Chapter 19: The Machine Soul Rejoices, The Saint's Sword
Second Division barracks, detention cell.
Escorted here by the Onmitsukidō, Sōma calmly pulled over a chair and sat down.
He surveyed his surroundings.
The spacious, clean room hardly resembled a prison cell—it felt more like a confinement chamber.
No restraints hindered his movements.
"My goal of returning to Seireitei before dawn has been achieved, though a soft, large bed would have been even better."
Alas, there was no bed.
Sōma wasn't tired yet, anyway.
His first life-or-death practical experience had left his cerebral cortex still buzzing with excitement.
In another sense, it was truly worth celebrating.
For the first time in a month, familiar ink-wash characters materialized before his eyes.
Heaven takes pity—leading a group of rookies to victory in a battle far beyond your level, the mental exertion alone could have conceived a classic amateur debut work…??"
[You slaughtered a lackey attempting to inherit a loser's will, and forever robbed the future beast of wrath, destined to serve another failure, of the chance to meet its best friend. Such a cold-blooded display of the Fourth Heavenly Calamity's might has pleased the Machine Soul!]
[You have comprehended the sword of a saint from another world, who yearned to protect his comrades—]
[「Seven Flashes」 mastered]
[「Sole Flash」 learning in progress…]
Sōma's body jolted violently.
Though he was in spirit form, he felt a mysterious power surge into the depths of his soul.
His mind roared as if weathered by a storm.
Perhaps it was a storm of inspiration—a sudden clarity washed over him in his daze.
Instinctively, he reached for his sword hilt, but his hand grasped empty air.
His Zanpakutō had been confiscated at the entrance.
Otherwise… this room might have already been reduced to nothing.
After a moment, Sōma gradually relaxed, his eyes regaining focus.
"Just as I expected—the greater the storm, the greater the reward."
Facing a mid-level Menos Grande in direct combat less than half a year after entering Shin'ō Academy was undoubtedly an extraordinary "special" achievement and event. There was no reason for the Machine Soul to remain silent.
Now, the return had arrived, proving Sōma's reasoning correct.
"But that would just push me down the path of being an entertainer or a battle maniac—I'm an honest man, you know."
If the members of the Eleventh Squad heard this, they'd likely weep tears of blood from envy and resentment.
Even members of other squads would be extremely jealous upon learning of it.
After all, aside from the Fourth Squad, which was strictly forbidden from stepping onto the front lines, which Shinigami didn't tread on the edge of a blade every day, unable to avoid battle?
Sōma quickly shifted his focus to the two ultimate techniques he had just "comprehended" through effort and a flash of insight.
The Soul Society was the Eastern Branch, while the Märchen Dragon's Blood originated from the Western Branch in Europe.
What was more popular there wasn't Zanpakutō, Hand-to-Hand, Movement, or Kidō, but magic.
In essence, it was no different from Kidō—both were forms of sorcery.
At first glance, "Seven Flashs" and "Sole Flash" appeared to be sword techniques, but they were actually magic.
By compressing Kidō Reiatsu to a point invisible to the naked eye, it could be stretched and extended into threads at any moment. Combined with the motion of drawing a sword, it could be launched at supersonic speeds like cracking a whip.
There were seven of them.
In short, it was a "Kidō" that instantly slashed the enemy seven times with seven Kidō threads.
This was the "Seven Flashs" that Sōma had comprehended.
It was worth noting—
Kidō threads were pure Reiatsu products that hadn't undergone qualitative transformation into spells, making them excellent ready-made materials for spellcasting.
Sōma could even imagine a scenario.
When an enemy, aware of the technique's details, prepared to defend against it, the launched Kidō threads suddenly transformed into seven different Kidō effects, catching the enemy off guard. Alternatively, the same Kidō effects could stack together, overwhelming the enemy outright without any regard for fairness...
If a sword master found out, they'd likely exclaim, "No! This is utterly un-swordsman-like!"
As for "Sole Flash."
Machine Soul indicated it was still being learned, meaning it hadn't been fully mastered yet.
The reason was simple.
Sōma had mastered too few Kidō.
Just as Aizen, even without incantations, could only release a "Hadō" with less than a third of its full power...
The power of "Sole Flash" depended on the number and mastery of Kidō learned. Merely having strong Reiatsu wasn't enough to unleash its true potential.
It fell into the category of conceptual skills.
Both techniques were somewhat different from the versions Sōma was familiar with, but he felt this made sense. After all, the worldviews were different, and as Machine Soul had stated, these were techniques he himself had "comprehended"—it was only natural for there to be variations!
