Crack.
It was like some barrier limiting his soul had shattered; from deep inside his body came the sound of glass breaking, fractures spreading evenly outward.
He felt as if he were shedding an old shell and being reborn. The spiritual power stored in his body was refreshed, giving Naraku Sora the illusion that he'd evolved into an entirely new species.
His Reiatsu was still Grade 10, but in essence, it had transformed.
The Hollow Power and his own spiritual power had fused even more perfectly. The two were tangled together, indistinguishable, as if this had always been his natural state.
It was only 2%, yet under some strange "chemical reaction," it was producing nearly a 100% boost.
Naraku looked down. The muscles on his arms corded like coiled dragons. When he clenched his fists, a hair-raising creaking sound rang out.
Damn.
The boost to his growth potential had given him an all-around upgrade, and changed his ceiling as well.
Even without relying on his cheat, Naraku now had the confidence that someday he could reach captain-class on his own. That was what this boost in growth potential meant.
"So I just pulled a top-tier SSR, huh."
Naraku grinned, white teeth gleaming under the lamplight, like a sleeping beast slowly waking up and letting its ferocity seep out.
He was getting more and more excited about his own future.
Maybe before long, he really would stand above everything.
Inside the cells, the prisoners trembled as they stared at the boy outside, unable to understand what had just happened to him.
That crushing pressure made it hard for them to breathe.
It felt like staring straight at a natural enemy.
...
...
"Ahh— Warden, not there, you can't poke there!"
In the Warden's private research lab in the prison barracks, Naraku let out a pitiful wail, writhing on the examination table like a fish out of water.
Shutara shot him an annoyed glance and snapped,
"You were awfully cocky when you smashed the Intake Room door earlier. What are you flailing around for now? I'm just taking your clothes off."
"This is a spiritual-power needle. Once it's inserted into your soul sleep, it can analyze the composition of your spiritual power."
"Relax. I know what I'm doing."
As she spoke, she ignored his screams and forcibly drove a long, python-like needle straight into Naraku's abdomen.
Normally, damage of this level would directly cause a Shinigami to lose their power and turn into a complete nobody.
But whatever method Shutara Senjumaru was using, as the "python needle"—no, spiritual-power needle—slid in, Naraku didn't feel a thing.
He just lay there on the table like a dead fish, staring lifelessly at the thick, faintly glowing red needle stuck in the center of his stomach, letting her do whatever she wanted.
That was what it meant to live under someone else's roof.
Especially since Shutara had promised to give him some compensation once the research was over.
Hopefully something real, not just a few kind words.
A screen of spirit particles unfolded in front of the table. Lines of dizzying numbers and formulas popped up one after another.
Then came terms like "spirit-particle wavelength," "balance coefficient," and so on—completely incomprehensible.
Her slender fingers spread slightly, and condensed reishi streamed constantly from her fingertips. Under Shutara's control, they wove into threads, sketching one pattern after another.
She seemed to be simulating some kind of possibility.
Staring at the shifting diagrams, Naraku's eyes went glassy. His head just felt… itchy.
After a while, Shutara narrowed her eyes slightly, a puzzled look crossing her face as she murmured:
"It's completely different from my calculations?"
"Is the degree of hollowfication too low, or is there some other secret I don't know about?"
"What exactly is missing…?"
Both Shinigami and Hollows were made of reishi; the fundamental difference lay in the soul.
In a sense, hollowfication could be summarized as one soul forcibly accommodating fragments of another type of soul, breaking the original limits and achieving a kind of breakthrough.
It was an extremely dangerous process.
Hollowfied Shinigami had existed in the past, but without exception, they were eventually swallowed by the brutality in their altered souls and lost their reason, turning into full-blown Hollows.
There had never been anyone like Naraku Sora.
As a researcher, Shutara Senjumaru had inevitably dipped into this field before—even though hollowfication was an extremely serious taboo in Soul Society.
But curiosity was often the greatest driver of scientific progress.
"I need more detailed data."
With a flick of Shutara's sleeve, the thick red spiritual-power needle flew out, and the Bakudō restraints on Naraku's body dissipated at the same time.
He flipped off the table in one smooth motion and bolted into his shihakushō at lightning speed, terrified she'd take advantage of him again.
"What are you rushing for? You'll have to take it off again in a minute."
"?"
If I'm throwing out question marks, it's not because I have a problem—it's because you do.
Before, he'd only suspected it. Now he was sure.
This woman really is just thirsty for his body.
Shutara waved her sleeve again and all the advanced instruments in the lab sank into the walls and floor.
In the blink of an eye, the huge room became completely empty.
"Simple observation won't get me the answers I want. But as far as I know, when Shinigami fight…"
At that point, Naraku suddenly noticed that Shutara's smile had taken on a dangerous edge, like a rose with hidden thorns.
"Their Reiatsu fluctuates violently, and their spiritual power shifts in different ways."
Her crimson lips parted slightly as she stood there, and a faint pressure began to spread from around her, slowly covering the entire lab.
"Go all out. Show me your limits."
Naraku froze for a second, then after a brief silence, he revealed a similarly dangerous smile and nodded lightly.
"Sure."
He knew the gap between himself and Shutara Senjumaru was so big it bordered on hopeless.
But he still wanted to see where his limit actually was.
Just how much had this boost to his growth potential really given him?
The boy grinned, lifted his arm, and gripped the Zanpakutō he'd drawn from his side.
An instant later, the duel began.
Cold sword light bloomed like moonlight, roaring toward one of the strongest beings in Soul Society.
Rip—
The sound of flesh tearing rang out. The blade sliced straight through the outer haori; bright blood spattered, along with shards of bone and bits of organs.
In just a single instant, the figure before him was completely cut to pieces.
The scene was so brutal that even Naraku blanked for a second.
I'm already this strong?
Just then, a soft voice sounded behind him, tinged with helplessness:
"Dummy. How long are you planning to stare at that fake image you wove?"
Naraku's breath stopped cold.