The Shimo's consciousness returned to his body, an overwhelming exhaustion swept over him.

It wasn't physical—it came from deep within his soul.

He didn't even have the strength to lift a single finger.

Realizing the state he was in, Shimo closed his eyes again and fell backward.

He didn't know how long he had slept.

When he awoke, sunlight was already spilling through the window and across the room.

"What the hell did I do in the Zanpakutō space last night…?"

Remembering that soul-deep exhaustion gave him chills.

But aside from that, he noticed his Zanpakutō seemed to have undergone a new transformation.

Next came testing this new ability.

Just to be safe, Shimo once again activated Cease All.

Every time he used this power, it consumed a massive amount of spiritual pressure.

Even with his current boosted reserves, he could only afford to use it a few times.

With a firm grip on his long, slender blade—Akatsuki—he unleashed a surge of terrifying spiritual pressure from his fingertips.

"Flip the Hourglass—Akatsuki."

The new Shikai release phrase felt like opening a valve on his spiritual power.

A torrent of spiritual pressure flooded from his body into the Zanpakutō like an unstoppable flood.

The drain was immense—his face paled visibly.

But with his current level, he could still hold on.

With sharp eyes, he closely observed the changes around him.

Centered on his body, time began to reverse.

Spiritual pressure regenerated. The pain between his brows vanished.

What annoyed him, though, was that his own state was also being dragged back.

His previously recovered brain has throbbed again.

When the rewind stopped, his spiritual pressure had been nearly exhausted.

Shimo estimated that everything around him had returned to its state about one minute earlier.

"...This power is terrifying."

He let out a sigh of awe and didn't continue experimenting further.

Now, in addition to the Time Stop ability: Cease All, he obtained a new trump card.

Even just brainstorming casually, he could come up with dozens of potential battle strategies.

This gave Shimo more confidence in facing Aizen someday.

He returned his Zanpakutō to its sealed state, took time to restore his spiritual pressure, then left his quarters.

The task Unohana had assigned him was incredibly difficult.

To change Fourth Division's current status, he had to start at the root.

Shimo decided to begin with a pilot reform of his own Sixth Relief Unit.

Training Ground #3.

The members of the Sixth Relief Unit looked around, confused as to why their Liutenant had called them here.

Once everyone had arrived, Shimo stepped in front of them.

"Because Captain Unohana is dissatisfied with the current state of the Fourth Division, she's entrusted me with initiating reforms."

"And you… are the start of that change."

Without any unnecessary theatrics, Shimo got straight to the point.

"Rokushima Yusuke!"

His tone suddenly sharpened.

"Uh—present!"

Rokushima Yusuke is one of the Shinigami who had guided him when he first arrived at Fourth Division.

Appears to be a low self-esteem type guy, but seems to be a responsible and good person anyways.

"From this moment on, you're the Vice-Leader of the Sixth Relief Unit."

A hint of hesitation flashed across Rokushima's face.

He doubted whether he was up to the task.

But under Shimo's sharp gaze—like a blade made of ice—he shivered, his hair standing on end.

Recalling his Liutenant's recent combat achievements, Rokushima didn't dare hesitate any longer.

With a voice nearly breaking, he shouted his acceptance—leaving the others staring at him in disbelief.

"Good. Very spirited."

Shimo nodded in satisfaction, and began laying out his plan.

"I've considered many ways to improve the squad..."

"But in the end, only one plan remains."

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