"Amazing! Just incredible!" Shirō Emiya mumbled, absolutely buzzing with excitement.
"So what abilities do I get?!" he pressed eagerly.
Saber simply shook her head.
Shirō smacked his own forehead.
"Ugh, look at me, I forgot again! But I'm fired up now! I feel like jumping straight into Bankai!" he shouted with enthusiasm.
Saber calmly said,
"While I can't disclose the specific powers of your Zanpakutō, I can tell you about some passive abilities it inherently possesses."
"Wait, Passive abilities?!"
"Please tell me!"
This was just too good to be true. He could already imagine how things will turn out.
"These so-called 'passives' are attributes I possess as your Zanpakutō," Saber explained coolly. "The first is Magic Resistance."
"I know that one" Shirō immediately interjected.
"You're immune to most magic, right? You can just ignore spells and go straight in for the kill."
"Correct," Saber nodded.
"Here, it translates to resistance against Kido. Any Kido below level 45 is completely nullified. For anything below level 90, your spiritual pressure can reduce its impact. Above 90... there's nothing we can do."
Shirō's eyes sparkled with joy.
So I can just stand there while low-level Kido blasts hit me, and walk away unharmed?
"Next is Riding, you'll be able to command certain low to mid-level mounts."
Not just motorbikes and cars, Shirō could now see himself riding a Hollow like a beast tamer.
"Then there's Instinct, a form of precognition. You'll be able to sense and avoid attacks intuitively."
Oh... Instinct?
That was a must-have ability for any showoff. Dodging blows without even looking? Really an aura farming passive indeed
"Then we have Mana Burst, you'll be able to enhance your body and weapons by infusing them with spiritual energy."
Shirō already imagined himself turning into a muscle god.
"And lastly... Charisma," Saber added calmly.
Unreal. Insane. Broken. Shirō was drowning in blissful fantasies.
With just these passive abilities, I'm already OP. Add in the three legendary weapons? Who could stand against me?!
But just as he reached the peak of happiness, Saber dropped a sentence that instantly brought him crashing back down:
"Of course, all of these are my abilities."
She said it with that same flat expression, though maybe she was just naturally stoic.
"Yours? But... you're my Zanpakutō. Doesn't that mean they're mine too?" Shirō asked in panic.
Saber shook her head and crushed his dream.
"They're the innate abilities of me, your Zanpakutō. So some of them are basically useless to you, like Charisma, for instance."
"Why even tell me about them then?!" Shirō groaned, clutching his head.
This emotional rollercoaster is killing me!
"Because they're still somewhat useful," Saber replied.
"How?!" Shirō grumbled.
"For example," Saber said, "with Magic Resistance, if someone throws a Kido below level 45 at you, you can just hold me up like a shield. It'll be nullified without hurting you or draining your energy. You could even counterattack immediately."
Shirō blinked. Okay, that... was pretty useful. If he couldn't dodge, he could just block it with his sword. Nice.
"Then there's Instinct. If you follow my movements and let me guide you, you might evade or strike more effectively. It's similar to the concept of 'seeing through the sword' in advanced swordsmanship."
Shirō found that idea a little abstract. He hadn't reached that level yet, but he understood the concept, the sword becomes your eyes.
"As for Mana Burst, you can use your spiritual pressure to power me up," Saber continued.
"If you release it outward, it'll be like a Getsuga Tenshō. If you condense it, it'll sharpen and harden me to the point where I could cut through enemy Zanpakutō."
Just like how Ichigo's sword would break easily before he mastered internal control of his energy.
"That makes sense!" Shirō said, starting to feel better.
It wasn't god-tier broken like he imagined, but it was still very practical.
"That's why," Saber explained, "I want you to keep me by your side. Not just for communication, but so you can learn and get used to my capabilities. The more familiar you are with your Zanpakutō, the better you'll perform in real battle."
Things like projecting energy, controlling output, or using intuition, these would only come with time and practice, maybe even life-or-death situations. Just like how Zaraki Kenpachi fought with raw instinct.
"I'll do it! Thank you for the guidance!" Shirō said sincerely, bowing to Saber.
"There's no need to thank me," Saber replied. "We are one. I am your weapon. Helping you fight is both my duty, and my reason for existing."
"...Though I doubt you'll ever use Riding or Charisma," she added dryly.
Of course, neither of them knew at the time how unpredictable the future could be...
Later...
"Ahahahaha!"
For the past few days, Shirō Emiya had been in a great mood. His Zanpakutō issues were finally resolved, his power was steadily growing, and, he was now in sixth year. Just one more year to go before graduation and his assignment to the 13 Court Guard Squads.
More specifically, Squad 2, the Stealth Force, inheriting his father's role. A cushy, elite position!
Sure, he still hadn't publicly shown his Zanpakutō, but his results spoke for themselves. He was the school's top student in every category and even considered a strong candidate for the Kido Corps.
In fact, even without a visible Zanpakutō, most people now treated him with respect, especially those still struggling just to graduate.
That said, since he still hadn't officially revealed a Shikai, the "number one" student title still technically belonged to Soifon.
Just then, Yoruichi showed up and, true to form, grabbed Shirō without warning.
"Come with me, little Emiya! I'm taking you somewhere special!"
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