Ren used his tail to pull out a pure black dead bull suit and a samurai sword, full of notches and sheathless, from the tree hole.
"Is this a dead domineering costume, and... shallow hit?"
Ren placed the tiny Zanpakutō in the palm of his hand, clearly feeling the strange spiritual pressure emanating from it. The blade pulsed with an energy that seemed to resonate with his own. To his massive form, the sword looked like nothing more than a mere toothpick. He turned it over in his hand, studying its many gaps and imperfections, feeling a strange sense of nostalgia, as if he were playing with miniature figures in his past life.
Then, a sudden thought struck him.
"Can I use this Zanpakutō?"
Curious, Ren tentatively sent his spiritual pressure into the blade. Wisps of dark golden energy slowly seeped into the sword, flowing through his palm into the cold steel. As his spiritual pressure connected with the residual energy in the blade, a flood of fragmented memories surged into his mind, playing out like a film reel spinning beyond his control.
A tall, purple-haired man, wielding a pitch-black spear, stood proudly in the Forest of Void, locked in battle with countless Hollows. His spear swept across the battlefield with terrifying power, cutting down his enemies with ruthless efficiency. Each time the spear struck, another Giliaan fell, turning to dust beneath his might.
This man was Itokai.
Born in District 77 of the West Rukongai, Itokai had grown up as a homeless vagrant. The district was notorious for its chaos and lawlessness, and life for its residents was nothing short of brutal. For a street rat like Itokai, survival meant relying on cunning, speed, and strength. He became known for his lanky yet muscular frame, his arms longer than most, giving him an advantage in street fights. It wasn't long before the other delinquents began calling him "Gibbon."
For years, he wandered through Rukongai, stealing to survive, fighting to defend himself, and dreaming of a life beyond the slums. That life, however, seemed forever out of reach—until the day his world changed forever.
One fateful afternoon, District 77 was overrun by Hollows. The monstrous creatures tore through the streets, devouring souls indiscriminately. Just as Itokai believed his end had come, salvation arrived in the form of a squad of Shinigami dispatched from the Seireitei.
Among them was a woman who burned as brightly as the sun.
Her name was Xia Dalu Yunchuan.
She moved with lethal grace, cutting down Hollows with swift, efficient strikes. Her blade shone under the blood-red sky, her movements precise and unyielding. Itokai watched, entranced, as she single-handedly decimated the invading Hollows, saving his life in the process.
Itokai, reckless as ever, felt an uncharacteristic surge of boldness and approached her with a smirk. He tried to flirt with her—only to be swiftly immobilized by a binding kido spell. Within seconds, he was trapped, his hands and feet bound, completely at her mercy.
The other Shinigami who accompanied Yunchuan were less forgiving. One of them, clearly irritated by Itokai's impudence, drew his sword, intent on ending the foolish vagrant's life then and there. But Yunchuan stopped him.
With an amused, almost condescending smile, she spoke the words that would forever change the course of Itokai's life.
"My name is Xia Dalu Yunchuan, 13th Seat of the 11th Division. I only admire strength. If you truly want my attention, then become strong. If, one day, you can defeat me... then maybe we'll talk."
Her words lit a fire in Itokai's heart. For the first time in his life, he had a goal—a purpose. To defeat a Shinigami, he had to become one himself. With unshakable determination, he entered the selection process for the Shin'ō Academy. Against all odds, he passed the entrance exams and began his journey toward strength.
Years passed. Itokai trained relentlessly, honing his skills, pushing his body to its limits. He graduated from the academy and joined the 11th Division—the very same division Yunchuan belonged to. Battle after battle, he climbed the ranks, earning recognition and respect. The nameless street rat from Rukongai became the third seat of the 11th Division, his strength surpassing that of Yunchuan herself.
