The Hōgyoku Is placed Within Me

The golden Cero erupted, its terrifying Reiatsu causing the very space to tremble.

Nnoitra laughed maniacally.

Then, he saw it—Shinji's horns slowly rising.

In a calm voice, Shinji spoke.

"One-Sword Style: Thunderbolt."

Instinctively, Nnoitra shifted into a defensive stance. He had already been shocked by that Zanpakutō, Reggie.

But then—

Nnoitra suddenly realized something.

Shinji's Zanpakutō… was still in his own hands.

A surge of blue-violet light condensed at Shinji's fingertips.

With his right hand free, Shinji pointed his empty thumb at Nnoitra's chest.

A moment later— A lightning strike, more terrifying than Byakurai, flashed in an instant.

Nnoitra: "???"

What the—

F**k you, was that a one-shot kill?!

"Shit!"

Only then did Nnoitra realize—he had been tricked by Shinji's words.

Before he could even curse properly, he was blasted away.

BOOM!

A thunderous explosion erupted.

Nnoitra's body, trailing a long wave of blue-purple lightning, bent into a bow shape as he was sent flying, disappearing from sight.

Nearly a kilometer away, over the lake, a massive mushroom cloud rose.

"What power… this power… Is this Lord Shinji's true strength?"

"Could it be… even captains aren't stronger than this?"

Amid the raging tornado caused by the shockwave, Saitō Yanagawa stared at the destruction in awe, gripping his Zanpakutō, which was firmly embedded in the ground.

It took a long moment before he could even process what he had witnessed.

So this was the true power of Kuchiki Shinji.

He had truly chosen to follow an incredible person!

"You… really have a bad sense of humor, Renji-kun."

Kurosaki Masaki had a complicated expression, but the corners of her mouth twitched upward ever so slightly.

She muttered under her breath.

It was called a one-sword style attack, but he fired it with his finger?

No wonder that Arrancar from before had exploded in anger, cursing up a storm.

Was it over now?

From her perception, Shinji's "One-Sword Style" was no weaker than a Sanrei Glove-released Letzt Stil attack at full power.

An attack of this level had landed a direct hit.

Judging from her experience hunting Hollows by the hundreds, that Menos Grande was definitely dead.

Relaxing, Kurosaki Masaki stretched onto her tiptoes, arms folded behind her back, and cheerfully started walking forward— But suddenly, her face darkened.

She turned toward the lake, her expression growing serious.

A deeper, more sinister Reiatsu began to stir.

That Arrancar… wasn't dead?!

"How… how is this possible?"

Kurosaki Masaki's eyes widened in shock.

Could he really survive an attack like that?

Were Adjuchas-class Arrancar this much stronger than regular Adjuchas?

"Don't be too surprised,"

Shinji landed beside her, speaking in a relaxed tone.

"An Adjuchas-class Arrancar is not on the same level as a regular Adjuchas."

"That attack did serious damage, but it wasn't fatal."

Several kilometers away, the lake had been completely evaporated by the sheer intensity of Reiatsu.

Amid the chaos, Nnoitra emerged, his body still burning with golden energy.

Though grievously wounded, he looked even more terrifying—like a dying beast fighting to its last breath.

His murderous aura was so intense it nearly became tangible, forming shadowy figures of evil spirits swirling around him.

A deep, charred hole had been burned into his chest, the wound sparking faint arcs of electricity.

That was the wound left by Thunderbolt.

But at that moment—

Granulated flesh began regrowing rapidly, healing the wound.

This was the High-Speed Regeneration of Menos Grande.

As long as their heads and vital organs weren't instantly destroyed, they could recover at an astonishing rate.

"What a terrifying guy…"

Kurosaki Masaki muttered, but then, suddenly— She felt an even more terrifying presence beside her.

This Arrancar—who had completely overwhelmed her, leaving her powerless—was being beaten one-sidedly by "Abarai Renji," as if he had no chance at all.

Thinking about it like that…

Wasn't he the real monster here?

