Chapter 333: Gin Ichimaru with Maxed-Out Illusion Resistance
As a soul-based entity, a Shinigami was acutely aware of every change in their body.
The moment Gin Ichimaru purchased the Phantom Serpent Bloodline,
he immediately felt a cold current surge into his soul.
With a constitution stat of [99], he had previously been impervious to the extreme cold of the White Ruins. Yet now, he could distinctly feel a piercing chill running through him.
A patch of gray-white snake scales, about the size of a fingernail, began spreading from his neck, extending across half his face.
His right eye socket was also covered in scales, and the eye embedded within had transformed into a vertical serpent pupil.
"This feels… completely real. How is that even possible?"
Gin covered his transformed right eye,
carefully sensing the changes within his body. To his surprise, even the attributes of his soul had undergone a complete overhaul.
In the world of the Shinigami,
a soul in a Shihakushō was a spiritual entity that had undergone training and formed a power system by bonding with a Zanpakutō.
At its core, it was a high-density reishi lifeform.
To alter the nature of a soul and give it snake-like traits was like overturning the most fundamental rules of existence.
Could Aizen really pull something like this off?
"The Hōgyoku, which grants any desire, might be capable of such a thing... But if this is just a game, then Aizen definitely wouldn't go this far…"
A feeling of absurdity flooded Gin's thoughts.
At this stage of Aizen's plan, everything was reaching a critical point. Rukia had already lost her Shinigami powers, and would soon be exposed and punished.
There was no reason for him to play around with side projects.
Which meant… all of this might actually be real?
He had no choice but to consider it.
Such was the fear of living under Aizen's rule—when you faced the near-invincible ability of Kyōka Suigetsu and the overwhelming spiritual pressure he possessed, there was no escaping his illusions.
As Gin mulled it over,
the effects of the Sharingan he had purchased began manifesting. His left eye turned crimson, emanating a strange energy laced with emotional resonance.
It was likely chakra.
When buying items from the game shop, players were automatically given basic instructions, preventing any confusion over how to use them.
His inner spiritual pressure was being siphoned and converted into the energy needed to activate the Sharingan.
"Yet another force I can't comprehend…"
Gin's heart was shaken.
The more someone questioned reality and then found everything around them consistent and airtight, the faster their skepticism would collapse.
He was starting to believe in the authenticity of that initial message in his mind.
The Reincarnation Game that could grant any wish!
"Could this be my chance?"
A genuine smile curved Gin's lips.
Not the usual fake smirk, but a real, uncontrollable expression of joy.
Even after following Aizen for hundreds of years and keeping the flames of revenge alive in his heart, he knew better than anyone—
The chances of killing Aizen were painfully slim.
That man was terrifying.
Kyōka Suigetsu's illusions were formidable, but in someone else's hands, they'd only make the user a slightly stronger captain-level Shinigami.
Aizen, however, was different.
His manipulation of the world went beyond his Zanpakutō. His intelligence, his cunning, and that chilling will that inspired dread—he was enough to make anyone tremble.
He was a singular anomaly, born in the long history of Soul Society.
To face such an enemy,
Gin had always known that, despite his unwavering resolve, he had no real path to victory.
He was simply gambling everything on a single moment of betrayal.
But now…
This strange Reincarnation Game seemed to be offering him the tools he needed to finally stand a chance.
"Are there items from other worlds capable of breaking Kyōka Suigetsu's illusions?"
Excitement surged through him.
He could already sense the Phantom Serpent Bloodline's illusion-breaking potential.
His right serpent eye could now use the skill Eye of the Phantom Serpent, trapping enemies in an illusory snake pit while granting him strong resistance to genjutsu.
The Sharingan's power, for now, was weaker.
He only felt an increase in observational skills, and though it also offered illusion resistance, it was minimal.
However,
according to the game, the one-tomoe Sharingan was the lowest tier. Once upgraded to three-tomoe, its illusion resistance would skyrocket.
