Chapter 151 – Soi Fon’s Choice

Chapter 151 – Soi Fon’s Choice

Hōmonka – a black butterfly-shaped mark left on an enemy after Soi Fon struck them with her Shikai-released Suzumebachi. If Soi Fon landed a second attack on the same spot, the overlapping Hōmonka would instantly kill the enemy.

However, this ability became ineffective against individuals with significantly higher reiatsu than Soi Fon. In fact, this wasn't unique to Soi Fon; almost all Shinigami Zanpakutō abilities were weakened or rendered useless when facing opponents with vastly superior reiatsu. Naturally, powerful abilities required even greater reiatsu to counteract their effects. This was what Aizen meant when he said a Shinigami's battle was a battle of reiatsu.

"If your Zanpakutō's ability truly is 'Nigeki Kessatsu' (Two-Hit Kill), then you should be able to kill an enemy by striking the same spot twice consecutively with lightning speed," Ailin explained. "But in reality, that doesn't work, does it?"

Soi Fon stared at Ailin in shock. After learning about her Zanpakutō's ability, she had tested it as Ailin described, but the results confirmed his words – rapidly striking the enemy twice wouldn't kill them.

"For your 'Nigeki Kessatsu' to take effect, you need to wait for your attack to form a complete 'Hōmonka' on the enemy. Only when your second attack hits the same spot, perfectly overlapping the two Hōmonka, will the ability kill them.

This is what I meant when I said it's not your Zanpakutō that kills the enemy, but the 'Hōmonka'."

In Ailin's opinion, Soi Fon's "Nigeki Kessatsu" wasn't even as strong as the ability of 3rd Division Vice-Captain Izuru Kira’s Zanpakutō, "Wabisuke." After all, in Kira's hands, "Wabisuke" could stack its ability through consecutive attacks.

"Soi Fon, I speculate that your Zanpakutō's Shikai ability is the 'Nigeki Kessatsu' of Hōmonka, and its Bankai ability might be something that can achieve 'one-hit kill'.

However, just like your Shikai, your Bankai might have even stronger limitations. Mastering Bankai might be a burden for you right now."

In the world of Soul Society, if anyone understood Zanpakutō better, Ailin would consider himself second only to "Sword God" Ōetsu Nimaiya, who wouldn't even dare claim to be first. Indeed, Ōetsu Nimaiya was the creator who forged the prototype of Zanpakutō, "Asauchi." But Ailin, in essence, was a "sword" himself – a "Kenjin."

Furthermore, the Zanpakutō Ailin had forged over the years, and the memories he had absorbed from countless weapons, gave him unparalleled understanding in the realm of "swords."

Ōetsu Nimaiya created the prototype of Zanpakutō, "Asauchi." After obtaining an Asauchi, a Shinigami would cultivate its "spirit" through "Jinzen," nurturing it with their own soul. In Ailin's understanding, this was somewhat akin to cultivating a "second primordial spirit" in the world of Xianxia.

"Asauchi" was the catalyst. The "spirit" nurtured by the Shinigami could manifest certain traits of its owner into various abilities. By calling out the Zanpakutō's name and achieving Shikai, the Shinigami merged with the Zanpakutō's "spirit," boosting their reiatsu and granting them control over the Zanpakutō's abilities.

And Bankai, the final form of a Zanpakutō, in Ailin's view, was like the "second primordial spirit" growing up and maturing.

If one cultivated "Bankai" before the Zanpakutō's "spirit" was fully nurtured, it would be like forcing the "spirit" to mature prematurely.

If the abilities were of the same lineage, achieving Bankai prematurely wouldn't have much impact on future cultivation. As reiatsu increased, any slight developmental deficiencies would gradually improve. This could be seen in Tōshirō Hitsugaya.

Therefore, when Ginrei Kuchiki was on the verge of death, Ailin took Byakuya Kuchiki to Kisuke Urahara to borrow a Gigai, allowing Byakuya to complete his Bankai training prematurely. After all, Byakuya's Senbonzakura, like Tōshirō Hitsugaya’s Hyōrinmaru, had a Bankai ability that was an enhancement of its Shikai ability. Prematurely completing Bankai wouldn't have any negative impact on their future cultivation.

However, if the Zanpakutō's Shikai and Bankai abilities differed significantly, the forced maturation of the "spirit" would result in a weaker Bankai compared to others.

Ikkaku Madarame, Renji Abarai, and Soi Fon all belonged to this category.

After Ikkaku Madarame's Zanpakutō entered Bankai, it needed battle to awaken its true power, and any damage to the Zanpakutō would weaken the Bankai ability permanently, rendering it irreparable.

Swoosh!

Two figures flickered, reappearing farther ahead with each blink. These two were naturally Ailin and Soi Fon.

With their Shunpo, many Shinigami couldn't even detect their movements. Only the captains standing at the pinnacle of Soul Society could capture their fleeting forms.

The moment they saw the two, everyone knew that perhaps soon, the "acting" part of the 2nd Division "Acting Captain" would be removed.

***

"We're here."

Arriving at a secluded location, Ailin stopped, and Soi Fon appeared beside him in the next instant.

Finding a hidden entrance, Ailin led Soi Fon straight down. A square black frame suddenly appeared in the blue sky, and the next moment, two figures fell from the frame and landed on the ground.

Thump!

Thump!

"Where is this?"

Soi Fon looked around, surprised to find such a large space underground. Moreover, the blue sky and white clouds above were almost real enough to be mistaken for the genuine article.

If Soi Fon hadn't remembered jumping down from the surface just now, she might have thought this was some secluded spot in Soul Society.

"This is the secret base of Lady Yoruichi and that guy Kisuke Urahara. Not long ago, they treated Shinji Hirako and the others here, then opened a Senkaimon from here to the World of the Living."

"What? Lady Yoruichi's secret base?"

Ailin had chosen Urahara’s abandoned underground base as the location to train Soi Fon.

On the one hand, with Kisuke Urahara and the others gone, this place had become "unowned," and training here wouldn't cause much commotion or be disturbed.

On the other hand, Ailin also wanted to use this place to stimulate Soi Fon, keeping her motivated and energized for training.

As expected, upon hearing Ailin's words, Soi Fon's eyes lit up with excitement. As for Kisuke Urahara mentioned by Ailin, she had selectively ignored him.

However, Soi Fon then frowned and looked at Ailin. "Hey, since this is Lady Yoruichi's secret base, how do you know about it?"

Thank you for the Ratings/Likes.

If you like the story, please support. Thank you.