Three months later…
The aftermath of Yun Che's "stunt" had not faded. In fact, its shockwaves continued to spread like ripples across countless cities.
Experts—roving cultivators, wandering masters, even scouts from minor sects—were dispatched to Floating Cloud City. Some came to witness the legendary event of Xiao Lie's rise as clan head.Most came for another reason:
To find the mysterious Emperor Realm youth who had unleashed divine flames, lightning, and overwhelming spiritual aura at a wedding.
Rumors had grown wildly exaggerated over time.
Some claimed he was the hidden disciple of a hermit.
Others believed he was the reincarnation of a fallen deity.
Many believed the Xiao Clan was hiding a calamity.
Only the Xiao Clan members knew the truth:
Yun Che had vanished without a trace.
As for the Xiao Sect branch…
Xiao Kuangyun, the fourth son of the patriarch, had arrived three months ago with a grand entourage. Officially, he came to "select promising disciples."
But everyone knew his real goal.
He wanted Xia Qingyue.
He refused to believe the story that Xiao Che was the mysterious powerhouse who slaughtered elders and shattered the clan's foundation. To him, it was all an elaborate ruse—a backwater clan's ploy to deceive outsiders and protect a trash cripple.
The idea that a disabled young man could be an Emperor Profound Realm expert was, to him, laughable.
Yet his greed blinded him more than his logic.
Xiao Lie's calm provocation…
Xiao Lingxi's protective stance…
Xia Qingyue's refusal…
And the shimmering barrier that repelled all attacks—
All of it fed into his arrogance.
He believed the treasure was real.
He believed the beauties were within reach.
And he believed he alone could seize all three.
Instead of requesting backup from the Xiao Sect main branch, as any sane person would, his ego drove him to do the opposite.
He wanted the glory for himself.
If he returned to the main clan with two stunning beauties and a treasure capable of repelling Spirit Profound attacks… he would be praised as a genius.
It would be a festival.
A celebration.
And Xiao Che, the "fake emperor," would be exposed as the cripple he believed him to be.
Thus—
Xiao Kuangyun led a personal search team of Nascent Profound Realm cultivators through Floating Cloud City and the surrounding regions. They scoured mountains, forests, rivers, and every nearby town.
Yet every lead ran dry.
Frustration mounted.
So Xiao Kuangyun did the one thing his arrogance allowed:
He threw manpower at the problem.
He dispatched every expert he could hire, bribe, or command to every major city within a hundred kilometers—each searching for the phantom young man whose trail vanished into thin air.
Yet–
Yun Che remained untraceable.
=====================
Cyan Mountain Region – 200 miles from Cyan Town
High atop a jagged ridge, Jasmine sat on a sun-warmed boulder, legs crossed and eyes closed, inhaling the crisp mountain air. She wore a Gigai, the false physical vessel Yun Che had purchased for her—five thousand system points well spent. It masked her soul aura completely, letting her roam the mortal world as a normal girl while her true spirit remained intact.
For the first time in five months, she was outside Yun Che's inner world.
No starlit skies.
No floating islands.
No spirit trees.
Just wind. Sunlight. Real air.
"Ahh… this life," she murmured contently. "Peaceful mountains, fresh air… finally, something normal."
A blur of shadow ripped past her.
BOOM!
A massive rock column beside her detonated into rubble.
Jasmine froze.
"…Can't this princess have peace of mind for once?" she muttered as dust billowed.
The shattered boulder erupted outward, and a figure burst from beneath the rubble—tattered black shihakushō flapping behind him, hair disheveled, body full of scratches and bruises. Crimson eyes gleamed wildly beneath the dirt and sweat.
Yun Che—Yuuki—stood there with Zangetsu's Shikai clenched in his hand.
"I'm not done yet, you stupid cat! ORAAA!!!"
He bolted back into the forest like a madman on a mission, crashing through branches.
Jasmine's eye twitched.
"…This disciple of mine is truly hopeless."
Her relationship with him had grown markedly better after he healed her five months ago—but only after she finished screaming at him. She had learned that the system's restoration of her shattered soul cost him 20,000 system points, and not only healed her… it strengthened her soul beyond what it once was. The downside? Her cultivation needed time to synchronize with her reforged soul.
