Your Excellency Is Strong, but My Art Style Is Above Yours! Chapter 17

She fundamentally had no traditional concept of good and evil, so she could act without any psychological burden!

Even setting that concern aside, he might get along wonderfully with Zero Division in the future, so close they could wear the same pair of pants... but as long as he thought of how the weakness of his Bankai would always be in their hands, he could not help feeling uneasy.

As a Chinese soul, he knew perfectly well what it meant to have someone sleeping beside one's bed...

So he had to keep something in reserve. At the very least, he could not use an officially issued Asauchi!

He would find a suitable weapon himself to serve as a vessel, thereby avoiding the Great Monk's perception, then look for an opportunity to complete the training for Shikai in another world.

Great Monk, you claim to have named every single thing in Soul Society, allowing you to see through all true names. That truly is impressive.

—But if I were to bring out a Zanpakuto forged in another world, named in that same other world, and even fused with energy from another world, how would you deal with it?

How to Torture a Scientist

"Akame ga Kill!"—Dangai—Soul Society—"Akame ga Kill!"—Soul Society...

After going through the tedious traversal process, Iori did not slack off in the slightest. He completed every step without missing a single link, successfully restoring the flow of time between the other world and Soul Society to one-to-one. Only then did he finally rest easy enough to sleep.

The next day, he had originally planned to attend class, but just as he was about to leave, he remembered that his instructor had given him leave "yesterday." He was still recovering, so there was no need for him to go to class.

With nothing to do after suddenly having free time, Iori thought it over and went to see Kurotsuchi Mayuri again. He urged the mad scientist to finish the Material Reishi Conversion Device as soon as possible. Even if its output was lower, that would be fine; otherwise, he would not be able to bring things obtained in other worlds back to Soul Society.

He also placed an order for drug reverse engineering, though he did not specify what kind of drug it was and merely told him to wait for further notice.

Kurotsuchi Mayuri was extremely displeased by this!

As a researcher, although he was somewhat deranged and possessed virtually no moral sense, his pride was anything but weak. He was not some mediocre person who would obediently do whatever others ordered him to do.

He did enjoy researching all sorts of things, but only if the project interested him!

He could not do things by the book, and he hated it most when others tried to plan his work for him, as though they regarded him as a tool instead of a free soul!

The reason he had repeatedly fallen out with Seireitei and been imprisoned in the past was, first, because he had gone down crooked paths and researched things that were too dangerous; second, because he refused to conduct research according to the wishes of those bigshots and would only choose projects that seemed utterly nonsensical.

The higher-ups would not waste resources on such research, so Kurotsuchi Mayuri could only take private jobs, earning money to subsidize his main work. He had received quite a few customers like Iori.

Given his personality, the fact that he was willing to help obediently was already quite remarkable!

Who would have thought that every last one of these people was greedy, ignorant, and unreasonable? They wanted to accomplish a hundred thousand worth of work after spending only ten thousand, and they were always rushing him and questioning him. He was sick of it!

Today, Kurotsuchi Mayuri's frustration had built up to the point of eruption. Even though Iori was a rather high-quality client, he was going to vent properly this time—

"I'll settle the remaining payment right now. Starting today, you have six days. For every day early you finish the conversion device, I'll add several percent to the payment.

"The reverse engineering of that drug counts as another commission. Starting from when you finish the conversion device, you have three days. For every day early you complete the antidote, I'll pay several percent above market price.

"How about it?"

—Kurotsuchi Mayuri suddenly felt that Iori was quite handsome, with pleasant features and an especially pleasing way of speaking. At a glance, he was clearly a young man with a bright future. As an elder, he ought to support young people more.

As for why Iori wanted the Reishi conversion device or where that modified drug had come from, the mad scientist had no desire whatsoever to ask.

Kurotsuchi Mayuri: Wasn't it perfectly normal to carry eighty or a hundred kinds of contraband on one's person?

"By the way, since there's technology to transform matter into Reishi, is it possible to do the reverse—transform spiritual bodies into matter?" Iori casually asked, seeming as though the thought had only just occurred to him.

"Didn't I already tell you about Gigai?" Kurotsuchi Mayuri did not care much. "I haven't succeeded in researching that yet."

"No, I'm not talking about that kind of artificial body that's like an outer garment. I mean transforming a Shinigami themself into a physical body."

"..."

Kurotsuchi Mayuri stopped working and gave Iori a surprised look, while Iori maintained his usual harmless smile.

"I'm just asking."

"Not as far as I know."

Kurotsuchi Mayuri said it coldly, but perhaps his intellectual urge to show off took effect, prompting him to explain a little more.

"If it is merely an inanimate object, transforming it into matter or Reishi is not particularly difficult. But a 'Shinigami' is different."

