"Did someone turn off the lights?"
Shimo's voice carried no trace of panic.
Instead, his remark caused Tōsen Kaname's movements to falter for the briefest instant.
Tōsen snorted coldly.
"Winning with words cannot save your pitiful and insignificant life."
After his reconstructed rebirth, Tōsen had become something deeply unnatural.
He seemed to have fused the personalities of Tōsen Kaname and Mantikor, retaining fragments of both. The result was unstable—his speech often slipping into strange, mismatched phrasing.
The darkness surrounding them was imposing at first glance.
But to Shimo, there was nothing particularly alarming about it.
It was merely a spatial alteration.
He had experienced similar abilities before—Kuchiki Kōga's, for instance.
The difference was this:
The entirety of Fake Karakura Town had now fallen under Tōsen's control.
Within this domain, Shimo had completely lost authority over space.
"Haha!"
Tōsen laughed wildly.
"Without your Shikai… and unable to achieve Bankai…"
"How much power do you truly have left to display?"
The instant his words fell, his black skeletal wings beat violently—
And he vanished.
A sharp killing intent surged from behind.
Clang!
Shimo reversed his blade—still in its sealed state—and blocked behind him.
Sparks burst outward, briefly illuminating the darkness—
And revealing Tōsen's twisted, disgusting face.
Black markings writhed across his skin like living ink.
"Spatial displacement?"
Shimo narrowed his eyes, recognizing the technique.
"Ha!"
Tōsen let out a manic laugh. Blade-like claws extended from his fingers.
"The entire city lies within my palm!"
"You do not face me alone—"
"You face the vastness of this entire spiritual radius!"
His arrogant voice echoed through the void.
Shimo recalled something—
This ability bore resemblance to Tōsen's Bankai in life.
And just as that realization formed—
The domain shifted.
"Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi!"
The overlapping whispers resounded once more.
In the next instant—
Shimo lost all perception.
Sight.
Hearing.
Smell.
Even spiritual sensing.
Everything was stripped away.
Simultaneously, his sense of touch was amplified to an extreme degree.
Even the slightest movement of air brushed against him like a blade.
"I will make you experience true pain!"
Tōsen's voice turned savage—unhinged.
The wind around Shimo suddenly sharpened—
Slice!
A sensation struck the back of his hand.
It felt like a mosquito bite—
Magnified a hundredfold.
"…."
After a brief silence, Shimo spoke calmly.
"While I don't fully agree with Aizen's philosophy…"
"Some of his words are hard to deny."
"The more you gain… the more you risk losing."
Tōsen's attacking motion paused.
A flicker of confusion crossed his face.
Shimo continued evenly.
"If a Hollow abandons all other abilities and focuses on strengthening a single one, it can counter even the strongest Zanpakutō."
"Wonderweiss was such a modified Arrancar. His existence sealed Captain-Commander Yamamoto's Ryūjin Jakka."
"And you—are a newly created Arrancar built atop that foundation."
For reasons he couldn't explain—
A chill crept into Tōsen's heart.
"But after using Tōsen Kaname as auxiliary material in your reconstruction, you gained additional traits."
"Like this reinforced Bankai…"
"And that… peculiar speech pattern."
Shimo shook his head lightly.
"Unfortunately, there are flaws."
"This level of attack power can't even pierce my defense."
Within Shimo's vision, the darkness was not empty.
A system interface shimmered faintly before him.
[Check-in Task Completed…]
[Reward Granted: Complete Hollow System!]
The reward had activated the moment he entered Karakura Town.
However, because his soul had already evolved significantly, the transformation was subtle.
He now possessed:
Enhanced Cero
Superior Hierro
Sonído
High-Speed Regeneration
Various advanced Arrancar capabilities
At that moment—
Another attack struck.
But as starlight flared within Shimo's eyes—
He saw clearly.
Shared Soul Barrier—Activated.
Pink hair fluttered in the air.
Golden eyes gleamed with madness.
Espada No. 0—
Szayelaporro Granz.
His twisted black fingers collided with Shimo's sealed blade.
The shockwave rippled violently through the darkness.
"How surprising."
Szayelaporro's tone was light, mocking.
"Judging by your eyes… Tōsen's ability must be ineffective against you."
Shimo studied the change in his expression and replied calmly:
"No. His ability is still effective."
"After all, his reconstruction was based on my spiritual pressure."
"My hearing, smell, and spiritual sensing are all sealed."
Szayelaporro stared at him.
Momentarily speechless.
You call this 'affected'?
"No matter what," Szayelaporro continued, his smile twisting,
"Your fate cannot change."
There was something familiar in that expression.
Shimo thought briefly.
"Just like Kurotsuchi Mayuri…"
"Yes. Their natures are remarkably alike."
Szayelaporro clasped his hands together.
Behind him, his four massive wings folded inward—
Like a blooming flower closing.
Violent spiritual pressure churned inside.
His smile warped further, voice dripping with mania.
"Puppet Replication: Dominion of Fate!"
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