If he managed to reach the eastern island nation in the future, relying on Shambhala, he would be able to come and go freely across the entire Eastern Sea, and could even skip the whole process of taking a boat.
As for searching for the eastern island nation, what it really consumed was nothing more than time and money, and Iori happened to lack neither.
A method to travel between worlds, plus an Imperial Arm that could perform long-distance teleportation within this world, having these two tricks in hand, what the hell was there to be afraid of?
It was just that he didn't know Shambhala's teleportation principle, and he was worried that the special environment of the Soul Society might interfere with its transfer function, so for now he wouldn't bring it back to Bleach.
Once things in the Akame ga Kill world were more or less settled, he would definitely take this thing back and test whether it could be used normally in the Soul Society.
If it could be successfully activated in a spirit-particle environment, and could even move freely between the three realms… there would be huge potential.
No matter what, after making "thorough preparations," Iori took advantage of favorable winds and set sail on a fishing boat less than ten zhang long, only for its mast to be snapped by a storm just three days later.
Over the next half month, he set out to sea two more times. Each time it was either hitting reefs or natural disasters, and none of them succeeded.
Until the fourth time, which was basically the end of the monsoon season, if he missed it, he'd have to wait until next year. Facing such pressure, he still raised the sails once more, his fighting spirit undiminished.
And this time, the goddess of fate was finally moved by his persistence and cast her favor upon Iori. It was smooth sailing all the way. He quickly surpassed the limits of his previous three explorations and successfully entered unknown territory.
Sailing with the wind across the boundless ocean, during the day what met his eyes was endless blue, with schools of flying fish occasionally streaking past in the distance like silver threads.
At night, the sky full of stars and the bright moon reflected off the sea's surface… It sounded incredibly romantic, but in reality it was lonely and terrifying.
The weather at sea was even harder to figure out than a girl in love, sometimes raging winds and torrential rain, sometimes cloudless skies stretching for miles, sometimes blazing sun, sometimes bone-chilling cold.
Even worse was that there was no one to talk to, and on the vast ocean, this lone little boat was the only place to stand. One careless mistake and it would be eternal damnation.
Since Iori was a spiritual body, the effects on him weren't that great, but during this period out at sea he came to deeply understand the sailors' hardships. That old fisherman who taught him back then really had meant well.
With the help of [Shambhala], whenever Iori's spiritual pressure ran low or he felt unbearably lonely, he would return to the Soul Society, find a small shop in Rukongai, not drink alcohol, and just watch customers come and go. Simply listening to them talk brought endless joy.
The troublesome part was that when he crossed back, his position was basically the "same spot," while the boat kept moving forward. Even if he lowered the sails, the hull would still be pushed along by ocean currents.
So he couldn't go back to the Soul Society whenever he wanted. He had to precisely control his spiritual pressure consumption and wait until there was an occasional deserted island where he could dock before going back. Otherwise, he'd have to swim all the way to the far east himself…
Gradually, he actually started to get used to the loneliness. Sometimes he would fish on the deck for an entire day. Sometimes he would stare blankly at the moon for most of the night.
From the excitement and thrill of conquering the sea at the beginning, to the loneliness and boredom later on, and now to simply going with the flow, Iori unknowingly cast aside distracting thoughts. Without any prejudice, he began to appreciate the scenery at sea with a pure state of mind.
Perhaps the change in mindset also changed one's perspective. Even scenery he had long taken for granted now seemed to sparkle, and the whole world became clearer.
He suddenly felt that this boat might never reach its destination, that it would sail forever through the boundless blue… and that wasn't so bad either.
If he jumped off the deck, he could probably truly merge with this sky, this sea, this wind…
"Why would I have such a stupid thought?"
Holding his fishing rod, Iori gazed at the rippling water and said self-mockingly.
["Probably because your brain's full of water."]
"…Huh?"
Iori dug at his ear, then subconsciously looked around. Suddenly, something stirred in his heart, and his gaze fixed straight on the sea's surface.
