The Holy Sword of Physics / The Wrong Shikai

In just a moment, the Asauchi changed shape, transforming into an ancient-looking Zanpakuto.

"He did it, Brother Misao! He did it!" Renji Abarai and Izuru Kira shouted excitedly in unison.

"As I thought, with your talent, Misao, you only needed to understand what to do before you could learn it quickly. And..."

Aizen's eyes flickered slightly as he reached out to stop Renji Abarai and Izuru Kira from stepping forward.

"Misao may very well learn Shikai straight away."

"What?" Renji Abarai and the other two froze.

Boom.

A torrent of Reiatsu burst from Tokoyo Misao, filling the classroom in an instant.

His Rei'i Grade rose to ninth class at that very moment.

He opened his eyes, looked at the Zanpakuto in his hand, and smiled.

Aizen immediately said, "Misao, could you show everyone your Shikai?"

He was quite certain that Tokoyo Misao had learned his Zanpakuto's name the moment he had cultivated it.

After all, the same had been true for Aizen himself back then.

"Brother Misao, let us see your Shikai!" Izuru Kira shouted excitedly.

"Did he really learn Shikai straight away?" Renji Abarai murmured.

Tokoyo Misao stood up, gripped his Zanpakuto in his right hand with a reverse grip, and chanted softly:

"Pull out the Wedge of the Firmament, blind fool."

"Regard it as the key that knocks open the gate of truth—"

"World-Crossing Principle."

Everyone present, including Aizen, widened their eyes and looked at the Zanpakuto in Tokoyo Misao's hand.

Chapter 46: The Holy Sword of Physics

The classroom fell utterly silent.

Realizing that his expression had slipped, Aizen lowered his head slightly and composed himself again.

He could hardly be blamed. What Tokoyo Misao's Shikai had produced was simply too strange.

"Brother Misao, have you finished releasing your Shikai?" Izuru Kira murmured.

His eyes were fixed on the strange thing in front of him, his head full of questions.

"Misao, you're not really going to tell us this thing is your Zanpakuto, are you? Why does it look like a fire poker?" Momo Hinamori asked as well.

Izuru Kira immediately turned and hurriedly signaled for Momo Hinamori to stop.

Though it did look like a fire poker, this was Brother Misao's Zanpakuto in Shikai!

The three of them had seen Captain Aizen's Zanpakuto in Shikai at the start of the school year.

The sight of those raging torrents was still etched deeply in their minds.

Yet though this was also a Shikai, the thing in Tokoyo Misao's hand was far too ordinary.

"Momo, don't talk nonsense. How could it be a fire poker? Brother Misao, what is that thing?"

Though Renji Abarai was just as puzzled, he still believed it had to be extraordinary, certainly not as ordinary as it looked.

Aizen raised his head as well and looked over with a smile.

Tokoyo Misao stared at the form his Zanpakuto had taken in Shikai, a smile curling his lips. Then he looked up at everyone and replied:

"That's right. This is the form my Zanpakuto, World-Crossing Principle, takes."

"In this form, it actually has another name."

"What name?" Renji Abarai asked loudly at once.

Just as he thought, he had known this ordinary-looking thing couldn't be simple.

Tokoyo Misao held out his right hand, displaying it for everyone to examine, and said softly, "The Holy Sword of Physics."

That was right. His Zanpakuto had turned into a 1.6-meter-long crowbar.

But crowbars did not exist in Soul Society. For souls with Spiritual Power and Soul Reapers, much of the work that required strength simply did not call for one.

So when they saw this crowbar, with its straight, round outline, its straight shaft and smooth, edgeless surface, like an iron rod,

and its wedge-shaped point and claw hook at opposite ends, the only thing it brought to mind was a fire poker.

"Holy Sword of... Physics?" Renji Abarai murmured.

Though he didn't know what physics was, the words "holy sword" alone conveyed an immense sense of grandeur.

"It must be an incredible weapon!" he said excitedly.

"R-really? But no matter how I look at it, it looks just like the fire poker I used to see at Grandma's house," Momo Hinamori said hesitantly.

To her eyes, the crowbar's pitch-black cylindrical shaft looked exactly like the fire poker at her grandmother's house when she lived in Rukongai.

"Brother Misao, what type of Zanpakuto is yours?" Izuru Kira quickly cut in to ask.

"I suppose mine would be a slashing type, with enhanced attack. The Holy Sword of Physics is extremely hard and tough. Ordinary Zanpakuto can't compare."

As he spoke, Tokoyo Misao gripped it by the claw and casually spun it several times, producing a series of whooshes.

Aizen kept smiling as he looked at the crowbar, though a trace of doubt crossed his mind.

A Zanpakuto was cultivated by a Soul Reaper infusing an Asauchi with their soul, so it could be regarded as an extension of the Soul Reaper.

The abilities of the vast majority of Zanpakuto were closely related to the Soul Reapers themselves.

Judging by what Tokoyo Misao had shown, his Zanpakuto should have been a Kidō-type, not a slashing type.

The lenses resting on his nose reflected the light of the setting sun, completely hiding his eyes, and he said gently:

"Misao, why don't you spar with Renji Abarai at the training ground? You can also take the opportunity to get used to your released Zanpakuto..."

Aizen paused for a moment, then continued, "The Holy Sword of Physics."

"I'm fine with that. What about you, Brother Misao?" Renji Abarai was so excited that he agreed at once.

