Infinite Chimera Creation

Jushiro Ukitake, who frequently visits the Fourth Division due to illness, has developed a good relationship with Retsu Unohana, a senior Shinigami, over the course of several hundred years. Naturally, he cannot stand idly by when he sees Unohana being questioned.

After a moment of contemplation, he stepped out of the line, rubbing his long white hair with a solemn expression.

"Putting aside whether the rumors are credible or not, logically speaking, this doesn't make sense. If the intruder really was the culprit, even if Unohana-senpai intended to hide it and persuaded Captain Kouto Nozomi, who also guards the Seireitei, what about the Shinigami members stationed there? Apart from the Shinigami members we brought with us when we went to Rukongai, the Seireitei still has nearly a thousand Shinigami. How could Unohana-senpai have persuaded those Shinigami members to conceal the truth in such a short time before we returned?"

Although Ukitake Jushiro explicitly questioned the veracity of the information provided by Yuan Yuan, Yuan Yuan showed no anger. He merely wore a cold smile before slowly speaking.

"Captain Ukitake makes a lot of sense, but you've overlooked something very important. That is, the issue of strength."

"Although I'm reluctant to admit it, the intruder who was able to kill the Captain-Commander must have been a powerful individual. And when this powerful individual began to fight the Captain-Commander, even the non-targeted release of spiritual pressure was enough to render the weaker Shinigami members unable to move on the ground, and some even fainted. Under these circumstances, if Unohana-senpai wanted to conceal the truth, she only needed to persuade Koto Nozomi, the only one who could see the truth."

Jushiro Ukitake choked, opened his mouth again, but couldn't utter a single word.

He knew, of course, that everything Yuan Yuan said was true. The weaker Shinigami members were indeed unable to remain sober when the Captain-Commander was fighting at full strength and unleashing his spiritual pressure. However, he was unwilling to believe that his respected senior would conceal the important information about his teacher's death from everyone.

"Can that person really be considered to have committed a crime?"

Before Fuzhu could think of a rebuttal to Yuan Yuan, a gentle voice interrupted their already stopped conversation.

"First of all, I'm sorry for keeping this from everyone before. I apologize to everyone here."

Unohana bowed slightly, exuding an air of elegance that conveyed both sincerity in her apology and a sense of strength.

Unohana's demeanor made Kuchiki Ginrei, the veteran captain, smile wryly, secretly admiring that this was the true Unohana Retsu—understated yet luxurious, exuding grandeur.

"I'm not sure if what Captain Yuan Yuan said about the intruders being culpable is correct. But one thing is certain: the intruders definitely came from hell."

Retsu Unohana's words caused everyone's expressions to turn strange. Since ancient times, the only living beings in Hell have been traitors and guardians. If the intruder came from Hell, how could he not be a traitor? They didn't believe that a guardian could kill the Captain-Commander.

Noticing everyone's confusion, Unohana smiled slightly and began to explain her meaning.

"The murderer who killed the Captain-Commander had no 'Karma Lock' anywhere on his body, yet he was able to open the passage to Hell. Although the color wasn't the purple we knew, the other end of the passage was indeed Hell. And after the battle, he retreated into Hell."

"None of these things matter,"

Suddenly, some rude voices interrupted Retsu Unohana's explanation, and this impolite behavior drew everyone's attention to him.

Even when he was the captain of the Eighth Division and was unrestrained and disrespectful, Kyoraku Shunsui never did anything that would be unbecoming of a nobleman, such as rudely interrupting others.

Because of his father's upbringing, maintaining proper etiquette at all times had become a habit, deeply ingrained in Kyoraku Shunsui's bones. This habit allowed him to maintain a composed demeanor even in the fiercest battles.

But now, he can no longer maintain that sense of ease.

With bloodshot eyes, Kyoraku Shunsui stared at Unohana Retsu, completely disregarding her senior's status, and spoke in a voice suppressing some intense emotion.

"None of what you said matters. All I want to know now is why you lied before! Did you want to see me plan for years, risk everything, lead people to wipe out Hueco Mundo, kill a complete Hollow, and then think I've avenged my teacher in this ridiculous way?"

The captains standing below couldn't help but narrow their eyes. It had to be said that Kyoraku Shunsui's words, spoken in his excitement, were extremely hurtful. If Unohana Retsu couldn't explain clearly and Kyoraku Shunsui's actions were confirmed, then he would inevitably be branded with the infamous reputation of "finding pleasure in the suffering of others."

Although some people don't care, and even quite like such a bad reputation.

Suddenly, Nozomi Koto, who had been guarding the Soul Society alongside Retsu Unohana during the Hueco Mundo invasion but hadn't uttered a single word since then, stepped forward and left the ranks.