On the endlessly undulating deep blue, the reflected figure was shattered by wind and waves, like countless fragments of mirrors swaying and shifting…
Even so, it was still clear that the figure didn't match Iori.
"Are you the one talking?" The boy was unexpectedly calm. "Either I've gone crazy, or something is finally about to begin."
["Aren't you quite clear about that? That's right, you've gone crazy."]
"After all, normal people don't talk to their own shadows. Just like the legendary Narcissus, the man who fell in love with his own reflection… Sigh, there's nothing to be done. That's the fate of a handsome guy!"
["..."]
Iori propped his cheek with one hand and held the fishing rod with the other, casually asking, "But speaking of that, what does that make you, chatting with a lunatic?"
["Me? I am you, and you are me!"]
"But you look like a pile of mosaic, not quite what I imagined, not being a beautiful girl is really a shame.
"By the way, in your eyes, what do I look like?"
["...At the very least, not as beautiful as Narcissus~"]
The reflection in the water said in a pleasant, neutral voice, ["And you don't look very smart."]
"Then I'm really sorry about that."
Iori laughed and said, "My name is Aizen Iori. And you?"
["Save that little trick. If you want to know my name, you'll have to shout it out yourself!"]
Iori wasn't surprised by the appearance of the "reflection."
With his level of spiritual pressure, he should have long since begun nurturing a Zanpakuto, or even developed a Shikai. He had only deliberately avoided the process, pushing it back until now.
But as his state of mind was gradually polished to completeness by solitude, a spiritual transformation was also about to arrive.
Even though he didn't have an asauchi in hand right now, a certain power naturally began to manifest in his heart.
This was completely different from the usual process by which a Shinigami awakened, yet for Iori it felt like everything falling perfectly into place.
Even though there was no clear path ahead, he held an inexplicable premonition… and because of that, the matter of finding a blade blank became all the more urgent.
Iori didn't lose his composure over this. He continued sailing calmly across the sea, only adding a daily meditation practice to explore his inner self, which left him slightly mentally fatigued.
After entering the deeper ocean, he would occasionally encounter dangerous aquatic species shaped like strange fish or giant serpents.
But relying on the convenience of his spiritual body, Iori wasn't particularly afraid of fighting in water. Ordinary dangerous species were all cut down by him, while some stronger individuals, after realizing there was a tough target on the boat, would retreat into the deep sea and stop trying to ambush him.
Like this, with meditation and battles against dangerous species, the days weren't all that boring anymore.
…On the forty-seventh day at sea, the boy was idly practicing basic swings on the deck when the weather darkened at an extremely fast pace. The air pressure grew heavy, and the already damp sea wind carried an indescribable chill.
Having accumulated some experience by now, Iori smelled the "scent" of a storm. If his ship were destroyed by a storm at this point, all his previous efforts would be wasted.
But he didn't panic. He simply followed the knowledge taught to him by the old sailor, lowered the main sail, and carefully controlled the rudder.
At this moment, he was like a monk who had completed ascetic meditation, his state of mind extremely calm, facing the impending natural disaster without fear.
Before long, the wind and rain arrived as expected. Yet for some reason, a strange premonition flashed through Iori's mind.
He turned his head to look slightly northeast. He didn't see anything unusual, only that the rain clouds there were particularly low, almost pressing down onto the sea's surface.
From time to time, lightning flashed between sky and sea, making it look even more dangerous and terrifying.
Suddenly, an especially dazzling bolt of lightning tore through the darkness, illuminating some vague black shapes scattered across the sea…
'Are those… living things? No, that thing on the sea's surface… is it a ship?'
'Finally, a clue!'
Without much thought, Iori, his mind free of distractions, made a decisive choice. He turned the bow toward the oncoming waves, struggling against the violent currents while using their force to approach that dangerous area.
When he got to about five hundred meters away, with the help of lightning, Iori finally saw clearly what those indistinct black shapes were.
