You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

"Hmph... How could a frog in a well possibly know my ambitions?"

Shitan narrowed his eyes, disdainful of explanation, and also showed great contempt for Saito.

"In the end, I won this war. As long as Aizen and Iori are dead, no one can shake my foundation in Hueco Mundo. One day, I will return to Soul Society and tell the hypocritical gods in the sky everything I have to say!"

“Pathetic…a guy driven by ambition and desire.”

Saito coldly said, "As a Shinigami, you have lost your Zanpakuto, so you are not in a complete state. Even if you gain new power through Hollowfication, you are not as powerful as the true Hollow King."

The captains will surely defeat their enemies and arrive here. You are not as powerful as the Hollow King. Let's see if this generation's Kenpachi can steal your head.

"Of course... until then, you'll have to hold out under my command until Kenpachi arrives!"

"Hahaha... What a joke!"

Shi Tan laughed wildly, his eyes sweeping over the crowd with arrogance: "Aizen Iori has lost his fighting ability, and you think you can take it?"

Iori seemed angered by those words and retorted, "I won't just give up so easily—"

Suddenly, Saito raised his hand to block him, making his intention quite clear.

"You don't need to get involved. I can handle scum like that."

After saying that, Saito, who was immortal, unleashed a Bankai-level spiritual pressure that was genuine and ranked among the top among all the captains!

After removing her blindfold and turning her head, she showed Iori her face without any reservations for the first time.

It was an eye with a brass-colored pupil, dull and lifeless, whether it was congenital or caused by injury or illness, it was hard to tell.

From this angle, it looks like a Persian cat with heterochromia.

"Iori".

"Ok?"

A satisfied smile curved his lips.

"This time, it's my turn to protect you!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the Zanpakuto ripped through the air, the invisible wind transforming into a hammer, treating the earth as an anvil and the Tsunayoshiro Tokinada as a metal ingot, and with a force that shook the heavens and earth, it swung down heavily!

boom--! ! !

Captain Millennium's all-out attack, though it was a Zanpakuto that controlled the flow of wind, had no fancy moves in its Bankai, pursuing only the ultimate power!

Unable to see or avoid it, Tsunayoshi Tokina's body was smashed down along with the surrounding rubble and buried deep in the ground.

"Tsunayoshi Tokinada, you've picked the wrong opponent... You want to kill Iori in front of me? There's a limit to your dreams!"

Chapter 432 Yami! ! !

huh... huh... huh...

Saito gasped for breath as he wiped the blood from his face. The mixture of sweat and blood made his wounds sting with pain.

Her physical strength was greatly depleted, and her spiritual pressure was only one-fifth of what it used to be. Apart from the near-fatal wound on her collarbone, she had about four other wounds, all penetrating wounds caused by swords. Fortunately, they avoided vital points, allowing her to retain some combat ability.

How lucky I am—she couldn't help but think.

Even in such a miserable state, she had no intention of surrendering. Her remaining eye was fixed on the enemy, and although the muscles in her body were trembling, her right hand holding the knife remained as steady as ever.

In contrast, Tsunayoshi Tokinada was in much better condition. Although he was hit several times, the combination of steel armor and ultra-high-speed regeneration made him appear unharmed.

The difference in strength is obvious, and my body probably can't hold on any longer. If this continues—

boom!

Suddenly, Saito felt a wave of dizziness, and his vision began to blur.

The little spiritual pressure remaining in her body suddenly surged wildly, as if a million streams of energy were about to burst out of her chest.

"Uhhhhh!"

White "mud" climbed onto Saito's face, gradually forming half a mask. His blind eye suddenly turned scarlet, and in a daze, he could see light again.

"What, what's going on! Shi Tan... what have you done?!"

"You should thank me for giving you the opportunity to reach a higher level, Saito is immortal."

Shi Tan's smile was extremely wicked: "Breaking the boundary between the Hollow and the Grim Reaper will grant you even greater power, just as the combination of Yin and Yang gives rise to all things... However, the prerequisite, of course, is to survive."

"Etherealization?"

Saito gritted his teeth, feeling a variety of voices flooding his mind, constantly assaulting his reason.

kill! kill! kill! kill!

It was as if all the malice in his heart had been materialized, and every cell in his body was craving blood!

"If this continues... Damn it!"

Her body gradually became no longer her own. As a thousand-year-old grim reaper, she originally had amazing willpower, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not resist the erosion of the "hollow" with her seriously injured body!

Rage! Madness! Destruction!

I want to kill everything in front of me!

But we can't do that... At least... at least we have to protect Iori...

Suddenly, Saito's pupils dilated, and his struggling body abruptly relaxed, collapsing backward as if exhausted, his still-forming mask hanging in the air.

She was greeted not by the cold ground, but by a warm embrace.

Through his blurred vision, Saito saw Iori's face, which seemed to exude a faint sadness, under the dark night sky. A crescent moon cast a cool moonlight, making him feel as if he were in a dream.

“Iori…is that so? That was a ‘breakpoint (anesthesia)’ just now…a wise judgment, that way we can kill him before he completely hollows out…”

Why am I making that face? Every grim reaper should be prepared for this; I've lived long enough.

And... I met you in the last few years of my life... it seems God has been kind to me after all.

Saito smiled with relief: "I'm sorry, I originally planned to live... Even if I had to give up my sword, I wanted to stay by your side... for a longer time..."

No, my consciousness is gradually being swallowed by darkness... Is this the end?

Although I'm very unwilling, since we haven't even hit the enemy yet, I'm sure it'll be fine since it's Iori.

...Is it an illusion?

That look in his eyes didn't seem to be sad...

……

"ended."

"Yeah, it's over."

