— — — — — —
In a silent and empty world, a crack suddenly split open in midair.
Crack crack~
The sound was sharp and clear, like shattering glass.
Step!
A foot stepped out from within. Right after, Lynn's figure appeared.
Stretching out before him was a barren landscape like a white desert, scattered with what looked like withered trees made of quartz.
Here and there, bizarre-looking creatures wandered aimlessly.
Lynn glanced up at the sky.
A crescent moon hung overhead, marking the flow of time in this place.
But according to what Lynn knew, there was no such thing as "daytime" here.
He took a few deep breaths, feeling a pleasant warmth spread through his body.
It was thanks to the Reiatsu he'd got from Yoruichi—now he could start absorbing the Reishi (spirit particles) floating around him.
And in Hueco Mundo, the density of Reishi was on another level that even the Soul Society couldn't compare.
If his Familia members could absorb Reishi, just standing here would probably boost their stats.
Unfortunately right now, aside from Yoruichi, who was a native here, only Miko and Midoriko could use Reishi.
After all, one was a specialist in spirits as [Spirit Devil], and the other was an expert on souls as [Four-Soul Devil].
While Lynn was surveying the surroundings, more figures began stepping out of the black rift behind him.
Yotsuya Miko took a deep breath—and immediately felt a surge of dense Reishi flooding into her body!
Miko: "?"
She scratched her cheek, a little confused.
It kinda felt like she was absorbing spirits?
This was amazing!!
Miko's eyes lit up instantly.
For her, this place was basically heaven!
Meanwhile, Midoriko stretched out her hand and used her [Soul Battle Priestess] skill.
---
—[Soul Battle Priestess]—
•Weapon Manifestation: Can manipulate souls to rapidly form weapons.
---
A soft glow flickered at her fingertip, and with a small swipe through the air.
Buzz—
A bow made purely from Reishi formed in an instant!
Seeing that, Midoriko fell deep into thought.
It felt like she had stepped into her home turf.
The air was so thick with Reishi that she could easily do things she never could back in the main world!
Like this bow she just made—She simply gathered the Reishi around her, and it came together effortlessly.
It was like a fish in water.
Midoriko thought of that phrase with a smile.
No wonder Lynn-sama said this world was perfect for her and Miko.
If they trained here, their strength could seriously level up!
"Woohoo~!"
Kanoe Yuuko, the [Ghost Devil] floated in the air, arms spread wide, eyes closed, looking totally blissed out.
As a ghost, she absolutely loved this kind of environment!
It felt like she was soaking in a hot spring 24/7.
This kind of sensation was something only Miko, Midoriko, and Yuuko could appreciate.
The others, like Kikyo, didn't feel much of anything.
Kikyo looked around, then narrowed her eyes at the odd creatures wandering nearby.
"Those..."
"Are those Hollows?"
Lynn nodded. "Yeah."
"But most of them are just regular Hollows—not very strong."
He scanned the area casually, not taking them seriously.
Honestly, these regular Hollows were probably weaker than even low-class Devils.
The [Life Devil], Yurikawa Hana, had a spark of excitement in her eyes. She cracked her knuckles and eagerly said, "I'll go first!"
A burst of golden energy exploded around her, wrapping her up like a Super Saiyan.
In the next instant—
A golden streak cut through the air as Hana shot forward like an arrow!
In no time, one unlucky Hollow sensed a burning heat approaching, and a human figure popped up right in front of it.
Hollow: "??"
It froze, totally dumbfounded.
Hana cheerfully waved at it, flashing a bright, energetic smile. "Hi there, Mr. Hollow!"
Miko: "..."
She facepalmed and sighed. "Hana, regular Hollows don't have brains, y'know!"
"Eh?"
Hana blinked, tilting her head. "Really?"
Miko twitched a little.
Yeah, this girl definitely wasn't paying attention during the briefing.
But well that's just Hana for you.
Miko let out a helpless chuckle.
"Yaaaaaaah!!"
At that moment, the Hollow finally reacted, roaring as it lunged at Hana!
But the second its claws touched her golden aura, its whole body ignited!
The Hollow disintegrated into Reishi and vanished into the air.
"Eh?"
Hana looked super confused, scratching her head. "What just happened?"
"Where did Mr. Hollow go?"
Miko: "..."
Lynn twitched the corner of his mouth.
What had she even learned during training?
At least one thing was clear—Ordinary Hollows were no threat at all.
"Alright," Lynn said. "Let's move forward and explore deeper."
— — —
On the other side
Watching Lynn and the others disappear into the black rift, Kisuke Urahara finally turned to Yoruichi and asked, "You and that guy..."
"What exactly happened?"
Yoruichi grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. "As expected of you, Kisuke! Sharp as ever!"
Urahara twitched a little. "You weren't even trying to hide it."
She literally put on a whole show right in front of him. It would have been harder not to notice.
Yoruichi shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not sure how much I'm even allowed to tell you."
She had only just joined Lynn's Familia and didn't know all the rules yet.
"But..."
"You saw my speed earlier, right?"
Urahara's eyes glinted. "It's because of him?"
"Yep."
Yoruichi nodded. "My strength got a major boost."
Urahara narrowed his eyes.
He knew Yoruichi's abilities like the back of his hand—and he knew she'd been stuck at the same level for ages.
"So..."
Urahara couldn't help but ask in disbelief, "You... sold yourself to him?"
Yoruichi nodded without a hint of shame. "That's right."
Urahara: "..."
Wait, he was just joking—she actually did?!
His face turned a little weird.
"Oh yeah," Yoruichi suddenly said, smiling slyly. "Maybe I should tell you something."
"I'm kinda like... walking around with a complete Hōgyoku now."
"!??"
Urahara's head snapped up. "What did you just say?!"
"Ara, Ara~"
Yoruichi chuckled at his reaction. "Wow, it's so rare to see that look on your face!"
But Urahara wasn't playing around. His face turned deadly serious. "Yoruichi, if it's about the Hōgyoku, you can't joke around."
Hearing that, Yoruichi dropped the teasing and nodded seriously. "Urahara, I'm not joking."
When she first learned about the Blessing System, she was just as shaken as he was now.
Honestly, the Blessing System might even be scarier than the Hōgyoku itself.
After confirming Yoruichi's words, Urahara fell silent.
She hadn't spelled it out completely, but just from the bits she revealed, he could already piece together a lot.
At the very least—
The "Hōgyoku" Yoruichi was talking about must have come from Lynn.
Seriously?
Just because she sold herself, Lynn handed over something that important?
Was Yoruichi really that worth it?
Urahara looked up at her, suspicion written all over his face.
Yoruichi twitched. "I feel like you're thinking something really rude right now."
Urahara quickly straightened his face. "You're overthinking it."
Yoruichi rolled her eyes, then added, "I kinda figured out what you're thinking."
"But..."
"Unlike your Hōgyoku, Lynn's Hōgyoku is something he can just... casually make."
Urahara froze again.
Casually make them?
Wait a minute!
Urahara's voice was a little strained. "Don't tell me all his women—"
Yoruichi nodded. "Yup. It's exactly what you're thinking."
Gulp—
Urahara couldn't keep a straight face anymore.
Everyone got one?
Their own personal Hōgyoku?!
The thing he and Aizen had spent so long chasing after.
This guy could mass-produce them like candy?!
Urahara spiraled into deep, existential doubt.
---
Meanwhile—Back in the main world
Himeragi Yukina and Kitagawa Marin had just finished their first official initiation into Lynn's Familia.
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.
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