"Ghoul Soul!"
Ren looked at Masahiro Osaki on the ground and activated the ghoul without saying a word.
As the dark golden vortex rose behind Ren, Masahiro Osaki on the ground gradually turned into a spirit son and was completely swallowed.
"This is..."
After completely devouring Masahiro Osaki, Makoto Ito found that although his spiritual pressure had increased, it was not by much. But what made Ren happy was not the enhancement of his spiritual pressure, but the changes deep within his soul.
For a moment, Ren seemed dazed, as if the mask on his face had loosened slightly.
Realizing this unexpected change, Ren's expression shifted to one of ecstasy:
"Maybe I just need to devour enough Gods of Death with my Ghoul Soul to break my mask like Stark!"
With this discovery, Ren felt an overwhelming sense of joy and let out a long roar of excitement.
Makoto Ito had no psychological burden when it came to devouring Gods of Death. After all, he wasn't preying on ordinary souls—his morality remained intact.
In the end, consuming souls was simply a Hollow's instinct!
And considering Ren had a God of Death clone, he could essentially be regarded as a God of Death himself.
The Forest of Great Void, inside a tree hollow.
Shun stared at the twelve spots of light in the palm of his right hand with disbelief.
One of the brightest spots suddenly dimmed and then vanished without a trace. Soon, the light disappeared completely.
"Captain Osaki... is actually dead!"
He had never expected that after their expeditionary team had displayed such great strength, their captain would encounter a mysterious Hollow and be killed outright.
Hiding within the tree hollow, Shun recalled Ren's terrifyingly oppressive spiritual pressure and couldn't help but tremble.
"I must become stronger... I must become stronger than that Hollow, stronger than anyone else. Only then can I take my revenge!"
The reason Shun had joined the Void Circle Expedition was to hone himself through endless battles, growing stronger so that he could fulfill his ultimate goal: revenge.
This was a secret he had buried deep within his heart—he sought vengeance against the strongest God of Death in the past thousand years: Yamamoto Kenryuzai, for the sake of his father!
That was why he had willingly joined this deadly expedition, knowing full well that the survival rate was less than one in ten. He needed to battle against Hollows, gaining enough strength to execute his revenge plan.
"As long as I obtain captain-level strength... and with this sword, I will definitely be able to succeed!"
Shun glanced at the strange weapon fastened to his waist—a blade shaped like a steel fork—and his eyes gleamed with a peculiar light.
"This is the Shun Sword... the one that can seal a Zanpakutō."
As he spoke, Shun suddenly noticed that the Tarasuka Sword was missing. Looking up in shock, he realized it had somehow fallen into the hands of the mysterious Hollow—Ren.
Ren examined the steel fork curiously. After all, this was the Tarasuka Sword, a weapon capable of sealing the power of Ryūjin Jakka. Holding onto this blade could serve as a crucial trump card against Aizen and even the entire Soul Society in the future.
"If this sword can seal Ryūjin Jakka, then sealing Kyōka Suigetsu should be no problem..."
Although Ren didn't fully rely on the sword, the more preparations he made, the better his chances of success.
"Give me... give me spiritual pressure!"
Ren, gripping the Tarasuka Sword, suddenly heard a voice calling out to him—the blade itself was demanding spiritual energy.
"Is this sword alive?"
The Tarasuka Sword gave Ren an unusual sensation—it didn't feel like a mere weapon but rather a living entity.
Unwilling to be at the mercy of a sword, Ren allowed lightning to crackle in his palm and course through the weapon, subduing it with sheer force.
The blade instantly fell silent, ceasing all signs of resistance.
"So you need to be put in your place before you behave, huh?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?!"
Shun was shocked. His most closely guarded secret had been exposed so easily—how could he not panic?
Without hesitation, he unsheathed his Zanpakutō and roared at Ren.
"Sever—Thunder and Fire!"
The Zanpakutō in his hand transformed into a long sword with a hook-shaped end, wreathed in flickering flames.
With a frenzied look, Shun charged at Ren with his blazing blade. But Ren simply waved a hand, sending him flying backward into a massive tree trunk.
"Bang!"
The thick tree trunks were smashed into a gaping hole!
At this moment, Shun had just joined the Void Circle Expeditionary Force. In the anime, he appeared with captain-level strength, but now, he was merely a high-ranking officer at best—he hadn't even reached the level of a vice-captain.
Naturally, he was no match for Ren.
"Shun, your father, Ruyue Qin Cang, died at the hands of Yamamoto Genryūsai, captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Now, you've joined the Death Expedition Team to avenge him."
"Am I right?"
Ren spoke casually, twirling the Tarasuka Sword in his hand.
"How... how do you know that?!"
Shun, who had been trapped in the tree hole, slowly stood up. His pupils contracted sharply, and he stared at Ren in disbelief. These were secrets he had buried deep within himself, never revealing them to anyone. Yet, the Hollow before him knew everything.
"Can he read minds?"
His face flushed red, and after a brief silence, he gritted his teeth and growled:
"How did you learn this?!"
Seeing Shun's utterly shaken expression, Ren chuckled inwardly.
"Looks like I've got a God's-eye perspective on this."
Then, he continued nonchalantly:
"How I know doesn't matter. What does matter is that if you submit to me, I can help you fulfill your revenge. What do you say?"
"Submit... to you?"
Shun was visibly shaken by Ren's words.
He loathed Yamamoto Genryūsai for killing his father, but he had never considered using a Hollow's power to achieve his revenge.
"What's wrong? Are you clinging to some illusion of dignity as a God of Death? Are you too proud to use a Hollow's power to accomplish your goal?"
Ren's smile was knowing, his gaze penetrating, as if he could see straight into Shun's soul.
Shun remained silent. Despite his hatred for Yamamoto, he had been born and raised in the Soul Society. To him, Hollows had always been evil spirits—beings that stood in direct opposition to the Gods of Death.
Even in his most desperate moments, he had never considered joining forces with one.
"If you cling to this naive idea of black and white, you will never defeat Yamamoto Genryūsai!"
Ren's voice boomed, causing a tremor in Shun's heart.
"Hollows and Gods of Death are both part of the Three Realms. Their existence itself proves their purpose. Not all Gods of Death are good, and not all Hollows are born evil!"
"This world is neither black nor white—it is a delicate shade of gray."
"Power itself is neither right nor wrong. It is merely a tool, defined by the hands that wield it. If you insist on clinging to your hypocritical pride, you will die here, and your revenge will die with you. If that's what you choose, I won't hesitate to send you to your father right now."
As he spoke, dark golden arcs of thunder crackled across Ren's right hand. The message was clear—if Shun refused, he would not live to regret it.
Shun's initial reaction was resistance, his brows furrowed deeply. But then, as if coming to a realization, he let out a long sigh. Finally, he knelt on one knee and lowered his head before Ren.
"My Lord... please grant me the power to exact my revenge."
Ren wasted no time. A sphere of crackling thunder shot from his hand, straight into Shun's mouth.
Shun's eyes widened in shock as he instinctively clutched at his throat. But it was futile. Accepting this power meant there was no turning back.
With a bitter smile, he realized that from this moment on, he had stepped onto Ren's ship—and there was no escape.
... patreon Seasay for more chapters