Iori and Tokina said to themselves.

"The injected void energy is a special product, and the modification surgery is also ready."

The wounds on Saito's immortal body were not simply lucky escapes from fatal injuries; Iori's attacks were extremely precise, targeting areas that would be used during surgery.

Unlike ordinary Hollowfication, Saito already harbored serious injuries, making it nearly impossible for her to complete the transformation process in a state of near exhaustion. However, if Iori intervened, she could heal her hidden injuries simultaneously while achieving a perfect Hollowfication!

[Third Method] It's still too shocking for a native Shinigami. If he were to confront Saito all at once, it might be too much... Otherwise, if he could just complete the "materialization of the soul," any injury would be a minor matter.

"Finally, I can disconnect from the clone... multitasking like this is quite tiring."

Iori snapped her fingers, and the arrogant Toki Nada, who had previously driven Saito to the brink of death, instantly dissipated into countless spiritual particles. Iori also breathed a sigh of relief.

He opened the storage space and took out a well-sealed alloy box, inside which was a human head sealed with a demonic barrier—

This is the real Tsunami Tokina!

Looking at the head, Iori frowned slightly, revealing displeasure.

Long before she killed Toki no Nagashira, Iori had already planned today's outcome. Although the process wasn't entirely as she had envisioned, she had firmly grasped the overall direction. And this head was deliberately preserved to make it easier to report to Soul Society.

It has been specially processed by Szayelaporro to ensure that traces of etherealization and extremely high spiritual particle density can be detected.

...But looking back now, it's really unsettling to have this thing sitting in the storage space all this time.

"With Tsunashiro Tokinada killed, and no captains dying, this should be the most perfect ending."

The only problem is that Saito of the 7th Division is immortal and was ambushed and Hollowened by Tokinada during the final battle. Aizen and Iori of the 3rd Division were unable to free him, and in order to save his life, they ransacked Tokinada's laboratory and acquired Hollowfication technology... This act has tarnished the dignity of the Gotei 13 and must be punished accordingly.

Iori thought for a moment, then muttered to herself, "Let's write the report along these lines."

He swept Saito up in his arms, and with a flash of spiritual light beneath his feet, the figure vanished...

……

So warm...

"Well!"

Saito slowly opened her eyes. The blinding light made her uncomfortable. She was about to raise her hand when she found it was unusually heavy. She turned her head to the side and saw Iori, dressed in tattered shihaka, sitting next to her, pale-faced and asleep, holding her right hand.

"Where am I? What? I'm not dead..."

Not only did he not die, his physical condition was better than ever before! It was as if he had been reborn!

After a brief moment of sensing, Saito was shocked by the sheer scale of his spiritual pressure... It was incomparable to what he had experienced before!

But what's with this subtle, strange feeling... Ah!

Saito then belatedly realized that his field of vision seemed wider than usual.

I covered it with my hand... and sure enough, only half of my vision remained!

"My eyes? Is it blurred? But I don't have them..."

Thinking of this, Saito unconsciously looked at Iori and suddenly realized, "Did you save me?"

She smiled slightly and sat up—

"Ugh?"

The white sheet slipped down, a chill ran through him, and Saito realized with a start that he wasn't wearing any clothes!

It was at this moment that Iori, awakened by the noise, groggily opened her eyes, which terrified Saito even more—

"Yami!!!"

Chapter 433 Retreat quickly, it's Saito forcing himself on her!

The war is over, and as expected, it was a victory for Soul Society.

Before the war, everyone firmly believed this and was prepared for heavy sacrifices, but it was unexpected that none of the captains died.

The successful suppression of the rebels and the reduction of casualties to a very low level are naturally encouraging. For several days, the entire expeditionary force has been immersed in a complex atmosphere of joy and sorrow, but overall it is positive. After all, it is the Las Noches that is holding back the main enemy force of the Hollows, so the pressure on the Shinigami side is less.

Apart from Retsu Unohana, all the captains were seriously injured, but miraculously all survived. They have been receiving treatment these days and will return to Soul Society after cleaning up the battlefield and receiving all of Tsunayoshi Tokinada's legacy.

A force will remain in Hueco Mundo, and it is planned that Esdeath will lead it. She performed exceptionally well in this battle, and the Gotei 13 already regards her as someone on par with the captains.

In the future, she will most likely be used to replace Saito's immortal status in Hueco Mundo.

Speaking of Saito, this captain of the 7th Division hid in his room after the war and never came out. He even made excuses to skip meetings, acting all mysterious.

Unohana Retsu and Saito were old friends, and worried that her injuries might have worsened, so he secretly came to her alone to treat her.

However, to her surprise, when Unohana arrived, she did not find Saito lying in bed, but rather he was in high spirits and had a rosy complexion, unlike someone who was physically weak and near death, which greatly surprised Unohana.

In the end what happened?

—When Kenpachi asked the question that had been bothering him, Saito showed a very complicated and indescribable expression.

"Lie...you're talking about physical intimacy...how intimate does contact between men and women have to be to be considered physical intimacy?"

"..."

Unohana Retsu's mind went blank for a moment. When she came to her senses, she saw the strange blush on Saito's face. She looked shy and bashful, completely different from the tomboy she had been before.

What happened? No, there's no need to ask that question anymore.

This clearly indicates that there has been some progress in her relationship with Iori, right?

You actually asked me this kind of question... I don't know how to answer you!

But how could Retsu Unohana, a kind older sister who is over a thousand years old, back down at such a moment?

That's right. Although she also lacks dating experience, by combining her observations and reflections over the years, she can definitely offer excellent advice. After all, Saito and she aren't that different, so she just needs to put herself in Saito's shoes...