Mōcāng

The area beneath Sōkyoku Hill used to be a dense forest, but it isn't anymore.

Amber stood amidst the chaos, staring at the ancient tree trunks Judgment Cut, the cracks and craters blasted by Beowulf, the holes pierced by the Kamishini no Yari, and the scorch marks scattered everywhere. He scratched the back of his head, his expression utterly devoid of self-awareness.

Fon Shaoling stood beside him, looking at the ravaged woodland, then at the innocent-looking guy next to her, her fingers clenching and unclenching in her sleeves.

"How long have you and Gin Ichimaru been fighting here?"

"Not long, I think," Amber scratched her ear. "They fought until the moon rose, and then Gintoki carried her to the Fourth Division."

Fon Shaoling took a deep breath and remained silent. She looked at the smooth, mirror-like broken tree stumps, at the rocks shattered by Reiatsu, at the holes piercing the ground—every mark told her how intense the battle had been.

The culprit is now bending down to pick up a leaf he himself broke off, examining it from all angles as if it were an interesting specimen.

"Do you know why I dragged you out this morning?" She steered the conversation back to the main topic.

"I don't know." Amber put the leaf down. "Didn't Gin-nii agree to come this afternoon? And Captain Zaraki is coming too—"

Fon Shaoling raised her hand and slapped him on the back of the head.

"Bankai isn't something you can master just by fighting a few battles. If it were that Bankai Soul Reaper their lives every day, people who Bankai would be running around everywhere." She withdrew her hand and sighed.

"Brother Yin said he figured it out himself during the battle..." Hu muttered softly.

Fon Shaoling ignored him and began to speak.

"There are generally two ways to acquire Bankai." She held up two fingers. "The first is long-term Zanjutsu meditation. Through dialogue with your Zanpakuto, you constantly confront your own heart, deepen your Ego- awareness, and finally resonate with your Zanpakuto, achieving oneness with the sword. This method is less dangerous, but obtaining Bankai this way may take about a hundred years. The advantage is that it's steady and reliable, and it's applicable to almost any Zanpakuto."

"A hundred years? We won't be able to catch up with anything then," Hu said.

"So there's a second way." She lowered her second finger, "To materialize the Zanpakuto in reality and fight it until it submits."

This method is extremely quick, but it is affected by the Zanpakuto's personality and is not applicable to all Zanpakuto.

At the same time, fighting Zanpakuto consumes the Soul Reaper's own Reiatsu, requiring a very high total amount of Reiatsu. After all, if you want to subdue your opponent, they won't hold back when using your Reiatsu.

"The current mainstream approach is to prioritize Zanjutsu meditation, and only engage in physical combat after the Reiatsu meets the standard and with the consent of the Zanpakuto. This way, the training time can be shortened to about ten years, which is nothing for Soul Reaper."

"I see, but this is still too slow. Ten years is still not enough. Is it possible to learn it in three days?"

Seeing Aya's state, Fon Shaoling was furious. "Gin Ichimaru is really messing around, he doesn't teach you anything and just drags you into a fight."

Does he think everyone is like him, that they can learn something just by fighting?

She paused for a moment, then continued, "And Kisuke Urahara's Tenshintai was also based on this training method."

However, the Tenshintai bypasses the Reiatsu standard, using external spiritual power to materialize the Zanpakuto. Prolonged use will sever the connection between the Zanpakuto and the Soul Reaper, causing the Soul Reaper to lose their Zanpakuto forever.

That stuff is only for madmen and idiots. You absolutely must not touch it.

Fon Shaoling's stare made Hu feel uneasy, so he had no choice but to give in and say, "Okay, Shaoling, you've already reminded me of this, I know."

After Fon Shaoling finished explaining all the theories she needed to cover...

"Now, you go first Zanjutsu meditation. Ask Jiku'a if he has met the requirements to train Bankai, and whether he is willing to fight in a physical form in reality."

Hu sat down cross-legged, Jiku'a lay across his lap, and closed his eyes...

The Inner World, the canopy of the Demon World Tree.

Jiku'a stood in the center of the tree canopy, his back to him. Before Hu could speak, he had already turned around.

"I know why you've come. You've already met all the basic requirements for learning Bankai:"

Yoruichi's combat intuition, Tsukabishi's Kidō theory, Urahara's practical combat instruction, Cilian's fighting spirit—so many great teachers to train with you one by one.

"Your progress is beyond what can be described simply as fast. You're no longer the nobody you once were." He took a step forward.

"Physicalization is also possible. But there are some things that must be made clear to you before you begin your studies."

Jiku'a raised his hand, and the ground in the center of the tree canopy cracked open, from which a thick vine slowly rose. At the top of the vine was a life-sized Demon Cocoon, and a figure could be seen through the semi-transparent membrane. The person had completely white hair, and his face was eight parts similar to that of a young Vergil, with his eyes closed. His clothes were identical to Jiku'a's, but he exuded an aura completely different from Jiku'a's.

"Vergil's power and understanding merged intensely with your soul during the journey."

Under the intense influence of consciousness, your soul activated its defense mechanism—through the positive memories and emotions within you and Vergil, the Zanpakutō spirit of your Zanpakuto was quickly born, which is me.

