You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

But since arriving in Hueco Mundo, your strength has been increasing by leaps and bounds, especially after your Shikai... Now you can hear the 'voice' of your Zanpakuto, right? That's a sign of Bankai. When you can accurately hear the name it calls out, you'll have entered the captain's domain.

This leap forward is still astonishing, even with the life-or-death pressure in Hueco Mundo.

Even in the chaotic Soul Society of a thousand years ago, a place as brutal as a battlefield, someone like you was extremely rare. I've probably only seen four or five.

Are there really that many?

Iori was somewhat surprised, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't surprising at all. After all, in the world of Bleach, some people are born with extremely powerful souls, or have fragments of the Soul King's power hidden within them.

They were born at the finish line, so it's normal for their growth rate to be a bit abnormal.

People like Yamamoto, who didn't have any Soul King fragments and relied solely on training the power of the Shinigami to reach the level of a Transcendent, are the rarest!

"It's also thanks to the captain's excellent guidance," Iori said sincerely. "These past few days, it's not just Shunpo, but also Hakuda, Kendo, Kido... Without your guidance, I definitely wouldn't have been able to improve so quickly."

"Hmph, you're right!"

Saito accepted the flattery without hesitation: "You're lucky to have been taught by me personally for so long!"

Iori smiled and nodded repeatedly.

This is absolutely true. Apart from Yamamoto, the captains don't have the habit of taking on students; at most, they'll mentor their own lieutenants or younger members of their families. Saito is over a thousand years old now, and the only people she's ever taught are the "Four Heavenly Kings" of past generations.

"Although you've only been here for less than a year, you've already made significant contributions, especially in killing Adjuchas this time. If you're willing, you can end your dispatch mission and return to Soul Society early next time the interdimensional gate opens."

Saito offered Iori a very tempting offer: "If you choose this path, I will write a letter of recommendation to the old man of the mountain and ask him to take you as his apprentice."

"what?"

"Don't be surprised, I've been thinking about this for a long time."

Saito stared intently at Iori: "Your rate of progress is astounding, but even so, it's not your full potential, is it?"

"..." Iori remained silent, showing no fear of being exposed, and remained calm.

“I knew it.” Saito nodded. “You must have used some means to conceal your spiritual pressure fluctuations. If it were a younger captain, you probably would have fooled them, but I’ve lived this long, so I’m not without my skills.”

"The captain is incredibly perceptive!"

Iori smiled slightly: "But what does that have to do with the Captain-Commander?"

"Humph!"

Saito pursed his lips, not intending to delve deeper, after all, there were too many people in Soul Society with secrets.

For any intelligent life form, hiding its true nature is almost instinctive, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Thinking of this, the one-eyed captain looked at Iori's left hand again.

She knew that beneath the oversized shihaka robes, Iori wore a lightweight wristband, simple in design but powerful in function.

Since Iori put on the bracers, the destructive power of his lightning-type Kido has increased by more than one level!

He claimed that this thing was made by a good friend named Mayuri Kurotsuchi, but Saito was skeptical because the Twelfth Division had never produced a similar device.

"Captain?" Iori gently reminded her when she didn't speak for a while.

"Tsk!"

The commander of the expeditionary force looked somewhat displeased: "Why did I recommend you go find Old Man Shan? Because I'm almost done teaching you!"

Furthermore, judging from your fighting style, you have developed a balanced approach to fighting, excelling in every aspect. You are following the "Genryu" path of the old man. If you want to go further, the best choice would be to go under the command of the Captain-Commander for further training.

Furthermore... being valued by Old Man Shan will also be beneficial to you.

Saito left it at that and didn't say much more, but there was clearly a hidden meaning in his words, and it was up to Iori to understand it.

She is a person who acts on intuition and doesn't like to think about things that are too complicated, but that's precisely why she can often see through illusions and grasp the crux of the matter.

Although Iori behaved gently and modestly, Saito always felt that he was restless at heart. If he was allowed to develop freely, it was hard to say what he would become in the end. It would be better to send him to Yamamoto to be tempered.

Anyway, with a teaching career spanning a thousand years, Yamamoto would never mislead anyone, and would be absolutely beneficial to Iori.

However, Saito did not expect that Iori would hesitate about this suggestion that could lead to instant success.

"Being able to become a disciple of the Captain-Commander is certainly something I would love, but I have only been in Hueco Mundo for less than a year. During this time, I have truly experienced the difficult situation of the Expeditionary Force... Now that Seireitei is at war with the Quincy, it is unable to send reinforcements of vice-captain level or above to replenish its fighting strength in a short period of time."

If I leave now... the upper echelons of the expeditionary force will be even more stressed, especially if we encounter another phantom tide..."

The black-haired boy looked extremely serious, yet remained calm and composed in the face of Saito's probing gaze.

