Chapter 395: Unity of Man and Blade
Staring into Yhwach's eyes, Haschwalth couldn't help but tense his body.
Though he had known since their first meeting that this man was an existence he could never surpass—the very symbol of "greatness"...
...it wasn't until this moment that he truly felt the concept of "god" emanating from Yhwach.
Those eyes seemed to dismantle him with just a glance, tearing him apart and scrutinizing every minute detail within his being.
"Your Majesty, you..."
"I am fine."
Yhwach gently shook his head.
Under Haschwalth's gaze, he slowly closed his eyes.
When they reopened, the pupils within had returned to normal.
"Heh. Satoru... I doubt he could ever imagine that the power he sent not only failed to harm me but instead became the key to reclaiming my strength."
Despite possessing immense power, Yhwach's essence remained that of a Quincy.
The Hollow spiritual pressure delivered by Satoru had indeed caused him pain.
Yet, precisely because of this, he—who had slumbered for a millennium—regained the sensation of wielding power ahead of schedule.
Unfortunately, his strength hadn't fully recovered, insufficient to maintain this state.
Unless... he were to enact the Auswählen upon most of the Quincy in the Wandenreich, reclaiming their power.
Yhwach felt no psychological burden regarding the Auswählen itself.
The reason he refrained was that, in his view, this millennia-spanning war of vengeance would also serve as a trial for the Quincy of the Wandenreich.
Those who passed the trial would emerge stronger than before.
Only then, by reclaiming their power, could he recover his investment with compounded interest, reaping profits beyond measure!
Watching the curl of Yhwach's lips, Haschwalth pressed his own together tightly.
Even as His Majesty smiled, all he felt was a chilling cold...
...
...
"Kekekekeke..."
Satoru emitted a sunny laugh, pinning Kisuke Urahara to the ground and straddling his back.
Kisuke Urahara's face was a picture of despair.
Even as Satoru laughed, all he felt was a chilling cold.
"Mr. Mikami, why must it come to this? Why must it come to this?!"
"It's just administrative duties—I never said I wouldn't do them!"
"Oh?"
Satoru raised an eyebrow:
"So, you agree?"
"I..."
Kisuke Urahara opened his mouth.
After thinking for two seconds, he tentatively asked:
"Vice-Captain Aizen... ah no, Consultant Aizen, he should be participating too, right?"
"Sōsuke? I'm not entirely sure, but probably."
"That's somewhat reassuring."
Hearing Satoru say this, Kisuke Urahara breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"However, the position of First Division Vice-Captain is out of the question. I'm just a man of average talent, truly unfit for such an important role..."
After some thought, Kisuke Urahara suggested:
"How about I follow Kurotsuchi's old example and serve as a minor Seated Officer in the First Division?"
"That won't do."
Satoru shook his head.
Although Kisuke Urahara didn't seek fame or fortune, these were new times, different from the past.
The new era emphasized respecting talent.
If someone like Kisuke Urahara couldn't shine, how could others rise based on their abilities?
After some thought, he said:
"Since you care so much about Sōsuke, you can be a consultant like him."
"When I ascend the throne, you'll be the Second Consultant to the Captain-Commander!"
Second Consultant...
Although the title of Captain-Commander's Consultant was somewhat intimidating, being second meant Aizen would shield him from the front, making it somewhat acceptable.
After some consideration, Kisuke Urahara finally agreed.
Seeing Kisuke Urahara nod, Satoru cheered and got off him.
To prevent Satoru from doing something inhuman, like lifting him up in celebration, Kisuke Urahara promptly put distance between them.
Then, he saw Satoru fall into deep thought.
"Hmm... In that case, the Vice-Captain candidate becomes a problem."
"Can't take Kenpachi, and Kaname has other arrangements too."
"Whatever, since no one's available, I'll take Rangiku. Though she's a bit airheaded, at least she's easy on the eyes."
Hearing Satoru's words, Kisuke Urahara silently looked up at the sky.
His backup option was actually Matsumoto Rangiku.
He suddenly felt his worth as the designated Vice-Captain was quite low.
...
...
The cunning Satoru had already assembled his work team over ten days before taking office.
Free from obligations, he suddenly remembered something.
In his last battle with Old Man... no, Teacher Yamamoto, Risō Jakumetsu had suffered severe damage while in Bankai state.
