Chapter 19: Machine Soul Greatly Pleased, the Saint's Sword
Second Division, barracks prison.
Escorted there by the Onmitsukido, Takeru calmly pulled a chair over and sat down.
He glanced around.
The room was spacious and clean, utterly failing to live up to the word "prison." It looked more like an isolation room than a cell.
There were not even any restraints on him. Nothing bound his hands or sealed his movements.
"The goal of getting back to Seireitei before dawn is basically achieved," he mused. "It would be perfect if there were a big soft bed."
Unfortunately, there was no bed.
Besides, he was not sleepy yet.
His first real life and death battle had left his cerebral cortex in a state of excited overdrive.
Looked at from another angle, that was something to be pleased about.
Because after one month, those familiar brush stroke characters appeared before his eyes again.
[Machine Soul: Heaven help us. You led a bunch of rookies to win a rookie battle that was not even at your level. The mental effort you expended is enough to conceive a classic debut work by an amateur.]
"???"
[Machine Soul: You killed the minion who tried to inherit the will of a loser, and you also made the beast of wrath, who would have served another loser in the future, forever lose the chance to meet his best friend. Such a cold blooded display of the Fourth Calamity's might. The Machine Soul is greatly pleased.]
[Machine Soul: You have comprehended the holy sword of a certain otherworld saint who yearned to protect his companions.]
[Machine Soul: Seven Flash has been learned.]
[Machine Soul: Only Flash is being learned...]
Shimiya Takeru's body suddenly trembled.
Even though he was a spirit body, he still felt some mysterious power pouring straight into the depths of his soul.
His head roared, as if being washed by a raging storm.
If that storm had to be named, it was probably a storm of inspiration.
In a daze, a flood of understanding surged into his mind.
He instinctively reached for his sword hilt.
His hand closed on empty air at his waist.
His Zanpakuto had been taken away by the guards when he entered.
Otherwise… the room might already have been gone.
A moment later, Takeru slowly relaxed, and clarity returned to his eyes.
"Just as I expected. The bigger the waves, the rarer the fish you catch."
To fight a Menos Grande head on within half a year of entering the Spirit Arts Academy was, beyond any doubt, an unusually "special" achievement. There was no reason for the Machine Soul to stay silent.
The rewards now arriving proved that his approach had been correct.
"But won't this push me onto the path of a thrill seeker or a battle maniac? I am a very honest person, you know."
If the Eleventh Division heard that, half of them would probably cry with envy.
Even Shinigami in other Divisions would be jealous if they knew.
After all, aside from the Fourth Division, which was strictly forbidden from the front lines, what Shinigami was not already dancing on the edge of a blade, unable to avoid combat?
Shimiya Takeru quickly focused on the two ultimate techniques he had just "comprehended" through sweat and sudden insight.
The Soul Society was the Eastern Branch.
The Dragon's Blood in fairy tales came from the Western Branch in Europe.
There, magic was more prevalent than Zanpakuto, hakuda, hoho, and Kido.
At the core, however, it was no different from Kido. Both were forms of sorcery.
And while "Seven Flash" and "Only Flash" looked like sword techniques at first glance, they were actually magic.
Kido reiatsu was compressed into an invisible state, able to extend into threadlike lines at any moment. Combined with the drawing of a sword, those threads were fired at supersonic speed, like lashing whips of light.
There were seven of them.
In short, it was a "Kido" that instantaneously cut an enemy seven times with seven Kido threads.
That was the "Seven Flash" Shimiya Takeru had grasped.
It was worth noting that those Kido threads were pure reiatsu constructs. They had not undergone a qualitative change into fixed spell formulae, making them excellent ready made materials for further spell casting.
Takeru could already picture a certain scene.
An enemy, having finally seen through the trick, braces for seven slashes.
At that moment, the Kido threads erupt and transform into seven different Kido with various effects, hitting from unexpected angles…
Or the same spell is stacked seven times in one place, drowning the target in unreasonable, overwhelming force.
If a traditional swordsman saw that, they would probably shout, "No! This is far too unswordsman-like!"
As for "Only Flash."
The Machine Soul had clearly indicated that it was still learning, which meant it had not yet been fully mastered.
The reason was simple.
Shimiya Takeru still knew too few Kido.
Just like Aizen, who could cast Hado 90, Kurohitsugi, without an incantation but only at less than one third of its full power.
The strength of "Only Flash" depended on both the number and the depth of Kido one had learned. Reiatsu alone could not draw out its true potential.
It was a conceptual technique.
Both moves were somewhat different from the versions Takeru remembered, but he felt that was only natural. Their worlds were not exactly the same. Besides, had the Machine Soul not said he "comprehended" them himself? It was only reasonable there would be differences.
