Alien Here: Apologies for the delay; had a busy weekend, and I've been up for 19 hours straight.
Now, here's the kicker - last Saturday, I had this wild encounter. Cruising back from my friend's place on my bike, about a 30-minute ride away. Out of nowhere, this girl overtakes me, and suddenly it's like a race (even though a bunch had passed me already). My mind was like 'no way,' so in 10 seconds, I zip past her. Guess what? She revs up and zips past me! We're in this 20-minute back-and-forth, and she's one cool rider. Sadly, we had to split at an intersection. No chat, but who knows, maybe next time? I'll keep you posted... if there's a next time, that is!
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Yamahiko could feel a relentless madness consuming him, slowly corroding his thoughts, as his entire being succumbed to the desires imposed by this will.
This was Hollowfication, and Yamahiko gritted his teeth to resist.
He couldn't Hollowfy.
Hollowfying would mean losing his sanity, and he couldn't let that happen to himself.
However, it seemed impossible. With just his personal willpower, he couldn't withstand the process of Hollowfication. No one could overcome Hollowfication by sheer will alone; not a single person could escape Soul Suicide.
Hollowfication refers to the process of infusing a Hollow's soul into an existing soul, breaking the boundaries between the two souls and effectively destroying the original entity to transform it into a higher-level being.
Hollowfication disrupts the boundaries of the soul. As the symptoms progress, the souls will eventually merge completely, resulting in a creature devoid of rationality.
However, this is not the end. At the final stage, not only do the boundaries between the Hollow and the Shinigami souls dissolve, but the boundaries between the soul itself and the external world also disappear.
This phenomenon is also known as Soul Suicide.
Although Soul Suicide occurs in the final stages of Hollowfication, it is crucial to restrain it in advance by limiting the unrestricted breaking of boundaries, allowing only the boundaries between the Hollow and Shinigami souls to break.
So, how can you restrain the unrestricted breaking of boundaries?
It requires balancing with opposing energies.
For example, in the original work, when Masaki Kurosaki was attacked by a Hollow, she fused with Hollow energy. Kisuke Urahara used Shinigami's spiritual power and Quincy techniques to suppress her Soul Suicide.
[Masaki Kurosaki, Ichigo's Mother - Image]
So, if a Shinigami fuses with a Hollow, how can you restrain the unrestricted breaking of boundaries between the Shinigami and the Hollow?
In this case, you would need Quincy's reiryoku (spiritual power) and human souls. Kisuke Urahara created an injection and administered it to the Visored, which is also the reason why they survived their Hollowfication.
After restraining Soul Suicide, the danger is still significant. To master Hollowfication, you need to confront your Hollowfied self and emerge victorious in battle.
Simultaneously, someone from the outside must enforce limitations to prevent further destruction if Hollowfication fails and leads to complete madness.
However, there is only a time limit of sixty minutes. After sixty minutes, the Hollow and Shinigami souls will completely fuse, becoming monsters.
Among the Visored, the one with the longest time limit is Lisa Yadomaru, which is approximately sixty-three minutes.
[Lisa Yadomaru - Image]
Ichigo Kurosaki has a time limit too.
At that moment, they become essentially indistinguishable from monsters.
Even after Hollowfication, they must prevent Hollows from devouring them, and it cannot be used for an extended period. Mashiro Kuna managed to achieve a fifteen-hour time limit during her first Hollowfication.
[Mashiro Kuna - Image]
So, currently, Yamahiko cannot control his Hollowfication, let alone stop the Soul Suicide.
During the Hollowfication process, Yamahiko's bodily injuries slowly heal, and the mask on his face has already taken shape, spreading towards the rest of his body.
He cannot control himself.
Yamahiko felt his control over his body slipping away. He gritted his teeth, placed his left hand on the mask, and ripped it off violently, tearing off large chunks of flesh.
Intense pain briefly cleared Yamahiko's mind. In an instant, he reached his Zanpakuto and tightly gripped it.
A shattered Zanpakuto would return to its original form after releasing Shikai.
"Descend, Raijinmaru."
Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and lightning fell, landing in Yamahiko's hand.
"It's futile; large-scale spirit energy manipulation will only accelerate the Hollowfication," Aizen shook his head gently.
As Aizen's words fell, the mask on Yamahiko's face reformed.
[Image for reference.]
"Sandāsutoraiku"[thunder strike]
But in the next moment, several bolts of lightning struck, hitting Yamahiko's face. The mask shattered instantly, but the moment the lightning disappeared, the mask reformed again.
Yamahiko's thoughts were once again consumed by the Hollow. He became increasingly unable to control himself, and with each use of Sandāsutoraiku, the speed at which the mask reformed only accelerated.
But in the next moment, the energy of thunder gathered on Yamahiko's back, forming two pairs of lightning wings.
Yes, two pairs.
[*Lightning Wings - Images]
With Yamahiko's original body strength, he could only form a single pair of lightning wings. Forming two pairs of wings for movement would greatly increase his speed, but it would also tear his body apart.
However, now Yamahiko's body was continuously repaired by the power of the Hollow, and his strength increased. The more wings he formed, the more Hollow energy he would consume.
Seeing this, Aizen frowned slightly, not sure about Yamahiko's intentions.
But the moment the wings appeared, Yamahiko's figure flashed and he ran towards a distant location.
"Is he going to seek help from the Seireitei? We can't let him reach the Seireitei," Gin Ichimaru said quietly, standing next to Aizen.
Aizen shook his head and said, "No need to worry about him. The Seireitei won't be able to save him. If he appears in the Seireitei, he will be attacked immediately."
As he said this, Aizen frowned slightly and added, "No, he's not heading towards the Seireitei."
