The Power Fragment of the Spirit King!
The unconscious young woman was clearly another carrier of the Spirit King fragments, which explained why she could see Kogo in his soul state.
In this world, ordinary people can perceive soul bodies and nothingness under two conditions. The first is possessing innate spiritual pressure above the ninth level, a prerequisite for becoming a god of death. The second is being a host to a Spirit King fragment, which grants the ability to master the art of perfection.
Those who possess both conditions may, by chance, have their power partially altered by an attack from a hollow. This was the case with Kogo—a candidate for the Spirit King.
A similar existence in history was Kurosaki Ichigo, along with the artificial human Juanhikoya, created by Tsunaya Toda and Yamada Kiyonosuke after the thousand-year blood war. Only three such unique beings had ever appeared in the original timeline.
This young woman was evidently one of them. In other words, she had the potential to master magic in the future—provided the Spirit King fragments within her body remained intact.
Ito Makoto had never expected Kogo to possess the ability to effortlessly extract Spirit King fragments from others through sheer skill.
"No wonder this kid could easily seize Kurosaki Ichigo's perfection technique in the original timeline!"
When Aizen extracted the Spirit King fragments from Matsumoto Rangiku in the Soul Society, he required special tools. Even with those aids, the process inadvertently damaged her soul, preventing her from ever mastering Bankai.
Yet here was Kogo, removing the Spirit King fragments with his bare hands, causing no harm or casualties in the process!
"As expected, even candidates for the Spirit King defy common sense!"
Ito Makoto carefully examined the small fragment of the Spirit King, his expression gradually shifting to one of ecstasy. It bore a striking resemblance to the unstable fragments of the Hougyoku he had previously encountered, but the white light it emitted was far more stable and gentle than that of the Hougyoku.
"Perhaps Aizen and Kisuke Urahara based the Hougyoku's power on that of the Spirit King?"
"Brother Ito, do you need this little white light spot?" Kogo asked, noticing Ito Makoto's elation.
"Yes! I need it—desperately!" Ito Makoto was overwhelmed with excitement as he held the fragment in his hands.
"Hahaha! I searched everywhere, only to find it with no effort at all!"
As Kogo spoke to Ito Makoto, a ferocious mouth suddenly tore open a void in Yuhua Town, forming a black cavity!
A figure emerged from within—a being with black eyes, black hair, draped in pale armor shaped like a centipede. The armor bore dark golden patterns, and the mask on his cheeks was etched with mysterious symbols.
The intruder was Ren!
Having activated his invisibility technique while traveling through the black cavity, Ren had arrived in the human world undetected. In a flash of lightning, he traversed half of Yuhua Town in an instant, seizing the Spirit King fragment from Ito Makoto's hands before anyone could react.
The entire process was seamless. Even Kogo failed to sense any disturbance.
Simultaneously, a small section of Ren's centipede armor detached from his chest, falling into Ito Makoto's hand. The fragment transformed into a tiny white centipede, its body adorned with dark golden patterns.
The moment the tiny centipede separated, Ren's armor wriggled and instantly regenerated, returning to its original state.
A moment later, Ren reopened the black cavity and vanished into the void with the Spirit King fragment. Meanwhile, Ito Makoto examined the tiny centipede in his palm before handing it over to Kogo.
"From now on, carry this centipede with you. It will help you detect individuals who harbor these small white fragments in their bodies. With its help, you can ensure they are not harmed by the weakness these fragments bring."
"Remember, your job is to locate these people, help them remove the fragments, and feed them to this centipede. This way, they can return to being ordinary humans without suffering any damage."
"Do not let other Soul Reapers discover you. To them, you are an anomaly, and they will likely eliminate you if found!"
"And most importantly, even if you are discovered by Soul Reapers, you must never reveal my existence to them!"
"Do you understand?"
Seeing that Ito Makoto was serious about his instructions, Kogo responded with equal seriousness:
"I understand, Brother Ito. Don't worry, I'll do exactly as you say!"
Kogo glanced at the small centipede in his hand, its appearance reminiscent of a hollow. Yet, he felt no fear. Without hesitation, he placed the tiny creature on his shoulder.
Deep in his heart, he trusted Brother Ito implicitly. Even though the centipede bore the characteristics of a hollow , he remained unconcerned.
At the same time, an unshakable feeling settled within him—Brother Ito might be leaving soon. Perhaps years would pass before they met again, or perhaps they would never cross paths again.
Sensing the boy's unease, Ito Makoto reassured him:
"Don't worry, this is just a temporary separation. Soon enough, we'll fight side by side again. In the meantime, you must grow stronger!"
He pointed at the small centipede now resting on Kogo's shoulder and continued:
"If anything happens, just speak to it—I will know."
This was no mere comfort. The centipede was a clone created by Ren, sharing consciousness with both Ren and Ito Makoto. In other words, Makoto would be immediately aware of everything happening around Kogo.
To aid in collecting the Spirit King fragments while avoiding the scrutiny of the Soul Society, Ren had imbued the centipede with a subtle breath-concealing ability. This not only masked its faint spiritual pressure but also helped suppress the aura emanating from Kogo himself.
"Brother Ito , I'll miss you!" Kogo murmured, his voice trembling.
Tears welled up in his eyes, sliding down his cheeks like glistening beads. Ever since he had been sent to the welfare home, no one had treated him with as much kindness as Makoto Ito. In Ito Makoto, he had found the warmth of a home he had long forgotten.
Now, realizing that Makoto Ito was leaving, he couldn't hold back his tears.
Seeing this, Ito Makoto sighed and gently ruffled the boy's hair.
"Kogo, you're a man—and a man doesn't cry so easily."
Though Kogo would one day become a wanted figure in the Soul Society and the leader of XCUTION, he was still just a seven-year-old child. Makoto Ito had no choice but to comfort him.
"Will we… see each other again?" Kogo asked between sobs.
"Of course!"
After soothing the boy's worries, Ito Makoto waved him off, signaling him to return to the welfare home and get some rest. Given his impressive performance in taking down Snail holloe earlier, Ito Makoto had already decided he had passed his test.
Not only that—he had unexpectedly gained a diligent collector of Spirit King fragments. Now, Ren could remain hidden in the shadows, periodically harvesting the fragments stored within the small centipede.
"Does this count as child labor?" A strange thought flickered through Makoto Ito's mind, lingering for a brief moment before he dismissed it with a smirk.
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