Damage in Bankai state couldn't heal naturally.
That's why during his fight with Kenpachi, he couldn't release his Zanpakutō and had to make do with basic attacks.
Now that he had some free time, it was time to repair Risō Jakumetsu.
Drawing Risō Jakumetsu, Satoru examined its blade.
With his current abilities, he could easily control Reishi to repair the damage to Risō Jakumetsu.
But doing just that would be meaningless.
In the next intense battle, Risō Jakumetsu would still break like before, unable to withstand his power.
If he was going to fix it, he had to do it properly.
After some thought, he sheathed Risō Jakumetsu.
Professional matters should be handled by professionals.
Taking the Shiba Clan Express, he returned to the Soul King Palace.
Kirinji, who was responsible for receiving him, had mixed feelings about Satoru's sudden return.
"You... do you even understand what the Soul King Palace is?"
"Normally, an average captain-level individual wouldn't even be qualified to come up here once in their lifetime. Yet here you are, treating this place like a tourist attraction, coming and going as you please..."
Hearing this, Satoru, who had just stepped off the Heavenly Pillar Carriage, raised an eyebrow indignantly:
"How dare you! I am the one destined to inherit the position of Captain-Commander next month!"
"As the Captain-Commander, my authority is on par with that Priest fellow. How dare a mere sect elder like you speak disrespectfully to me, the leader of another school?"
"?"
Kirinji Tenjirō's eyes widened in shock.
Not because he was awed by any domineering aura, but because he was terrified by the horrifying truth he had just heard.
"You? Captain-Commander?!"
"Hmph, indeed."
"Yamamoto is your teacher! How could you be so ruthless..."
"?"
Kirinji let out a pained cry as Satoru clamped him under his arm.
Carrying Kirinji, Satoru arrived at the Reclining Boar Palace.
The other members of the Zero Division were already gathered there.
Everyone was quite pleased to see Satoru's return.
The Priest smiled:
"It's good that you're visiting more often, getting accustomed to the environment here..."
For someone who had lived for millions of years, the few years Satoru had been away passed in the blink of an eye.
The only thing that made him feel the passage of time was the new games released by Satoru Heaven.
With the Reishi Network now fully developed, he no longer had to wait for the Heavenly Pillar Carriage to periodically deliver game cartridges.
Whenever he wanted to play something new, he could simply download it directly.
It could be said that for all the games Satoru Heaven had released so far, his skills ranked in the top two.
As for why he wasn't number one, he'd have to ask what kind of bastard that ID "Baraggan Louisenbairn" belonged to.
The Priest strongly suspected it was an official plant by Satoru Heaven, designed to encourage spending.
Just let me find out who this Baraggan Louisenbairn is, and I'll tear that name right off you.
Upon hearing that Satoru was about to inherit Yamamoto's position as the new Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, everyone was initially surprised but quickly accepted it.
This guy had already fought the Priest to the edge of the universe - what was strange about him becoming Captain-Commander?
Only the Priest, upon hearing the news, scratched his head thoughtfully.
"Captain-Commander, huh..."
It seemed Yamamoto must have realized something.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be in such a hurry to put Satoru in power.
Though Yamamoto's few thousand years seemed brief to him, the old man had indeed become shrewd with age.
Unfortunately, when it came to the stability of the Three Realms, even the position of Captain-Commander couldn't make much difference.
He could only hope things wouldn't reach the worst-case scenario.
Otherwise, he'd have to make an enemy of Yamamoto Shigekuni.
With these contemplative thoughts, the Priest picked up his wine bowl and drank deeply.
After eating and drinking, Satoru found Ōetsu and explained his purpose for visiting.
After hearing his story, Ōetsu's expression became quite remarkable.
He had seen Risō Jakumetsu's Bankai before.
Those super-alloy claws possessed extreme hardness and an even stronger "defense-ignoring" capability than in its Shikai state.
For a Zanpakutō born purely for combat to break because it couldn't withstand Satoru's power?
That was somewhat unbelievable.
Taking Satoru with him, he returned to the Phoenix Palace.
"Sword."
Standing before the forging platform, he said to Satoru.
Satoru drew Risō Jakumetsu and placed it on the forging platform.
