Bleach: Love and Bonds Make Me Stronger!

Leaving the First Division barracks, Makoto glanced at the prompt before him.

[Bond Event: Hollow Reality]

[Your bond level with Louise has increased! ↑]

[Rewards: Reiatsu +1, Talent Points +2]

[Acquired Bond Trait: Hollow Reality]

[Reiatsu: Tier-3 (Lower) → Tier-3 (Middle)]

[Bond Trait: Hollow Reality: At a certain cost, erase an existing reality outcome (due to similar nature, integrated into zanpakuto ability)]

At his current level, every step forward required centuries of accumulation, each minor stage a monumental leap. Gaining bond traits as easily as before was no longer feasible.

Pondering this, he turned his gaze to the long-neglected panel.

[Name: Makoto Fujimiya]

[Reiatsu: Mid Tier-3 (Captain) +]

[Four Arts:

[Zanjutsu: 14th Tier (28/100) +]

[Hakuda: 12th Tier (19/100) +]

[Kido: 11th Tier (12/100) +]

[Hoho: 14th Tier (33/100) +]

[Zanpakuto: Oharai Gougi (Shikai) +]

[Talent Points: 7]

[Bond Traits: Swordsmanship Prodigy, Art of Footcraft, Wall of Sighs, There's Always a Master, Flawless Circle, Final Dawn, Teetering on the Edge, Soul Incineration, Perfect Lifeform, Hollow Reality]

[Love Traits: None]

His eyes lingered on 'Talent Points' and the '+' option beside it.

Since joining Genryu and gaining stable access to [Bond Traits] through structured training, he'd barely touched his talent points, saving them for a moment like this, when he had no choice but to step up.

To face a 'transcendent' like Yhwach and deal meaningful damage, Tier-1 Reiatsu was a necessary threshold. Never having directly boosted his Reiatsu, Makoto wasn't sure if his accumulated points were enough or what the outcome would be.

Huff…

Exhaling deeply, he stepped out of the First Division barracks, only to hear a sharp gust of wind behind him.

Turning, he saw a purple figure leap onto him, a foot slamming into his back, staggering him forward.

A petite form clambered up, scaling his shoulders like a monkey.

Straddling him like a horse, her small legs clamped tightly around his head, sticking like glue, impossible to shake off.

"Hey! Saito!"

Makoto called out, exasperated.

Lifting his head, he saw Saito's face beaming with an enigmatic smile, her hands vigorously ruffling his hair.

"Listen, Makoto-" The girl drawled, her tone teasing. "You didn't step up because you're worried about me, did you?"

His expression froze, his hands grabbing her legs, trying to pry her off his shoulders.

But Saito, nimble as a monkey, locked her straw sandals together, her slender thighs gripping his neck firmly, refusing to budge.

Hanging onto him, she taunted loudly, "Spill it! Tell me now!"

"…"

Makoto fell silent, then said earnestly, "Yeah."

"If Saito died in front of me, I'd be heartbroken."

"So, no matter what, I want you to live."

Hearing this, Saito froze, her body stiffening.

Her fingers stopped ruffling his hair, her legs around his neck stilled.

"Saito?"

Makoto tried to turn and look at her.

But Saito's hands clamped his head, refusing to let him look up.

She tilted her face upward, guiltily scanning the surroundings, as if checking if anyone overheard.

If anyone could see Saito then, they'd notice her fair, delicate face flushed with an unnatural red, her expression panicked, like a startled cat on high alert, terrified their words had been caught.

Once she calmed, confirming no one was around, she raised her voice, childishly loud, her reaction overly intense. "W-Who asked for your concern?!"

"What's with 'want you to live,' like I'm bound to lose?!"

"Idiot!"

Damn it! This guy did it on purpose!

Saito rubbed her inexplicably warm cheeks, gritting her teeth.

Her heart, unshaken by wielding a blade in mortal combat, was rattled by his casual words.

How was she supposed to deliver the lines she'd prepared to mock this fool now?!

"Anyway, anyway, anyway!"

"Go apologize to that old man right now and drop this second defense line nonsense!"

Saito, too embarrassed to keep straddling Makoto's neck like before, leapt off with a whoosh, scurrying two steps ahead, facing him with the back of her head.

From Makoto's angle, he could only see the glowing red earlobes peeking from her twin tails.

They were burning hot.

But even if you threw Saito into a lava pool and fished her out, her mouth would stay stubborn.

Despite the undeniable flush on her ears and cheeks, she forced her voice louder, feigning nonchalance. "I don't need your protection!"

"You're the one more likely to die on the battlefield, aren't you?!"

But as Saito ranted, a slightly rough finger grazed the back of her ear.

The warm finger felt cool compared to her current body heat.

It sent shivers through her, her nerves jolting like they'd been shocked, her twin tails stiffening straight.

Makoto, now behind her, teased softly, "I'm talking serious business here."

"Why're you blushing?"

Saito clapped her hands over her red ears, whirling to glare at the mischievous guy, her flushed tongue sticking out in a rapid-fire pfft pfft pfft. "Idiot! Idiot!"

"Big idiot!!"

"Bleh!"

As her voice fell, she spun and bolted, vanishing onto a rooftop with a whoosh.

Makoto, smiling, raised a hand to his brow like a visor, watching Saito's figure disappear into the distance.

When her form vanished at the road's end, he let out a long sigh.

Though his presence had altered much of reality, the fall of the Seireitei and Yhwach's emergence proved the Soul Society's historical tide still surged forward.

If so, would the founding Gotei 13 captains fall, one by one, in the coming millennium due to various realities?

