The Hōgyoku Is placed Within Me

Success, this woman is about to die!

Seeing Kurosaki Masaki's eyes widen with a trace of panic, Nnoitra grinned.

Sure enough, killing women is the best.

Suddenly, Nnoitra's slash froze for a moment.

A cold sweat suddenly dripped from his forehead as Arrancar's super instincts screamed warnings at him.

Instinctively, Nnoitra took a step back.

But a chilling sensation still hit him.

Then, a large spray of blood splattered as one of his arms flew off.

A young boy's voice slowly followed.

"You... did you hear it? Reggie's whisper."

With the sound of a Zanpakutō sliding into its sheath, Nnoitra's scythe slammed into the ground.

Shinji's face was emotionless—he was in a very bad mood right now.

He had long known that Karakura Town was a hotspot of spiritual activity. Urahara Kisuke was hiding here, Hirako Shinji and his Visored group were also in the shadows, Aizen had been watching from the sidelines, and at one point, someone even planned to sacrifice an entire city just to create the "key."

But seriously, was the frequency of these incidents not too high?

All he wanted was to take it easy, was that so wrong?

After finally settling into a peaceful life of clocking in and out of work on time, just a few days later, two Menos Grande appeared.

And one of them was an Adjuchas-class Arrancar!

At this level, even a captain-ranked Shinigami would struggle in battle.

"Why didn't you use your full strength? With your power, you shouldn't have been defeated so quickly."

Shinji spoke lightly, glancing at the girl beside him from the corner of his eye.

The hem of her skirt swayed gently, occasionally revealing a glimpse of her vibrant white thighs.

"What are you looking at? I'm wearing safety shorts today."

Even though she was retorting, Kurosaki Masaki still blushed and quickly covered the hem of her skirt.

"What the hell is that guy? How was I supposed to know he was this strong..."

Due to a lack of information, despite her awakened Blut Vene and immense spiritual power, Kurosaki Masaki didn't understand what an Arrancar was, nor did she realize the level of power this humanoid Menos Grande wielded.

"He's an Arrancar, an Adjuchas-class Arrancar, but his Reiatsu is indistinguishable from a Vasto Lorde that hasn't undergone Arrancarization."

Shinji explained calmly.

Kurosaki Masaki's bright eyes flickered as she processed his words.

At her current level, she could definitely fight against a Vasto Lorde. She had even managed to defeat White, an Arrancar-level Hollow with Vasto Lorde strength.

But Nnoitra was different.

White had completely lost all reason, allowing Kurosaki Masaki the room to hesitate.

Nnoitra, however, was a brutal fighter—any hesitation before him meant instant defeat.

"Damn bastard..."

"First one, now two... Damn woman, damn Shinigami brat..."

With a series of sickening crackles, blood-red tendrils wriggled like tentacles from his severed shoulder, rapidly regenerating a brand-new arm.

Nnoitra flexed his fingers, grabbed the scythe buried in the ground, and scowled.

He vanished in an instant and slashed at the two of them, who were still talking.

"Despicable!"

"Renji, be careful!"

Kurosaki Masaki—who didn't yet know Shinji's real name—felt her pupils contract. She tried to push him out of the way, but Shinji simply tossed her aside.

And in the next second—

BOOM!

The ground exploded under the sheer force of the attack, rolling in waves like an earthquake.

"Die! Just die already, Shinigami brat! Hahaha!"

Nnoitra cackled maniacally.

He felt it—the sensation of his weapon connecting.

That annoying little Shinigami was finally dead.

Now, it was the woman's turn.

A cruel smirk stretched across his face as he turned—only for his expression to freeze.

His scythe wouldn't budge.

"What the...?"

His head whipped around in disbelief, and through the settling dust, he saw something that made his blood run cold.

There, barely visible in the mist—

"You're looking down on me!"

Shinji's voice rang out.

A gust of wind blew away the dust and smoke, revealing the scene before them.

In the middle of the cracked battlefield, Shinji stood tall, his left hand gripping the blade of Nnoitra's scythe with his bare hand!

"Impossible!"

Nnoitra's eyes widened in horror.

His attacks could cut through steel like paper. No captain-ranked Shinigami should be able to withstand his strikes.

But the Shinigami before him had done so with his bare hands!

What kind of monstrous defense was this?!

"Renji, are you okay?"

In the distance, Kurosaki Masaki—who had been thrown aside—got up, her voice filled with concern.

"Ah... I'm fine."

Shinji replied flatly, his grip tightening around the scythe's blade.

As expected, his defensive power had reached an absurd level.

Right now, his durability wasn't far off from Aizen's fused form.

Even Yamamoto's Ittō Kasō or Kurosaki Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshō might only leave him with minor injuries.

"This kind of defense... This kind of defense... Are you kidding me?! Are you kidding me, you little bastard?!"

"I am the strongest! Die!!!"

A scarlet gleam flashed in Nnoitra's eyes, and golden Reiatsu erupted from him like a beam piercing the sky.

The sheer force of his spiritual pressure distorted the atmosphere, making it look as if a hole had been torn into the heavens.

With all his might, he unleashed a massive golden slash, carrying the full power of a Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande!

BOOM!

The earth trembled violently—far worse than before.

Just as Nnoitra grinned in triumph, Shinji's voice—calm and scornful—echoed from beneath the attack.

"Don't cause trouble in my Karakura Town."

BOOM!

A massive wave of blue-purple Reiatsu erupted, forming a tangible storm that crushed Nnoitra's golden Reiatsu in an instant.

His oppressive spiritual pressure was completely nullified.

Shinji slowly stepped forward, his face ice-cold.