"I can explain this problem."

His body trembled slightly, and the usually taciturn captain lowered his head, his voice low.

"Because I was scared."

The short, nonsensical explanation made everyone frown.

What kind of explanation is this?

"Wang, could you explain in more detail what it means to be afraid?"

Frowning, Yuan Yuan turned his head, and spiritual energy, as piercing as his gaze, enveloped his student.

Kyoraku Shunsui, who had originally intended to question Koto Nozomi, shut his mouth after seeing Yuan Yuan's reaction, waiting for Koto Nozomi to give an explanation.

His body trembled even more violently. Gu Duwang raised his head, and his usually resolute and composed face was filled with fear.

"That intruder was incredibly powerful, terrifyingly powerful."

Seemingly forced to recall terrifying memories, a few beads of cold sweat appeared on the forehead of this normally well-liked man.

"The captain was covered in wounds, but that person didn't have a single injury, and his clothes weren't even disheveled. You didn't see the scene; it was terrifying."

Moreover, that person also has a group of strangely capable subordinates. Although they aren't particularly strong, once attacked by them, they become incapable of causing further harm. How could we possibly defeat such a terrifying enemy?

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Gu Duwang revealed a determined expression.

"After finding out who his enemy is, Captain Kyoraku will definitely be planning his revenge. He just said that he's going to wipe out Hueco Mundo."

So, if he finds out who the real enemy is, he'll definitely drag everyone down with him to their deaths. It doesn't matter if we die, but what about the Soul Society? The Soul Society already lacks high-end combat power; if a few more captains die, the Soul Society is finished.

Therefore, after discussing it with Unohana-senpai, we decided to keep this news a secret for now. We'll reveal the truth once the new captain is in place, and then go to Hell to reclaim the dignity of Soul Society.

Gripping his Zanpakuto tightly at his waist, Kouju Nozomi's face showed an expression of resignation to death.

"At that time, it didn't matter whether we were alive or not."

P.S., this chapter is a make-up to yesterday's.

Chapter Seventy-Eight Out of Goodwill

Seeing Gu Duwang's performance that excited all the captains, Yuan Yuan felt nothing, and even wanted to laugh.

When Yuan Yuan first decided to have the Weapon Types impersonate Death and become captains, he was somewhat worried that their performances wouldn't be convincing enough and they'd be exposed. But now, judging from Gu Duwang's performance, these Weapon Types are truly natural-born actors.

However, considering that weapon species [which are clearly weapons but appear in human form] are inherently deceptive, one can't see anything wrong with this actor's talent.

Just as Yuan Yuan was lamenting that he had intended to create a fighting nation but had unintentionally created a spy nation, the captains were also excited by Gu Duwang's words.

Whether it was from the heart or not, when Koto Nozomi said "to restore the dignity of Soul Society," they had to get excited, otherwise they couldn't bear the heavy responsibility of "disregarding the dignity of Soul Society."

Although Kyoraku Shunsui was excited, Koto Nozomi's words reminded him of the old man's teachings, which urged him to dedicate his life to protecting the Soul Society. So he reluctantly suppressed the urge to immediately lead the captains into Hell.

After a long discussion, the group finally settled on a plan: "To dedicate the next century to developing education and cultivating new talent, and then march into Hell." At the same time, they all tacitly ignored the question of "how to defeat the powerful enemy in Hell." On one hand, everyone who could become a captain was absolutely confident. On the other hand, they feared that discussing this issue would rob them of the courage to utter the bold statement about marching into Hell.

When that time comes, everything will be alright; after all, there's always a way out.

As for Yuan Yuan's unauthorized departure from Jingling Court, no one would be so tactless as to bring it up again.

Throughout the captains' discussion, Yuan Yuan remained silent, as if he weren't the Grim Reaper Captain.

Now that the goal of inducing Soul Society to attack Hell has been achieved, there's no need to worry too much about other things...

After the team leaders' meeting, Yuan Yuan returned to the Fourth Special Research Institute with a satisfied heart. Although he was semi-forced to take on the troublesome task of teaching students because of his achievement of having trained three team leaders, he was overjoyed to have rediscovered a sense of pleasure and didn't dwell on these trivial matters.

Because he wanted to reconnect with his teacher after so long, Gu Duwang followed Yuan Yuan to the research institute. He tilted his head and looked at Yuan Yuan's profile, a hesitant expression on his face.

"If you have something to say, just say it. I'm not a tyrant, what's there to be afraid of?"

Although he didn't look with his eyes, Yuan Yuan easily noticed Gu Duwang's expression. He frowned slightly and spoke softly.

