Death Is But Ordinary

The standard for determining whether a soul can become a Shinigami, aside from possessing spiritual power, is most importantly marked by whether they can wield a Zanpakuto.

The Zanpakuto is an incredibly vital weapon for any Shinigami.

After the Shino Academy was established, the first thing every enrolled student does is receive an "Asauchi." Afterward, the academy instructors teach these students how to resonate with their own Asauchi through methods like "Sword Meditation." Resonance is not difficult; it involves injecting one's own spiritual power into the Zanpakuto to nurture it. If the Zanpakuto produces a tremor and responds to you, it signifies a successful resonance.

Once this step is achieved, the subsequent process involves finding a way to enter the soul of the Zanpakuto to engage in a deeper level of communion, and finally, obtaining the release command from it to master the Shikai.

Shikai requires a release command.

Generally speaking, Shinigamis capable of joining the Gotei 13 all possess the potential to master Shikai; some master it during their time at the academy, while others spend a longer period doing so after joining a Division.

Of course, there are also those who spend many years stuck at the resonance stage, never managing to master Shikai.

These individuals are either weeded out by the Gotei 13, their Zanpakuto confiscated, losing their qualifications to serve as Shinigamis.

Or, if they possess special talents, they are sent to organizations such as the Kido Corps.

However, organizations like the Kido Corps are ultimately not the main stage; the Gotei 13 is the true mainstream.

While Natsuki diligently studied the four basic Shinigami abilities—"Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, and Kido"—he certainly did not neglect the fact that the Zanpakuto is a Shinigami's greatest reliance, and he naturally worked hard to try and master Shikai.

In fact, combined with those vague memories and what Watanabe Yuji had said, it was highly likely that he had already awakened the power of his Zanpakuto during that critical moment when a Menos was about to kill him.

Otherwise, there would be no explanation for how the Menos died.

But since then, even though he could easily resonate with his Zanpakuto, he had been unable to master Shikai.

This inevitably left Natsuki feeling somewhat dejected.

Sensing the dejection in Natsuki's words, Watanabe Yuji said to him, "Hidden within you is immense potential. Although I don't know why you haven't been able to call forth that power again since then, you have still been making progress during this time, haven't you?"

Natsuki looked at Watanabe Yuji.

Watanabe Yuji, a man with a round, flat face, revealed a hearty smile and said to Natsuki, "As long as you are still making progress, one day you will be able to master Shikai, and perhaps even go a step further to master Bankai, and maybe even become a captain of the Gotei 13."

The final remark was undoubtedly Watanabe Yuji's way of encouraging Natsuki.

Bankai, even within the vast Soul Society, is as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns for those who can master it. But anyone who can master it signifies that they possess a possibility.

The possibility of becoming a captain of the Gotei 13!

To become stronger—one must become even stronger.

Only by becoming stronger can one survive in this cruel world.

Following this recent live combat, Natsuki joined the Expeditionary Force's squad for hunting Hollows.

The Expeditionary Force was not large, consisting of only a few dozen people.

The vast majority of them were sinners who had come to Hueco Mundo to fight Hollows in order to atone for their crimes.

Hueco Mundo is the base of the Hollows. Here, new Hollows are born almost every moment. This is not strange; Hollows are fallen souls. In the Human World, people die every second, and it is impossible for everyone who dies to be a good person. There are always those whose souls fall due to desires and obsessions, evolving into Hollows.

Especially in recent years, the Human World has not been peaceful, leading to even more human deaths. Under these circumstances, the number of Hollows in Hueco Mundo has surged, which is why the Expeditionary Force continuously "purifies" Hollows in Hueco Mundo.

Of course, although they fight Hollows every day, the members of the Expeditionary Force always choose to linger in the outer rim, never considering entering the inner rim or the Forest of Menos.

The Forest of Menos is the region where Menos live. There, Gillian are as numerous as the hairs on an ox, and even higher-level Menos reside within. Relying solely on their small numbers to enter would be tantamount to seeking death.

However, even fighting in the outer rim, it is still possible to encounter Menos.

And it is possible for comrades to fall in battle.

Although Jiro, who died while fighting that Menos, was Natsuki's savior, Natsuki had not yet fully integrated into the Expeditionary Force at that time. To speak heartlessly, he did not have much of a reaction to Jiro's death.

But now, having fully integrated into the Expeditionary Force, practicing with these people daily, accepting their guidance, and becoming familiar with them, Natsuki found it difficult to accept the death of a comrade.

In his past life, suffering from illness and eventually dying in pain, he had thought that after dying once, he would have long since become indifferent to matters of life and death.

But when the mangled corpse of a comrade who had been laughing and talking with him just yesterday was placed before him, he realized he had not become indifferent at all.

A silent sorrow filled Natsuki's face.

As the captain of the Expeditionary Force, Watanabe Yuji stepped forward to comfort everyone, speaking at length.

Finally, the group hastily dug a pit and buried their fallen comrade.

Someone else collected the deceased's Zanpakuto, intending to bring it back to the Soul Society one day and hand it over to the comrade's Division.

This was also a custom.

Although in the history of the Soul Society, there have been cases of civilians in the Rukon District finding the Zanpakuto of dead Shinigamis, awakening the dormant blades, and becoming Shinigamis themselves, that only happened because the Shinigami died so abruptly that there was no way to recover their blade.

If it can be recovered, it must be recovered.

After all, every Asauchi is extremely precious; they are not manufactured by the Gotei 13 and exist in limited quantities.

It is not only the Asauchi of fallen Shinigamis that need to be recovered.

When a Shinigami retires from the Gotei 13, their Zanpakuto must also be turned over to their Division to be sealed away.

After hastily finishing the funeral rites for their fallen comrades.

Watanabe Yuji noticed the sorrow etched onto Natsuki's face. Perhaps it was because Natsuki had joined the Expeditionary Force midway as a newcomer, or perhaps because he had personally mentored him, but he paid quite a bit of attention to the young man.

"Are you having a hard time?"

His voice rang out beside Natsuki's ear.

"Aren't you having a hard time?" Natsuki looked up at Watanabe Yuji.

"Of course I am, but if you live long enough and experience enough of these things, you will realize that this is merely the fate of a Shinigami."

"From the moment we choose to grasp that blade, our lives are left with nothing but battle. We are born for battle and we die for battle; death is a very common occurrence."

"Therefore, we should not fear it, but rather accept it with composure."

"Look, don't these people seem quite calm about this matter?"

Watanabe Yuji gestured for Natsuki to look at the rest of the Expeditionary Force members.

Natsuki swept his gaze across them, but he saw no sorrow on their faces, nor did he see any fear born from the death of their companions. Just as Watanabe Yuji had said, these people were very calm regarding death, or rather, they had already grown accustomed to it.

Watanabe Yuji's voice sounded by Natsuki's ear once more.

"Of course, the main reason a Shinigami dies is simply because they are not strong enough. If one is powerful enough, even when facing a Menos Grande, one can still survive."

Natsuki suddenly realized the truth.

"That's right, this world is, after all, a world where the strong are respected and power reigns supreme!"