206: Chapter 206 Zanpakuto - Taotie

"Ugh—" Mia had absorbed everything from this future No. 9 Espada, including his filthy thoughts. Her head throbbed with a splitting pain, and her stomach churned violently. She couldn't stop herself from vomiting.

Xiao Ya hastily cast [Tranquil Blessing] on Mia. After vomiting for a while, the phantom of the [Rakshasa Ghost] she had previously killed suddenly appeared behind her, directly shattering and absorbing those negative consciousnesses and memories. This finally gave Mia some relief.

On the [Nuo Drama] mask, a black stripe symbolizing 'Evil' appeared on the left cheek. On the right cheek, a pink mark symbolizing 'Obsession' was added.

Mia leaned on her zanpakuto, which had returned to its original form, and rested for a good while. She deactivated her Hollowification. Then, she looked toward Shihou Tsu's final remains—her skin.

"Hurry up and find a way to soothe or suppress these two guys! Ryan and I can't hold them off for long without killing them. If it really comes down to it, we'll just have to slaughter them!"

Tuaner's exasperated voice drifted over. Accompanying it was the distressed sound of Ryan's armor clanging as it was hammered by Isshin Kurosaki.

She had already begun dancing her Shikai zanpakuto, [Twin Flying Swallows], into a blur. However, it was still a bit difficult to withstand the maddened Kaien Shiba before her, who was acting out because his wife had been killed.

"I've already thought of a way; just don't get jealous in a bit." Mia felt somewhat helpless. She had tried her best to hide this shameful attribute of her zanpakuto. She hadn't expected to use it today, driven by anger.

Mia snapped her fingers, and a harmless [Black Coffin] enveloped her.

She picked up Shihou Tsu's human skin and pulled open the slit on the back left when it was swallowed by the zanpakuto. Starting from the feet, she began to put it on...

First, she aligned the toes. Shihou Tsu's feet were well-maintained; the snowy-white toes twitched a few times at Mia's touch, making Mia's cheeks flush red.

Next was the waist. Tsu's waist was slightly thicker than Mia's; upon contact, it quickly wrapped tightly around Mia's body. A tight, eerie sense of restraint swept through her entire body, making her tremble slightly.

Then she pulled the upper body over herself. Because of Mia's original figure, it tightened so much that she could barely breathe for a moment.

Holding her breath, she slid Shihou Tsu's fingers, which were like white scallion stalks, over her own beautiful hands.

Finally, she pulled the head, which was swaying at her chest, over her own face, aligning her small, fragrant tongue...

A genuine new "Shihou Tsu" appeared inside the [Black Coffin] dressing room. As her thick eyelashes trembled slightly, her tender eyes, full of affection, flashed with a momentary pink glimmer, and her whole being regained its vitality.

Hastily putting on the standard Shinigami "Shihakusho," Mia deactivated the [Black Coffin] and activated [Xu Step]. In the form of Shihou Tsu, she gently embraced Kaien Shiba from behind, who was frantically swinging his blade at Tuaner.

The familiar scent, the familiar figure, and the familiar person caused the Hollowified Kaien to fall into a daze.

"Bakudo #61, Rikujokorou!" A gentle voice sounded in Kaien Shiba's ear.

In an instant, he was controlled by Mia's Bakudo. Then, she used [Heavenly Decree: Demon Suppression] to seal him into a talisman.

Having solved one problem, Mia, in the form of Shihou Tsu, looked toward Isshin Kurosaki with a complicated expression.

Because she had also absorbed Aaroniero's memories, she now possessed his ability to absorb the host's memories and personality.

Thus, Mia also obtained the part of the memories that Tsu hadn't finished telling. It served as another supplement to her knowledge of affairs between men and women, following the normal marital life of Shihou Tsu and Kaien.

Mia repeated her trick, using [Xu Step] and [Shunpo] to embrace Isshin Kurosaki's broad shoulders from behind, but she was nearly blown away by Isshin's erupting Spiritual Pressure.

She pressed her red lips to Isshin's ear. "Uncle, have you thought about how to explain our situation to Kaien and Ichigo? Oh, and what about Auntie Masaki Kurosaki? What do you plan to do?"