Quietly clenching her fist to encourage herself, Gu Duwang spoke softly, like a schoolchild who had made a mistake.

"Father, with your current strength, whatever you want to do, there should be no one in Hueco Mundo or Soul Society who can stop you. Why not just crush them with overwhelming force instead of resorting to these unnecessary schemes to achieve your goal?"

After speaking, Gu Duwang lowered his head nervously, not daring to look at Yuan Yuan's expression. He didn't know if his father would be angry after hearing such a blunt question, or how his father would deal with him if he was angry.

However, the thought that "Father has absolutely no need to waste any more time here, and I am doing this entirely for Father's sake" sustained him, allowing him to suppress his unease and ask a question that surprised even himself.

A cold glint flashed in Yuan Yuan's eyes behind the black cloth, and he sighed inwardly.

[This is yet another instance of questioning stemming from "good intentions"]

At first glance, this questioning seems perfectly acceptable, as it stems from "good intentions." However, if left unchecked, it is destined to one day develop into an attempt to imprison Yuan Yuan for "good intentions" such as, "Father might be in danger if he goes out, so why not just imprison him?"

His expression turned icy, and Yuan Yuan opened his eyes from behind the black cloth. His serpentine gaze pierced through the thin fabric, landing on Gu Duwang. He spoke in a chilling voice, filled with murderous intent.

"Don't move. I hope this is the last time you question my decision."

Koto Nozomi's body trembled violently, and he was about to bow and apologize. He knew that when his father addressed his weapon by its real name, it meant he truly intended to kill him.

But Yuan Yuan stopped Gu Duwang just as he bent down halfway.

"Apologizing is a useless act that has no practical effect and cannot change the established facts at all. There is no need to do it."

After waving his hand to signal Gu Duwang to leave, Yuan Yuan walked into the laboratory on his own to continue his unfinished small experiment.

Koto's visit to the research institute was merely a smokescreen to create the illusion that Koto and Yuan Yuan had a good teacher-student relationship. He would leave on his own once he had stayed long enough.

In the laboratory, Yuan Yuan skillfully conducted experiments he had performed countless times, failing countless times, in an attempt to make new discoveries. These cumulative experiments were so tedious; results could only be obtained by accumulating time, and even Yuan Yuan couldn't take any shortcuts that didn't exist.

Yuan Yuan's body, built up over time through instinct, skillfully placed a slice of human heart into a vessel filled with the blood of a poisonous Great Void, while secretly laughing to himself.

Koto's questioning of him not only angered him but also made him somewhat amused.

If anyone could understand my ideas, then everyone would be a genius.

Remove the heart slice, which has turned pitch black, and rinse it with a liquid made from a 1:3 mixture of the culprit's cerebrospinal fluid and the eye fluid of the irrational Killian.

What I want from this world, I can't get yet.

The Cruciatus Curse was fired at the heart slice, which had shrunk by a quarter after being rinsed, completely destroying and expelling its spiritual energy components.

[Hueco Mundo, Hell, the Human World, Soul Society—only when all the conditions are met can what I desire appear.]

Release the heart slices that have lost all spiritual energy to quickly revive them, activate their physical components, and create a living body that is completely devoid of spirit.

Now that Ikkyu has arrived in Hueco Mundo, I can reach the level I want simply by accumulating experience over time.

The smallest complete soul that could be extracted at present, the soul of the mayfly, was taken out from the specially made killing intent stone container.

With me in hell, there's no problem anymore.

Use [Arrogance] to protect the mayfly's soul, preventing it from being killed by the high concentration of spiritual energy in the air.

[There are currently no beings in Soul Society who meet the requirements, but because the spiritual energy content in this world is constantly increasing and squeezing out and destroying other components, the talent of souls is destined to be stronger with each generation. Presumably, new people who meet the requirements will appear soon.]

Injecting the soul of a mayfly into a slice of a heart completely devoid of spiritual power, and guiding it with a trace of spiritual power, an attempt is made to revive the complete soul using an absolutely pure body.

The most difficult is the human world. If Soul Society lacks people who meet the criteria, they can try to recruit people from Hueco Mundo. However, because the human world aggregates all non-spiritual matter that has been squeezed out and rejected by Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and Hell, it is impossible to recruit people from Soul Society or Hueco Mundo. Only pure humans can be used.

The flesh, infused with the soul of a mayfly, began to twist.

It seems that after resolving the "baby snake looking for its mother" incident, we should shift our focus to the present world.

Suddenly, the writhing flesh emitted a sharp hissing sound, then fell completely still.

Ah, it failed.

Calmly, another fresh slice of human heart is taken out, and the experiment is repeated for who knows how many times.