Yamahiko's current flight direction is indeed not towards the Seireitei.
Yamahiko was in West Rukongai Street, flying towards the northwest, heading for North Rukongai Street.
Gin Ichimaru asked in confusion, "What is he doing in North Rukongai Street?"
Aizen smiled and said, "He would be killed if he went to the Seireitei, and if he stayed here, he would encounter Sui-Feng. So, he's going to North Rukongai Street."
Yamahiko quickly arrived in North Rukongai Street, near a Lake. Just then, several overwhelmingly powerful spiritual pressures from the Seireitei appeared, heading towards North Rukongai Street.
BOOM.
[Something like this - Image]
A massive explosion echoed, and a towering pillar of flames rose in the distance, shooting into the sky.
"What is this?" Gin's eyes widened, showing a surprised expression for the first time.
Aizen said softly, "Yamahiko's Reiatsu has disappeared. He chose self-destruction."
When one's soul is about to be devoured by a Hollow, destroying a part of the soul and breaking the boundaries will cause a violent fluctuation, ultimately leading to an explosion. This is also why once a Hollowfication occurs, the Hollow's power cannot be separated from the individual. Regardless of the method used, it will accompany them throughout their life, and even be passed on to the next generation, unless they choose death.
Gin frowned and said, "He... he actually chose to self-destruct. How is this possible?"
Aizen remarked, "Perhaps he didn't want to engage in combat with the other members of the Gotei 13 or be killed by someone he loves by staying here."
Gin Ichimaru, 'Emotions?'
Gin Ichimaru smiled and said, "Captain Aizen, with Yamahiko's death, our pre-arranged reasons won't work anymore."
Aizen furrowed his brow slightly and stated, "So, Tōsen go and bring that rogue Shinigami here. I need to prepare the murderer."
"As for the bodies of these Onmitsukidō's squad, they must be dealt with as soon as possible."
Aizen waved his hand, and disc-shaped flames flew out and struck the bodies of the Onmitsukidō's squad.
Hadō #54. Haien(Abolishing Flames.) [Image]
The disc-shaped flames consumed their opponents, possessing extremely high temperatures. In the next moment, their bodies burst into fierce flames, turning into ashes. However, there was still one body that remained intact.
[Reference Image]
Aizen glanced at the sky in the distance, where the black smoke left behind by Yamahiko's self-destruction had dampened his initial sense of triumph.
Although Yamahiko's self-destruction had yielded some imperfect results, Aizen felt that the removal of Urahara Kisuke's prodigy was sufficient.
Aizen didn't take Urahara Kisuke lightly because Urahara Kisuke was the only person in the Soul Society whose intelligence surpassed his own.
…
Kaname Tōsen brought the rogue Shinigami with him, and the fearful Shinigami cried out, begging, "Please, don't kill me."
"Let Tōsen kill him," Aizen said calmly.
Kaname Tōsen was slightly surprised and asked, "Lord Aizen, how can we frame him as the murderer when he's already dead?"
Aizen smiled and replied, "As a murderer, he's not qualified yet, even in his Hollowfied state. At best, he has the strength of a vice-captain and can't kill Yamahiko. I have other plans in mind."
"I understand," Kaname Tōsen said, and with a heavy heart, he raised his sword and pierced the heart of the rogue Shinigami, killing him.
Aizen nodded in approval and said, "Very well."
Kaname Tōsen urged, "Lord Aizen, please prepare the murderer quickly; Suì-Fēng is about to arrive."
Gin Ichimaru chuckled and said, "Tōsen, why the hurry? Isn't it nice to live a little longer?"
"What do you mean?"
Upon hearing Gin Ichimaru's words, Kaname Tōsen was somewhat puzzled. He then looked at the corpses on the ground.
One was a member of the Onmitsukidō's squad, and the other was a rogue Shinigami. All of them had been killed by his own hands. When combined with Aizen's statement that an ordinary Shinigami couldn't kill Yamahiko, Kaname Tōsen quickly understood the situation.
"Lord Aizen. I am your loyal servant. Please spare me," Kaname Tōsen realized, and he pleaded, fully aware of the implications.
However, in the next moment, a sword flash swept through, and Kaname Tōsen was immediately struck down.
Aizen shook his head and said, "I don't need loyal servants; I only need useful ones. Now, you can fulfill your final purpose."
Leaving these words behind, Aizen approached him, and the restraining device for the Hogyoku was opened, aimed at Kaname Tōsen.
In the next moment, a white mask appeared on Kaname Tōsen's face, then spread across his body. In just a short while, his wounds were fully healed, and half of his body had completed Hollowfication.
[Kaname Tōsen Hollow Mask - Image]
Then, Kaname Tōsen leaped towards Aizen.
Aizen, impressed, commented, "Good, you're fast enough. That will do"
With a swing of his longsword, Aizen knocked Kaname Tōsen to the ground and said, "Gin, I'm leaving Tōsen to you. Restrain him until Suì-Fēng arrives, but remember, do not kill him."
Gin Ichimaru smiled and replied, "Captain Aizen, you're joking. I'm not even sure if I can defeat Hollowfied Kaname Tōsen, so how could I possibly kill him?"
"Do your best," Aizen calmly said and then turned around, vanishing into the depths.
[Kaname Tōsen Hollofied - Image]
Hollowfied, Kaname Tōsen slowly got up from the ground, his wounds completely healing.
Gin Ichimaru chuckled and commented, "Looks like they have high expectations for me."
With those words, Gin Ichimaru placed his hand on the short wakizashi at his waist.
~End of the chapter~
~Chapter 84: Hollowfication~
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