Let's All Chip In and Make a Protagonist! (4K)

What happened next was quite simple. When Iori used the Five Dragon Annihilation Technique, Yuki Aizen also activated her ability. It was because of her hypnosis that the Holy Son's perception was misled for about 0.5 seconds, which allowed Kyōraku Shunsui to successfully launch a sneak attack.

Because the timing of the attack was so clever, Kyōraku Shunsui thought it was a lucky success. Even the Holy Son himself thought it was just a momentary carelessness, completely unaware that there was another person involved in this battle.

"What, are you unhappy because I interfered with your battle?"

"I'm not a stubborn samurai, I don't believe in any kind of honorary sacrifice or dignified battle... Fighting is fighting, it's the behavior of a beast, and trying to bring those things into it is just a fig leaf."

Iori stopped what she was doing, turned to Yuki and smiled, "Thank you, that's what I wanted to say to you."

"After all, you are my only brother." Yuki crossed her arms, seemingly knowing what Iori would say, and smiled in return.

"Although this younger brother is always courting disaster, which worries me a lot."

"I'm really sorry!" Iori said with a grin, without a hint of apology in his words.

The two exchanged more banter and taunts, and after calming down, the dojo fell silent for a moment.

How are you feeling?

Yuki asked earnestly, "The battle with D."

"He's very strong. I'm afraid he hasn't even used his full strength yet." Iori thought for a moment and said honestly, "In a one-on-one situation, I'm no match for him."

"After all, he's the younger version of Yhwach. Not to mention you, the only person in the entire Seireitei who would dare to say he's guaranteed to win is probably the Captain-General Your Excellency."

Yuki acknowledged Iori's strength. "Being able to leave a mark on the opponent is something that no ordinary captain can do."

"Yes... but it's nothing to be proud of."

Iori's gaze was deep. With a flick of his arm, which had only traveled about twenty centimeters, the heavy iron stake made a hollow explosion, demonstrating the terrifying power of the strike.

"I'm just good at struggling."

"That makes sense." Yuki nodded, not trying to save face for Iori, but agreeing with the statement.

"If your Bankai hadn't happened to have the ability to alter reality, you probably wouldn't have lasted even thirty seconds, right?"

Modify reality?

Iori's eyes flashed, and she glanced at Yuki but said nothing, seemingly acknowledging this statement.

In order not to reveal the true effect of the "Third Magic", he fabricated a Bankai an effect similar to elementalization. But that was only told to Shihōin Yoruichi. Both D and Yuki knew that it was definitely not that simple.

However, D believes that Iori's ability is "Event Regression," while Yuki, based on the Shikai ability of [Mirror Water], believes that Iori's immortality is the external manifestation of Bankai, and its true effect is "modifying reality (limited)."

After all, since Shikai can turn illusion into reality (Teresa), it seems quite reasonable that Bankai can turn the reality one feels into illusion.

Of course, Yuki is used to having multiple contingency plans. Before Iori fully reveals his Bankai, any speculation is just speculation, and one should never assume a certain "truth" based on wishful thinking.

Therefore, she kept the Holy Son's guess in mind, hoping to verify it with him later when the opportunity arose.

"You came all this way just to tell me this?"

"As an older sister, do I need a reason to care about my younger brother?"

"..."

"Alright, stop staring at me in silence!"

Yuki narrowed her eyes. "I just wanted to discuss some things with you, such as... the authenticity of the [Song of the Holy Emperor]?"

You fought the Holy Son the longest, and it seems he said something to you while lying in your arms before he died, didn't he?

"It's just some regret and resentment, and worry about the remnants of the Quincy."

Iori shook her head, not to deliberately hide it, but because it was truly the case.

"However, he did talk about some things from his past... such as the Vandenreich Letter."

It's important to understand that while the so-called "Vandenreich Letter" is an ability of the Quincy themselves, it requires Yhwach's guidance to awaken. This is like an invisible Rules; without the "King's" permission, these Quincy's talents cannot blossom.

There are no records of any instances of Vandenreich Letter awakening spontaneously without Yhwach's permission.

As a very young Quincy, D was able to awaken and successfully transform into a young Yhwach using the Vandenreich Letter because he inadvertently came into contact with "a certain consciousness".

He saw in it a sleeping king, the "history" of this world, his own destiny, and a glimpse of the future... From the very beginning, he knew that everything he did was in vain.

