Bleach: Watch Closely, This Is How You Use a Zanpakutō

The Hōgyoku began to heat up without warning.

It seemed to be trying to convey something, and somehow, Masatsuki Aozaki instinctively grasped its meaning.

Like an intricate spider's web, countless fine threads of Reiatsu streamed endlessly from within the Hōgyoku, weaving outward and rapidly linking with the branches of the surrounding trees.

This was what the Hōgyoku desired!

"Strange... After its completion, the Hōgyoku showed no reaction to ordinary Soul King fragments, so why does it now crave these bizarre 'pieces of flesh'?"

Pressing a hand against his chest, Masatsuki Aozaki murmured to himself, puzzled.

Yet, despite his uncertainty, he made no move to stop the Hōgyoku.

Threads of Reiatsu continued to flow from his chest, slipping through his fingers and extending outward, deepening their connection with the thicket.

Under their influence, the once rigid branches softened, moving with an eerie fluidity—like sentient tendrils swaying in the air.

One by one, the upper branches latched onto the Reiatsu threads, slowly drawing together and converging in their direction.

Then, the massive tree at the heart of the grove erupted with a brilliant white light.