In an instant, Yhwach's seemingly delicate frame erupted with astonishing Reiatsu, her body enveloped in blue light. She stepped forward, muscles taut.

Her cat ears and tail stretched rigid, the black-and-red magical girl dress billowing, revealing blue-and-white striped undergarments.

A jarring shift in style.

Dragging the oversized reishi sword, mismatched with her petite form, her crimson eyes blazed as she charged at Makoto.

Though smaller, her power remained formidable, the Father of Quincies, all-knowing and all-powerful!

She could not endure such humiliation!

Yet, facing the diminutive 'magical girl,' Makoto's smile grew mocking, stepping back slightly.

"Swish-"

The blade's wind roared, silver light arcing like a ribbon before Makoto.

It missed his chest by a hair.

Makoto stepped forward, Oharai Gougi slashing like a black dragon, effortlessly deflecting Yhwach's cross blade. The thrusting edge sliced a red gash across her wrist.

"How...?" Yhwach's face flashed with shock, then clarity as she glanced at her slender limbs.

Not yet accustomed to this body?

The sense of distance was off.

Her coordination was entirely different.

Something felt... missing between her legs.

Even her Reiatsu had dropped significantly!

What was this...?

Yhwach retreated several meters, her small face tense.

For warriors of their caliber, a new body, or even a new weapon, could drastically alter combat prowess against a peer.

Now, transformed into a 1.5-meter cat-eared girl, Yhwach felt utterly out of place.

"I'll return to my original form!"

Ignoring her shock, Yhwach burned her precious Soul King power, casting 'Almighty.'

Though her eyes were sealed by the Monk, leaving her Soul King power finite, facing such a perverse foe, she couldn't hold back.

Yet, as she attempted the Word, Makoto made no move to stop her, standing calmly, watching with ease.

"Shine-"

Blue light engulfed Yhwach, her body faintly expanding.

But the changes faded like an illusion, leaving only her cute, petite girl form.

Yhwach froze.

What was happening?

How could the Almighty fail...?

"That's the power of rules, Yhwach," Makoto said, pointing Oharai Gougi at the ground, advancing slowly. "The moment you stepped into my 'script,' your role was set."

"The magical girl fighting the abyss, Yhwach."

"The archduke from the abyss's depths, Makoto."

"Here, we can only be these identities."

The black-clad Shinigami flashed a malicious smile. "Even I, the caster, can't change that."

"What nonsense!?" Yhwach's rage was unprecedented, her delicate voice sharp and plaintive, like a warbling oriole.

She instinctively covered her mouth, glaring.

Damn it!

How could such absurdity exist!?

Her gaze swept the surroundings, seeking a weak point in the environment.

Be it a Bankai domain or Kidō barrier, any Reishi-based field had a breakable node. If she could escape, she'd tear this pervert who turned old men into girls to shreds!

Yhwach's resolve hardened.

For the first time, aside from her 'daddy' who willingly became the Three Worlds' puppet, her heart surged with such intense emotion.

But before she could locate a Reishi node, Makoto's laughing voice interrupted: "Don't underestimate my intel."

"You're thinking... if you escape, you can take down this handsome Shinigami, right?"

Yhwach's scanning gaze froze.

Makoto stood calmly, his smile warm. "Too bad. There's no such thing here."

"!?" The magical girl's pupils constricted.

Makoto's tone was calm, yet chilling: "This is one reason I avoid this technique. This Death Dream world isn't gentle world like Playlife World."

"In Playlife World, no matter how fiercely we fight, it's only about draining Reiatsu, never taking lives. It's a world for training and amusement."

"This world is different."

His gaze turned icy. "A grand illusion enacted at the brink of death, to seize the last thread of life. That's the true meaning of Ddying As If Dreaming."

"The moment this world unfolded, our souls perished in reality."

"Now, we share equal Reiatsu, fighting to determine the victor."

"One stands, one falls."

"Only by stepping over the other's corpse can one live."

"Fair, isn't it, Yhwach?"

Makoto's voice was flat, cold.

Had he not seen Saito's mangled state, even with his resolve, he might've hesitated to use this move.

But now, it didn't matter.

Hearing Makoto's explanation, Yhwach's eyes widened, her delicate face etched with shock.

This... was a rule?

A Zanpakutō could do this!?

"No! Wrong!" she shouted, realizing something. Her odd attire and forced transformation hinted at deeper rules. Her tail stiffened. "No matter how absurd, no rule would pointlessly turn me into this!"

"There's a rule beneath the rule!"

Makoto's expression flickered with surprise, then calmed. "As expected of the Father of Quincy. You're the first to think clearly in this scenario."

"But I already gave you the answer, didn't I?"

"Answer?" Yhwach paused, recalling something. "You mean..."

As she looked up, black marsh-like shadows spread from Makoto's feet, rippling outward in the crimson domain.

At the marsh's depths, tentacle-like shadows swayed, forming a giant's silhouette behind him.

Makoto smiled warmly, pointing at his chest. "Abyss Archduke."

Then at Yhwach's frilly skirt. "Magical Girl."

"A perfect match, no?"

Makoto spoke as if it were obvious.

Yhwach was momentarily speechless.

But her battle-hardened instincts kicked in, her cold gaze locking onto Makoto and his shadow. "So, I have power to match you, right?"

"Exactly," Makoto said, smiling, tapping his head. "It's already etched in your mind."

Yhwach's smile grew colder, searching her memories.

A delicate, childish voice answered: [Melee Magical Girl Constitution (Passive)]

[Description: You have a healthy body and resilient will that won't break!]

