"9999 points, 3594 remaining."
Arata clenched his fists. As long as he could influence and save enough important people in the upcoming war, he would surely manage to accumulate that amount.
"Replace Chōjirō Sasakibe and launch a surprise attack on Yhwach… or kill him directly?" The thought flashed through his mind but was quickly dismissed with a shake of his head.
It would be far too risky.
Not to mention whether old man Yamamoto would even allow it. If altering history led to worse consequences, say, Yhwach awakening fully ahead of time, the damage could outweigh the benefits.
"I should just focus on what's right in front of me for now."
With that, Arata dove into his inner spiritual world and began a new round of deep communication with Meigetsu.
He wasn't sure how it happened, but lately, their bond had been growing more harmonious, and the threshold for Meigetsu's Bankai was becoming increasingly clear.
…
The next morning, Arata followed Yakumo Kadori toward the northern part of Rukongai.
The blazing morning sun stretched their shadows endlessly. The scenes they passed were vastly different from a thousand years later—no orderly streets or shops, just simple straw-covered houses and makeshift fortresses.
"This is the northern defense line jointly guarded by Squad 8 and Squad 10. Districts 1 to 3 are under Squad 8's jurisdiction, while Districts 4 to 6 fall under Squad 10." Yakumo pointed to the wall ahead, built from a mixture of various metals.
"Since last week's clash, the number of wounded on the frontlines has surged, and our medical resources are stretched thin."
Arata nodded and cast a glance at the injured lying in disarray along the city wall.
Most were pale-faced, their bandages soaked with blood. The air was thick with the heavy scent of blood and the bitter aroma of herbal medicines.
"Captain Yakumo!" A member of Squad 8, face smeared with blood, staggered toward them. "The medical team sent by Captain Shijima pulled back again. They said Rukongai needs more people..."
A flash of anger crossed Yakumo's eyes behind her glasses, but she quickly composed herself, even seeming a bit resigned.
"I understand. Go get some rest first."
Once the squad member left, she explained wistfully to Arata, "The medical team of the Fourth Division was only recently established, and the personnel Captain Shijima can actually spare is very limited."
Suddenly, Arata understood everything.
A thousand years later, the Gotei 13 would evolve into a highly developed and massive organization. But in this era, the Shinigami were still more like a half-transformed group of mercenaries, the medical system nowhere near complete.
"Captain Yakumo, why don't you let me do my part?" he offered, a bright green light already glowing in his palm.
Yakumo looked at him in surprise. "But we have so many wounded, and you're alone..."
"Better that than doing nothing at all."
Arata meant every word. On one hand, it would increase the Shinigami's chances of winning the war, and on the other, it would earn him Fate Points.
After all, he had already experienced how "sweet" that worked. Even if he healed characters who didn't appear in the main story, he could still gain some destiny points.
He approached the nearest injured man, who was sitting against the wall. It was a young Shinigami with a pierced shoulder. Black, poisonous patterns, similar to the ones Yakumo had surrounded the wound.
"Clear Spring Flowing."
He softly uttered the name of his modified Kaidō technique, and his spiritual pressure flowed into the wounded man like water.
Unlike the standard Kaidō that would be used in later times, this healing method, infused with Meigetsu's properties, could directly dismantle stubborn Quincy spiritual particles.
Normally, its healing effect wasn't stronger than traditional Kaidō, but when it came to purging Quincy poison, its effectiveness was absolutely unmatched.
In just half a minute, the pained expression on the wounded man's face softened, and the wound began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Lord Arata, thank you so much for healing me!" The young Shinigami looked at Arata with grateful eyes and nearly fell to his knees.
Arata quickly waved him off and simply told him to rest, as the wound would still take time to fully recover.
"Even though I've experienced it myself, no matter how many times I watch, it still feels like a miracle…" Yakumo Kadori watched as Arata moved effortlessly from one wounded soldier to another, her eyes welling up with tears.
[Nara Masanobu's fate has changed because of you, gaining 15 Fate Points.]
[Uehashi Yubo's fate has changed because of you, gaining 20 Fate Points.]
[The fate of Miangi Haruki…]
System notifications echoed constantly in his head, but Arata didn't stop healing for even a moment.
At that moment, he was like a perfectly tuned machine, moving swiftly among the wounded; every action saving someone's life.
"Lord Arata is incredible! Even Captain Shijima couldn't heal my wound..."
"Amazing! I'll definitely survive this war and marry Nanako when I return!"
…
Two hours later, nearly a hundred wounded on the defense line were out of life-threatening danger. All eyes looked upon him with a strange kind of reverence, as if gazing at a god.
Tiny beads of sweat dotted Arata's forehead. Continuous, high-output spiritual pressure had exhausted him quite a bit.
"Arata-kun, are you alright?" Yakumo handed him a handkerchief with concern, her ample chest rising and falling with her quickened breath.
"Thank you for your concern, Captain Yakumo. I'm actually fine." Arata took the handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his face, catching a faint trace of feminine scent on the tip of his nose.
He opened the system panel to check his gains. In just two hours, he had earned over 1,000 Fate Points. With his earlier reserves, he was back above seven thousand.
[Host Fate Value: 7460/23056]
"Lord Arata!" A child's voice suddenly called out behind him.
Arata turned to see a girl no older than ten shyly standing nearby.
She wore a modified version of Shiba attire and had a short sword strapped to her waist.
"Thank you for saving my dad." The girl bowed deeply, and when she lifted her head, her eyes were red. "Mom said if it weren't for you, Dad..."
Arata crouched down and gently ruffled her hair. "I did it because it was the right thing to do. Your father is a brave warrior. He'll recover."
The girl lit up with a smile, suddenly threw her arms around him, and kissed him on the cheek. "I love Lord Arata the most!"
The unexpected move left Arata frozen in place. Yakumo covered her mouth and giggled softly, her fullness trembling lightly with the laughter.
"Looks like you're very popular, Arata-kun," she teased, a gentle light flickering behind her glasses.
Arata scratched the back of his head a bit sheepishly, just about to say something when a commotion suddenly broke out in the distance.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
A sharp alarm echoed across the defense line, and the Shinigami who had just relaxed instantly switched back into combat mode.
"What's happening?" Yakumo Kadori turned pale, grabbed her Zanpakutō tightly, and drew it in one swift motion.
A blood-covered messenger staggered up to them and shouted, "Captain! The North Fifth District defense line of Squad 10 has been attacked by enemy forces! Captain Takamiya requests reinforcements!"
Arata and Yakumo locked eyes and saw the same seriousness reflected in each other.
It was no coincidence that the Quincy suddenly launched such a large-scale attack.
Considering the imminent arrival of the decisive battle, this was very likely an enemy "test strike."
"Relay my command, Squad 8, assemble immediately!" Yakumo Kadori's voice suddenly carried the unmistakable weight of command. "Arata-kun, take a unit and stay in the rear. I'll go reinforce Squad 10."
Arata shook his head. "Captain Yakumo, you've only just recovered from injury. You shouldn't engage in direct combat. I'll go as reinforcement, you stay here in command."
He didn't wait for Yakumo's response and was already atop the wall with a single leap.
"It's just a bunch of trash. I'll handle them quickly."