"Therefore, I want to stay in Hueco Mundo until the Quincy War ends and new reinforcements arrive."

I'm so sorry to have wasted the captain's good intentions, but this is my principle: I will never abandon my comrades!

Therefore, I request the captain's permission to continue serving in Hueco Mundo!

"……All right."

Saito's eyes flickered; this was the first time in a thousand years that she had encountered someone like Iori, and she couldn't help but nod slightly.

That's right, Iori is reserved with others and hasn't truly opened his heart, but he refuses a promising future and stays in Hueco Mundo, a place with nothing but danger... What other explanation could there be but pure sincerity?

There are no perfect people in this world; those who can reach Iori's level are extremely rare.

Saito didn't consider herself a good person, but she admired Iori's camaraderie and had already made up her mind:

It seems there's no need for further investigation. Let's teach him the more advanced techniques of Instant Step!

It's a pity he's too young. Saito doesn't consider herself a shota-con, otherwise, with his looks and personality, he would really be quite to her liking!

Chapter 86: Thunder Emperor’s Cage Hand

Why not go back to Soul Society?

The main reason is that Hueco Mundo is a pretty good place for Iori. The concentration of spiritual particles is even higher than in Soul Society, so there is never a shortage of practice targets. Although it is desolate and barren with no entertainment, he can easily travel to Akame ga Kill! to relax and unwind.

This kind of balanced training life, which combines work and rest, is surprisingly suitable for Iori, and is clearly more conducive to training than Soul Society.

Furthermore, it's precisely in this dangerous environment that it's easier to trigger the bond CGs with your comrades...

It grants basic attributes and can save several people in critical moments, making it a win-win situation for both oneself and others. Why not do it?

Finally, there is one more point, a slight concern hidden deep in Iori's heart:

If he were to return to Soul Society, as the war intensifies, someone of his caliber, a first-rate fighter at the vice-captain level or above, might be sent to the human world to fight the Quincy.

Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal. It's not like Iori hasn't killed human targets before. He wouldn't feel too much psychological pressure to take action against Quincy who disrupt the balance of souls, which is tantamount to wanting to destroy the world, especially since he was ordered to do so on the battlefield.

However, a subtle point is that Quincy are different from Hollows, who have no rights. Each of them inherits the bloodline of the progenitor Yhwach, and their power system is quite advanced. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are direct descendants of the Soul King.

The direct manifestation of this bloodline advantage is that it gives them the ability to directly absorb spiritual particles from the external environment into their bodies!

Death can also manipulate external free spirit particles, but it cannot forcibly absorb them into its body; it usually absorbs them passively.

The difference between the two is like that between absorbent cotton and an electric pump that directly draws water.

Elite Quincy can even further enhance their abilities, breaking down and absorbing matter composed of spirit particles.

Essentially, the Quincy have a stronger "control over spirit particles" than the Shinigami!

Of course, the Quincy only have an advantage in this aspect, not in every way overpowering the Shinigami. In terms of combat strength, the Shinigami are no worse than them. Only after fighting can we know who is stronger and who is weaker.

Given Iori's strength, the number of Quincy descendants who could pose a threat to him should be small, and he would be targeted by the captain-level powerhouses of Soul Society. So, Iori shouldn't have anything to worry about.

But his Shikai has one move called [Storm], which allows him to avoid damage by transforming into free spirit particles!

This move is almost completely immune to pure physical attacks. Even against energy attacks like those from the Ghost Path, it only increases energy consumption, making it a rather overpowered damage reduction method.

Theoretically, the only fear is that the energy difference is too great, resulting in annihilation (such as Ryujin Jakka), as well as some special techniques, such as the sealing-type Kido.

In actual combat, whether facing Hollows, Shinigami, or humans, Iori is very confident in the effectiveness of this move.

He was only somewhat hesitant when dealing with Quincy:

What if the Quincy's "spiritual manipulation" could affect parts of his Hollowfied body?

Although Iori has a high degree of control over the spiritual particles separated from her body, far exceeding the attraction that Shinigami have for free-floating spiritual particles... how does that compare to the Quincy?

Ordinary Quincy might not be able to handle it, but what about pure-blooded elite Quincy?

If the spiritual particles emanating from Iori's body could be directly controlled, then the [Storm] move would be rendered useless, and might even reveal a fatal flaw!

Of course, Iori's trump card is not limited to the [Storm] move; even without it, his strength is still formidable.

But perhaps it's a debuff inherent in the surname "Aizen," because Iori is somewhat of a perfectionist and can't tolerate having such a weakness, and is even less willing to put himself in a dangerous situation where there are "natural enemies" everywhere.

Therefore, he had to figure out whether a Quincy could affect him, or what level of Quincy was needed to forcibly control the scattered spiritual particles in his body!

This isn't difficult. Anyway, the war has already started. The Soul Society has everything except Quincy prisoners—they come to the Soul Society after they die, so basically all of them are prisoners.

