บท 312: Chapter 312: Waking Up
Even while asleep, H'el was not completely unconscious. His senses were slightly dulled to help his body recover quickly. He felt that the approaching Shinigami posed no threat to Gin Ichimaru and Rangiku Matsumoto, so he did not awaken hastily.
Fighting Aizen was not an easy task. It wasn't because Aizen was overwhelmingly powerful but because H'el's current body had very limited usable spirit particles. No matter how precisely he controlled these particles, he still needed to gather and manipulate them to create flows, collective effects, and constructs capable of withstanding Aizen's spiritual pressure. He had to dodge, defend against Aizen's Kido, recover, and reconstruct his shattered spirit particle body, all while calculating the strength of Aizen's spiritual pressure to precisely form the destructive power of Hado #4: Byakurai.
For an ordinary Shinigami, such feats would require the spiritual energy of a Captain. Yet H'el, with less spiritual pressure than an ordinary Shinigami, managed to achieve all of this, challenging Aizen's understanding and leaving him at a loss.
Even though his Shikai increased his strength tenfold, his spiritual pressure and the number of spirit particles were still less than those of a typical Shinigami. However, the enhancement in his micro-level control over spirit particles was more than just a tenfold increase.
Absorbing external spirit particles into his Shikai universe and manipulating their structure within it allowed him to reach the level necessary to injure Aizen. Given more time to absorb enough spiritual energy, he could theoretically breach the Soul Society itself. However, the Gates of Hell would never allow such an opportunity; they would stop at nothing to capture, imprison, or even destroy him.
H'el groaned slightly from the pleasant soreness in his body as he woke up on the tatami mat. He opened his eyes to see Rangiku's now fuller, round face.
"Ha! H'el, you're awake! Come eat some meat!" Rangiku exclaimed joyfully, chewing on a large piece of meat. She smiled happily and used her chopsticks to hold out a large piece of steak-like meat dripping with rich sauce to H'el.
H'el didn't hesitate, opening his mouth to bite into the meat. The flavor of the sauce and beef burst in his dry mouth. After several days of sleep, he was ravenous, and his cheeks puffed up like Rangiku's as he chewed the meat.
Rangiku tried to offer more meat to H'el, but Gin stopped her, placing a cup of water beside H'el with a gentle smile. "Take it slow. You just woke up."
Rangiku finally stopped offering more meat, as H'el had just woken up.
Chewing with his cheeks puffed out, H'el glanced at the plates of meat before him and then looked questioningly at Gin Ichimaru. He wondered where such delicious meat had come from, as it wasn't something available in Urahara Village, and what had happened since he fell asleep.
Gin, understanding his unspoken questions, responded with a knowing look in his narrowed eyes:
"We met some Shinigami when we left the forest. When we returned to the village, he and his lieutenant ordered some food to be brought to us. Later, other Shinigami came to investigate the battlefield. He was quite nice."
Gin's words implied that the initial Shinigami they encountered had no ill intentions and even provided them with food. However, the Shinigami that arrived later might not be so benevolent and could pose a threat.
H'el's gaze shifted to the figures guarding the door. Initially, there had been two people outside, but upon noticing H'el's awakening, one of them had left after peeking inside.
Nodding in acknowledgment of Gin's warning, H'el smiled and said, "Then let's eat our fill."
Gin smiled back, not eating himself but gently pushing the various dishes towards H'el.
During the days H'el had been asleep, Gin and Rangiku had been feasting on ample food, which had given their faces a healthier, fuller appearance, no longer gaunt and pale.
Gin knew that H'el's control over his body and spiritual energy was extraordinary. As long as he ate enough, he could quickly digest and recover his strength, which was crucial for their safety in the presence of so many Shinigami.
"See, Gin? I told you that eating in front of H'el would wake him up. Smelling the food, he'd naturally get up and start eating," Rangiku said, beaming as she offered another big piece of meat to H'el.
In her mind, being well-fed equated to being healthy.
"Right," Gin agreed, nodding with a smile and his eyes half-closed.
"I'll go ask for more!" Rangiku, feeling that H'el might not have enough, quickly stood up and rushed out of the room to get more food.
This time, Gin didn't stop her. He glanced briefly at the Shinigami standing guard at the door before turning back to H'el, his smile lingering as he looked at H'el's Zanpakuto resting beside him. "Is this enough?"
Is the food enough to make you full?
We might face danger.
They had wanted to take your Zanpakuto.
However, because Kensei Muguruma, a captain-level Shinigami, was here to maintain order, they ultimately didn't take the Zanpakuto from H'el's hands.
"It's alright," H'el said calmly, picking up a piece of meat and taking a bite. His eyes reflected a sense of calm as he looked at Gin's warning, eating the meat leisurely.
Seeing H'el's relaxed demeanor and calm expression, Gin's previously tense heart finally settled.
During the days H'el was asleep, the newly arrived Shinigami had tried to take H'el's Zanpakuto. Gin had to go back and forth, provoking and negotiating between Kensei and the new Shinigami, eventually making Kensei believe that there was no need to harm the children while he was there.
In reality, Gin thought that once H'el woke up and had his weapon, these Shinigami wouldn't even have the ability to act at ease.
He didn't know how strong a captain-level Shinigami was or why he had such confidence.
Stronger than Aizen?
But when seeing the scale of destruction, they actually suggested that it was the works of multiple people working together, and Gin was astonished.
Couldn't they see that this level of destruction was caused by Aizen alone?
Or was the gap between them and Aizen too vast?
Or too vast compared to H'el?
Gin knew his understanding in this area was limited and might be biased, but he still believed in H'el's strength.
He had personally witnessed H'el's immense power and mystery. He trusted that once H'el woke up, his formidable strength would ensure he wasn't afraid of these Shinigami.
After all, he had experienced firsthand the earth-shattering battle between H'el and Aizen, which had obliterated an entire forest.
The whole forest had turned into a blazing inferno.
If they hadn't encountered those Shinigamis, he and Rangiku would have had a hard time escaping the hellish aftermath.
As H'el finished the last piece of meat and let out a satisfied burp, a few people arrived at the doorway.
The light from the doorway was blocked by several tall figures. One of them, a man wearing a pink floral-patterned haori, a straw hat, and sporting some stubble on his chin, joked:
"Young man, did you enjoy your meal?"
°°°
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