Over time, their relationship evolved. The fierce battles they fought together forged an unbreakable bond between them, and eventually, love blossomed. The Xia Dalu family, a noble house despite being a branch family, saw potential in Itokai and agreed to their union—under one condition. He had to achieve the rank of Vice-Captain before they would recognize him as a worthy husband for Yunchuan.
Itokai was on the verge of fulfilling that promise when disaster struck.
Without warning, Yunchuan vanished. She had joined the Void Circle Expedition, a dangerous mission into the depths of Hueco Mundo. She left no explanation, no farewell—just disappeared into the unknown.
Suspicion gnawed at Itokai. He visited the Xia Dalu estate countless times, demanding answers, but was met only with silence and evasion. Desperate, he made a fateful decision. He abandoned his position, forsaking his future as a high-ranking officer, and joined the next expedition into Hueco Mundo.
From the moment they arrived, everything went wrong.
A sudden spatial disturbance threw their squad into disarray. When they emerged from the Garganta, they found themselves in the heart of the Forest of Menos. The air was thick with Hollow reiatsu, suffocating and oppressive.
Then the slaughter began.
Hollows swarmed them, tearing through their ranks like paper. One by one, his comrades fell, their screams echoing in the endless darkness. Itokai fought with everything he had, cutting through wave after wave of enemies, but he was alone. The others were dead.
For years, he wandered the vast forest, surviving by sheer willpower, killing any Hollow that crossed his path, all while searching for Yunchuan.
But no matter how many he slaughtered, she was nowhere to be found.
Ren exhaled sharply, the vision fading from his mind. His grip tightened around the battered Zanpakutō. These memories—they belonged to the man who once wielded this blade. They were not his own, yet he felt their weight pressing down on him, suffocating in their sorrow and regret.
Ren's gaze hardened. The path ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear.
The story of Itokai was far from over.
Until one day, Ren's actions attracted the attention of two Adjuchas, who led their own army of Giligan to siege and eliminate Itokai.
Itokai was truly deserving of his rank as the third seat of the Berserkers, the 11th Division. His strength was undeniably at the level of a vice-captain. Even when faced with the siege of hundreds of Gilians, he managed to break through, fighting until his last breath, ultimately perishing alongside the two Adjuchas.
At that moment, the final image flashed through Ren's mind.
"Let's fight bloody, Kamikazemaru!"
With a soft murmur, the shallow blade in Itokai's hand transformed into a pitch-black spear. The weapon was surrounded by fierce winds as it charged toward the advancing Hollow horde, pushing forward with unstoppable force!
As the vision faded, the lingering spiritual pressure on the shallow hit completely dissipated.
"Oh, Brother Hai was such a man! It's just a shame he had a bad brain..."
From the residual spiritual pressure of Itokai, Ren easily deduced that the disappearance of Xia Dalu Yunchuan was undoubtedly tied to the Xia Dalu family. It was obvious why Itokai had rushed to the Hollow-infested lands to search for her—he was acting purely on human emotion.
Of course, Ren had the advantage of hindsight, a god's perspective, so to speak.
After all, in the original events, the Xia Dalu family had stirred up quite a bit of trouble.
As a chief officer, Itokai lacked the authority to challenge the Kasumi family. But if he became a vice-captain? And if that still wasn't enough, what if he rose to the rank of captain?
For the long-lived Shinigami, Itokai's time had been fleeting. However, he had the makings of a captain, and that was precisely why the Xia Dalu family had not initially opposed his marriage to Yunchuan.
Had he mastered Bankai, would things have been different? If Itokai, clad in the captain's haori, had marched to the Kasumi estate to demand an explanation, would the outcome have changed?
A captain-level figure—let alone the Xia Dalu family—was someone even the four great noble clans could not afford to ignore.
"Oh, Brother Hai, why were you so reckless? If only you had been strong enough, all of these problems would have been solved!"
Though their circumstances were different, Ren couldn't help but feel a deep sorrow for Itokai's fate. With a long sigh, he lamented the tragedy of it all...