Chapter 70: Vollständig

The world shimmered silver-white. Yamabuki Haruto blinked, bewildered. Wasn’t I fighting Baraggan in Las Noches? Where am I? Panic surged. Did that skeleton kill me? I’m too young to die! I’m the Child of Destiny!

“Idiot! You’re not dead—I pulled you in here!” A melodic female voice echoed above.

Haruto looked up. His Zanpakutō spirit perched on a massive cube, glaring down. Relief washed over him. My inner world. Not dead. He grinned cheekily. “Nice to see you! That skirt’s still short—aren’t you worried about flashing?”

She kicked him square in the head. The familiar sting felt oddly comforting.

“You’re half-dead, and you’re joking?” she snapped, arms crossed. “Want me to toss you back to face Baraggan’s axe?”

Haruto chuckled. “I knew you’d have a plan. Like last time—transform and fight for me?”

“Fight for you? Hah!” She smirked. “Your reiatsu just hit captain-level. It’s time you learned my true name. Not because I care, mind you.”

“Got it, got it,” Haruto said, waving her off.

“But first, a test,” she continued, her tone haughty. “Easy wins aren’t valued. Men are like that, right?”

Haruto braced himself. The classic fight-yourself trope. “Fine. Sneak attack!” He flashed behind her with Sonido, but she blocked effortlessly, as if she had eyes in the back of her head.

“I know everything you do,” she said. “No tricks. Beat me with raw strength.”

“What if I lose?” Haruto asked, half-joking.

Her smile turned eerie. “We swap places. King or horse—what’s the difference?”

A chill ran through him. Her words rang true—if he lost, she’d claim his body. Baraggan outside, this inside. No break. He steeled himself, locking eyes with her. The hardest enemy is yourself.

“Utsusemi!” Both activated Shunpo, wielding identical Zanpakutō. Their blades clashed in the silver-white void, the impact shaking the space. Haruto grunted—she was stronger.

“Hadō #88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!” Haruto unleashed his go-to Kidō, a golden-blue blast.

“Bakudō #81: Dankū!” She countered with a barrier, unfazed.

Their reiatsu collided, staining the silver world blood-red. Haruto condensed a silver Cero, firing it. She responded with a Heilig Pfeil, a Quincy arrow blazing with reishi.

“Wait!” Haruto protested. “You’re my Zanpakutō spirit! You should only have Shinigami powers. Why Quincy abilities?”

“Who said I’m limited to Shinigami powers?” She smirked, swiping her hand across her face. A Hollow mask materialized, her reiatsu spiking with Hollowfication—speed, strength, and destruction amplified.

Haruto leapt into the air, summoning five Reiryoku Arrows. They fired in unison. She raised her left hand, condensing a Cero—not silver, but a twisted red-and-white spiral of chaotic reiatsu. It obliterated his arrows and half the space.

“That’s not fair!” Haruto shouted. “Our skills should match! How do you know moves I don’t?”

“These are your abilities,” she laughed. “You just haven’t unlocked them. No more trump cards? This body’s mine.”

“To hell with you!” Haruto roared, absorbing Hueco Mundo’s reishi. If she can Hollowfy, so can I. He swiped his hand across his face, summoning the white mask from Chapter 65. His reiatsu churned, tinged with Hollow madness.

But he needed more. If I’ve got Quincy powers, I can reach that form. His face twisted beneath the mask, personality warping. He spread his arms, devouring reishi beyond his limits. Normally, he couldn’t exceed his reiatsu cap, but in his inner world, death wasn’t a risk. Worst case, she takes my body. I’ll steal it back.

The spirit watched, intrigued, as Haruto’s body strained. His shoulder blades split, not with blood but with radiant wings of light. His reiatsu, strength, and reishi control soared, transcending his former limits.

“New form unlocked!” Haruto gripped his Zanpakutō tightly. “Let’s call it… Vollständig.”