------
Chapter - 23: Your Ass Will Be Mine
------
The Garganta closed behind me with a dull dimensional roar, leaving me once again in the quiet of my room. Luckily, the passage had ended without issues: no spiritual distortions, and above all no suspicious presence lurking nearby.
That was great news. It meant that if I wanted to use Hueco Mundo as my new training ground, I could do so without risking attracting unwanted attention or destabilizing the spiritual flow of my world.
I looked around; the familiar mess of my room felt almost comforting after the oppressive and wild atmosphere of that endless white place.
I could still feel my Reiryoku pulsing strongly, agitated from the fight against the Gillian and from the Cero I had fired for the first time. It was rough, unstable... but real.
And most importantly, mine.
I took one last look at my Hollow arm before canceling Fullbring. I certainly didn't want my sisters to see me like that—not yet, at least.
The thought of them getting scared or worse, starting to ask questions I wouldn't be able to answer at the moment, didn't please me at all.
I just wanted them to live a good, happy life.
Speaking of them, should I consider buying a template for Yuzu and Karin too? After all, if I have such high potential, wouldn't it be crazy to think they might have it too, at least partly?
I didn't want to leave them defenseless, especially if I had to leave or disappear for a while. I had to prepare them to fight on their own, so they could defend themselves when the situation demanded it.
For Yuzu, I already had a pretty clear idea: the Shirou Emiya model. It had everything she needed to thrive. Her gentle attitude, her hidden talent would be perfect.
Plus, being in my group, her bloodlines—Quincy and Shinigami—would probably naturally awaken, which was definitely not a bad thing.
The bonus? The exceptional cooking skills included in the template would surely boost the ones she already had.
Not that this was the main reason, or at least that's what I told myself.
Karin was a different matter. She was similar to me. Too similar. Proud, impulsive, stubborn, yet protective. I wasn't sure yet which template would suit her best.
Maybe one that reflected her more destructive sides?
Then, a thought hit me.
Unlike my spirits, who couldn't see the bigger picture of the waifu catalog since they had limited information, what if I exploited the system's mechanics to bypass the exponential price of the templates?
In theory, I could assign separate templates to the two Zangetsu—Yuki and Thessa—treating them as individual entities. Each acquisition would count separately, resetting the progressive cost curve: 20, 40, 80, and so on for each.
And the advantage? Everything they gain could be shared with me, since technically we are part of the same spiritual unit.
A perfect synergy. Me as the container, Zangetsu as amplifiers.
I planned to assign the Basara template to myself. To Yuki/White (White Zangetsu), something brutal like Antares, combined with Maho or even Doomsday.
And Thessa, with her colder, more calculating nature, suited models like Sun Jiwoo or any others mostly focused on controlling the battlefield, like Azi Dahaka.
And then there was Daddy Mahogara. He didn't even need to take damage to adapt. Just contact, analyzing a phenomenon, and he already developed resistances—actually, immunity.
He was really similar to Doomsday. A monster capable of evolving against anything thrown at him, even an entire dimension that was supposed to keep him locked away forever.
Honestly? I'd pick Doomsday every single day of the week, without even thinking twice. How could I not? One of the first comics I ever read in my previous life was The Death of Superman.
Doomsday was a fucking living natural disaster, created with one sole purpose: to kill the symbol of hope itself in the DC universe. Not only did he succeed, but he even managed to scare Darkseid, an almost divine being in that world.
The scariest thing about him, though, was his power: he didn't just resist his opponents' abilities. No. He surpassed them. He destroyed them. Every time he was killed, his body developed an immunity, a new ability created specifically to neutralize what had defeated him before.
And every death was a step forward in his evolution.
Yet, despite his power, I didn't want to end up like him. Not now. Not yet. Right now I just wanted to enjoy my new life.
To clarify: Doomsday, in his origin, was an experiment. A primitive Kryptonian infant, subjected to a hellish cycle of death and resurrection on a hostile planet, used as a test subject to create "the perfect creature."
The process was cruel: the child was left to die—devoured by beasts, burned alive, suffocated by the toxic atmosphere. Then his DNA was harvested, cloned, and reintroduced into the cycle.
But nobody knew—not even his own creator—that the child remembered every single death.