"Humans can undergo Reishi transformation, right? Why can't Shinigami undergo materialization in reverse?"

"No!

"Transforming humans into Reishi is forbidden, but technically speaking, it is entirely feasible."

Kurotsuchi Mayuri said without reservation, "But have you ever considered the difference between humans and Shinigami?"

"...An extra physical body?"

"Exactly. Humans are beings who possess both an 'outer layer, flesh' and an 'inner layer, soul.' If they want to come to Soul Society, they only need to transform their physical bodies into a Reishi state.

"But Shinigami do not have such convenient bodies. What we possess is only the 'inner layer, soul.'

"To obtain a true physical body like a human's, one would need to turn the 'inner layer' into the 'outer layer'—in other words, materialize it—

"And here comes the problem. Once our souls are materialized into physical bodies, where do we find another soul to put inside those bodies?"

Hearing this, Iori's body trembled slightly, and a dazed look flashed through his eyes.

Kurotsuchi Mayuri ignored whatever reaction he had and continued on his own. "I once went through the library of a certain noble clan. The old Seireitei definitely carried out related experiments, but not a single one succeeded.

"The souls used as test subjects either became walking corpses or collapsed outright.

"In other words, this violates objective laws. Just as material bodies cannot exist in Soul Society, it is one of the laws maintaining the operation of the three worlds."

"...If what you said is true, then for a Shinigami to become 'human,' they cannot materialize directly. They need to find a body that can serve as the 'outer layer,' then become its 'inner layer'?"

"That is the technical principle behind Gigai!"

Kurotsuchi Mayuri bared his teeth in a strange, terrifying smile. "Do you want to know what materials Gigai are made from?"

"..."

In short, as purely spiritual beings, Shinigami could not conjure up an additional shell out of thin air. They had to use an artificial object as "clothing" and then put it on themselves.

Having figured that out, Iori shook his head. "It seems this isn't suitable for me. You don't need to keep an eye on the progress of Gigai technology for me in the future."

What Iori wanted was a physical body that truly belonged to him, one that could freely switch between flesh and spirit without weakening him.

Not a Gigai that was like possessing a corpse!

He had originally thought that, given the special nature of Bleach, perhaps materializing the soul would be relatively easy and would allow him to obtain a physical body without much trouble.

But now it seemed that this was a dead end in Bleach... no wonder even Captain-level Shinigami in the original work needed Gigai to pose as humans when they came to the World of the Living.

Looking at it this way, the Third Magic: Heaven's Feel from the Type-Moon Worldview better suited Iori's needs... but he currently had no way to go to Type-Moon!

And even if he went, he would have to fight in a Holy Grail War. With his current strength, trying to make it to the end by lying low... he had to admit that it would still be somewhat difficult.

"Things in this world really aren't that simple!"

Iori smiled freely. Although he felt somewhat frustrated, once he got over it, he no longer cared.

As he had said before, the future was long and filled with limitless possibilities. How could he become disheartened over a temporary setback?

This kid...

Kurotsuchi Mayuri had not expected Iori to adjust his mindset so quickly. He gave him a surprised glance, curled his lips, then withdrew his gaze and continued with his work.

He guessed... no, he was one hundred percent certain that Iori was not a peaceful fellow. Who knew what earth-shattering scheme he might be plotting in secret, perhaps one harmful to Seireitei.

—But what did that have to do with him?

Kurotsuchi Mayuri did not care, so long as it did not affect the balance of the three worlds. Without the three worlds, he would have nowhere to conduct his experiments.

Other than that, even if every member of Central 46 died, he would not so much as furrow his brow. He might even be happy about it for a while.

Seeing that Kurotsuchi Mayuri had stopped talking, Iori lost interest and prepared to go home as well, but he still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

How should he put it? Kurotsuchi Mayuri's earlier attitude—seeing right through him yet being full of disdain, as if he were the only wise man in the world—left Iori feeling rather annoyed.

"Oh, right. Regarding what we just said about materializing Shinigami... the reason it cannot be done is, simply put, that 'a Shinigami possessing only one soul cannot separately transform it into a physical body and a soul'—in other words, '1' cannot be split into '1+1,' right?"

"Huh? You haven't left yet?" Kurotsuchi Mayuri turned around disdainfully. "Yes. I explained it quite clearly. What part don't you understand?"

"No, no, I just suddenly had an idea."

Iori acted like a studious, well-behaved child as he casually said, "Since '1' isn't enough, why not turn '1' into '2'?"

"What nonsense are you talking... hm?" Kurotsuchi Mayuri's brows twitched as though he had thought of something. He pressed, "What do you mean?"

"As far as I know, there is a mental disorder in this world called 'split personality.'