Jiku'a continued, "I separated the positive emotions and memories from the negative ones, temporarily stabilizing the soul's state and suppressing Vergil's darkest memories of your life."

"Fortunately, your life has been quite uneventful. You are easygoing and don't have many negative emotions, so when your soul severed memories, almost none of them were sealed away, and your original personality was preserved."

Unfortunately, the repressed part—almost entirely Vergil's memories from his youth—has, due to prolonged repression and a complete separation from his positive memories, given rise to a negative personality. He is now practically a Vergil copy of his younger self.

"..." Hu remained silent for a long time. "So I've never had nightmares because you're helping me?"

"Is this the time to talk about this?!" Jiku'a rolled her eyes.

"The reason you were able to learn the moves so quickly and use his fighting instincts is because the positive memories are with you." He looked at Amber. "Your personality is sunny, optimistic, and cheerful, much more energetic than when you were alive, which is also because I suppressed all the negative and dark things."

"So for you, practicing Bankai facing your inner self—" Jiku'a pointed to the figure inside the Demon Cocoon.

"The first thing is to defeat him. Defeat that part that has been separated... you."

Originally, I wanted to return it to you little by little, like slicing a sausage, giving it to you slice by slice.

"But if you really want to obtain Bankai immediately, I will release him from the Demon Cocoon."

He looked at Hu: "Are you ready for the challenge?"

Hu stared at the white-haired figure inside the Demon Cocoon, whose face resembled his own. He didn't answer immediately.

"Is he... conscious?" he asked.

"He's always been there," Jiku'a said. "In order to allow him to gradually integrate into you, I didn't completely sever his connection with you. He has all your memories from when you came to Soul Society."

Inside the Demon Cocoon, you can't feel the excitement of every battle you fight, but it can feel you.

While you're enjoying the battle, he's awake inside the Demon Cocoon. While you're growing stronger, so is he.

The wind in the treetops stopped. Jiku'a looked at him, his eyes offering no urging or coercion, but calmly presenting the facts to him.

"This thing," Amber said, pointing to the Demon Cocoon, her voice slightly hoarse, "Does it need to be done in one go, or can I try again if I fail?"

"You can challenge it an unlimited number of times. After all, it's all your own power, so it won't really kill you. But you'll experience unexpected pain."

"That's good then." Hu suddenly grinned. "What's there to be afraid of? If we lose, we can just fight again."

Jiku'a looked at his smile and remained silent for a moment. "... You'd better really think that way."

Amber opened his eyes. Fon Shaoling looked at him.

"How about it?"

"No problem." He stood up and stretched his shoulders. "Jiku'a said we can start anytime."

Fon Shaoling stared into his eyes for a few seconds, then nodded. "After Shikai, pour half of your Reiatsu into your Zanpakuto and plant it in the ground. Leave the rest to the Zanpakuto."

Amber did as instructed. The Shikai of the Jiku'a was complete. He gripped the hilt with both hands and channeled his Reiatsu into the blade.

Completely different from his usual battles— Jiku'a was like a bottomless pit, no matter how much Reiatsu he poured in, it was like a stone sinking into the sea.

Under normal circumstances, if Amber unleashed half of his Reiatsu, the ground would inevitably shatter and the air would tremble. But nothing happened at this moment. His Reiatsu was continuously absorbed by Jiku'a Crow, and the blade didn't even tremble. He gritted his teeth and continued to pour in his Reiatsu until half of it was absorbed.

The Jiku'a suddenly became heavy, broke free from Amber's hand, and plunged into the ground on its own, then its Reiatsu exploded!

It wasn't the flamboyant blue of Hu's usual self; it was a deeper, colder, darker blue, as if it came from the abyss.

The sharp Reiatsu almost pierced through the entire Seireitei. That Reiatsu was unlike ordinary Reishi fluctuations—it carried warmth, it was cold; it carried texture, it was sharp; it carried emotion, it was pure, undisguised killing intent.

Fon Shaoling's fingers tightened slightly inside her sleeve, a primal reaction of a creature encountering something stronger than itself.

On the training ground of the Eleventh Division Barracks

Yumichika Ayasegawa was sparring with Ikkaku Madarame when that Reiatsu struck—a deep blue, cold, and sharp aura—spreading from the direction of Sōkyoku Hill, rippling through every street of Seireitei like waves.

The Ruri'iro Kujaku suddenly trembled violently. He looked down in surprise at the knife in his hand.

Upon seeing Ikkaku teased, "What's wrong, Yumichika? Did a mere wisp of someone else's Reiatsu make your Zanpakuto catch a cold?"

However, even Ikkaku he said this, he gripped his Hōzukimaru tightly, suppressing its trembling.

Yumichika forcefully swung his Zanpakuto, forcibly suppressing the trembling. "What a joke! A mere drop of Reiatsu? My Fuji Kujaku has no fear of that."

Just as the two were about to resume their battle, Kenpachi Zaraki crashed straight through the wall, emerging from it amidst flying debris, the bells tied to his hair jingling.

Yachiru was perched on his shoulder, while Gin emerged from the large hole Kenpachi had created, carrying half a brick that had fallen from the wall.