Someday, with a casual point of his finger...
While others would cast "Byakurai,"
Which was white,
His would be green.
That wouldn't be strange at all.
...
"Captain! Captain! That... this matter has nothing to do with them. They're just a few academy students—just send them away casually. We should focus on investigating that woman from the Shiba family. I think she might be involved in this! She's highly suspicious. How about I interrogate the students, and you deal with that woman?"
Suì-Fēng strode quickly down the corridor of the squad barracks, with Marechiyo trailing behind her, wearing an ingratiating smile as he cautiously yet righteously attempted to persuade her not to make a big deal out of things.
At the very least, she shouldn't take it too seriously with those kids—if she had to vent her anger, she should direct it at that wretched woman. After all, the Shiba family was famously tough; wouldn't it be a match of equals if they clashed with the Second Division?
However, Suì-Fēng's attitude remained as cold and rigid as ever.
"Let's leave Shiba Kūkaku's matter for last. These academy students are more suitable as a breakthrough point for gathering information."
"No, that's not... Captain, have I made the situation clear? What could those brats possibly know? I think we should just release them, otherwise the Shin'ō Academy will definitely cause trouble."
This only made Suì-Fēng angrier. She stopped outside the squad barracks cell where Sōma was held and glared at Marechiyo.
"To this day, we haven't found the bodies of the missing academy students. There are still many suspicious aspects, and most importantly, how could you believe the enemy's one-sided story? If their goal of devouring Zanpakutō is true, do you realize how long they've been lurking in Rukongai and how many accomplices they have?"
"Do you expect me to hastily close the case and submit a report of less than two hundred words to the Captain-Commander about a meticulously planned conspiracy by an extremely dangerous captain-level enemy targeting Seireitei?"
"Instead of wasting time here, you should immediately take people to continue the secret investigation in Junrinan, arrest all suspicious persons for interrogation, lest they escape to other areas."
When Suì-Fēng remained silent, it was fine, but once she started speaking, it was like machine gun fire, battering Marechiyo until he couldn't lift his head, eventually forcing him to flee in disarray.
"Utterly useless..."
Suì-Fēng took a deep breath and ordered the guard.
"Open the door."
"Yes, Captain!"
The guard tremblingly opened the door.
Suì-Fēng strode in with her head held high, her pure white captain's haori accentuating her petite figure with imposing dignity. Her cold, beautiful brows held a frosty aloofness that kept others at bay.
Her entire aura was like the short sword at her waist—slender yet sharp.
As for impressions, she seemed covered in invisible thorns, never showing a pleasant expression to anyone, making people unwilling to approach and afraid to get too close.
Hearing the footsteps, Sōma temporarily set aside his research on new techniques and looked up at the newcomer.
"Shirogane Sōma, first-year student of Shin'ō Academy, came to Soul Society through soul burial performed by Thirteenth Division member Kuchiki Rukia, has been here for over a month now."
Suì-Fēng gave Sōma a deep look.
"To be able to confront a Menos Grande in such a short time shows your combat skills are quite exceptional."
"You're not just a beginner with only your Reiryoku being commendable."
"Additionally, unlike that orange-haired brat who kept complaining about being wronged, you remained silent all the way back to Seireitei. You must have guessed my intentions."
"So I won't waste words. Tell me everything you know, then you can leave."
"Is that all?"
Sōma appeared puzzled.
Suì-Fēng let out a disdainful cold laugh: "Otherwise? Should I expect you to help investigate the case? Being good at combat and investigating incidents are two different things. Sometimes it may look like someone's just playing around in Rukongai, but they can identify the criminal's hideout in one trip. The methods involved are beyond what a brat still attending classes can imagine."
"Captain Suì-Fēng seems quite experienced."
Sōma showed "respectful admiration."
"Of course. Who do you think stands before you now?"
For some reason, Suì-Fēng's expression showed a hint of unease.
"The Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō, Captain of the Second Division, the foremost super elite among the Gotei 13's highest combat forces holding dual positions, the benchmark for the younger generation, the spiritual leader of female Shinigami?"
"...Understood. And you should refrain from saying such things in the future. While it's true that I am a benchmark leader, as members of the Onmitsukidō, we must always maintain a low profile."
"I've learned my lesson. With Captain Suì-Fēng's capabilities, I'm certain the culprit will have nowhere to hide. I'll now report everything I know."
Sōma's earnest expression and sincere words greatly improved Suì-Fēng's previously irritated mood, and her gaze toward him gradually cleared.