[ Fusion Steps:
1. Release the Cloth's armed form and return it to the Cloth Box.
2. Summon your soul weapon, 'asauchi'.
3. Align the core contact point of the Cloth Box with the core contact point of the asauchi's hilt.
4. Concentrate your will, guide your Spiritual Pressure to pour into the contact point, and prompt the resonance and fusion of both powers.
5. After a successful fusion, the Cloth's power will be transformed into the power of the 'Zanpakuto Release' form, requiring Spiritual Pressure to drive it.
Warning: The fusion process is irreversible, please proceed with caution! ]
After reading the manual, Hiroki suddenly understood. It turned out that the gold cloth was just a decoration for someone like him who lacked Cosmo; it had to be "localized" to be used!
And the fusion medium was his almost never-used asauchi.
He quickly thought again: "Release Cloth!" With a flash of golden light, the heavy gold cloth instantly separated, flying back in an orderly fashion into the expanded box, the golden light faded, and the box closed again.
He spread his palm and thought again: "Come forth, asauchi."
A subtle ripple of spiritual energy spread through the air, and a most ordinary guardless straight-bladed katana appeared out of thin air in his hand. The end of the hilt was bare without a peg; it was precisely the "asauchi" standard for all Shino Academy graduates, which had yet to be infused with the owner's soul essence.
Hiroki took a deep breath, trying to mobilize the still-weak Spiritual Pressure within his body.
Following the manual's instructions, he held the asauchi's hilt in one hand and picked up the Cloth Box with the other, carefully aligning the end of the asauchi's guardless hilt with the core of the Centaur Archer relief in the center of the Cloth Box.
Buzz... A strange sense of resonance instantly pulsed from the contact point! It wasn't a physical sensation, but a vibration reaching directly into his soul. The soft golden light on the surface of the Cloth Box began to flicker, pulsing like a heartbeat.
The blade of the asauchi in his hand also began to vibrate slightly, emitting a low hum, and the metallic luster on the surface seemed to flow.
Hiroki immediately concentrated his will, guiding his Spiritual Pressure—which wasn't particularly massive but was exceptionally condensed (after all, his starting point was Captain-level)—pouring it continuously from his palm into the asauchi's hilt, then through the contact point toward the core of the Cloth Box!
At first, the Spiritual Pressure was like a clay ox entering the sea, with no reaction at all. Hiroki grit his teeth, fine beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead as he continued the output. Gradually, the fusion point began to heat up!
A stronger suction came from the Cloth Box, actively pulling at his Spiritual Pressure! It was no longer a one-sided infusion, but both sides searching for a common frequency!
The vibration of the blade and the box became more intense! The golden light became brighter and more condensed, no longer just scattering, but converging into a beam of light that flowed through the contact point into the interior of the asauchi!
The blade of the asauchi also began to change; the pure white blade light was gradually tinged with a noble gold, and the hilt seemed to be plated with a layer of brilliant golden light!
Finally!
Pop! A soft sound like a bubble bursting.
The light suddenly retracted, and the fusion point released a circle of invisible energy ripples that instantly spread out, blowing away all the dust in the room.
The asauchi in Hiroki's hand had already undergone a massive change in appearance!
The length and basic form remained unchanged, but the blade had become pure as crystal, with brilliant light flowing inside as if liquid gold were moving within. At the guard position, there was now a small relief of a golden centaur with spread wings! The hilt was wrapped in fine golden threads, and the end was inlaid with a golden gemstone like a frozen star, within which the Centaur Archer could be faintly seen.
More importantly, a connection as natural as moving one's own limbs was established! Hiroki could clearly feel a slumbering, massive power that seemed capable of piercing through the galaxy and shattering illusions sealed within this blade, waiting for his awakening and control at any moment! This wasn't the call of a Shikai... the level of this power had clearly crossed that boundary!
At this point, Hiroki finally learned his true, self-will-derived—Bankai!
Damn! Feeling the deeper connection with the Zanpakuto in his body, a sense of absurdity that made him not know whether to laugh or cry welled up.
I've spent so much time in the Soul Reaper World without even knowing what my Shikai was, yet I came to the Saint Seiya world, had a fight, took an AE to the face, was unconscious for three days, and now I've achieved Bankai in one step?!