"Although it is merely different facets created by the deep consciousness for various reasons, in essence, they still belong to the same soul.

"But is there not another possibility? Not only can consciousness and personality split, but souls can split as well.

"If a Shinigami split their soul into two parts, could they not simultaneously create an 'outer layer' and an 'inner layer'?"

"—!"

"Taking that idea further, if a soul could split into even more parts, or if some technique could create multiple copies of it, could one not continuously replace one's main body? Even if one soul were destroyed, the other backups could be activated, allowing knowledge and will to continue being passed on?"

Iori thought for a moment. "If there were always backup souls, wouldn't that amount to immortality?

"How inspiring. Infinite time would mean infinite energy to observe this world... surely after one thousand or ten thousand years, the entire universe would hold no secrets from him at all?"

"You, you, you—"

"Alright, I need to go home and cook. Bye-bye~"

"Wait! Kid! Explain yourself!"

Kurotsuchi Mayuri chased him out the door, but Iori had already left with Shunpo, leaving the mad scientist, whose blood was boiling, to rage helplessly.

"Come back! I'll refund your money if I have to!"

—

That felt good, that felt good. This topic ought to keep him researching for decades~

As for whether this path would lead him toward becoming Aozaki Touko, or toward learning from Voldemort and Orochimaru... what did that have to do with Iori?

He was merely a law-abiding Candidate Shinigami who had voiced a passing thought~

Still, it would be a good thing if Kurotsuchi Mayuri truly produced results. No matter what he researched, Iori would not hesitate to use it as a reference and turn it into nourishment for himself!

Of course, Iori had not gone mad enough to split his own soul like Voldemort. His main purpose was still to study his enemies.

He clearly remembered that the final boss of Bleach—Yhwach—had an ability related to splitting, or rather distributing, souls!

He did not expect Kurotsuchi Mayuri to uncover Yhwach's true nature, but with more research in this area, perhaps he might see some clues when the time came and make a few miraculous little tools or something.

The process by which the protagonists defeated Yhwach in the original work was simply too unreliable. Iori felt it was better to have a few more cards in his hand...

What Are the Five Noble Clans?

The day before yesterday, Iori had agreed with Saitō Fuyōfushi, one of the First Generation Captains, that he would ask her to teach him Shunpo techniques. Both had been caught up in the moment and made the agreement carelessly while drunk, so afterward, he realized they had never clearly settled on a time or place.

Iori had no means of contacting Saitō, and as a Candidate Shinigami, he could not wander freely through Seireitei. He could only wait for Saitō to come looking for him.

However, judging from the unreliable manner of that Expeditionary Army Captain... perhaps she had already thrown the matter to the back of her mind.

Iori did not place much hope in it. After returning from Kurotsuchi Mayuri's place, he went to a nearby district of Soul Society to pick out a gift.

As the saying went, a penny could stump a hero. Since all the money he had earned had been spent on Kurotsuchi Mayuri, it was time to arrange a meeting with Shunsui so that his pockets would be a little less tight.

—Kyōraku Shunsui.

A figure who absolutely counted as an important person in Seireitei.

In terms of bloodline, he came from an upper noble house, bearing the name of a Warrior Clan passed down through generations, second only to the Five Noble Clans;

In terms of lineage, he was a direct disciple of Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni and one of the two disciples most favored by the old man among all his students;

In terms of strength, he was a Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and had possessed Bankai for over a century, at least in this era.

Whether in wealth, appearance, learning, or manner of speech, he fully lived up to the title of noble, utterly unlike those people with empty reputations.

Yet regrettably, such a man—perfect in every respect and even more of a dragon-like protagonist than the future Kuchiki Byakuya—was somewhat flamboyant in personality. He handled life casually and lazily, and had even begun writing romance novels in his youth. He was a genuine literary young man and a rogue, completely out of place amid Seireitei's solemn atmosphere.

The Captain-General had reprimanded him countless times because of this, but even the Strongest Shinigami could not make Shunsui change. Thus, everyone in Seireitei regarded him as an "excellent but somewhat regrettable" man.

—But Iori somehow got along with him remarkably well.

Perhaps it was because they were both creators and resonated with each other.

Setting aside his illustrious status, Shunsui himself was a very easygoing and kind-hearted person. Though a noble, he always liked to visit the taverns of Soul Society, and he could enjoy the games, songs, and dances of the poor as well.

When Iori first met him, he had still looked like little more than a half-grown child, yet Shunsui had patiently listened to him with complete seriousness.

As for how the two of them became increasingly compatible afterward and ultimately formed a friendship despite their age difference... that was another story.

If Shunsui had not been willing to help, Iori probably would not have found a way to publish his novels, much less keep his royalties.