Could this 'history' truly be changed?

Despite his deep involvement in this world, Makoto couldn't help but harbor this near-cowardly doubt.

"It's not about 'can it be changed.'"

"It's… it must be changed."

As Saito's figure faded from sight, Makoto pursed his lips, stating firmly to himself.

Screw the original story.

"What change?"

A familiar voice interrupted his self-talk, startling him into taking half a step forward.

Turning, he saw Katori, her face beaming with innocent curiosity.

"Captain Katori…"

Makoto's expression was nuanced. "If you could make some noise when you walk, I'd be thrilled."

"No can do."

Katori tilted her head with a low chuckle, a glint of mischief in her eyes behind thick glasses. "If I made noise, wouldn't Saito-senpai notice?"

"Saito-senpai would be super mad!"

"Then how would I hear such fun conversations, right, Makoto-kun?"

His expression grew even more complex. "You even heard that?"

"Of course!"

Katori covered her lips with one hand, her eyes crinkling into slits with her smile, speaking softly. "After all, Makoto-kun stepped up for Saito-senpai, didn't he?"

"It's downright touching!"

"But…"

After the playful words, Katori's expression sobered, her curiosity piqued. "More than that, I'm curious about something else."

"How will Makoto-kun boost his Reiatsu so much in three days?"

"You know, if you break a military oath… even you understand the consequences, right?"

Her glasses glinted.

She was intrigued.

Makoto turned, smiling at her. "Wanna see?"

Katori blinked, then her lips curved into a grin.

"Yes!"

…

"Underground space?"

"That's my private spot."

"But… I can't say no to you, can I?"

Senjumaru's voice was as languid as ever, but she didn't hesitate at Makoto's request.

With a glance at Katori trailing him, she turned, her wheelchair's wheels spinning, guiding her toward the deeper entrance.

Senjumaru paused by the doorway, looking at Makoto. "I don't know what you're planning."

"But this space has limited capacity."

"Don't go overboard."

"If you wreck my place, there'll be consequences."

The elegant beauty spoke, extending a skeletal hand.

From its tip, a long needle emerged.

Makoto didn't argue, nodding. "Don't worry!"

"Probably?"

Senjumaru narrowed her eyes, her gaze complex.

This guy's words were only reliable when they were bad news.

Makoto didn't linger, leading Katori downward.

Katori looked around, her innocent face brimming with curiosity, fascinated by everything.

"I never imagined there'd be such a vast space down here."

"Is the sky a texture map?"

"Is Makoto-kun starting now?"

Makoto paused in place, turning at the sound of the girl's voice, offering her a smile. "It's already begun."

"Hm?"

Katori blinked.

Makoto gazed at the panel, eyeing the talent points he'd painstakingly accumulated. He let out a long sigh, shaking his head wryly in his mind.

Why bother, Yhwach?

I tried to live among you as an ordinary man, only to face relentless indifference and oppression.

Fine, I'm done pretending! I'm laying it all bare!

I'm a cheater.

Add points! My peerless talent!

The next moment, a torrent of ferocious reiatsu, like boiling water, erupted endlessly from within Makoto.

[Talent Point -1]

[Reiatsu: Mid Tier-3 → Upper Tier-3 ]

Unlike the natural strength boosts from bond events after battles, this was different.

The instant the talent point vanished, Makoto felt an immense, uncontrollable surge of reiatsu well up within him.

The overwhelming force seemed to wash him from head to toe, as if upgrading every cell, shattering his 'limit' in the most extreme way.

Boom!

His body momentarily lost control over the reiatsu.

New, violent, and intensely impactful reiatsu reactions surged ceaselessly within him.

A colossal mass of reishi converged, using his body as a focal point, forming a pure, towering pillar that shot straight into the sky.

Katori's eyes narrowed behind her glasses, staring at Makoto standing in place.

She hadn't expected his 'change' to manifest like this.

Even from a distance, she could see his skin, face, body, limbs, peeling and regenerating under the terrifying reiatsu reaction.

At the center of a reishi beam fiercer than flames, Makoto's expression could no longer hold.

Only pain persisted.

Yet his will remained clear.

[Wall of Sighs]

[Final Dawn]

[Perfect Lifeform]

Three bond traits activated simultaneously.

The intense reiatsu reaction not only reshaped his spiritual foundation but also continuously forged his body.

Under this brutal onslaught, Makoto showed no sign of stopping. Without hesitation, he pushed further.

[Talent Points -6]

[Reiatsu: Upper Tier-3 → Upper Tier-2]

The moment the talent points vanished, not only Makoto, the host, but even Katori, standing far off, could clearly feel the tsunami-like reiatsu reaction exploding from deep within him.

Looking toward him, Katori saw his body disintegrate like dandelion seeds in the massive reiatsu burst, only to regenerate endlessly.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

The airflow radiating outward flattened everything around.

The once-vast underground space now felt cramped under this ferociously intense reiatsu reaction.

Uncontainable atmospheric vibrations rippled through the underground, spreading far beyond.

Katori raised a hand to shield her face.

Her eyes, cold and stern behind thick glasses, fixed on Makoto.

"Just the reiatsu aftershock has this intensity?"

"What kind of ability is this…?"

Driven by intense emotion, Katori couldn't help but look up at him.

Her pupils constricted.

***

Bonus Chapter:

100 Power Stones = 1 BC

300 Power Stones = 2 BC

500 Power Stones = 3 BC

700 Power Stones = 4 BC

1000 Power Stones = 5 BC

***

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