Boom! A crimson lightning pillar erupted from Reno as he spoke, spiraling skyward. The pig-shaped Adjuchas froze in shock, its eyes widening in horror as Reno's Reiatsu surged relentlessly.
When Reno's Reiatsu matched the Adjuchas's own, the creature's heart began to tremble, and the urge to flee overwhelmed it.
"Damn it! How could I be afraid of a newly ascended Adjuchas?!"
The pig-shaped Adjuchas took a step back, then cursed inwardly as a realization struck it. It opened its maw, aiming at the crimson lightning pillar.
Screech! A dark red Cero began to condense in the Adjuchas's mouth, slowly growing from a small spark to a massive, swirling vortex.
Yet Reno's attention was entirely focused elsewhere. After his Zanpakuto's Resurrección, he had immediately sensed an anomaly within himself. A spiritual entity was merging with his soul, being rapidly absorbed into his being. That entity was none other than Kurosaki Masaki, whom Reno had believed to be dead.
"How could this be? How am I being absorbed by him?"
Kurosaki Masaki exclaimed in astonishment as her soul merged into Reno's spiritual body. Moments after Reno's Zanpakuto pierced her heart in her suicide attempt, Masaki had fallen into a deep slumber. She never expected to regain consciousness only to find herself being absorbed by Reno!
"I refuse to be absorbed by this bastard!"
Masaki let out a delicate hmph. Though her strength hadn't fully returned, her spiritual power, nearly at the level of a Great Hollow, surged into action, resisting Reno's absorption.
Reno's rapidly escalating Reiatsu gradually slowed. Despite his efforts, he ultimately failed to completely absorb Masaki. Instead, he drew her into his Zanpakuto, transforming her into its Zanpakuto Spirit!
"Roar~" Though he hadn't fully absorbed Masaki, the mere sensation of absorbing even a fraction of her power made Reno throw his head back and howl. Thunderous roars echoed through the air as the towering pillars of lightning surrounding him finally dissipated, revealing Reno clad in dark crimson Shinigami robes. Strands of his hair once again crackled with dark red lightning, and wisps of the same dark red lightning flickered around his body.
As Reno let out a thunderous roar, the Pig-shaped Adjuchas' Cero, which had been hurtling toward him, suddenly halted mid-air, as if blocked by an invisible barrier, unable to advance even an inch.
"Ah... damn it..."
A fierce glint flashed in the Pig-shaped Adjuchas' eyes as he immediately intensified the flow of Reiatsu into the Cero. The crimson energy trembled violently before Reno.
Whoosh! A subtle spatial distortion rippled through the air. As if shattering an obstruction, the Pig-shaped Adjuchas' Cero surged forward once more, hurtling toward Reno with renewed force.
A cruel smile twisted the Pig-shaped Adjuchas' face. He couldn't believe Reno could survive being struck by his Cero at such close range.
But in the next instant, the smile vanished, replaced by shock as his pupils contracted. Just as the Cero seemed about to strike Reno, the figure vanished without warning, leaving only trails of Dark Red Lightning crackling in the air.
Boom! The Pig-shaped Adjuchas' Cero detonated violently at Reno's former position, erupting into a colossal mushroom cloud that soared skyward. Yet by then, no one was paying attention to it anymore.
A faint crackling of electricity sounded in Reno's ear. The Pig-shaped Adjuchas immediately felt every hair on its body stand on end. Reno's figure materialized behind it in an instant—something it refused to believe possible.
How could this brat be so fast? the Pig-shaped Adjuchas thought, leaping forward with a desperate lunge. At this point, it hadn't yet seen Reno's Resurrección form, still clinging to the belief that he was a Soul Reaper.
Even if it had seen Reno's true form, it might still have clung to that belief. After all, why else would he be wearing Shinigami robes?
Crackling... Boom!
Reno's Thunder Fist, crackling with Dark Red Lightning, struck the Pig-shaped Adjuchas' back the moment it moved. The force sent the Adjuchas flying, crashing into the endless desert far away.
What's going on? How did I absorb Kurosaki Masaki? Reno wondered aloud, feeling a surge of power from his fist. Instead of pursuing the fallen Adjuchas, he stood still, pondering the strange phenomenon.
Buzz! Reno's mind suddenly jolted, and darkness enveloped his vision. When his sight cleared, he found himself in an immensely grand and opulent palace. Eight black pillars surrounded him, each coiled with crimson dragon-elephant reliefs. Sixteen blood-red eyes, as vivid as living beings, glared down at him.
"This is... the Palace?"
Though he had no idea how he'd arrived here, Reno was awestruck by the palace's splendor. The decorations were so lavish, resembling a royal palace, yet even more mysterious and fantastical.
A delicate, bell-like hum suddenly echoed through the hall. "Hmph! This is your Inner World!"
Reno turned to see Kurosaki Masaki standing at the palace entrance, her white gown billowing around her as she glared at him. He froze in surprise. What was Masaki doing here? And when had she gotten that gown? Hadn't he torn it to shreds earlier?
"My Inner World?"
After a moment of astonishment, Reno murmured, "No wonder I couldn't remember how I got here. It's my Inner World!"
Having read Bleach, Reno knew that every Soul Reaper possessed their own Inner World. In the original story, Ichigo's was an endless cityscape of towering skyscrapers.
"Hmph~" Kurosaki Masaki huffed again, glaring at Reno with fury. "Reno! Why isn't taking my body enough? Why do you want to absorb me too?"
If Reno absorbed her soul, Kurosaki Masaki would lose her chance at reincarnation or rebirth in the Soul Society.
"..."
Reno was speechless. How could he possibly know why this was happening? He was just as baffled as to why his Zanpakuto had absorbed Kurosaki Masaki in the first place!
"I don't know! Since you know this is my Inner World, you must know how to get me out of here, right?" Reno asked honestly, immediately turning to Kurosaki Masaki. Outside, he was still battling an Adjuchas. He had no idea how the situation was progressing!
Squeak~ As Reno's consciousness entered his Inner World, his body retained only its primal combat instincts. In a flash, Reno reappeared behind the Pig-shaped Adjuchas.
"No..."
The Pig-shaped Adjuchas, just managing to rise to its feet, let out a desperate shriek as Reno vanished again.
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