"I haven't even tested Complete Regeneration yet..."
Masatsuki Aozaki murmured to himself, his voice tinged with contemplation.
He had initially considered asking Banshō Senran to unleash Zanka no Tachi on him to test his defensive and regenerative capabilities.
However, sensing their reluctance, he could only shake his head and abandon the idea.
Clearly, Banshō Senran and the others had no intention of harming their reckless yet beloved master.
"Alright, I'll leave it at that."
In the end, Masatsuki Aozaki dismissed the rather questionable idea.
Complete Regeneration was yet another ability gained through evolution—a super-enhanced version of Ultra-Speed Regeneration.
No matter how severe the damage, wounds would heal almost instantly.
Even if his body were cleaved in two, or completely dissolved and reduced to dust, he could still regenerate fully.
At this point, Masatsuki Aozaki had truly become immortal.
However, for him, this ability provided only a minor improvement.
After all, ever since he had fused with the Soul King's right arm, he had already mastered the power of "Stillness"—a state where one could remain frozen in time, effectively achieving eternity.
As long as he entered this eternal state, he would become an indestructible existence.
That said, Complete Regeneration wasn't without its advantages.
The eternal state was an active ability that allowed Masatsuki Aozaki to maintain a fixed state indefinitely.
However, since he was still growing, he naturally couldn't stay in that state forever.
In contrast, Complete Regeneration was a passive ability with no such limitation.
It ensured survival without hindering progress.
Light Form Movement, Fragor, Ultrafragor, and Complete Regeneration—these were the four abilities Masatsuki Aozaki had gained through evolution, covering mobility, offense, and survivability in a highly balanced manner.
Moreover, even abilities he had previously acquired—El Escudo, El Escudo Millón, and the Super Reiatsu Barrier—as well as the future-sight granted by the Soul King's right arm, had all been further enhanced through this evolution.
"My evolution is clearly different from Aizen's. I shouldn't keep comparing my stage of transformation to his fusion state anymore."
The thought crossed Masatsuki Aozaki's mind as he scratched his head, trying to sort everything out.
Just then, an overwhelming surge of energy erupted, violently interrupting his train of thought.
The moment it exploded, the ground beneath him groaned in protest, shattering apart and instantly covered in deep cracks.
Masatsuki Aozaki: "..."
Did I seriously just do that by waving my hand?
Looks like I need to accelerate the mass production of Hōgyoku experiments under Aura Michibane...
Otherwise, how the hell am I supposed to have fun with my lovers?!
...
In the shadows of Seireitei, a grand castle looms.
This is Silbern, the main stronghold of the Wandenreich.
Inside, the atmosphere is heavy with tension.
"Your Majesty, you're awake?"
Before the king's throne, Haschwalth looked up in surprise.
As Yhwach slowly opened his eyes, a sense of unease stirred within him.
According to the plan, Yhwach was still in the ninety-year recovery stage and had never opened his eyes before. Haschwalth had always communicated with him through his consciousness to relay commands.
Yet, there were still more than ten years before he would regain The Almighty.
Why had His Majesty awakened ahead of schedule?
Haschwalth's gaze was filled with uncertainty.
The man who slowly stood up was none other than the Quincy King, Yhwach.
"Pernida has returned to me," he said in a deep voice, his eyes on Haschwalth.
Haschwalth froze.
This was completely unexpected.
Originally, Masatsuki Aozaki had only restricted Pernida's movements. Haschwalth had assumed that the Shinigami recognized Pernida's identity and wouldn't dare kill the Soul King's revered left arm.
But it seemed he had miscalculated.
Why?
If they had the chance to kill it before, why wait until now?
Yhwach stepped forward.
"Altering the Reishi array to control access to the Schatten Bereich is merely a temporary solution, not a long-term one."
"That Shinigami, Masatsuki Aozaki, is a real threat. Prepare to relocate the Empire."
As he spoke, a faint smirk tugged at the corners of his lips.
"But before we leave, I have a grand gift to prepare for an old friend."
…
A month later, Masatsuki Aozaki finally returned to the 11th Division barracks.
Inside the captain's office,
Nemu Kurotsuchi pulled out a file from the archives and handed it to him.
"Speaking of which, Masatsuki-sama, while you were away, the division received two new members."
Masatsuki took the file, flipping through it as he asked with a puzzled expression,
"New members? How come I wasn't informed?"
Could it be that Gin Ichimaru and Tōshirō Hitsugaya, those two scheming traitors, had joined forces behind his back?
How dare they secretly recruit people without their captain's approval!
Hmph, outrageous.
He would have to find an opportunity to properly punish Rangiku Matsumoto and Momo Hinamori for this.
However, Nemu saw right through his thoughts. Shooting him a look of disdain, she said,
"It was a direct order from the Captain-Commander. Lieutenant Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Ichimaru had nothing to do with it."
Under Nemu's gaze, Masatsuki's heart skipped a beat involuntarily.
But realizing he had lost the chance to discipline Ran and Momo, he grumbled in frustration,
"Tch… Damn it."
Nemu pushed the file toward him, her face full of contempt.
As Masatsuki flipped through the pages, she continued,
"Your frequent customer, the head of the Kasumiōji Clan, Lady Rurichiyo Kasumiōji, has gone missing."
"This incident alone has turned all of Soul Society upside down."
"The Gotei 13 has deployed a significant number of personnel to search for her."
As she spoke, Nemu cast a glance at Mashiro Kuna, who was lying on the sofa, playing a game.
Every time she was assigned to lead the search for Rurichiyo, she showed an unusual level of enthusiasm.
The reason was simple—she knew the girl was close friends with Masatsuki.
However, Seireitei's large-scale mobilization wasn't for Masatsuki's sake.
The real reason was that the Kasumiōji Clan wasn't just a high-ranking noble family—it was the most prominent one outside the Five Great Noble Clans.
They held an exclusive monopoly on forging weapons for the Soul Society's royal family.
Beyond Zanpakutō, they controlled the crafting of all Seireitei's weaponry.
For example, the wakizashi once used by Retsu Unohana and the hidden weapons employed by the 2nd Division for assassinations were all their creations.
Because of this, the Kasumiōji Clan's standing in Seireitei was of utmost importance.
As the head of the family, Rurichiyo's significance was unquestionable.
Naturally, her disappearance had sparked a major crisis, prompting Seireitei to exhaust all means to locate her.
She disappeared this soon?
Masatsuki raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise on his face.
He remembered that this event wasn't supposed to happen just yet—he hadn't expected it to unfold so quickly.
Still, he didn't dwell on the matter. With a slight shake of his head, he continued reading the file.
"In short, finding Princess Rurichiyo is now the top priority for every division."
"To that end, our 11th Division has deployed a considerable number of personnel, which has only increased our workload."
"Every division has reassigned manpower, but we've only received two new recruits. So far, they seem capable."
Nemu stood beside Masatsuki, watching his indifferent reaction.
A surge of irritation welled up inside her.
Puffing her cheeks, she openly expressed her dissatisfaction.
"You've worked hard."
Masatsuki noticed the shift in her mood and chuckled, shaking his head.
Setting the file down, he stood up and, with practiced ease, ran his fingers through Nemu's long hair.