Later, we can ask Mayuri Kurotsuchi for a few "test subjects" to test them, and then we'll probably be able to figure out exactly what the Quincy are capable of.

There are only three solutions:

Either kill all Quincy, or never use [Storm] in front of Quincy again, or strengthen your control over free spirit particles.

The first option is obviously unrealistic, and the third option is simply unthinkable, since the True Spiritual Arts Academy doesn't teach this kind of thing.

The second option... is the easiest to achieve, but it can't overcome Iori's pride.

After thinking about it seriously for a long time, he also made up his mind. He felt that there was no need to be bound by the power system of the Grim Reaper. Since the Spirit Arts Academy would not teach it, he would study on his own how to actively absorb free spirit particles!

—After going around in circles, it seems we've returned to the path Aizen took in the original work, where he broke free from the constraints of the system.

However, Iori's conditions are much better than Aizen Sousuke's because he has "story CGs" that allow him to travel between worlds and access the power systems of other worlds, thus achieving the effect of learning from all sources and being inclusive, making it easier for him to make innovations.

Once the decision is made to take the path of independent innovation, one must be fully prepared psychologically and cannot limit oneself to the single aspect of "actively absorbing free spiritual particles".

Because this involves transforming and upgrading an entire system, focusing only on one aspect would inevitably lead to a narrow perspective.

Since we're going to do it, we have to show some guts, and Iori is very prepared for this!

Taking all factors into consideration, Iori decided to start with the Imperial Arms he already possessed. He mobilized a large number of people and found a reference book called "Complete Collection of Imperial Arms" in the Royal Library, which had been reduced to ruins.

In terms of content, this book is more of a biography than an encyclopedia, as it records the observations of the first emperor while he was conquering super dangerous species and collecting materials for Imperial Arms. Naturally, the focus is on the emperor's great achievements.

There isn't a very specific process for manufacturing Imperial Arms here, and most of the core technologies have been lost. However, there are relatively detailed records of what materials were used for these Imperial Arms, what the corresponding Danger Species are, and how the abilities were initially designed.

By combining the forging techniques inherited from the island nation of Japan with further research and supplementation by the fashion expert, it is possible to barely restore the technical heritage of the Imperial Arms.

But this is not Iori's ultimate goal!

Before today, he had already immersed himself in "Akatsuki" for a long time, handling national affairs while spending more energy seriously learning the technology, absorbing this knowledge at a speed that amazed even the most fashionable gentleman!

He spent six whole months in "Akatsuki no Akame" to "integrate" some of the technical theories of the Imperial Arms into the spirit particle system, successfully modifying the Imperial Arms for the first time, and bringing it to Hueco Mundo with the help of the spirit particle conversion device given to him by Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

The Super Dangerous Type corresponding to this Imperial Arm is born with the ability to manipulate the weather and gather free electrons in the clouds to create supernatural phenomena. Iori started from this point and tried to influence the spirit particles using the same principle.

However, the first prototype was not perfect. After the modification, this Imperial Arm not only shrank in appearance, but its power was also greatly reduced, making it less effective than the original... Furthermore, it would convert the absorbed spiritual particles into fixed lightning attributes, making it unable to release other Kido.

More importantly, this thing doesn't run automatically; Iori has to actively expend spiritual pressure to launch an attack. Its function is simply to absorb free spiritual particles to increase destructive power... It doesn't significantly improve strength.

To be honest, this was a waste of an Imperial Arm, but Iori didn't care.

Leaving the Imperial Arms in Akame ga Kill! won't cause any damage, but it'll just end up gathering dust in the warehouse. What's the point of that?

Whether it's the Supreme Throne or Shangri-La, their abilities are both very powerful, but regardless of whether they are present or not, Iori is an invincible being in "Akatsuki". Their role is not even icing on the cake!

Using it as experimental material may seem like a waste, but it is actually a way to make use of waste!

—Iori was not a miser and did not feel any heartache over the losses on the books.

How can you obtain a Teigu that can influence free spirit particles without paying a price?

It's important to know that this thing inherits the characteristic of the Imperial Arms to absorb the user's physical strength, and it has a certain "channel" with Iori, which can directly infuse spiritual particles into Iori's body!

(But the power is low, and because of its fixed properties, it's almost the same as a direct electric shock.)

Although this is still some distance from the ultimate goal—freely controlling the conversion of spiritual particles inside and outside the body—it is undoubtedly an extremely important first step!

So he even gave it a name. This bracer that can summon lightning is derived from [Thor's Wrath - Admiral], and its name is—

【Thunder Emperor's Cage Hand】!

Chapter 87: Is Akame going to retire from the military?

"Greetings, Lord Akame. You've had a long journey."

"Ah."

"Please come in. His Majesty has instructed that you may enter the palace at any time without any prior notice."

"Oh?"