The Hōgyoku Is placed Within Me

Zanpakutō gradually returned to its sheath.

Behind Shinji, crackling arcs of electricity descended from the sky like the spear of Longinus, bombarding everything without leaving a single blind spot.

After more than ten seconds, the lightning gradually faded.

At that moment, the Menos Grande, which had just risen from the rubble, was struck by the lightning and collapsed into a pool of blood.

"Th-This kind of power…?"

Saito Yanagawa swallowed hard, staring at the scene in horror.

At this moment, he suddenly realized—he had completely underestimated Kuchiki Shinji all this time.

This noble from the Kuchiki clan was different from the usual spoiled elites.

This guy… was a monster!

"You understand what to do, right?"

Under Yanagawa's sweat-soaked gaze, Shinji stared at him for a few seconds and said calmly:

"Don't tell Soul Society about me, or you'll die."

What happened today must not be known to the Soul Society.

If his achievements were acknowledged, he would undoubtedly rise to the upper echelons of the Gotei 13. That meant being directly involved in the battle against Aizen and the Thousand-Year Blood War against the Quincy.

He didn't want to face Aizen.

And he definitely didn't want to face Yhwach.

"Yes, Shinji-sama, I understand."

Yanagawa nodded respectfully. Without realizing it, his way of addressing Shinji had changed.

"As for you…"

After hesitating for a few seconds, Shinji lifted the nearly unconscious girl and disappeared into the streets.

Ten Minutes Later

A Senkaimon opened.

A well-endowed blonde woman jumped out.

She immediately grabbed Saito Yanagawa by the collar.

"Where is Shinji? Where's the enemy now?"

Matsumoto Rangiku's expression was anxious. She was deeply worried about Shinji's situation.

That was an Adjuchas!

A Gillian is a Menos Grande formed by the fusion of hundreds of Hollows. From there, they must kill and devour others to evolve into an Adjuchas.

Even a Lieutenant would struggle against an Adjuchas.

And Shinji was just a sixth-generation graduate of the Academy!

What's more, she had just told Shinji to take care of himself.

If something happened to him now, she would never forgive herself.

"Vice-Captain Rangiku, the situation has been resolved."

Saito Yanagawa spoke hesitantly.

"Resolved…?"

Matsumoto Rangiku's eyes widened in disbelief.

Did Shinji actually do it?

That was impossible! He was just a fresh graduate. Even though her intuition told her Shinji was hiding something, there was no way he had the strength to defeat an Adjuchas.

"A Quincy girl did it."

Without hesitation, Saito Yanagawa decided to help Shinji conceal his power.

Whatever Shinji's reasons were, it didn't matter.

All that mattered was securing a connection to someone powerful.

This was his chance to rise.

"A Quincy? That makes sense."

Matsumoto Rangiku's eyes flickered with understanding.

It was no secret that there were Quincy in Karakura Town. The Soul Society had records of them.

"A Quincy girl strong enough to defeat an Adjuchas… sounds like someone I'd like to meet."

She rolled her eyes mischievously and muttered,

"Well, since the real danger is gone, I might as well take my time before returning to Soul Society…"

Like hell she was going back right away!

She had been wanting a break for ages. Captain Shiba was always running off to the human world and dumping all the work on her.

Now, it was his turn to suffer.

She stretched her body proudly, showing off her curves.

Saito Yanagawa instinctively looked away.

"Saito-kun, do you know Yubian Tavern?"

"Eh? That bar? I know where it is, but… Vice-Captain Rangiku, how do you know about that place?"

---

Meanwhile, on a Hospital Rooftop

Shinji sat cross-legged, staring at the girl lying on the ground.

"Can you still talk? If you can, let me know. I can't just leave you in a hospital like this, can I?"

The girl remained silent, her eyes dim.

"Seriously, is that neurotoxin really this strong?"

Shinji scratched his head.

Although he wasn't bad at Kaido (healing techniques), after checking the girl's condition, he found himself at a loss.

