Yun Che and Jasmine remained outside the barrier, waiting.
Three hours had passed.
They dared not leave—not when even the faintest disturbance could tip Retsu's hollowfication toward disaster. So they stayed. They talked. They watched. They waited.
Until suddenly—
A violent pulse tore through the air.
A wave of power slammed outward from the barrier, so heavy with killing intent and raw bloodlust that the ground groaned beneath it. The sky itself quivered.
Both Yun Che and Jasmine snapped to attention.
"What—what is going on?"
"I don't know," Jasmine murmured, eyes narrowed. "But this bloodlust… this isn't normal. It's like something ancient just woke up."
Then Yun Che felt it.
That pressure.
That resonance.
That unmistakable presence.
"…This energy…" His breath hitched. "This is—Bankai."
Jasmine's eyes widened. "She did it?"
Yun Che's lips pulled into a slow, proud smile.
"She did. If she unleashed her Bankai, that means she resisted the hollow. She returned to her former self."
His expression darkened slightly.
"But this is bad. The last time a Bankai exploded across the continent, every high-level cultivator within thousands of li rushed to kill me."
He remembered Hoyuu stepping in to end that mess.
This time, the blast was stronger.
He dispelled the barrier instantly to keep the concentrated energy from harming her—but that only allowed the full storm to erupt into the world.
"Damn it…" Jasmine muttered. "She really is unleashing everything."
A second later—
BOOOOOOOM
A pillar of crimson reiryoku burst upward like a lance tearing through heaven itself. It punched a hole straight through the cloud layers, turning the sky blood-red. The air trembled as violent killing intent rained like a storm.
Lightning—dark red and writhing—splintered across the heavens.
Wind screamed.
The ground cracked.
The mountains shook.
Yun Che grabbed Jasmine and shielded her with his spirit force as the aura washed over them. Their bodies were naturally protected by the system, but everything else…
Everything else perished.
Within moments, entire packs of beasts collapsed where they stood. Around them, the weaker ones died instantly. The stronger ones staggered, shrieked, then were burned to ash by the wave of energy erupting from the mountain peak.
Bloodlust rolled out in all directions, like a demon's roar smothering the land.
"Retsu…" Yun Che whispered, eyes fixed on the pillar. "Finish it. Come back to us."
Because if she didn't—
They would be facing not just her inner demon…
…but a continent full of cultivators drawn by the power of a newly awakened monster.
=======================
In the far reaches of the snowy north, one of Blue Wind's great sects was thrown into chaos.
Disciples stopped mid-cultivation. Elders jolted from meditation. Protective arrays flickered as if assaulted by a divine calamity. The entire sect trembled beneath a pressure so violent it made even seasoned experts' hearts contract.
The last time something like this happened was half a year ago—
when the heavens themselves converged onto a single point, forcing every cultivator in the empire to feel the pull. Back then, sacred ground cultivators rushed toward the source, hoping to recruit—or eliminate—the one responsible.
Lower sects could only kneel and watch, too weak to interfere.
Now, the phenomenon had returned.
And this time…it was worse.
A beautiful female cultivator sitting atop a frozen peak snapped her eyes open, breath hitching as her profound energy rioted. The air itself tasted metallic—like blood.
Her gaze shot toward the distant mountain region, where the sky had become a crimson whirlpool.
"That direction…" Her heart tightened. "Is it him again?"
But immediately she shook her head.
"No. This doesn't feel like that man at all."
She rose to her full height, snowy robes fluttering in the violent wind.
"This… this evil energy—this bloodlust—it belongs to someone else entirely."
Her pulse quickened.
Another hidden monster?
Another cultivator capable of shaking the heavens?
From the same mountain range?
A second heavenly demon born in the same place?
The sinister pressure was so overwhelming she couldn't even resume cultivating.She simply stood there, gripping her robe against the storm, eyes fixed on the red sky as she waited for the phenomenon to end.
"Whoever you are," she whispered, "you are no ordinary existence…"
==============================
High above the clouds, far beyond mortal reach, two watchers—sentinels of the heavens—were forced from their tranquility once more.
