Bleach: Reborn — Chapter 83 - Ability Scan II

"My lord, what abilities did you want to test?" Nel asked after getting a quick rundown of what Wayne needed.

"Let's start from the basics." Wayne thought it over. "Speed, strength, defense, reaction, abilities — a full check across the board. I can feel that my power has grown enormously from this breakthrough, but as for my abilities, because of the Hollow World — because of certain reasons, I haven't been able to get a clear read on them yet."

Wayne's abilities were Concealment and Spatial manipulation. If Concealment was his innate ability, then the additional power of Spatial Law could only be called a gift from the Dominator of Hueco Mundo.

"Let's test offensive ability first." Wayne manifested the Sky-Rending Greatsword.

In truth, what Wayne's breakthrough had changed most was his Reiatsu, his Reiryoku abilities themselves hadn't shifted all that much, only growing more powerful, faster, and more deeply understood.

The greater part of what mattered was Wayne's mastery over his abilities and his own creativity. Whether his skills could diversify alongside the growth of his power, that was what Wayne truly needed to consider.

"Yes, my lord." Nel nodded and stepped back, manifesting her own weapon: a double-headed Knight's Lance. She began raising her full Reiatsu, bracing herself to receive his attack.

Wayne's attack carried no flourish whatsoever. He crossed the distance to Nel's side in an instant via Sonído; one moment he was far away, and in the very next he was right in her face, sword already coming down.

CLANG! BOOM!

Metal rang out. Wayne's plain, unadorned slash came straight down from the front. Nel raised her lance to meet it, and Wayne's single strike drove her to her knees. Both her front legs along with half her body sank rapidly into the sand, triggering a massive shockwave that sent the ground exploding outward, sand blasting away as though caught in a detonation.

There was a rank gap between them, yes. But even so, Nel hadn't expected that one of Wayne's casual strikes would carry this much force.

"My strength really has grown considerably." Wayne felt the power surging through him, and even his voice carried a trace of excitement.

"My lord, I remember that back when you were at peak Adjuchas level, I could still take a few of your hits head-on. Now I can't even block a single one." Nel climbed back out of the sand and brushed the dust off herself. "As expected — after advancing to Vasto Lorde, one's abilities undergo a massive leap. Even your speed. Just now when you closed the distance, I didn't feel even the slightest ripple of Reiatsu."

"Attack and speed have both made a stage-level jump. I can feel the gap from peak Adjuchas now." Wayne nodded.

He and Nel used to spar regularly, but now a single swing that wasn't even at full force had already driven her into the ground. Sparring at full strength had become impossible. Without using their respective abilities, Wayne might actually be able to go a round with Baraggan and his Double-bladed Axe.

"Let's test the Cero and defensive strength." Wayne put distance between them again. "I'll control the output — feel out how much you can absorb."

"Yes, my lord." Nel readied herself. After all, what she was about to receive was a Vasto Lorde's Cero.

HMMMM!

A deep boom of compressed air rolled out as a pale gold Cero fired directly toward Nel. She opened her mouth and used Cero Doble. But Wayne's Cero showed no sign of dying out, and as he kept pouring in more Reiatsu, Nel's body was pushed further and further, expanding against the pressure.

"Mmm..." After a long moment, a small sound of pain escaped Nel's throat. She was nearing her limit. Wayne began pulling back his Reiatsu and ended his Cero.

"HA!"

A sharp cry burst from Nel's mouth, and a far larger pink Cero came hurtling back at Wayne.

BOOM!

Wayne didn't dodge. He let it hit. A scorching beam of light struck him full on, throwing up a cloud of smoke and dust.

The smoke cleared. Wayne was standing exactly where he'd been, without a scratch. Only a faint trace of smoke lingered around the edges of his Hollow Hole.

"Roughly three to five times stronger than peak Adjuchas Reiatsu — that's your limit, Nel." Wayne had just indirectly mapped the Cero threshold Nel could withstand.

"My lord, you don't seem to have taken any damage at all." Nel drew one long, slow breath. That Cero Doble just now, if it had been any stronger, it might have torn her apart.

"A Cero at roughly three times peak Adjuchas Reiatsu, then amplified further by Cero Doble. About five times over — and it has no effect on me." Wayne was reasonably satisfied with his Hierro.

"Here, try cutting me." Wayne raised his arm and told her to go all out.

"Lanzador Verde!" Nel didn't hold back. She unleashed her strongest attack and hurled it at him with everything she had.

CLANG!

Lanzador Verde struck Wayne's Hierro and produced a sharp ring of metal on metal, sending his arm swinging back slightly. The lance had indeed penetrated, but it had only sunk in a few centimeters at most. A surface wound.