After a moment of thought, he sighed and said,

"Should I insert a catheter and a waste bag for you? You might go incontinent soon…"

There was no denying it—the neurotoxin was powerful.

The Quincy girl's entire nervous system had been paralyzed. She wouldn't be able to control her body.

Which meant that, sooner or later, something embarrassing was bound to happen.

"For the sake of hygiene and your dignity, I hope you understand my decision."

At some point, Shinji had pulled out a urine bag with a tube attached to it.

And a waste bag.

Suddenly—

The girl's previously lifeless eyes flashed with light.

But Shinji didn't notice.

"Alright, forgive me."

He sighed and began preparing.

Suddenly, the girl's breathing became irregular.

Her eyes shone with renewed clarity.

Just as Shinji reached for her—

Snap!

She suddenly grabbed his wrist.

"I… I can still… be saved… don't give up on me…"

Her hoarse voice was weak, and after speaking, she fell silent again.

"Huh?"

Shinji's eyes flickered.

"You can move?"

But like a fleeting illusion, she didn't move again. Her posture remained frozen, like a statue.

"Guess not. You're beyond saving. Let's continue, then—"

Shinji sighed, freeing his arm and picking up the catheter.

At that moment, the girl's body suddenly trembled.

Shinji's eyes sharpened, and he took a step back.

Then—

On the girl's pale skin, faint blood-red patterns spread.

A massive, almost tangible Reiatsu surged through her veins, devouring the black-purple neurotoxin, transforming into a complex and stunning network of branch-like markings.

"This is… Blut Vene?"

Shinji narrowed his eyes.

Only a pure-blooded Quincy could use Blut Vene.

A thought suddenly struck him.

A woman.

A pure-blood Quincy woman with orange hair.

A woman who had the potential to defeat Yhwach.

If the timeline was right, she should be around the same age as the girl in front of him.

This Quincy girl…

"Wait a damn minute… is this Kurosaki Masaki?!"

---

The whirlwind caused by the entanglement of Reiatsu dissipated, and those branch-like lines gradually became transparent. The girl's skin returned to a healthy, fair tone.

In just a few seconds, the neurotoxin that had rendered her helpless was completely wiped out.

"As expected of Blut," Shinji muttered, unable to hide his admiration.

Blut was an ability unique to pure-blooded Quincy, divided into Blut Vene (defensive) and Blut Arterie (offensive).

Blut Vene was a passive ability that formed a protective barrier over the Quincy's body, making them immune to attacks. As long as the attack's strength didn't surpass the Quincy's own Reiatsu, Blut Vene would block it. Even if the barrier was broken, it regenerated at an astonishing speed.

On the other hand, Blut Arterie was an active ability that enhanced physical strength, speed, endurance, and Reiatsu output for a short period at the cost of disabling Blut Vene's defensive properties.

The ability that had just expelled the neurotoxin was none other than Blut Vene.

Even if Shinji hadn't killed the Adjuchas-class Menos Grande earlier, Masaki Kurosaki would likely have awakened her Blut in that moment and fought back.

"You seem to know a lot about Quincies, Shinigami," Masaki Kurosaki said as she sat cross-legged across from him, her curiosity piqued.

Her hoarse voice had already recovered thanks to Blut Vene, regaining the lively tone of a cheerful girl.

"I just didn't expect to see such a rare ability in action," Shinji replied with a slight smile before pointing at her skirt. "Also, your clothes are gone."

"Huh?"

Masaki gasped, quickly pressing down the hem of her skirt, her face turning red.

"You're really strange, Shinigami," she pouted. "Unlike other Shinigami, you don't seem to have any hostility toward me."

She looked at him curiously.

She had encountered Shinigami before, but most of them viewed Quincy with wariness and even contempt.

But this boy—his gaze was pure and unaffected, as if he saw her as just another ordinary girl.

