CHAPTER 71: A Loophole

"Hold on," Kazuya called out, halting Kisuke and Yoruichi just as they were about to exit the room. "We overlooked something. I'm a Hollow, a Quincy. How on earth am I supposed to transform into a Shinigami?"

He hadn't tested the power to revert to his Soul form. How did Kisuke expect him to become a Shinigami?

Kisuke turned around and brandished his wooden cane. "Kazuya-san, could you shift into your Quincy form? I'll demonstrate a simple way to turn you into a Shinigami."

"But, that won't work," he protested, his skepticism peeking through. When detached from physical body in his Quincy form, he'd retain his Quincy abilities. Could he develop Shinigami skills in that state? He was doubtful.

"Normally, Hollows are toxic to a Quincy, but your Hollow part is completely distinct from your Quincy part. I'm certain that you, as a Quincy Soul, can master Shinigami arts like Kidō and Zanpakutō. I'm betting on it, my friend."

Kisuke was a firm believer in the theory that Kazuya's powers came from a Soul King fragment. The miraculous abilities of the Soul King's fragment gave him the faith that Kazuya could pull off another nigh impossible feat — acquiring the powers of both Shinigami and Quincy in one form.

After all, Visored and Arrancars could wield powers of two races. There was nothing stopping a Quincy from manifesting their own Zanpakutō.

Kazuya reflected on the implications of becoming a Shinigami through Kisuke's method. He would bypass the process of reverting his race to Soul through the System. More importantly, he would be able to access the powers of both Shinigami and Quincy at the same time — partially achieving his goal of fusing the abilities of Hollow, Shinigami, and Quincy.

"And how will you stop my Soul from degrading into a Hollow?"

When a human soul disconnects from their body, they gain a Chain of Fate. The Chain of Fate slowly corrodes over time, and at the end, the soul turns into a Hollow. Nobody knew if he was immune to this effect in his Human form.

"Remember the Arrancar you killed in your visit to Hueco Mundo? Baraggan, the King of Hueco Mundo," Kisuke said with a mischievous wink. "Stop thinking of yourself as an ordinary being — you're the King of Hollows now."

"The King of Hollows," Yoruichi said with a gleaming gaze. "Damn. We're in the presence of His Majesty. Too bad we don't give an F about status here."

"Neither do I." He shrugged. "I'm still not convinced about leaving my body here for that long of a mission."

Kisuke waved his hand. "Don't worry. Your body will be researched—preserved by yours truly."

Kazuya assumed a cold expression. "You said RESEARCH just now."

"My my. Don't sweat over the little things. I don't perform non-consensual experiments… apart from some exceptions." Kisuke sized him from top to bottom. "Perhaps you're worth making one."

Yoruichi giggled. "Relax, he is messing around. We can leave your body with your companions."

The proposition awakened images in Kazuya's mind — a vision of Harribel cuddling with him, her tender voice whispering words of maternal affection, and her hand gently brushing his hair. He could easily envision Apacci hugging him when nobody was around, sharing her problems with him in hushed whispers, and confessing how much she missed him.

'What will Mila Rose do?'

{Use you as a punching bag. Sung-Sun will use you as a dildo.}

Kazuya shivered at the thought and quickly transformed into his Quincy form. The red gem embedded in his forehead dissolved as he turned into his least flashy form. "Urahara-san."

Kisuke pointed his cane at Kazuya, the bottom part inscribed with an intricate emblem — a skull encased in blue flames. This was Gokon Tekkō, a device known for forcibly separating the soul from the body, incorporated directly into Kisuke's cane. "Very well, then."

The world shifted as he found himself pushed out of his body. His physical form slumped lifelessly to the floor. He summoned his status, his eyes flitting through the rows of texts hastily.

[General Information]

Name — Kazuya Ishihara

Gender — Male

Race — Soul

Reiryoku Level — Great Level (Captain-Class Plus)

Alignment — Neutral Evil

Affiliation — Unnamed Faction

…

Racial Abilities

[Reishi Manipulation: Spirit particle manipulation.

Mastery Level - Intermediate]

[Hirenkyaku: Spirit movement technique

Mastery Level - Intermediate]

Innate Abilities

[Silvery Voice: Your voice can influence people's state of mind. The ability works best in persuading or seducing someone.]

[Crumbling Heart (Human): You can walk unhindered upon any surface.]

[Crumbling Heart (Soul): You are unaffected by the corrosion of time.]

[High-Speed Regeneration: Your wounds regenerate automatically. The time required depends on the severity of wounds.]

Acquired Abilities

[Seduction: The ability to seduce those of the opposite gender.

Mastery level - Intermediate]

[Riding: The ability to ride a mount.

