Chapter 370: Satoru vs Hyōsube!
"Hmm... Help with healing? This is no small task."
"Even with my innate physical abilities, healing a special sword like Sayafushi would be extremely difficult."
"If nothing goes wrong, it would at least leave me aching all over with sore waist and knees for several days."
"These days, if only someone could tenderly care for my daily needs, serve me tea and meals, warm my bed and body, surely..."
"Don't even think about it."
Risō Jakumetsu spoke coldly.
As soon as her words fell, the girl in the black dress spoke up:
"I can."
"I'm willing to take care of you, anything at all."
"As long as you allow me to become your blade."
Risō Jakumetsu: "?"
Are we competing now?
Looking at the black-dressed girl before her, her blood pressure rose slightly.
The girl's eyes were calm and clear, clearly showing she was the type who wouldn't waver once set on something.
So sharp yet composed and determined - no wonder when she manifested as a blade, she could achieve such unstoppable effects.
Satoru clapped his hands:
"Excellent! While I can't enjoy my dear Risō Jakumetsu's care, this ascetic-style Radish isn't bad either."
"I'll take this job!"
As he spoke, his figure flashed, appearing before Sayafushi, placing his hand on her head.
"Mmm..."
Sayafushi's cool expression suddenly tightened.
The moment Satoru's hand touched her, she felt an irresistible power instantly flood through her entire body.
This power was both gentle and wild, as if countless hands were delving deep into her body, caressing every inch of her muscles and bones, gently kneading every organ, until even every particle of Reishi composing her body was brushed by these fingertips.
The accumulation of countless stimuli made Sayafushi's body tremble uncontrollably.
Anyone else under such intense sensory overload would likely collapse instantly, bodily fluids flowing freely.
But Sayafushi gritted her teeth firmly, standing strong in place.
Gradually, she felt something changing within her.
Risō Jakumetsu stood nearby, surprise showing in her eyes.
As a Zanpakutō, especially one who had personally severed Sayafushi, she knew exactly how severe the latter's injuries were.
If translated to a Shinigami, it would be like having both neck and waist cut through, connected only by a layer of skin.
As Satoru had said, even if it could be healed, it would be a massive undertaking.
But now, under Satoru's control, Sayafushi's body was like a massive Reishi black hole, constantly absorbing Reishi from the surrounding air, filling her body and repairing her existence.
The two deep wounds on the Zanpakutō held in Sayafushi's hand were visibly healing at a rapid pace!
In mere dozens of seconds, the two severe cuts that looked ready to break at any moment completely disappeared.
Satoru lifted his hand, exhaling deeply.
He was about to ask the girl how she felt when he saw Sayafushi flash with light, transforming.
The originally simple, thin black dress that resembled a nightgown poofed into an ornate black-and-white patterned dress.
Her bare feet were now clad in elegant black boots.
Her small hands now wore black silk gloves.
Under Satoru's gaze, Sayafushi slowly opened her eyes.
Looking at the man before her, she slowly knelt on one knee:
"Thank you, Satoru."
"I, Sayafushi, have completely recovered."
"From now on, I shall serve as your Zanpakutō, unleashing my full power!"
"Hey now, I never agreed to that!"
Risō Jakumetsu couldn't help speaking up.
Satoru chuckled:
"Old Wang, you're just going to stand there and watch?"
Hearing his words, Risō Jakumetsu froze slightly and looked around.
From behind a large boulder, Ōetsu slowly emerged.
He raised his hand to adjust his sunglasses.
Then he couldn't help but clap, applauding Satoru:
"Brilliant, this is... so cool!"
"Even someone called the 'God of Swords' like me had to exhaust all my ideas thinking about how to repair Sayafushi."
"I never expected little Satoru could accomplish it so easily just using his own power!"
"This is truly... an unreasonable ability."
Ōetsu couldn't help but feel emotional.
Although he could also repair Sayafushi, he had to do it through "forging" methods.
Compared to Satoru simply pressing with his hand and restoring it to such perfect condition, he felt somewhat ashamed as the "God of Swords."
However, after thinking about it, he felt relieved again.
It was precisely because he had no other talents and all his abilities lay in forging Zanpakutō that he became the "God of Swords."
