Unohana Retsu staggered backward, placing her pale hand over her abdomen. Feeling the intense agony radiating from her internal organs, a sickly flush appeared on her beautiful face.
She could clearly sense that merciless killing intent.
Brutal and pure.
What she had been anticipating was not a game of swordsmanship, but this kind of thoroughly satisfying, bone-deep slaughter.
It had nothing to do with technique or preference.
As long as she could continuously sink into this ultimate indulgence, that was enough.
"Sora, I am so happy..."
Her soft murmur sounded almost like a sob. Countless mists of blood rose from the sea of blood, tearing open the gash on her abdomen and violently stitching her shattered organs back together.
Compared to the clean and decisive slashes from before, this carried a bit more unconcealable, agonizing torment.
But to Unohana Retsu, who had been dormant for hundreds of years, this was merely the prelude to the final chapter.
*'We still have a long time ahead of us.'*
*'Please enjoy this wonderful moment to the fullest, and let both body and mind drown in this boundless pleasure.'*
Her eyelids drooped, and her spiritual pressure settled.
It was as if something terrifying was brewing within her.
Her braided hair silently came undone, the long black locks dancing wildly amidst the lingering blood mist. As the sea of blood surged, Unohana Retsu transformed into a merciless deity.
Naraku Sora watched the scene unfold with great interest.
It deviated slightly from the Bankai of Unohana Retsu in his memories, perhaps because the main target had changed.
In the original timeline, the first time she released her Bankai was during her battle with Zaraki Kenpachi.
At that time, Zaraki was still very weak. In their very first clash, his neck was pierced.
If not for the ability of Unohana Retsu's Bankai, he would have died right then and there.
In contrast, Naraku Sora was currently vastly stronger than Unohana Retsu, resulting in Minazuki's effects only being applicable to herself.
So, was it purely just for healing?
Naraku Sora did not think it was that simple.
But he no longer had the time to ponder, as the true killing strike quietly approached.
Tap, tap, tap!
Along with the approaching footsteps, viscous blood dripped from the winding blade, merging into the sea of blood. One blood pillar after another rose from beneath her feet.
An unnatural flush colored Unohana Retsu's face, and a sickly smile curled her lips. Sticky blood slid down her collar, plunging into the endless abyss.
In the next second, this scene, resembling the artistry of hell, abruptly appeared right before his eyes.
The winding blood blade thrust toward his abdomen without mercy, as if aiming to slice the man before her open and shred his internal organs.
Naraku Sora raised his sword to meet it head-on, perfectly on target.
However, the moment the crimson and pitch-black clashed, something bizarre occurred.
His vision experienced a momentary dislocation. In a daze, he seemed to see the flesh peeling off his arm.
The sea of blood below transformed into countless sharp blades, piercing into various vital spots on his body from incredibly fierce and tricky angles.
As if to avenge the slash from earlier, his abdomen was stabbed an especially high number of times.
The blades scraped, completely stripping away skin, flesh, organs, bones, nerves, and even his soul.
Naraku Sora raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise rising in his heart.
*'It broke through the Hierro defense I trained so hard for this easily?'*
*'That makes no sense.'*
*'Normally, even Old Man Yama would need to hack at me a few more times.'*
*'How could the mere First Kenpachi manage this?'*
The instant this thought crossed his mind, his vision blurred once more. An extreme sense of pleasure emanated from his soul, and the scene shifted.
His arm, which had previously been reduced to white bone, was completely unharmed.
Yet, an undeniable agony radiated from his internal organs.
Looking down, a blade forged of fresh blood had pierced his chest cavity.
Then, a slender wrist twisted and turned. His relatively fragile internal organs were instantly churned into a mess, pulled out along with the fragments.
A response several times more severe than before fed back into Naraku Sora's body.
However, he did not feel an overwhelmingly intense pain from it. Beneath the shattering of his organs, it was as if an extreme pleasure surfaced, teasing his nerves.
It made one sink into it.
Naraku Sora's expression was a bit strange. For a moment, he suspected that under such tragic injuries, he had awakened some sort of special fetish that could not be spoken of to others.
But he quickly realized the truth.
This was likely also one of Minazuki's abilities.
The sensory manipulation from earlier, and the cognitive deviation now.
It transformed the pain brought by slaughter into endless pleasure, making one voluntarily immerse themselves in it until they walked toward true death.
Besides that, it should also be able to heal those within the sea of blood.
Just like Unohana Retsu a moment ago, repairing her broken body in the blink of an eye.
Although the process was somewhat violent, in terms of effectiveness, there was nothing to criticize.
Naraku Sora could not help but sigh in admiration. The abilities of certain Zanpakutō were truly rule-breaking.
Especially when placed in the hands of specific individuals.
However, considering that a Zanpakutō's ability originated from the Soul Reaper's own soul, it was not the sword that chose the Soul Reaper, but the Soul Reaper who chose the sword.
A bit of realization dawned in Naraku Sora's heart.
*'So Sōsuke is fundamentally not a good guy at all.'*
In the Fifth Squad barracks, Aizen frowned, a look of confusion in his eyes as he casually pulled his clothes tighter around himself.
*'Has the weather turned cold? Why did I suddenly feel an inexplicable chill?'*
He set down his work and looked out the window. Flocks of snow, like goose down, were falling, quickly draping the earth in a silver coat.
