Chapter 169
Kaelith’s heart tightened briefly, as though sensing danger.
However, the danger didn’t seem to co from the Zanpakutō spirit before him.
In that case, nothing to worry about.
A crisis not before his eyes was as good as no crisis at all.
Tomorrow’s problems could wait until the day after.
Looking at the battered Zanpakutō spirit, who was now only capable of defending, Kaelith lost interest.
With a midair flip and kick, he booted the spirit straight down from the sky, crashing into the ground below.
With both hands, he pulled the two blades back, the chains wrapping themselves around his arms.
Holding the twin blades, Kaelith used Shunpo to appear beside the spirit.
Seeing her lying in the pit, struggling even to rise, he loosened his grip.
A flash of light—both blades vanished, returning to their original Zanpakutō form as he sheathed it at his waist.
Kaelith reached out a hand to the spirit.
The spirit looked at him, puzzled.
Kaelith tilted his head, just as puzzled in return.
After a few monts of staring at each other, the spirit took a deep breath:
“Kill .”
Surprised, Kaelith stepped back two paces, raising his hands in front of him.
“What are you saying? I, Kaelith, would never commit such a cruel act!”
The spirit: “?”
She knew very well that during the battle against the rebels, Kaelith had killed plenty.
What kind of upright pretender was he playing at now?
Irritated, she said, “Don’t you want to learn Bankai?”
“Kill now, and you can learn it.”
Kaelith’s eyes lit up with realization.
Without another word, he drew his blade. “Heh, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“……”
Seeing Kaelith draw his sword and approach, the spirit fell silent.
Aiming at her neck, Kaelith swung down.
“Wa—”
The spirit tried to speak, but before she could, Kaelith’s blade halted mid-swing.
Noticing her stunned expression, he grinned.
“You were going to tell that I shouldn’t kill you right now, right?”
The spirit looked at him, surprised.
Kaelith withdrew his blade, resting it on his shoulder.
Then, with his other hand, he gestured lightly.
A mass of black energy rose from the ground and ford a silhouette beside him.
“Although I’ve awakened the true Zanpakutō’s power, the shadow blade (Yingda) hasn’t disappeared. (t/N: thinking of calling it Yingda instead of just "shadow blade" even if they an the sa thing)
I had a hunch Yingda’s power contained sothing dangerous.
It’s never shown itself before, probably because you were suppressing it.”
“If I kill you now, weakening the Zanpakutō’s power, that shadowy force would take the first chance to seize the Zanpakutō’s strength.
Then I’d end up with a strengthened shadow from outside this world inside .
That’d be a big headache.”
Hearing Kaelith’s analysis, the spirit nodded with a complicated look.
“Yes, you guessed correctly.
Yingda and I are already hard to separate. If you want Bankai, you must first master Yingda’s Bankai.
Now that you’ve obtained my power in advance, once you master Yingda’s Bankai, you can learn mine at any ti.”
Kaelith let out a sigh of relief.
Though Rixiang Jimie’s ability was strong, Yingda’s ability suited him even better.
Just imagine using Dual Bone with it freely—that’d be exhilarating.
If learning Shikai made him lose Yingda’s power, he’d be crying over the loss…
Sensing his thoughts, the spirit suddenly cast a dangerous look at him.
Kaelith’s heart skipped a beat.
Spending so much ti with Aizen had made him sensitive to vengeful stares.
Aizen might hold grudges, but he had a decent temperant and too many things to do to bother seeking petty revenge.
A Zanpakutō spirit was different—she lived right inside his soul space, plenty of free ti to plot.
And as his Zanpakutō, she probably inherited a bit of his personality.
Not to brag, Kaelith was quite confident in his own grudge-holding abilities.
His mind spun rapidly, and he suddenly thought of a way to change the subject.
He coughed and looked at the spirit:
“When two identical entities exist, one aiming to dominate the battlefield while the other to serve as a mount, increasing combat power…”
“What determines the difference between them?”
Hearing this, the spirit frowned slightly.
Arriving with Shunpo, Aizen also showed a thoughtful look upon hearing the question.
A few seconds later, the spirit tentatively asked: “Is it strength?”
Kaelith shook his head:
“It’s instinct!”
Instinct?
The spirit blinked, seeming to understand sothing.
Kaelith’s words were a reminder.
Though Yingda didn’t originate from Kaelith’s soul, their long fusion had made them inseparable from him and the spirit.
She and Yingda were like a king and its steed. Who would hold the decisive power would depend on who could exert more instinct.
Seeing Kaelith’s “wise master” expression, the spirit felt complicated, then nodded slightly.
“I’ll rember that.”
With that, the spirit vanished into thin air.
Watching his successful misdirection, Kaelith quietly sighed in relief.
Honestly, he had no idea what that speech ant; it just sounded impressive, so he used it to fool her…
Beside him, Aizen gave him a aningful look.
So that’s your approach.
Although you have the capacity for analysis and thought, you leave everything to instinct.
.
That’s how you’ve grown stronger step by step.
Aizen felt so admiration.
Kaelith’s path was pure indeed.
No wonder he, with all his talent and relentless effort, still couldn’t surpass Kaelith.
Unfortunately, that path didn’t suit Aizen himself.
He suddenly wanted to see which would go further in the end: Kaelith’s instincts or his own power enforced by science.
The passion that had cooled due to the pursuit of a peaceful life flared up again.
The pain and confusion he’d felt after seeing those things in the Great Spirit Library settled down once more.
As expected of a companion qualified to walk this path with him… In crucial monts, he always inspired him through his actions.
That grudge he noted earlier… He would rcifully erase one of them. (t/N: ..Just one of them?..)
In his ntal list of “500 Grudges Against Kaelith,” Aizen silently crossed one off.
Then he rembered sothing else.
Just now, didn’t Kaelith casually ntion sothing astonishing?
Recalling a few seconds, Aizen’s eyes suddenly widened.
He reached out and firmly gripped Kaelith’s shoulder.
Facing Kaelith’s alard eyes, Aizen asked:
“Kaelith, just now you ntioned ‘shadows from outside this world.’ What do you an by that?”
If Kaelith’s ability was what he suspected, the value of this pseudo-Shikai would have to be reassessed!
…
The next morning, Aizen entered the Fifth Division barracks with an excited mood.
Last night, he studied Kaelith’s spiritual pressure all night long.
Though his body was tired, his spirits were high.
Just as he planned to find a place to slack off and rest, he noticed a figure walking straight toward him.
Under Aizen’s curious gaze, Shinji Hirako strode up to him.
Without a preamble, Shinji said:
“This is sudden, but the situation’s urgent, so I’ll get straight to the point.”
“Sōsuke, do you want to be my lieutenant?”
Aizen: “?”
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