The more all-round capable someone was, the less likely they were to receive such specialized titles.
Just like how someone invincible in speed, strength, and vitality wouldn't earn the title "God of Speed."
Ōetsu looked at Sayafushi, then said to Satoru:
"After I forged Sayafushi, I always considered her a failed creation."
"Being too sharp, she couldn't be sheathed in any scabbard, forcing us to carry her in a gel container."
"Normally, if she walked around in materialized form, she would damage everything around her."
"If she hadn't been broken by you before, losing her sharpness, I wouldn't have allowed her to appear in materialized form."
"Compared to me, who can't unleash her true power or even let her move freely, she's better off following you."
"Heh heh, little Satoru, if you have no objections, let this child stay by your side!"
Hearing this, Satoru thought for a moment.
Then he nodded and said:
"Alright, in that case, let her follow me."
He turned to look at the black-dressed girl:
"Sayafushi, from today onward, you are my Zanpakutō!"
Hearing this, Sayafushi's eyes sparkled.
She raised the corners of her mouth and nodded.
Risō Jakumetsu stared blankly at the scene before her.
"...Then what about me?"
All three turned to look at her.
Under Risō Jakumetsu's somewhat dazed gaze, Satoru grinned:
"You're both my wings!"
...
...
In a room lit by an oil lamp, the Priest sat inside with a gloomy expression, staring straight ahead.
His thick hands were gripping something, moving rapidly.
Not far opposite him, the screen showed an intense battle scene.
Foresight Slash!
Iaido!
Spirit Blade Thrust!
Spirit Blade Drop!!
Grrraaaaaaaaah!!!!!
In his extreme anxiety, he unconsciously increased the force on his controller, his face contorting fiercely.
If not for his controller being made of special materials and personally reinforced by Satoru, it would likely have been crushed to dust by now.
Finally, as the giant dragon beast let out a tremendous roar, its heavy body collapsed with a crash.
The Priest grinned.
He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead and looked at the box that popped up in the upper right corner of the screen.
Then, his smile disappeared.
In the damage statistics column, his ranking was clearly below "Baraggan Louisenbairn"!
"Oh! No!!"
He raised his large hand, pressing it against his bald head as he let out a desperate roar.
Damage statistics and the like clearly didn't exist in the original version of the game—who on earth added them later?!
Don't let me find out, or I'll cross your name out for good!!
With a heart full of sorrow and despair, the Priest quickly closed the game, ignoring the provocative messages sent by Baraggan Louisenbairn.
You bastard, just wait! One day, I'll prove that the foolish Switch Axe is no match for the Long Sword!
Suddenly, as if sensing something, his figure flickered and vanished from the spot.
The next second, he was already outside the house.
There, he saw Satoru walking toward him.
Upon spotting Satoru, his first instinct was to glance at the young man's waist.
A few days prior, he had heard that the indestructible Zanpakutō forged by Ōetsu had willingly chosen Satoru as its wielder.
This was an unprecedented occurrence, something unheard of in the past.
He had expected to see Satoru carrying two swords at his waist, but to his surprise, there was still only one blade hanging there.
"Huh?"
The Priest scratched his head.
As Satoru approached, he spoke up:
"Satoru, didn't you get a new sword from Ōetsu? Why aren't you carrying it?"
"Ah... Could it be that this is the new sword, and you've replaced your own blade...?"
"?"
Satoru tilted his head in confusion.
Risō Jakumetsu, hanging at his waist, began to vibrate intensely.
Satoru patted the hilt of the latter:
"Kunihiro, it's all because of your nonsense. Look, Risō Jakumetsu is angry."
The Priest fell silent for a moment.
Why is it that when it comes to me, you immediately know my Zanpakutō is angry, but when it normally vibrates for you, you interpret it as expressing joy?
People shouldn't, or at the very least, ought not to be like this.
Under his gaze, Satoru turned his shoulder.
Only then did the Priest notice that Satoru's shoulder now bore an additional silver metal pauldron.
It looked quite dashing, clearly bearing Senjumaru Shutara's design style.
He grinned, about to offer praise, when he suddenly noticed something.
Staring at the pauldron for a moment, he exclaimed in surprise:
"Sayafushi?"
"Hmph, indeed."
