Shock!
Unbelievable!
At that moment, staring at the screen—
at the future version of himself who looked identical in every way except for his darkened skin—
Hitsugaya Tōshirō's pupils trembled violently.
His worldview shattered.
His mind spun.
What… was happening?
How could his future self have become a zombie?
And worse—
to be controlled by the enemy,
turned into a tool,
forced to strike at his own allies!
Hitsugaya couldn't accept it.
Frustration filled him.
Beside him,
Matsumoto Rangiku stood frozen in disbelief.
She had thought the same as Kenpachi and the others—
that zombies surely had nothing to do with this ranking!
And yet…
when the truth was revealed,
it turned out to be this absurd.
Just moments ago, Hitsugaya had amazed everyone with his strength.
Now—he was a zombie.
It made no sense!
Elsewhere—Twelfth Division, Technology Development Bureau.
"Hehehe…"
"It seems these ranking videos thrive on surprise. The future's always unpredictable."
Mayuri Kurotsuchi chuckled darkly, clearly in high spirits at seeing himself appear on screen.
His eyes, behind the blue-and-white mask, burned with manic excitement
as they locked on the zombie-form Hitsugaya at the center of the footage.
He made no attempt to hide the greed in his gaze.
Yes—
as everyone knew,
the Twelfth Division Captain was an extreme scientist, obsessed with research, modification, and human experimentation.
And now—
this footage fit his tastes perfectly,
igniting his scientific curiosity to the fullest.
"Akon…"
"Don't you want to know…"
"…how that effeminate creature can so freely transform and control corpses as zombies?"
"There must be some unique mechanism behind it."
As the excitement passed,
Mayuri immediately focused on the root cause—
the mysterious power behind it.
Although, at this point,
the Shinigami knew nothing of the Sternritter's Schrift abilities,
Mayuri had already begun to connect the dots.
After all, in the previous clips,
he had also noticed how Valkyrie's power was equally bizarre.
And in his analytical mind,
neither a Shinigami's Zanpakutō
nor a Hollow's innate powers
should be capable of such unnatural phenomena.
"This defies every known rule," he muttered.
"Captain… you mean…" Akon began cautiously.
"Do I even need to say it?"
Mayuri's golden eyes spun with madness as he grinned.
"If you rule out Shinigami, Hollows, and ordinary humans…"
"Then only one species remains—"
"The Quincy."
The answer was clear.
With only brief reasoning,
Mayuri had already deduced it—
both Giselle Gewelle and Valkyrie were Quincies.
The evidence was overwhelming.
"Quincy…?"
Akon froze, startled. "But Captain, weren't pure-blooded Quincies wiped out long ago? Only the Ishida family remains—and they're weak! They have no such powers!"
He raised the obvious objection.
But—
before Mayuri could elaborate further,
the footage continued.
Shunpo.
A slash.
Even zombified,
Hitsugaya's combat ability remained overwhelming.
In mere moments,
he displayed strength on par with that of a captain.
Within seconds,
he had overpowered and injured both Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika—
who, in that future, had also grown stronger.
And not only that—
he slaughtered all of Mayuri's modified Arrancar zombies in an instant.
Everything happened in a flash,
so fast that the audience barely had time to react.
The blade of Hyōrinmaru gleamed red, soaked in blood.
Its surface reflected Hitsugaya's darkened, expressionless face—
an image of cold oppression.
Once again, everyone saw the terrifying might of Hyōrinmaru.
"So violent!"
"If my sensing's right, those two assistants of Kenpachi had reached near-captain level in that future!"
"And yet… they were both taken down in a single strike?!"
"It seems Hitsugaya's power advanced yet again!"
In the Second Division,
Sui-Fon stood before the screen, her elegant body tense, her face clouded with jealousy.
Yes—
as a proud woman who admired and pursued strength,
Sui-Fon longed to surpass her mentor, Yoruichi.
So when she saw Hitsugaya—a captain she had never considered stronger than herself—
continually grow, surpassing limit after limit,
she couldn't help but feel envy burning in her chest.
"Captain…"
"I feel like if this continues, even Captain Kurotsuchi might get cut down by Hyōrinmaru!"
Behind her,
her lieutenant Ōmaeda's trembling voice broke the silence.
As a mere spectator,
he shivered uncontrollably.
Every swing of Hyōrinmaru,
every opponent that fell,
made him feel as if the blade were slicing through his own flesh.
Terror filled him—
and he could barely breathe.
(End of Chapter)
If I see that this fanfic has support, I will upload it to Patreon!!
[10 Reviews = 5 Extra Chapters]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]