Which meant:
She would recover one major realm every six months.
She would need eight years to return to her full Divine power.
And she would be stuck with HIM the entire time.
Since he was her disciple, she would naturally have to train him. Though despicable, arrogant, and infuriating, he was hers.
Meanwhile, Yun Che had thrown himself into months of nonstop combat training. After expanding his aura across the Cyan Mountain Region, he discovered the area was guarded by a Peak True Profound Realm demonic beast.
A perfect leveling zone.
A perfect hunting ground.
And a perfect place to scream, slash, explode, and destroy everything in sight.
Jasmine sighed deeply as she watched him vanish into the trees, shouting something about "round two."
Jasmine's beautiful eyes widened as she watched Yun Che's aura pulse and climb every time another demonic beast fell beneath his blade. It wasn't just the brutal efficiency—she could see the sudden expansion of his essence, the way his profound spirit force grew richer with every kill. He had explained it to her once: he wasn't just cultivating. He was absorbing experience—Reishi—from fallen beasts. The stronger the enemy, the richer the Reishi, the faster he grew.
But there was more. One particular rule made her still in disbelief.
If he killed an innocent person, the system wouldn't just punish him—it would corrupt the very Reishi he absorbed. Contaminated essence would rot his experience bar, inflict negative buffs, and even halve his strength. A built-in law of karmic balance, seamless and absolute.
The more she thought about it, the more unsettled she became.
Just what kind of existence is this system?
Could it be the creation of a True God? Or perhaps a realm even higher—some supreme existence beyond the gods she knew? She had no answer, but that didn't stop her from wondering. Sometimes, when walking within Yun Che's inner world, she would pause to gaze at the shining system core in the sky. Its pulsing star-like brilliance made her feel as though she was standing before an entity capable of rewriting fate itself.
If her disciple continued to grow under such a power… if she could somehow benefit from it…
Could she step beyond the Divine Realm and glimpse the realm of true gods?
Meanwhile, Yun Che's growth had been nothing short of terrifying. Even with the 30% experience penalty, in three months he had climbed to Peak Nascent Profound Realm—Level 30. Only five levels, but each one amplified by his insane multipliers. And today, the 30% penalty finally ended. Once lifted, his leveling speed would become monstrous.
His constant slaughter also pulled in more demonic beasts, turning the Cyan Mountain Region into a hunting ground overflowing with prey. Occasionally, he even let Hoyuu take over so he could grow familiar with his Hollow abilities. Hoyuu's absolute killing instinct combined with Yun Che's multipliers resulted in rapid jumps—three levels each time the hollow took control. Because of this, Yun Che's cultivation, body, and profound spirit force had received a permanent 100% boost. He could now fight opponents far above his realm even without using Hollow or Heretic Arts.
He had also spent the last five months training with all his Zanpakuto spirits.
Hoyuu had been "powered-down" for the sake of training, yet Yun Che still had to fight tooth and nail. Defeating him five times earned Yun Che his first eye-covered hollow mask. His affinity with the hollow was now 15 points. Once it reached 25, he would gain the half-covered mask. To reach Tailed Vastolorde, he needed to defeat Hoyuu one hundred times—and Hoyuu grew stronger with every loss.
It would be a long, brutal journey.
Sode No Shirayuki had been a different challenge entirely. Yun Che spent nearly a full month inside her inner world. Not because she was difficult to train with, but because he wanted to understand her, to bond with her, to earn the trust required to wield her Bankai. Shirayuki's coldness could easily freeze him to death, and she was extremely cautious not to harm him. But with her affection toward him—and one decisive push from the system's Instant Mastery cheat—Yun Che achieved her Bankai in a mere month.
Still, he could only sustain it briefly. Her abilities were too cold, too absolute. If he wanted to use her Bankai freely, he would need something more. Something that could make him immune to extreme cold. Maybe a seed—something ancient, something special.
Then there were Sogyo No Kotowari.
Or rather… the mischievous twin girls that refused to train because they preferred playing with him.
Training them was a headache. He couldn't force them, and they adored teasing him more than practicing techniques. But after bribing them with delicious pills, the twins finally relented and started training.