Their attention snapped toward the mountain region where a pillar of crimson power pierced the sky like a spear meant to kill gods.
The younger watcher's breath trembled.
"Master… another one has emerged."
Her eyes were locked onto the pillar—full of fear, awe, and a strange sense of déjà vu.It was too familiar. Too similar.The mountain region had now birthed two calamities—two powers that shook an entire continent.
One, a roaring twister that devoured the sky.A sign of a man who defied fate.
And now this—a blood-red heavenly pillar dripping with killing intent and demonic power.
Something that should not exist in the mortal world.
The elder watcher folded his hands behind his back, but the twitch in his brow revealed he was shaken too.
"Hnn. I am as curious as you," he admitted. "But we both know the laws. We do not interfere with mortal affairs unless the balance breaks."
The younger watcher slowly nodded, though her eyes remained fixed on the phenomenon.
She felt it in her bones—this was no mortal breakthrough.
This was divine.
And perhaps… even above divine.
"If a third event arises…"
Her voice trembled.
"Should we truly still remain idle?"
The elder watcher did not answer.
Because deep within their hearts—
they both knew the truth.
This continent was no longer ordinary.
And the mortal world was beginning to stir with monsters that even the heavens should fear.
====================
All across the Profound Sky Continent, cultivators froze where they stood.
A malignant power rippled through the world—a wave of killing intent so suffocating that even sovereign-level experts felt their hearts contract. One by one, heads turned toward the distant horizon, toward the mountain region that had once shaken the empire half a year ago.
Now, it shook the world.
The sky above them darkened as though dipped in blood. Crimson clouds churned, lightning screamed, and the atmosphere felt like the breath of a demon god awakening from ancient slumber.
Countless cultivators shuddered.
"What is this…? Not even a year since the last heavenly phenomenon…"
A lone fairy gliding across the snowy plains halted mid-step, her white robes fluttering in panic.
"This pressure—it's the same as before. But this time… it's malicious. Filled with bloodlust."
Her mind flashed back to the first phenomenon—the twister that swallowed the heavens. She and her fellow fairies could only watch from afar back then, helpless as sacred grounds mobilized with unmatched speed.
Now, again, the same mountain region raged with power.
And again, she could only watch.
Across the continent, the four Sacred Grounds erupted into chaos.
"What?! Another one?!"
Elders from the Sun Moon Divine Hall, Mighty Heavenly Sword Region, Supreme Ocean Palace, and Absolute Monarch Sanctuary tore themselves from seclusion, faces twisted in disbelief.
The sky above them was red. The killing intent thick enough to taste.
"Two heavenly beings… in the same generation?"
"Impossible!"
"Blasphemy!"
Yet the pillar of crimson reiryoku said otherwise.
The previous phenomenon had exuded dominance—like a sovereign returning to claim the world.
This one exuded massacre. A demon born from blood.
"That mountain region again!" an elder snarled. "Mobilize the elders immediately! We cannot let the others seize this one!"
Smaller sects, dark sects, assassin guilds, and hidden clans all reached the same conclusion.
Greed exploded across the continent.
"The heavens are smiling on us! A devil god descends!"
"Our sect will rise!"
"GO! Claim the god for ourselves!"
"Mobilize every expert! We missed the first one—we won't lose the second!"
Assassin sects flickered into motion like shadows.
Demonic sects poured out of seclusion with frenzied roars.
Underground organizations activated long-slumbering operatives.
Everyone wanted the same prize.
Everyone sought the new "heavenly being."
One sacred ground elder clenched his fist and barked new orders:
"Station disciples in that country permanently! Guard the entire mountain region!"
"Regardless of the price—find every cultivator responsible for these heavenly calamities!"
"Those two… must join our faction!"
He did not realize—
All factions had already issued identical orders.
The world's attention had turned to that single mountain range.
The mountain where Yun Che first unleashed his Bankai.
And now, the mountain where Retsu's Bankai had erupted.
A place that once meant nothing…
Now stood at the center of a brewing storm that would shake the continent itself.
==========================
"Two Bankai users in a single year… both causing apocalyptic events…"
Yun Che dragged a hand down his face.
