Soon, only a pile of mangled flesh remained in the laboratory.
Masatsuki Aozaki's figure flickered, vanishing into an afterimage as he reappeared at the center of the grotesque mass—just before Pernida could begin regenerating.
The giant, fragmented pupils contracted violently.
A perfect opportunity!
From the ground, countless red tendrils erupted, intertwining to form a crimson tidal wave.
The writhing nerves pulsed as if alive, surging forward from the shredded flesh, rapidly extending toward Masatsuki's position.
Towering more than ten meters high, the blood-red wave crashed forward, brimming with malice and murderous intent.
"Come on! That's it—don't hold back now!"
A glint of excitement flickered in Masatsuki's eyes, as if he was eagerly anticipating this brutal trial by fire.
Of course, he wouldn't have dared to take the risk of devouring the Soul King's left arm without a proper countermeasure.
Pernida's abilities were undeniably troublesome...
But it wasn't as if they were without weaknesses!
With that thought, Masatsuki spread his arms wide—
And let himself be swallowed by the crimson tide.
The wave engulfed him instantly.
Red nerves wove together densely, coiling toward his body with terrifying speed.
Yet, the very moment they made contact—
They froze.
As if something had blocked them, their movement ceased in an instant.
Time itself seemed to halt, locking every nerve in a bizarre state of suspension.
Pernida had attempted to enforce contact evolution through his nerves—
But that process was forcibly stopped.
This was... the power of stillness!
"Why do you willingly remain a slave to that thing?!"
Pernida's barely reformed twin pupils trembled violently, his voice filled with disbelief and frustration.
He recognized this power.
It was something both similar to him—yet completely opposite.
Irritation seeped into Pernida's tone.
"To cling to the past and never resist... how utterly foolish!"
"Come now. Your evolution ends here—mine is only beginning."
Masatsuki's whisper was soft, yet carried a weight that filled the air.
In the next instant—
A dense, white Reiatsu, thick as liquid, surged from Masatsuki's body, expanding outward in an overwhelming wave.
The Reiatsu was patterned with countless black rings, each with a single speck of white at its center—
Like countless staring eyes, all fixated on Pernida.
The devouring had begun.
The sheer force of Masatsuki's Reiatsu sent shockwaves rippling through the laboratory, causing the Kidō barriers in the room to flicker erratically.
Anyone looking in from the outside—
Would be met with an eerie sight.
The entire laboratory had turned blindingly white, as if engulfed in an impenetrable mist.
But upon closer inspection, it became clear—
This was no ordinary fog.
It was a phenomenon born from Masatsuki's immense Reiatsu, warping space itself.
Within this strange domain, black-and-white eyes latched onto Pernida's body.
Like a swarm of ravenous spiders, they spread hungrily across every last fragment of flesh.
They multiplied and intertwined, forming an intricate, all-consuming web that spanned the entire laboratory.
The scene was grotesque beyond words.
Anyone with a fear of clusters or confinement would have collapsed on the spot.
Immediately, an enraged roar echoed through the air:
"Lowly mortal! How dare you defile a god! You deserve a million deaths!"
With that furious outcry, every fragment of Pernida's flesh began to tremble violently, as if writhing in unbearable agony.
At the same time, an overwhelming force surged from the deepest depths of Masatsuki Aozaki's body, unleashing a torrent of astonishing Reiatsu. Pernida's spiritual form underwent a rapid and drastic transformation. Its once-precise control over Reishi crumbled entirely, spiraling into complete disorder.
Its body gradually disintegrated, breaking into countless tiny fragments that scattered through the air—only to start converging toward Masatsuki Aozaki.
It was as if he had shattered some kind of barrier. His bottleneck had been utterly destroyed!
Masatsuki Aozaki's eyes flickered with an eerie black light, and an additional pupil emerged. His strange dual pupils radiated a chilling, unsettling aura.
He could feel it—clearly, unmistakably.
The Reiatsu that had been growing at a slow, steady pace suddenly erupted like an ignited rocket, surging at an unimaginable rate. This power was like a raging torrent, flooding through every cell of his body.
His rapidly increasing spiritual pressure was beyond measurement!
Black and white Reiatsu patterns spread across his entire body.
The fusion between Masatsuki Aozaki and the Hōgyoku had deepened to an unprecedented level.
Feeling the boundless power coursing within him, his gaze fell upon his Zanpakutō—only to watch as it faded into nothingness in his grasp. His brows furrowed.
That blade had been his trusted companion in battle.
And now, it was gone.
Was it time to let go?
A fleeting sense of loss passed over him, but he soon exhaled softly, loosening his grip. The scattered Reishi drifted away.
At that moment, his transformation was complete.
—BOOM!—
A towering pillar of black and white Reiatsu erupted from Masatsuki Aozaki, piercing through the sky.
The translucent Kidō barrier surrounding the space strained under the sheer force of his power, cracks spreading across its surface. Yet, almost immediately, a new, reinforced six-sided transparent wall rose in its place, sealing the laboratory within a formidable, airtight defense.
The entire lab was thrown into chaos, filled with violent energy fluctuations. The surrounding space twisted and warped, as if on the verge of collapse.
Amidst this storm of power, Masatsuki Aozaki slowly opened his eyes.
Within the upheaval caused by his Reiatsu, his long hair floated weightlessly behind him, moving as if caught in an unseen current—like a god descending upon the world.
He landed as lightly as a feather, his movements calm and deliberate.
As if even the smallest careless action might shatter this fragile world.
As he touched the ground, the overwhelming and terrifying Reiatsu began to subside. The black and white energy swiftly retracted, fading until it vanished completely.
Masatsuki Aozaki's eyes returned to their original state—yet at the center of his chest, the Hōgyoku pulsed with a black-and-white glow.
The only sign that he had changed.
"As expected of the left arm of Progress.' My Reiatsu has increased by more than just a single level."
Masatsuki Aozaki looked down at his empty palm.
He flexed his fingers slightly—
A sudden burst of pressure detonated from his hand, sending shockwaves rippling outward.
From his fingertips, an invisible force erupted, forming a devastating air cannon that instantly tore through the already-ravaged laboratory, further reducing it to wreckage.
The blast raged forward before finally slamming into the indestructible Super Reiatsu Barrier, dissipating upon impact.
Just the flick of a finger had unleashed destruction beyond comprehension.
Terrifying.
"...Let's test some other abilities."
Masatsuki Aozaki's voice was barely a whisper.
Before him, space itself split open, revealing a gaping void of pure darkness.
His body fragmented, dissolving into countless shimmering particles of light—
And then, he was gone.
...
Far from the Soul Society, in a distant and desolate world—
The scattered photons gathered once more, reconstructing the form of Masatsuki Aozaki amid an endless, barren desert.