The lethality of this single sentence was like a nuclear bomb. It completely froze Isshin Kurosaki, who had only a sliver of sanity left, to the ground; even his zanpakuto fell...

"Bakudo #61, Rikujokorou..." Following the same method, the group sealed Isshin Kurosaki into Mia's [Heavenly Decree] talisman as well.

Perhaps because she was of a demon species, Mia's talismans could actually seal living beings. This was a pleasant surprise.

The incident ended without further danger.

Only Tuaner and Mia were injured. Besides relief, everyone's expressions held a hint of faint strangeness.

...Amidst the endless yellow sands of Hueco Mundo, Mia, in Shihou Tsu's form, and her small group hurried to the extraction point previously agreed upon with Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

Tuaner was busy feeling up Mia's newly acquired skin. "The chest is a bit small. And she was supposed to be a wife." Tuaner's disparaging words were full of spite.

Ryan couldn't bear to listen, and Sister Loran covered Xiao Ya's ears.

"Can you show some respect for the deceased Shinigami? Tuaner." Mia was starting to lose her cool.

"You were the one who was disrespectful first. You've taken over her body, embraced Shihou Tsu's men, and inherited her memories."

"I think you might as well stop being the Captain of the 5th and 9th Divisions. Just be Kaien Shiba's wife! Or maybe become the stepmother of Kurosaki Ichigo, our Child of Destiny?" Tuaner went into machine-gun mode.

"There are still four hours of cooldown time before I can absorb this outer skin. I can't take it off even if I wanted to." Mia was also helpless against Tuaner's jealous complaints.

"Besides, those things were either done by Shihou Tsu and Kaien out of mutual love, or by Aaroniero using Shihou Tsu's skin." Mia tried to make a final defense for herself.

"It's fine. Once you absorb it, it'll all have been done by you. Also, does this mean you can freely transform into Shihou Tsu in the future?"

"This face is quite pretty. Next time we play games, you can turn into this. I think this zanpakuto ability of yours is quite heaven-defying; we should explore it more."

Tuaner's wicked side finally showed, revealing two small tiger teeth she had been hiding for a long time.

"Let's go back first. I'll explain it to Captain-Commander Yamamoto myself. I really am a demon; even my zanpakuto is so... creative. Sigh..." Mia didn't have many better options.

"Let's stay hidden in Hueco Mundo for another four hours. Mia, returning to the Soul Society wearing this skin will only cause trouble." Ryan's suggestion was sound and received unanimous approval from the group.

Xiao Ya set up a concealment barrier, and Sister Loran activated Nature's Ward. The group quietly began to recover their strength.

Four hours later, Mia digested the last of Aaroniero's power and absorbed Shihou Tsu's skin. She returned to her original appearance.

However, Tuaner said that after this battle, the corners of Mia's eyes and brows had begun to carry a subtle mature Charm, making her love her even more. The aura of the inexperienced Mia had become even more Charming.

The specialized Senkaimon opened, and the group returned to the Soul Society with the sealed Kaien Shiba and Isshin Kurosaki, as well as the Arrancar No. 103, Dordoni...

[Absorbed Shihou Tsu, gained 1 point of Charisma...]

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zanpakuto Name

Taotie

The name originates from the "all-devouring beast" in ancient Chinese mythology, fitting its core ability while echoing Mia's own "demon species" attribute.

Appearance

Normal State (Unreleased)

Overall Style: Disguised as "decorative," it presents an elegant and slender form, matching Mia's usual attire (black evening gown).

Scabbard: Uses a translucent black rose-patterned body with small pink gems embedded along the edges. A black silk tassel hangs from the end, with a mini Nuo Drama mask pendant (echoing Mia's Hollow mask).

Hilt: Wrapped in interwoven black and pink silk. The pommel is a hollowed-out rose shape, with Taotie's fang patterns faintly visible inside the petals (hard to notice when unreleased).

Blade: Approximately 1.2 meters long. The blade is as thin as a cicada's wing, showing a pale pink luster. There are extremely fine black patterns along the edge; it looks fragile but is actually incredibly hard.

Shikai Form

Release Command: [Devour all things! Taotie!]

