NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 30: CHAPTER 30
Hōgyoku, throbbing.
Kanbaru could clearly feel that his body was undergoing transformation at an unimaginable pace.
His strength, speed, stamina, defense—even his Reiatsu and the very nature of his soul—were rapidly ascending.
In mere seconds, his power had far surpassed what it was before, leaping into an entirely new realm.
An overwhelming torrent of gains surged through every fiber of his being.
Genes shattered and reformed.
The boundaries of his life force elevated without pause.
The limitations of flesh and blood began to crack.
Boom!
In a single explosive instant, a surge of blue-purple Reiatsu burst forth from his body like a living bloodstream, stretching outward like spiritual arteries.
Then, all of it condensed in an instant and returned to him like a great inhalation.
Evolution, complete.
> "Beng Ni—the pupation stage."
Kanbaru landed lightly as his previously suspended body touched the ground again.
He took a moment to examine himself and exhaled with relief.
Just earlier, he had deliberately taken a direct hit from Ji Lujie's assault.
According to the Hōgyoku's nature, when its host reaches their limit or faces a life-threatening crisis, it grants an evolution tailored to the host's desire—an evolution toward what they perceive as their ideal self.
Even physical destruction cannot kill the host under the Hōgyoku's protection.
Kanbaru had counted on that—he orchestrated everything.
What looked reckless was simply him playing out a plan where everything was under his control.
And fortunately, his appearance hadn't changed much. He still looked human.
That alone made him vastly different from Aizen.
During Aizen's second transformation, the so-called pupation stage, he began losing his human form entirely. His soul wavered, his desires shifted, and the Hōgyoku evolved him into a being far removed from humanity—melding Shinigami, Hollow, and something beyond.
In the following stages, Aizen's form became more grotesque, culminating in a wholly alien evolution.
It wasn't until his final collapse form, the so-called "Beng Liu"—where he forcibly suppressed the Hōgyoku—that he regained a humanoid appearance again.
> "You're still alive?!"
> "How's that even possible?!"
> "You were obviously defenseless just now...!"
Ji Lujie's voice trembled as the spiritual haze cleared.
He could finally see Kanbaru clearly.
Not only was he alive—he didn't even have a single scratch.
> "When did you think I gave up resisting?"
> "Did you think what you thought was what you thought?"
Kanbaru smiled, his tone slow and mocking.
> "That illusion of me surrendering... I let you have it."
> "Also, when did you get the illusion that I wasn't using Kyōka Suigetsu?"
> "Oh wait—I don't even have Kyōka Suigetsu."
"???"
Ji Lujie froze.
What the hell was this guy even talking about?
"You think what you think is what you think"?
Is this a spiritual Russian nesting doll?!
And what lunatic invented this mind game?!
(Aizen: ??? You're out of line.)
Enraged, Ji Lujie gritted his teeth and jumped back.
> "DIE!"
A vicious slash cut through the air—powerful enough to break through most Arrancar-level defenses.
Kanbaru didn't move. He simply raised one hand.
> "Ein Schild."
BOOM!
A transparent, glassy barrier appeared in front of him.
Blue Reiatsu crashed into it like a storm, forming a miniature tornado that tore across the battlefield.
Eventually, the shield dissipated.
But so did Ji Lujie's attack.
> "What... what was that?"
> "Do Quincy have this kind of technique?"
> "Or did you make it yourself?!"
Ji Lujie backed off, shaken, maintaining what he believed was a safe distance.
Kanbaru admired his handiwork.
> "It's quite the practical technique."
> "Ein Schild—'Single Shield'—is a defensive skill available only after entering the Fusion Collapse Level Two state."
> "It works by concentrating surface Reiatsu into a thin, transparent shield. The defense isn't absolute—but it's strong enough to block even captain-class attacks."
He smiled faintly.
> "There's even an advanced form."
> "Eine Million Schilde."
> "A million layers of stacked Reiatsu forming a massive super-shield. It can completely nullify nearly any incoming force. But unlike the freeform Ein Schild, this one requires a set defensive direction in advance."
> "Still... impressive, no?"
He looked up, eyes cold.
> "But tell me... why are you keeping your distance?"
> "Aren't you here to kill me?"
> "If so—shouldn't you be charging at me?"
> "Or are you afraid?"
"???"
Ji Lujie nearly exploded.
He couldn't even curse properly!
Was this guy bullying him for not knowing dirty words?
> "Then it's my turn. I'll draw a card!"
As Kanbaru's smile vanished, he took a deep breath and made a motion as if gathering power.
Ji Lujie instinctively tensed.
> "Wait—what the hell is that?!"
As the spirit bow morphed into a two-toned blue-purple longsword, Ji Lujie's face paled.
A moment later—
The sword cleaved down.
The very ground split as if a natural disaster had struck.
A massive, bottomless gash spread across the battlefield, the edge vanishing beyond the horizon.
> "You've got to be joking."
> "That slash... what even is that power?"
Sweating heavily, Ji Lujie turned to see the aftermath.
That single blow had sliced the land open like paper.
> "So this is sword pressure from the second collapse?"
Kanbaru's tone held a rare note of awe.
> "No Reiatsu was attached. That was just residual force... and it still created that."
He exhaled.
> "This is no longer swordsmanship. It's a man-made natural disaster."
> "I estimate... my slashes could easily destroy an entire city now."
For a captain-level Shinigami, that wasn't impossible.
With Kidō, Bankai, or pure Reiatsu, they could flatten a city.
But no captain could do it as casually as Kanbaru just had.
If this slash had hit Journey to the West, Tang Sanzang might've become Liu Hanzang.
> "For a Sacred Officer to take this much punishment and still resist..."
> "I wonder how much Reiatsu you have left, Ji Lujie."
Kanbaru's eyes narrowed.
He couldn't afford to let up.
Ji Lujie grit his teeth and launched himself forward.
> "Sacred Officer—"
He charged, ready to strike while Kanbaru seemed distracted.
But then—
> "That Quincy... you'd better be more careful."
The warning came not from Kanbaru... but from the imprisoned Arrancar nearby.
> "...Huh?"
Ji Lujie blinked.
Beware of what?
He turned—only for white-hot pain to burst through his chest.
A glowing Lingzi sword had pierced through his torso from behind, pinning him to the battlefield.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
> "You...! It's your spirit sword... Kurosaki Kanbaru!"
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