Kurosaki Masaki glanced sideways at Shinji, her expression turning a bit strange.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Shinji scratched his head.

At that moment, Nnoitra suddenly accelerated, charging back into battle.

His golden Reiatsu had become almost solid, burning intensely.

"I won't accept this—I refuse to accept that there's anyone stronger than me in this world!"

"Now, Shinigami, choose!"

"Either you kill me—cut me down before I collapse, as I have always wished…"

"Or… I will destroy you with everything I have!"

"I am the strongest!"

"I am Nnoitra Gilga!"

"Resurrección!"

"Pray, Santa Teresa!"

A violent golden beam of Reiatsu erupted into the sky, golden flames surging wildly into his body.

He was letting go of everything.

To kill the Shinigami brat in front of him.

To prove that he was the strongest.

But then—The space around Nnoitra twisted.

A pitch-black void opened beside him, forming a passage.

A Garganta.

A portal between the Living World and Hueco Mundo.

"Tch… Damn it…"

The overwhelming Reiatsu dissipated slightly.

Nnoitra glanced at the portal with clear reluctance, then suddenly turned his head.

"Hey, brat! What's your name?"

"Huh? Me?"

Kurosaki Masaki pointed to herself in confusion.

"I wasn't talking to you, stupid woman, get lost!"

Kurosaki Masaki: "…"

This guy… is sexist!

Her eyelid twitched as she grumbled under her breath.

"His name is Abarai Renji, a Shinigami."

Upon hearing this—Nnoitra, just about to step into the portal, paused.

He turned back, staring deeply at Shinji before flashing a cruel grin.

"Abarai Renji, huh? I'll remember that name."

"Next time we meet, I'll destroy you completely."

"Remember my name, brat."

"I am Nnoitra Gilga—"

"The strongest!"

The black portal slowly sealed shut.

"Yeah, yeah. My name is Abarai Renji."

Shinji nodded seriously, completely ignoring Nnoitra's final dramatic gesture of slitting his own throat in a taunt.

Destroy Abarai Renji?

Sure, go ahead.

What does that have to do with me, Kuchiki Shinji?

If anything, please beat him up.

Maybe humiliating him will push Abarai Renji straight into an evolution, who knows?

---

With Nnoitra's retreat, order in Karakura Town was quickly restored.

Given the scale of destruction, one would expect humans to at least question what had happened, even if they couldn't see the Shinigami and Hollows. However, the Shinigami always handled the aftermath to some extent, and the Technology Development Bureau even possessed advanced technology capable of modifying human memories, allowing them to naturally accept such events.

Most of the time, Saito Yanagawa was responsible for this kind of logistical work.

A sudden whooshing sound broke through the air.

A black cat leaped gracefully over the high wall, as if it were flying.

"Huh??? A cat???"

Kurosaki Masaki's eyes widened as she ran toward the wall, looking back and forth between the cat and the wall, which was several stories tall.

How did this cat... jump up here?

"You're being a bit too loud, don't you think?"

What shocked Kurosaki Masaki even more was that the black cat in front of her

Spoke.

"Eh?!!"

"A cat… talking?! A cat actually talked?!"

Terrified, Kurosaki Masaki quickly hid behind Shinji, peeking out cautiously at Shihouin Yoruichi as if she were staring at some kind of monster. She had completely forgotten that she herself was a powerful Quincy.

"Hey, human brat, what kind of attitude is that? Call me Yoruichi-san, got it?"

"And stay away from that man next to you."

Shihouin Yoruichi squinted at Kurosaki Masaki, who was practically pressed up against Shinji.

Her gaze subtly flickered toward Masaki's chest.

This woman… she's got some impressive assets.

"Yoruichi-san? But… you're obviously a girl…"

Before Shihouin Yoruichi could respond, Kurosaki Masaki suddenly reached out, grabbed her, and spread her legs apart.

"Meow!!!"

A second later.

Kurosaki Masaki sat on the ground, tears welling up in her eyes, covering her nose. A crisp, cross-shaped mark had appeared on her face.

If it weren't for her Blut Vene ability protecting her, her nose would have definitely been broken.

