Your Excellency Is Strong, But My Art Style Is Above Yours! Chapter 27

If he reached the Eastern Island Nation in the future, then with Shangri-La, he would be able to come and go freely across the entire East Sea, even skipping the need to travel by ship.

The only things needed to search for the Eastern Island Nation were time and money, and Iori happened to lack neither.

With a means of crossing worlds and an Imperial Arm capable of long-distance teleportation within this world—what the hell was there to fear with those two preparations?

It was just that he did not know the principle behind Shangri-La's teleportation and feared that Soul Society's unique environment might interfere with its transfer function, so he would not bring it back to Bleach for now. Once matters in the Akame ga Kill World had settled down, he would definitely take this thing back and test whether it could still function normally in Soul Society.

If it could be successfully activated in an environment of spirit particles, or even allow free travel between the three realms... the possibilities would be immense!

In any case, after making his "thorough preparations," Iori set sail on a fishing boat less than ten zhang long while the wind was favorable—only for a storm to snap its mast three days later.

Over the following half month, he set sail twice more. Each time, he either ran aground or encountered a Natural Disaster, and neither voyage succeeded.

Until the fourth attempt, which was roughly the end of monsoon season. If he missed this chance, he would have to wait until next year. Yet even under such pressure, his fighting spirit remained unchanged as he raised sail once more!

This time, the Goddess of Fate was finally moved by his persistence and bestowed her favor upon Iori. The voyage went smoothly, quickly surpassing the limits of his previous three explorations and successfully entering uncharted waters.

Sailing with the wind across the boundless ocean, he saw endless blue by day, with schools of flying fish occasionally streaking across the distance like silver threads. At night, the stars and moon reflected one another upon the sea... It sounded incredibly romantic, but in reality, it was lonely and terrifying.

The weather at sea was even more unpredictable than a girl in love. At times there were violent winds and torrential rain, at times cloudless skies stretching ten thousand miles, at times blazing sunlight, and at times a bone-chilling cold.

More terrifying still, there was no one to talk to. Amid the vast sea, this lone boat was his only foothold. One careless mistake, and he would be doomed beyond redemption!

As a spirit body, Iori was not greatly affected, but during this time at sea, he had come to deeply understand the hardships sailors faced. The old fisherman who had taught him had truly meant well.

With Shangri-La, whenever Iori's spiritual pressure ran low or the loneliness became unbearable, he would return to Soul Society and find a small shop in Soul Society. He did not drink; he simply watched customers come and go. Just listening to them talk brought him endless joy.

The troublesome part was that the place he returned to was basically the "same spot," while the ship kept moving forward. Even with the sails lowered, the currents would continue pushing the vessel along.

Therefore, he could not return to Soul Society whenever he wanted. He could only precisely control his spiritual pressure consumption and wait until he occasionally came across a deserted island where he could dock before returning. Otherwise, he would have to swim all the way to the Far East himself...

Gradually, he actually began to grow accustomed to loneliness. Sometimes he would fish on deck all day; sometimes he would stare blankly at the moon for most of the night.

From the excitement and exhilaration of conquering the sea at first, to the loneliness and boredom that followed, and then to his current ability to take things as they came, Iori unknowingly cast aside his distracting thoughts. Without any prejudice, he began appreciating the scenery at sea with a pure heart.

Perhaps the change in his state of mind had changed his perspective as well. Even scenery he had long grown used to now seemed to shimmer with light, and the entire world became clearer.

He suddenly felt that this ship might never reach its destination, that it would sail forever through boundless azure waters... and that would not be so bad.

If he jumped from the deck, perhaps he could truly become one with the sky, the sea, and the wind...

"Why would I have such a stupid thought?"

Holding his fishing rod, Iori stared at the rippling water and mockingly muttered to himself.

Maybe your brain is full of water.

"...Hm?"

Iori dug at his ear, instinctively glanced around, then suddenly felt something stir in his heart. His gaze fixed straight upon the sea.

