As a Soul Reaper who had personally experienced the Zanpakutō rebellion, Kurotsuchi Mayuri could be said to have a wealth of experience.
It was precisely this experience that ignited his curiosity about Zanpakutō and sparked some entirely new, whimsical ideas.
In his original understanding, a Zanpakutō was nothing more than a weapon used for combat, its value limited.
But when Ashisogi Jizō appeared before him in a materialized form, Mayuri finally realized the infinite potential hidden within.
Other original research regarding souls could also be cross-referenced through materialized Zanpakutō spirits, drawing out new lines of thought and even providing inspiration.
It could be said that researching Zanpakutō was an absolute must.
Initially, his idea was to find other Soul Reapers to test it on first—for instance, on that highly displeasing Urahara Kisuke.
However, he hadn't expected that guy to actually be Naraku Sora's direct subordinate. What surprised him even more was that the brat Naraku Sora possessed such terrifying combat power.
He had actually forcefully shattered Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō.
Thinking of this, Mayuri frowned.
Speaking of which, this situation could be considered his Bankai being destroyed. According to the information he knew, there was only one way to repair a Zanpakutō.
That was to use the owner's spirit and Reiatsu, pouring them into the damaged Zanpakutō over the required amount of time.
But this method was strictly limited to Shikai. A destroyed Bankai could never be restored.
Of course, there were exceptions. If a Zanpakutō's Bankai had an extremely strong connection with the Soul Reaper themselves, the user's own recovery could inversely affect the Bankai.
But obviously, Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō did not fall into this category.
Looking at it this way, it seemed the only remaining path to restore his Zanpakutō was through modification.
The problem, however, was that modification required a sufficient understanding of Zanpakutō. Forging and hammering were not Mayuri's strong suits.
On the other side of the prison, upon an empty martial arts arena.
Several criminals brought up from the sixth underground level charged at the figure opposite them, their facial features trembling. The simultaneous burst of Flash Steps kicked up layers of dust across the arena.
The figures arrived in an instant. Reiatsu erupted like a geyser as countless rays of light collided and blended together, ultimately forming an unavoidable attack that surged toward Naraku Sora.
It was as if a disaster had descended.
It carried an indescribable sense of dread, madness, and chaos.
Seeing this terrifying scene, the nearby spectating squad members subconsciously held their breath.
Criminals capable of being imprisoned on the fifth or even sixth level were generally not weak. The slightly stronger Soul Reapers among them could even reach the level of a Lieutenant.
*If such a group of people launched an attack at me all at once, wouldn't I be beaten into meat paste in the next second?*
At this very moment, almost all the spectators had similar thoughts popping into their minds.
However, standing opposite them, Naraku Sora showed not a single ounce of fear. Instead, he flashed a savage grin and met them head-on.
Compared to their massive, imposing charge, his advance looked more like he was seeking his own death.
The next moment, a fierce gale rose from the ground, howling as it enveloped everyone.
His palm pressed down onto the face of the person at the very front and suddenly tightened. The muscles on his arm vibrated like a bowstring, emitting a sharp, piercing sound.
There wasn't even a fluctuation of Reiatsu—it was purely the powerful physical strength brought about by the enhancement of his Hollow power.
He lifted the man up, then slammed him down.
Boom!
Dust flew into the air as the ground fractured into a spiderweb of cracks. In the crater, the man's eyes were wide open, his facial features twisted in agony. His mouth was stretched to its limit, yet he couldn't let out a single sound.
Right then, someone took advantage of Naraku Sora's lowered posture. An elbow came whistling in, attempting to seize the opportunity to finish him off in one fell swoop.
As long as they could defeat him—oh, wait, the rules of the Hope Therapy had changed. As long as their group could leave even the slightest mark on him, it would be considered a total victory.
Therefore, despite their fear, they still maintained a high fighting spirit.
Defeating him was impossible, but leaving a mark still held a glimmer of hope.
However, the moment the elbow was about to touch his neck, the figure in front of him suddenly vanished. Replacing it was a bone-chilling coldness radiating from behind.
Before the man could even steady himself, Naraku Sora grabbed him by the neck, violently swung him up, and smashed him into the ground with a loud bang.
Defeated in a single strike.
In less than the blink of an eye, two people had fallen, completely stripped of their combat capability.