That was when Yun Che discovered their true nature.
Sogyo No Kotowari's powers were far deeper than the Bleach world implied. Not only did they manipulate water, but they could also wield wind and lightning. The balance of the Pisces—the duality of the fish—hinted at even more dormant abilities waiting to be unlocked.
If lightning, wind, and water were only the beginning…
What else could the Truth of Pisces awaken?
Jasmine watched him from her perch on the cliffside, crimson hair drifting in the mountain breeze as her narrowed eyes followed the raven-haired figure tearing through the forest below. Every clash, every pulse of rising aura, every swirl of bloodlust made her expression tighten ever so slightly.
Her disciple… was becoming stronger by the day.
Stronger—and far more unpredictable.
Her gaze drifted toward the twin streaks of blue light that had accompanied Yun Che earlier, the remnants of Sogyo No Kotowari's presence lingering faintly in the air. The power those two little girls held… It wasn't merely elemental. It wasn't even simply spiritual.
It was cosmic.
Yun Che had already discovered one of their greatest abilities—the power to reverse an incoming attack. Ukitake Jushirou once used Sogyo No Kotowari to reflect a Cero from an Arrancar, turning destruction back upon its source. The twins possessed a deflection ability rivaling even the Heretic's Moon Star Restoration—an ability exclusive to them, rooted in the shifting tides of reality and illusion.
But mastering their Bankai… was another story entirely.
Even after spending a month inside their world, laughing with them, bribing them with pills, trying to decipher their duality—Yun Che still couldn't comprehend the full truth of Pisces. Their very essence governed both fantasy and reality, two opposing principles braided together. Their Bankai represented the ultimate balance of opposites, yet neither girl could explain it, and he couldn't grasp it.
He could only wonder…
Then how did Ukitake Joushirou ever achieve it?
If the answers existed, they lay somewhere deep within those two paradoxical little spirits.
Zabimaru, on the other hand, consumed the most time out of all his spirits.
After Yun Che achieved Bankai with them, Zabimaru manifested its dual nature—splitting into two distinct spirits.
The first appeared as a fierce, wild beauty with a body covered in soft brown fur—except the area that shamelessly exposed the top of her breasts. Her long brown hair whipped behind her like a warrior's banner, her eyes sharp and untamed. Saru, he named her—the Monkey. Tomboyish, loud, and terrifyingly energetic.
The second spirit emerged in stark contrast: a lamia, her lower body a long, elegant serpent tail that glistened pale white. She had long black hair, a pink water lily tucked behind her ear, a half-hugging white kimono trimmed in red, and eyes the color of blood streaked with vertical pupils. Hebi—the Snake—was her name. Soft-spoken, polite, and shy, she blushed easily whenever Yun Che addressed her.
Despite their differences, both were breathtaking in their own way—twin reflections of Zabimaru's soul.
And both, like the others, had chosen Yun Che as their master.
Jasmine closed her eyes briefly.
A disciple with the power of the Heretic, the soul of a Shinigami, the instincts of a Hollow, the precision of a Quincy, and the companionship of Zanpakuto spirits—four of them.
No wonder his presence felt so chaotic. So overwhelming. So… limitless.
He was evolving into something the world had never seen before.
Training with Zabimaru had become… a battle for survival.
Not physically—Yun Che could handle their attacks.
Emotionally? Mentally?
That was another story entirely.
Saru and Hebi were relentless.
Whenever he sparred with them, it was like being hunted by two forces of nature—one wild and ferocious, the other gentle but deceptively clingy. They didn't just fight him.
They chased him.
They clung to him.
They claimed him.
If they weren't trying to knock him flat, they were trying to smother, tackle, wrap, or pin him under the guise of "combat training."
And the problem?
They were really, really good at it.
Hebi, especially.
The timid lamia had discovered a very dangerous tactic: wrapping her serpent tail around Yun Che like a constricting blanket and trying to immobilize him completely.
At first, the snake-girl had been shy, easily flustered, always hiding behind Saru's tail when he glanced at her. But while sparring one day, Yun Che did something purely instinctive—he grabbed the very tip of her tail to pull himself free.
Hebi reacted… unexpectedly.
She went rigid, squeaked like a startled mouse, and completely lost the will to fight.
