At the same time, in the Soul Society, at the Second Division, a commotion broke the silence of the squad barracks.
"Oh no, Yoruichi!"
Kisuke Urahara, wearing wooden clogs, hurried inside. He looked flustered and spoke rapidly, as if something terrible had happened.
"That genius you mentioned, he…"
Before he could finish, Yoruichi Shihouin, leaning back in her lounge chair, glanced at Kisuke Urahara's frantic appearance, waved her hand, and calmly said, "Calm down, Kisuke."
"I've already heard the details from the Hell Butterfly."
"It's just a problem with the Dangai, nothing too serious."
"Ah…?" Kisuke Urahara suddenly stopped, his mouth slightly agape, finding her words hard to comprehend.
"A problem with the Dangai isn't serious?"
"Isn't that genius someone the Shihouin Family wants to recruit?"
"Yes," Yoruichi Shihouin raised her head. "But so what?"
Her voice was calm, as if it were only natural.
"If he's truly a genius, he wouldn't even fail to outrun the Koryu."
"And if he encounters a Koutotsu… don't forget, the one from the Shiba Family is also there."
"Although he's just the head of a branch family, his strength is considered top-tier in the Soul Society."
"A Second-Class Spiritual Pressure can evade it. The survival rate used to be zero, but that's only because those Shinigami were too weak."
She slowly sat upright.
Her black eyes stared intently at Kisuke Urahara as she instructed, "Kisuke, don't interfere with this matter."
"This is a good opportunity to observe his overall qualities."
"Don't forget, spiritual pressure is only one factor in measuring talent."
"While you were away, I had someone investigate him."
As Yoruichi spoke, she took a stack of documents from a nearby maid, flipped through them, then handed them to Kisuke Urahara, her delicate eyebrows slightly raised.
"How should I put it…"
"Tsk."
"Although the ability of his Zanpakuto is truly unprecedented in the history of the Soul Society…"
"Even the rarest ability depends on how its wielder uses it."
"You must understand that throughout the Soul Society's thousand years, there have been countless spiritual pressure geniuses, but only those who master Bankai are considered true powerhouses."
"…"
This lecture gave Kisuke Urahara a headache.
He had heard some seniors and teachers mention this when he first enrolled over a hundred years ago.
He only wanted to know Yoruichi Shihouin's true attitude towards Tsugikuni Yoriichi now.
But seeing her businesslike demeanour, and realising he wouldn't get any answers, he could only turn his gaze to the documents in his hand.
After a sigh, he read through them carefully.
He had initially thought Yoruichi's words might be a slight exaggeration, dismissing the idea of an unprecedented ability as something he simply didn't believe.
But then…
"Hmm!"
Kisuke Urahara's eyes widened suddenly.
The writing on the document stimulated his eyes as if it were an illusion.
After a long while, he slowly lifted the document, looked up at Yoruichi, his complex gaze filled with disbelief.
Phew…
Kisuke Urahara took a deep breath, asking emphatically, "Yoruichi… you're not lying to me, are you? Is everything written here true?"
"Is that his Shikai ability?"
"Summoning hell?"
"And the name of his Zanpakuto…"
…
"Karma Fire."
In the Demon Slayer world, Yoriichi sensed the abundant spiritual pressure within him. He gently stroked the blade of his Zanpakuto, letting out an almost imperceptible sigh.
Accompanying his sigh, two unknown entities suddenly appeared before him—they resembled humans, similar to himself, yet they were of different ages.
One was in his childhood, with pure eyes and a striking coarse linen robe. He stood on the steps, witnessing the death of a demon, a hint of compassion emanating from his expression.
The other was in his twilight years, thin and with withered skin. A red haori draped over his shoulders, paired with a yellow inner lining, gave him a capable appearance. He watched the demon's death with an expressionless face, an attitude of indifference to everything.
—As the Zanpakuto spirits, they were both reflections of Tsugikuni Yoriichi's inner self.
The moment he awakened his Shikai, Yoriichi knew their names: Karma of Good and Karma of Evil.
Karma of Good remained silent.
Karma of Evil slowly spoke. Its dark red eyes surveyed Tsugikuni Yoriichi, its expression cold: "Yoriichi, we meet again."
"I have to admit, your luck is as bad as ever."
"There's no reishi in this world; your spiritual power will deplete with every use."
"Although you can restore your spiritual pressure through my ability, how long can you sustain it in your current state?"
"Was it a good idea to rashly agree to that child?"
"You should be aware that hell might not even exist here."
It sensed everything around it, shaking its head slightly, its tone filled with disappointment:
"If Shikai fails, you will lose at least one-tenth of a unit of spiritual pressure. We are a trinity; I absolutely cannot stand by and watch you take such a risk."
Once spiritual power is exhausted, a Shinigami loses all power and becomes a normal soul. This is intolerable for a Zanpakuto because a Zanpakuto is an extension of its wielder's mind. In a sense, the sword is the person, and the person is the sword; without the person, the sword loses its meaning.
Karma of Good, however, maintained an indifferent attitude, as if all worries were unrelated to it. If one didn't know it was a Zanpakuto spirit from the start, anyone present would mistake it for an ordinary child.
Yoriichi remained silent, finally letting out a soft breath: "I apologise. I know this is very risky, but I have a reason why I must do this."
"You originate from my soul, so I presume you know what I'm referring to."
"I know," Karma of Evil replied coldly. "But that's nothing. The deceased is gone; why disturb her again?"
"Even if you find Uta, what then? Are you sure she'll forgive you?"
"That disaster back then was entirely your responsibility."
"You caused the death of your wife and your child. Don't you think it's too late to talk about making amends now?"
Upon the mention of Uta, Karma of Good's expression subtly shifted. Its ethereal eyes moved, and its voice was as clear as a calm sea: "Yoriichi, I support your decision."
"It's never too late to mend the fold after the sheep are lost."
"The events of that year were not entirely your fault. Don't blame yourself too much."
"You." Hearing itself contradicted, Karma of Evil glared at Karma of Good.
Karma of Good met its gaze without hesitation, causing Karma of Evil's expression to stiffen.
Finally, Karma of Evil snorted and then vanished.
"I will appear again, Yoriichi. Remember, I am the right one!"
"Choices driven by emotion will destroy you, just like they did back then!"
Its voice gradually faded.
Karma of Good nodded towards Yoriichi.
As a butterfly landed in its palm, it too became transparent and vanished like a bubble.
Whoosh, whoosh…
The butterfly fluttered its wings high, shedding scales that shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight.