Chapter 377 B

Chapter 377

2-in-1 chapter:  

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Mayuri Kurotsuchi was quite upset.

The collection of modified souls he had painstakingly gathered had all been forcibly taken by Kaelith—without any form of compensation.

But then again, he wasn’t that upset.

Because he had secretly stashed away a portion of them for future experimentation.

After all, he never explicitly said how many he had. That’s the art of language.

Jejeje.

Kaelith didn’t care about Mayuri’s underreporting.

What he cared about now was knowing what effect absorbing the Soul King’s power had produced in him.

It didn’t need to be overpowered—something like a Kryptonian bloodline would do just fine!

However, after absorbing all of Mayuri’s mod soul Gikongan, the stored Soul King power was still too low to meet the minimum threshold for activating any new ability.

Kaelith rubbed his chin.

At this point, there was only one solution left!

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“Sōzorama, please help me!!”

“?”

Watching Kaelith burst into the room, Aizen felt like he’d just been mentally violated by Komamura.

Not long ago, he’d been glad that Kaelith had stopped disturbing the lab.

It had been so peaceful.

But how long had that lasted? Now he’d shown up twice in a row.

Was this the so-called "power of the red flag" that someone once mentioned?

Under Aizen’s disapproving gaze, Kaelith leaned in with a wide grin:

“Sōsuke, give me a share of your Soul King fragments.”

“Soul King fragments?”

Aizen was stunned for a moment, then looked at him with growing suspicion.

“You’re up to something dangerous again, aren’t you?”

He knew this guy far too well.

Kaelith usually had bouts of curiosity, but they rarely lasted long.

Often, he’d get curious about something in the barracks, think of asking Aizen for help, but forget about it before even making it over—and go off to play with something else instead.

To remain this invested—something big had to be going on.

Aizen’s mind ran at full speed.

Soul King fragments, though numerous, weren’t easy to find in Soul Society.

Most of the obvious ones had already been located and collected by Aizen himself.

The only one Kaelith could have found was the fragment inside Rangiku Matsumoto.

But if something had gone wrong with that fragment, there was no way this guy would be so cheerful.

Hmm, different angle.

If Kaelith was asking for Soul King fragments, it meant he had already encountered something related—but the quantity was insufficient.

Then maybe it wasn’t a fragment he encountered, but some other item containing a trace amount of Soul King power.

Recently, the only related thing in Soul Society was… the Gikongan used in modified souls!

Suddenly, a memory flashed through his mind.

Kaelith holding a handful of red spheres, looking like he was about to taste one.

[If you’re thinking of trying one of those, I advise you not to.]

[How do you know what I’m thinking?!]

[It’s written all over your face.]

Recalling that moment, Aizen looked at Kaelith.

“You consumed the Gikongan from the modified souls?”

Hearing that, Kaelith looked at him in surprise.

“Sōsuke, don’t tell me you actually learned telepathy?”

“No wait, if you did, how come I didn’t sync up and pick it up too?”

Aizen took a deep breath.

This guy actually did something that absurd?!

Seeing the hostility in Aizen’s eyes, Kaelith quickly waved his hands:

“I didn’t eat them. I just used my own soul essence to wash the Soul King power out of the modified souls.”

“This Soul King power is now tightly connected with me. I can feel that if this energy grows stronger, it will probably awaken a new ability—so I wanted to reinforce it.”

Hearing this, Aizen raised his hand and pressed it against Kaelith’s chest.

Then he closed his eyes and extended his Reiatsu inward to examine Kaelith’s soul state.

Soon after, his eyes opened in mild surprise.

Under Kaelith’s curious gaze, he frowned and thought silently for a while.

After about thirty seconds, he spoke:

“Come with me.”

“To where?”

“The World of the Living.”

“Huh?”

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Passing through the Dangai, they arrived in the World of the Living.

On the way, Aizen explained:

“Some time ago, I discovered that the Shiba Clan’s exclusive Noble House gateway was being opened at an extremely high frequency—almost every day or two.”

“To confirm their activities… cough, to ensure Isshin Shiba’s safety, I visited the human world a few times.”

“During one of those visits, I had an unexpected discovery.”

With Kaelith in tow, Aizen arrived at an abandoned factory.

He pulled out a remote and pressed a button, opening a hidden door.

Inside, the decor was very familiar to Kaelith—classic high-tech lab style.

In one of the tanks, a man was floating.

He looked a bit familiar.

Aizen approached and said:

“This man’s name is Kūgo Ginjō—a pure-blood human who accidentally gained powers similar to a Shinigami.”

“He can inject spiritual energy into a large-blade-like pendant to summon a Zanpakutō.”

“He refers to his power as ‘Fullbring.’”

“Although I haven’t had much time to study him, the moment I touched the power inside you, I sensed it… the new ability you’re awakening bears a strong resemblance to Fullbring.”

“In fact, the source of his Fullbring is also a Soul King fragment.”

While speaking, Aizen pointed at the operating table beside them, motioning for Kaelith to lie down.

Once Kaelith lay down, Aizen pulled over a bunch of electrode pads and attached them all over Kaelith’s body.

“Now, I’m going to compare the spiritual pressure fluctuations between you two.”

“If my hypothesis is correct…”

Aizen spoke softly, eyes already fixed on the monitor.

Only now did Kaelith blink and show a surprised expression.

Wait a minute—who?

Kūgo Ginjō?

Isn’t that the guy who taught Ichigo Fullbring after he lost his Shinigami powers?

The first boss after the Aizen arc—taken out before even properly debuting… or rather, killed before even graduating?

Anyone caught by Aizen never saw the light again—not even Shinji Hirako.

Naturally, Kūgo Ginjō would be no exception.

Now that he’s gone, who would Ichigo rely on when he loses his Shinigami powers?

Oh… right. That scenario probably won’t happen.

With Kaelith around, Seireitei wouldn’t even get the chance to resist. As soon as Sōsuke rebelled, Kaelith’s side could wipe out the Gotei 13.

While Kaelith was lost in irrelevant thoughts, Aizen reached a conclusion.

The new energy forming inside him was indeed Fullbring. Although this wasn’t the first time Kaelith had suddenly awakened some inexplicable new ability, the confirmation that it was a Fullbring still left Sōsuke feeling both amused and troubled.

Was this guy really planning to consolidate all the world's powers into himself?

It was probably time he began studying what happens when so many powers converge within one person. For some reason, he had a bad feeling about it.

After confirming that the new power was indeed a Fullbring, Kaelith suddenly became excited.

Though most Fullbringers were weak, among them were some with abilities far beyond the norm.

For example, Inoue Orihime’s hairpins, and Tsukishima-whatever-his-name’s memory book.

Calling these abilities a "bug" wouldn’t even be an exaggeration.

Their only flaw was that their base stats were too low.

If Tsukishima’s ability were in the hands of a captain-class Shinigami, he’d at least be a main villain in an original arc or movie.

Originally, Sōsuke had planned to study the phenomenon further before allowing Kaelith to activate the ability.

But he couldn’t endure the constant torment of Kaelith’s voice calling, “Sōzorama~”

It was like torture.

Unable to withstand the auditory onslaught, Sōsuke finally gave in and brought Kaelith to a secret location.

This was one of the places where he had hidden fragments of the Soul King.

Under Kaelith’s gaze, he took out several containers.

“One at a time. No rushing.”

“After you absorb each one, I must inspect you.”

After repeating the warning several times, he pushed the containers toward Kaelith.

Under his watchful eye, Kaelith opened one jar and, without a word, sent his artificial soul power inside.

Inside the container, a fragment glowing with reishi quickly dimmed.

As the Soul King fragment’s power entered his body, Kaelith could feel the new power core he had formed earlier rapidly growing stronger.

Just one fragment already surpassed the total output he’d gained from the Gikongan.

After confirming that the power infusion didn’t cause problems, Sōsuke nodded and allowed him to absorb the second.

Just like that, after absorbing four fragments, Kaelith exhaled deeply and gave Sōsuke a thumbs-up.

“It’s done!”

Sōsuke instinctively glanced at a screen nearby.

After confirming the data was being recorded, he looked at Kaelith.

“Fullbring is the ability to channel power through a specific object—something you often carry and are emotionally attached to—as a conduit to manifest its effect.”

“Do you have anything like that? Preferably something you always carry and care for deeply.”

Kaelith let out a hum.

Now that Sōsuke mentioned it, he remembered—Fullbring required a focus object.

Kurosaki Ichigo used his Substitute Shinigami badge.

He didn’t have anything like that on him. If there were anything he constantly carried and deeply cared for, it would be his Zanpakutō.

But a Zanpakutō was already a power source—how could it serve as a vessel for another power?

Crossing his arms, Kaelith quickly reviewed Fullbringers in his mind for reference.

Ginjo, Orihime, Tsukishima, pink-hair, shota, old man, baldy...

Ah.

Kaelith suddenly froze.

Speaking of Fullbringers—wasn’t Chad a Fullbringer too?

His Fullbring wasn’t tied to an object.

Chad’s Fullbring was activated through the “skin of his arms.”

Which meant his own body could be used as the focus for Fullbring!

Realizing this, Kaelith grinned.

Under Sōsuke’s gaze, a blue spiritual light began to emanate from his body.

The glow flickered several times before erupting violently.

Kaelith’s entire body seemed to be undergoing a transformation from this power.

Nearby, the instruments began showing drastic data changes.

Had he not seen it with his own eyes, Sōsuke would’ve thought the machines were malfunctioning.

After a dozen or so seconds, the spiritual pressure around Kaelith gradually settled.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked at Sōsuke.

“Sōsuke, my Fullbring… is complete.”

Sōsuke was a bit puzzled.

“Complete? Where did you bind your Fullbring?”

Kaelith chuckled.

He stood up, wires and electrodes still stuck to his body, and patted his chest.

“I integrated the Fullbring power into all my muscles.”

“The name of my Fullbring… is ‘Innate Flesh.’”

Sōsuke glanced over Kaelith’s body.

From the name, it sounded like a buffed-out musclehead kind of power.

But physically, nothing had changed.

He still had a normal athletic build—muscles lean and defined, not bulky.

However, when Sōsuke looked over at the monitor, he started to feel uneasy.

Kaelith’s body had always been above average for a Shinigami. In countless battles, pushing past his limits again and again, his flesh had repeatedly torn and regenerated.

Especially when using multiple layered force techniques—it placed a terrifying burden on the body.

After such torment—such intense conditioning—Kaelith’s physical form had already reached a level incomprehensible to ordinary Shinigami.

And now, his physical strength had surged even further!

From the test results, Kaelith’s reishi density had reached the uppermost limit of what the body could physically sustain.

Even without a spiritual pressure coating, his body alone could withstand Zanpakutō strikes with ease.

Sōsuke even suspected that not even the defense-ignoring technique like Rixiang Jimie could slice through this monster of a body.

As he thought about this, Kaelith raised his hand and clenched his fist beside him.

The Fullbring “Innate Flesh” gave him a strange feeling—as if he could blow up the whole Seireitei with one punch.

While considering whether to test it out, the scene before him suddenly changed.

Darkness engulfed the surroundings.

Ahead, a man lay still.

He had long hair and a beard, pale skin devoid of any color.

If it weren’t for the steady heartbeat echoing from his chest, Kaelith would’ve thought the man was dead.

As he tried to determine the man’s identity, another figure suddenly descended into the darkness.

Upon seeing him, Kaelith’s pupils contracted.

Long golden hair, a cold and stern face.

He had seen this man once before, inside the cracks of the Wandenreich.

The leader of the Quincy, second-in-command of the Wandenreich—Jugram Haschwalth!

Even if he hadn’t seen him before, Kaelith wouldn’t have mistaken him.

To protect Kaelith from Quincy assassination attempts, Bambietta had drawn portraits of every member of the Sternritter she knew and had him memorize their faces.

Without hesitation, Kaelith reached for the Zanpakutō at his waist.

But he found nothing there.

Then he realized—not just his blade—his body didn’t even exist.

Under his gaze, the blond man slowly knelt on one knee.

“Your Majesty, it has been a while.”

“May I ask how you feel today?”

Hearing Haschwalth call the man "Your Majesty," Kaelith’s breath hitched.

Your Majesty?

He turned his eyes to the man lying on the stone bed.

The man slowly opened his eyes…