Infinite Chimera Creation

"Compared to ordinary people? If you only see ordinary people, you will only become an ordinary person in the end. Only by focusing your attention on those captains will you have a chance to stand at the top and have a chance to restore your family."

Tachibana Koimaru suddenly lowered his head, speaking loudly with a respect he had never shown even when facing his father.

“Yuan Jun’s words of advice are correct, and Li has learned his lesson.”

From an angle unseen by Tachibana Koimaru, Yuan Yuan's lips curled slightly, and his eyes shone with pleasure.

"The determination to give up everything in pursuit of power is a commendable courage. I can sense that you, Koi, also have such determination, right? Because of your determination, I am willing to help you. However, to gain power, one must endure pain. I hope you can be mentally prepared."

Upon hearing words like "great courage" and "worthy of praise," Tachibana Koimaru couldn't help but...

"Just as Yuan-jun said, in order to make my family a great noble family and to become the captain, I am determined to give up everything for power. Please, Yuan-jun, help Li gain power!! I beg you!!"

With his head still bowed, Tachibana Koimaru loudly proclaimed his ambition.

With a smirk that resembled melting cheese, Yuan Yuan's eyes gleamed with the light of prey stepping into a trap.

"I sensed Koi's determination. I believe you can endure the pain of gaining power, restore your clan, and become the captain. So, Koi, come with me. I'll take you to see something that can grant you power."

Without hesitation, Koi stood up and followed Yuan Yuan out of the cabin. In the deserted cabin, the empty teacup that Tachibana Koi had used sat quietly. No one but Yuan Yuan knew that this unassuming cup had once been soaked in the white liquid dissolved from the masks of several Hollows.

PS1, thanks to Netherworld and Trust Foundation for their donations.

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Chapter Eleven, Let's Drink

Staring in shock at the valley before him, Tachibana Koimaru could hardly believe his eyes. In this not-so-large valley, countless Hollows had accumulated. They varied in appearance and physique, but their only characteristic was their weakness. Anyone who saw them could immediately sense their fragility.

"These are the things I've collected over the years. I used special methods to exhaust their spiritual power, leaving them weakened, and then put them together. I hoped that under the constant threat of death, one of them would risk everything to devour its own kind. Unfortunately, the guys here seem to be useless cowards with low survival instincts. The show I wanted hasn't happened after all this time. It's a complete waste of the spiritual power shield I specially prepared here."

Pointing to the valley below, Yuan Yuan introduced the Hollows to Tachibana Koimaru without any change in expression, as if they were not the mortal enemies of the Grim Reaper, but something commonplace and frequently seen.

"Don't look at me with that surprised look. I know what you want to ask. Don't worry, I'm not crazy. I went through all this trouble to collect them, of course, not to create a piece of junk Kylian. I have my own plans. Now, I'll only ask you one question: Are you really prepared to pay the price for power?"

Looking at the Hollows in the valley, Tachibana Koimaru's expression turned extremely grim, his lips trembling slightly as he spoke in a dry voice.

"Yuan Jun, you wouldn't be planning to send me down to devour these voids, would you?"

Yuan Yuan was taken aback, then shook his head with amusement, and patted Tachibana Koi Maru's shoulder helplessly.

"Koi, the spiritual power of the Shinigami and the spiritual power of the Hollow are in conflict. If you directly devour them without a special method to harmonize them, at best your spiritual power will be greatly reduced, and at worst you will fall into Hollow form. It's best not to have such dangerous thoughts."

An embarrassed look appeared on his face, and Tachibana Koimaru scratched his head.

"I heard you mention devouring something before, and I thought you wanted me to devour those Hollows. So, what am I supposed to do?"

Yuan Yuan narrowed his eyes, concealing his expression with his eyelids, and pointed to a small clearing amidst the overlapping voids. His voice became hoarse and seductive.

"All you need to do is plant your Zanpakuto there, then hand it over to me. You just need to wait quietly for your strength to grow."

Gripping his Zanpakuto, Tachibana Koimaru's eyes became fanatical and chaotic, a trickle of pale liquid seeping from the corner of his eye, and his spiritual pressure began to show some ethereal elements.

"As long as I leave the knife there, I can become stronger."

Sensing Tachibana Koimaru's spiritual pressure, Yuan Yuan's eyes flashed with surprise. He hadn't expected to underestimate the extent of this person's fanaticism in pursuing power. Fortunately, it wasn't a major problem. He suddenly slapped Tachibana Koimaru hard on the shoulder and raised his voice.

"Calm down, Koi. You will soon gain power, and you must remain calm now, otherwise you will fail, and the power that should have been yours will leave you again, understand?"

"I need to calm down. I can't let the power leave me. I need to calm down. I can't let the power leave me. I need to calm down. I can't let the power leave me."

Tachibana Koimaru gripped his clothes tightly, repeating the same phrase over and over. After a while, he finally calmed down, and the white liquid in the corner of his eye receded back into his body. He looked directly into Yuan Yuan's eyes, his expression solemn.

