Harribel's transformation after entering her second-stage Resurrección was just as overwhelming visually as it was in terms of power.
Her lustrous golden hair had turned silver-white, cold and radiant, as though every strand had been stripped of warmth and reforged under moonlight. The once pure-white Tiburón in her hand was now wrapped in a dark, lightning-like form, black currents crawling along the blade as muffled thunder rolled again and again from within it. Each heavy rumble seemed to announce the new authority she had gained after transcending her previous limits.
The bone armor that had once resembled a daring battle outfit had vanished, replaced by a shadow-black suit of armor. Calling it protection, however, would have been far too generous.
Because it was far too breathable.
Yes, that dark armor only covered Harribel's long legs, lower body, and arms. As for the upper half… it was difficult to describe. More accurately, the domestic audience had no way to describe it, because Harribel's upper body - especially that pair of overwhelming "consciences" - had been blocked behind a layer of holy light.
For many people in this parallel world, this might have been their first time truly understanding what "holy light" meant. To put it simply, it was the thing often used in bloody or suggestive animation to replace mosaics and cover sensitive areas.
Before his transmigration, Alex had seen far too many works ruined by that kind of censorship. Some series were practically legendary for being covered in holy light from beginning to end. Even certain productions he had watched shortly before crossing over had entire scenes either blurred, flooded with light, or cut outright.
It absolutely destroyed the viewing experience.
But right now, the rage of the male audience back home was clearly even more exaggerated than anything Alex had felt in his previous life.
To borrow an old joke: "I was already prepared, and this is what you let me see?"
Although those enormous "consciences" were blocked behind holy light, the slender waist, the sharp curves of her figure, and even the exposed lines beneath her raised arms were enough for millions of seasoned degenerates across the country to make a firm judgment.
Harribel's second-stage Resurrección design was absolutely capable of keeping countless hot-blooded young men awake for an entire night.
And yet, this was what they had been given.
"Alex, you bastard! I haven't even settled the score with you for killing Byakuya yet, and now you pull this?"
"Is there any way to remove that damn light? Urgent!"
"I've lost all motivation to keep watching."
"I'm completely sure Harribel is wearing even less than before. I want to see it so badly I don't even care about the plot anymore."
"Brothers, try to understand Alex. Harribel's new design obviously wouldn't pass review on domestic streaming platforms. This was probably the only way."
"What does that have to do with me? I want to see it!"
"You pitch the tent and then tell me this?"
"Comment from a student in the United States: you can watch it on the international platform. No holy light over here. I've already replayed it three times. I can't handle this anymore."
"Damn it. For the first time in my life, I'm jealous of foreigners."
While the comments section turned into a full-scale mourning ceremony, chaos also broke out at the headquarters of Penguin, the company that had purchased the domestic streaming rights to Bleach: The Thousand-Year Final War.
"Mr. Martin! The final season's viewership has dropped by sixteen percent!"
An employee rushed into Martin's office in a panic, delivering the report as if the building were on fire.
"What happened?"
Martin was so startled that he nearly slipped out of his executive chair. His first thought was that Alex's story had somehow exploded. Had the plot collapsed? Had a major twist angered the audience? Had the finale suddenly gone off the rails?
"Actually…"
The subordinate quickly explained the situation.
After listening, Martin fell into silence, his expression turning complicated. He knew this scene would affect viewership once it aired. He had even predicted that some people would be unhappy. But he never expected the impact to be this severe.
More than ten percent of the audience had simply run away.
According to the report, some had gone over the wall to foreign platforms to watch the uncensored version, while others were waiting for file-sharing links.
The determination of that particular audience demographic was truly terrifying.
In the United States, however, the reaction was completely different.
That level of exposure barely counted as anything to them. Nothing explicit had actually been shown, so what was there to make a fuss about? Some variety shows there had pushed far more outrageous boundaries just to grab ratings. Compared to that, Harribel's new form was practically tasteful.
Even so, the moment her second-stage Resurrección appeared, countless American viewers still swallowed hard.
Many silently paused the episode, reached for tissues, and opened their browsers with the solemnity of men entering a private ritual.