"At this rate, we'll need to find a new continent to farm on."
Jasmine crossed her arms, her expression tightening.
"You just attracted another wave of idiots. Again. She needs to finish this—fast."
Yun Che mentally pinged the system.
How long until the mosquitoes arrive?
==============
[Ding… The host has 7 minutes and 56 seconds.]
==============
"So short?" Yun Che clicked his tongue. "They must've stationed disciples nearby just to spy on this region."
Before Jasmine could respond—
The pillar of rampaging blood energy erupted once more.
The mountain shook.
Wind screamed.
Red lightning shredded the clouds.
Then—just as suddenly—it collapsed inward, sucked into Retsu's body as if inhaled by an unseen force. The skies bled red for one final moment before snapping back to clear blue. Silence followed…
Until a brilliant flash detonated from Retsu's position.
BOOOOOM!
The explosion forced Yun Che and Jasmine behind the barrier as light tore through the surroundings like a miniature sun. Dust and debris scattered across the mountain.
When the shockwave faded…
A silhouette stepped through the drifting smoke.
Jasmine's breath hitched.
Yun Che's eyes widened.
A white fox mask emerged first, adorned with sharp crimson patterns—eerily similar to his own hollow mask, but more sinister. The eyes gleamed a dangerous gold. Retsu's shihakushou clung to her frame, untouched—but everything else had changed.
Her ears had transformed—long, pointed, fox-like.
A sleek black fox tail swayed behind her.
Her braid had unraveled, her hair cascading to her knees in wild, silky waves.
Her aura…
Cold. Lethal. Otherworldly.
But the most startling change—
Her Zanpakutō.
No longer a nodachi.
A short black blade dripped crimson fluid onto the ground—real blood. The sword pulsed with black and red lightning, each spark cutting grooves into the earth.
Jasmine swallowed hard.
"What… is that form…?"
She had witnessed Yun Che's awakening from within the storm.
But this—
This she saw up close.
"That," Yun Che exhaled, "is Retsu. Her Bankai form… and her Visored state."
"Visored?" Jasmine echoed.
"A Shinigami-Hollow hybrid," Yun Che explained. "Those who subdue their inner hollow gain a mask and power beyond standard cultivation."
He dispelled the barrier and stepped forward carefully.
Retsu stood still, silent—her mask hiding her expression, but the fox ears and tail subtly flicked with awareness.
Then she moved.
Slowly. Calmly.
Dragging her blood-soaked blade across the stone—
shhhhhhhhhk
a soft, chilling scrape.
Jasmine tensed—Yun Che raised a hand to steady her.
Retsu approached them…
and though her aura was terrifying, overwhelming, monstrous—
There was no killing intent.
Not even a hint.
Yun Che relaxed first, lowering Zangetsu.
"…So it really is you, Retsu." He murmured.
The hollowed mask tilted slightly.
Then—
softly, faintly—
Her fox tail swayed.
A greeting.
Recognition.
Control.
She had returned.
She had won.
"Young master…"
Retsu's voice emerged distorted through the Visored mask—two tones overlapping, one gentle, one hollowed and echoing like a whisper from the abyss.
Yun Che's smile softened.
"You're back. And you did it."
Retsu nodded once, but then lowered her head. The half fox mask hid her expression, yet the slight tremble of her shoulders betrayed her fear.
He lifted a hand to pat her head…
…and Retsu flinched away.
"Monster."
Her hollow voice trembled.
"No," Yun Che said, stepping closer. "I told you before. You're my Retsu. Hollow or not."
He reached for her again—this time, she didn't resist.
The mask cracked.
Thin lines formed around his fingers.
Then it shattered gently around his touch, revealing her tear-streaked face beneath.
Tears spilled silently down her cheeks as she leaned into his palm, her fox ears drooping.
Yun Che wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into him.
She tensed for a heartbeat—
then melted.
He could feel it.
Despite her bankai, despite the overwhelming power erupting from her—
She was still the same girl he'd trained for five months.
The same Retsu who laughed quietly, learned earnestly, and blushed adorably.
He exhaled slowly.
"You remember everything?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Retsu pulled away just enough to meet his eyes.
