Thinking of that, Arata began to fight with all his strength. His movements were no longer conservative and defensive but transformed into proactive attacks.
"Now you're starting to look like something. That's how my master should be." Seeing the increasingly serious expression on Arata's face, Meigetsu licked her lips with satisfaction.
"Let's see how far you can go!"
The sound of clashing swords echoed continuously through the underground space. From the initial state where he couldn't even defend himself, Arata gradually managed to catch Meigetsu's rhythm.
The Soul King bloodline in his body continued to manifest its power, and various abilities, including swordsmanship, flash step, and physical strength, steadily improved during the battle with Meigetsu.
In Arata's eyes, Meigetsu at this moment wasn't just an opponent to challenge and surpass, but also the perfect whetstone.
"All your swordsmanship was taught by that woman, right?" Meigetsu commented while attacking. "Although your swordplay is quite good, there are too many unnecessary moves and lots of openings!"
Arata paid no attention to her provocations, instead focusing on observing and learning each of Meigetsu's offensive moves and pondering her combat intentions.
A Zanpakutō is part of a Shinigami's soul. For most Shinigami, the power of their Zanpakutō makes up the bulk of their combat effectiveness.
Only exceptions like Kenpachi Zaraki deviate from this, while the sword spirit of a Zanpakutō knows better than the Shinigami himself how to wield that power.
Simply put, it's instinct for them.
Arata understood this principle deeply, so from the very beginning, he placed himself in the role of an apprentice, constantly absorbing Meigetsu's combat instinct.
Suddenly, Arata caught a small flaw, after continuous high-speed slashes, Meigetsu's right wrist would freeze for less than 0.1 seconds.
"Got you!"
Arata seized that fleeting moment, shouted quietly, and instantly rushed forward. The long sword in his hand thrust at an extremely tricky angle, the tip of the blade aimed straight at Meigetsu's throat, slicing through the air with a sharp sound.
"Crap, I got carried away with the swing and lost power…" A flicker of panic flashed in Meigetsu's eyes.
The sword's tip was less than an inch from her snow-white neck. However, just as Arata thought he had succeeded, Meigetsu, who had appeared panicked a moment earlier, suddenly changed her expression, and a playful glint flashed in her eyes.
"I tricked you!"
After saying that, Meigetsu performed a move Arata couldn't comprehend.
She didn't dodge the blade that was about to pierce her throat. Instead, she leaned forward and rushed directly at Arata, with a strange curve on her red lips.
"Soul Shadow Flash!"
Suddenly, her figure distorted and blurred, as if swallowed by the very space, and vanished. Arata's blade only scattered a remnant of purple spiritual particles.
And at the place where Meigetsu had stood moments before, only a fading afterimage remained.
"What?!"
Arata's pupils constricted sharply and his back instantly drenched in cold sweat.
Instinctively, he wanted to retreat, but he realized that at some point, his body had become immobile; even if he gave it his all, he couldn't move an inch.
Shhh!
A sorrowful and magnificent purple arc in the shape of an X sliced through the air, and Arata felt a cold stab in his chest. The front of his white academy uniform was neatly sliced open.
Two long, X-shaped bloody lines stretched from his collarbones to the lower abdomen. What was even more terrifying, the purple flame surrounding the wound was corroding his soul at a pace visible to the naked eye.
Pain that seared the very soul pierced from deep within his body straight into his brain.
"Cough… cough…"
Both his body and mind suffered a heavy blow. Arata clenched his teeth and suppressed the urge to spit the blood rising in his chest. He fell to one knee and leaned on his blade, barely avoiding collapse.
He stared at the ghostly woman who elegantly appeared behind him. Her fingers gently traced the blade burning with purple flames.
"This move is called Soul Shadow Flash~" Meigetsu tilted her head, and her white hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall. "It allows you to instantly retreat into another dimension to avoid damage, then reappear and deliver a swift slash. Pretty practical technique, right?"
"Ah, what a shamelessly overpowered ability, like cheating in a game…" Arata gave a bitter smile and used Kaidō to stop the bleeding from his wound. "Retreating into another dimension… completely unreasonable move."
"Heh~" Meigetsu suddenly appeared in front of him and lifted his chin with the tip of her sword. "Thanks for the compliment, Master, but no reward for you." As she leaned in, her hair spilled down and lightly brushed against Arata's face, spreading waves of fragrance.
"The real battle begins now. If you want to master my power…"
The blade suddenly pressed downward, leaving a bright red gash across Arata's collarbone.
"You must be prepared to die!"
As the final syllable fell, Meigetsu's figure blurred again.
Sensing danger, Arata's hairs stood on end; he threw himself into a roll to the side with all his might.
Boom!
The ground where he had just been half-kneeling was torn apart by a crescent-shaped purple-black slash, and the exploding gravel turned to dust the moment it touched the purple flame.
Had that hit him, Arata couldn't even imagine the consequences.
"Terrifying… Can she use the Dark Flame Slash too?" Arata's voice was slightly weak; his eyes constantly searched for Meigetsu's flickering form.
He hadn't expected that the moves he had created could also be learned by his Zanpakutō, or perhaps he was only able to develop the Dark Flame Slash thanks to some secret prompting from Meigetsu.
After all, their synchronization was perfect.
"Nice reaction~" Meigetsu's voice came from all directions. The entire underground space was filled with purple-black, fiery figures. "And how do you like this?"
Dozens of black shadows simultaneously raised their long swords, and countless crescent-shaped slashes wove a web of death. The overwhelming strikes reflected in Arata's pupils, and then he suddenly closed his eyes, as if he had reached enlightenment.
"Completely destroy everything — Meigetsu!"
Boom!
A pillar of purple-black fire shot up from his body, and a powerful spiritual pressure exploded instantly, swallowing the entire oncoming web of slashes.
When the flames dispersed, a charred circular pit ten meters in diameter gaped at the center of the fiery pillar. Arata, leaning on Meigetsu after the initial release, was slowly rising, panting, as the purple flame on the blade gradually faded.
Other than the time he exchanged [Zanpakutō Shikai] in the system, this was the first time he had officially performed Shikai with Meigetsu. He hadn't expected the power to be so astonishing. The web of slashes, enough to kill a lieutenant-level Shinigami, was consumed by the spiritual pressure and fire pillar he unleashed.
But the price was enormous. Arata's spiritual pressure dropped to freezing point, and his body entered a state of overload.
Meigetsu stood on a stone elevation, and for the first time, a satisfied expression appeared on her face. "To forcibly break through spiritual pressure and perform Shikai in this state, quite bold…"
"Even though I don't want to admit it, your performance just now barely passes."
Arata barely curled the corners of his lips, forcing a smile.
"Then thank you for the compliment…"
Feeling that his Zanpakutō had acknowledged him, Arata, heavily wounded and exhausted, finally could no longer support his body. He weakly let go of the long sword and collapsed backward.
Plop.
However, the back of his head didn't meet rough gravel, but a pair of long black-clad thighs soft, yet firm, with a refreshingly intoxicating scent.
Meigetsu closely watched Arata as he slept on her lap, and the corners of her red lips involuntarily curled into a gentle arc.
"You still have a long way to go, my wicked master."