"My Hierro's defense has risen by quite a few levels. Lanzador Verde is basically useless against me now." Wayne pulled the lance free and looked at the wound on his upper arm. Aside from a faint bloom of blood, he'd taken no real damage.

"Hmm?" Wayne stared at the wound, and a strange thought surfaced in his mind. It seemed... his healing ability had increased as well.

Gurgle.

He channeled his Reiatsu. A gel-like substance quickly welled up from the wound, wrapping over the injury, and then, after a brief change, white gel filled the wound in completely and rapidly hardened back into Hierro.

"Is this... High-Speed Regeneration?" Nel moved in with Sonído, leaning close to look.

"It looks like it, but..." Wayne assessed the strength of the healing, then made up his mind.

He manifested the Sky-Rending Greatsword, gripped it with his left hand, and brought it down on his right forearm in a single stroke.

THWACK!

This time Wayne held back nothing. His forearm and right clawed hand flew into the air, and blood sprayed.

"My lord!" Nel flinched at the sight. What on earth was he doing?!

"It's fine."

Wayne's brow furrowed slightly. He channeled his Reiatsu. A mass of white gel appeared once more, enveloping the stump layer by layer, and in under three seconds, a complete forearm had grown back, identical to the one before.

"This... this is..." Nel's eyes went wide.

"Ultra-Rapid Regeneration." Wayne flexed the new forearm and opened and closed his clawed hand.

It felt exactly the same as before, not even the slight unfamiliarity of something freshly grown, and not a trace of a seam at the cut. Perfect Ultra-Rapid Regeneration.

"Nel, test the Reiatsu in this arm." Wayne pointed at the severed limb, then a spatial ripple appeared and the arm dropped into his hand.

"Sure." She was quietly amazed at just how extreme her lord could be, but since Wayne's Reiatsu hadn't dropped at all from losing the limb, Nel set aside her bewilderment and brought her nose close to the severed arm, dissolving it into Reishi and absorbing it.

In under half a minute it was done. She looked back at Wayne.

"My lord, it's roughly the amount of a mid-rank Gillian." Nel knew exactly what was on his mind. Across the long years they'd spent together, Wayne had brought up Ultra-Rapid Regeneration as a sustainably scalable ability more than once.

"I suppose I was just being too fanciful." Wayne furrowed his brow. By his own Reiatsu calculations, swallowing tens of thousands of Gillians might not even match his current level. So one of his arms should be worth far more than a single Gillian.

But the reality was that Wayne was still alive, perhaps this was simply the nature of Ultra-Rapid Regeneration. The Reiatsu it could provide was only ever going to be this much.

Sure, it could probably fast-track a Lower Hollow's evolution to Gillian. But what use was that? What Vasto Lorde went around snapping off his own arms to feed Lower Hollows? Even raising subordinates wasn't done that way.

He let that idea go and turned his attention back to his abilities.

"Cero!"

HMMMM!

With a cold grunt, a pale gold Cero fired from Wayne's raised fingertip, compressing the surrounding air hard enough to draw out a dull boom.

Compared to his peak Adjuchas days, the diameter of Wayne's Cero hadn't grown all that much, but its power and Reishi density had increased by dozens of times over. This was tied to the sheer density of his Reiatsu. It was probably also part of why his breakthrough had taken so extraordinarily long. Because his Reiatsu was more compressed and refined than that of ordinary Hollows, the amount of Reishi needed to break through was proportionally greater.

Which meant that after advancing, he was already far beyond an early-stage Vasto Lorde.

"But it still isn't the Flash of the King Hollow." Wayne shook his head, not entirely satisfied. The power had grown manyfold, but it still didn't qualify. Had he simply not grasped it? Wayne was puzzled, he'd even managed Ultra-Rapid Regeneration.

"I ate Rodfolles before — could that be why I learned Ultra-Rapid Regeneration? Would I need to eat a Hollow who uses the Flash of the King Hollow to learn it?" He thought it over and decided to set the matter aside for now. He could ask Baraggan about it when the opportunity came. Maybe the old king would know something.

"My lord, my lord — we've already tested the basics. What about your innate ability? Has that changed?" Nel was looking at him with wide, expectant eyes, bright with curiosity.

"It has. Quite a lot, actually." Wayne reached out and lightly tapped the top of Nel's head. Under Nel's startled gaze, her body began to gradually disappear, until even her presence had been erased from the air entirely.

About half a minute passed. Wayne made a gesture, and Nel's form reappeared.

"My, my lord." Nel came back to herself with cold sweat on her brow. "Just now... did I die?"

Just a moment ago, her mind had gone completely blank. Her entire body had turned ice cold in an instant.

"Yes and no." Wayne smiled. "That was the Concealment ability."