Tokoyo Misao smiled and nodded as well, then turned and walked toward the training ground outside.

In the middle of the training ground, Tokoyo Misao and Renji Abarai faced each other from three meters apart.

"Don't worry, I'll suppress my Rei'i Grade to tenth class," Tokoyo Misao said with a smile.

Renji Abarai was the first person in the group to break through to Tenth-Class Rei'i. He had talent in that area.

Momo Hinamori and Izuru Kira had yet to break through.

Tokoyo Misao had originally maintained Eleventh-Class Rei'i over the past half month.

But when he released his Shikai just now, he had been forced to raise his Rei'i to ninth class for certain reasons.

Fortunately, he had eaten and drunk well during his time in the Fourth Division, storing enough Reishi in his body to make such a breakthrough.

"Here I come, Brother Misao," Renji Abarai said, slowly stepping forward to close in on Tokoyo Misao.

Unlike before, he didn't charge in yelling with his sword raised in both hands.

He looked at Tokoyo Misao, who was holding the crowbar by its claw with the shaft against his forearm, and could roughly see how the weapon was meant to be used.

Back in the classroom, Tokoyo Misao had said that the Holy Sword of Physics was extremely hard and tough. If he met it head-on with a slash from his Zanpakuto, things probably wouldn't end well for him.

As Renji Abarai moved slowly forward, he had already worked out a plan of attack.

He gradually stepped to his left, toward the side where Tokoyo Misao's hand was empty.

When the distance between them closed to two meters, he suddenly roared, "Ha!" He stepped forward with his left foot, gripped his Zanpakuto tightly in both hands, and slashed down.

The instant he shouted, Tokoyo Misao lifted his right hand slightly, and the shaft of the crowbar against his forearm instantly became a spear.

The other end of the crowbar was a wedge-shaped point, its sharp edge no worse than that of a Zanpakuto, gleaming coldly.

Misao stood where he was and thrust the crowbar forward.

"What?" Renji Abarai's eyes widened. Fortunately, he had held something back rather than putting all his strength into the attack. He immediately forced himself to stop and abruptly arched his body.

The coldly gleaming point of the crowbar was only a few centimeters from his stomach.

Gulp. He couldn't help swallowing.

If he had continued his attack just now, that thing would have pierced his stomach and seriously injured him before his slash could land.

While he was still feeling relieved, he noticed a dark shadow approaching.

Still gripping the claw end, Tokoyo Misao closed in quickly, using the crowbar like a tonfa to smash Renji Abarai on the shoulder.

Then he loosened his grip, slid his hand back, and grasped the crowbar above its wedge-shaped point. Leaning back, he used the claw to catch the hilt of Renji Abarai's Zanpakuto and yanked hard.

The Zanpakuto flew out of Renji's hands, spun several times through the air, and fell to the ground.

"Huh?" Renji stared blankly down at his empty hands, then looked up at his Zanpakuto lying on the ground some distance away.

Tokoyo Misao smiled and spun the crowbar in his hand.

He demonstrated its uses, turning it into a tonfa one moment and wielding it as a spear or short staff the next, as he said:

"Well? The Holy Sword of Physics can be used in all kinds of ways, making it impossible to guard against. It suits me very well."

Clap, clap, clap.

Applause rang out, and Aizen spoke in admiration:

"Its form is versatile, and it can attack as you please. It certainly deserves the name Holy Sword of Physics. Quite impressive."

"Brother Misao, you're amazing!" Izuru Kira immediately ran over.

He stared at the crowbar and exclaimed, "Although it looks a little simple, it can be used in so many ways. Only Brother Tokoyo Misao has the ability to wield it so freely and skillfully."

"It does take a lot of practice."

Tokoyo Misao nodded, and the crowbar changed back into a Zanpakuto in his hand.

He slipped it back into place at his waist and said to Aizen, "Thank you for your guidance, Captain Aizen."

"You're welcome, Misao."

Chapter 47: The Wrong Shikai

"All right, that concludes the special make-up instruction."

Aizen raised his hands and clapped them, drawing everyone's attention.

He looked at Momo Hinamori and said gently:

"There's no need to look so lonely. I'll still come to teach calligraphy, just not as often as I have these past few days. After all, there are still many things in the division that need my attention."

Hearing this, Momo Hinamori smiled happily again.

Aizen turned back to Tokoyo Misao. "Misao, you've reached Ninth-Class Rei'i and learned your Zanpakuto's Shikai.

Your Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Kidō, and Shunpo have all surpassed the academy instructors' level. Would you like to apply for early graduation?

The graduation examination is in a week, so if you apply now, you can take it alongside Shūhei Hisagi and the others."

"Early graduation? But Brother Misao has only been at the academy for half a year. Can he apply?" Izuru Kira's voice trembled slightly.

"If Brother Misao succeeds in applying for graduation, he'll break the academy's record for fastest graduation."

"Captain Gin Ichimaru, who was called the greatest genius Soul Society had seen in centuries, also took a year to graduate."

He ran excitedly to Tokoyo Misao's side and stopped, clenching both fists.

"Surpass the captain?" Renji Abarai murmured in a very quiet voice, then looked up at Tokoyo Misao.

"Brother Misao, are you going to apply for graduation?"

"You two, don't get so excited. The reason Captain Gin Ichimaru took a year back then was that he wanted to become a high-ranking Seated Officer immediately after graduating, and then become a lieutenant.