Bleach: Watch Closely, This Is How You Use a Zanpakutō-Chapter 244: Beyond the Shinigami

Sōkyoku Hill, underground training ground...

Deep within the rocky forest, a fearsome presence stood tall.

Reiatsu poured out endlessly, as if there were no limits, surging like an unstoppable tide. An overwhelming power flowed into his body, vast and ceaseless.

For a long time, Masatsuki Aozaki had been pushing the limits of a Shinigami. But now, the slow growth of his Reiatsu had suddenly shattered some kind of barrier, accelerating at an astonishing rate.

"It's still rising..."

He flexed his hands, his expression calm, yet he could feel the faint tremor running through his body.

A transformation, invisible to the eye, was quietly unfolding from within the Hōgyoku, subtly reshaping him. His soul felt as if it were awakening, and even the essence of his existence was undergoing a profound shift.

Lowering his gaze, Masatsuki Aozaki looked down at his chest.

There, mysterious blue-violet lines, resembling veins, flickered faintly before beginning to spread, slowly branching across his entire body.

At the same time, every aspect of his being—Reiatsu, spiritual body, and more—was experiencing an unprecedented surge.

There was no doubt about it. The Hōgyoku had successfully absorbed the Soul King's right arm!

"A power capable of destroying everything with just a thought..."

"No wonder Aizen abandoned the deception of 'Complete Hypnosis' after evolving to this stage."

"This kind of strength... It's easy to mistake it for true invincibility."

Masatsuki Aozaki murmured to himself, casually swinging the blade in his hand.

In an instant, a tremendous sword pressure erupted forth. The ground below split open as if an invisible giant hand had torn it apart, leaving behind a massive fissure.

As he spoke, his body underwent another transformation.

A milky-white Reiatsu burst from within, exploding like a volcano and engulfing him entirely. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

In the blink of an eye, Masatsuki Aozaki was encased in a layer of milky-white spiritual energy, sealing him completely. Only his bright eyes remained visible, resembling an insect cocooning itself in the process of evolution.

Then, something unexpected happened.

Without hesitation, Masatsuki Aozaki lifted his sword-wielding hand and slammed the hilt of his blade forcefully against his own head.

A dull "bang" echoed through the air.

The once-pristine milky-white spiritual armor was instantly covered in fine cracks, which spread like a spiderweb across his entire form.

Within seconds, the armor shattered completely, disintegrating into countless tiny particles that scattered into the wind and vanished without a trace.

"Preconceived notions had taken hold of me, making me subconsciously wonder—could I evolve the way Aizen did?"

"Fortunately, I caught the anomaly in time. Otherwise, I might have developed inhuman traits!"

Masatsuki Aozaki found a mirror from somewhere and examined his reflection. Seeing that he remained unchanged, he couldn't help but feel relieved.

After careful observation and contemplation, he came to a conclusion—unlike Aizen, he didn't seem to require such a bizarre and terrifying transformation process.

Not only that, but his abilities had already far surpassed the limits of a Shinigami.

After confirming his body's current state and ensuring his appearance remained unaffected, Masatsuki exhaled deeply in relief.

The bluish-purple vein-like patterns that had once spread across his body gradually faded, retreating back into the Hōgyoku. However, at the center of his chest, a faint, almost imperceptible pattern remained, still connected to the Hōgyoku—like a beating heart.

Masatsuki could feel an immense, boundless Reiatsu surging through him, his fundamental abilities growing at an explosive rate.

He was certain now—his existence had completely transcended that of a Shinigami.

As he silently familiarized himself with his new form, Masatsuki focused his mind, willing the Hōgyoku to submerge within him and conceal itself.

At that moment, a deep black light flashed through his eyes.

Then, before him, a completely transparent barrier materialized.

Super Reiatsu Barrier.

This was one of the abilities he had gained through his evolution.

When he activated it, his eyes would emit that eerie black glow, and a perfectly transparent Reiatsu wall would form around him.

Anything that collided with this barrier would be instantly pulverized.

In the original timeline, Aizen had once used this very ability to crush the high-density Reiatsu entity, Kōtotsu, within the Dangai.

However, unlike Aizen, whose eyes gleamed white upon activation, Masatsuki's ability manifested in a much more subtle manner.

After all, those deep, obsidian eyes of his had always drawn admiration.

He could only attribute this difference to the influence of the Soul King's right arm.

Yet, the evolution brought about by absorbing the Soul King's right arm was far from over.

He tilted his head slightly, the black light in his eyes flickering as his gaze settled on a corner of the training ground.

A breeze whispered past.

A small stone, dislodged from the steep rock face, tumbled down and struck the ground with a crisp sound.

Masatsuki remained unfazed, as if he had foreseen it all.

And it wasn't because he used Yuhime's ability.

A brief glimpse into the future.

Another ability granted by the Soul King's right arm.

And yet, this was only one among many.

The right arm of the Soul King governed the power of "Stillness."

It allowed Masatsuki to remain in a fixed state indefinitely, unchanging, untouched by time.

In other words, at this very moment, his existence could almost be described as eternal.

Feeling the immense power coursing through him, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared in his eyes.

A surge of exhilaration filled him.

For a moment, he even felt an impulse—to mimic a legendary immortal and shout to the heavens:

"Who can kill me? Who dares to kill me?!"

But then, realizing that arrogance could easily lead to an untimely downfall, he wisely dismissed the thought.

"Speed, power, defense, Reiatsu—every aspect of me has ascended to an entirely new level."

"Compared to before, my strength has grown far beyond mere increments."

Testing his movements, Masatsuki clenched his fist in satisfaction.

He could clearly feel it—his spiritual body, his Reiatsu—everything had evolved in leaps and bounds.

Most importantly, he had shattered his former limits.

Judging by Aizen's evolution process, Masatsuki estimated that he was now in the Third Fusion stage.

The next phase would be a period of rapid growth.

His power would continue increasing until it reached a saturation point, at which point he would smoothly enter the Fourth Fusion stage.

"...It's about time I head back. If senpai wakes up and finds me missing, he might end up cornered by that lunatic Mayuri Kurotsuchi, trembling in fear..."

...

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