Chapter 102: A Finger Against the Blade
"Whisper, Muramasa!"
As Kōga uttered the release command, the surrounding air began to stir.
It swirled and rose, encircling the two of them.
Amid the howling storm of spiritual particles, a figure emerged from Kōga's blade, arms outstretched, as if summoned like a Clow Card.
It was a long-haired man, clad in a white robe trimmed with purple stripes, its collar lined with fluffy fur.
His face bore heavy purple eyeshadow, and his fingernails extended several centimeters long.
Gazing at this man, Satoru couldn't help but muse.
Peeling off those nails would probably be incredibly satisfying.
The man with eyeshadow slowly opened his eyes and looked at Satoru.
Having overheard their conversation earlier, no further explanation was needed.
"Lord Satoru, I ask that you lower all mental defenses. I will enter your soul world to communicate directly with your Zanpakutō."
Muramasa placed a hand over his chest and gave a slight bow.
Satoru was about to nod when he suddenly realized something.
He frowned slightly. "If I let you into my soul world, you wouldn't be able to read my memories, would you?"
Muramasa nodded. "With the power of Bankai, it is indeed possible."
No sooner had he spoken than his expression shifted to surprise.
As a Zanpakutō specializing in souls, he could directly perceive the strength of a person's mental barriers.
When he first appeared, Satoru's defenses had been at a normal level—even without actively lowering them, Muramasa could have easily breached them with minimal effort.
But now, Satoru's mental defenses had suddenly surged to an insane degree.
To compare, Satoru's earlier defenses had been like an ordinary wooden door.
Now, they were a towering, impenetrable fortress!
In Muramasa's vision, an additional layer of spiritual energy seemed to have manifested deep within Satoru's soul.
This energy encased his mind like armor, sealing it tightly.
Then, Muramasa realized something else—Satoru's soul defense was astonishingly refined.
He had seen Kidō techniques that could seal the mind, but they usually came with severe side effects.
Because the mind was sealed, the user's movements would slow down, and at higher levels, they might even become completely immobilized.
In contrast, Satoru's mental defense had formed instantly, flawlessly, and most crucially, it showed no signs of hindering his movements…
Could this man's Zanpakutō also possess soul-related abilities?
As Muramasa stood stunned, Satoru frowned, seemingly conflicted.
Finally, he shook his head.
"My apologies, Lord Kuchiki. I've troubled you for nothing. Let's forget I ever mentioned summoning my Zanpakutō."
The risk of his memories being exposed—no matter how slight—was not one he was willing to take.
His mind held far too many dangerous secrets.
Being a transmigrator, his system, Aizen's future betrayal, and those Shinigami doujinshi he'd read…
Ahem. Scratch that last one.
Any one of those things leaking could bring catastrophic consequences.
Especially the information about Aizen.
Even if Kōga somehow accessed those memories and reported them to Yamamoto or Ginrei, they'd likely dismiss it as delusional rambling—but Satoru refused to take that chance.
Kōga's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
He hadn't expected Satoru to react so strongly.
Muramasa also explained, "Lord Satoru, please rest assured. In just the Shikai state, I don't possess that much power."
"No need."
Satoru shook his head again.
Seeing his firmness, Muramasa glanced at Kōga.
After receiving confirmation from his master, he bowed slightly to Satoru and returned to the Zanpakutō.
Opening a Spiritual Pressure barrier, Satoru bid farewell to Kōga and took his leave.
Watching Satoru's retreating figure, Kōga remained silent for a long time.
...
...
Satoru ran several hundred meters in a random direction before finally letting out a sigh of relief.
Originally, in his understanding, Muramasa's ability was to awaken Zanpakutō, manifest them physically, and turn them against their masters.
But just now, as he was about to lower his mental defenses and accept Muramasa, he suddenly remembered something.
In the storyline, the reason Muramasa had always targeted Yamamoto wasn't to turn Ryūjin Jakka against him.
His true goal was to find the location of Kōga's seal within Yamamoto's memories and rescue him.
Recalling the earlier scene, Satoru couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.
Thankfully, he had remembered in time—otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Lost in thought, he suddenly stopped.
Where was he now?
The Kuchiki estate was vast, with its intricate architecture making it easy to get lost if one wasn't familiar with the layout.
After a moment's consideration, Satoru extended his spiritual senses and stepped onto a spiritual foothold, ascending into the air.
With a high enough vantage point, a maze like this was nothing.
But before he could take off, he froze.
His spiritual senses had detected Sōjun Kuchiki's Spiritual Pressure.
After a brief moment of surprise, Satoru's face lit up with joy.
Since Sōjun had been forcibly taken back by his family, he hadn't seen his friend in a long time.
Filled with anticipation, Satoru used Flash Step to head toward Sōjun.
Whoosh!
Reappearing, Satoru found himself in a small courtyard.
He hid behind a large tree and peeked out slightly.
There, Sōjun, dressed in a white robe, was meticulously practicing swordsmanship with both hands gripping his blade.
Each swing of his sword stirred the surrounding spiritual particles.
Watching Sōjun's technique, Satoru gave an imperceptible nod.
As expected of "Young Master Kuchiki"—his talent was on par with his own.
These moves already carried the subtle grace of a master.
Smiling, Satoru stepped out from behind the tree.
"Hey, So—"
Before he could finish, Sōjun suddenly erupted with a fierce Spiritual Pressure, instantly closing the distance between them!
His blade traced a silver arc as it slashed toward Satoru with full force.
Mid-swing, Sōjun recognized Satoru and froze.
The wild, beast-like intensity in his eyes instantly turned to panic.
He desperately tried to retract his blade, but a strike already in motion wasn't so easy to stop.
As for calling out—by the time he could speak, Satoru would have been cut down eight times over.
Just as he was panicking, however, he saw Satoru remain completely still, merely raising a single index finger to block the blade.
Clang!!!
Under Sōjun's stunned gaze, his blade struck Satoru's finger with full force.
Yet, it didn't leave so much as a scratch.
Satoru's finger seemed to possess absolute defense, effortlessly deflecting the strike.
Then, the first two knuckles slowly bent down, resting on the blade of the Zanpakutō.
"Yo, Young Master Kuchiki, long time no see."
Maintaining the posture of blocking the sword with his finger, Satoru grinned.