In the distance, Saito Yanagawa, who had barely survived the crushing weight of Nnoitra's Reiatsu, stared in awe.

"This power... This is power..."

"Lord Shinji... Such overwhelming power..."

Yanagawa's eyes were filled with reverence.

At that moment, he felt as though he were gazing upon a god.

A god being born!

"You b*****d! You think you can stop me? You're delusional! I'll kill you, Shinigami!"

Nnoitra roared, staring at Shinji, who was engulfed in a surge of Reiatsu within the crater.

"If possible, I actually don't like fighting."

Ignoring Nnoitra's furious yelling, Shinji looked at him calmly. "Two choices: leave Karakura Town now and return to where you belong, or… you stay."

Slacking off was one thing, but responsibility was another.

As a Shinigami assigned to Karakura Town, it was Shinji's duty to protect it. Letting Nnoitra continue rampaging and causing casualties was something he could not allow.

"Hah… saying such foolish things."

"The stronger you get, the more battles will find you. That's why I became stronger—to fight more, to keep experiencing the thrill of battle."

"Because I want to die, to die fighting!"

"So come, fight me! Let me… experience an even greater level of battle, Shinigami brat!"

Nnoitra laughed maniacally as he spun his scythe, launching himself through the air toward Shinji.

"Then, you may stay."

As Kurosaki Masaki gasped in shock, Shinji charged forward.

Zanpakutō unsheathed, it clashed with the scythe, sending sparks flying.

Nnoitra's expression twisted.

Bang!

He was sent flying! His body scraped along the ground for hundreds of meters before he managed to stop, floating back into the air with an ugly expression.

In a pure test of strength, an Adjuchas-level Arrancar like him had been overpowered by a Shinigami!

"This kind of power… this level of strength…"

"You completely p****d me off, Shinigami!"

The veins on Nnoitra's forehead bulged as he lost control of his rage. His violent Reiatsu exploded outward, collapsing human souls across the entire city under its pressure!

That's right—compared to fighting, nothing else had any taste.

Only battle was the ultimate pleasure.

A golden pillar of Reiatsu erupted, and Nnoitra's power and speed increased drastically.

"Die, brat!"

Cero!

In an instant, Nnoitra appeared behind Shinji, mouth wide open, golden Reiatsu condensing on his tongue, just below the tattooed number five.

Then, with a thunderous roar, he fired.

This was Cero Oscuras!

Unlike regular Cero, Cero Oscuras was an Espada-exclusive technique—its power difference was immeasurable.

It was so destructive that Aizen had prohibited its use inside Las Noches.

But here, in the World of the Living, there were no such rules!

With a triumphant smirk, Nnoitra could already see the moment this Shinigami brat was obliterated.

"Tch, you really don't listen, do you?"

As the golden Cero neared him, Shinji's expression remained indifferent. Slowly, his fingers brushed over his Zanpakutō.

"Shikai."

"All things… turn to thunder."

"Reggie!"

With those calm words, a deafening crackle erupted.

Zizizizizizizizi…!

A massive column of thunder descended from the heavens.

The scorching electricity crackled violently, vaporizing Nnoitra's Cero Oscuras in an instant.

The sheer heat made it feel as if he were about to melt away.

As the thunder dissipated, only faint arcs of electricity and the scent of burning ozone remained in the air.

Standing where he was, Shinji's Zanpakutō had undergone a drastic transformation.

The blade had lengthened from 80 to 120 centimeters, covered in blue-violet lightning patterns. Arcs of electricity danced across it and even wrapped around Shinji's body.

Despite its naturally violent nature, the lightning felt utterly docile around Shinji.

"You've gotta be kidding me… my Cero Oscuras was evaporated that easily?!"

"What kind of monster are you?!"

For the first time, fear flashed in Nnoitra's eyes.

But even stronger than fear… was his exhilaration.

"No… No way! No damn way a Shinigami can be this strong!"

"I won't accept it! I am the strongest!"

"I'm stronger than anyone…!"

"If I want to fight the strongest opponents, then there can't be anyone stronger than me!"

"I'LL KILL YOU, BRAT!!!"

With a furious roar, Nnoitra charged again, engulfed in golden Reiatsu.

He had clawed his way up from the bottom, from being the weakest with no status to securing the Quinta Espada position.

At all costs, by any means necessary, he had become an Adjuchas-class Arrancar.

With the strongest Hierro, absurd Reiatsu, terrifying ambition, an obsessive need to win, and a monstrous desire to grow stronger—

This was what made him the strongest!

But what was this Shinigami kid?!

Compared to him… Shinji seemed even more of a monster!

He couldn't see it.

He couldn't see it.

He still couldn't see it!

Every time they clashed, lightning burst forth, and Shinji flashed through the battlefield like a storm of blue-violet thunder, cutting him again and again.

Even his so-called strongest Hierro was useless against Shinji's blade!

The Shinigami brat outmatched him in both speed and strength!

Overwhelming.

Completely overwhelming!

How could a Shinigami be this strong?!

"Damn it!"

His body was gradually paralyzed by the lightning, his enhanced nerves now becoming a liability. Nnoitra's red eyes burned with desperation as he swung his scythe wildly, unable to even touch Shinji's clothes.

"DIE, YOU DAMN BRAT!!!"

Finally, as Shinji slashed him once again, Nnoitra gritted his teeth and grinned.

Ignoring the excruciating electricity surging through his body, he grabbed Reggie's blade with his bare hands.

Then, golden Reiatsu gathered in his mouth once more.

"Cero Oscuras!"

So close—too close to dodge.

No time to defend.

No time to use that troublesome Zanpakutō to disrupt the Cero with lightning.

This time, that damn Shinigami brat was dead!