"But ever since you came to Hueco Mundo, your strength has begun to grow by leaps and bounds, especially after achieving Shikai… Right now, you can already hear the 'voice' of your Zanpakuto, can't you?"
"That is precisely the sign of Bankai. When you can clearly hear the name it calls out, you will have stepped into the realm of captains."
"This kind of breakthrough-style growth is astonishing, even with the constant life-and-death pressure in Hueco Mundo pushing you forward."
"If this were the Soul Society of a thousand years ago, when everything was as chaotic as a battlefield of Asura, people like you would still be extremely rare. I've probably only seen four or five in my entire life."
'That many?'
Iori was a little surprised, but after thinking it over, it didn't seem that strange. After all, in the world of Bleach, some people are simply born with exceptionally powerful souls, or have fragments of the Soul King's power hidden within them.
They were born right at the finish line, so having absurd growth rates was perfectly normal.
Someone like Yamamoto, who had no fragment of the Soul King at all and climbed up step by step purely by swinging his blade, relying only on training his Shinigami power to reach the level of a transcendent… that was what truly counted as rare.
"It's also thanks to the captain's guidance," Iori said sincerely. "These past days, not just Shunpo, but Hakuda, swordsmanship, and Kido as well… without your instruction, there's no way I could have progressed this fast."
"Hmph, that's true!"
Saito accepted the flattery without the slightest hesitation. "For you to get old me to teach you hands-on for this long, you really struck gold, kid!"
Iori smiled and nodded repeatedly.
That wasn't an exaggeration at all. Aside from old man Yamamoto, captains generally didn't take students. At most, they would guide their own vice-captains or younger relatives.
Saito was already over a thousand years old, and the only people who had ever received her instruction were the successive generations of the "Four Heavenly Kings."
"Even though you've been here less than a year, your merits are already considerable. Especially this time, killing an Adjuchas. If you're willing, then the next time the Garganta opens, you can end your assignment early and return to the Soul Society."
Saito made a very tempting proposal. "If you choose that, I'll write a letter of recommendation to old man Yama and have him take you as a disciple."
"Huh?"
"Don't be surprised. I've been thinking about this for a long time."
Saito stared at Iori with deep, probing eyes. "The speed of improvement you've shown is outrageous, but even so, that's still not all of your strength, is it?"
"..."
Iori remained silent. There was no panic at being exposed; he stayed calm and composed.
"Just as I thought." Saito nodded.
"You should be using some kind of method to conceal your spiritual pressure fluctuations. A younger captain would probably have been fooled, but I've lived this long, at least I still have some skill."
"Captain, your insight is truly sharp~"
Iori smiled slightly. "But what does that have to do with the Captain-Commander?"
"Hmph!"
Saito curled her lips and didn't pursue the matter further. After all, there were far too many people in the Soul Society with secrets.
As long as one was a sentient being, hiding one's trump cards was practically instinct. There was nothing worth criticizing.
As she thought this, the one-eyed captain's gaze shifted to Iori's left hand.
She knew that beneath the loose Shihakusho, there was a lightweight bracer on his wrist, simple in design but powerful in function.
Ever since Iori put it on, the destructive power of the lightning-type Kido he used had increased by more than a single tier.
He claimed it was made by a good friend named "Mayuri Kurotsuchi," but Saito was skeptical, because the Twelfth Division had never produced anything like it.
"Captain?" Seeing her silent for a long time, Iori gently reminded her.
"Tch!"
The extermination force captain looked displeased. "Why am I recommending you to old man Yama? Because I'm almost unable to teach you anymore!"
"And judging from your combat style, you've developed Zan, Hakuda, Ho, and Kido in a balanced way, excelling in every aspect. You're clearly walking old man Yama's 'original style.' If you want to go further, receiving instruction under the Captain-Commander is the best choice."
"Besides… being valued by old man Yama will also benefit you."
Saito stopped there and said no more, but her words clearly carried deeper meaning, it depended on whether Iori could grasp it.
She was someone who acted on instinct and didn't like overthinking complicated matters, but precisely because of that, she was often able to see through illusions and grasp the core issue.
Although Iori behaved gentle, respectful, frugal, and humble, Saito always felt that deep down he was restless. If left to develop freely, it was hard to say what he might become in the end. It would be better to send him to Yamamoto to be tempered.
After all, old man Yama had a thousand years of teaching experience. No matter what, he wouldn't lead a student astray, and it would be nothing but beneficial for Iori.
What Saito didn't expect, however, was that Iori hesitated over this offer that could let him soar to the heavens in a single step.
"Being able to become the Captain-Commander's disciple would of course be an incredible honor. But I've only been in Hueco Mundo for less than a year, and during this time I've truly experienced how difficult the situation of the expeditionary force is…"
"Now that the Seireitei is at war with the Quincy, it's impossible to dispatch vice-captain-level or higher reinforcements to bolster our strength in the short term."