"Well, don't Quincies also hold hostility toward Shinigami?" Shinji asked with a smirk.

Masaki's blush deepened.

She extended a fair hand toward him. "Let's introduce ourselves properly. My name is Masaki Kurosaki, a Quincy."

She winked playfully.

"I'm… Abarai Renji," Shinji replied, shaking her cool hand. "As you can see, I'm a Shinigami."

Why did he use Renji's name instead of his own?

What a joke.

If he told her his real name and got recorded in Quincy archives, who knew if some members of the Wandenreich were hiding among them?

So, sorry, Renji.

Shinji maintained a straight face, once again adding to Renji's legacy.

Renji's popularity in the World of the Living +1.

"Abarai Renji?" Masaki tilted her head, thinking for a moment before smiling. "Then I'll call you Renji! Thanks for today. If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't be here right now."

Shinji shook his head. "Even without me, you wouldn't have died today."

Without awakening Blut, she might have been in trouble. But the moment it activated, that Adjuchas never stood a chance.

"You can't say that. If not for you, I wouldn't have had the chance to awaken my Blut in time," Masaki insisted, her tone lighthearted.

She had a warm, outgoing personality, effortlessly making conversation.

"Whatever you say."

Shinji dusted himself off and stood up.

"Leaving already? I was going to treat you to dinner," Masaki pouted in dissatisfaction.

"Have you ever seen a Shinigami eat human food?" Shinji quipped before leaping off the building and vanishing.

Masaki stood on the rooftop for a long time before smirking to herself.

"Think I can't find you? I'm Masaki Kurosaki, a genius among Quincies. You can't hide from me."

She snorted playfully before disappearing into the night.

A few moments later…

A gentle breeze blew across the rooftop.

A young man stood at the edge, his dark blue eyes glinting behind rectangular glasses. His neatly combed hair and fair skin gave him a refined appearance.

Staring at Masaki's retreating figure, he murmured:

"Shinigami… do you…?"

—

Elsewhere

In a secluded shop that rarely saw customers, the door creaked open.

A man in a dark green light robe, a striped green-and-white fisherman's hat, and wooden sandals stepped inside.

Above the door hung the sign: Urahara Shop.

"You're back, Manager," a deep voice greeted him.

Inside, a burly man wearing reflective glasses and an apron leaned against the counter. He had been waiting.

He was Tessai Tsukabishi, the former Grand Kido Chief of the Soul Society.

"You felt that Reiatsu too?" Urahara Kisuke asked as he closed the door.

"Yeah. Even though it only flared up for a moment, it was strong," Tessai responded, adjusting his glasses. "A captain-level Reiatsu appearing in the Human World… Could it be that one of the captains came here?"

Urahara Kisuke shook his head gravely.

"It was an unfamiliar Reiatsu. Someone I've never encountered before."

Tessai frowned. "That's concerning… At a time like this… Could it be Aizen?"

From the shadows, a black cat spoke in a deep, masculine voice.

"That wasn't Aizen."

Tessai fell silent.

Urahara Kisuke glanced at the cat before turning back to Tessai.

"Has anything unusual happened in the Soul Society lately?"

Although they were exiled, they still had ways of gathering intelligence.

To counter Aizen, they needed to monitor Soul Society's movements constantly.

If anything shifted, it might reveal what stage Aizen's plan was in—or what he planned next.

Tessai hesitated for a moment before replying.

"Now that you mention it… there is one thing."

Urahara Kisuke raised an eyebrow.

"Kuchiki Byakuya's younger brother, Kuchiki Shinji, has been stationed in Karakura Town for unknown reasons. He's the newly assigned Shinigami in the Human World."

"Kuchiki Shinji…?"

Urahara's expression changed.

At that moment, the black cat lifted its head, its golden eyes narrowing.

A knowing smirk appeared on Kisuke's face.

"Yoruichi, if I remember correctly, that boy named Kuchiki Shinji… isn't he your fiancé?"