"Rumble—!"
After an unknown amount of time, a sudden bolt of thunder tore across the sky. Soon afterward, massive clouds drifted in from the south. Before long, fierce winds rose, lightning flashed, and thunder roared—yet the torrential rain never arrived.
Fūjin Taichi stared at the gloomy sky in confusion.
Just moments ago it had been bright and sunny. How did it suddenly look like a violent storm was about to begin?
And more importantly…
He now found himself standing on a barren island, completely devoid of vegetation.
Endless ocean surrounded him on all sides. Under the howling winds, waves crashed violently against the rocks, producing deafening roars.
Looking at this utterly bizarre scene, Fūjin Taichi couldn't help blurting out a soul-searching question: "Where's my rickshaw?"
"Rumble—!"
Naturally, there was no one on the deserted island to answer him. But the thunder constantly exploding in the low sky made him suddenly realize something.
"Is that… you?"
"Y… yes… it's me…"
A strange woman's voice echoed beside his ears.
It sounded both near and far at the same time—faint and drifting, impossible to pinpoint.
""Is this... the inner world of Jinzen? How did I get in here so easily?? Could it be… that I'm actually a once-in-ten-thousand genius?!"
Fūjin Taichi's voice wasn't loud, and the thunder and wind nearly drowned it out.
Yet the mysterious person heard him clearly.
"Yes…"
"Then what's your name?" Since his guess seemed correct, Fūjin Taichi immediately asked for her name.
"My name is…"
But when she reached the part about her name, the sound suddenly faded away.
It was as if she had already spoken it—yet also as if she hadn't spoken at all.
This seemed to be a common disease among Zanpakutō spirits.
Whenever they introduced themselves, they acted mysterious and evasive. Obviously weak as hell, yet they still had the nerve to say their masters were too weak to hear their voices.
Some of them played hard to get, refusing to reveal their true name.
Some pretended to be cold and aloof, only saying half their name.
Others simply pretended to be deaf and mute, letting their masters die without a word.
If this nonsense was really one of the necessary steps for a Shinigami to obtain the power of a Zanpakutō—
Then why didn't Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu have all this bullshit?
Did Ryūjin Jakka also point at Yamamoto Genryūsai's nose back then and curse him out?
According to what Fūjin Taichi remembered from Bleach, the more useless a Zanpakutō's ability, the more it liked to run its mouth.
Just like certain people in the Human World—poor yet arrogant.
When facing weak masters, they acted coy and pretentious.
When facing powerful masters, they immediately knelt down and started worshipping.
Clearly, Fūjin Taichi had no intention of indulging such behavior.
So he pointed toward the beach below the island and said calmly:
"If you don't want to say it, then write it down. I won't make things difficult for you."
Shing!
A thin blade suddenly pressed against Fūjin Taichi's lower back. It seemed that if he annoyed her again, his body would be pierced through the next second.
"Whoa there, sis!"
Although he sensed the sword at his back, Fūjin Taichi remained perfectly calm and teased her:
"What, you planning to kill me?"
"My name is Y… En…" the woman said coldly. "I've said it at least three times already. You're the one who couldn't hear it."
"Oh really? So it's my fault then?"
Fūjin Taichi slowly turned around.
Before him stood a purple-haired woman wearing a long red robe.
"I've got bad hearing," he said calmly. "Couldn't hear it clearly. Please write it down."
Swish!
The purple-haired woman sheathed her sword and said without even looking at him:
"I called you here only to tell you my name. If you couldn't hear it, that's your problem. Now leave."
"Leave? Go where?"
Fūjin Taichi glanced at her sideways and said proudly:
"This is my territory. If anyone's leaving, it should be you. Unless you write your name down, I'm not going anywhere."
"Are you really this dense?" the woman turned back and stared at him.
"You're too weak. You can't withstand my power at all."
"If you think I'm weak, then you should help me become stronger!" Fūjin Taichi shot back.
"You called me in here but won't tell me your name. After talking nonsense for a while you want to kick me out. Do I not have any dignity?"
"What they see in me is only a mask. What I see in them is only fear. You…" She gazed at the lowering, thickening clouds on the horizon and sighed. "Do you… truly want to become stronger?"
"More nonsense! If I didn't want to get strong, why would I be here shooting the breeze with you?"