Upon the endlessly rolling dark blue surface, the reflected figure was shattered by wind and waves, as though countless fragments of mirrors were swaying and changing...

Even so, it was obvious that the silhouette did not match Iori.

"Was that you speaking?" The boy was unexpectedly calm. "Either I've gone mad, or something is finally about to begin."

Don't you understand perfectly well? That's right—you've gone mad.

"After all, normal people wouldn't talk to their own shadows. Just like the legendary Narcissus, the man who fell in love with his own shadow... Sigh, it can't be helped. That is the fate of a handsome man!"

Resting his chin on one hand and holding his fishing rod in the other, Iori casually asked, "But then again, what does that make you, talking to a madman?"

Me? I am thou, and thou art me!

"But you look like a mass of mosaic, not quite what I imagined—not being a beautiful girl is truly regrettable.

"By the way, what do I look like in your eyes?"

...At the very least, you are not as beautiful as Narcissus~

The reflection in the water spoke in a pleasant, androgynous voice:

And you do not look particularly intelligent, either.

"My apologies, then."

Iori laughed. "My name is Iori Aizen. What is yours?"

Enough of these little tricks. If you want to know my name—you must call it out yourself!

Super Dangerous Species: Dragon!

Iori was not surprised by the appearance of the "reflection."

With his level of spiritual pressure, he should have long since begun nurturing a Zanpakuto and perhaps even developed Shikai. He had merely been deliberately avoiding that process, which was why it had been delayed until now.

However, as solitude gradually polished his state of mind to completion, a spiritual transformation was also about to arrive. Even though he did not have an Asauchi in his hand, a certain power naturally manifested within his heart.

This was entirely different from the usual awakening process of a Shinigami, yet Iori found it strangely natural. Though there was no clear path ahead, he held an inexplicable premonition... With that being the case, finding a blade blank had become increasingly urgent.

Iori did not lose his composure over this. He continued sailing patiently upon the sea, merely adding a daily meditation practice to explore his inner self, which left him somewhat mentally fatigued.

After entering the depths of the ocean, he occasionally encountered strange fish and aquatic Dangerous Species resembling great serpents. However, with the convenience of his spirit body, Iori was not particularly afraid of fighting in water. He slew all Dangerous Species of ordinary strength, while stronger individuals would retreat into the deep sea after realizing there was a tough opponent aboard the ship and would no longer ambush him.

Thus, apart from meditation, he fought Dangerous Species. His days were no longer quite so boring.

...On the forty-seventh day at sea, the boy was idly practicing Suburi on deck when the weather darkened at an alarming speed. The atmospheric pressure gradually grew heavy, and the already damp sea wind carried an indescribable chill.

Having gained some experience by now, Iori caught the scent of a "storm." If his ship were destroyed by a tempest after sailing this far, all his previous efforts would be wasted. Yet Iori was not overly flustered. He simply followed the knowledge he had learned from old sailors, lowered the mainsail, and carefully controlled the helm.

He now resembled a monk who had completed a grueling ascetic practice. His heart was incomparably calm, and he felt no fear even in the face of the Natural Disaster about to strike.

Before long, the wind and rain arrived as expected. Yet for some reason, an unusual sense of foreboding flashed through Iori's heart.

He turned and looked slightly northeast. He saw nothing unusual; only, the rain clouds there seemed especially low, almost ready to descend upon the sea. Lightning occasionally flashed between sky and ocean, making the sight all the more dangerous and terrifying.

Suddenly, an exceptionally brilliant bolt of lightning tore through the darkness, illuminating several vague black shadows scattered across the sea...

Were they... creatures? No, the one on the surface... was that a ship?

He had finally found a clue!

Without much thought, the clear-minded Iori decisively turned the bow into the crashing waves. While struggling against the violent currents, he used their force to draw closer to that dangerous area.