He had accidentally discovered her weakness.
And that weakness flipped their dynamic instantly.
Hebi, mortified at being defeated so easily, did not shrink away.
She doubled down.
She trained harder. She became bolder. And she developed the strangest new fashion choice—a pair of thin-rimmed glasses she conjured for herself, claiming they made her feel "more scholarly" and "more worthy" of him.
Now she charged at him alongside Saru with far more confidence—tail strikes faster, grapples firmer, pout sharper.
Saru found the entire thing hilarious.
Hebi found it motivating.
Yun Che found it terrifying.
Sometimes, he wondered if fighting a Great Elder of some sect would be easier.
Still, despite the chaos, he pushed through it. He endured their antics, their ambushes, their overly enthusiastic "training methods," and—somehow—won their respect.
By the end of the month, after countless battles, chases, and close calls, Yun Che managed to defeat Zabimaru's first Bankai form.
Only then did Saru and Hebi—pouting but proud—grant him their secondary name.
And with that name came power.
It took another month to fully master both aspects of their Bankai—Saru's raw force and Hebi's swift adaptability—but he did it.
==========================
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The mountain trembled as Yun Che clashed with the Iron Black Puma—the tyrant of this region and a Third-Level Spirit Profound Realm beast. Every strike he unleashed carved new scars into the earth, but the monster's hide, thick as blackened steel, absorbed the blows with infuriating ease.
Even so, he danced around it with fluid grace.
Sharingan spinning.
Footwork flickering.
Flash Step echoing like thunder in the air.
He fought without Bankai on purpose.
Not here. Not yet.
If he unleashed that power, every expert within a hundred kilometers would feel it. Ichigo's Bankai shook Soul Society the first time he used it—Yun Che wouldn't risk becoming a beacon to every cultivator in the region.
But even without Bankai, the Puma pushed him.
"Damn, this thing's fast…" Yun Che grit his teeth as he narrowly avoided a claw swipe that tore through a boulder like paper. "With Heretic Soul activated, I'm only about a Second Level Spirit Profound Realm in raw strength. If I use Hollow mode, I could flatten it… but I need that saved."
The beast lunged. Yun Che let it hit him—once, twice, three times—hoping the impact would help increase his physical cultivation.
Nope.
His body didn't budge a single level.
Infusing his soul and body earlier had skyrocketed his physique to a toughness comparable to a mid-stage True Profound Realm—but without a proper body-cultivation art, he couldn't push it further.
Great Way of the Buddha…
He was waiting for Jasmine to teach it to him. He could ask, but that would be suspicious. Better to let her bring it up.
For now, he had a giant metal cat trying to kill him.
"This thing has ridiculous defense… What should I do?"
He weighed his options.
Zanpakutō?
He'd need to sit down and perform Jinzen to switch blades—impossible mid-battle.
He needed something else.
Something faster.
Something long-range.
"Right… I do have that."
With a sharp breath, Yun Che sheathed Zangetsu and Flash Stepped backward, widening the distance.
He thrust his left arm forward.
Spirit pressure surged.
Red light spiraled.
An energy bow materialized—sleek, deadly, pulsing with fused Quincy and Heretic God power. No longer the serene blue of a Quincy—it burned crimson, like a divine flame trying to take shape.
A normal Destruction Arrow wouldn't cut it. He didn't have enough raw spirit force left.
But he had something better.
He steadied his breath, condensing spirit power into his palm, weaving it with the essence of Falling Moon Sinking Star—the Evil God's small-scale burst technique. He had experimented with mixing it into Quincy arrows before.
A fusion technique.
A hybrid attack.
A gamble.
The air trembled as a massive red arrow formed—denser, heavier, crackling with destructive potential. The strain made sweat bead across his forehead.
Perfect.
He opened his Sharingan fully.
The world slowed.
The Puma's movements blurred into patterns.
Muscles, tendons, airflow—everything laid bare.
And he found it.
A tiny weakness behind its left eye socket.
He drew the bow.
Spirit force compressed like a collapsing star.
"Moon Star Destruction Arrow."
The arrow exploded forth, breaking the sound barrier in the first instant.
The Puma never even saw it.
BOOM!!
