Ōetsu Nimaiya brought Sora to a cliff. Below them was a lake that took up half the floating island's area.
On the edge of the cliff, there was only a single thatched hut with a sign that read 'Hōōden'.
"My forge is right down there. Let's jump!"
Inside the thatched hut was a large pipe opening. Ōetsu Nimaiya took the lead and jumped into the pipe.
Sora followed him, sliding all the way down.
After landing, Sora looked around. It was a cave. The constant flow of the waterfall outside made it look like a curtain of water.
In the center of the cave, there was a circular stepped platform.
"This is, my, forge~"
Ōetsu Nimaiya struck a strange pose.
"Then I'll leave 'Tenzui Shinkotsu' to you, Senior Nimaiya!"
Sora unfastened 'Tenzui Shinkotsu' from his waist.
He had gotten somewhat used to Ōetsu Nimaiya's impromptu performances, so he didn't feel too awkward watching it anymore.
Ōetsu Nimaiya took 'Tenzui Shinkotsu' and slapped his palm on the ground.
"Now~ next up is, my, showtime!"
A cylindrical chimney column suddenly descended from above the central circular platform.
Several members of the Zanpakutō personal guard sprang into action.
A petite Zanpakutō holding a shovel spun around the chimney column at high speed, shoveling away the dust on the outside.
A red-haired Zanpakutō stepped forward and breathed fire, lighting the circular platform.
A black-haired Zanpakutō added water to the reservoir nearby.
Another Zanpakutō with bandages on her face unwrapped them, then actually pulled a tooth from her mouth.
She rubbed the pulled tooth in her hands, and it turned into a long-handled hammer.
While the Zanpakutō personal guard prepared, Ōetsu Nimaiya also tied up his hair.
"Preparations complete!"
Ōetsu Nimaiya took the long-handled hammer from his guard and threw 'Tenzui Shinkotsu' into the furnace.
He raised the hammer high and struck down hard.
As he hammered, a Zanpakutō girl blew air from the side, controlling the temperature of the flames.
Clang—
Every strike sent countless sparks flying.
Clang, clang, clang—
Under Ōetsu Nimaiya's hammering, 'Tenzui Shinkotsu' gradually turned into a red-hot blade billet.
"Does re-forging 'Tenzui Shinkotsu' also require 'Temporary Souls'?"
Sora noticed a Zanpakutō girl adding 'Temporary Souls' into the furnace.
"That's right!"
"The core material for the Asauchi I forge is souls!"
"I crush souls with Reishi potential, compress their Reishi together, and forge them into a masterless Asauchi!"
"Sounds bloody, doesn't it?"
"Don't doubt it, the process is very bloody!"
"But after Kirio invented 'Temporary Souls', I successfully improved the 'Asauchi' forging method—using 'Temporary Souls' as the material!"
Ōetsu Nimaiya answered Sora's question while swinging the iron hammer.
"No wonder the invention of 'Temporary Souls' got Miss Kirio promoted to the Zero Division. That really is a great achievement..." Sora sighed.
"Exactly!"
"If I used the old forging method, you'd probably think this place was hell!"
Ōetsu Nimaiya hammered faster and faster.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang—
"Good—now!"
"Come here and pour your Spiritual Pressure into 'Tenzui Shinkotsu'!"
Ōetsu Nimaiya rested the hammer on his shoulder and signaled for Sora to come over and release his Spiritual Pressure.
Sora immediately stepped forward and reached his hand into the furnace.
With his current physical strength, the temperature that could melt metal didn't affect him at all.
Sora grabbed the scorching hilt. In the next instant, terrifying Spiritual Pressure from his body surged into 'Tenzui Shinkotsu'.
"Just like that! Pour your Spiritual Pressure in and feed her!" Ōetsu Nimaiya shouted.
A moment later, Sora pulled 'Tenzui Shinkotsu' out of the furnace.
The next second, the lake water from outside the cave surged in, colliding with the blade of 'Tenzui Shinkotsu' to quench it.
The scorching heat of the blade instantly evaporated the rushing water into steam.
After the water receded, the blade had cooled down.
'Tenzui Shinkotsu' had changed significantly compared to before.
The original 'Tenzui Shinkotsu' looked quite ordinary, appearing exactly like an Asauchi. That was why Sora had previously mistaken it for one.
The current 'Tenzui Shinkotsu' had a blade as white as jade. The ridge of the blade had exquisite patterns, making the whole thing look like a sword made of white jade.
"She's become beautiful!" Sora stroked the blade. He could feel the joy coming from 'Tenzui Shinkotsu'.
With a thought, he entered the consciousness space of 'Tenzui Shinkotsu'.
'Tenzui Shinkotsu' was not Sora's Zanpakutō; she possessed her own consciousness space.
Sora arrived in a place of ice and snow. But if one looked closely, they would realize this endless ice field was actually white jade.
'Tenzui Shinkotsu' was sitting on the edge of a white jade cliff. Her appearance hadn't changed much; she was still the white-haired, emotionless girl he had seen before.
"This is your first time coming in here."
'Tenzui Shinkotsu's' expression remained calm, but her eyes seemed much more lively.
"I can sense your thoughts now," Sora said.
"My connection with the Soul King has been cut. Now, I am closely connected to you instead."
'Tenzui Shinkotsu' nodded.
Before this, there seemed to be a thick barrier between Sora and 'Tenzui Shinkotsu'. If she didn't actively communicate with him, he couldn't sense her thoughts.
Now that she had been reforged with Sora's own Spiritual Pressure, the connection between them was much more intimate.
This connection far exceeded that of other Shinigami who also held Divine Weapons.
"Has your ability changed?"
Sora asked.
"Now I can not only 'sever Reishi', but also let you 'replenish Reishi'. When you use me, there will be no cost."
'Tenzui Shinkotsu' replied.
"No cost!"
Sora's spirits immediately lifted.
Using a Divine Weapon usually required paying a price. The price for using 'Tenzui Shinkotsu' was consuming a massive amount of Spiritual Pressure.
While Sora cut apart the enemy's Reishi, he was also draining himself.
He had been able to kill Lille Barro, the 'Divine Judgment', using 'Tenzui Shinkotsu' purely by relying on his own powerful Spiritual Pressure to hold on.
When Ōetsu Nimaiya reforged 'Tenzui Shinkotsu', he infused it with Sora's Spiritual Pressure. This made him the true master of 'Tenzui Shinkotsu'. The consumption and replenishment canceled each other out, eliminating the cost of using it.
In the future, when using 'Tenzui Shinkotsu', he wouldn't have to worry about consumption issues. He could use it as a regular ability!
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