Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero

Chapter 76 Tapir Yao Knife

His thoughts drifted uncontrollably back to the distant past, to that memory buried deep in his heart.

At that time, he was not yet the expeditionary force commander, Tenbei Shusuke, and didn't even have that name.

He was just a boy who longed for his father's silhouette.

He is a scholar-type Grim Reaper who is obsessed with research. He is gentle and refined, but has a persistence that is not understood by the world.

Until that day—the terrible news arrived.

The father died, the cause of death remains a mystery, leaving only a scene of chaos and inexplicable remnants of spiritual turmoil at the scene.

The official conclusion was vague.

But the boy didn't believe it. Relying on the few words his father had left behind, the encrypted research notes, and an almost obsessive intuition, he began to investigate in secret.

Ultimately, he pieced together a chilling conclusion.

The father's death was related to a strange weapon called "Mao Yao Dao".

The father seemed to have inadvertently touched upon some core secrets about the knife, which led to his death.

All the subtle clues ultimately point to Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, who is at the pinnacle of power in Soul Society!

Before his death, my father seemed to have left behind a word filled with pain and warning through some secret means—"Mo Yao Dao" (貘爻刀).

Driven by revenge and to uncover the dark truth hidden behind his father's death, the boy completely changes his identity.

Erasing his past, with a brand new name and a brand new resume, he went through hardships and finally became a member of the Gotei 13, relying on his extraordinary strength and will.

He voluntarily applied to be transferred to the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force, which is the most arduous and furthest from Seireitei.

Here, he constantly honed his skills while never ceasing his investigation into the "Mo Yao Dao" and related secrets.

After years of forbearance, infiltration, gathering information, and analysis, he arrived at a conclusion he firmly believed in:

The father was silenced for trying to expose the terrible truth behind the "Baku Yao Dao" (a type of sword), and Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni...

He was the mastermind behind it all, the culprit who ordered the elimination of those who knew about the secret in order to cover it up!

The flames of revenge burned fiercely in his heart from that moment on, never to be extinguished.

He vowed that one day he would have enough power to stand before Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni and avenge his father.

As for power—besides the death god's power he had painstakingly cultivated himself, he also found another "shortcut," a dangerous "tool."

His gaze slowly shifted to a long, narrow object tightly covered by a special spiritual cloth in the shadows of a corner of the stone chamber.

He stood up, walked over, and gently lifted the curtain.

What was revealed was not a Zanpakuto.

It was a weapon with an extremely bizarre and repulsive design.

The overall appearance is a dark, murky purplish-black color, as if it were forcibly fused together with the shell of some creature and metal.

The blade is not straight, but has an unnatural curve, and its surface is covered with fine, pulsating patterns that resemble blood vessels.

The most horrifying part is near the knife; there is no handguard there.

Instead, it consists of several purplish-black fleshy tissues that wriggle like living tentacles, with suckers at their ends.

It was tightly wrapped around a fist-sized, dark red "core," which seemed to possess life and appeared to rotate extremely slowly in the dim light.

The tapir-shaped knife is related to the death of his father.

Therefore, he secretly obtained the "forbidden power" through a channel with a hidden connection to the Kasumi family, after going through countless hardships and even paying a considerable price.

Unlike Zanpakuto, which resonates with and grows alongside the soul of a Shinigami, Membrane Blade is a biological weapon.

It possesses an independent and eerie consciousness. Once equipped, it will cling to the wearer like a malignant tumor, continuously absorbing the wearer's spiritual pressure through its tentacles and suckers, storing it in that "core".

The holder can use their will to activate the power of the "core" and unleash a strange and powerful special ability that far exceeds their normal level.

But the cost is enormous; the Membrane Blade's thirst for spiritual power is endless.

If the holder's spiritual power is insufficient, or their will wavers, they will be devoured by the greedy and chaotic consciousness within the blade, gradually losing themselves.

Ultimately, the soul and spiritual power are completely drained, turning into withered bones, while the Maoyao Blade will detach and seek a new host.

This is a true double-edged sword, a wicked blade that leads to power but also straight to hell.

Tenbei Shusuke reached out, his fingers hovering above the cold, slippery blade of the Membrane Blade, without directly touching it.

He could feel the thirst and chaotic whispers emanating from within the blade, a thirst for spiritual energy.

In his eyes, the flames of revenge intertwined with a thirst for power, ultimately transforming into a cold, resolute gaze.

He covered the tapir-shaped knife with the cloth again, as if covering a lurking ferocious beast.

After years of research, Tianbei Embroidery Assistant has gained a certain understanding of the membrane knife.

In Hueco Mundo, a place fraught with danger, any deficiency in spiritual power or loss of mental focus could mean death.

He would not use the Maoyao Knife unless it was a matter of life and death.

At this moment, in the void circle, in a certain hidden place.

This is not the direction of the expeditionary force camp, nor is it a prominent landmark marked on any known map.

Deep within a dense forest of weathered quartz pillars lies a naturally formed, enormous cave.

This is the temporary base that Lijie Barrow set up in Hueco Mundo.

Just then, a unique vibration came from the white communicator he wore in his left ear, indicating a highest priority communication request.

He was very familiar with the requester's spiritual code.

Lijie Barrow remained expressionless and lightly tapped a control panel next to him.

The main screen in the center switches, and the familiar background of the Ice Palace appears. Then, Yugran Haschward's exquisite but expressionless face appears in the center of the screen.

Even during communications, his snow-white Quincy suit and the pentagram cloak on his back remained impeccable.

"Lijie." Yugran Hassward's voice came through the communicator, without any further pleasantries.

Lijie Barrow nodded slightly, waiting for the other party to continue.

He knew that Yugelan would not have personally activated this emergency line unless he had certain important intelligence.

"Confirmed," Hasward said.

"Zero Division Yanagawa has arrived at the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force's camp through the Black Hole Passage opened by the 12th Division of Soul Society."

A sharp glint suddenly flashed in Lijie Barrow's golden vertical pupils, as if a predator had finally locked onto the prey's trail.

The Soul Society's reaction speed was indeed within our calculations.

"Has it finally arrived?" Lijie Barrow murmured, as if confirming a given fact.

"Not bad." Yugraan Hasward's icy blue eyes seemed to deepen. "The bait has worked. Now, it's your turn, Lijie."