With Yadomaru Lisa's help, Kurotsuki Renya finished cleaning his quarters in the Visored's underground stronghold. He moved methodically, scrubbing every corner until even the faint traces of dust were gone. When he was done, the place felt almost new — quiet, simple, and ready to be lived in.
After cleaning, he ordered several essential pieces of furniture — a bed, a writing desk, and a coat rack. Once they arrived, they needed to be converted into reishi (spiritual particles) so that Renya's soul body could interact with them.
In the World of the Living, these items existed as physical matter — vessels. In Soul Society, however, all material things were composed of condensed spiritons (reishi). Renya recalled Urahara Kisuke's explanation — just as when Ishida Uryū, Orihime Inoue, and Sado Yasutora first entered the Soul Society, their physical bodies had been reconstructed from spiritons to allow them to function there.
The same principle applied here: spirit matter had to resonate with the user's reiryoku (spiritual energy).
It took Renya three full days to fully decorate and convert his new space. When it was done, the room looked more orderly and refined than any other in the hideout. He had arranged every item with precision — not because of vanity, but because he intended to stay here for a long time. Perhaps decades.
He estimated it might be thirty years before the chain of events he foresaw — the Karakura Town Incident, Ichigo's rise, and Aizen's downfall — would truly begin.
By then, Kurosaki Ichigo's emergence as a hybrid of Hollow and Shinigami would provide the perfect cover for Renya's own plans.
With his foresight, and with the covert cooperation of Urahara Kisuke, Yoruichi Shihōin, and the Visored, Renya intended to strike when Ichigo invaded Seireitei to rescue Kuchiki Rukia — to eliminate Aizen Sōsuke before his plans matured.
But he knew it wouldn't be easy. Timing, precision, and control were everything.
After settling down, Renya's first task was to measure his Hollowfication time — the period he could maintain control of his Hollow mask in a non-combat state.
This test would determine the upper limit of his inner Hollow's dominance.
The training site was the vast underground chamber beneath the warehouse — the Visored's private battleground. Yadomaru Lisa stood opposite him, stopwatch in hand, calm and observant.
"Let's begin," she said, her voice steady, but her gaze sharp.
Renya closed his eyes and reached inward, drawing on the chaotic energy that stirred within his soul. A sharp pulse of black and white light surged across his skin — and in a flash, a bone-like mask covered his face, patterned with horizontal crimson lines and two narrow horns extending upward like fangs.
Lisa tilted her head slightly. "Hmm. Your mask… it resembles mine."
It was true. Both were full-face masks, though hers bore vertical streaks and a more angular design, while Renya's featured jagged ridges — like something straining to tear itself apart.
Renya's muffled voice came through the mask: "Seems we share the same kind of Hollow resonance."
Lisa nodded approvingly. "Remember, the duration you maintain your mask isn't just about stamina. It's about dominance. The mask stays as long as your will holds against the Hollow within. Don't overexert — or it'll take control."
Renya understood. He remembered Kurosaki Ichigo's struggle: his first Hollowfication lasted mere seconds, then stretched to eleven seconds, and eventually over a minute during his battle against Ulquiorra. Even then, Ichigo had lost control.
There were four major factors determining Hollowfication duration:
Spiritual Pressure Level (Reiryoku) – The greater your spiritual energy, the longer you can sustain Hollowfication before the Hollow consciousness overpowers you.
Combat Intensity – The harsher the battle, the faster your Hollow power burns out.
Hollow Fusion Level – The stronger your inner Hollow, the more energy it consumes.
Inner Balance – The more violently you overcame your inner Hollow during initial Hollowfication, the shorter your stable time will be. Forcing control too early often leads to rebellion from within.
Renya's control was stable, his reiryoku vast — on par with a Captain-class Shinigami — and his Hollow's resistance relatively weak, subdued within twenty minutes of initial awakening.
Lisa watched the timer. "Thirty seconds. How's it feel?"
"Surprisingly stable," Renya said calmly.
Ten minutes passed. Lisa raised an eyebrow. "Most of us could only last ten minutes the first time — except Mashiro Kuna. Her first Hollowfication lasted fifteen hours."
Renya exhaled, still calm. "No signs of collapse yet."
Half an hour. The air shimmered faintly around him from sheer pressure. Lisa smiled faintly. "Another endurance monster, huh?"
Renya's mask remained intact as his reiryoku pulsed like a heartbeat. Four hours later, the first crack appeared along his mask. He sighed and dismissed it, lowering his hand.
Lisa looked up from a small manga volume she had been pretending to read, cheeks slightly red. She quickly hid it when she noticed him watching.
"So?" she asked, glancing at the timer.
"Four hours," Renya said simply.
Lisa blinked in surprise. When she shared the results with the rest of the Visored, even Hirako Shinji raised an eyebrow.
"Four hours your first time? That's… impressive."
Love Aikawa chuckled. "Damn, kid's built different. Not even Shinji lasted that long the first time."
Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi (Rose) leaned on the wall, adding, "Still, Mashiro's record stands. Fifteen hours — that crazy girl could probably Hollowfy in her sleep."
Mashiro puffed up her chest proudly. "Told ya! I'm invincible!"
Kensei Muguruma frowned. "Don't let it get to your head, Renya. Power's one thing. Control's another."
Renya smiled faintly. "I understand, Captain Muguruma."
Then, Hirako Shinji spoke up, his usual sly grin returning. "Well, it's time we make sure that control's real. You'll train till you can hold it for ten hours minimum. That's the Visored standard."
He turned to Mashiro. "You're up. Help him train."
Mashiro cracked her knuckles, grinning like a cat. "Heh, finally! I'll make sure he learns fast."
They descended to the basement combat arena, a vast sealed chamber surrounded by reishi barriers maintained by Hachigen Ushōda. The space pulsed with compressed spiritual energy — enough to suppress a Cero blast.
Renya and Mashiro stood at opposite ends.
"Put on your mask," she said simply.
Renya complied. His mask reformed — crimson streaks burning faintly like molten veins. Mashiro's mask appeared too — heart-shaped with two large eyeholes and four fang-like markings near the mouth.
Before Renya could even adjust his stance, Mashiro's leg whipped up — her kick a blur of white motion. Bang!
Renya barely managed to block, arms crossed in front of his face, but the impact hurled him backward into the barrier, shaking the chamber.
Mashiro smirked. "You wanna know how we train control? Simple. We fight till you break."
She leapt forward again, speed multiplied by her Hollowfication — a white blur of raw strength and manic joy.
Renya stood up slowly, dust falling from his shoulders. He understood now. Mashiro wasn't just testing his endurance — she was testing his resolve.
He smiled under the mask. "So be it. I'll use this to refine my combat instincts."
"Bring it on, newbie!" Mashiro shouted, launching another high-speed assault.
Renya's silver reiatsu flared — his blade drawn — the underground space trembling as two Hollowfied Shinigami clashed, sparks of crimson and gold reishi scattering like falling stars.
For Kurotsuki Renya, this was more than training.
It was preparation — for the storm that would one day shake Soul Society itself.