But regardless, besides that scammy one-time Tai Xu Sword Qi, he finally had a top-tier ability that could truly allow him to stand firm in the Captain-level domain and fight in a normal state!
"Whew..." Hiroki let out a long breath of turbid air, his exhaustion tinged with uncontrollable excitement. He hefted the brilliant Golden Centaur Zanpakuto in his hand (it was no longer heavy this time) and tried to store it in his spiritual body; with a thought, the glittering golden blade disappeared into the air.
This feels much more reassuring!
Hiroki didn't try the feeling of Bankai in the room; the commotion would be too great.
Finally, he turned his gaze to the remaining reward—a scroll emitting an ancient, mysterious aura, with faint vortices of chaotic air appearing around it.
Summoning Scroll.
This was one of the "extras" he had just earned; he hoped for a powerful helper.
Let's see who can be recruited as a part-timer... cough, as a reliable comrade-in-arms this time!
"System, use the Summoning Scroll!"
"Alright, executing summoning procedure."
Just as the cold system prompt finished, a golden pillar of light, far more dazzling than an ordinary teleportation, appeared out of thin air, tearing through the room's silence without warning. The light pillar wasn't blinding but carried a certain sacred and ancient texture, with light and shadow flowing inside as if countless stars were rising and falling within it.
The pillar of light lasted for about two or three seconds, then suddenly collapsed inward and dissipated on the spot.
And a slender figure appeared in the center of where the light pillar had been.
A girl dressed in a high-collared black sailor suit, with ink-black hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall, was surveying her surroundings with a hint of post-awakening daze and sharpness. Her features were delicate, her temperament a blend of coldness and resilience, and in her hand, she held an ancient-looking katana with a scabbard wrapped in charms—it was none other than Shishio 'Rankuren'.
The girl's eyes, like those of a wary feline, quickly scanned the simple, pure white modern room, finally locking onto Hiroki and Izumi beside him. Her gaze paused slightly on Izumi's unique Mangekyo Sharingan, and she raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Hmm?" The girl let out a puzzled sound, and then the corners of her mouth curled into a slightly playful yet distant arc. Her voice was clear but carried an undetectable trace of fatigue. "Is this the world after death? It's... much brighter than I imagined. Truly mysterious." Her fingers unconsciously stroked the hilt of Shishio, as if performing some kind of confirmation.
He sighed, trying to keep his tone as calm as possible: "Ah, well... not exactly. Didn't the system shove the specific details into your head when you appeared?" He pointed to his temple, indicating the information infusion.
"Information?" The girl tilted her head, a few strands of long hair sliding down, her eyes looking somewhat uninterested. "Oh, you mean that long passage about the 'Cross-World Dispatch Agreement,' 'Temporary Employee Code of Conduct,' and 'KPI Performance Settlement Standards'?"
She waved her hand, the movement as casual as shooing away a fly. "It's so dense, it gives me a headache. I didn't bother looking closely."
Hiroki and Izumi glanced at each other, and the corner of Izumi's eye twitched almost imperceptibly.
Hiroki rubbed his temple. Well, another problem child, and she seems rather... free-spirited?
"Alright," Hiroki decided to simplify the process, pointing to himself and Izumi beside him. "To put it simply, we are carrying out a mission in another world, which is this place that doesn't look much like hell. And currently, due to follow-up requests from the client, we haven't been able to return to our original world—well, a world filled with Shinigami, Hollows, Zanpakuto, and such."
The girl—Isayama Yomi—nodded after listening, her expression ripple-free, appearing to have a high acceptance of settings like "other worlds" or "Shinigami and Hueco Mundo."
She turned her attention directly to the more core issue, her fingers lightly tapping the scabbard, making a crisp sound: "Other worlds... missions... I see." She looked up at Hiroki, her eyes sharpening. "So, who is the opponent this time? How strong are they?"
"Don't be in a hurry," Hiroki quickly waved his hands; he had to check this fighter's worth first.
"There are opponents, and they are very strong. But before that..."
With a thought, he communicated with the system. A translucent attribute panel instantly expanded in front of both Hiroki and Isayama Yomi:
Summoned Entity: Isayama Yomi
Name: Isayama Yomi
Identity: sesshōseki (Fragment) Host
Spiritual Pressure: Second Class
Skill Levels:
Hakuda (Fighting Techniques): D
Shunpo (High-Speed Movement): D
Kido (Spiritual Arts): B (Requires release through a spiritual beast medium)
Zanjutsu (Swordsmanship): S
Equipment:
Spirit Blade: Shishio 'Rankuren' - Possesses the ability to manipulate "Nue" type spiritual beasts for mid-to-long-range combat. Current Status: Spiritual Body Nue bound.
