The Culprit Behind the Transmigration

After chatting with Shimizu in the library, Hu followed him on a tour of the attendants' rest area. Only then did Hu realize that the Fon Clan really did treat its employees well. The attendants who lived at the Fon estate had their own private rooms, and the library was far from their only place for recreation. There was a training dojo, a tearoom dedicated to the tea ceremony and flower arranging, a board game room, and even a room for storing fishing gear.

Before they noticed Hu, the attendants were just like ordinary people, chatting and laughing rather than behaving as stiffly as they did while on duty in the Fon Clan's main residence. But once they spotted him, they reverted to that stiff manner. They were all quite... professional...

After Shimizu had shown him around for the afternoon, Hu said goodbye and returned to his room.

"Phew... I got a lot out of this afternoon... Heard quite a bit about things around here... Shimizu's really giving it his all too... I should go hang out with him again when I have time... Keeping himself wound that tight all the time... must be exhausting..."

Hu muttered to himself, but a wave of drowsiness came over him, and he fell asleep.

When Hu opened his eyes again, he found himself in a vaguely familiar, open space. The texture of the ground beneath his feet felt like some kind of wooden structure. He walked straight ahead to the edge, only then realizing that he was standing atop the crown of a gigantic tree. Far below, he could just make out a city of a strikingly different style...

"Where am I? Don't tell me I've transmigrated again..."

Hu felt a little bewildered.

"Where would there be enough energy to send you across again? The power to break through dimensions and worlds isn't that easy to come by."

A familiar voice came from behind Hu. It was his Zanpakuto's voice. Hu turned around and was shocked!

The man wore a blue coat, with magnificent gold embroidery and a rather regal-looking hem, as well as that distinctive white hair swept back as though held in place with gel. His face looked quite similar to Hu's, but Hu instantly recalled the name of the person dressed like this, as well as where he now was. Hu raised a hand and pointed at the man in front of him. "You... you... you're..."

Hu was a little nervous, afraid the man opposite him would slice him open with a single stroke.

"Nice to meet you, Hu. I'm your Zanpakuto."

The man bowed.

Hu came to his senses. "You're my Zanpakuto? Then is this my Inner World? But I haven't learned Zanjutsu meditation yet. How did I get into my Inner World?"

"That's because we're strong. Once you gained a name, your spirit body found an anchor for its existence in this world. Your Inner World was able to take shape, and I was able to be born properly. When you're awake, you can naturally choose not to talk to me, but you were asleep, weren't you? So I could summon you here." As the Zanpakuto spoke, he walked over to Hu's side and looked down.

"Look, this is your heart, unimaginably vast. This city stretches as far as the eye can see, and this great tree reaches all the way to the sky. I wanted to show you once this world was finished, but no matter how I called, you wouldn't respond anymore. Perhaps once your spirit body began to stabilize, a subconscious wall formed between us."

"But I feel like I've seen this scene before. It's really familiar, including the place we're standing right now. It just seems to be missing a chair... and there's your outfit too..."

The Zanpakuto glanced at Hu. "The formation of one's inner space often draws on one's own memories, so there's nothing strange about it being familiar to you. As for a Zanpakuto spirit's appearance, it often reflects the nature of its power..."

"Now that you put it that way, I think I know who sent me here..." Hu looked at the Zanpakuto's figure, clad in blue, and gave a wry smile.

"Let's not dig into who unleashed that power or how it came about. You may not remember much, but I can tell you, your death wasn't very dignified..." The Zanpakutō spirit closed his eyes, apparently reluctant to recall the gruesome sight. "Anyway, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I was born, and you gained the corresponding power, though learning to use it may take a long time."

At once, Hu perked up. "Power, the power of the storm that is approaching! You mean I'll be able to do that too someday, pull off those moves?" The music and those incredibly smooth combos began playing through Hu's mind. His heart surged, and his eyes lit up.

Judgment Cut! I'm gonna use Judgment Cut!!!

Seeing Hu looking so worked up he was practically jumping, the Zanpakutō spirit couldn't help smiling. "Your goal is a little plebeian, but at least you still have the desire to pursue power."

The Zanpakutō spirit turned away and walked toward the center of the tree crown. "Judgment Cut won't be that easy to pull off. First, you'll at least need to learn my name and reach Shikai, and even that's only the starting line."

Hu hurried after him. "Great, great! Then tell me your name. We can talk so clearly to each other, so I shouldn't have the same problem as Tōshirō, unable to hear the name properly, right?"

"First, I'm not the sort of Zanpakuto Hyōrinmaru is, so I won't tell you my name that easily. Second, even if you know my name, unless you understand the true nature of this power and the release command, you still won't be able to achieve Shikai. Finally..." The Zanpakutō spirit reached the center of the tree crown, turned around, and spread his hands. "Where's your Asauchi? You don't even have an Asauchi. How am I supposed to achieve Shikai?"

Only then did Hu remember that he wouldn't receive an Asauchi and begin Zanjutsu meditation until tomorrow. He felt like crying but had no tears. "Come on! Then why did you bring me in here? Just to chat?"

The Zanpakutō spirit smiled. "What's wrong with chatting? The process of learning a Zanpakuto's true name is, at its core, a conversation with your own heart. If you won't chat with me, don't even dream of using Judgment Cut in this lifetime." The Zanpakutō spirit paused, as though remembering something. "You won't be able to use Judgment Cut while you're awake, that is. I'd advise you to go ask for an Asauchi as soon as you wake up. Otherwise, the Fon Clan is in for some serious bad luck..."

Hu felt the Zanpakutō spirit's voice growing more and more distant. Then everything went black, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw a night sky with a bright moon and scattered stars.

What a beautiful night. It's just that faint smell of rust in the air that spoils it a little. Wait, wasn't I lying in my room? How can I see the night sky?

Hu sat bolt upright and looked around. The Fon Clan's guest courtyard was covered in slash marks, and the room he had been in had been reduced to the patch of floor he was lying on. The roof was shattered, as though it had been torn off, and not a single wall was intact. Several people dressed like the Onmitsukidō in the anime lay sprawled on the ground, bleeding and looking a little dead. Fon Shaoling had a coat draped over her shoulders and was organizing people to treat them...

"What on earth happened?"