Chapter 21: Father Can Use My... |
"Captains and lieutenants are to return to their posts immediately. My First Division will oversee the aftermath of this incident."
Yamamoto Genryusai first dismissed the gathered officers, then commanded the shinigami of the First Division to take Hasegawa into custody. The prisoner was to be moved to the Central 46 Chambers for interrogation and sentencing.
The captains took one last sweeping look at the devastation left in the wake of the battle before dispersing in their own directions.
"Let's move!"
Yoruichi patted Soi Fon on the shoulder and stepped toward the Second Division's headquarters.
As they walked, Yoruichi couldn't help but steal a glance at Yeruashi. He was maturing far more rapidly than she had ever expected. Not only did he possess a formidable special ability, but his Bankai...
'The power of his Bankai must be even more overwhelming.'
Judging by today's battle, Yeruashi wasn't quite her match yet, but he certainly stood a fair chance of surpassing her in ten—or perhaps even five—years.
The other captains were undoubtedly reaching the same conclusion.
Yeruashi offered a carefree smile. "You'll see it eventually, if the need arises..."
"Tch."
Yoruichi clicked her tongue in annoyance but stopped pestering him with questions.
As they strolled toward the Second Division, Yeruashi caught a glimpse of the Central 46 residence out of the corner of his eye.
'Aizen didn't move against the council itself, but he definitely took something from the vault beneath their residence.'
Yeruashi looked away, showing little interest in Aizen's schemes. After all, he had already secured what he wanted.
---
The Second Division Residence.
Yeruashi stepped into the spacious, tidy courtyard, where a young woman in a kimono the color of cherry blossoms immediately greeted him.
"Welcome home, Master Yeruashi."
Hisana, who had been sweeping the courtyard, let out a sigh of relief as she approached. "Did something happen?"
Hisana had no desire to become a shinigami and hadn't trained to control Reiatsu, but after traveling with Yeruashi through Rukongai for several years, she had developed a faint ability to sense it.
She had vaguely felt a flare of captain-level Reiatsu. While the specifics eluded her, she knew such an eruption within the Seireitei was no trivial matter. Knowing Yeruashi was out, she had been fraught with worry; seeing him return safely brought her immense peace of mind.
"A trifle," Yeruashi said calmly. "Some fool tried to make a scene, but he failed. Why are you home on a day like this?"
Hisana, still holding her broom, shook her head. "I haven't finished the housework yet, and I didn't want to cause any trouble if I..."
"Big brother, you're back!"
Rukia's bright voice cut Hisana off.
The girl burst onto the porch and jumped toward Yeruashi, not even stopping to put on her shoes.
Whoosh!
Unexpectedly, Rukia—who appeared to be an ordinary child—flew several meters through the air and clung to Yeruashi.
She looked up at him with wide, pleading eyes. "Everyone is having so much fun on the streets today, but Sister won't let me go out..."
Yeruashi smiled, patting Rukia's head before placing her back in the clean hallway. He then turned to Hisana. "Hisana, take her to the festival."
Hisana smiled softly. "It seems Rukia has become your favorite."
Yeruashi treated the cheerful, sweet Rukia like an adopted daughter. He had raised Lilith before, but Lilith had been an adolescent from the moment of her birth, and her mental development was nothing like that of a human child.
Instead of reaching for her shoes, Rukia blinked her large eyes at him. "Is Big Brother not coming with us?"
"My apologies, but I have important business to attend to."
Yeruashi gave her a small smile, stepped out of his wooden sandals, and entered the house.
He wasn't concerned about the safety of Hisana or Rukia, as he had left a trace of his chakra within them.
While shinigami couldn't perceive chakra when it was wrapped in spiritual energy, Yeruashi could use it to track their location and condition at any time.
"Stop bothering Master Yeruashi," Hisana said, resting a hand on Rukia's shoulder as the girl prepared to chase after him. "Let's go have some fun."
Only a few years had passed since they met Yeruashi, and in that time, they had moved from the most desolate reaches of Rukongai to the central district, where survival was no longer a struggle. Hisana truly believed that meeting him in her moment of despair was the greatest stroke of luck in her life. Consequently, she handled all the housework and tried never to burden him, hoping to repay even a fraction of his kindness.
She often worried that Rukia's mischievous nature might irritate Yeruashi, but his constant kindness toward the girl only deepened Hisana's gratitude.
---
Yeruashi retired to his bedroom once Hisana and Rukia had left for the festivities.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them a moment later, an invisible force surged forth, tearing a large spatial vortex into reality.
Yeruashi stepped through the rift and entered the dimension created by his Eyes of God.
It was a dark, silent space spanning only a few dozen square meters.
Once the vortex connecting him to the outside world vanished, Yeruashi raised his right hand.
A small black fragment sat in the center of his palm.
It was a piece of the Reikoa, snatched away just as he destroyed the unstable core.
"Time Reversal."
As he whispered the words, a pale golden glow ignited deep within his pupils. The fragment of Reikoa began to tremble.
Under the command of time, countless other fragments manifested around the trembling shard, coalescing into the swollen mass of the original Reikoa. It quickly shrank in size, regaining its stability.
Yeruashi studied the mysterious, dark purple sphere intently.
'An intriguing little thing.'
The Hogyoku was a product formed from the fusion of countless souls.
The incomplete versions created by Kisuke Urahara and Sosuke Aizen shared a common trait that piqued Yeruashi's interest—their formation process was remarkably similar to that of the Reikoa.
