"Replace me? Are you kidding me?"
Jiang Chen had never expected his Zanpakuto to rebel!
"If your strength surpassed mine, I'd naturally acknowledge you as my master. But you're too weak. I don't think you're qualified to be my master."
Jiang Chen had watched the God of Death anime, so he knew this.
He just hadn't expected a Zanpakuto to rebel in another world, too.
"I understand!"
"Are you saying I have to defeat you to prove I'm qualified to be your master?"
"That's right. Either you defeat me, or you die!"
"Haha!" Jiang Chen chuckled and asked, "What makes you so sure you're stronger than me? You're a support-type Zanpakuto. You don't have any real combat power."
"And I have two blades, both of them strong."
"Is that so? Then why are your blades in my hands?"
Jiang Chen's eyes widened as he stared at the scene before him.
"Sode no Shirayuki, Lapis Lazuli Infernal Fire, you..."
"Zanpakuto obey only the strong. I'm stronger than you, so you aren't qualified to use them here!"
At that moment, Sode no Shirayuki and Lapis Lazuli Infernal Fire were both in Omniscient's hands.
Jiang Chen had no blades in his own hands.
So what was he supposed to fight with?
If this continued, he really would die.
For the first time, Jiang Chen felt death closing in.
He struggled desperately.
He didn't want to die.
He preferred his life now to the world after death.
But now...
What could he use to defeat Omniscient and take back control of his Zanpakuto?
"What, are you giving up already?"
As he spoke, Omniscient lifted Lapis Lazuli Infernal Fire and began to chant, "Bloom, Glaze!"
Transparent flames coiled around the blade.
A scorching wave of heat rolled out, setting the corner of Jiang Chen's clothes alight in an instant.
Jiang Chen took off his jacket.
He quickly retreated from the battlefield.
He faced Omniscient and said, "I won't lose!"
"Because... who says I don't have a Zanpakuto?"
Omniscient was so shocked that his eyes widened.
He had always felt there was something strange about Jiang Chen.
A human had somehow contracted three Zanpakuto.
That was beyond the limits of a God of Death.
Ordinary Gods of Death could contract only one Zanpakuto.
Otherwise, their bodies couldn't withstand the Zanpakuto's spiritual power and would collapse.
Yet Jiang Chen was an ordinary human who had contracted three Zanpakuto without any problems.
It was beyond normal understanding.
Jiang Chen's spiritual power must have surpassed that of every God of Death Omniscient had ever met.
But the soul power Jiang Chen showed didn't seem particularly strong.
Otherwise, why couldn't he summon two Zanpakuto at once? Or why couldn't his body withstand having one appear for a long time?
What right did someone so weak have to be his master?
As one of the oldest Zanpakuto, he had the right to use Sode no Shirayuki and Lapis Lazuli Infernal Fire.
And Jiang Chen was bound to die today.
Yet now, faced with death, Jiang Chen didn't seem afraid at all.
Jiang Chen hadn't shown any fear.
Would being afraid help?
Would Omniscient spare him if he was afraid?
Would fear solve anything?
Would fear shake his cheat?
No!!!!
[Ping. Sensing that the host's life was in danger, the system activated its protection program. The host gained one use of the Zanpakutō Zangetsu.]
A long, slender black Zanpakuto appeared in Jiang Chen's hand.
Its entire body was pitch-black, giving it an air of mystery.
Seeing the Zanpakuto in Jiang Chen's hand, Omniscient asked, "How do you have that Zanpakuto? It's been dormant for many years."
"Uncle Zangetsu, I'm counting on you!"
Jiang Chen didn't answer. Instead, he spoke to Zangetsu in his hand.
As soon as he finished speaking, Zangetsu appeared before Jiang Chen, dressed in a rumpled black robe, wearing knee-high boots and glasses.
He glanced at Omniscient and said, "Omniscient, after all these years, you're still just as tiresome."
"You're always trying to escape the God of Death you contracted with."
Like an elder lecturing a younger one, Zangetsu said, "I told you long ago that a Zanpakuto without a master has no value. But you never listened."
Omniscient retorted, "Senior Zangetsu, that's not how it is. This Jiang Chen isn't capable enough to use me. What right does someone so weak have to wield me?"
"I may be a Zanpakuto, but I have my pride, too."
Omniscient didn't take Jiang Chen seriously at all. He looked at him with contempt and sneered, "He's not worthy of being my master!"
Zangetsu waved a hand, and Omniscient reverted to the shape of a blade.
He said to Omniscient, "Ancient Zanpakuto have the ability to use other Zanpakuto. I've lived longer than you, so naturally I can use you, too."
"Omniscient, you've disappointed me."
"Since you refuse to obey, I'll destroy you. From now on, there will be no more Omniscient."
Zangetsu was about to act.
Jiang Chen stopped him. "Uncle Zangetsu, what are you doing?"
"He doesn't belong to you. What use is there in keeping him?"
Zangetsu looked at Jiang Chen and said, "He can betray you today, and he can do it again tomorrow. I can only help you this once."
Jiang Chen thought it was a shame. To own an ancient Zanpakuto, even just one, was a stroke of luck.
Omniscient really had helped him a lot.
But if he dared to kill him, Jiang Chen would rather be rid of him.
Zangetsu gripped Omniscient's blade and was about to snap it.
With the slightest pressure, Omniscient would cease to exist.
"Don't kill me! I'm willing to submit to Jiang Chen!"
At the brink of death, Omniscient gave in.
No matter how unwilling he was, faced with Zangetsu's overwhelming strength, he could only eat humble pie.
"Then offer him your loyalty."
Zangetsu released the blade and stepped back.
Omniscient returned to his original form and dropped to one knee before Jiang Chen. "I, Omniscient, am willing to submit to my master."
"I will never betray him in this life or the next!"
As he spoke, he lowered his head to the ground and kowtowed to Jiang Chen.
"When a blade kneels, it signifies eternal obedience," Zangetsu said, standing beside Jiang Chen.
"Jiang Chen, he won't betray you again."
"Uncle Zangetsu, thank you!"
"No need to thank me. I hope that the next time I see you, you'll be strong enough to use me."
As he spoke, Zangetsu's clothes and hair fluttered in the wind that wasn't there. He floated into the air, and his figure gradually disappeared.
Omniscient was completely stunned. Jiang Chen hadn't contracted Zangetsu.
And yet Zangetsu had come out to help him.
What was Jiang Chen's relationship with Zangetsu?
Zangetsu had once been the emperor of the Zanpakuto.
Anyone who wielded him was sure to be extraordinary.
Perhaps only the Spirit King was qualified to wield Zangetsu in the whole world.
Yet Jiang Chen clearly wasn't the Spirit King. Why had Zangetsu been willing to help him?
In an instant, all kinds of thoughts swirled through Omniscient's mind.
But he had no idea which answer was correct.
Perhaps none of them were.
The real answer might only become clear in the future.
Jiang Chen didn't spare Omniscient a glance. He'd stayed here long enough. It was time to go back.
But before leaving, he still had one question to ask Omniscient...
Before you continue