"The Concealment ability? But isn't that — isn't that a support ability?" Nel exclaimed.

"It always was, used on myself and on allies nearby." Wayne's smile remained as he continued, "But after advancing to Vasto Lorde, it underwent a qualitative leap. It's no longer limited to concealing physical form and Reiatsu. It can now conceal a person's consciousness itself. Anyone who comes into contact with my ability has their consciousness concealed and extinguished in that same instant. Their awareness will return once my ability is lifted, but as long as I'm alive, it won't lift on its own, unless the enemy's Reiatsu far surpasses mine. An ability that can annihilate an enemy's consciousness can no longer be called Concealment. I call it, Nihility."

Wayne's advancement hadn't simply increased his total Reiatsu. It was a comprehensive improvement across the board. Beyond raw physical strength and speed, each of his abilities had risen alongside it, his innate talent of Concealment in particular had grown so much it was now brushing against the power of Law. Still one step short, but already formidable. Enough to annihilate the consciousness of any enemy he touched.

"This ability requires direct physical contact with the enemy, letting their mind feel the force of Nihility, whereupon their consciousness is nullified, made to vanish without a trace. If an enemy's Reiatsu is strong enough, they can break free. But that takes time. Enough for me to follow up with another attack, or to get out."

"It really is such a powerful ability. Hehe, congratulations, Lord Wayne~" Nel was genuinely delighted. Who wouldn't want their leader to be immensely powerful?

"Oh right, my lord, you also have the Spatial Ability. How is that doing now... huh?"

Before Nel could finish her sentence, the scenery around her had changed entirely. No longer the desert of Hueco Mundo, instead there were green trees and red flowers, birdsong and sweet fragrance, blue sky and white clouds. Bustling streets and towering buildings stretched in every direction. Beside her, children were shouting and playing, and the fresh scent drifting from a nearby fruit stall tugged at something in her memory.

The World of the Living.

She was back in the World of the Living.

"My lord... are we...?"

"The World of the Living." Wayne flicked a finger, and another apple fell into Nel's hand. "Spatial Ability, a direct jump from Hueco Mundo to the marker I left here last time."

Sure enough, following Wayne's gaze, Nel spotted the scene she recognized. And the apple in her hand had come from that same fruit stall. Wayne really was committed to shearing the same sheep every time.

"Wait, last time it took us quite a while to get here. This time, my lord, you just... jumped straight over?" Nel had just caught up to what had happened. This was a cross-world jump.

"Yes, I can do it now." Wayne nodded. "As long as I have a marker, I can make spatial jumps freely, unless the marker falls outside my range again. What were once faint, barely-there jump markers have all become vivid and clear. I haven't fully covered all Three Worlds yet, but right now, jumping back and forth between worlds is no longer any great difficulty. Garganta has become essentially redundant for me. Well, not entirely. It still has some use. Inside a Garganta's semi-dimensional space, my Spatial Ability has better control. It can serve as a Mirror World."

"A-ma-zing~" Stars were practically shining in Nel's eyes. Not because Wayne's power had overwhelmed her, but because starting today, she could eat fruit without any restrictions whatsoever.

"Ah... the World of the Living really is something." Wayne tilted his head back and looked at a sky he hadn't seen in a long time. "Well... since we're here already." He thought it over, and in the end, he and Nel slipped inside a library. Faced with shelves full of books and a fair number of humans milling about, Wayne released his Reiatsu just slightly, knocking everyone in the building unconscious, then got to work.

This time there was no need for Nel to lug things around in bags. Wayne drew his hand through the air, and a spatial rift opened in front of him, radiating a deep, glossy black.

"My lord?" Nel looked at the opening with a puzzled tilt of her head.

"Innate Space, a pocket dimension I've opened up for my own use." It had taken until today, but Wayne finally had the means to open his own Alternate Space, a second dimension fully integrated with his being.

For now it couldn't hold living humans, there was no oxygen inside, and the capacity wasn't large. The pocket dimension Wayne could currently maintain was roughly the size of a football field. More than enough for personal use, but far too small to carry living beings.

Still, with his strength continuing to grow, he believed that one day this football field would expand to the scale of a city, a country, or even a world, so long as he kept pushing ever closer to the power of Law.

He ignored Nel's longing gaze at the prospect of storing fruit in the pocket dimension and packed up the entire library wholesale. Perhaps tomorrow morning's news would carry headlines about a mysterious force knocking people unconscious and the Municipal Library being brazenly robbed.

He didn't stop at the library, either. Wayne packed up a number of electronic devices as well. To solve the power supply problem, he found a mobile phone among the unconscious and looked up the locations of local battery storage facilities and electrical power plants. And he didn't forget to raid two orchards for Nel.

