Kido Theory

The Royal Special Forces, also known as the Zero Division, are a squad under the direct jurisdiction of the royal family. They retreated behind the scenes after the establishment of the Thirteenth Division and do not appear unless under special circumstances.

Currently, the squad consists of only three members, each possessing overwhelming strength; their combined power is said to rival the entire Thirteenth Division.

Furthermore, every individual within has made monumental contributions to the Soul Society—or rather, one can only join the Zero Division by making such contributions. For instance, Nimaiya Oetsu invented the Zanpakuto, and Kirinji Tenjiro, whom Ichiro is about to meet, is suspected to have invented Kaido.

Of course, Ichiro could never let his captain know he possessed this information. Knowing of the Zero Division's existence was the absolute limit for someone in Ichiro's current position. He had indeed seen vague records in the library, which gave him the confidence to speak of it; any more than that would be suspicious.

However, Ichiro was genuinely surprised to be coming into contact with the Zero Division so early.

"Is his Kaido very strong?"

"Yes, very strong. My own Kaido was taught to me by him, so he should be able to provide you with significant help regarding the reform of Kaido. I have finished handling my affairs; without further ado, let us depart now. Do you have anything else to attend to?"

"Ah? No, Captain, I am ready to depart at any time."

"Good, then let us go." The captain smiled gently and took the lead, walking toward the exit of the barracks.

The captain's brisk, decisive manner surprised Ichiro slightly, but he quickly hurried to catch up.

One must understand that the members of the Zero Division are not people one can meet just because one wishes to. In the original story, even when the Soul Society faced such massive crises, few people ever got to see the members of the Zero Division. This showed just how much effort the captain had put into this matter.

A short while later, Ichiro and the captain stopped in front of a massive mansion in the noble district.

Just as Ichiro had expected, they were not going to the Soul King Palace. It was clearly easier for Kirinji Tenjiro to come out than for Ichiro and the captain to enter.

"Knock, knock."

"Creak."

The gate opened slowly, and a maid stepped out. She bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Captain Unohana? Lord Kirinji is already waiting at the training grounds. Please, follow me."

"Thank you for your trouble."

On the way, the captain, who had been waiting for Ichiro to ask questions, glanced back at him. Seeing that Ichiro was curious but remained silent, she smiled faintly.

She had forgotten that Ichiro was not born in the Soul Society; his intellect was not that of a student his age, and he could not be treated like a child.

A while later, Ichiro and the captain followed the maid to a massive training ground—so large that it left Ichiro dumbfounded.

It was at least two or three football fields in size!

Was he really this extravagant? This was the middle of the Seireitei, wasn't it? The middle of the Seireitei?

Suddenly, it dawned on Ichiro: the center of the Seireitei was only about twenty football fields in total area. Even the Four Great Noble Houses might not be allocated that much space. Could a single captain of the Zero Division, no matter how special his status, be more special than the Four Great Noble Houses combined?

Therefore, Ichiro calmed down and carefully observed the training ground, finally detecting a faint trace of space-based Kido.

However, Ichiro did not observe for long; his gaze was quickly drawn to a large man with a pompadour who was swinging a hoe to dig a pit in the training ground. This man was none other than Kirinji Tenjiro.

Perhaps because he was digging, Ichiro could vaguely sense an incredibly vast and terrifying spiritual pressure emanating from him. Thus, Ichiro guessed that the pit he was digging was likely a replica of the two hot springs in the Soul King Palace, or something similar.

"Lord Kirinji, Captain Unohana has arrived."

"Mm, you may leave." Hearing this, Kirinji stood up, leaning on his hoe with both hands. After dismissing the maid, he said, "Is this the genius you spoke of, Retsu? This spiritual pressure... his strength is a bit lacking~"

"Kido talent has nothing to do with spiritual pressure."

"Fair enough. Now, kid, tell me your thoughts. Although Retsu gave me a rough summary, I want to hear your own ideas—the more detailed, the better." Kirinji leaned on his hoe, looking at Ichiro with a hint of anticipation.

Ichiro glanced at the captain, and upon receiving her nod, he stepped forward a few paces and began. "Well, regarding the incantations for Kaido, I initially thought of one method, but after the captain's guidance, another path opened up."

"Two paths? Interesting. Let's hear them both."

"The first, as the captain mentioned, is to perceive the incantation verses from the heavens and earth, just like with Kido. Of course, we cannot perceive them now, so we can basically draw two conclusions: one, the method is wrong; two, the world has changed. I personally lean toward the second point. If the world has changed, there are two solutions: one, adapt to the world; two, change the world. Adapting to the world does not mean compromising, but finding new ways to perceive the incantation verses in the new world. This path is unknown; it may yield results, or it may not, but it is worth our constant effort. Changing the world—finding the cause of the world's change and altering it—involves too many factors. Whether we should do this is not something one or two people can decide, but we can start by searching for the cause."

"Change the world, you say? Heh~ what an interesting thought. You are becoming more and more intriguing. That is the new approach, but what about the original one?"

"Compared to these two new methods, the original one has a higher feasibility but is much more tedious. The original method involves taking the existing incantation verses and, through constant decomposition and analysis, realizing the power they possess within Kido, then substituting that into Kaido. While the workload is immense, it also holds great significance for the development of Kido itself. Words alone might not convey the depth of this, so I will demonstrate it. Lord Kirinji, may I use a Way of Destruction here?"

Kirinji spread his right hand and said, "Go ahead, just don't hit my pit."

Ichiro nodded and walked to the side. He extended his right hand, palm forward, and said, "First, this is an Incantation Abandonment similar to current Kaido... Way of Destruction No. 31: Shakkaho!"

In an instant, an orange-red fireball condensed in Ichiro's palm. Since this was a demonstration, Ichiro did not suppress the power but output it normally.

"Boom!"

"That was with Incantation Abandonment. Next is the full incantation. I will slow down the speed; Captain, please perceive it carefully..."

"Lord of the mask of flesh and bone, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Way of Destruction No. 31: Shakkaho!"

"Boom!"

A much larger fireball flew out, causing significantly more destruction.

The simple comparison caused the expressions of Kirinji and the captain to change drastically. During the full incantation, they felt for the first time a rhythm they had subconsciously ignored in the past, and this rhythm was the very culprit behind the change in Kido's power!

However, Ichiro was not finished. His palm remained pointed forward, and he began to chant again, but this time...