Mastery level - Intermediate]

[Arithmetic: The ability to process arithmetic problems.

Mastery level - Intermediate]

[Provocation: The ability to anger people with your tongue.

Mastery level - Intermediate]

[Equipment]

Spirit Clothes

His System acknowledged him as a mere Soul, ignoring his racial abilities like Reishi Manipulation and Hirenkyaku. The System's assessment of him as a Quincy Soul was due to the fact that he hadn't unlocked the Quincy Race. It also refused to identify him as a Soul (Human) for some odd reasons.

'Kisuke is right.'

He could gain Shinigami abilities while retaining the Reishi Manipulation and Hirenkyaku, at least in theory. Kisuke had perhaps helped him find a loophole in the System — letting him be a Shinigami/Quincy hybrid until the Quincy race unlocked in his System. The decision to unlock it solely relied upon him.

'This is nuts.'

{Shinigami are ordinary souls who have learned some flashy demon arts and the power of Zanpakutō. Do you know where Ōetsu Nimaiya, the Creator of Zanpakutō, got his inspiration?}

'I don't know. Hollows probably.'

He threw out a wild guess.

{Yes. Hollows predate all the races. Even the Soul King was born in opposition to the first Menos. Hollows directly manifest their Inner Heart — the core of their soul — and the Shinigami took a safer approach by imprinting their Inner Heart on a blank soul. Those blank souls were named Asauchi, the core component of a Shinigami's Zanpakutō.}

'Where did this knowledge come from?'

Even he, a bleach fanboy, didn't know as much as Nami.

{From the Hueco Mundo's soil, which gave birth to you. You and I are the amalgamation of hundreds and thousands of dead Menos, which also includes the Original Hollows.}

He was unfazed by the revelation. His origin didn't mean anything to him.

'Original Hollows? As in the primordial Hollows?'

{Yeah, Ulquiorra is one of those. They used to terrorize the world until the Soul King killed them. You have, of course, diluted powers while Ulquiorra is a pure Original Hollow born in the depths of the pit of Original Hollows' ashes.}

'Did you just call me bootleg Ulquiorra?'

{It doesn't matter. You'll grow far stronger than his peak form.}

'Oh. Let's talk about the Crumbling Heart (Soul). Does it make me immortal?'

Right now he had two versions of Crumbling Heart enabled in his Soul form. The new ability would have been a massive help in fighting Baraggan's Senescence. Alas, he awakened it too late.

{Welcome to eternal life, Partner. You won't die of old age… ever.}

He tried not to think about the severe implications of his immortality, like being the only one alive among his family at some point in his life.

{Every good thing comes at cost. Like, delicious meat needs the sacrifice of a life, the conception of a new life comes at the cost of countless unborn's death.}

'Okay, stop. Don't make me think about that stuff.'

{Let's talk about something positive, Partner… you're one step closer to achieving the perfect vessel. If you find a full-powered Hōgyoku, like the one Aizen merged with, we'll be able to merge all of your forms and enhance all of your abilities to the next level. You'll become unstoppable.}

The prospect was alluring but it involved dealing with Aizen, which was easier said than done.

{Partner, new goal — scam the Hōgyoku out of Aizen and merge it with Kisuke's Hōgyoku!}

Kazuya couldn't help but smirk at his Zanpakutō's audacity. She was speaking as if Aizen was just a gullible child who would fall for the cheap tricks.

"Kazuya-san, don't smirk." Kisuke's voice pulled him out of his deep musings, a hint of concern seeping into his usually lighthearted tone. "You were lost somewhere."

"I was having an interesting conversation with my Zanpakutō Spirit."

"Your Zanpakutō Spirit stays inside your Inner World even when you transform." Kisuke stroked his stubble, a thoughtful expression on his face as he contemplated the unique complexity of Kazuya's soul. "That aside, my claims were true. You don't have a Chain of Fate. You look like a natural Soul born in the Soul Society."

Kazuya stretched his body. "I guess you were correct."

"Turning doubters into believers is my special ability."

Yoruichi snarled. "This idiot is such a narcissist."

Kazuya chuckled. "I'll call it a day now. You're the reason I can't go on a date today."

"You horny brat," Yoruichi said with a giggle. "Don't get discovered by the Vice Captain patrolling the town."

"Roger, Mom. Oh, sorry. My tongue slipped."

Yoruichi sharply glared at him. "I know what you're up to, brat."

Kazuya assumed a clueless expression. "What are you talking about? I should return to my friends."

He had to inform the ladies about his Zanpakutō, especially Harribel, who loved the egg like her child. He was prepared for her to snap out.

{Just call her Mommy. She will calm down.}

'Get out of my head!'

{Hihihahaha.}

***

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