Yhwach froze, repeating, "Won't... break?"

"What?"

She blinked, muttering. Magic!? Where's the magic!?

How is this equal!?

Before she could react, Makoto raised Oharai Gougi, pointing forward, chuckling. "These are my rules. Not satisfied?"

As his words fell, the black marsh at his feet stretched like an afternoon shadow, racing toward Yhwach. Boneless black arms erupted from its depths, their tips morphing into sharp weapons, silently piercing toward her body.

This wasn't about being satisfied or not!

How could he shamelessly call this 'fair'?

It was blatant cheating!

Having lived a life of unmatched power, Yhwach had never faced such an absurd opponent.

Just reading that ability description, "won't break", sent a chill of foreboding through her.

What did 'won't break' mean?

Swallowing her frustration, Yhwach leaped backward under the relentless assault, her reishi sword slashing horizontally at the shadowy blades.

Her blade cleaved through, severing the shadows into pieces.

Yet, the fragments writhed on the ground, reconnecting with the spreading shadows and lunging at her again.

Endless.

If so, the only option was to target the controller.

Yhwach's mind raced, her icy gaze locking onto Makoto, standing still. She declared, "Self-Bestowal: Speed."

Her foot tapped the crimson earth, and before Makoto could track her, the girl vanished from his sight.

Makoto froze.

A piercing whistle erupted behind him.

Yhwach's speed left afterimages, crossing dozens of meters in an instant.

Makoto's expression hardened. From the black shadow at his feet, dozens of fine spikes exploded like a porcupine, coiling around him.

But Yhwach, using her petite frame and oversized cross blade as cover, dodged the spikes while slashing through the black thorns with astonishing speed.

Makoto met her approach with a cold stare.

As Yhwach's swing faltered, he struck forward.

But as he raised his arm, a malicious grin curled Yhwach's lips.

"Heilig Pfeil!"

Makoto's pupils constricted.

Ripples shimmered in the air behind Yhwach.

His blade spun back, shattering the incoming Reishi arrows, his feet flashing with Shunpo to retreat.

Before he could regroup, Yhwach halted, her cold gaze pointing a finger at the ground beneath him. "Reishi Condensed Flame!"

A blazing blue pillar engulfed Makoto, illuminating his fleeting shock.

The earth cracked, stones flying.

Yhwach stepped forward, smirking, adapting to her new body and Reiatsu.

The cross blade's reach felt familiar again.

"Your fancy tricks are mere sleight of hand," she said. "The only thing that never fails is power, Makoto."

Her weathered expression clashed with her girlish face, but her mood was unshaken.

Fair fight to the death? Nonsense.

A true strongman crushes the weak decisively!

Was power ever so feeble?

"Sankt Bogen!"

An blue bow formed in her hands, its arrow aimed at the figure in the fire pillar.

But before her fingers could release the string,

Splurt!

A black blade pierced from the ground, impaling her slender calf.

Yhwach's expression froze.

***

[1] Yuseiboushi means Living Idly and Dying As If Dreaming.

Just like Sokushinteigi gave him two abilities: Binding Truth and Fixing Falsehood.

Yuseiboushi also gives him two domain-type abilities: Living Idly (Playlife World) and Dying As If Dreaming (Dream Death World).

Sakuingyakuka also gives him two abilities: Pursuing the cause and invert the consequence.

But there is still more to his shikai abilities that have not been shown yet, later at the end of this arc you will witness the true form of his shikai abilities.

***

Hi guys, I hope you're all doing well! I want to share that I'm currently working on a new project related to Lord of Mysteries.

If you're interested, feel free to visit my profile and start reading. Below is a brief summary:

[Lord of Mysteries: Incarnation of Chaos]

Have you ever wondered what would happen if someone from a Lovecraftian world got isekai'd into another world built on Lovecraftian themes? Well, it's absolute chaos.

Meet Alaric, a human(questionably) survivor of the madness and chaos caused by a certain crawling chaos, who, thanks to the kindness of a certain bubble daddy, got isekai'd into the "fake it till you make it" world.

What will he do in this strange new world? Climb the ladder of power to become that impossible god unless you're just a pawn of a certain russian priest or a certain goth mommy?

Or become a cheshire cat, leaping onto the 4D chessboard to disrupt the schemes and mind games of these bizarre folks?

For Alaric, it's not a tough choice. But before he picks either path, he must, of course, uphold the time-honored tradition of isekai'd victims(questionably) that forms the foundation of this world.

What's that tradition?

Keeping a diary.

---

[Alaric's Transmigration Diary]

[Day 1: I encountered Amon. Used a special technique to summon a projection of the Ancient Sun God, who personally delivered a heavy slap to Amon. Hope Amon appreciates this weighty paternal affection.]

[Day 2: I received an invitation from the Aurora Order. Told them I want it all... looks, brains, and combat prowess... and invited them to join my newly founded Joker Club.]

[Day 3: I met Leonard and acknowledged Gramps Pallez. Declined Leonard's enthusiastic suggestion for the old man to move in with me, as I'd rather not have a old man critiquing my every move, even in private moments.]

[Day 4: I told Klein I plan to pray to a deity named The Fool. Watched his eyes widen in shock and kindly offered him some eye drops.]

[Day 5: I listened to Medici perform a two-hour comedy routine. Suggested he go professional and invited him to share a meal.]

.

.

.

[Day 666: I fully absorbed a certain crawling chaos fragment within me. From now on, I am the Fifth Pillar.]