Overall Change: The blade extends and melts from the hilt, eventually turning into a mass of flowing pink jelly-like colloid. Its form is unstable, like a living Slime. The surface of the colloid has a translucent luster, with the outlines of swallowed objects faintly visible inside.

Detailed Features:

The colloid is highly extensible and can change shape according to Mia's will (e.g., turning into a giant palm, chains, bubbles, etc.);

Black rose patterns emerge upon contact with objects, consistent with the ripple patterns left by Mia's [phantom silk stockings], suggesting its ability is deeply bound to Mia's own Spiritual Pressure;

Pink droplets constantly drip from the edges of the colloid, dissipating into rose petals upon hitting the ground, reinforcing the visual impact of "beauty and danger coexisting."

Functions

Core Ability: Devour and Assimilate

Devouring Range: Can devour living beings (Hollows, Shinigami, Arrancars, etc.), spiritual bodies, Spiritual Pressure, memories, and even "non-physical existences" (such as negative emotions and consciousness fragments).

Devouring Process:

Envelops the target with pink colloid, forming a closed "bubble" (the form used when devouring Aaroniero);

The colloid releases special Spiritual Pressure to "liquefy" the target (decomposing them physically and mentally simultaneously);

The liquefied energy and information are absorbed by the colloid, transformed into pink fluid, and finally flow through the blade to Mia, merging with her own Spiritual Pressure.

Assimilation Effects:

Energy Level: Mia can directly absorb the target's Spiritual Pressure to enhance her own strength (e.g., her Spiritual Pressure noticeably increased after absorbing Aaroniero);

Information Level: While devouring the target, she can obtain their memories, skills, and traits (e.g., after devouring Aaroniero, Mia gained his ability to "devour host memories" as well as Shihou Tsu's memory fragments);

Morphological Level: If she devours a target with a "special form" (like Shihou Tsu's skin), Mia can completely inherit their appearance and aura.

She can also choose not to wear the current biological form, instead only acquiring a portion of the minor biological attributes from the absorbed target.

Derived Abilities

(Positive) Energy Defense: The pink colloid can turn into a shield, absorbing or reflecting the enemy's Spiritual Pressure attacks;

(Negative) Non-filterable Memories: Mia absorbs everything from the devoured through the link with her Hollow mask and cannot filter the negative memories obtained during the process (she must rely on the phantom of her own malice, the "Rakshasa Ghost," to help clear Aaroniero's filthy thoughts);

Morphological Simulation: An advanced ability that can transform devoured "non-living matter" (such as metal or stone) into part of the colloid, temporarily changing the sword's form (e.g., into a giant axe, spear, etc.).

Limitations and Costs

Mental Burden: When devouring powerful targets (such as Espada-level Arrancars), Mia will suffer the impact of the target's negative emotions and memories, potentially leading to headaches and vomiting (as seen after absorbing Aaroniero);

Absorption Duration: Requires a "cooldown time" to digest (e.g., after absorbing Shihou Tsu's skin, it took 4 hours to fully assimilate). Afterward, she perfectly masters everything about the absorbed host and can switch appearances at any time;

Perfect Absorption: Requires wearing the absorbed body's skin for a long time to wait for complete absorption. Once worn, it cannot be taken off until absorption is complete, and her thoughts are easily influenced by external forces, leading to loss of self.

Backlash Risk: If the devoured target's consciousness is too strong (such as a determined Shinigami), "consciousness fragments" may remain in Mia's body, affecting her judgment (requires suppression by the "Rakshasa Ghost" phantom or Xiao Ya's [Tranquil Blessing]).

Symbolic Meaning: The greedy nature of "Taotie" reflects Mia's desire for control over power as a "Lord," and also hints at her struggle between "justice and evil" (while devouring others, she is also being changed by the devoured memories).

Set Completion: At this point, the evolved form of the [Blood Rose Set], the [fallen angel set], is fully complete. Together with [Soul Blade: One Person], they form Mia's two weapons of good and evil, making up a dual-wielding weapon set.

(survival maintenance system commentary: I always thought Mia was missing a pair of shoes, but it turns out she was missing a weapon? What a voracious appetite, hehehe!! Also, this is a divine artifact that gets stronger by "mowing down enemies," but it doesn't seem to have much explosive power...)