The arrow drilled into its eye—then detonated.
Blood sprayed.
The beast roared in a frenzy, thrashing and shaking the entire mountainside as pain wracked its massive body.
The ground quaked beneath its rage.
BOOOOOM!!
The second Moon Star Destruction Arrow struck true—slamming into the Puma's chest with a violent explosion that tore open the beast's thick hide. Blood misted the air, and the mountain ground trembled beneath its staggering steps.
"HOLY SHIT! That was awesome!"
Yun Che laughed breathlessly, exhilarated despite the ringing in his ears. His spirit force was nearly empty—he barely had enough for one more arrow, and he'd used it. Even maintaining the bow was a drain.
But it didn't matter.
The beast's armor was shattered.
Time to end this.
His form blurred, streaking forward like a crimson shadow. The enraged Puma swung a massive claw at him—raw power that could tear a boulder into shrapnel. But to Yun Che's spinning Sharingan, its movements might as well have been in slow motion.
He slipped past the swipe, scraped the ground with one foot to pivot, and drove Zangetsu straight toward the exposed wound.
CLANG.
The blade struck flesh—hard, dense flesh. Even with the broken defense, it wasn't enough to pierce the heart.
"Tch… Fine. Let's do it your way, Ossan."
His breath steadied.
His reiatsu flared.
And then—
CRACK.
A hollow mask instantly formed over the left half of his face.
White bone.
Jagged teeth.
Three red stripes streaking across the eye ridge.
Two more beneath it.
His left pupil turned yellow with a pitch-black sclera, while his right eye's Sharingan burned brighter than ever.
The mask snarled as if alive.
A surge of power rushed into his limbs.
Fifth Level Spirit Profound Realm strength—instantly accessed.
Hoyuu's voice echoed from deep within him—
"Channel the force into the cut. Let it erupt from the inside, King."
Yun Che gripped Zangetsu tightly.
Spirit force flooded the blade.
Dark red energy spiraled up the metal like a rising storm.
He roared—
"GETSUGA… TENSHŌ!!!"
A violent blast erupted from the sword, funneling directly into the wound. The destructive energy tore through the Puma's insides like a hurricane. Organs ruptured. Bones cracked. The beast convulsed violently.
Yun Che Flash Stepped away just as the explosion burst outward from within.
The Iron Black Puma staggered, let out a final choking roar—
—and collapsed with a thunderous crash that echoed across the entire mountain range.
Silence followed.
Yun Che's hollow mask cracked, then shattered into fading fragments.
"Haa… haaa… Told you. I'm still the boss here."
He slumped onto the ground, chest rising and falling as adrenaline drained from his body. Sweat mixed with dust and blood ran down his chin, but his eyes shone with satisfaction.
He had cleared the region.
And at last—
=========================
[Ding…]
[Congratulations, Host, for slaying the Peak True Profound Realm Iron Black Puma.]
Experience gained: …Processing…
[Level Up!]
==========================
Yun Che smirked as he pulled up his updated status screen.
"Let's see what I got…"
===========================
Yukihira Yuuki — "Yun Che"
Age: 17
Level: 30 — Peak Nascent Profound Realm
XP Absorption:30% (temporary restriction)
Profound Spirit Force: 3,200 / 30,000
Combat Prowess: Peak True Profound Realm
Body Prowess: Peak True Profound Realm
Bloodlines: Heretic • Uchiha
Soul Powers: Shinigami • Quincy • Hollow
Zanpakutō Owned:
1) Zangetsu
2) Zabimaru
3) Sōgyo no Kotowari
4) Sode no Shirayuki
System Points: 350,000
Default Zanpakutō: Zangetsu
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
✦ Heretic — Seven Realms (Berserk State)
1st Realm — Heretic Soul
Status: Unlocked
Buff: +25% Strength
Mastery: 100%
Technique: Falling Moon Sinking Star — Small-scale explosive attack
2nd Realm — Burning Heart
Status: Unlocked at Level 31 → Incoming
Buff: +50% Strength (Requires Evil Soul active)
Technique:Sealing Cloud Locking Sun — Absolute Barrier
=============================
✦ Sharingan Mastery
First Tomoe — Heretic Soul Realm (Unlocked)
Ability:Observation Haki → enhanced perception, basic genjutsu, elevated instincts
Second Tomoe — Burning Heart Realm (Unlocked upon level 31)
Ability:Spirit Enhancement → empowers weapons & physical body
==============================
✦ Hollow Mode
Hollow Mask: Eye-Covered Form
Mastery: 100% (Defeated Hollow Yuuki 5 times)
Buff: +25% Strength
Stackable: Yes (compatible with Heretic Berserk Arts)
==============================
✦ Quincy Mastery
Kojaku Heilig Bogen (Lone Sparrow Holy Bow)
Mastery: 100%
New Technique:
Moon Star Destruction Arrow
Description: A fusion technique created by combining Quincy arrow construction with the Evil God's Falling Moon Sinking Star.
