Whoosh—
A gust of wind blew by, stirring a long trail of yellow sand.
In the silence of this world, a crack appeared out of nowhere.
Crack—
The sound was sharp and brittle, like glass shattering.
In the next moment, blackness spread out like a curtain, covering the space.
Step.
A foot emerged from within.
Then, Lynn stepped out.
He looked up, taking in the scenery before him.
What met his eyes was a desolate land, a white desert scattered with dead quartz-like trees.
Strange creatures wandered the terrain at a slow, eerie pace.
Lynn looked skyward.
A crescent moon hung in the sky, marking time in this place.
However…
According to what he knew, there was no concept of "day" in Hueco Mundo.
He took a deep breath and immediately felt a sense of satisfaction within his body.
It was due to the feedback from Yoruichi's spiritual pressure, allowing him to absorb spirit particles from the atmosphere.
And in Hueco Mundo…
The density of spirit particles far surpassed that of the human world.
Even Soul Society lagged behind.
If members of his Peerage could absorb spiritual particles, just standing here might be enough to raise their overall capabilities.
Unfortunately…
Aside from Yoruichi, the only ones currently capable of utilizing Reishi were probably Miko and Midoriko.
After all, one was a Spirit-Seer Devil, and the other, a soul specialist.
While Lynn was assessing the environment of Hueco Mundo, figures gradually stepped out of the black cavity behind him.
Miko inhaled deeply, and rich spiritual energy surged into her body along with her breath.
Miko: "...?"
She scratched her cheek, slightly confused.
It felt like… she was absorbing souls?
This…
Wasn't this incredible?
Her eyes lit up.
This place was paradise for her!
Midoriko extended her hand.
A faint light gathered at her fingertips, and she lightly swiped through the air.
Buzz—
A bow and arrow formed from spiritual particles appeared instantly!
Seeing this, Midoriko fell into deep thought.
Her innate ability was control over souls.
In her original world, this talent only allowed her to extract souls, creating effects similar to the Shikon Jewel.
But here…
It felt like she was in her natural element.
Especially in this place.
The spirit particles were so dense she could do things with ease that had once seemed impossible.
Like the bow before her.
She had merely manipulated the nearby spirit particles lightly to form it.
Like a fish in water.
That was the phrase that came to mind.
No wonder Lynn said this world suited her and Miko best.
Through this world, perhaps she and Miko could truly evolve.
"Wuhu~"
Yuuko floated in midair, eyes closed slightly, arms spread wide with a peaceful expression.
As a ghost, she loved environments like this.
It felt like she was soaking in a spiritual hot spring.
However…
Only Miko, Midoriko, and Yuuko truly understood that sensation.
Others, like Kikyo, were largely indifferent.
Kikyo looked around before fixing her eyes on some of the strange monsters nearby.
"Those… are Hollows?"
Lynn nodded. "Yeah."
"But..."
"Most of them are ordinary Hollows. Not very strong."
He glanced at them with little concern.
In terms of threat level, these ordinary Hollows were probably even weaker than Low-Class Devils.
Hana's eyes lit up, rubbing her hands together. "Let me try first!"
As she spoke, life energy erupted from her body. She surged forward like a golden comet, resembling a Super Saiyan enveloped in golden aura.
In the next moment…
A golden flash cut through the sky as Hana launched herself like an arrow.
Soon after…
The Hollow felt a surge of heat, and before it could react, Hana stood right before it.
Hollow: "...?"
Its eyes froze. It just stood there, dazed.
Hana waved enthusiastically. "Hi there, Mr. Hollow!"
Miko: "…"
Holding her chin, she sighed. "Hana, ordinary Hollows don't have intelligence."
"Huh?"
Hana tilted her head, confused. "Really?"
Miko's expression twitched.
She definitely wasn't paying attention during the briefing.
But then again… this was Hana.
Miko could only smile helplessly.
"Yaaaaah!!"
Just then, the Hollow finally reacted, roaring as it lunged at Hana.
Zzzzt!
The moment its claws touched her golden aura, its body ignited instantly.
In the next second, it was completely burned away by golden flames, its soul purified.
"Huh?"
Hana scratched her head in confusion. "What just happened?"
"Where did Mr. Hollow go?"
Miko: "…"
Lynn's mouth twitched slightly.
What had she even learned during this time?
Still…
There was some gain.
At the very least, they confirmed that ordinary Hollows posed no threat.
Lynn said, "Let's move forward."
—
Elsewhere. In the human world.
After watching Lynn and the others disappear into the black cavity one by one…
Urahara Kisuke finally turned to Yoruichi.
"You and that man…"
"What exactly happened?"
Yoruichi smirked, gave a thumbs-up, and said, "As expected of Kisuke. Sharp as always!"
Urahara's expression stiffened. "You're not even trying to hide it, are you?"
Her performance had been too obvious. Given his intelligence, how could he not notice?
Yoruichi shrugged. "I'm not sure I can tell you the specifics."
After all…
She had only just joined Lynn's Peerage. She wasn't fully familiar with all the rules yet.
"But…"
"You saw my speed earlier."
Urahara's eyes gleamed. "That was because of him?"
"Exactly."
Yoruichi nodded. "My strength got a major boost."
Urahara narrowed his eyes.
He knew full well how strong Yoruichi was.
And he also knew she had been at a bottleneck for a long time.
But now…
Things had clearly changed.
Still…
He asked bluntly, "So you sold yourself to him?"
Yoruichi nodded calmly. "Yep."
Urahara: "…"
Wait. He was just joking. Did she really do it?
His face twitched subtly.
"Oh, right."
Yoruichi added with a smirk in her eyes, "Maybe I should tell you…"
"Right now, it's like I've got a complete Hogyoku in me."
"!"
Urahara's head shot up. "What did you just say?!"
"Oh my, oh my~"
Yoruichi grinned. "It's rare to see you make that face."
Urahara ignored the teasing, his expression turning serious. "Yoruichi, this is about the Hogyoku. Don't joke like that."
Hearing this, Yoruichi's smile faded.
"Kisuke, I'm not joking…"
When she first learned about the Blessing System, she was just as shocked.
And…
The Blessing System might even be more terrifying than the Hogyoku.
Its versatility was beyond imagination.
Upon confirming her sincerity, Urahara fell silent.
Though Yoruichi hadn't spelled it out, Urahara had already pieced most of it together based on what she said.
At the very least…
The Hogyoku she mentioned must've come from Lynn.
But…
Just because she "sold" herself, Lynn gave her something that important?
Match made in heaven?
Urahara looked at Yoruichi with growing suspicion.
Yoruichi's mouth twitched. "I get the feeling you're thinking something shady."
Urahara's face remained neutral. "You're imagining things."
She rolled her eyes. "I probably know what you're thinking."
"But…"
"Unlike your Hogyoku, Lynn's version is something he can create at will."
Urahara froze.
Create at will?
Wait a second…
He asked stiffly, "Don't tell me… all the women around him…"
Yoruichi nodded. "It's just like you think."
Gulp.
Urahara couldn't hold back anymore.
A Hogyoku for each person?
The thing he and Aizen had risked everything to create…
Was being handed out like candy in someone else's Peerage?
This…
Urahara fell into existential doubt.
—
Meanwhile.
In the main world.
Himeragi Yukina and Kitagawa Marin had just finished their first experience as new members of Lynn's Peerage.
(To be continued.)
***
Support me on patreon to read 30+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/Blownleaves.