Looking at the chaotic room plastered wall-to-wall with posters of Tokita Ohma, Kurosaki Rei gained an even clearer understanding of just how insane Kiryu Setsuna truly was.
Tonight's battle had ended extremely quickly. On the surface, it looked like Kurosaki Rei had crushed Setsuna and killed him instantly—but in reality, the gap between them wasn't as large as Kurei had imagined.
As a host of the Origin Seed, Kiryu Setsuna's attributes were all above 20. That already qualified as a superhuman physique. Combined with his mastery of Fox Shadow Style and the Niko Style, calling him a top-tier powerhouse of this world wouldn't be an exaggeration.
At the very least, Kurosaki Rei was certain that if Kanoh Agito or Raian had faced today's Setsuna, they would have suffered a crushing defeat, without any suspense at all.
There were several reasons Kurosaki Rei had been able to end the fight in an instant.
First, his technique was slightly superior to Setsuna's.
Second, after his release, his attributes outright surpassed Setsuna's.
And lastly—and most importantly—Kurosaki Rei was armed, while Setsuna fought barehanded.
His master had once said that between bare hands and weapons lay a mountain.
That wasn't just empty talk. Weapons were created for the purpose of killing, and holding Prison Demon gave him an innate, overwhelming advantage in a life-and-death fight.
On top of that, at that moment he had nearly gone all out. Armament Haki had coated the blade, and that strike had been fast, precise, and ruthless—only then had he barely managed to sever Setsuna's head.
Yes—barely.
That was the strangest part to Kurosaki Rei.
He didn't believe Setsuna's reaction speed should have been that fast. Judging from Setsuna's movements at the time, he should have been preparing to use Rakshasa's Palm to strike Kurosaki Rei's heart—he was just a step too slow, his head falling before the attack could land.
Kiryu Setsuna had made the wrong judgment. If he hadn't chosen a head-on exchange, he might have survived a few more moves.
So what, exactly, had given him the confidence to trade blows?
Kurosaki Rei suspected that the Origin Seed hadn't only evolved Setsuna's physical body—it had also granted him some other special ability. Setsuna seemed to possess a kind of permanent Indestructible.
And not just any Indestructible, but one of extremely high level—on par with Kurosaki Rei's own Armament Haki.
If his blade hadn't been coated in Armament Haki, further enhancing its durability and sharpness, Kurosaki Rei wasn't sure he could have cleanly taken Setsuna's head.
"Origin Seed… interesting. I'm really looking forward to what kind of ability you'll give me."
Kurosaki Rei chuckled to himself. As he pondered, his hands never stopped moving, rifling through Setsuna's belongings.
His master had always said that while he wasn't particularly clever, he wasn't stupid either. Basic investigative work was still something he knew how to do.
After receiving word from the Wu clan, he'd come straight to Setsuna's residence. Sure enough, he found a crucial clue—Setsuna's diary.
What kind of normal person keeps a diary?
Oh right—Kiryu Setsuna wasn't normal.
Kurosaki Rei flipped through it. Page after page was filled with "Ohma." On some pages, the handwriting became increasingly distorted. It was hard to imagine Setsuna's mental state when he'd written them.
When Kurosaki Rei reached the later entries, he noticed something off.
I am Tokita Ohma. Setsuna, please help me take revenge. These people are the ones who killed me…
Below that was a list of names—all fighters.
Kurosaki Rei believed every single one of them was an Explorer.
His expression turned strange. Someone had tampered with Setsuna's diary. They'd imitated his handwriting and written this passage, making the already hallucination-prone madman believe it was a divine revelation.
If this tactic had been used on a normal person, they would've immediately suspected that someone had broken into their room and altered their diary.
But Setsuna wasn't normal.
He was already insane. After Ohma's death, he'd become even worse. He refused to accept the "god's" death and longed to offer himself in sacrifice to that god.
Under those circumstances, seeing such words appear in his diary—and then taking action—was only natural.