"I've calmed down now. Can I go and stick the knife in there?"

"Of course, please."

Yuan Yuan moved two steps to the side, clearing the path down to the valley.

Walking past Yuan Yuan, Tachibana Koimaru steadily made his way to the center of the valley. Meanwhile, within his own mind, a similar transformation was taking place.

Amidst the raging lightning, Tachibana Koimaru's Zanpakuto, Raishū, stood atop a charred tree struck by lightning, his eyes closed as if in a deep sleep. The ghastly white shackles emanating an ominous aura clung to his ankles and wrists, strikingly conspicuous.

He didn't originally have these things on him, but yesterday, while his master, Tachibana Koimaru, was fighting an enemy, they appeared out of thin air on him. Because of these things, his connection with Tachibana Koimaru was unilaterally severed. He could sense that these things were extremely dangerous, and he knew he had to inform his master as soon as possible to raise his vigilance and find a way to drive them away.

He spent the entire night struggling against those damned chains, finally managing to loosen them slightly. Because of this small loosening, he could sense that his master seemed to be in someone else's house. Then, something unknown happened to Tachibana Koimaru; a large amount of white liquid rained down from the sky, completely ignoring the lightning, and merged into the shackles.

The shackles' power was reinforced and strengthened by the white liquid. Not only did the slight loosening disappear, but his consciousness also became chaotic and hazy due to the influence of the shackles.

He lost consciousness.

His reawakening was due to his master's intense emotional fluctuations. This is Tachibana Koimaru's inner world, where all of Tachibana Koimaru's emotional fluctuations are expressed.

The world became oppressive. The lightning no longer fell in individual bolts, but poured down like a continuous curtain. However, this violent thunderstorm was eerily silent, as if the sound had been stolen, and the whole world became deathly quiet.

Lei Zhou knew that this meant Tachibana Koimaru was yearning to erupt, but was forced to suppress it due to certain factors. He didn't understand what could have made the usually rational Tachibana Koimaru so agitated, nor did he understand what made him so agitated yet able to suppress his emotions. He knew nothing, but his intuition told him that what Tachibana Koimaru was about to do was extremely dangerous, and he had to warn him.

But bound by shackles, he couldn't even warn Tachibana Koimaru, let alone free his own consciousness from its hazy state. Finally, he felt it, he felt it—Tachibana Koimaru had released him, abandoned him.

The next moment, a white liquid, like an ocean, surged into this world of the mind, submerging everything on land, including Lei Zhou standing on the big tree.

Immersed in the white ocean, Lei Zhou didn't feel suffocated; instead, he felt exceptionally comfortable, as if the liquid contained something that would elevate him further. Both instinct and a hazy consciousness told him, "Drink, drink! If you drink this white liquid, you will be transcended."

Finally, he opened his mouth and drank the first sip of the liquid that had transformed him. In that instant, madness took over his consciousness.

PS1, thanks to the Trust Foundation and Ouropolos for their donations.

PS2, I'm taking a 23-hour train ride tomorrow, so I'll probably have to take a day off from updating.

PS3, hehe, still asking for donations, monthly tickets, and recommendations.

Chapter Twelve: Newborns

Narrowing his eyes, Yuan Yuan watched as Tachibana Koimaru, after planting his Zanpakuto in the middle of the valley, seemed to lose all his strength, slumping limply beside the Zanpakuto and murmuring softly.

"To gain power, you must pay a price. You pay the price, and Tachibana Koimaru gains power, becomes the captain, and restores the Tachibana clan. A great deal, isn't it?"

Taking a small bottle from his chest pocket, Yuan Yuan gently opened it and sprinkled it into the valley. In the gentle breeze stirred by spiritual energy, the liquid, like a fine rain, was evenly sprinkled onto the Hollow, the Zanpakuto, and Tachibana Koimaru.

The moment the liquid fell, all the Hollow masks began to melt, turning into a white liquid that slowly flowed towards the Zanpakuto in the center of the valley. As the last drop of the liquid left the Hollow's body, the Hollow's human face, hidden behind the mask, was revealed. With a relieved smile, numerous Hollows with grotesque and twisted forms transformed into scattered spiritual particles that filled the valley.

The white liquid didn't seep into the valley floor; instead, it slowly climbed up the Zanpakuto's blade. This ominous liquid seeped into the blade.

As the white liquid seeped in, both Tachibana Koimaru and the Zanpakuto Raishu began to tremble violently. Finally, when all the liquid on the ground disappeared into the Zanpakuto, the change that Yuan Yuan had hoped for occurred.

With a piercing scream, Tachibana Koimaru sat bolt upright, spitting a mouthful of bright red blood onto Raiju's blade. As if a switch had been flipped, a ghastly white liquid gushed from the blade, enveloping the entire sword.

The white liquid churned and grew larger and larger, soon reaching the size of a person. Watching the liquid gradually take on a human form, Yuan Yuan's lips curled into a wide smile, and his joyful voice echoed throughout the not-so-small valley.

