Anyone could make grand promises.
Myōki had no interest whatsoever in Muramasa's offer.
"Huh?" Kazeshini looked confused. "Aren't you Myōki?"
"Will you shut up already?!" Haineko glared at Kazeshini.
They were both Zanpakutō Spirits, so how could there be such a huge difference in intelligence~?
Muramasa ignored the words on the light screen and looked at the other Zanpakutō. "Do all of you feel the same way?"
"Things aren't looking good for us right now," Hollowfied Sakanade said. "If you have a way to help, then you should use it."
"We're companions now, after all." Katen's purple lips curved into a bewitching smile. "Keeping secrets from each other wouldn't be very nice~"
"If there's something fun..." the twin boys of Sōgyo no Kotowari chimed in one after another. "Then everyone should share!"
"...Fine." Muramasa let out a long sigh. "Increase their power, Aura Michibane."
"No problem." A seductive chuckle echoed through the air. "Here comes your power~"
Tiny points of light appeared in the air and began gathering frantically around the Zanpakutō.
The various Zanpakutō raised their hands with differing expressions as their Reiatsu surged.
Bokukō jolted awake. As the points of light poured into him, his body rapidly expanded from the size of a cat to the size of a tiger. His shark-like features remained, making his appearance even more ferocious.
Myōki quickly analyzed the exact mechanism behind the increase in power.
Compared to normal souls, the spiritual bodies formed when Zanpakutō materialized were incomplete.
Yet somehow, this woman called Aura Michibane was using the Reishi in the atmosphere to fill in the missing portions of their materialized bodies.
The degree of Reishi control required was almost terrifying.
It was comparable to scooping up a handful of dirt, molding it into a heart, and then using that heart in a transplant.
And after the operation, not only would the patient survive, they would be up and running around, healthier than before.
Aura Michibane was performing eleven such operations at the same time.
With the assistance of Myōki's Soul Essence Stealing, Bokukō absorbed a massive amount of Reishi, and his increase in power far exceeded that of the other Zanpakutō.
But one Zanpakutō gained even more power than he did.
Haineko.
In a single instant, Haineko's Reiatsu soared to a terrifying level, suppressing the Reiatsu of every Zanpakutō around her. Ash drifted around her body as a second tail gradually took shape.
"Huh?" Haineko manipulated the ash around her. "This power..."
She had expected such a sudden increase in strength to be difficult to control.
But after trying it out, she found it extraordinarily natural.
It felt as though this power had belonged to her all along.
There was one other unusual case.
Katen.
The points of light approached Katen's body, only to be repelled.
"Oh?" Aura Michibane's voice sounded through the air. "Now this is interesting~ I can't increase Katen Kyōkotsu's power."
"I feel a little left out..." Katen Kyōkotsu remained perfectly composed. "Since my power hasn't increased, I'll have to rely on all of you to work a little harder from now on."
"I've already given you what you wanted." Muramasa's eyes glowed red within their sunken sockets. "You can start moving now, can't you? As long as you keep the Shinigami occupied for a while, I can find my original master. Once I do, I'll be able to grant all of you even greater power."
"Even if you hadn't said anything, I was already planning to test this new strength!" Kazeshini swung his kama. "Now I can finally kill to my heart's content!"
"With this kind of power..." Hōzukimaru clenched his fist with a thud. "Maybe I can actually do it!"
The feathers covering Fuji Kujaku shimmered with brilliant iridescent colors. "Let's see if he still dares to call me by that name now..."
"This is fun!" Sōgyo no Kotowari bounced excitedly as the origami held between the twins' hands rapidly changed into different shapes. "So much fun!"
Suzumebachi had practically become a streak of light, moving so quickly that the eye could no longer follow her.
"I never thought it could go this far." Hollowfied Sakanade's voice twisted strangely in reverse. "!evisserpmi yllaeR"
Hollowfied Kinshara's long whip trembled, producing layer after layer of music like an entire symphony.
Gales howled around Hollowfied Tachikaze before finally subsiding after a long while.
[You seem to have misunderstood]
[Increasing our strength is a necessary condition]
[not a sufficient one]
[What do you need this time for]
[Until I get an answer]
[I won't take any action]
Blood seeped from Muramasa's eyes.
"You...!"
"Sure~" Aura Michibane's voice rang out. "That just consumed far too much of my power. I happen to need Bokukō and Myōki's help now."
Muramasa took a deep breath and wiped away the blood at the corner of his eye.
"The others will hold off the Shinigami. Myōki... come with me. I'll tell you what I'm doing."
Bokukō followed Muramasa away from the excited Zanpakutō and into a hidden cave.
Deep within the cave stood a translucent green barrier shaped like a pentagonal pyramid.
Inside it, an elderly man sat cross-legged with a Zanpakutō held in his arms.
It was none other than the long-missing Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
"This is... what I've been doing." Muramasa stared at Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto inside the barrier. "After sensing my power, he sealed himself inside this, preventing me from materializing Ryūjin Jakka. Aura Michibane can break the barrier, but it takes time."
A faint, transparent figure appeared before gradually becoming solid.
A seductive smile spread across Aura Michibane's beautiful face.
"But with the corrosive power of Bokukō's Spirit Ink and the absorption of Myōki's Soul Essence Stealing, the time required will be greatly reduced~"
Bokukō tilted his head, his large eyes reflecting Aura Michibane's black outfit.
Those were clearly clothes from the World of the Living. She looked almost like the female president of some major corporation.
[You're from the World of the Living]
"If you have time to speculate about that..." Aura Michibane raised a hand, and thin wisps of spiritual energy began seeping from the barrier. "Then you'd be better off using it to break the barrier faster."
Muramasa's gaze turned cold. "Or you could try fighting us right here. With your strength, I'm sure even the aftermath would be enough to destroy this barrier."
Inside the barrier, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto opened his eyes.
The flames surging within erupted through the barrier and swept toward Bokukō.
"Meow!"
Bokukō roared and released Spirit Ink to meet the flames.
Black mist spread outward and began corroding the barrier.
[This plan is good]
[I approve]
The light screen refreshed, then raised an important question.
[But can you control a materialized Ryūjin Jakka]
"You don't need to worry about that." Muramasa stared at the barrier, which was now weakening at a far faster rate, his eyes flickering. "I have my ways."
As the barrier weakened, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's Reiatsu, which had been concealed until now, gradually began leaking out.
...
At the 12th Division headquarters, alarms blared throughout the Research and Development Institute.
After several researchers confirmed the readings, one crucial piece of information was immediately relayed to every Captain.
The Captain-Commander's location had been pinpointed!
***
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