Kenpachi Azashiro steadied his breathing, bracing himself before calling out a name.
"Urozakuro."
A familiar voice immediately echoed in response.
"Hee hee! Oh my, is that you calling for me? What's wrong? Been alone too long and feeling lonely?"
Sōya Azashiro remained silent, standing still.
Sensing his mood, Urozakuro smirked in amusement.
"Was this all within your expectations?"
Azashiro finally spoke, his voice carrying both resignation and uncertainty.
Urozakuro let out a playful, bell-like laugh before nodding.
"Hee hee hee! That's right! I do have a good eye, don't I?"
"There was no way you could ever beat Masatsuki! But hey, at least things turned out interesting!"
"I really ought to thank that man properly—with a deep, passionate kiss!"
She exaggerated her expressions dramatically, as if already lost in the joy of victory.
Azashiro frowned, his tone turning cold.
"I understand."
Urozakuro only laughed harder, continuing her teasing.
"Oh? What's the matter now? Did you call me out just to show off your 'mature' side?"
"You really are such a cute little thing! Ha ha ha!"
Despite her giddy energy, Azashiro's response was brief and direct.
"Urozakuro, return me to Shikai."
"…Hee hee hee! You do realize what that means, don't you?"
"If you lift your Bankai, your soul will be severed from everything it's fused with!"
"To regain everything you've built up, you'd need at least a year of effort!"
"And without that power, if you keep fighting, you might actually die! Hee hee hee!"
"You talk too much. Just do it."
Azashiro's voice was firm, leaving no room for discussion.
For the first time, Urozakuro's playful grin softened into something more sincere.
"…Don't die, Sōya."
Her voice was quiet, almost gentle.
As the last word left her lips, her form gradually faded away, vanishing into the air.
At the same time, Azashiro's body began to change. Countless Reishi converged upon him, drawn to his presence.
In that instant, the average temperature in Seireitei rose by three degrees.
A warmth surged through Azashiro's chest. He took a deep breath, slowly opening his eyes.
Before him, Urozakuro had returned to its Shikai form, now resting in his grasp.
The blade appeared utterly unremarkable—just like an ordinary Asauchi, devoid of any extravagant ornamentation.
However, Masatsuki Aozaki could sense the anomaly within it.
It had compressed and condensed all the Reishi that had once been fused with Seireitei, transforming into an unparalleled weapon.
Azashiro tightened his grip around the sword, feeling its immense power.
Having lost the ultimate shield of his fusion-based immortality, he had now gained the ultimate spear—one that could pierce anything.
His expression was solemn as he held the densely packed mass of Reiatsu, its weight far exceeding that of Sōkyoku.
Then, in a low voice, he declared his name.
"The Eighth Kenpachi… Kenpachi Azashiro."
Masatsuki Aozaki's gaze turned serious as well. Drawing his blade from his waist, he responded in kind.
"The Eleventh Kenpachi… Masatsuki Aozaki."
As their words fell, their Reiatsu clashed, intertwining in the air.
...
"Hee hee hee! That's Masatsuki for you! So strong! You took him down in an instant and crushed his Shikai with your bare hands—he couldn't even fight back!"
Walking along the dark path, Masatsuki Aozaki heard the familiar laughter and turned his head.
Urozakuro stood beside him, beaming with amusement.
The only reason Masatsuki had bothered to teach Sōya Azashiro a lesson was because of this woman's request.
Despite his immense power, Azashiro—according to her—had always been a coward.
He had lived in fear ever since childhood.
The Azashiro family had once been one of Seireitei's great noble houses, a clan of heroes.
But one day, everything changed. They were framed by envious noble families, and most of them met a tragic end.
Azashiro and his sister were dragged to the execution grounds, forced to fight Hollows.
To protect him, his sister pushed herself beyond her limits, unleashing a Kidō spell she was never meant to use.
The cost was her life—her body detonated, taking with it the massive Hollow that had latched onto her.
Confronted by the terror of both the Hollows and the nobles, Urozakuro had revealed herself to shield Azashiro.
Her power had wiped away all malice around him.
She once told Masatsuki Aozaki—
Kenpachi Azashiro had never truly chosen to become a Shinigami out of conviction.
His desire to exterminate Hollows wasn't driven by duty or belief.