Produces a crimson explosive arrow capable of piercing and detonating high-defense targets.
Technique Rank: C
=================================
✦ Kido Arts
Binding Arts (Bakudō)
#61: Rikujōkōrō — Six Rods of Light
#63: Sajō Sabaku — Locking Chain Whip
Mastery: Complete
Destruction Arts (Hadō)
#1: Shō
#4: Byakurai
#33: Sōkatsui
#90: Kurohitsugi
Mastery: Complete
=================================
Yun Che dismissed his status screen with a sigh.
His muscles ached. His spiritual veins throbbed.
His Profound Spirit Force bar was nearly bone-dry.
He needed The Great Way of the Buddha.
Desperately.
Zangetsu hadn't revealed anything new—no new forms, no new evolutions—because Yun Che simply didn't have the spiritual reserves left to attempt anything. His Kido techniques were useless in that fight; he couldn't afford the strain.
Jasmine appeared beside him in a soft blur, as if she teleported.
"So," she asked, arms folded beneath her chest, "how were things?"
Ever since she moved into his inner world, their relationship had changed. Her arrogance mellowed. Her tone softened. They still bickered often—but now she corrected his form, nagged him about his recklessness, and tolerated his teasing… all with the patient irritation of a seasoned mentor.
It reminded him of Ichigo and Rukia.
"Pretty good," Yun Che answered. "Didn't level up, but still at Peak Nascent Realm. And Peak True Profound Realm cultivators aren't really a threat anymore. Today's the last day of that stupid thirty-percent XP debuff."
Jasmine nodded. Over the months, she'd slowly picked up enough of his "gaming terms" to understand him.
Then she frowned thoughtfully.
"Yuuki, I wanted to ask you something. Your movement just now… What is that? You vanish. Completely. No clones, no mirages, no afterimage. Even I can't track you."
"Oh, that? Flash Step—Shunpo. One of the advanced Shinigami movement arts."
She blinked, curiosity flickering.
"Show me."
He sighed dramatically, but stood—aching—and blurred into motion.
Flash Step. Flash Step. Flash Step.
He ricocheted between the trees, weaving through the forest in streaks of red and black. Branches ruffled, leaves swirled, but no silhouette remained behind him.
By the time he landed back in front of her, Jasmine's mouth had fallen slightly open again—something that was becoming a habit for her.
"…This speed," she whispered, "it's even faster than my own. Not only can I not capture your afterimage… I can't even sense your presence when you move."
Yun Che grinned.
"Oh, thanks. It's an advanced technique, after all."
He didn't mention he'd mastered two more advanced Flash Step variations in the past five months. Better to keep some cards hidden.
But then Jasmine said something that made his brows rise.
"Yuuki, I planned to teach you this after you broke into the True Profound Realm. But your current strength is enough. Watch closely."
Her feet tapped the ground lightly—
And she vanished.
In the next instant—six Jasmines surrounded the clearing.
Her technique was elegant, profound, and far beyond the mortal realm. Each clone moved with the same speed, same presence, same barely-contained killing intent. The mirages lingered long after she stopped—proof of its sheer complexity.
But Yun Che saw all of them.
The Sharingan didn't falter.
The clones shimmered clearly in his sight—lines of movement, spiritual pathways, the subtle distortions of profound energy.
Unbeknownst to him… his eyes were copying the technique on their own.
Then the system chimed.
====================
[Ding… Scan complete.]