They had seen plenty, of course. But once the charm of a two-dimensional character entered the equation, common sense lost all meaning. The instant Harribel's new design appeared, those experienced viewers transformed into beasts who could no longer think straight.
Alex understood that feeling better than anyone.
During the filming of Bleach's final season, whenever that combination of costume, presence, and atmosphere appeared in front of him, his resistance visibly weakened. There was no helping it. Against certain anime enthusiasts, that kind of visual attack had absurd destructive power.
Thus, after Harribel's new form appeared, the online viewership of Bleach's final season suffered a historic setback. Overseas, nearly one-third of viewers did not immediately click into the next episode. They were too busy dealing with private matters.
As for the domestic audience, they were just as busy, but for a different reason. They were desperately trying to find the uncensored international version. Messaging groups, forums, and online communities were flooded with resource requests, almost all of them ending with the classic line:
"May the original poster live a long and peaceful life."
For a while, male viewers all over the world reached a strange kind of harmony.
Only more than an hour later did the exhausted Western viewers and the domestic fans who had finally begged, searched, and sacrificed their dignity to obtain the uncensored version return to the next episode, looking drained and hollow, as though they had survived some invisible war.
The three highest-ranked Espada, all granted second-stage Resurrección by Alex, finally unleashed overwhelming power.
Naturally, Alex had also strengthened their abilities accordingly. His main reference point was still the final arc of Bleach. Although that arc had plenty of problems, one thing had to be admitted: when it came to designing character abilities and flashy techniques, the original creator truly knew how to make things look unbearably cool.
Starrk's shooting ability borrowed elements from near-divine marksmanship. Barragan's power drew from concepts of decay, corruption, and inevitable death, making his presence even more suffocating. Harribel was more direct. After entering second-stage Resurrección, her power had clearly gained the attribute of lightning, fusing the force of water with the instant violence of thunder.
In the end, Tenjiro Kirinji, Kirio Hikifune, Oetsu Nimaiya, and Senjumaru Shutara were killed.
Only the leader of the Zero Division, Ichibe Hyosube, remained.
As the camera swept across Tenjiro's body, half of it corroded away by the Skeleton Emperor; across Kirio and Senjumaru, whose arms and throats had been severed by Harribel's Tiburón; and across Oetsu, whose heart had been pierced through by Starrk's wolves, the audience could not help but voice the same complaint Alex himself had once made in his previous life.
"What the hell? Is this all the Zero Division can do?"
"They said the five of them had combat power comparable to the entire Gotei 13, but they couldn't even take down a single Espada under Sosuke Aizen!"
"Other than handing power-ups to the protagonist group, what use do you people have?"
"Calm down, brothers. Second-stage Resurrección really is absurdly strong."
"The main cast hasn't even started showing off yet. You can't let supporting characters steal all the kills."
Alex had already done everything he could to raise the Zero Division's status.
Unfortunately, aside from the monk, their performance in the original work had already been painfully underwhelming. Even after squeezing his brain dry, Alex could only elevate them to this extent.
After all, in the original story, their role really did feel as if they existed solely to help Ichigo Kurosaki unlock another upgrade.
"This might become the only real flaw of the final season."
Alex could not help laughing to himself.
But honestly, there was nothing he could do about it. The protagonist group needed room to perform. If he deliberately handed one or two major victories to the Zero Division just to make them look better, the story would lose focus. At the end of the day, the main cast still needed their chance to prove their weight.
Onscreen, Sosuke Aizen slowly walked toward the final barrier before the Soul King Palace.
Standing there was the last wall, a large, bearded monk whose presence was as rough and imposing as an ancient temple guardian. He sat there calmly, as though he had been waiting for this moment for a very long time.
Aizen looked at him and gave a faint, composed smile.
"Would you let me pass, Ichibe Hyosube?"
The monk guarding the palace scratched his back with his brush-shaped Zanpakutō, then slowly rose to his feet and turned his head.
"Don't say my name so casually…"
When he turned completely around, Ichibe's eyes met Aizen's. His chin lifted slightly, and his voice came out low and heavy, carrying the weight of something far older than mere killing intent.
"I won't be responsible if your throat burns away."
Sosuke Aizen versus the leader of the Zero Division.
The battle was about to begin.
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