"If I leave at this time… the upper-tier combat power of the expeditionary force will become even tighter. And if we encounter another Hollow tide…"
The black-haired youth's expression was extremely serious. Facing Saito's scrutinizing gaze, he remained completely at ease.
"So, I want to stay in Hueco Mundo until the Quincy war ends, at least until new reinforcements arrive."
"I sincerely apologize for wasting the captain's goodwill, but this is my principle, I will never abandon my companions!"
"Therefore, I ask that you allow me to continue serving in Hueco Mundo!"
"…Very well."
Saito's gaze shifted. In a thousand years, this was the first time she had met someone like Iori, and she couldn't help but nod slightly.
That's right. Iori did hold something back from others and hadn't truly opened his heart, but he rejected a bright future to stay in Hueco Mundo, a place that offered nothing but danger…
Aside from genuine sincerity, what other explanation could there be?
There was no such thing as a perfect person. Someone who could reach Iori's level was already exceedingly rare.
Saito didn't consider herself a good person, but she greatly appreciated people who cherished their companions. In her heart, she had already made a decision.
It seemed there was no need to test him further. She would pass on even deeper Shunpo techniques to him.
What a pity he was too young. Saito didn't consider herself a shotacon either, otherwise, with that face and personality, he really would have suited her tastes quite well.
———
Why didn't he return to the Soul Society?
The main reason was that, for Iori, Hueco Mundo was actually a pretty good place. The concentration of spirit particles was even higher than in the Soul Society, there was never a shortage of opponents to practice on, and although it was barren and desolate with little entertainment, he could always travel to Akame ga Kill to relax.
This kind of balanced life of work and rest turned out to suit Iori surprisingly well, and was clearly more effective at tempering people than the Soul Society.
In addition, in such a dangerous environment, it was easier to grind bond CGs with comrades…
You could gain base attributes and save people at critical moments, it benefited both yourself and others. Why wouldn't you do it?
There was also one last point, hidden deep in Iori's heart.
If he returned to the Soul Society, as the war intensified, someone like him, a top-tier combatant above vice-captain level, might very well be dispatched to the Human World to suppress the Quincy.
Normally, that wouldn't be a problem. Iori wasn't unfamiliar with killing humanoid targets, and against the Quincy, who sought to destroy the balance of souls and were essentially trying to end the world, he wouldn't feel much psychological pressure, especially when acting under orders on the battlefield.
However, there was one subtle issue.
Unlike Hollows, which were wild monsters with no rights, the Quincy were different. Each of them inherited the bloodline of the progenitor "Yhwach." Their power system was extremely advanced, calling them direct descendants of the Soul King wouldn't be inaccurate.
The most direct manifestation of this bloodline advantage was their ability to directly draw spirit particles from the surrounding environment into their bodies.
Shinigami could also manipulate external spirit particles, but they couldn't forcibly absorb them into themselves. Most of the time, it was passive intake.
The difference between the two was like absorbent cotton soaking up water versus an electric pump actively drawing it in.
Elite Quincy could further enhance this ability, breaking down and absorbing matter composed of spirit particles.
In essence, the Quincy's "control over spirit particles" was stronger than that of Shinigami.
Of course, the Quincy only had an advantage in this regard, they didn't completely outclass Shinigami in every aspect. In terms of combat power, Shinigami weren't inferior at all. Who was stronger depended on actually fighting.
With Iori's current strength, among the present Quincy descendants, there were probably very few individuals who could pose a threat to him, and those would be watched closely by the captain-level powerhouses of the Soul Society. Logically speaking, Iori didn't need to worry.
But the problem was that his Shikai just happened to include the move 'Storm', which avoided damage by turning his body into free spirit particles.
Against purely physical attacks, this move was almost complete immunity. Even against energy attacks like Kido, it merely increased consumption, still making it a fairly broken damage-reduction technique.
In theory, only overwhelmingly superior energy annihilation, or some special techniques such as sealing-type Kido, could pose a real threat.
In actual combat, whether against Hollows, Shinigami, or humans, Iori was extremely confident in this move's effectiveness.
Only when facing the Quincy did he feel some apprehension.
What if a Quincy's "spirit particle manipulation" could affect parts of his body after he had dispersed?
Although Iori's control over the spirit particles separated from his body was extremely high, far exceeding a Shinigami's pull on free particles, how would that compare to a Quincy?
Ordinary Quincy might not be able to do it, but what about pure-blood elite Quincy?
If they could directly manipulate the spirit particles leaking from Iori's body, then Storm would effectively be rendered useless, and might even expose a fatal weakness.
Of course, Iori had more trump cards than just Storm. Even without it, his strength was still formidable.
But perhaps because the surname "Aizen" came with its own debuff, Iori had a bit of perfectionism. He couldn't tolerate having such a weakness, nor was he willing to place himself in a dangerous environment full of "natural enemies."