"What a rude brat," Shihouin Yoruichi huffed, flicking her tail as she jumped onto Shinji's shoulder and began licking her paw.

"It hurts… Renji-kun, what is this cat? Why can it talk?"

Kurosaki Masaki rubbed her nose, pouting as she pointed at the black cat resting on Shinji's shoulder.

At that moment, Shihouin Yoruichi's ears twitched.

Renji-kun?

That's… not Kuchiki Shinji's name, is it?

Wait—so this woman doesn't even know Shinji's real name? And yet, she was acting like she had some kind of connection with him?

"What a waste of time," Shinji muttered.

holding Yoruichi in his arms wasn't so bad. He didn't have Rukia around to carry, but rubbing Yoruichi was just as satisfying.

As Yoruichi closed her eyes in enjoyment, Shinji smirked.

"When the Soul Society asks about this, I'll just say that when I arrived, the Arrancar had already been repelled by a Quincy girl."

"Eh??? Me???"

Kurosaki Masaki blinked, pointing at herself in disbelief. The Arrancar had obviously been taken down by "Renji-kun."

"Yeah, you."

Shinji nodded casually, handing over all the credit to Kurosaki Masaki.

He had no interest in taking credit for this.

You want me to be in the spotlight? No way. My goal is to relax and clock out on time.

As for Nnoitra?

Abarai Renji defeated him.

What does that have to do with me, Kuchiki Shinji?

If Nnoitra wants revenge, he can go find Renji.

"Ah, I see. So, Renji-kun is deliberately giving me the credit to change Soul Society's perception of the Quincy?"

"You're really different from other Shinigami, Renji-kun."

Kurosaki Masaki smiled brightly, placing her hands behind her back.

The gentle breeze caused her skirt to flutter slightly— But she was wearing safety shorts.

Shinji: "???"

What the hell is going on in her head?

Something's definitely wrong here…

Shinji was speechless.

Change how the Soul Society views the Quincy?

What does that have to do with me?

"I wonder who the Soul Society will send over this time," Shihouin Yoruichi mused, lazily flicking her tail as she licked Shinji's fingers. "Most likely a captain, right?"

The Technology Development Bureau's surveillance capabilities were reliable.

Although they initially failed to detect Nnoitra's Reiatsu, once his power erupted—combined with Shinji's Shikai—it was impossible for them not to notice.

When that happened, the Gotei 13 would definitely take action and send reinforcements, most likely a captain.

"It'll probably be the captain of the 10th Division. Captain Isshin wouldn't miss a chance to visit the Human World."

Shinji smirked.

As long as it wasn't Aizen, he didn't care.

Since he was currently stationed in Karakura Town under the 10th Division, and most of the Shinigami assigned to the Human World belonged to the 13th Division, Isshin Shiba—being responsible and kindhearted—would definitely come here himself.

After all, Shinji's assignment to Karakura Town had been Isshin's suggestion in the first place.

This isn't me slacking off in the Human World.

This is my duty!

"The Shiba Clan head… Shiba Isshin…"

Shihouin Yoruichi's expression changed, and she suddenly stood up. "He's here… This Reiatsu…"

Without another word, she leaped off the rooftop and disappeared.

She couldn't afford to be seen yet.

"As for you, Kurosaki Masaki, you should leave too," Shinji said, glancing at the confused girl still standing beside him.

"Next, the 13th Division's captain and other Shinigami will arrive. Their attitudes… may not be as friendly as mine," he warned.

"Ah… I see. Well, see you next time then."

Kurosaki Masaki smiled brightly, waving at Shinji before leaping off the rooftop. She landed smoothly on the ground from dozens of meters up, causing a small impact crater.

With Blut Vene, she could completely ignore the fall.

About twenty or thirty seconds later—

A black-robed figure suddenly appeared beside Shinji.

He had a short beard, short black hair, and wore a captain's haori with a large "十" on the back.

The man watched Kurosaki Masaki's departing figure and murmured:

"Was that… a Quincy?"