Chapter 133
He asked himself the question in his heart.
Joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.
In the years he'd spent in Soul Society, he'd experienced all sorts of emotions, but never sorrow—
When he was still a gangster in Rukongai, he didn't care about his injuries. After entering the Shin'ō Academy and becoming Soul Reaper candidate, he even became less concerned about life and death.
Even after his adoptive grandmother passed away, Haruto only felt a little lonely... a sense of bewilderment at the changes in his life.
"I see..."
Until this moment.
When Ms. Mutsuki collapsed before my eyes.
Haruto finally understood why he couldn't unleash his Zanpakuto: he had always considered himself an observer of this world.
He and his other self were always two different souls; they were simply forced to share the same "body."
If Haruto wants to unleash his Zanpakuto, he must truly become a part of this place.
That sword wielding the Kidō blade may have absorbed more than just memories from the world; it may have absorbed the emotions of two souls from different lifetimes.
After he understood what sorrow was, after he clearly understood what responsibility was, after he fully integrated into this world—
Reality.
Real name.
The joy of being born, the sorrow of dying.
My joy, and my sorrow.
"Isane."
Haruto opened his eyes.
"... A-Qing?"
That was a tone of voice that Isane rarely heard before—
It felt somewhat unfamiliar, yet strangely reassuring.
"Rest assured."
A steady hand stroked the girl's shoulder.
Isane raised her head.
The first time she saw Haruto's Eye Opening:
Surprised? Delighted?
No...
That was a captivating and alluring indulgence.
When black and white intertwine and blend, a deep and clear brown is naturally born.
And when those simple, unadorned brown eyes lit up and began to flow with azure rings and mist—
"Bite."
Haruto gripped the hilt of the Asauchi sword.
The Zanpakuto, which had served as a walking stick for so long, finally left the murky and filthy ground, and the entire blade began to tremble uncontrollably.
"I can handle it."
The knife yearns, the knife calls.
"Bite!"
The knife is taking on the form of its wielder's soul!
A pitch-black and obscure sheath.
A blade that gleams like snow-silver.
The rope binding the hilt of the sword was imbued with a flawless "blue" by Reiatsu.
Experience.
Emotion.
The sword poured all its desires into a cry for its true name to be called, pouring out its heart to Haruto's soul!
"Bite!!"
From the moment they responded to each other's desires, their two souls were finally no longer separated.
"Buzz."
The surging Reiatsu illuminated the sky like countless kindling burning in a bonfire.
Fifth-Class Reii!
Haruto easily broke through the limits that had been locked down for half a year.
However...
Rei'i Grade only represents the concentration of Reiatsu.
In everyone's mind, Fifth-Class Reii should not possess such a tyrannical level—the bonfire formed from Reiatsu was completely transformed into a towering pillar of fire as Haruto's control over his own power deepened.
The area illuminated by that light was even more exaggerated than that of Adjuchas!
"Hello."
Haruto raised his Zanpakuto.
"Your Cero..."
The thumb flicked away the inch-long blade.
This moment.
All the released Reiatsu was completely contained.
No longer could one sense even the slightest trace of Soul Reaper emanating from Haruto, who was wielding a knife.
No...
Not just Soul Reaper, but humans and Hollows alike— Haruto stood there, as silent as a boulder in a lake.
Without looking, it's even difficult to discern what it is.
"You won't let me go?"
"!?"
Haruto's calm tone made Adjuchas feel an inexplicable pressure: that contempt and arrogance were no different from when it hunted ordinary Hollows... The only difference was that Adjuchas didn't bother to talk to its prey at all.
"Soul Reaper..."
The red in Adjuchas's mouth began to lose its purity.
The darkness that merged into it came from its innate spatial abilities—the earth and air trembled incessantly because of this special Cero.
You're courting death!
"Zheng."
The Zanpakuto's blade was fully drawn.
"... Is that so?"
The pure, flawless metal, inside and out, was quietly tinged with a clear blue hue.
"Since you're going to wait a little longer, don't blame me for making the first move."
In an instant.
"Splash."
Streams and great rivers, lakes and seas.
The world seemed to drown in that moment.
All the blue on the thin blade's surface transformed into a thin line attached to the edge of the blade—
"Sound Forth your music, Seisen!"
――――
Volume 1: Chapter 82, Sound Forth, Seisen!
"That is..."
"A-Qing's Shikai?"
Isane stared blankly at the tall figure in front of her.
Haruto's Zanpakuto after his release only had a barely perceptible bluish tinge on the blade.
Generally speaking
The less Zanpakuto changes after being released, the easier it is to master, but the fewer changes it undergoes in terms of abilities.
Isane, Ayaka and Kiyone.
Their Zanpakuto underwent significant changes after being released:
For example, Isane's Itegumo has the ability to slow down the activity of Reishi within a certain space, which can be used to trap enemies and rescue people; Ayaka's Makeup has the ability to weaken the opponent's Reiatsu proportionally, making her almost invincible in one-on-one battles of the same level, and it is also quite useful for supporting teammates; as for Kiyone's Tiger Cannon, it is a pure and violent concentration and multiplication of Reiatsu.
And Haruto's Zanpakuto...
"Seisen?"
Judging from the name, it should be a water-type Zanpakuto, but its size looks pitifully small.
Isane had witnessed Kaien Shiba's Nejibana with her mother; it was a flower capable of uprooting the sky and blotting out the sun.
Haruto's Zanpakuto, a flowing water-type Zanpakuto, is rather inconspicuous compared to Haruto, the vice-captain of the Thirteenth Division, who already possesses Fifth-Class Reii.
"Can Zanpakuto that shows almost no change be called Shikai?"
No one answered Isane's question.
As Haruto drew his Zanpakuto, Adjuchas's Cero had already slipped out in another sense—
"Buzz!!"
A violent Reiatsu swept across.
"Boom!!"
The mushroom cloud rising into the sky heralded the end of the devastation suffered by the forest... The vast surrounding land was completely transformed into wilderness.
Among them...
"!?"
The flames in Adjuchas's eye sockets flickered for a moment.
That was its inner turmoil—
Right in the center of the Cero explosion, the pyramid-shaped Tōzanshō firmly protected Isane and the others.
"Isane."
"I'll still need your help with the treatment."
Haruto turned his head and smiled at the girl.
"... Uh-huh!"
After the initial shock, Isane immediately Kaidō the treatment: the six months of practical training had instilled in everyone a good habit of obeying commands.
"..."
"You dodged the Cero?"
Adjuchas asked in a low voice, his tone blustering but his voice betraying his fear.
"Your Cero of openings, isn't it normal to dodge it?"