Lying in Iori's arms, his serene expression was less one of relaxation and more one of relief, a feeling of finally being able to put down a heavy burden.

Iori guessed that this person probably didn't want to go to war with Soul Society at all, but was unable to stop his clan from confronting the Shinigami... which is why he ended up in that situation.

"I see... but his strength comes from more than just the Vandenreich Letter."

Yuki Aizen is a very young Shinigami who has never read the "original work," yet she knows so much about the First Gotei 13 and the Quincy, which truly makes her a learned woman.

Iori was somewhat surprised by her statement. "The secret to power? What is that?"

I won't tell you~

Yuki gave a mischievous smile, then gracefully stood up and left the dojo.

In the previous battle, Iori was able to confront the Holy Son head-on (regardless of whether she could withstand the attack), but because of her spiritual pressure and Zanpakuto abilities, she could only hide in the shadows and wait for an opportunity to launch a sneak attack, which definitely made her somewhat unhappy.

Keeping this from Iori and making him struggle with it is also a small form of revenge from Yuki.

As for what secrets the Holy Son holds...

After leaving the dojo, walking along a tree-lined path, Yuki took out a small, glowing sphere encased in a hexagonal cube from her wide sleeve. The sphere was made of crystal and was about the size of a billiard ball.

"This is an unexpected bonus, I guess."

—Fragments of the Spirit King!

Chapter 196: Let's pool our money to have a protagonist! (4K)

Yuki... judging from her appearance, she probably obtained something very valuable, right?

Iori was not surprised by this. After the death of the Holy Son, in order to avoid future troubles, his body was handed over to the Thirteenth Division, which was responsible for purification, so that a special Soul Burial Ritual would be held for this young Quincy.

Yuki is essentially the Vice-Captain of the Thirteenth Division. The corpse is no different from being in her hands. With the ability of [Kyoka Suigetsu], she could directly switch the Holy Son's corpse without anyone noticing anything amiss.

Logically speaking, what Yuki obtained should be something related to Yhwach or the Soul King... most likely Fragments of the Spirit King.

There's no way to verify it. Even if you ask her directly, Yuki definitely won't tell the truth, right?

However, Iori didn't have any particular thoughts about it. His mindset had changed drastically, and his focus was different; he no longer cared about such trivial matters. Moreover, he had also received a gift from the Holy Son:

[CG included]

Those the Merciless

Category: Art Style

Quality:--

Grade:--

Rewards Overview:

Art Style Value +10;

[CG included]

Song of the Holy Emperor

Category: Ordinary

Quality: Legendary

Grade: A

Rewards Overview~

Skill:

[Word Spirit EX]

Introduction: Sound and words have always been considered carriers of power in mysticism.

Word power is one of the most primitive and direct forms of "mystery." It can be a curse or a blessing. Possessing the power of word power means that even an ordinary sentence can produce wonderful supernatural phenomena.

• As the name suggests, it is released through words, but there is no need to follow specific grammar and wording. As long as one can clearly express one's will with a "powerful spirit", it will be effective.

• Unable to directly attack enemies, but depending on the content of the Word of Power, being Jiachi by the Word of Power will increase one's own luck, destructive power, and resistance, or weaken the enemy in related aspects.

Sometimes it even has a prophetic effect.

• The higher and more determined one's will and spirit are when making the announcement, the more obvious the bonus effect will be (of course, based on one's own ability value).

Correspondingly, normal communication with others is not affected.

The level is EX because the effect cannot be specifically measured.

Note: The strength of a Word of Power is highly correlated with one's own mental strength and is guided by willpower, making it far more difficult to control than one's hands and feet. If one writes a Word of Power that is detrimental to oneself, it cannot be easily canceled.

If you can't control yourself, it's best to be cautious about what you say.

——

Word magic skills are perfect for enhancing one's prestige, making them extremely valuable to Iori, not to mention the additional ten units of Art Style Value boost.

The two gifts left to him by the Holy Son were truly precious, and it was worth risking being looked down upon by the other captains to say goodbye to the Holy Son at that time.

... Tenten passed by, and perhaps because of the high life expectancy, the efficiency of the Soul Society was quite touching. Two weeks had passed and the post-war matters were still not properly handled, and the Central 46 had not yet made a formal decision on how to deal with the Quincy clan.