Satoru nodded.
"Because when Sayafushi exists in its Zanpakutō form, nothing can serve as its scabbard. Even if you try to clamp it from both sides without touching the blade, its unimaginable smoothness makes it impossible to grip."
"So I asked Aunt Shōjo to design a pauldron style for me, then used my Reishi decomposition and reconstruction technique to transform her into this form."
"When I need to fight with her, I can just change her back to sword form."
Hearing Satoru's words, the Priest couldn't help but click his tongue.
He too had methods to solve Sayafushi's cutting problem, but they were completely different from Satoru's approach.
Even he couldn't freely alter the Reishi composition of other objects like Satoru could.
Though this wasn't his first time seeing Satoru's ability, each time he witnessed it, he couldn't help feeling somewhat pleased.
He showed an expectant expression:
"What brings you to me today? Want to farm the Veteran King together?"
Satoru shook his head:
"Games can wait."
"I came today to challenge you."
Hearing this, the smile instantly vanished from the Priest's face.
He frowned slightly, showing a hesitant expression.
"A challenge..."
Although he had often invited Satoru to spar before Satoru ascended to their level, now that the moment had come, he couldn't help feeling reluctant.
If it were just casual sparring, he wouldn't mind, willing to practice with Satoru as many times as needed.
But currently, Satoru clearly wasn't looking for such a simple fight.
Through battles with other Zero Division members, Satoru's momentum had been continuously rising.
At this moment, he was like an unstoppable war machine - in peak condition, fully equipped with weapons and armor, all polished to a shine.
One could say that throughout the entire Three Realms, only two and a half people could face Satoru in his current state.
Yet, precisely because of this, he became more hesitant to fight.
Because even with such immense power, such tremendous strength that placed him at the world's pinnacle, Satoru still couldn't bridge the fundamental gap between them.
This gap could no longer be explained by mere "power" alone.
If Satoru, having reached his peak, were to lose this battle, what kind of mental changes might he undergo?
Considering this, the Priest couldn't help feeling concerned.
Seeing the Priest's complex expression, Satoru grinned:
"Kunihiro, you're not worried about me, are you?"
"Uh..."
The Priest opened his mouth, unsure how to respond.
Under his gaze, Satoru's smile grew even wilder:
"Don't worry."
"I came here with the mindset of killing you."
"When you come to kill someone, you naturally prepare to be killed yourself."
"No matter the outcome, I'll be fine with it."
Hearing this, the Priest scratched his head and remained silent for several seconds.
Then, gritting his teeth, he nodded firmly:
"Alright, I understand!"
...
...
Soul King Palace, Omotesandō.
On this day, the atmosphere throughout the upper realm grew heavy.
Kirinji Tenjirō, Nimaiya Ōetsu, Senjumaru Shutara, and Kirio Hikifune.
The four stood high in the sky, unlike previous battles where they sat at the edge of the battlefield.
Each of them gazed solemnly at the battlefield not far away.
No one spoke, and even their breathing slowed to a minimum.
Satoru and Hyōsube Ichibe'e faced each other from a distance in mid-air.
Their white Captain's Haori fluttered in the wind.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Satoru moved first.
He raised his hand, tore off his Haori, and tossed it into the wind.
Then, he shouted loudly:
"Bankai!!"
"Risō Jakumetsu, True Self Illumination!!"
In a flash of light, metal claws materialized on his arms.
Golden shields unfolded behind his back.
The moment his Bankai was complete, his figure instantly crossed the long distance, appearing before the Priest. His metal claws transformed into a storm of cold light, raining down upon the Priest!
Facing the strongest enemy in the Three Realms, he held back no reservations, immediately unleashing his Bankai from the start!
"Haaah!!!"
Hyōsube Ichibe'e roared, his Zanpakutō striking out wildly to meet Satoru's assault.
For a moment, the cold gleam of blades filled the sky, accompanied by explosions from colliding Reiatsu. Even in broad daylight, it resembled a spectacular fireworks display, creating a series of magnificent feasts!
Satoru's arms continuously accelerated.
Simultaneously, the power of Multiple Impacts quietly accumulated.
Under the Priest's gaze, he let out a roar and suddenly struck—
Triple·Ikotsu!!!