One day, he might casually extend a finger to cast Byakurai.
Someone else's would be white.
His might be green.
That would not be strange at all.
…
"Captain! Captain! Th this matter really has nothing to do with them."
As Soi Fon walked swiftly through the Second Division corridor, Omaeda shuffled behind her, smiling obsequiously and trying to persuade her in a tone that aimed for righteousness and landed somewhere around desperate.
"They are just a few students. Just let them go. We should focus on investigating that woman from the Shiba family. I think she is definitely involved! She is super suspicious. How about letting me interrogate those kids while you, Captain, go deal with that woman?"
In short: do not be too serious with the kids. If there was going to be trouble, dump it all on that obnoxious woman instead. The Shiba were famous for being hard headed. Was that not a perfect match for the Second Division?
Soi Fon's attitude, however, remained as cold and unyielding as ever.
"Shiba Kukaku will be handled last. Those students are more suitable as a breakthrough point for information."
"N no, Captain, did I not report everything clearly already? Those kids do not know anything. I think we should just release them, or the Spirit Arts Academy will definitely cause problems later."
He really should not have brought that up.
The moment the academy was mentioned, Soi Fon's expression became even colder.
She stopped in front of the barracks room where Takeru was being held and glared at Omaeda.
"The bodies of the missing students have not been found, and there are still many suspicious points. Most importantly, you actually believed the enemy's one sided story."
"If the goal of devouring Zanpakuto is real, then do you have any idea how long that enemy has been lurking in Rukongai, or how many accomplices they might have?"
"You want me to wrap up this case in a hurry, then hand the Captain Commander a report of less than two hundred words about a highly dangerous enemy on the Captain level carrying out an elaborate plot against Seireitei?"
"If you have free time, take a team back to Runrin'an immediately and continue the covert investigation. Arrest and interrogate every suspicious individual you find so they do not have the chance to flee to other districts."
When Soi Fon spoke, it was like a machine gun.
Her words battered Omaeda until he could no longer raise his head. In the end, he could only retreat in embarrassment.
"Incompetent."
Soi Fon exhaled, then gave a curt order to the guard.
"Open the door."
"Yes, Captain!"
The guard opened the door with trembling hands.
Soi Fon stepped inside, head held high. Her pure white Captain's haori framed her petite figure and somehow amplified her presence. A chill lay between her cold, delicate brows that kept others at arm's length.
Her entire aura was like the short blade at her waist. Slender and razor sharp.
As for the impression she gave, it was as if her whole body bristled with invisible thorns, never showing a pleasant face to anyone, making people instinctively avoid getting too close.
Hearing the approaching footsteps, Takeru set aside his thoughts about the new techniques for the time being and looked up.
"Shimiya Takeru," Soi Fon said, her gaze fixed on him, "first year student of the Spirit Arts Academy. You came to the Soul Society through a soul burial performed by Thirteenth Division member Rukia Kuchiki, and it has been just over a month since then."
"To be able to contend with an Adjuchas in such a short time proves your combat skills are excellent. You are not merely a beginner whose only strong point is spiritual power."
"Also, unlike that orange haired brat who kept complaining and feeling wronged, you did not say a single word on the way back to Seireitei. I assume you have already guessed my intentions."
"So I will not waste more breath. Tell me everything you know, and then you can leave."
"Is that all?"
Takeru sounded genuinely puzzled.
Soi Fon gave a cold snort. "What else? Did you expect me to rely on you to investigate the case? Being good at fighting and being able to investigate are two completely different things."
"Sometimes it may look like we are just going on a casual trip to Rukongai. But in a single visit we can find a culprit's hideout. The methods involved are beyond what a kid like you, still sitting in classrooms, can imagine."
"Captain Soi Fon certainly has a great deal of experience."
Shimiya Takeru's tone was respectful.
"Of course. Who do you think you are standing in front of right now?"
For some reason, her expression looked a little unnatural as she said that.
"The Commander of the Onmitsukido, Captain of the Second Division. A super elite holding two posts at once, one of the top combat forces of the Gotei 13, a benchmark for the younger generation, and the spiritual leader of female Shinigami."
"…It is good that you know."
Soi Fon's lips twitched slightly.
"Also, do not say things like that too often. Benchmark, leader, and so on may be true, but as a member of the Onmitsukido, one must always maintain a low profile."
"I have learned a lot," Takeru said solemnly. "With Captain Soi Fon's abilities, I believe no culprit will be able to remain hidden. I will now report all the information I know."
His serious expression and sincere tone did a great deal to smooth out Soi Fon's irritation.
Her gaze toward him gradually grew clearer and more focused.
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