After wrapping up the whole operation, Wayne brought Nel back to Hueco Mundo. Start to finish, the entire trip had taken less than a day, this had to be one of the most practically useful abilities Wayne had unlocked since his advancement.

They reappeared directly in the main assembly hall. Jekain and Timd, who had been there working through reports, both flinched, for a moment they thought the base had been raided again. But compared to last time, when Wayne had crashed through his own throne, this return left no ripple at all. Wayne simply materialized in front of them as if from nowhere, because his Concealment ability hadn't stopped for even a moment the whole way back.

"My king, you've been...?" Timd startled at the sudden appearance of the two, then brushed at the mask on his face and stepped forward.

"Took a trip to the World of the Living. Brought back quite a few gifts." Wayne upended the pocket dimension and dumped out every last book, especially the manga section, directly burying Timd under the pile.

Looking at Timd's eyes, wide with an excitement that bordered on evolutionary, Wayne gave a helpless smile. Then, after laying out Timd's next assignment in electronic development, he took Nel and Jekain to go meet the envoys Baraggan had sent, who had been waiting for some time.

"Lord Ace Wayne. We represent His Majesty Baraggan in conveying his greetings. His elderly lordship has been waiting for you for quite some time." The one who spoke had a flat, shark-like head and a body built like a stone pillar.

"Mm." Wayne gave a slight nod. At his current standing, he was already in a position to meet Baraggan as an equal, at least where their friendship was concerned.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting. I didn't expect my breakthrough to take this long."

"That is precisely proof that your power is sufficient to stand equal with His Majesty. It gives us every reason to offer you our most sincere respect." This envoy was clearly more well-spoken than the previous batches, not the sort to shout "my master is the greatest in the world" at every opportunity.

"Alright. I've already let this drag on long enough. The Emperor sent you here to discuss the campaign against the forces in the central region of Hueco Mundo?"

"Yes, my lord." The envoy replied, respectful and composed. "His Majesty is fully prepared and ready to depart, waiting only for you to set out."

"Good. Then we go now." Wayne stood and walked to the envoy's side. "To save time, I'm only taking you. The rest of you can make your own way back."

He gripped the envoy's arm. In one instant, the two of them were gone.

"Hmm?" The remaining envoys looked at each other, bewildered.

"Lord Wayne has already taken that messenger to His Majesty Baraggan's side." Nel turned to the others, calm and composed, she'd seen it before. She set out tray after tray of fruit from the World of the Living onto the table. "If any of you would like to stay a while longer, please make yourselves at home. We'll see to your hospitality."

The envoys were thoroughly bewildered, but none of them dared linger. A brief exchange of words, and they opened a Garganta and left. Baraggan had been kept waiting far too long. They couldn't afford to waste another moment.

WHOOSH!

On the other end, Wayne had already used his Spatial Ability in tandem with the marker he'd previously left in Baraggan's territory and teleported there directly, the shark-headed envoy still in hand. The moment Wayne's Reiatsu descended on Baraggan's domain, a ripple of unease spread through it immediately.

A Vasto Lorde-class Hollow appearing out of nowhere inside the territory, who wouldn't be on edge? Even Baraggan, seated deep within Las Noches, was given a start. He used Sonído to rush out and see what was happening, his Senescencia already beginning to seep out around him.

Then he saw Wayne.

That great skull turned slightly. Baraggan felt the familiar Reiatsu, and felt just how incomparably stronger it had become. A flicker of genuine surprise moved through him.

"You little rascal." The tension eased. He swung his great axe around and drove it into the ground. The lower jaw of that enormous skull shifted, almost like a smile. "Two years, and you've come this far."

"The breakthrough worked out." Wayne nodded. "Sorry for the wait, Your Majesty."

---

(Author's note: Long time no see, everyone, fellow Vasto Lordes. Due to health and work reasons, updates have been sparse for a while, and I want to apologize for that. This month will probably be a slow one, and whether things stabilize next month is still uncertain, it depends on how my health holds up. Just keeping up with work right now is already a bit of a struggle.

When next month's updates will come is still up in the air. If my condition improves, I'll do my best.

The other day I saw a message from one of the Vasto Lordes suggesting that rather than releasing chapters one by one like this, it might be better to build up a backlog and then release a run of consecutive chapters once my health stabilizes. I've had similar thoughts myself. Whether to actually do it depends on how the next two weeks go.

In any case, a full hiatus or cancellation shouldn't happen, unless my health takes a serious turn for the worse. Otherwise, updates will come, just later than usual.

Thank you all, Vasto Lordes, for your support. I'll do my best~)

➤ Next: Eve of the Campaign