The remaining people, however, were like arrows already on the bowstring—they had no choice but to fire. They could only suppress their inner terror and forcefully unleash their strongest power.
Naraku Sora smiled. He stepped forward, instantly crossing the vast distance. Staring straight at the criminals who were now right in front of him, he parted his lips, revealing a bloodcurdling, savage grin.
A howling hurricane tore their formation to shreds. In less than five seconds, the group of Soul Reapers—whose strength rivaled seated officers or even high-ranking ones—were all foaming at the mouth, lying unconscious on the ground, unable to rise again.
Naraku Sora looked at the figures sprawled haphazardly across the ground and shook his head helplessly.
Sometimes, certain criminals were truly just rotten to the bone.
Even after being beaten time and time again—oh, wait, undergoing Hope Therapy—they still couldn't recognize their mistakes and develop a repentant heart.
If he hadn't considered that finishing them off all at once would be letting them off too easily, Naraku Sora really would have loved to blast each of them with a Raikōhō.
Watching Naraku Sora, who looked completely unfazed and hadn't even shed a single drop of sweat, Urahara Kisuke felt incredibly cursed.
*With such terrifying strength, do I really still have any hope of escaping his demonic clutches?*
At the thought of his hopeless, dark future, Urahara wanted to cry but had no tears left.
However, he could only swallow his broken teeth and bear it.
Even if Naraku Sora's demands were excessive, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and fulfill them.
Who asked the guy to save Benihime's little life at a critical moment?
"Lord Naraku, is your method really going to work?"
Seeing Naraku Sora step down from the arena, Urahara Kisuke immediately went up to meet him, handing over the water he had prepared in advance.
Naraku Sora casually took a couple of gulps and grinned. "Heh, don't tell me you're underestimating my world-shocking intellect?"
Urahara Kisuke: "..."
*I haven't seen any intellect, but it's certainly world-shocking.*
"Setting everything else aside, if that guy can truly suppress his thirst for research, then he wouldn't be Kurotsuchi Mayuri."
Naraku Sora said, brimming with confidence. "Besides, I didn't just design Plan A; I also have Plan B. With a two-pronged approach, I refuse to believe that guy can resist the temptation."
Urahara Kisuke looked curious. "What's Plan B? How come I don't know about it?"
Naraku Sora gave him a bizarre look. He didn't say anything, yet it felt as if he had said everything.
The next moment.
Urahara Kisuke suddenly felt a chill on his chest. A piercing pain erupted, spreading throughout his entire body. Looking down, he saw a pale white hand piercing straight through his chest.
"?"
He turned his head, locking eyes with a pair of eyes surrounded by dark circles. Muramasa offered an apologetic smile.
"Everything is Lord Naraku's order."
Urahara Kisuke looked at Kuchiki Kōga not far away. He reached out a trembling hand, his face full of the agonizing expression of someone who had been betrayed, looking exactly like a cuckolded victim.
*We were just chatting so happily before. How did you end up stabbing me in the back in the blink of an eye?*
Kuchiki Kōga threw his hands up, his expression somewhat helpless.
He actually rarely relied on Muramasa's abilities nowadays. If his close friend hadn't requested it, Muramasa wouldn't have had any room to show off.
As the pale hand was withdrawn, the Zanpakutō at Urahara Kisuke's waist burst with light.
Immediately after, countless threads shot out from the light, weaving the rough outline of a human body in an instant. The figure was curvaceous and quite eye-catching.
The next moment, the sound of wooden blocks clashing rang out. A beautiful woman wearing a red, sleeveless kimono appeared before everyone. Her joints bore stitching marks, making her look like a manipulated puppet.
"She really is quite beautiful."
At some point, Naraku Sora had already flashed to the side, leaving the arena to Urahara Kisuke.
Kuchiki Kōga nodded in deep agreement.
As the chief culprit who had triggered the second Zanpakutō rebellion, he had seen at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, materialized Zanpakutō.
In terms of appearance alone, Urahara Kisuke's Zanpakutō spirit was indeed very good-looking.
The audience watched with great interest, but Urahara Kisuke, the main star of the show, wanted to cry but had no tears. Watching her slender fingers grip the equally slender, slightly curved hilt of her blade, he smiled bitterly.
"Benihime, this joke isn't funny at all."
