A Shinigami's growth is not always a slow, steady progression. There are several special turning points, and once crossed, their power undergoes a qualitative change. Katori Sora had just crossed one of those points: his inner world had taken form, he had met his Zanpakutō, and he had even learned its true name.
As a result, his Spiritual Pressure had surged once again. He looked at his panel. His Spiritual Pressure had increased from level 63 to 75! A 6th-grade Spiritual Power! This meant his Spiritual Pressure had now reached the level of a seated officer. In the context of the entire Gotei 13, a seated officer was already a figure of some note. If he were to leave the academy and take a position in Squad 8, with his level of Spiritual Pressure and swordsmanship, he could definitely secure a high-ranking seat.
He glanced at the experience needed to level up his Spiritual Pressure and felt his scalp tingle. It now required 30,000 experience points for a single level. Since the required experience for subsequent upgrades was so high, he decided to work on his other shortcomings first.
"Your Spiritual Pressure seems to have grown much stronger. Could it be..." Batsunsai said, looking at Sora's Zanpakutō with a speculative gaze.
"You guessed right. I met my Zanpakutō in my inner world, and..." Sora drew his blade, his left hand gently stroking its body. "Gaze upon all creation, Kagehime."
The shape of the Zanpakutō didn't change, but its blade was instantly dyed black, becoming a completely jet-black sword.
"You can already use Shikai?" Batsunsai said, overjoyed.
"Although I'm not very proficient yet, I can manage it..." Sora nodded. "My Zanpakutō's ability is related to shadows." The Shikai had brought him some new abilities, but he still needed to develop it further to use it to its full potential.
"Quick, try out your sword's ability!" Batsunsai seemed even more excited than Sora. She felt a fluctuation of Spiritual Pressure beside her and turned to look. On the doorframe next to her ear, a sword-shaped shadow had appeared, and it was extending from Sora's own shadow at his feet.
Sora's blade hadn't moved, but a new gash had appeared on the doorframe.
"I can control shadows," Sora said.
"Your shadow can actually cause physical damage," Batsunsai said, surprised. "That will make your attacks very difficult to predict." She touched the shadow but felt only the doorframe, yet the gash was real.
"The shadow needs to be solidified to attack. I just solidified it for a moment and cut the doorframe. But I'm not skilled with it yet; you probably sensed the Spiritual Pressure. I think with more practice, I can reduce the reaction and make the moves more stealthy," Sora explained. Moreover, the shape of the shadow could be changed! This meant he could extend it to attack enemies beyond his sword's normal range. He could also feel that he could control not just his own shadow, but others' as well, though that would likely require a deeper mastery of his Shikai.
"With an ability like that, it's a real waste you're not in Squad 2," Batsunsai marveled. She thought his Zanpakutō's ability was a perfect fit for the Stealth Force. Sora thought so too. In his inner world, Kagehime had shown him the ability to move through shadows, a perfect skill for assassination.
"However, this isn't a natural dual-blade Zanpakutō," Batsunsai said, stroking her chin. "It seems that sword you brought from the Rukongai has some secrets." Sora had wanted to pretend he had a natural dual-blade type, but now it was obvious one was released and the other was not. Besides, the shapes of the two swords' tsuba were different. Batsunsai could tell at a glance that the released Zanpakutō was not his original one.
However, she didn't press him on where he had gotten the other Asauchi. She continued, "I examined that sword before. It's definitely not the work of an ordinary swordsmith. I always thought it was just an Asauchi. Now, it seems it's not an ordinary Asauchi either. Otherwise, you should have been able to enter a deep state of Blade Meditation meditation long ago."
"I think that sword might be a Divine Weapon. They are rare, but I have seen a few. For example, the Shihōin family, known as the 'Heavenly-Armed Divine Guards,' has many heirloom weapons, some of which are swords. Or the Tsunayashiro family's divine sword, the 'Enrakyōten.' Oh, and there's the Ise family's 'Hakkyōken'... you've probably heard of that one."
Sora nodded. He certainly knew of the Hakkyōken. While the divine weapons of the Shihōin and Tsunayashiro were little-known, the Ise family's was famous, or rather, infamous. Some Shinigami even privately called it the "Husband-Killing Sword," as men who married into the Ise family tended to die young for various reasons.
Sora remembered what Kagehime had said in his inner world—that he would need at least lieutenant-level Spiritual Pressure to wield the other sword. He now suspected that blade was a legendary "Divine Weapon." And based on his conversation with Kagehime, he could guess that she had already met the consciousness of that blade. Divine Weapons, like Zanpakutō, possessed their own will.
He could faintly feel that through years of carrying it and meditating with it, he had formed some connection with the blade. He guessed that its consciousness was also in his inner world. This would also explain why he could never enter his inner world when he meditated with that sword. It wasn't an ordinary Asauchi at all!
That blade had cost him a lot of time. If he had used a normal Asauchi, he might have met Kagehime long ago, and his Spiritual Pressure wouldn't have stagnated at the level of a low-ranking squad member. However, Divine Weapons usually had very powerful abilities. Trading ten years of meditation for a Divine Weapon was probably worth it.
"Although I don't know how this Divine Weapon fell into your hands, it would be a waste not to take what heaven has given you. You must treat it with caution. If anything seems wrong, you must tell me immediately. Divine Weapons can grant their wielders great power, but many of them carry curses. If you are not careful, the consequences can be severe!" Batsunsai's serious tone was filled with concern.
"I will be careful," Sora said, his heart warming at her care.
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