Gin shook his head slightly. "Still… I'll need to exchange for the Uchiha clan's bloodline. Otherwise, the chakra cost is too high. Just keeping it active for a few minutes already consumes as much spiritual pressure as releasing my Zanpakutō…"
He'd assumed the reward points from sacrificing his Zanpakutō would last him a while.
To his surprise, they were nearly gone in minutes.
Three items remained in the game shop:
two Illusion-Breaking Pills, rare tier-three alchemy pills from the Dou Qi Continent with powerful anti-illusion properties;
and one Illusion-Breaking Talisman from the Tianxuan Continent, which granted temporary immunity to illusions upon use.
"According to the rules, the game shop refreshes weekly, based on your strength, desires, and deepest yearnings…"
Gin chuckled bitterly to himself. "So my fear of Aizen has already seeped into my soul, huh? How pathetic…"
All five items in his shop were related to countering illusions.
His longing to break free from Kyōka Suigetsu ran that deep.
Inside the Snow Shade Cave,
Chen Duo and Huang Feihong's frozen status temporarily faded. Before they could even speak, they watched as Gin went on a frenzied hunt deep in the cave, slaying Snow Shades left and right.
Most of the monsters were too powerful for them to help with.
However, a few smaller ones—likely failed mutations—were intentionally driven out of the cave by Gin and left for the other two to handle.
[Lesser Snow Shade Lv.6]
Chen Duo took them out effortlessly using her poison techniques.
Huang Feihong gripped a sharp stone between his fingers and managed to kill two using his Tiger-Crane style.
"These are two sets of cold-resistant clothing. I stripped them from skeletons deeper in the cave, probably former victims of the Snow Shades. If you don't mind the smell, you can wear them."
Gin tossed over two old fur outfits.
Even from a distance, the stench was intense, mixed with patches of Snow Shade fur.
Clearly, the monsters had used them as bedding.
Huang Feihong wasn't the type to complain. He put one on immediately.
Chen Duo wrapped the garment over her outer clothes, concealing her slim figure.
[Bantu Tribe Winter Garb]: Offers resistance to the cold at the edge of the White Ruins. Ineffective in deeper zones.
"Let's keep moving, teammates."
Gin smiled faintly, pleased with their behavior.
He had deliberately presented the gear and left weaker monsters alive to gauge their abilities.
He needed teammates.
Earlier, when he opened the map, Gin realized that the White Ruins were just one corner of the Eternal Snow Mountain.
Beyond lay fog-shrouded regions and vast lands even greater than Soul Society or Hueco Mundo combined.
If he was right,
there were likely countless players in this Reincarnation Game—perhaps even entire factions.
Chen Duo and Huang Feihong had been teleported in at the same time as him. If he leveraged that shared starting point, their bonds would naturally be stronger than with others.
They were weak now, sure.
But the Reincarnation Game didn't revolve around strength alone. What mattered most was the will and mindset to adapt.
If either of them had died to a low-level Snow Shade, or rejected the stinky clothing out of vanity,
he would've left them behind without hesitation.
But now, it looked like they could continue as a team.
"The White Ruins aren't suitable for me and Miss Chen Duo."
Huang Feihong had already noticed how extraordinary the Reincarnation Game was.
His eyes were clear, unclouded by Gin's overwhelming strength. Instead of clinging to him, he cupped his fists and said, "There are monsters of similar strength to the low-level Snow Shades along the outskirts of the Eternal Snow Mountain. That's where we'll train."
"When we're stronger, we'll regroup."
His thinking mirrored Gin's.
They were all part of the same player batch, so future encounters were inevitable—but now wasn't the time.
"An interesting human."
Gin was surprised.
The man had willingly given up the protection of a Shinigami. His resolve and mentality were stronger than expected.
They had already added each other as friends, so Gin didn't stop them.
He continued hunting corrupted creatures in the White Ruins
until he was eventually killed by a fallen Asura named [Explosive Flame Lighthaven].
He revived shortly afterward in the nearest safe zone—[Stone Town].
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