"Don't be so impatient, Captain Zaraki."

"Ichimaru, didn't you say it would be this afternoon? Why is it starting already?" Kenpachi turned around, his one eye fixed on Gin. "You want me to fight a guy who's already exhausted? Huh?"

"We really did arrange to meet this afternoon, but he's probably already practicing on his own." Yin dusted off the dust on his clothes.

"But this Reiatsu... although it shares the same origin as Koko's, is it really Koko's?" He looked in the direction from which the Reiatsu was coming, his tone lacking its usual flippancy.

Kenpachi grinned maliciously, "That won't do! The instructors haven't arrived yet. Practicing without permission could result in 'injury'!"

"Exactly, it's wrong to leave Kenpachi alone to enjoy the battle." Yachiru swung her leg on Kenpachi's shoulder.

Kenpachi Zaraki turned to Ikkaku: "Ikkaku, find my Reiatsu Recovery Potion and come with me!" After saying that, he rushed out without looking back.

"Captain Zaraki, you're going the wrong way. I'll lead the way, don't wander off," Silver said as he followed.

Ikkaku and Yumichika frantically rummaged through the nooks and crannies of the storeroom and found the Reiatsu Recovery Potion, then hurriedly followed.

In the First Division office, Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai was reviewing documents, Chōjirō Sasakibe stood to one side, organizing the documents for the Captain-Commander.

When that Reiatsu seeped in from outside the window, his pen stopped. For no reason, he recalled memories of a thousand years ago, before the Gotei 13 were established, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes for a moment. Sasakibe's hand also trembled, and his Zanpakuto quivered in its sheath.

"Chōjirō, calm yourself down and don't let external encouragement affect you!" Captain-Commander Yamamoto snapped out of his daze, his back still as steady as an ancient tree.

But the pen that the Captain-Commander broke showed that the Captain-Commander's heart was not at peace:

I haven't felt this way in a long time. This brat's Bankai is truly demonic; it actually ignites my fighting spirit.

Fourth Division Pharmacy

Retsu Unohana is processing medicinal herbs. Isane Kotetsu is assisting her, and the two are chatting about their experiences in illustration.

When that Reiatsu seeped in, Isane Kotetsu's voice trembled instantly, as if someone had directly shoved a cold hand into her clothes.

"Ah!"

Isane couldn't help but let out a soft gasp, "What's with this Reiatsu? It's so cold and scary!"

"Is that so? Does Isane find this Reiatsu very cold?" Unohana was processing medicinal herbs with her back to Isane, revealed a ferocious smile, the smile of the First Kenpachi.

"I actually find it quite warm..." Unohana, after picking up the prepared medicinal herbs and turning back to face Isane, regained her gentle and dignified smile.

"Huh? Captain must be mistaken, it's definitely ice-cold."

Fifth Division Office.

Sōsuke Aizen was working, and Momo Hinamori was helping him prepare ink. Kyōka Suigetsu and Tobiume lay quietly on the sword rack. Aizen's pen moved across the paper, his handwriting neat and meticulous.

The Reiatsu seeped in from outside the window. Tobiume began to tremble violently, while Kyōka Suigetsu remained quiet.

Momo Hinamori was extremely uneasy. "Whose Reiatsu is this? It's so ominous, full of killing intent. It must be a dangerous person. How could there be such a person in the ranks of the Soul Reaper!" She even stopped working, trying to find the direction from which the Reiatsu was coming, her hands still trembling.

"Hinamori- kun, you can't talk about your colleagues like that. Judging others based solely on the feeling brought by Reiatsu is one-sided." Aizen continued working without changing his expression, the reflection in his glasses completely concealing his eyes.

"Yes! I understand. Captain Aizen is so kind. He can tolerate such unsettling Reiatsu. Only Captain Aizen can do that." Momo Hinamori said with a blush on her cheeks and an expression of admiration.

Below the Sōkyoku Hill

Before Amber, Jiku'a was stuck in the ground, the blade still trembling slightly. The dark blue Reiatsu was slowly receding, no longer spreading outwards as it had before, but gathering and condensing into a human shape. The human had completely white hair, a face that bore an eight-tenths resemblance to Vergil, and wore Blue Coat with gold embroidery.

He slowly opened his eyes, revealing a pair of scarlet pupils. The knife in his hand was almost identical to Jiku'a's, and at the same time, those scarlet eyes locked onto Hu.

"We've finally met, my incompetent and cowardly king. I..." The red-eyed youth thought for a moment, then a slight smile appeared on his lips, "Just call me Mōcāng."

A surge of Reiatsu, like an ice spike from the abyss, slammed into Amber, piercing through his skin, muscles, and bones, reaching deep into his marrow. His body began to tremble uncontrollably.

"My king, I've heard you want to master Bankai?" Mōcāng picked up the Jiku'a stuck in the ground and threw it directly at Hu. "You think you can?"

Hu caught Jiku'a, and upon closer inspection, he saw that Mōcāng had already disappeared.

A sharp clang of swords clashing rang out as Hu blocked Mōcāng's blade aimed at his throat. "What's wrong with me?"