They were no fewer than twenty three-masted sailing ships.
Their tonnage was far greater than Iori's small fishing boat, but even so, in this storm they couldn't break free from the ocean currents and could only struggle desperately.
What was strange was that in such chaotic currents, the fleet was packed far too closely together. This made collisions extremely likely… It was almost like a school of sardines huddling together out of fear of something.
But… if that was the case, then where was the predator?
Just as this thought flashed through Iori's mind, a strange vibration swept over his entire body, making him slowly and stiffly raise his head.
'Was that a cloud? A mountain?'
'No, it was a dragon!'
A massive, winding body extended out from the pitch-black clouds, swimming as if without end. Thick bolts of lightning split down from between the clouds, illuminating those blue-black scales gleaming with a metallic luster, along with mane-like strands like silver threads.
Even without seeing its full form, even just a scale or a claw was enough for anyone to immediately think of that legendary creature, a dragon.
At this moment, that powerful being found only in myths was rolling and circling within the clouds less than two hundred meters above Iori's head.
Rumble~ Rumble~
Whether it was just his imagination or not, even the deafening thunder sounded to Iori like it carried a dignified dragon's roar.
"A divine beast… no, in this world it should be called a 'super dangerous species'!"
Iori stared at the scene in shock. Only after the dragon's body completely vanished back into the clouds with a sweep of its tail did he let out a long breath.
Unmatchable power.
Just watching from afar, he could feel its astonishing vitality. Even lightning couldn't compare to it. It was impossible to imagine that this was something created by nature.
It was said that Imperial Arms used materials from super dangerous species, which was why they possessed all kinds of special abilities.
But clearly, even among super dangerous species, there were differences in strength, and the performance gap between Imperial Arms proved that.
Inferior Imperial Arms weren't much different from ordinary cold weapons, just sturdier or sharper. But excellent ones could "control the dead" or "teleport through space," and some, like Queen Esdeath's [Demon's Extract], when developed to the extreme, could control the weather and freeze time and space.
In the original story, Kurome had once controlled the corpse puppet of a super dangerous species. But Iori was certain that even if that puppet were alive and at full strength, it wouldn't be a match for this giant dragon.
If he clashed with something like this natural disaster…
Iori actually simulated it, and found that his current self had not the slightest chance of victory.
Ignoring spiritual pressure consumption, his strongest attack method was nothing more than a fully incanted Hado No. 78.
For a substitute Shinigami not even in their third year, that was already exceptional, but it probably couldn't pose a fatal threat to such a transcendent being…
If converted into Bleach terms, this thing was definitely at least Adjuchas-class… As for Vasto Lorde… with Iori's strength, it was hard to estimate.
'Damn it, how did the first emperor a thousand years ago manage to subjugate something like this? Humans in Akame ga Kill don't seem that fierce!'
'Could it be like a Souls game, endlessly feeding lives into it while rolling around and hacking at its feet…'
'Forget it, there's no point obsessing over this. Creating Imperial Arms just requires materials; it doesn't necessarily mean you have to kill them. Maybe they just picked up shed remains or something.'
Today really opened his eyes, just as Iori was thinking that, the thick clouds were pushed aside by fierce winds, and an invisible shockwave slammed into the distant fleet.
BOOM!
Ship hulls sturdy enough to resist storms became as fragile as rotten wood. The overwhelming impact instantly snapped keels, splitting entire ships in half. Then towering columns of water surged up, sweeping those tiny "black dots" into the chaotic, raging currents.
Next, Iori saw beams of fire shoot out from the remaining large ships. It looked like they had siege crossbows mounted on their hulls, and the arrows they fired were thick and long like lances, shooting toward the gaps in the clouds.
Immediately after, a long dragon's roar rang out. Spears of flame fell from the sky. But this fleet was clearly trained beforehand, round after round of fire came without pause, like a torrential downpour.
"ROAR!!!"