Hearing this, the woman in the sleeveless kimono curled her lips into a smile and said softly, "A joke?"
"Mr. Urahara, surely you must be joking?"
Viscous, blood-red Reiatsu flowed out from between the threads, draping over Benihime's body like a haori. The surrounding air suddenly became heavy.
"I've been wanting to teach lazy old you a lesson for a long time now."
"You rarely communicate with me because you find it troublesome. Other Soul Reapers mastered their Bankai early on, yet you're still thinking about shortening the process through impractical ideas."
"Mr. Urahara, this too is a form of betrayal!"
The moment her voice fell, the slender figure drove her Reiatsu forward, launching an attack at Urahara Kisuke.
Fierce blade lights bloomed like mandala flowers, every strike aimed straight for his vitals, as if they were mortal enemies.
Urahara Kisuke tossed and turned, dodging and weaving. He seemed reluctant to strike back, at most using his Zanpakutō to block the attacks he couldn't evade.
In reality, however, fine crystals occasionally spilled from this guy's cuffs. Under the reflection of the blade lights, they were completely undetectable.
If Naraku Sora's spiritual senses hadn't been so sharp, even he wouldn't have noticed Urahara Kisuke's little tricks.
Accompanied by a deafening explosion, the battle on the arena directly came to a close. Broken limbs were scattered about, and messy puppet threads were tangled together.
"Good work, Kisuke." Naraku Sora clapped loudly from the sidelines. "As expected of the number one general under my command, your strength is formidable indeed."
"In the battle to make your Zanpakutō spirit submit once again, you've achieved the excellent rank of second place."
Urahara Kisuke: "?"
*I was already this fast, yet someone actually managed to rank ahead of me.*
He was suddenly very curious about who took first place.
"Alright, you can go have a deep conversation with Benihime now. Don't forget to go show off in front of Kurotsuchi Mayuri."
Naraku Sora smiled as he revealed Plan B.
Urahara Kisuke nodded helplessly. As early as when Benihime appeared, he had already guessed a certain someone's entire plan.
Although it was a bit crude, it was surprisingly effective against someone like Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
The next day, Urahara Kisuke and Kuchiki Kōga just so happened to walk past Cell 003.
"Mr. Urahara, is the Zanpakutō research going smoothly?"
"It's going alright. The various data points have been preliminarily obtained, but I need more detailed parameters. Modifying a Zanpakutō is no simple project."
Mayuri quietly opened his eyes a slit.
On the third day, the two familiar figures passed by once again.
"A Zanpakutō's Shikai is closely related to the Soul Reaper's own power, but Bankai training requires cultivating the blade. However, there are already some promising signs."
The imprisoned Kurotsuchi Mayuri let out a loud grinding sound from gnashing his teeth.
On the fourth day, when Urahara Kisuke and Kuchiki Kōga passed by yet again, a pair of eyes inside the cell snapped open, and a vigorous voice rang in their ears:
"Urahara Kisuke, Kuchiki Kōga, I demand to see Naraku Sora!"
Before long, a face that made Kurotsuchi Mayuri gnash his teeth in anger appeared before him:
"Kurotsuchi Gokuyu, you're finally awake."
"You win this time. Let me out."
Kurotsuchi Mayuri took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
"I am willing to work for you, but on the condition that I receive the same treatment as this guy!"
Under the gaze of several pairs of eyes, Urahara Kisuke could only let out an awkward laugh and shrink back behind Naraku Sora.
He still wasn't quite used to this feeling of being the center of attention; it didn't align with his life creed.
Naraku Sora grinned. He grabbed Urahara Kisuke by the back of the neck, lifted him to the front, and gestured:
"This here is Urahara Kisuke, the newest member of Shino Prison."
"His scientific research abilities are second to none. Whether it's Zanpakutō or forbidden experiments, he can handle them with ease."
"Kurotsuchi Mayuri, with him around, your value isn't as high as you imagine."
Urahara Kisuke: "..."
He knew nothing good would come of him tagging along.
Hearing this, Kurotsuchi Mayuri frowned:
"But a person's energy is limited. I can take charge of research in other fields."
"If you agree to let Kuchiki Kōga assist me in modifying my Zanpakutō, I'll do anything!"
Naraku Sora's eyes lit up. *That was exactly the sentence I was waiting for!*