Bleach: The Path to Transcendence

"Whoosh!"

The sound of the air being torn apart was sharp and piercing. Shiba Kaien's eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the slender figure growing more distant in front of him. It was his wife, Shiba Miyako!

He exerted force on his feet, continuously using Shunpo, chasing relentlessly, all the way to a dense forest on the northern side of the Rukongai.

The sound of the wind howled in his ears, and the surrounding scenery receded rapidly, but Shiba Kaien's heart sank more and more. Deep in the forest, shadows loomed, and the air was filled with a nauseating stench of blood, mixed with the eerie spiritual pressure unique to Hollows.

Suddenly, he stopped, his gaze fixed on a gnarled tree branch in front of him. There, hung a tattered shihakusho.

That was... Miyako's shihakusho!

Shiba Kaien's pupils shrank sharply. Seeing the shihakusho, his heart completely plummeted to the bottom.

"Miyako!!!"

A heart-wrenching cry echoed through the dense forest.

"Boom!"

Just then, the ground suddenly shook, and a thick, fleshy tentacle burst out of the ground behind him, targeting his heart with lightning speed!

At the critical moment, Shiba Kaien abruptly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow. The tentacle struck empty air, smashing heavily into the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.

Appearing before him was a uniquely shaped Hollow. This Hollow was cyan all over, with six thick claws. On its stark white mask, the eye areas had two orange markings. Dozens of constantly wriggling scarlet tentacles grew from its back.

"It's you... who killed Miyako!"

Shiba Kaien's eyes were bloodshot, his teeth clenched so hard they creaked. He gripped the Zanpakuto in his hand, and without hesitation, charged swiftly towards the wife-killing enemy who had taken his wife's life—that bizarre Hollow.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

The rapid sound of air being torn apart suddenly rang out. It was Kuchiki Rukia and Ukitake Jushiro, arriving late.

"Kaien-sama!"

Kuchiki Rukia looked at the Hollow currently engaged in a fierce battle with Shiba Kaien, her heart burning with anxiety. Without a second thought, she was about to step forward to help.

However, she had just taken a step when Ukitake Jushiro reached out and stopped her.

Ukitake looked solemn, saying with a serious expression, "Rukia, you must remember that there are two types of battles: one is fought to preserve one's own life, and the other is fought to defend one's dignity. The current Kaien clearly belongs to the latter. He is single-mindedly seeking to avenge his wife with his own hands. This determination is unwavering, so do not interfere."

"But..."

Rukia still wanted to argue.

Just then, Shiba Kaien's low and firm voice came faintly:

"Thank you, Captain. I will avenge my own grudge with my own hands!"

As soon as the words fell, the Zanpakuto in Shiba Kaien's hand drew a series of sharp arcs, instantly severing two of the Hollow's giant claws and several tentacles. Although this Hollow had devoured many Soul Reapers and possessed the spiritual pressure of a lieutenant-level officer, it was still beaten back step by step in front of Shiba Kaien, unable to fight back.

"Whoosh!"

The next moment, Shiba Kaien flashed, directly jumping behind the Hollow like a ghost, grabbing its tentacles with both hands.

"Suiten..."

Just as Shiba Kaien was preparing to release his Zanpakuto and deliver a fatal blow to this Hollow, to avenge his deceased wife, he was shocked to find that the Zanpakuto in his hand had disappeared.

At that moment, a trace of unbelievable astonishment flashed across Shiba Kaien's face, but only for an instant. He quickly adjusted his state, and his gaze became firm as iron again. Then, with his bare hands, he fearlessly engaged in a fierce close-quarters battle with the Hollow.

At first, Shiba Kaien, with his bare hands, could still gain the upper hand, but as time went on, the Hollow actually became more and more courageous in battle. Looking back at Shiba Kaien, he was in complete disarray due to the loss of his beloved wife, and he had no Zanpakuto to use. This back and forth ebb and flow led to Shiba Kaien being suppressed by the Hollow instead.

"Whoosh!"

Realizing that he was at a disadvantage, Shiba Kaien did not dare to delay at all, and quickly used Shunpo to quickly distance himself.

Then, he raised his hand to gather strength and fired a powerful Hadō #31: Shakkahō at the bizarre Hollow. Unfortunately, this full-force attack missed its target, and the Hollow dodged to the side.

The Hollow took advantage of the momentum to jump up, pouncing towards Shiba Kaien with swift force. Shiba Kaien couldn't dodge in time and was directly parasitized by it, his body instantly occupied by a strange force.

"Kaien-sama!"

Witnessing this scene, Rukia cried out in sorrow, her voice full of horror and despair.

"Hehe, are you calling me? Little girl!"

Shiba Kaien, whose body was occupied by the Hollow, showed a hideous and terrifying expression on his face, and said to Rukia in a distorted voice.

Ukitake Jushiro, seeing his lieutenant defeated and killed in such a tragic way, felt a raging fire burning in his heart, and his gaze instantly became cold. Without hesitation, he held his sword forward, launching a fierce attack on the bizarre Hollow.

"Pfft!"

With Ukitake Jushiro's super strength, he only swung his sword twice without touching the Hollow's tentacles, and severely injured the Hollow. Just as Ukitake Jushiro was preparing to step forward to deliver a fatal blow and completely eliminate the Hollow.

"Pfft!"

His lung disease suddenly flared up without warning, and a mouthful of blood spurted out of his mouth. Affected by this, his whole body instantly lost its balance and fell heavily to the ground.

Shiba Kaien, whose body was occupied by the Hollow, saw this opportunity, a hideous smile on his face, and rushed madly towards Kuchiki Rukia.

Just as Rukia was about to repeat Shiba Kaien's mistakes and fall into despair, a miracle happened. Shiba Kaien's will briefly awakened at this critical moment, and began to fiercely fight with the Hollow for control of the body.

In this fierce battle of consciousness, Shiba Kaien actually controlled his body to actively crash into the blade of Rukia's raised Zanpakuto.

"Pfft!"

The sharp Zanpakuto passed through his chest without any resistance, Shiba Kaien's body instantly lost its strength, and he collapsed weakly in Rukia's arms.

In an unnoticed corner, this Hollow actually left Shiba Kaien's body, escaped into the ground and silently fled, opening a Garganta to Hueco Mundo in an unseen corner.

......

In the Great Spirit Book Repository, within the quiet projection room.

Aizen Sōsuke stood quietly in front of the huge screen, secretly monitoring everything in the field.

At this moment, the corners of his mouth raised slightly, revealing a meaningful smile, then he reached out and gently pushed up those exquisite glasses. From his expression, it was not difficult to see that he was overjoyed and extremely satisfied with the results of this experiment.

"Oh dear, Aizen-sama, Metastacia greased its feet and ran to Hueco Mundo!"

Ichimaru Gin's lazy and slightly teasing voice rang out leisurely behind Aizen, breaking the silence of the moment.

"It doesn't matter, the experimental data has already been completely recorded, so let this little white mouse go."

Aizen's expression was calm, his tone flat, as if everything was under his control.

After pausing for a while, Aizen slightly raised his head, a hint of elusive light flashed in his eyes, and he said quietly:

"Kawamura-kun, I hope you will like this gift."