The furious roar churned the clouds. That towering figure appeared once more, and invisible wind blades swept out, cutting open nearly a hundred meters of sea surface and two large ships in one go.
But this also brought it closer to the sea. Instantly, bursts of fire lit up on the ships. Meteor-like projectiles were hurled into the sky, then exploded like fireworks, and strange purple flames dyed half the sky.
Roar!!
This time, the roar seemed to carry not just anger, but also a hint of pain.
"These people… are they hunting this dragon?" Iori was stunned, not by their courage, but by confusion over why they would do such a thing.
'To collect Imperial Arm materials? But if your tech level is already enough to slay dragons, why would you even care about Imperial Arms?!'
In the next moment, the dragon fully emerged from the clouds. Its true form was majestic and awe-inspiring. Its mane and long whiskers drifted in the wind, adding a touch of sacredness.
It was at least three to four hundred meters long by estimation, with part of its winding body still hidden in clouds and mist, hard to discern.
The only small flaw was that its body was covered in crisscrossing, ferocious scars. In many places, scales could no longer grow back, turning what should have been an incomparably beautiful body into something eerie and menacing.
However, Iori keenly noticed that these scars weren't left in the recent battle. Many were clearly old wounds accumulated over years, perhaps even wounds that had been destroyed and healed again and again, forming irregular scars…
It was hard to imagine how many battles such a powerful creature had gone through to bear so many scars.
And to Iori's astonishment, that swimming dragon with blue-black scales and a silver-white mane actually lowered its altitude on its own, sinking its body into the water. Using sheer physical force, it easily destroyed a warship.
"Why would it give up its own advantage?" Iori frowned deeply.
He didn't believe the earlier arrow barrages and stone throws could really bring the dragon down. This wasn't a game, you don't just force flying units onto the ground and chip them to death.
After the dragon entered the water, small boats were launched from the warships, surrounding it from all directions. When black dots leapt into the air and climbed onto the dragon's body, Iori finally realized that the human side was actually going for close combat.
The battle was extremely fierce… or rather, one-sidedly fierce.
Even from afar, Iori could tell that those who dared to challenge the dragon by small boat were all highly skilled warriors.
They specifically attacked the scarred areas, avoided the hard dragon scales, and successfully carved fresh, blood-gushing wounds into the super dangerous species.
What was unbelievable was that although the dragon clearly had ranged attack methods, at this moment it seemed to have lost its mind, fighting like a pure beast.
It kept using claws, fangs, and its tail to destroy warships. Though still highly effective, it inevitably became the focus of concentrated fire, taking many extra hits for nothing.
Even stranger, it didn't seem to actively "remove" the human swordsmen on its body. It killed quite a few while thrashing about, yet there were always some who managed to remain on it and continue causing damage…
Like this, the human side's courageous battle continued to the very end, until finally, not a single warship remained.
Even though they were well-armed and had prepared many targeted tactics, and even though the dragon fought irrationally, exposing its weaknesses, the gap in raw power was still impossible to overcome.
In the end, the dragon was covered in wounds, its majestic body stained with blood, yet it still held firm on the sea's surface. The human side's warships were completely gone, leaving only a few small boats behind.
"…Roar!"
After glancing over the wrecked sea, sorrow appeared in the dragon's eyes. It let out another long roar and took to the sky once more. Thousands of tons of blood-red seawater rained down like a waterfall of blood.
At this time, the storm had already stopped, though dark clouds still gathered in the sky. From afar, Iori watched the dragon enter the clouds and disappear. The dragon's roar gradually faded, and he let out a long breath of hot air, his mind suddenly relaxing.
After thinking for a moment, he steered his small boat toward the battlefield. With so many people, there should at least be some survivors. If he could save one or two, he might be able to learn the exact location of the eastern island nation.
[T/N: I hope you all are enjoying and if you are, please do give some reviews, be it bad or good, and keep commenting in the chapters to let me know that there are actually people reading it. It makes my day and I really read every single comment that comes on every one of the books. Have a nice day, y'all~]