Chapter 563: Lisil's Desire to Become Stronger
Chapter 563: Lisil's Desire to Become Stronger
The Hollow King!
A being that, alongside the Soul King, was responsible for the creation of Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, the very foundation of this world. Yet, due to the absence of any traces of him throughout a million years of history, many believed him to be as insubstantial as his title—a figment of myth and legend.
Even Unohana Retsu was hesitant to affirm his existence. She knew there were those stronger than her in this world, and not just one, but several. Aside from Captain-Commander Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, there was also the mysterious Zero Squad guarding the Royal Palace. At least three of their members possessed strength surpassing her own.
Then there was Kirinji Tenjiro, who had taught her the healing technique, Kakaku Joji, the creator of Zanpakuto, and Koseiju Ichibe Hyosube. Kirinji Tenjiro's healing abilities far exceeded her own, allowing him to treat injuries that she couldn't.
The Hollow King felt like a distant myth.
A figure that existed only in legends from a million years ago.
"Captain!"
Unohana's wandering thoughts were interrupted by the shout of her vice-captain, Isane.
Isane rushed over, breathless and drenched in sweat. Though she hadn't directly taken part in the battle, the aftermath had been enough to make it feel like she had.
"What of that stranger...?"
Obstructed by Unohana's spiritual pressure and the blood that had permeated the void after her Bankai, Isane had only witnessed the sea of blood being torn apart, the sky and earth splitting, and the space being rent asunder. She hadn't seen the ultimate outcome of the battle.
Unohana snapped back to the present, her Zanpakuto returning to its sealed state, and the sea of blood that had filled the sky vanished without a trace.
"He's gone."
Unohana sheathed her sword.
Isane's heart skipped a beat. "Captain, you... you didn't win?"
If Unohana had won, she might not have taken her opponent's life, but they would certainly have been gravely injured and unable to escape.
The fact that they could still walk away meant that Unohana might have lost!
"Mmm."
Unohana nodded slightly, her eyes following the direction in which Fengye had left. She smoothed her long, black hair, which had become disheveled during the battle, and a soft gleam flashed in her gentle eyes.
Isane's expression froze. She was well aware of Unohana's strength and her past. For there to be a man capable of besting Unohana was undoubtedly terrifying. Such an individual would likely be unmatched throughout Soul Society.
And yet, this person had lived in obscurity?!
...
Two days later.
Inside the First Division's barracks in Seireitei.
With several captains away on missions in Hueco Mundo and the human world, only six captains had been able to gather for this temporary meeting.
"That's about all the information I have."
Unohana stood to one side, her soft voice relating the events of her battle with Fengye two days prior. She omitted the part where she had nearly been killed.
Hirako Shinji looked at Unohana, a strange expression in his eyes. "Among the Wanderers, there's actually someone who can match Captain Unohana?"
Kisuke Urahara, his gaze calm and steady, spoke up. "From what Captain Unohana says, it doesn't sound like they were evenly matched. It sounds like she was outclassed."
"Oh, then that's even more unbelievable!"
Hirako scratched his head. "But aside from that, is there no other information? Where did he go?"
Unohana's hands were clasped in front of her, hidden by the wide sleeves of her haori. "I have no idea about any of that."
"You must at least know his name and what he looks like..."
Hirako rolled his eyes.
Unohana looked straight ahead at the ground. "I don't know his name, and as for his appearance, most Wanderers can change their looks at will, so it's meaningless. Plus, they don't have spiritual bodies, so there's no spiritual pressure to track."
While she said this, Unohana's true thoughts were different. She felt it would be useless to tell them, but more importantly, she didn't want to reveal Fengye's personal information.
After all, she had lost to him.
It had been her choice to challenge someone stronger than herself, and Fengye had accepted her challenge. In the end, he had shown her what she had wanted to see.
The fact that Fengye possessed such immense power and yet chose to live quietly on the outskirts of Rukongai with an ordinary soul as a companion indicated that he didn't want to be disturbed.
She would respect his wishes.
Hearing Unohana's response, Hirako couldn't help but look exasperated. "So, aside from knowing that there's a dangerous being out there, we have no other intelligence or leads? That's practically useless."
After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and turned to Retsu Unohana.
"Don't you have any other thoughts on this?"
"......No."
Unohana glanced at Yamamoto before averting her gaze and closing her eyes again. She chose not to voice her possible speculation about Fengye's identity.
After all, the likelihood of her guess was slim, and it was merely based on her personal intuition after an intense battle with Fengye.
Perhaps, her speculation was entirely wrong.
"Then that's settled," Yamamoto said as he tapped his cane. "Record this matter and inform the other captains to be wary of this unusual individual."
"Next, the Second and Sixth Divisions will report their investigation results from the past two days."
As Yamamoto spoke, Shinji Hirako and the others stopped discussing the previous incident and turned their attention to Soi Fon, the captain of the Second Division, and Ginrei Kuchiki, the captain of the Sixth Division.
Soi Fon and Ginrei Kuchiki proceeded to share their recent investigation findings.
The results were consistent across all divisions, and no serious violations of regulations were discovered. Minor infractions, such as dress code issues, were deemed insignificant and did not require recording or reporting.
"With that, this meeting is adjourned," Yamamoto announced after hearing the reports. He tapped his cane, signaling the end of the gathering. The captains exchanged glances and then departed.
As Yamamoto watched the captains leave, he directed a deep gaze at Unohana's departing figure. His intuition told him that Unohana's encounter was not as straightforward as it seemed, but if she was unwilling to elaborate, he didn't intend to press her further.
After all, Unohana was the most senior captain, having experienced countless battles since the founding of the Gotei 13. Moreover, she was someone who knew how to prioritize and act accordingly.
"...'"
Unohana sensed the captain-commander's gaze but didn't pause in her stride. With her hands still tucked in her sleeves, she walked away from the First Division barracks with steady steps.
South Rukongai, District 75.
After the battle with Unohana, Fengye didn't rebuild his residence in the same spot. Instead, he left District 78 with Lisil, Hinachi, and Rukia in tow, relocating directly to District 75. He anticipated that the Gotei 13 would thoroughly investigate the area, and he wanted to avoid unnecessary interruptions from Shinigami.
"Mr. Fengye..."
Hinachi, carrying Rukia, trailed behind Fengye, her eyes reflecting a hint of nervousness.
She had initially assumed that Fengye was an ordinary soul like herself, but her perception changed as she witnessed his strength. Still, she realized that her understanding of him was vastly inaccurate.
Fengye's power wasn't merely strong; it rivaled that of a Shinigami captain. Even in the Seireitei, the central hub of the Soul Society, he would undoubtedly be a prominent figure!
Here, she was just an ordinary soul.
"Hmm?"
Fengye turned to look at Hinachi, noticing her nervousness, and smiled reassuringly. "Why are you so tense? I don't bite."
His lighthearted tone eased some of Hinachi's tension, but she still felt slightly apprehensive. "Um... you're not an ordinary soul, are you?"
This question seemed redundant, but it was her cautious attempt to inquire about Fengye's identity.
"Of course not," Fengye laughed. "Are you worried that I'll abandon you? Don't be. Although our home was destroyed, I promised to take you in, and I will keep that promise."
Hearing Fengye's assurance, Hinachi breathed a sigh of relief and managed a smile, her eyes reflecting gratitude. She bowed to him and said, "Thank you..."
Being discarded by Fengye would leave her in a dire situation, and the thought of having to abandon her sister pained her immensely.
Lisil glanced at Hinachi but remained silent. After a moment, she turned to Fengye and said, "Brother, I want to become stronger."
Fengye looked at Lisil with a touch of surprise, then laughed softly.
"What brought about this sudden desire to become stronger?" he asked.
After his initial surprise, Fengye felt pleased by Lisil's request because it indicated that she was becoming more human-like in her thoughts and desires.
But now, things are different.
Lisil has expressed her desire to become stronger, signifying a genuine aspiration of her own. This indicates that her soul is now truly indistinguishable from that of a human, perhaps lacking only in the realm of emotions, but fundamentally the same in essence.
"Because I want to be more capable, so I can better assist Brother Feng," Lisil said, her amber eyes, pure and flawless, fixed on Feng Ye.
A cheerful smile appeared on Feng Ye's face.
With a light laugh, he extended his palm and gently caressed Lisil's cheek, saying, "Okay, then go ahead and become stronger."
Lisil's strength was somewhere between that of an ordinary captain and an ultra-captain. She could defeat ordinary captains but was no match for beings like Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, who possessed power akin to a star. However, her potential for growth was immense.
Firstly, all of her power originated from Feng Ye's bestowal, so he could temporarily merge her body with his by drawing it into his own. Conversely, he could also infuse part or all of his body and energy into her.
Of course,
This did not constitute Lisil becoming stronger by herself. It was merely Feng Ye lending her his power to use. Thus, if she wanted to grow stronger, there were two paths she could take.
One path was to absorb a small portion of the evolutionary power, causing her Six Paths power to evolve to the next level. This process had already been underway since Feng Ye obtained the power of evolution; he had been constantly influencing her with his power.
However, this evolution required sufficient time to accumulate.
If Feng Ye were to impart too much power to her at once, even if it resulted in her completing the evolution, it would still be merely his bestowed power.
It would be like him giving one-thirtieth of his power to Lisil, making her stronger, but fundamentally, it would still be dependent on his gift. Hence, it required time to accumulate, using his power as a guide rather than directly consuming it as energy.
But now,
Since they were in the world of Bleach, there was another path for Lisil to become stronger—by enhancing her soul and acquiring the power of a Shinigami!
For Lisil, obtaining a Zanpakuto, communicating with it, and ultimately releasing its power to achieve Bankai would undoubtedly elevate her strength to a whole new level. She might even reach a level comparable to that of Retsu Unohana or Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
Moreover, the power of the Shinigami was not only suitable for Lisil.
Feng Ye needed this power as well.
In this world, there were only a few forces that could affect him, one of which was the Hougyoku, a form of evolutionary power that he had already possessed. Thus, the only way for him to further increase his strength was to obtain the power of the Soul King.
The Soul King's power was several times greater than his own. Even if he couldn't break through his current level, obtaining it would transform him from a small sun into a larger one.
However, acquiring the Soul King's power was not as simple as directly consuming it, as the Soul King's power far surpassed his own and belonged to an entirely different power system.
Therefore, he needed to first obtain the power of the Shinigami.
By gradually adapting to it, he would eventually be able to acquire the Soul King's power.
If the Soul King were still alive and conscious, Feng Ye might not have coveted his power, as the Soul King could be considered a friend. But the current Soul King had no consciousness, and in the future that he had not interfered with, he would be completely killed and devoured by Yhwach.
Therefore, as long as he was willing to replace the Soul King and safeguard the world the latter had created, even if the Soul King's consciousness still existed, he would most likely not resist.
Furthermore,
Feng Ye felt that the Soul King, who could see through the past and future, might have already foreseen these events and made a response.
That response might be waiting for him in the Royal Palace at this very moment.
Thinking of this, Feng Ye sighed. A being stronger than himself, capable of eternal existence, had lost its soul after a million years, reinforcing his determination to conquer time.
He would not end up like the Soul King!
(End of Chapter)
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