Every time he opened his eyes, he did so with the weight of pain, anger, and pure survival instinct. Every reincarnation strengthened his grudge. And over time, he learned something fundamental: every time he died, he became stronger.
Thus was born adaptive evolution.
One day, he realized he was no longer vulnerable to the planet's heat. Another time, he discovered radiation no longer affected him. And as the cycle repeated, his body started mutating, automatically adapting to survive anything.
Over time, he stopped needing to breathe, eat, or sleep. He was no longer a living creature: he had become a weapon, pure instinct and embodied power. The zenith of evolution, but without any emotions that could define him as a living being.
And me? I didn't want to become a monster like that.
As tempting as such power was, if I wanted to avoid turning into some kind of prehistoric Kryptonian beast, I would have to play it smart. Luckily, the Catalog had several options to avoid such a problem.
For example, there's Toggle, which gives the Contractor (that is me, or whoever buys the advantage) full control over every aspect of themselves: including, obviously, the activation or deactivation of unwanted transformations.
So, I'd have to spend a few more credits—not that it was a long-term problem, but honestly, for now Mahogara would be enough for me.
He was already a solid defensive monster, and gave me enough confidence. Then, I also wanted to see if Askin would really give me that many problems with his ability, "The Deathdealing."
So yes, let's see who of the two would be left standing in the end.
[Interlude]
"For now, this will do," Yoruichi said with a satisfied smile as we stopped after yet another sparring session of the day.
I let myself fall to the ground, panting, my breath still heavy. I tried to recover while wiping the sweat from my face with my now soaking wet training shirt.
After doing this, I reached out toward my bag, which wasn't far from me, and pulled out the bentō that Yuzu had carefully prepared for me that morning.
Yuzu had learned to cook quite well. She did it to lighten the burden on our mother, taking charge of most of the household chores. And despite everything, I never heard her complain or cry.
She was strong, in a quiet way.
"Your sister really spoils you," Yoruichi commented, sitting down next to me with a half-smile.
"After all, I'm her only older brother," I replied with a shrug, watching her get comfortable.
"From what I've seen, it seems like something much deeper," she said teasingly, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't know what you're talking about…" I muttered, playing dumb. Truth be told, even though my sisters were slightly older than their original versions, it wasn't yet time to think about such things.
I unwrapped the bentō and began to eat.
Luckily, I had that body reinforced by Artoria: it allowed me to eat a lot without any problems. And even luckier to have a little sister like Yuzu to take care of me.
"Do you think I could hold my own against the strongest captains of the Soul Society?" I threw out the question, almost by chance, also to change the subject.
I already had an idea, but I wanted to hear her point of view.
Her smile faded, becoming more serious. "You're still too young to face monsters like those…" she said with that protective tone she sometimes let slip.
After all the time we'd spent training together — through sweat, falls, and increasingly tough challenges — a bond had formed between us. It wasn't anything romantic, at least not yet, but honestly, I liked the relationship we had. There was trust, respect, and a quiet kind of understanding that had grown day by day.
As for what she said, I couldn't really argue with her. Going up against someone like Yamamoto or Shunsui right now would be pure madness. They were simply on a whole different level, and I knew I'd need to unlock my Shinigami and Hollow sides before I could even think about facing them.
But if there was one thing I was absolutely certain of, it was this:"I'm not weak. Maybe I'm not ready to take on captains yet, but my close combat has improved a lot — you've seen it yourself, haven't you? And on top of that, I have my Fullbring. Urahara himself said it's practically unbeatable, as long as I control the flow of battle and keep my enemies at medium or long range.
It was true. Urahara had explained the nature of my power in broad strokes, although, as usual, he glossed over certain parts of the truth. I really didn't understand this tendency to keep secrets from hybrids as if there were too many idiots to grasp the big picture.
"Let's talk about today for a moment," Yoruichi said, shifting into a more comfortable position. "Let's break down your training session. That way, we'll know what to focus on tomorrow. How did it feel to you?"
I shrugged, thinking. "Honestly? Normal. Compared to when I started, my body's adapted pretty well. The pain, the exhaustion… it's just part of the routine now. But…" I shot her a sideways glance and smirked, "you're still a ridiculously tough opponent."
She pouted playfully. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"You should. Your speed is insane. I don't think I'll ever match it—Fullbring or not. And as for experience… well, you've got centuries on me." I admitted it easily—it was just the truth.