Her fox tail swayed—slow, controlled, hesitant.
"No."
She shook her head.
"I could regain my past memories… Yachiru's memories. All of them."
Her fingers fisted in his robes.
"But I chose not to. The only thing I restored… was my composure. My strength."
She steadied herself, voice wavering with sincerity.
"I didn't want to lose my feelings for you, young master. I don't want to be the woman I was. I want to be the woman I am—Unohana Retsu."
Yun Che's breath caught.
Then he smiled softly, gently cupping her cheek again before pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"Then let's make new memories."
He pulled her into a tighter embrace.
"And look toward the future together."
Her breath hitched.
Her ears twitched.
Her tail froze, then curled shyly behind her leg.
He continued, voice deepening—
"And to be honest… my feelings for you didn't start in this world. They began in my past life."
He took a breath, then said it plainly:
"I love you, Unohana Retsu. No matter which version of you stands before me."
Her entire body trembled.
"W–Will we always be together?"
Her voice was small. Vulnerable.
"Promise you won't leave me…?"
"Yes."
He brushed his thumb along her cheek.
"I promise I'll never leave you. And besides—don't I still owe you that date?"
Retsu laughed softly, a sound like melted snow, then tightened her hug around him—still holding her blood-drenched bankai sword.
"Hnnn… I will look forward to that date."
A pointed ahem cut through the air.
"You two seem to be having your moment."
Both turned.
Jasmine stood with her arms crossed, trying—and failing—to look unimpressed.
Normally, Retsu would've jumped away in embarrassment.
But instead, she remained in Yun Che's arms and smiled gently.
"Jasmine-san," she said warmly, "I did it. I returned. And…"
Her tail swayed with pride.
"I fulfilled my promise to you."
"Welcome back, Retsu. What happened in there?" Jasmine asked, sharp eyes narrowing as she examined the transformed girl.
Something was different.
Retsu was no longer the flustered, squeaky girl who panicked at every blush-inducing situation. The clumsy cuteness Yun Che teased her for…
It was still there, hidden behind her expression.
But now she carried herself with calm control—composed, balanced, steady.
She looked like someone who had walked through death and returned wiser.
"Sorry, Jasmine—" Yun Che cut in, glancing sharply toward the skyline.
"That'll have to wait. We have two minutes until they reach this mountain."
Jasmine stiffened.
"Two minutes?!"
Retsu placed a hand on her zanpakutō, her fox mask slowly forming over her face again.
With the mask descending, her voice became that unmistakable hollow-echoed double tone.
"Hai. Yachiru poured every technique she knew into the mask. I've learned the basics… but I need more time to master everything."
Both Jasmine and Yun Che blinked.
"Yachiru?" they said almost in unison.
Even speaking the name sent a shiver through them.
Unohana Yachiru—
The true Kenpachi.
The demon who carved mountains of corpses.
The blood-soaked shadow of the woman before them.
Yun Che felt his pulse quicken.
Did that mean Retsu met her inner hollow—
and that inner hollow retained the memories of the original Unohana Yachiru?
He inhaled sharply.
But Retsu raised a hand to stop the questions.
"I will explain everything later."
Her kit soon tail flicked behind her—calm, focused, alert.
She stepped toward Jasmine.
In a flash of movement, Yun Che's hollow mask materialized across his face, white bone shifting into its sharp hybrid form. The air thickened with dual killing intent—his and Retsu's.
"Retsu, you know Sonido?" he asked.
Retsu slid one foot back in preparation, her sword tapping lightly against her shoulder.
"Hai."
Her tone deepened with the hollow resonance.
"Yachiru taught me."
"Good. Jasmine—hold on."
Before Jasmine could protest, Retsu smoothly wrapped an arm around the princess's waist. The gesture was surprisingly firm, yet gentle—completely unlike the clumsy Retsu from before.
Jasmine's eyes widened.
"W–Wait—!"
But it was too late.
Retsu's fox mask flared with red reiryoku.
A low hum filled the air.
And then—
ZWIP
—space shattered around them as the three vanished in a burst of black-red lightning.
Just moments before the first cultivators arrived at the mountain peak.