When he was roughly five hundred meters away, Iori finally saw what those indistinct black shadows were in the flash of lightning—they were twenty three-masted sailing ships!

Their tonnage far exceeded that of Iori's little fishing boat. Yet even amid this storm, they could not escape the currents' restraint and could only struggle desperately.

Strangely, in such chaotic currents, the fleet was packed far too closely together. That made collisions extremely likely... It was practically like a school of sardines gathered together out of fear of something.

But... if that was the case, where was the predator?

The thought had barely crossed Iori's mind when an unusual trembling sensation swept through his entire body, making him slowly and stiffly raise his head:

Was that a cloud? A mountain?

No, it was a dragon!

An enormous, winding body emerged from the pitch-black clouds, swimming as though it had no end. Thick lightning bolts crashed down from between the clouds, illuminating blue-black scales that gleamed like steel, along with a silver-thread-like mane.

Though he could not see its full form, even that glimpse of a scale and claw was enough to make everyone think of that legendary creature—

A dragon!

At that moment, a powerful being that should have existed only in myths was twisting and circling through the clouds less than two hundred meters above Iori's head!

Rumble...

Perhaps it was an illusion, but even the deafening thunder seemed to carry a majestic dragon's roar to Iori's ears.

"A Divine Beast... no, in this world it should be called a 'Super Dangerous Species'!"

Iori watched the scene in shock. Only after the dragon's body vanished completely into the clouds with a flick of its tail did he finally let out a long breath.

An utterly unmatched power!

He could sense its astonishing vitality merely by looking from afar. Not even lightning could compare to it. It was impossible to imagine that such a thing was a creation of nature!

It was said that Imperial Arms were made using materials from Super Dangerous Species, which was why they possessed all manner of special abilities.

Yet clearly, Super Dangerous Species also varied in strength, and the performance gap between Imperial Arms proved it.

The weaker Imperial Arms were not much different from ordinary cold weapons, merely sturdier or sharper. But exceptional Imperial Arms could "control the dead" or "teleport through space." Some, like Queen Esdeath's Demon God Manifestation, could control the weather and freeze time and space when developed to the utmost!

In the original story, Kurome had once controlled the corpse puppet of a Super Dangerous Species. But Iori was certain that even if that puppet had been alive and at its peak, it would not have been a match for this gigantic dragon!

If he came into conflict with something like this Natural Disaster...

Iori actually simulated it and found that his current self had no chance of victory at all!

Without considering spiritual pressure consumption, his strongest attack was nothing more than a fully incanted Hadō #78. That was already exceptionally impressive for a Candidate Shinigami not yet in his third year, but it probably could not pose a fatal threat to such a transcendent creature...

If it were measured against the Menos Grande in Bleach, this thing was definitely Adjuchas-class... As for Vastolorde... Iori's strength made that difficult to estimate.

Damn it, how did the First Emperor from a thousand years ago subjugate something like this? Humans in Akame ga Kill! did not seem that powerful!

Could it be like a Souls game, where they just kept throwing lives at it while rolling around and hacking at its ankles...

Forget it, there was no point dwelling on that. Making Imperial Arms only required materials; it was not as though they necessarily had to kill them. Maybe they had merely picked up some discarded remains or shed parts.

Today had truly been an eye-opener—just as Iori thought this, a powerful gust tore open the dense clouds, and an invisible shockwave blasted toward the distant fleet!

Boom!

The sturdy hulls that could withstand a storm became as fragile as rotten wood. The overwhelming impact instantly snapped their keels, splitting entire ships in two. Then towering columns of water erupted, sweeping countless "little black dots" into the chaotic, violent currents.

Next, Iori watched in astonishment as streaks of fire shot out from the other large ships. It seemed that siege crossbows had been installed aboard them. The arrows they fired were thick and long like cavalry lances, shooting toward gaps in the clouds.