Several distinctive beauties gathered around and began examining Risō Jakumetsu.
Meanwhile, Sayafushi, having returned here after a long absence, materialized as well.
Gazing at the familiar surroundings, the young girl curled up the corners of her mouth.
In the past, due to her immense destructive power, Ōetsu had never allowed her to move about freely.
Even when materialized, a powerful destructive force field would surround her, shredding anything that came close into pieces.
But now, her power was perfectly suppressed by Satoru. Unless she deliberately used her abilities, she wouldn't cause any impact on her surroundings.
Being able to freely walk through the familiar places of the past was truly a joyous thing.
Before long, several materialized Zanpakutō arrived before Satoru and Ōetsu.
Their expressions were somewhat complicated.
Under the gaze of the two, one of the blades spoke up:
"Lord Ōetsu, Lord Mikami."
"Risō Jakumetsu is not damaged."
"Based on our observations, this blade is not a Zanpakutō—it's just a very ordinary Asauchi."
"No... to be precise, it's not even an Asauchi, just a common 'tool'."
"Huh?"
Ōetsu was stunned.
What did it mean that it wasn't a Zanpakutō... Was Satoru playing a trick on him?
He turned to look beside him and saw that Satoru appeared even more surprised than he was.
Well, that settled it. Balance restored.
After confirming that Satoru wasn't messing with him, Ōetsu suggested that he perform Sword Meditation to enter his inner world and see what was really going on.
Hearing this, Sayafushi requested to accompany Satoru.
As Satoru's Zanpakutō, she had never entered his inner world before and couldn't help but feel intensely curious.
Under Ōetsu's watchful eyes, Satoru synchronized his spiritual frequency with Sayafushi.
When he opened his eyes again, the scene before him had completely changed.
Familiar, yet strange.
It was still the boundless sea, still that massive three-masted ship cutting through the waves.
However, unlike the stormy scene from last time, the weather today was quite pleasant.
A cool breeze pushed the great ship forward in a straight line across the calm sea.
The red-haired girl sat at the bow, gazing at the distant scenery.
"You're too slow. Why did it take you so long to get here?"
As if sensing Satoru's arrival, she spoke.
Under Satoru's gaze, the girl stood up and turned around.
Then, noticing the girl in the black dress standing beside Satoru, she froze for a moment.
Her gaze toward Satoru immediately turned gloomy.
This guy... how could he bring another child to my room...
Though strictly speaking, this wasn't her room, she and this guy were essentially one and the same—there was no difference.
Seeing that Risō Jakumetsu seemed fine, Satoru grinned:
"You look pretty healthy. I'm relieved."
"So, what exactly is going on?"
Looking at his carefree expression, Risō Jakumetsu shook her head helplessly.
While Sayafushi happily and cautiously explored the ship, she explained her current state to Satoru.
After hearing Risō Jakumetsu's explanation, Satoru showed a look of realization.
To help him stop Yhwach, Aizen had activated the third stage of the Hōgyoku.
In its third stage, the Hōgyoku's ability to interfere with reality increased dramatically.
Satoru, who had synchronized with Aizen's power, couldn't fully replicate the Hōgyoku's effects but was still influenced by it.
The Hōgyoku's ability was to fulfill its user's wishes.
When Satoru unleashed that devastating punch, Risō Jakumetsu realized something.
Her power could no longer keep up with this man's progress.
Although a Zanpakutō was part of a Shinigami, and in theory, as the Shinigami grew stronger, the Zanpakutō would synchronize and grow stronger as well...
Satoru's training method was too unorthodox.
The more layers of Multiple Force he accumulated, the more he could surpass his own limits.
At five layers, not only Risō Jakumetsu but even Satoru himself was constantly teetering on the brink of self-destruction.
Realizing this, Risō Jakumetsu developed a strong desire.
She wanted to keep up with Satoru.
She wanted to become even more of his strength.
Sensing Risō Jakumetsu's wish, the power of the Hōgyoku merged with her.
When Satoru threw that punch, Risō Jakumetsu didn't melt into molten iron because she couldn't withstand the heat—she had completely fused with Satoru's body, becoming a part of him.
While all Shinigami aimed to grow stronger through their Zanpakutō, Satoru had unknowingly achieved a new realm no one had ever reached before.
He and his Zanpakutō had become one...