Nonetheless, Yeruashi was certain the Reikoa was not a Hogyoku. There was one fundamental difference: the Reikoa could not stimulate the evolution of a soul.
Throughout the long history of the Soul Society, individuals occasionally succeeded in creating something exceptionally dangerous. The birth of a perfect Hogyoku was the result of numerous coincidences. Even if one perfectly replicated the process, they would likely either fail, trigger a catastrophe, or end up with something like the Reikoa.
The Reikoa itself held no practical use for Yeruashi, but the mechanisms behind its formation and its ability to absorb spiritual energy were well worth investigating.
---
Over the next few months, Yeruashi continued to perform his duties as a shinigami while spending his free time studying the Reikoa within his private dimension.
He completed a handful of missions during this period. In truth, no mission was difficult for him, and old man Yamamoto was more than happy to utilize a captain-level shinigami for the price of a lieutenant.
Silence and peace reigned over the Seireitei during these months. Aizen remained inactive, and Yeruashi was entirely focused on his research.
The Reikoa possessed an incredibly delicate and complex structure.
While it couldn't be compared to a Hogyoku, it was still an exceedingly rare artifact. If the Hogyoku was legendary "orange" loot, the Reikoa was certainly epic "purple" loot.
By regularly accelerating his own flow of time, Yeruashi managed to condense several years of deep research into just a few months of real-world time.
Standing within the temporal dimension of his Eyes of God, Yeruashi held the Reikoa before him.
Crack!
He stared at the orb for several seconds before suddenly tightening his grip. The Reikoa shattered into a thousand tiny pieces.
With the artifact destroyed, Yeruashi stepped forward and returned to his bedroom through a fresh spatial vortex.
'In about a year or a year and a half, I should be ready to head to the Soul King Palace...'
Yeruashi clenched his fist and nodded with satisfaction, feeling that he had finally adapted to Reishi quite well.
Just then, Lilith burst into his room.
Yeruashi didn't mind the sudden intrusion; he had nothing to hide from his own daughter.
"I've achieved Bankai!" she announced.
Yeruashi gave her an approving smile, showing no hint of surprise. "Hmm, about six months to master Bankai... that's a decent result."
While such words would make almost any other shinigami in the Soul Society cough up blood in frustration, there were geniuses who could master it quickly—like Toshiro Hitsugaya. And then there was Kurosaki Ichigo, whose progress made a six-month mastery seem perfectly ordinary.
"Show it to me, then."
Yeruashi smiled and used his power to manifest a much larger, sturdier dimension suitable for a Bankai release.
Following Yeruashi through the vortex, Lilith entered a vast space spanning several kilometers.
She looked around calmly and drew her Zanpakuto.
First came the Shikai.
Her Zanpakuto, which usually resembled a standard katana, transformed into a long, cumbersome scarlet blade.
Lilith gripped the hilt of the massive weapon with her delicate hands and raised it above her head, her captain-level Reiatsu surging outward.
"Bankai, Songu Chishita!"
Hummmm!
As she cried out, the enormous blade was enveloped in a blood-red radiance. It began to stretch and curve rapidly until it transformed into a bow at least five meters long!
The massive frame of the bow was a deep crimson, and the string flickered with blood-red flames that emitted powerful Reiatsu fluctuations.
"A bow?"
Yeruashi was slightly taken aback by the form of Lilith's Bankai.
While Bankai could take any number of forms, he couldn't recall a single one that manifested as a bow.
'It looks more like a Quincy weapon...'
"A Zanpakuto usually develops according to the heart and will of its shinigami. My only desire is to be of use to Father, and so my Bankai took this shape," Lilith explained, holding the gargantuan bow in her small hands. "Unlike other Bankai, this one can be used by others—including you, Father. With my Bankai, you can unleash the most powerful and efficient attack possible, provided you apply your full strength."
"Impressive."
Yeruashi stepped forward and took the massive bow from Lilith, sensing the power locked within.
After a moment, he chuckled. "Your description wasn't quite accurate... while others might be able to use it, I am the only one who can manifest its true power. Because our souls are so closely linked, I can use your Bankai as if it were my own."
"I understand."
Lilith nodded, then instinctively took a step back as she saw Yeruashi preparing to hand the weapon back. "Does Father not wish to test it in action?"
"Better not," Yeruashi replied, shaking his head. "I already have a deep understanding of its strength. With this, I could indeed create a devastating attack, one far more powerful than any sword technique. It could pierce the very sun... but such force is more than the Soul Society, let alone this dimension, can handle. Your Bankai would likely suffer as well."
"I see..."
Yeruashi smiled and patted her head. "Don't look so downcast. We have plenty of time and opportunities to increase your strength in this world."
Once Lilith deactivated her Bankai, they returned to his bedroom.
Just as they stepped out of the spatial vortex and the dimension began to collapse, a figure came running into their courtyard.
"Lieutenant Hatake! Emergency!"
"Squad Commander Soi Fon has come under attack by Hollows, and the Captain is away from the barracks! We've already notified the First Division, but their response might be delayed!"
The figure was a member of the Onmitsukido. He gasped for air and rapped on the door, relaying the crisis.
"Hollows?"
Yeruashi turned toward the window and nodded calmly. "I understand."
With those words, his figure blurred and vanished without a trace.
The member of the stealth force shuddered and looked around frantically, searching for Yeruashi.
'But I...'
'I haven't even given him the specific details yet!'
He looked toward Lilith, his mouth hanging open as he prepared to speak, but she merely spared him an indifferent glance before vanishing as well.
The Onmitsukido member stood in stunned silence.