*'Normally, weather changes of this degree shouldn't affect me.'*
*'It must be some petty person cursing me behind my back.'*
Aizen thought for a moment, then took a notebook from his drawer and casually made a mark against a certain someone.
Boom!!!
The sea of blood erupted into endless, surging waves. Massive blood pillars shot straight into the sky, shrouded in a crimson mist that covered the two figures entangled within.
There was no mercy, no hatred.
Only an endless thirst for slaughter.
Materialized spiritual pressure formed visible ripples, scattering among the blood pillars, causing the air to tremble and blood to splatter.
The shockwaves generated by their clashes alone were enough to instantly kill a Lieutenant-class Soul Reaper. Even a slightly weaker Captain-class would find it hard to endure.
Squelch!
The sound of flesh tearing was like the most moving musical note, offering a beautiful chapter to their entanglement.
Unohana Retsu's lips parted slightly as she panted in small breaths. The shape of her eyes seemed to have changed, and her gaze toward the figure in the sea of blood was filled with infatuation.
Never before.
No one had ever been able to give her such exhilarating pleasure. She did not need to worry about anything else; she only needed to open her heart and immerse herself in this endless joy.
High-Speed Regeneration.
Flesh squirmed, and the hideous wounds healed at a visible rate.
With the increase in his spiritual pressure and the deepening of his Hollowfication, Naraku Sora found that his High-Speed Regeneration was becoming increasingly absurd.
It was only slightly inferior to Arturo's.
Previously, when participating in a research project, he had asked Aizen how a Soul Reaper squad should handle a Menos Grande when all of its abilities were so exaggerated.
*'Do they really have to choose to retreat immediately and then notify a stronger Soul Reaper to deal with it?'*
Hearing this, Aizen immediately gave him a look of pity.
He then explained that due to limited potential, a Menos Grande could usually only choose one ability to enhance.
Cero, Hierro, Pesquisa, Sonído, High-Speed Regeneration...
Not every Arrancar could be a freak like him.
The reason his Hollowfication was considered the most perfect lay precisely in this point.
No matter which ability it was, there were no obvious shortcomings.
The blade swung down.
Blazing flames of spiritual pressure evaporated the nearby blood pillars. Countless drops of blood churned, and explosive thunder and scorching heat echoed above the endless sea of blood.
The blood sword was raised in an attempt to block the strike.
But the moment they touched, a shattering sound rang in her ears, and fragments splattered in all directions.
The pitch-black blade slashed downward, extending all the way from her left shoulder to her waist and abdomen, nearly splitting that voluptuous body in two.
Despite the terrifying injury, there was not a single trace of pain on Unohana Retsu's face. She merely raised her hand and wiped away the viscous blood hanging from the corner of her mouth.
The sea of blood below surged, rushing into her body wave after wave, violently stitching up the gap.
"Sora, this was originally prepared for you," Unohana Retsu said, a smile playing on her lips, as gentle as ever.
"Within the space of Minazuki, there is no true death, but the fear of death is real."
"Every time one nears death, a Soul Reaper's understanding of themselves deepens by a fraction."
"With the accumulation of these instances, even an ordinary existence can undergo a complete rebirth."
Speaking up to this point, Unohana Retsu's breathing grew a bit ragged.
"But I found that this method provides no practical help to you."
"Yet, I cannot bear to stop this hard-won pleasure."
"So, please forgive this selfishness, and display the most beautiful of everything."
A flash of realization crossed Naraku Sora's eyes. So this was how Unohana Retsu utilized Minazuki.
However, considering that this woman was a pure villain a thousand years ago, it seemed everything made perfect sense.
The flower of evil blooming upon the sea of blood.
"But no beauty can last forever. Next, I will do everything in my power to bring this slaughter to a perfect end."
Unohana Retsu held the hilt with one hand and brushed the other over the shattered blade. Sticky blood flowed from her palm, forging a new longsword.
"Going all out to kill me?" Naraku Sora grinned. "Since that is your wish, then go ahead and try."
Having received his permission, the smile on Unohana Retsu's face grew even more radiant. Boundless spiritual pressure vented recklessly, and the entire sea of blood began to boil.
It was as if there was a volcano about to erupt beneath them.
Her lithe figure leaned forward, crossing the vast distance in an instant. The blood sword fell without warning, and the space let out a creaking sound as if unable to bear the heavy burden.
Unohana Retsu was ready to welcome the ultimate climax.
It was time to bring this to a close.
Facing this unreserved strike, Naraku Sora grinned. Like a collapsing mountain, he ignited the terrifying spiritual pressure within his shell, his muscles letting out sounds like a bowstring being drawn taut.
Patterns resembling surging magma scattered across his skin.
"Vajrayati・Innate Karmic Consciousness!"
A massive black-red pillar of light erupted with a boom, illuminating the entire sea of blood. Layer upon layer of the viscous blood evaporated, turning into nothingness.
His five fingers gripped the blade condensed from stars, slashing down toward the sea of blood beneath his feet.
Boom!!
A deafening roar echoed throughout Hueco Mundo, releasing endless light and heat like a solar flare eruption.
Lasting for less than a second, Minazuki, which covered an endless expanse, was forcefully blown apart by this single strike!
At the same time.
The blood sword in Unohana Retsu's hand perfectly pierced through Naraku Sora's neck.
Scalding blood gushed out, landing on those pale hands.