Ichigo leaves and takes up residence in Soul Society!

"Oh my, what a terrifying ability~ No wonder Mr. Arturo is so powerful, even daring to challenge the entire Soul Society single-handedly... Indeed, for you, the existence of companions only steals your prey, greatly reducing your gains."

Gin Ichimaru's smile faded, and he sighed.

"Looking at it this way, I shouldn't have let you out. Now I'm in danger too."

"I am not bloodthirsty."

Arturo snorted coldly, seemingly quite dissatisfied.

"Otherwise, there would be no need to come to Soul Society at all. It would be much more convenient to kill and devour spiritual energy in Hueco Mundo than to come to Soul Society."

"I crave worthy opponents, such as Shinigami like Yamamoto Shigekuni, and the Soul Society right beneath my feet!"

"This is the true king of Hueco Mundo, the strongest being who should conquer and kill the enemy!"

"As for spiritual power, it is nothing more than a trophy, like cutting off the head of a powerful prey and keeping it."

"Then I'm relieved~ If I really have to fight Mr. Arturo, then I can only turn around and run away, and pray that he won't chase me anymore."

"A guy like you who can only run is no match for me."

Arturo scoffed at Gin Ichimaru's relief, then carefully examined the "Hōgyoku" before him, muttering to himself:

"I can definitely feel a powerful energy fluctuation."

“I didn’t lie to you, did I… but unfortunately, I don’t know how to use this either. Mr. Arturo will have to figure it out himself.”

Ginichimaru spread his hands, looking helpless.

"piece of cake."

Arturo's lips curled slightly.

"Although I don't know much about its composition, I'm sure the power it emits is harmless to me, and that's enough."

"If I can make a Shinigami Hollow, I can also make a Hollow break through the limitations, allowing me to surpass my past self."

"How to fully absorb this power requires some time to study, but simply utilizing its spiritual pressure and making it my own is not difficult for me."

After saying that, he tore open his chest with one hand.

Ignoring the splattering blood and the excruciating pain of the wound, he pulled out a sharp thorn that looked like a silver needle from inside.

With its super-fast regeneration, wounds heal instantly.

In Arturo's hands, the spikes transformed into a magnificent mirror.

Upon seeing the mirror, Gin Ichimaru's previously narrowed eyes opened slightly, his blue pupils filled with an unprecedented seriousness.

"Tsk... It absorbed so much of my spiritual power and was buried in my body for two thousand years, and it can only barely be guided... No wonder it is a divine artifact passed down from generation to generation. Even that woman had to pay with her life to awaken it."

It's clear that Arturo's method involved removing the mirror from his body.

Although he poured a lot of spiritual power into it, trying to resonate with it, it did not cause the slightest ripple. The mirror fell into a deep sleep like a hero who had completed his mission. Only by using blood as a catalyst and stimulating it with all his might, like "Wang Xu's Flash", did the mirror "move" slightly.

It released an invisible pulling force, drawing out the spiritual pressure emanating from the "Hōgyoku" in Arturo's other hand.

At this moment, this "fragmented" power had already separated from the "Hogyoku" itself.

Arturo took advantage of this to absorb the unclaimed spiritual power of the "Hogyoku" into his body.

Just as Unohana Retsu made the judgment when she saw him destroy "Ten-Ting Kong-Luo".

Arturo possesses the special ability to absorb spiritual energy.

Therefore, after autonomously becoming an Arrancar, this ability will evolve into "killing the enemy and plundering all of their spiritual power".

Even though it is about liberating the core, only by returning to its original state can this step be achieved.

But if it's just about absorbing unclaimed spiritual energy...

He can do it now.

"It's back... The spiritual energy absorbed by the 'Blazing Water Mirror' has returned! Even a tiny fraction of it possesses such power... How was the 'Hōgyoku' created? What exactly is this thing?"

Arturo's spiritual pressure gradually increased, beyond what could be described as air filled with mercury. Even vice-captains like the Archer and Shuhei felt difficulty breathing and knew their lives were in danger at any moment.

Rukia and Hachiman had even fainted.