"Fair enough," she nodded with a smirk. "I've spent most of my life refining my hand-to-hand combat. It's only natural that I'd be ahead in that area."
"Right. But our specializations are different. My Fullbring is all about versatility: mobility, range, control. I'm not built for straight-up brawls, but if I play smart, I can hold my own."
"Exactly," she said, giving me a slight smile. "Your power rewards strategy. It favors those who read the battlefield, not those who charge in blind."
I ran a hand through my hair, thoughtful. "That said… if I really went all out, I think there are maybe one or two ways I could beat you. Though honestly, even those would only work under the right conditions."
"Oh?" she said with a teasing look, raising an eyebrow. "Are you saying you already have a secret plan to take me down?"
I looked her straight in the eyes, half-smiling with a challenging expression. "Maybe," I said, letting the word hang like a statement of intent.
There was a short pause.
Then we both laughed, the tension breaking in an instant.
"That's the spirit," she chuckled, then added with a sharper tone, "but don't expect me to go easy on you."
"...Wanna bet?" I asked suddenly, my tone shifting to something more serious. This was too good a chance to let slip.
She froze for a moment, caught off guard, but clearly intrigued. "A bet?"
"Yes. If I can defeat you in a one-on-one fight within the next three years," I said. It was enough time to gain enough confidence to beat her, especially since she could also become stronger by staying with me.
Her golden eyes lit up, like a cat sensing a challenge worth hunting. "Heh~ And what are the stakes, kid?"
"The loser does whatever the winner wants. No exceptions."
"Oh~" Her grin widened, dangerously playful. "Someone's pretty determined to get their hands on my nice big ass, huh? I'm flattered."
I couldn't even deny it. That was definitely one of my main goals. But it wasn't the only reason. I needed a real challenge—something to push me past my limits.
Noticing my serious expression, she dropped some of the teasing and tilted her head. "Anything at all?" she asked, her tone curious but still dripping with that hungry-cat smile.
"Anything," I confirmed. "Except, obviously, anything that causes serious harm or… gross stuff. I still have some self-respect left."
"Hmm~ I like you when you're like this. Focused… and kind of sexy." She stared at me for a few seconds, thinking. Then her face lit up with a mischievous smile. "Alright then. What are the rules?"
"First: I have to defeat you within the next three years. Second: it has to be a fair one-on-one duel—no tricks, no outside interference, just pure close-quarters combat. Third: the fight only begins when I officially challenge you, and it ends only when one of us gives up or can no longer continue."
"You want to beat me within three years, huh? Are you really sure about that? You're challenging me in the one area where I'm absolutely the best." She looked at me with a curious, amused expression.
"I'm sure," I said firmly, staring straight into her eyes. "Otherwise, it wouldn't be a fun challenge, don't you agree?"
She nodded, clearly satisfied. "Alright. I accept."
I grinned, just a touch cocky. "I just hope you don't regret it when I smash that gorgeous butt of yours."
She burst out laughing—genuinely this time. "Look at you… Dead serious, huh? Now you've really got my attention. But remember: I won't make it easy for you. I'll crush you without mercy."
Damn. That predator smile of hers was dangerously sexy.
"It wouldn't be worth it if it were easy," I replied, a confident smirk spreading across my face.
The challenge had been made.
And I had no intention of losing.
-----------
Marvel: I'm Spider-Man in this Damn Reincarnation: 1 advanced chapters
Hybrid Man (Ichigo Si/WC Fic) 2 advanced chapters
Son of Li Qiye?: 2 advanced chapters
patreon.com/Demon_King22
Chapter- 16: Shocker - Chapter- 17 (Incoming)
Chapter- 24: Deadly Darts - Chapter- 25: Destiny in My Hands -
Chapter - 8: New Hunt - Chapter - 9: Past unknown
On the other hand, if you want to see something specific in the next chapters, or even just have some good advice for the story as a whole, I am always willing to read a comment if it is constructive criticism.
If you see any mistakes, I would be grateful if you would point them out to me, so that I can correct them when I have some spare time, and make the story as complete as possible for myself and especially for you.
To facilitate a clearer understanding, I've retained pictures of the respective characters. Your feedback is always valued, and if you have any suggestions for the upcoming chapter, please feel free to comment—I'll be sure to respond as usual.
Please leave a review if you like the story.