However, Shunsui couldn't wait any longer and returned early to find Yamamoto and the Central 46. He had a serious discussion with these old men before coming up with a final solution.

As expected, Central 46 did not have the courage to exterminate the entire clan. Instead, they chose to leave behind some pure-blooded Quincy as a kind of alarm system to prevent Yhwach from making a comeback.

They have very strict limits on the size of the Quincy population. Even after a major war, the number of Quincy is still too large. Therefore, they will continue to hunt them down for some time to come until they are reduced to the prescribed range, or Quincy give up "hunting".

Of course, none of this concerned Iori. He was shuttling back and forth between the Soul Society and the Empire, carefully digesting the gains from this great war. His strength had improved even further, and he had gained a group of comrades and admirers. Everything seemed to be going very well.

During this time, after the "Management Regulations" targeting the Quincy were issued, Yamamoto, finally free to deal with a long-standing concern, could finally put an end to it:

"Officer of the Twelfth Division, Iori Aizen."

Your loyalty and bravery need no further explanation; you have received much praise both within and outside the Seireitei. However, you are still young and have not yet completed your studies at the Soul Reaper Academy. Your inclusion in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads was merely a temporary measure.

Although you now hold an important position in Thirteenth Division, you cannot give up halfway and must continue your studies.

There are no instructors above you in the Soul Reaper Academy, but I am both the founder of the Soul Reaper Academy and once an excellent instructor...

I intend to take you under my wing and teach you. Would you be willing?

In one of the inner rooms of the First Division, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni stood with a slight bow in the main seat, below him were several captains including Saito, Kyōraku, Kuchiki, Jushiro, Unohana, Shihoin... At a glance, almost half of the high-ranking Thirteen Court Guard Squads were present; anyone who didn't know better would think they were having an important meeting.

Iori was sitting on a futon, Saito was constantly giving him meaningful glances. Upon hearing the Captain-General's words, he immediately bowed deeply to Yamamoto.

"I am unworthy and dull-witted, but I have been fortunate enough to accumulate some minor merits. I am truly humbled and honored to receive such kindness from the Captain-General."

I am but a brick, not a gem, but I dare say that my diligence is second to none. I can only ask my teacher for more encouragement and guidance!

"Good!"

In the main seat, Yamamoto smiled for the first time in a long time. This Strongest Shinigami even looked somewhat kind at this moment.

"From this day forward, you are a disciple of Origin Style... Although the Genji Academy no longer exists, the proper etiquette must not be abandoned. Regardless of age, seniority, or the time of your entry, you are the youngest. Treat Kyōraku, Jushiro, and the others as elder brothers, understand?"

"That's only right." Iori gave a symbolic bow, straightened up, and smiled slightly.

From now on, we have someone to rely on!

——

Although he has become an apprentice, unlike during the Genji Academy period, Yamamoto is no longer just the head of a private school. He is destined not to have as much energy to devote to Iori's education, and personal feelings are likely not as strong as those between Kyōraku and Jushiro.

After all, Iori was already close to being a "finished product" in every way. She had found her own path and reaped the rewards. She didn't need much external guidance. Her apprenticeship with Yamamoto was just to avoid being coveted by some petty people.

Of course, no one can predict the future. Right now, the master-disciple relationship between Yamamoto and Iori is just superficial, but who knows, it might develop into a deeper bond in the future~

The most pressing issue for Yamamoto right now is the captain's vacancy!

The Holy Son killed two captains in previous battles, namely the Third Division and the 7th Division, and in the final battle, he wiped out a large number of Shinigami. This suddenly created two positions with great power, which naturally attracted many people with ulterior motives to compete for them.

Considering that everyone assumes one of the positions belongs to Iori, the competition is even fiercer.

On this day, Iori went to Kurotsuchi Mayuri's house to ask for the data and small tools she had ordered. It was only with great difficulty that she managed to drag this guy, who was so engrossed in science, out of the laboratory.

Kurotsuchi Mayuri was naturally unhappy that his original plans had been disrupted, but when he saw that the person in question was Iori Aizen, he couldn't help but shut his mouth and hide his dissatisfaction.

After all, Iori is both his creditor and his savior, and in the foreseeable future, she is very likely to become one of his superiors... It's best not to offend her if possible.