absent as usual due to illness. Observing the captains' seemingly normal demeanor, Uehara knew his previous arrangements had proven effective. Even now, these individuals remained unaware that the Tsunayashiro family they were sworn to protect had been eliminated.

Through his enhanced perception, he observed Aizen—maintaining his facade of honest integrity—confronting Gin Ichimaru:

"The alarm sounded at a fortuitous moment, or you would never have escaped punishment. Nevertheless, don't imagine you can evade consequences, Captain of the Third Division, Gin Ichimaru!"

"Captain Aizen, what exactly do you mean? I don't understand." Gin's perpetual smile faltered slightly, his tone carrying a hint of grievance.

The typically gentle Aizen spoke sternly: "Gin Ichimaru, I advise against underestimating me! Whatever conspiracy you're orchestrating, I will thwart it."

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