!!!
After reading the panel, Hiroki's eyes instantly widened, his jaw nearly dropped, and he roared frantically in his heart:
Wait, big sis? Why do you have Second Class Spiritual Pressure right from the start?!
This starting point is way too high! Hiroki thought back to his own struggles and the multiple perils he endured to reach his current Captain-level, and instantly felt that comparisons are odious.
Moreover, Hiroki had thought that Yomi would at most have around 4th or 5th Class Spiritual Pressure, merely Lieutenant-level strength.
He thought the system had summoned a little girl to serve tea and water this time.
So you were holding back when you fought Kagura too?
And! That sesshōseki fragment was packaged and came along with you too? Hiroki looked at the identity column with a face full of disbelief.
So your current ridiculous level of Second Class Spiritual Pressure is entirely piled up by this one small fragment?!
This impact was too great! He only knew before that the sesshōseki contained powerful demonic energy, but a single fragment could elevate a soul to Second Class Spiritual Pressure?!
This energy density is simply off the charts! What kind of world-destroying power would a complete sesshōseki contain? Wouldn't it have to be compared to the Soul King's essence?
Hiroki's gaze swept toward the skill column, his brow furrowing deeper.
Why are your Hakuda and Shunpo only D? Kido is B... and it's 'relying on the spiritual beast Nue to release'?
The only decent one is this—Zanjutsu: S! Tsk... so you really just rely on a single sword to roam the world?
This skill tree is way too extreme!
Just as Hiroki was frantically complaining, Isayama Yomi also saw her own panel data.
"Second Class Spiritual Pressure..." she read softly, tilting her head slightly to look at Hiroki, a hint of inquiry in her eyes. "This'Second Class'... in your world, what level does it represent?" She seemed somewhat interested in this novel evaluation system.
Hiroki took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent waves in his heart, and explained as objectively as possible: "In our original Soul Reaper World, Second Class Spiritual Pressure is already a high-level combat force standing near the top of the pyramid. Aside from a few old monsters who have lived for thousands of years, very few can steadily overpower you. Theoretically, you are strong enough to run rampant in most areas."
He paused and added, "However, there's still a significant gap compared to those monster-level existences standing at the world's peak."
After hearing this, a glint flashed in Yomi's eyes, appearing not entirely satisfied with this evaluation. She lightly stroked the guard of Shishio, her tone carrying a bit of the arrogance inherent in the strong and... regret? "Is that so? Not the peak... what a pity."
Hiroki saw her look of dissatisfaction and found it a bit funny yet a bit of a headache.
He quickly pulled the topic back to the harsh current reality: "Well, what's even more of a pity is... in this current mission world (Saint Seiya world)..." Hiroki's expression became extremely serious, and his voice lowered, "Facing the big boss of our mission—that Gemini Gold Saint, Saga..."
Hiroki looked directly into Yomi's eyes and said word for word:
"The current you, if you were to face him, would most likely... still be unable to beat him..."
The atmosphere in the room instantly became extremely quiet.
"..."
Yomi fell silent.
The somewhat lazy and uninhibited expression on her face gradually retracted, replaced by an extreme, almost icy focus and gravity.
The powerful aura naturally emanating from her due to her Second Class Spiritual Pressure seemed to settle down, yet it also felt as if it were brewing something even sharper.
She didn't look at Hiroki or Izumi, but just slightly turned her face, casting her gaze out the window, as if piercing through the walls to see the silhouette of some indescribable powerful enemy.
The bright sunlight outside spilled onto her well-defined profile. In the depths of her half-squinted, blade-sharp eyes, no scenery was reflected, only a deep darkness that was evaluating limits and challenges.
Her fair fingers silently tightened around Shishio's scabbard, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force. The wooden scabbard wrapped in charms let out an extremely faint, almost inaudible groan.
"Don't worry," Hiroki said, looking at Yomi's expression of regret as if she had missed a million-dollar jackpot, unable to resist offering comfort, though he wanted to complain even more. "We have the combat power to deal with him on our side!"