So he had to figure out whether the Quincy could affect him at all, or rather, what level of Quincy would be required to forcibly control the spirit particles leaking from his body.
This wasn't difficult. The war had already begun, and for the Soul Society, there was no shortage of Quincy prisoners. After all, when they died, they came to the Soul Society anyway, practically full-staffed captives.
Later, he could just ask Mayuri for a few "test subjects" to run experiments, and he would probably get a clear idea of how far Quincy abilities could go.
As for solutions, there were only three.
Either kill all Quincy, or never use Storm in front of Quincy, or strengthen his own control over free spirit particles.
The first was obviously unrealistic. The third was hard to imagine, since the Shin'o Academy didn't teach that sort of thing.
As for the second… it was the easiest to implement, but it couldn't get past Iori's pride.
After thinking it over for a long time, he finally steeled himself and decided there was no need to limit himself to the Shinigami power system. If the Academy didn't teach it, then he would research how to actively absorb free spirit particles himself.
After going in circles, he seemed to have returned to the original path of Aizen Sosuke breaking free of systemic constraints.
However, Iori's conditions were far better than Aizen's. He possessed "story CGs" that allowed him to travel between worlds, giving him access to other power systems and letting him draw from many sources and integrate them. Innovation was much easier for him.
Once he decided to pursue independent innovation, he had to be fully prepared mentally, and he couldn't limit himself to just "actively absorbing free spirit particles."
After all, this was about upgrading and transforming an entire system. Focusing on only one point would be far too narrow-minded.
Since he was going to do it, he had to do it properly. Iori made up his mind for this.
After considering all factors, Iori decided to start with several Imperial Arms he possessed. He mobilized a large workforce and found a reference book called The Complete Guide to Imperial Arms in the ruins of the Royal Library.
Judging by its contents, this book was less an encyclopedia and more a collection of biographies.
Back then, when the first emperor was campaigning everywhere to hunt super-dangerous beasts and gather materials for Imperial Arms, he had his accompanying scribes record what they saw, naturally focusing on the emperor's great achievements.
The book didn't contain detailed manufacturing processes. Most of the core technologies had already been lost.
However, it did record in considerable detail what materials each Imperial Arm used, what attributes the corresponding dangerous beasts had, and how their abilities were originally designed.
By combining this with the forging techniques passed down in the Eastern Island Nation, and having Stylish conduct research to fill in the gaps, it was possible to roughly restore the technological lineage of Imperial Arms.
But that wasn't Iori's ultimate goal.
Before today, he had already spent a long time in Akame ga Kill, calming his mind. While handling state affairs, he devoted even more energy to seriously studying technology, absorbing knowledge at a pace that left even Stylish astonished.
He spent a full six months grinding in Akame ga Kill before he managed to "integrate" part of Imperial Arm theory into the spirit-particle system, successfully modifying an Imperial Arm for the first time. With the help of the spirit-particle conversion device Mayuri had given him, he brought it to Hueco Mundo.
The super-dangerous beast associated with this Imperial Arm was naturally capable of manipulating weather, gathering free electrons in clouds to form supernatural phenomena. Iori used this as his entry point, attempting to influence spirit particles using the same principle.
However, as a first experiment, it was far from perfect. After modification, not only did the Imperial Arm shrink in appearance, its power was also greatly reduced.
It was inferior to the original in use… and it converted absorbed spirit particles into fixed lightning attribute energy, making it unable to release other Kido.
More importantly, it didn't run automatically. Iori had to actively consume spiritual pressure to activate it. Its role was merely to attract free spirit particles to increase destructive power… offering little real improvement to overall strength.
To be honest, this amounted to wasting an Imperial Arm, but Iori didn't really care.
Leaving Imperial Arms in Akame ga Kill wouldn't damage them, but they would just sit in storage gathering dust anyway. What meaning would that have?
Whether it was Shikoutazer or Shambhala, their abilities were powerful, but with or without them, Iori was already invincible in Akame ga Kill. Their effect didn't even count as icing on the cake.
Using them as experimental materials looked like a waste, but in reality, it was just recycling useless items.
Iori wasn't a miser. He felt no pain over the losses on paper.
Without paying some price, how could he obtain an Imperial Arm capable of influencing free spirit particles?
You had to know that this thing inherited the Imperial Arm trait of draining the user's stamina. It formed a certain kind of "channel" with Iori, and could even directly funnel spirit particles back into his body.
(Though the output was low, and because the attribute was fixed, it was basically no different from electrocuting him directly.)
Although this was still far from the ultimate goal, freely controlling the conversion between internal and external spirit particles, it was undoubtedly an extremely important first step.
So he even gave it a name. This bracer that could summon lightning, derived from Thunder God's Rage: Adramelech, was named... Thunder Emperor's Gauntlet.