Even when she fainted, her body was trembling, as if it would disintegrate and collapse at any moment.

Arturo himself was shocked by this remarkable change.

"Yamamoto Shigekuni... your death is near."

He stopped the absorption with his strong willpower.

We have enough power now.

It was comparable to its heyday.

While his former rivals were far stronger than before, it is undeniable that their performance had declined due to repeated battles.

Defeating them now would not only wash away the shame of the past, but also remove the biggest obstacle to destroying Soul Society in the future.

As long as the strongest among the Grim Reapers dies.

Then no one could stop him.

But before confronting the other party, you must first retrieve your knife.

Arturo put the "Hōgyoku" and "Shōsui-kyō" into a white box made of spirit particles, then cut open his chest and stuffed the box inside.

This way, he would never lose these two treasures that would make him the only king in the Three Realms.

Arturo wore a confident smile, and raised one hand high, shouting:

"Come back, my core... the Undying King!"

boom!

The undisguised spiritual pressure transformed into a pillar of light that pierced the sky, instantly alarming the entire Seireitei.

But even more striking than this was the sudden violent reaction of the "Destroyer King" that had been dormant on Twin Peaks Hill, which released itself without the cooperation of the Kido Clan.

It transformed into a giant firebird and flew straight towards Arturo.

"What's going on? The Twin Pole has actually broken free of the seal, and whose spiritual pressure is that... Hollow? But it doesn't seem like it at all."

On the hill of twin poles, Renji stared in astonishment as the firebird flew away.

If the loss of control of the bipolar can be attributed to an accident, then how should we explain this powerful spiritual pressure that surpasses even the captain's?

"That guy... actually escaped...!?"

The deep voice from the side startled Renji, who then realized that he was still in the middle of a battle and had just been knocked to the ground by his opponent's Bankai. He was about to fight back desperately.

But when he turned his head, he found that the First Division Vice-Captain, Sasakibe Jiro, who had knocked him to the ground, didn't take him seriously at all and was looking solemnly in the direction the firebird had flown away.

"Who...who are you referring to? Who escaped!"

Renji realized that the situation had changed and hurriedly asked.

"Arturo Pratidor, a monster evolved from a high-ranking Vastora.

Chojiro Sasakibe didn't beat around the bush.

"Two thousand years ago, he single-handedly attacked the Soul Society, and even Lord Genryusai was once no match for him. However, due to underestimating his opponent, he was ambushed by a noblewoman wielding the ancestral artifact 'Blazing Water Mirror,' which could absorb spiritual energy. Ultimately, Lord Genryusai sealed him away at Sōgyō-gō."

"But this is only recorded in ancient texts. In reality, what is sealed here is his core body; his true body is imprisoned in the underground prison known as 'Avici'."

"Who, who did this...?"

Before she could finish speaking, the bell that had rung when Yoruichi and the others forcibly broke through the Soul-Binding Membrane rang out again a day later, echoing throughout Seireitei once more.

[Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert!]

[A serious criminal has escaped from prison. Preliminary identification indicates he is a high-ranking Hollow. This prisoner is extremely dangerous, and control of the Cyclops has been gained. All squads are ordered to halt current missions and immediately proceed to their positions to apprehend this high-priority criminal!]

[Repeat once more…]

"That's really jarring."

Arturo watched the firebird fly towards him, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

"It's novel as a cry of fear, but it's just too stupid."

"They only want to arrest me... do they mean to capture me alive? How naive. Who came up with this idea? This kind of clown should be saved for last."

"Because I was very curious about what surprising things he might say when facing death."

"A startling statement?"

Suddenly, someone exclaimed.

This attracted the attention of Arturo and Gin Ichimaru.

The water surface of the lake rose up and transformed into a living person.

“A Void being imprisoned for two thousand years probably wouldn’t mind being locked in a cage again and studied… I made the order to arrest and capture it alive based on this judgment.”

"Is something amiss? The one who lost due to arrogance and underestimation of his opponent... Mr. Arturo the Clown Pratidoo?"

Mayuri tilted her head and asked, feigning confusion.