[Star God Broken Shadow acquired.]
[Cultivate?]
====================
Yun Che internally slapped his forehead.
Right. Sharingan rule number one—copy anything not nailed down.
"Yes," he whispered.
=====================
[Ding… Compatibility between Star God Broken Shadow and Flash Step detected.]
[Initiating Fusion.]
[Fusion successful.]
[Advanced Flash Step acquired: Broken Shadow Flash.]
======================
His eyes widened.
He just… fused a Star God movement art with Shinigami Flash Step.
A technique superior to both.
Jasmine's clone dissolved, and she reappeared in front of him—completely unaware of the storm he'd just set off.
"Did you understand it?" she asked expectantly.
Yun Che stared at his hands, the air still trembling from the aftershocks of the technique he had just unleashed.
Broken Shadow Flash… I actually created a new movement technique.
It was nothing like Ichigo's advanced Flash Step. Ichigo needed Bankai to produce mirage-afterimages—and even then, those clones were momentary flickers, shadows created by sheer speed.
But Yun Che's clones weren't fading ghosts.
They moved.
They breathed.
They circled Jasmine as if they each had their own will.
That was the essence of Star God Broken Shadow—mirage clones indistinguishable from the real body—fused with the raw spatial distortion of Flash Step.
A thought burst into his mind:
What happens when I use Broken Shadow Flash… during Bankai?
His heart practically leapt out of his chest.
Jasmine reappeared beside him with a soft flicker. "This," she said proudly, "is the Star God Broken Shadow. Eight realms. Each realm creates one clone. The highest produces eight. It isn't faster than your movement technique, but confusing your opponent is just as valuable. So—any questions?"
She smirked, clearly waiting to see how he handled her masterpiece.
But Yun Che only inhaled sharply—
—then vanished.
The forest exploded into movement.
Flash Step—Star God Broken Shadow—Fusion.
Sixteen Yun Ches burst into existence around her in a whirling storm of motion. Not standing still—moving, weaving, circling, shifting. Each clone bore a different trajectory, different rhythm, different attack angle.
It was as if sixteen versions of him had materialized from thin air.
Jasmine froze.
She—the Heavenly Star God, famed for unmatched movement arts—could make six clones at most.
He made sixteen.
"Wh—what…?" Jasmine whispered, completely stunned. "This princess… can't follow that…"
Then, as suddenly as they came, the shadows collapsed. All sixteen vanished inwards like a folding illusion——and Yun Che appeared in front of her, dropping to one knee, panting hard.
"Haa… haa… That technique drains almost my entire Spirit Force. First time using it… haa…"
Jasmine gazed down at him, unable to hide the disbelief stretching across her beautiful face.
"You surpassed my limit… on your first attempt. How did you do it?"
Flat. Demanding. Shocked.
Yun Che flopped onto his back with a groan. "I combined your Broken Shadow concept with Flash Step. They synced perfectly. Enhanced one another. So I named it… 'Broken Shadow Flash.' Sixteen clones is the current max, but… yeah. It's exhausting."
Jasmine repeated the name slowly, almost reverently.
"Broken Shadow Flash…"
A technique superior to Star God Broken Shadow.
And created within minutes.
Was it genius?
Was it madness?
Or was it the system?
She couldn't decide.
After an hour of rest, Yun Che dragged the Iron Black Puma's corpse back to their makeshift cave. Jasmine remained outside, staring out at the sunset with her arms folded, deep in thought.
In five months of watching him fight, she noticed something:
His way of the sword was raw. Powerful. Terrifying.
But Zangetsu, though sharp, wasn't built for his combat rhythm.
If he had the right technique… the right weapon style…
What kind of monster would he become?
What kind of monster would he become?
She contemplated something she had never considered giving to anyone—not even in her past life as the Heavenly Star God successor.
Perhaps… I should teach him "that."
But another thought gnawed at her, one that had lingered since the first time she witnessed it:
That energy… the sinister one he uses when his eye turns yellow and his presence changes…
She originally dismissed it as another Shinigami trick. But now, the more she saw, the more uneasy she became. That power was unlike any profound art she knew—wild, violent, and hungry.
She would ask him soon.
She needed to ask him soon.