"My newborn child, do not rush to define your appearance. Look before you, there is the first gift I have prepared for you. Accept it without hesitation."

The liquid, which was changing shape, stopped. He felt that the voice that had rang out was incredibly kind and authoritative, just like... his father.

A surge of familiarity welled up within him, causing his hazy, confused consciousness to readily believe the voice without much thought. He "saw" what lay before him in an unknown way.

It was a human-shaped creature. The moment I saw it, my hazy consciousness felt a sense of familiarity again, but unlike the familiarity from the voice just now, this familiarity felt...

We are one.

Hearing that dry and intermittent voice, Yuan Yuan's lips curled up, and the pleasure in his voice deepened.

“Yes, you two are one, my child. There’s no need for useless hesitation. Boldly accept my gift.”

"Gift, accepted."

He stammered as he repeated a single sentence, the liquid churning and spreading, engulfing the lying Tachibana Koimaru. The moment Tachibana Koimaru was completely submerged in the liquid, as if a catalyst had been introduced, the white liquid began to writhe violently and uncontrollably.

Finally, the liquid seemed to have dried out, turning into a pale white, hard shell that stood silently in the valley.

A gentle breeze swept by, and the white carapace made a crisp cracking sound. As soon as the first crack appeared, the second and third cracks appeared on the carapace with unstoppable force.

Finally, when cracks covered his entire body, the life that had been sleeping behind the carapace awoke. He gently raised his hand and reached towards his face. As he did so, pieces of the carapace on his arm shattered and slowly detached from his body under the force of gravity.

Finally, he touched his face, but the bony armor seemed to enrage him. He slammed his palm into his face, shattering the entire carapace on his head.

As the facial armor fell away, the newborn's face was revealed. The face was delicate and handsome, instantly endearing to the eye.

Once upon a time, this face belonged to a minor nobleman named Tachibana Koimaru.

"My child, search your memory, can you recall your name?"

Yuan Yuan's voice, which made the newborn feel so warm and familiar, rang out again. Upon hearing this voice, the newborn did not hesitate at all and subconsciously did as Yuan Yuan said, without feeling that anything was wrong.

"My name is... my name is... that's right, my name is Lei Zhou!"

After transforming into human form, the newborn's speech became fluent, no longer hoarse and labored as before.

Yuan Yuan wasn't surprised that the newborn's name was the same as his Zanpakuto. Even if a Zanpakuto materialized, it couldn't exist independently of a Shinigami, because it was essentially subordinate to the Shinigami; if the Shinigami died, the Zanpakuto would inevitably die as well.

To solve this problem, Yuan Yuan first made Tachibana Koimaru's Zanpakuto become Hollow, and then, taking advantage of the Hollow's properties, had Raiju devour its master, thus circumventing the problem.

Yuan Yuan knew that he had created a race, a race of weapons.

Nodding in satisfaction, Yuan Yuan spoke with an approving tone.

"That's right, your name is Lei Zhou, but remember, you can't tell anyone except me your real name. In front of others, your name is Ju Li Wan, and you can't call me Father, you have to call me Yuan Jun. Do you understand?"

Raiju bowed his head respectfully, or rather, Tachibana Koimaru obediently spoke.

"I understand, Father. Please rest assured."

Yuan Yuan nodded in satisfaction, unsurprised by Tachibana Koimaru's way of addressing him.

"Now, I'm giving you a second gift: the spiritual energy that fills this valley. You can absorb it freely until you reach your limit."

The spirit particles that dissipated after the death or liberation of the ethereal beings did not drift out of the barrier-protected valley. In such a dense spiritual energy environment, ordinary souls without spiritual energy would be compressed to the point of shattering and dissipating into basic spirit particles within a short period of time.

Tachibana Koimaru opened his mouth wide, swallowing the dense spiritual energy in the air like a whale, looking exactly like a Hollow using Soul Absorption.

Finally, when the spiritual energy level in the valley dropped to a level lower than that outside, Tachibana Koimaru shut his mouth and patted his belly with satisfaction.

"Any results? Carp."

Hearing Yuan Yuan's voice, Tachibana Koimaru awoke from the pleasure of a full meal and spoke hesitantly.

"I feel that my power has increased, and I have gained an ability called Bankai. It seems that I have also acquired a second name, Wanli Leiyuan."

Nodding in satisfaction, Yuan Yuan wasn't surprised that the newly born Tachibana Koimaru awakened Bankai so easily. The conditions for learning Bankai are full communication with one's Zanpakuto and a large amount of spiritual power. Since the newly born Tachibana Koimaru is himself a Zanpakuto, the communication condition is naturally not a concern; obtaining Bankai simply requires sufficient spiritual power.

PS1, thanks to Comrade for the donation and monthly pass.

PS2, a reader said that if you're asking for a reward, you should show off your chest. I'd like to say, are you interested in my impressive pectoral muscles?

PS3, school just started, the internet is acting up, uploading took a lot of effort, but thankfully it will be fine in a couple of days.