"What a brilliant move, killing with a borrowed knife."
Kurosaki Rei frowned slightly. "Are you testing me?"
He admitted that he wasn't particularly smart, and he couldn't quite understand what the Violator stood to gain from doing this.
Judging by the fact that his tracking radar hadn't gone off, the opponent hadn't been tailing Setsuna directly—at the very least, they'd stayed more than ten kilometers away.
So what benefit was there in inciting Setsuna to kill Explorers?
And why had the Violator killed Tokita Ohma in the first place?
Kurosaki Rei felt as though the other party's plan was unfolding layer by layer, weaving an enormous net. Yet he couldn't see what they were ultimately aiming for.
In the end, he gave up thinking about it.
When soldiers come, block them. When water comes, dam it. All schemes were meaningless in the face of absolute strength. He would simply wait for the Violator to show themselves—and then crush them head-on.
Now that the Origin Seed was in his hands, the immediate threat of being erased was gone. With the remaining time, he could begin laying out his own plans.
Previously, he'd thought from Aizen Sōsuke's perspective, and everything had progressed smoothly. In just six days, he'd secured the Origin Seed and learned the location of Metsudo's Fang—a perfect opening.
From here on out, his goal was to maximize his gains in this world.
Thinking of that, Kurosaki Rei lowered his head and glanced at Prison Demon. Its growth progress was now at 13.2%.
Yes—Kiryu Setsuna was the first enemy this blade had truly killed in a meaningful sense. According to Prison Demon's description, it devoured part of the target's soul to nourish itself, thereby growing stronger.
One head had boosted it by over 13%. At first glance, leveling this blade didn't seem difficult—but Kurosaki Rei wouldn't forget that Setsuna had been enhanced by the Origin Seed. His soul was likely special.
He suspected that killing fodder wouldn't increase Prison Demon's growth much at all. If he wanted to upgrade his Zanpakutō, he would have to hunt powerful enemies.
Kurosaki Rei wasn't a thrill-seeking murderer, nor would he kill innocent people for personal gain. So in this world, his targets could only be the vermin he found displeasing—and the Wu of the Conquest Faction. It could also be considered repaying a favor.
...
Thirty miles outside Tokyo, in an underground laboratory.
"Fuck—Setsuna actually died! He actually died!"
"Useless trash! How could you die? Even if you had to die, it should've been by my hand!"
"Who was it?! Who?! Besides me, who could kill the current Setsuna?! There shouldn't be anyone like that among the Explorers!"
The man was curled up in a corner, muttering as he gnawed on his fingers. On the operating table in front of him lay a pale, dismembered human body.
His eyes were bloodshot as he rambled to himself.
"Could it be an Arbiter? But even an Arbiter shouldn't have an easy time dealing with Setsuna right now."
"Damn Arbiters, always ruining my plans."
"Kill, kill—I'll kill you all! I'll kill until no Arbiter dares hunt me ever again!"
"But if he could kill Setsuna… can I beat him?"
"Of course I can! I'll get even stronger! The Seed will be mine too—who would hand it over?!"
Like someone with multiple personalities, he finally stood up and walked over to the operating table.
He reached out and gently stroked the mangled corpse, a sickly smile spreading across his face. Then, his hand seemed to melt, merging with the body beneath it.
Blood vessels bulged at the point of connection. His body trembled violently, his face contorting into an expression of pain mixed with ecstasy as he let out an involuntary moan.
About ten minutes later, the corpse on the table shriveled up, while his complexion became rosy and radiant.
His hand returned to normal. He gently caressed the withered remains.
"Top-grade stuff… There were still two points of attributes left in it. Too bad Setsuna's dead. My source of Explorer corpses has been cut off…"
As he muttered to himself, his phone rang. He answered it, a smile appearing on his face.
"Xia Yan, about what I mentioned before—have you considered it? Without the Tiger's Vessel, you must be having a real headache, huh?"
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