Since her last conversation with Venelana, Rias had gotten along much more harmoniously with her family.
The Gremory Family had long suspected that she possessed complete memories and a fully formed value system.
Never underestimate the sharpness of the strong. Their wisdom, perception, and instincts far surpass those of ordinary humans.
This was something that could not be hidden from the very beginning.
But to them, whether Rias was a reincarnated person or not was irrelevant, because Rias was their daughter, and that would never change.
"The second stage of the Fusion Equation is complete. Has the new research hit a bottleneck?"
Rias pondered: "The third stage of the Fusion Equation and energy conversion involve the essence of life. The next direction might be a bit difficult..."
"The systems of Other Worlds cannot be fully converted into strength, also due to a lack of fundamental energy conversion. While the properties of Power of Destruction are strong, they also lack a degree of omnipotence."
Fundamentally, the life and rules of beings like the Flugel and Shinigami are different from this world. Even the basic structure of humans differs subtly from world to world.
Simply changing one's racial distinction is easy; the racial transformation of Devil Chess Piece can accomplish that.
The problem is how to give oneself dual, or even more, characteristics.
To transform the magical property of 'Destruction' into the magical property of 'Omnipotence'.
Only by thoroughly researching this point would she be on Rias's own path to becoming one of the Transcendents.
"It's already necessary to introduce something new to break through the bottleneck."
Rias murmured.
Something new had already been identified—the Hōgyoku.
Uncertain about the passage of time during her departure, Rias left a letter in her room. After a while, the room's barrier would automatically deactivate.
If she were gone for too long, she wouldn't be considered missing.
Of course, Rias roughly guessed her absence would be instantaneous, but this was just a precaution.
Rias: "@Unohana Retsu, do you have time?"
"Want to come for a visit?"
Unohana Retsu responded quickly, saying: "The view from the mountaintop is nice. I happen to have a tea set with me. Would you like to try it?"
"Mhm, I look forward to experiencing the tea art of a millennium-old Shinigami."
Rias clicked on the application, and a window popped up on Unohana Retsu's side.
"Rias Gremory has requested to enter your world. Allow: Yes/No."
Clicking 'Allow,' Rias appeared in the Shinigami world.
Unohana Retsu's appearance was gentle and serene. She wore her long black hair parted in the middle, tied into a braid that hung forward, covering the scar on her chest.
She wore a black Shihakushō, over which was draped a white Haori with the number 'Four' (Four) written on the back, symbolizing the Captain of the Fourth Division.
"This counts as our first meeting in reality, Little Rias."
Unohana Retsu said with a smile.
"I suppose so."
Rias walked over and said plainly: "You're being too cautious. I've wanted to visit your world for a long time."
A carpet was spread out in front of Unohana Retsu, with a small square table placed on top.
On the small table was a tea set. She was currently kneeling before it, using spiritual energy to heat the water.
Rias walked over and sat opposite her, admiring Unohana Retsu's movements.
The art of tea tasting often equates to artistry, akin to a lifestyle of self-cultivation through tea.
Her movements were fluid, like flowing clouds and water, giving a sense of natural, effortless smoothness, as if she had become part of the scenery.
Soon, a cup of tea appeared before Rias.
The tea was clear and translucent, its fragrance pervasive. Just looking at it was a pleasure.
Taking a small sip, she let the liquid flow from the tip to the back of her tongue, swallowing after three repetitions. A hint of sweetness lingered in her mouth.
"It tastes good."
Rias praised.
Although this was a tea ceremony, Rias wasn't particularly fond of Tedious etiquette. She preferred to do what made her happy.
Unohana Retsu also seemed to only demand perfection from herself, showing no reaction to Rias's actions, simply smiling all the while.
Perhaps this was the true essence of the tea ceremony.
Being strict with oneself, but having few demands of others.
Whether one understands tea or not, likes tea or not—even if one treats it as plain water—as long as they aren't unhappy, that is enough.
That's all that matters.
"Thank you for the compliment."
Unohana Retsu gave a faint smile, looking quite pleased.
After finishing the tea, Rias wasn't in a hurry to search for the Hōgyoku. Instead, she found a comfortable angle and lay her head on Unohana Retsu's lap.
Unohana Retsu gently stroked Rias's crimson hair, squinting her eyes to enjoy the breeze. It wasn't bad at all.
"Do you know the Hōgyoku's location?"
Unohana Retsu asked.
"I can make a rough guess."
Rias said, squinting her eyes.
Aizen's Hōgyoku was most likely carried on his person, as nowhere was safer than on himself.
Regarding Kisuke Urahara's Hōgyoku, there are currently two theories.
First: After Kuchiki Rukia's first mission to the Living World and transferring her Shinigami powers to Kurosaki ichigo, Kisuke Urahara placed the Hōgyoku into her soul via a Gigai.
Second: It was placed inside her even earlier.
"The hiding place he chose at that time was you, Kuchiki Rukia! By the time I learned of this, you had already disappeared in the Living World."
These were Aizen's exact words, concerning the sequence of events.
Aizen didn't deduce the Hōgyoku was on Rukia because her Gigai made her untraceable; rather, he first discovered the Hōgyoku was on Rukia, then found she was missing.
Moreover, Kisuke Urahara never said he placed his Hōgyoku into her via the Gigai; he only said he used the Gigai to hide Rukia.
Abarai Renji asked Kisuke Urahara several times, but he never answered.
Another point: if the Hōgyoku were truly in Kisuke Urahara's possession, Aizen would have intensified his pursuit of him.
Precisely because he knew Kisuke Urahara wouldn't keep the Hōgyoku on himself—capturing him would be useless—he let Urahara roam free for over a hundred years.
Initially, it was well hidden. Later, after Aizen narrowed down its general location, the Hōgyoku was sent away.
There's also another piece of intelligence: When Rukia first joined her division, she went to the Living World to support Kiyone Kotetsu, but she herself has no memory of it.
No memory of having been to the Living World?
Clearly, there's an issue here.
Rias leans toward the second theory. Or rather, even if it's not on Rukia, it doesn't matter.
The disparity in strength makes Rias unafraid of anything in this world.
"More than the Hōgyoku, I'm more interested in your thoughts."
Rias asked: "What do you think of Soul Society?"
"..."
Unohana Retsu didn't reply immediately. After a moment of thought, she asked instead: "Speaking of which, you said Aizen would rebel. Do you know the reason?"
"Not just Aizen."
Rias nuzzled against Unohana Retsu's soft thigh and said casually: "From the moment its foundation was laid, this world's development has been distorted."
"As the creator of the new world, the Soul King's very existence is a tragedy."
"First, his arms were torn off. Then, over a long period, his heart was dug out, his legs severed, and his internal organs all chopped to pieces and separated from his body. Made into a human pillar, he became the wedge stabilizing the world's existence."
"Over the long ages, the world needed cycles, and the Soul King himself sought death. Whether it's Aizen, Yhwach, or Tokinada Tsunayashiro, they are all part of the change being brought about."
"It's not about what Aizen will do, but that the world itself is pushing for change. The question is whether this change will become a prolonged tug-of-war, with countless evils in history erupting, or a swift resolution, sweeping away the entire world in one go."
"Wait, you said the Soul King..." Unohana Retsu was somewhat stunned.
"That's right."
Rias said lightly: "This is the truth of this world."
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.