Immediately afterward, a long dragon roar rang out. Flaming spears fell from the sky, but the fleet had clearly trained beforehand. Wave after wave of attacks left no gaps, pouring forth like a rainstorm.

ROAR!!!

The furious bellow churned the clouds, and the majestic figure appeared once more. Wave after wave of invisible wind blades swept past, slicing open nearly a hundred meters of sea surface along with two large ships in one go.

However, this also brought it closer to the sea. Streaks of fire immediately lit up from the ships as meteor-like stones were hurled into the sky, then burst like fireworks. Eerie purple flames instantly stained half the heavens.

Roar~~!

This roar seemed to contain not only fury, but also a trace of pain.

"Are these people... hunting this dragon?" Iori was stunned. It was not their courage that surprised him, but why they would do such a thing.

To gather Imperial Arm materials? But if their technology was capable of slaying dragons, why would they still covet Imperial Arms?

The next moment, the dragon completely emerged from the clouds. Its true form was majestic and imposing, while its mane and long whiskers flowing in the wind lent it an added touch of holiness.

It was at least three or four hundred meters long by visual estimate, with part of its winding body still difficult to discern amid the clouds and mist.

The only flaw was that its body was covered in crisscrossing, vicious scars. In many places, even its scales could no longer regrow, turning what should have been an incomparably beautiful body into something eerie and sinister.

However, Iori sharply noticed that those scars had not been inflicted in the recent battle. Many were clearly old wounds accumulated over years, perhaps irregular injuries formed after being damaged and healed again and again...

It was difficult to imagine how many battles such a powerful creature had experienced to bear so many scars.

Then, under Iori's astonished gaze, the swimming dragon with blue-black scales and a silver-white mane actually lowered its altitude on its own initiative. It submerged its body into the water and effortlessly destroyed a warship through sheer physical strength.

"Why abandon its own advantage?" Iori frowned tightly.

He did not believe that the arrow barrage and catapulted stones could truly bring the dragon down. This was not a game where you could force a flying unit to the ground and whittle it down...

After the dragon entered the water, small boats were lowered from the warships one after another, surrounding it from every direction. When black dots began leaping into the air and climbing onto the dragon's body, Iori realized that the humans intended to fight at close quarters!

The battle was extremely fierce... or rather, fiercely one-sided.

Even from so far away, Iori could see that those who dared challenge the dragon from small boats were all highly skilled warriors. They specifically attacked the scarred areas, avoiding the hard dragon scales, and successfully carved fresh, bleeding wounds into the Super Dangerous Species.

What was even more inconceivable was that despite possessing long-range means, the dragon seemed to have lost its mind. It fought like a pure beast, continuously using its claws, fangs, and tail to destroy the warships. Though its efficiency remained high, it inevitably became the target of concentrated fire and suffered many unnecessary attacks.

Even stranger, it did not seem to actively "remove" the human swordsmen on its body. It killed many while thrashing about, but people constantly managed to remain on its body and continue their destruction...

And so, the humans' courageous battle continued until, at last—

Not a single warship remained.

Even though they were well armed and had prepared many targeted tactics, and even though the dragon seemed to have gone mad and abandoned its strengths for its weaknesses, the gap in raw power remained impossible to overcome.

In the end, the dragon was covered in wounds, its majestic body drenched in blood, yet it still stood firmly upon the sea. On the human side, not one warship remained, only a few small boats.

"...Roar!"

Glancing over the devastated sea, sorrow appeared in the dragon's eyes. It let out another long cry and rose into the sky, thousands of tons of blood-red seawater cascading down like a waterfall of blood.

The storm had already ceased, though dark clouds still gathered in the sky. Iori watched the dragon disappear into the clouds from afar, its roars gradually fading away. He could not help but exhale a long breath of hot air, and the tension in his mind abruptly loosened.

After thinking for a moment, he steered his little boat toward the battlefield. With so many people, there should be survivors. If he could rescue even one or two, perhaps he would learn the Eastern Island Nation's exact location.