It was because his sister—who had never been particularly strong—had once said to him:
"You have the talent to be a great Shinigami and carry on the honor of our ancestors."
Azashiro had never escaped the weight of those words.
Even after becoming a Shinigami, everything he did was merely because his sister had once told him to.
Deep down, he was still the same boy who had trembled on the execution grounds centuries ago.
A man with extraordinary strength—but a fragile heart.
That was one of the reasons Masatsuki had dismissed him as unworthy of the title Kenpachi.
And what Urozakuro wanted… was for him to finally face his fears. To face himself.
"Tch. If it weren't for a certain someone's request, I wouldn't have wasted my time with this."
Masatsuki clicked his tongue in annoyance.
…
Ten minutes ago…
"Hee hee hee… Look who it is—Sōya! Long time no see… What a perfect chance… Let's completely crush him… Masatsuki!"
Masatsuki Aozaki heard Urozakuro's voice in his mind the moment he first encountered Sōya Azashiro.
He responded internally, "Why would I even do that? Do you hate him that much?"
Urozakuro immediately shook her head, laughing.
"No, no, hee hee hee! It's just that I need to tear apart that fragile façade of his. He can't keep hiding in that shadow forever!"
Before finishing her sentence, she grinned and stood on her toes, planting a soft kiss on Masatsuki's cheek.
"This is what I want to do… and deep down, it's what he wants too."
Glancing at the completely unaware Sōya Azashiro, Urozakuro left those words behind before her figure slowly faded away.
...
Back to the present.
"By the way, are you sure it was a good idea to give him the Superhuman Drug?"
Masatsuki Aozaki asked doubtfully.
The "Superhuman Drug" he was referring to was one of Mayuri Kurotsuchi's latest experimental creations.
It dramatically heightened sensory perception and boosted the brain's ability to process neural signals.
On the surface, it sounded like an incredible enhancement, but the side effects were extreme.
The drug didn't actually enhance physical abilities.
The body still had its limits, and its response to neural commands wouldn't improve.
If the body couldn't keep up with the brain's accelerated processing speed, a severe disconnect would occur—thoughts and actions falling out of sync.
In simple terms, the body would become overwhelmed, unable to process the sheer influx of signals in such a short span, leading to sluggish, unnatural movements.
At Urozakuro's suggestion, Masatsuki had personally given this drug to Sōya Azashiro.
And not just any dose—the undiluted, original formula.
It was 250,000 times stronger than the version Mayuri had used on Szayelaporro Granz.
The purpose? To give Azashiro enough time to truly face his own thoughts.
"No problem," Urozakuro replied casually. "That guy has been fixated on becoming a powerful Shinigami to fulfill his promise to his sister."
"To fully awaken his power—to truly become strong—he needs to explore what's inside his heart first."
"So, let's give his idle brain something to do. Let him sit with his own thoughts for a while."
Urozakuro smiled as she explained,
"But more importantly, he has to recognize his own strength."
"He needs to realize that he isn't weak. Or rather, that he doesn't have to be."
"And that… is all thanks to you, Masatsuki."
She tilted her head playfully.
"The final exchange—you made it look like a close fight, didn't you? Suppressing yourself must've been tough."
Masatsuki chuckled lightly.
"It was annoying, sure. But I'm used to it."
As he spoke, he took Urozakuro's hand.
She smirked, pressing closer to him.
"Hee hee… You've worked hard, Masatsuki-sama. I'll make sure to reward you properly."
"And once Sōya has grown, he might actually be useful to you."
"You think he'll agree?" Masatsuki asked.
That question was precisely why he had left Sōya Azashiro here.
If it weren't for that possibility, given his personality, he would have either killed him outright or taken him away to eliminate the risk.
"Leave that to me," Urozakuro assured, patting her chest confidently.
"I can talk to him whenever I want."
At that moment, the belt that usually covered her face had been removed, revealing her soft, delicate features.
She leaned gently against Masatsuki, her warmth pressing into him.
Masatsuki frowned slightly, reminding her,
"Not here. If you want to 'reward' me, wait until we get back. We still have business to take care of."
Urozakuro winked mischievously.
"Fine, fine, I get it~ By the way, do you want the blindfold on tonight?"
Masatsuki stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Hm… Yeah. Better keep it on."
Urozakuro burst into laughter.
"You really are a total pervert!"
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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