Fūjin Taichi said bluntly:
"Let me tell you something honestly. You might be acting all high and mighty here in the Jinzen space, but outside there are plenty of Shinigami who could beat the hell out of you."
"…."
The purple-haired woman said nothing.
But her expression darkened even more than the stormy sky.
Clearly she was furious, yet she didn't want to waste words arguing with him.
"And another thing," Fūjin Taichi continued, chasing after her.
"I'm a fake Shinigami! I picked up this Shihakushō. I picked up this Asauchi too. I don't know Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpō, or Kidō at all!"
He kept pressing her:
"I'm about to enroll at the Shin'ō Academy. If you try to teach me Shikai or Bankai now, it's probably too late! So just be honest—do you have any one-hit kill ultimate technique or something?"
"…."
The purple-haired woman suddenly stopped at the edge of a cliff.
She blinked a few times.
Instantly, the entire island became filled with countless swords—long blades, short blades, thousands upon thousands of them, densely planted across the ground.
"What are you trying to do?"
"I don't know Shinigami techniques either. To be precise… I'm not actually your Zanpakutō spirit."
The woman stared at the vast ocean ahead and said slowly:
"But I can teach you… The Wind-Controlling Divine Flame One-Sword Style."
"The Wind-Controlling Divine Flame One-Sword Style?!"
Fūjin Taichi only heard the words "One-Sword Style."
His eyes instantly lit up with excitement.
"If I learn it… can I one-shot enemies with a single slash?"
"Well… that depends on your strength."
"Alright! Then I'll learn this One-Sword Style!"
"It's called the Wind-Controlling Divine Flame One-Sword Style—"
The purple-haired woman tried to correct Fūjin Taichi's misunderstanding about the sword style she had created. But he waved his hand dismissively.
"Hey, Sis! Who cares if it's wind or fire? As long as it makes me stronger, I wouldn't even mind going bald!"
"If that's the case…"
The purple-haired woman slowly drew the long sword from her waist. With a solemn expression, she looked straight at Fūjin Taichi.
"Then prepare yourself with the resolve to die, and fight me!"
"Right now?"
Fūjin Taichi glanced at the countless long and short swords scattered across the island.
"Isn't there some simpler shortcut that's easier to learn?"
"There is."
"What is it?"
"When every sword on this island is broken, you will have mastered it."
As she finished speaking, her aura suddenly changed. A tremendous surge of spiritual pressure erupted from her body.
"I've got a question."
"Speak."
"All these swords were created by you, right? I don't even know how many there are. What if you secretly add a few more every day when I'm not paying attention?"
"Shut up!"
The purple-haired woman had completely lost her patience. Raising her long blade, she lunged at Fūjin Taichi.
"Hey! That's cheating—sneak attack!"
Fūjin Taichi hurriedly pulled a crescent-shaped curved blade from the ground beside him and moved to defend himself.
In an instant, the two of them clashed in fierce combat.
...
"Shinigami-sama…"
"Shinigami-sama…"
Amid the repeated calls of Kaka and Rotto, Fūjin Taichi slowly opened his eyes.
Everything around him was dark, except for the bright moonlight pouring down from above, illuminating his body.
"Where are we?"
Deep exhaustion showed in his eyes.
Training in the Jinzen space had clearly drained his mind. He felt dizzy and disoriented, as if suffering from severe mental fatigue.
"We've already passed District 59. We're in the outskirts now."
Kaka leaned his head closer and said in a flattering tone:
"Shinigami-sama, you've been asleep for an entire day. Would you like some water?"
"…Mm."
Fūjin Taichi felt hungry as well. He took out the last rice ball from his pack and slowly ate it, drinking from the bamboo tube of water alongside it.
Although Kaka and Rotto were tall and strong, they possessed no spiritual power. Because of that, simply drinking water was enough for them to absorb the spiritual particles their bodies required.
So after Fūjin Taichi woke up, the two men built a small campfire beside the rickshaw. After drinking some water and chatting for a while, they soon fell asleep.
Fūjin Taichi stared speechlessly at Kaka and Rotto, who were already snoring by the fire.
Damn it… why the hell did you wake me up when it's already night?! So I can stand guard for you two idiots?!
But after thinking about it, he realized the two of them had already pulled the rickshaw across two entire districts, which wasn't easy work.
So in the end, Fūjin Taichi simply held his Asauchi and kept watch beside the rickshaw for the entire night.
...
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