What does it feel like to enter the world of a Zanpakuto—?
Suō Tsukasa finally experienced it.
It wasn't the violent tugging sensation one felt when passing through the Dangai; rather, it felt as if the soul was being gently peeled away from its physical shell and cast into an unknown realm.
Falling, constantly falling.
There was no sense of landing on solid ground.
When he opened his eyes again, Suō Tsukasa was already standing at the core of another world.
The inner world.
The sky flowed with an eternal twilight, like serene ink-colored silk slowly unfurling.
There was no sound of wind, no sound of water—only a profound silence.
The sole light source came from the distance ahead of Suō Tsukasa, where a slender dragon's body wound like a mountain ridge. Each scale was like a bronze mirror, reflecting this lonely world.
Most striking was the majestic dragon's head and a pair of tightly shut, massive eyes.
Just as Suō Tsukasa was focusing his attention on it, a low call came from ahead, majestic yet blended with a familiarity that originated from the very soul.
"Tsukasa, why are you spacing out?"
"I'm coming."
Suō Tsukasa raised his hand and responded loudly, running toward the figure with anticipation and joy.
His white robes fluttered, each step sending ripples across this pitch-black world.
As he drew closer, the scales on the dragon's body began to reflect his blurry figure.
Suō Tsukasa stopped directly in front of the giant dragon.
The long-standing call had finally received a response; this was an incredibly rare opportunity.
Thus, he had been observing and thinking, not daring to speak rashly.
After all, the personalities of Zanpakuto were far too unpredictable.
Whether he could successfully achieve Shikai this time remained an unknown.
If he failed this time, he didn't know how many years it would be before he could step into this inner world again.
As if sensing the trepidation in Suō Tsukasa's heart, the low voice spoke once more.
"There is no need for tension. Let us sit and talk."
"Before I tell you my name and the release command, we still have plenty of time."
The dragon's voice carried a reassuring stability.
"That's good then."
The heart that had been hanging in suspense finally settled. Suō Tsukasa's body relaxed upon hearing those words, and he sat down cross-legged without ceremony.
At the same time, the winding dragon's body slowly glided through the air, encircling him. The radiance flowing over the scales enveloped his figure tenderly.
The dragon's head lowered gracefully, coming to a quiet halt directly in front of Suō Tsukasa.
Is this my Zanpakuto—?
The divine visage of the dragon manifested before him deeply captivated Suō Tsukasa's gaze.
Suō Tsukasa suppressed the surging anticipation in his heart. Since his Zanpakuto said they had plenty of time, he would take this chance to satisfy the doubts in his mind.
Like a casual chat with a friend, Suō Tsukasa spoke directly with a relieved smile on his face.
"I thought you didn't want to talk to me. I've been wondering when I would ever be able to achieve Shikai. It seems I misunderstood."
He could clearly feel the undisguised closeness in the dragon's words.
"I am you, and you are me. What you desire is what I desire."
"I sent you transmissions twice. Once, your spiritual pressure was insufficient for me to convey enough information. The other time—you missed it yourself."
"The first time should have been when I woke up. When was the second time?"
Suō Tsukasa was slightly stunned, then asked curiously.
The spiritual hunger on the first day was likely the side effect of the Zanpakuto awakening. As for the second time, he truly had no recollection.
"The night you received Oboroya from Matsuzaki Yoshito and were on your way back."
"Your thoughts have been stiffened by the information of this world."
"Before the birth of the Soul King, everything in the world was composed of Reishi. Aside from the Kishi born in the Living World today, the most basic element of the Soul Society is still Reishi."
"Asauchi and Oboroya are both essentially Reishi. If an Asauchi can serve as a vessel for a Zanpakuto, why can't Oboroya?"
"The manifestation of the soul merely requires a medium that symbolizes the spiritual body. The symbol of a Shinigami is the Zanpakuto. An Asauchi is a steel sword, and Oboroya is a wooden sword; the difference lies only in the density of the Reishi."
At this point, the dragon's low voice paused, seemingly giving him time to digest the information.
"Initially, Oboroya was more suitable than a standard Asauchi as a bridge to communicate with me. It even saved you the process of injecting your own self to wash away the imprints."
"However, as of tonight, there is no longer much difference between the two."
The dragon's closed eyelids quivered, as if somewhat helpless, as it explained in detail.
"Injecting the self, washing away the imprints."
Suō Tsukasa whispered those eight words, touching upon a truth he had long ignored.
In his memories and knowledge, since the founding of the Soul Society, there had never been a precedent of a Shinigami awakening a Zanpakuto without using an Asauchi forged by Nimaiya Oetsu of the Zero Division, known as the "God of the Sword."
He had naturally assumed he would be no exception, never thinking more deeply about the reason he had failed to communicate with his Zanpakuto.
All Asauchi for Shinigami originated from that God of the Sword in the Soul King Palace. They were forged by his female personal guard—spiritual bodies that were both the manifestations of Zanpakuto and living tools used as blacksmiths.
Hiuchigashima Mera is "Fire," Tonokawa Tokie is the "Whetstone," Nomino Nozomi is the "Chisel," Tsushima Tsumiko is the "Hammer," and Hashihara Hasuka is the "Tongs."
During the process of forging an Asauchi, these multiple spiritual bodies inevitably left traces of their own spiritual pressure.
"So that's how it is—."
Suō Tsukasa looked up at the giant dragon.
"The so-called Shikai training is essentially using my spiritual pressure to wash away the imprints left by those tools."
The dragon's head nodded slightly, its tone carrying a hint of regret.
"Correct. Oboroya was a blank sheet of paper from the start, making it naturally easier to carry your imprint."
"But later, when you held the wooden sword, your heart was occupied by training and other thoughts."
"Except for that one night, I never had another opportunity to transmit information to you through Oboroya."
"So the feeling that night wasn't an illusion. The path was always beneath my feet; I was the one who took the long way around."
These words were like spring water dripping into a calm lake. Suō Tsukasa shook his head with a self-mocking smile.
He remembered holding Oboroya for morning drills, holding Oboroya for sparring, and holding Oboroya for maintenance.
Then he remembered the subtle throb at his fingertips during that moonlit journey home—a sensation he had dismissed as a mere illusion brought about by his own joyful mood.
"Growth is inherently about finding the way forward through the mist."
"Illuminate the Ten Thousand Realms—Hikari'. This is the release of our power."
The dragon's voice grew increasingly gentle. Its eyes opened a sliver, and its massive body began to emit fine particles of light.
Those particles flowed along the gaps in the dragon scales, gathering in the air into a brilliant, straight ribbon of light that fell before Suō Tsukasa.
"Illuminate the Ten Thousand Realms, Hikari'!"
Suō Tsukasa stood up and unhesitatingly grasped the end of the light ribbon, chanting the Shikai command in a clear voice.
In the quiet, dim inner world, a long-dormant light ignited.
The ribbon of light shattered at the command, and the form of the Zanpakuto manifested clearly and completely before his eyes.
The design was slightly different from a standard Asauchi; the slender blade was perfectly tailored to his build and reach.
The hilt was wrapped in ink-colored cord, and the tsuba was a hollowed-out pattern of a clawless dragon, almost identical to the silhouette of the dragon standing before Suō Tsukasa.
A warm power surged from the hilt, resonating with his own spiritual pressure.
Before Suō Tsukasa could carefully examine this newborn power, the scene before him began to fluctuate, and the inner world vanished rapidly like a receding tide.