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

The last rays of twilight streamed into the room through the window, bathing the blueprints, instruments, crowns... everything in a pale, golden glow.

The summer evening was so quiet, with only the occasional chirping of cicadas coming through the glass window. Far from being noisy, it made people feel relaxed.

The luxurious room was furnished with the finest furniture, and a large bed with curtains hanging from all sides was particularly eye-catching. The semi-transparent gauze was layered on top of each other, faintly revealing the silhouette of a person inside.

Outside the bed, two seemingly unrelated outfits—a magnificent robe, a pure white shirt, and a tight-fitting pencil skirt—were carelessly tossed on the floor, revealing their owner's eagerness... or perhaps, their unexpected predicament.

Beside the bed, through the gap in the curtains, a head of long, silvery-white hair, as white as winter snow, was scattered in disarray, shimmering with iridescent, jewel-like colors in the afterglow of the twilight.

"Is it really okay...? It's still daytime, you know?"

A warm breath whispered in my ear.

"Isn't this something that depends on one's mood? Do you have to pick a time?"

The man sighed as if in despair, yet there was an indescribable tenderness in his voice.

"Or... do you want me to force you to do something so that you can stay here with a clear conscience?"

Teacher Sera~

Iori emphasized the word "teacher" and drew out the sound, which resulted in the girl hitting her in shame and anger.

"What, did I say something wrong? Wasn't it you who deliberately dressed like this to seduce me, causing me to commit the sin of daytime debauchery?"

"...Are you serious? To be honest, I even had a momentary urge to kill you just now!"

"Hehe~" Iori laughed without a care in the world.

—He and Sera had recently completed the development of "Hado Zero".

Considering that the Empire needed someone to keep an eye on things, and that the Greater Grail and the Dragon Vein system also required the assistance of the "Crown" for adjustments, Iori immediately took the opportunity to send her back to Akame ga Kill! after finishing her research.

Of course, Iori isn't a capitalist; he wouldn't use someone and then discard them. To thank Sera, Iori decided to stay in "Akatsuki" for a few days, not to handle government affairs, but specifically to accompany Sera on her travels.

In a way, Sera was "married far away," and her lover was often not around, so Iori did feel indebted to her.

Uh, Esdeath? She ran away on her own, no wonder Iori didn't. Let's talk about it when she gets back!

On this day, Sera put the "Crown" back into the Greater Grail system, and changed into a modern female teacher's outfit, using a tight white shirt and a black skirt that didn't reach her knees to attract Iori's attention.

She wanted to help Iori adjust the runes of "Zero Style" to improve its release efficiency, and the reason she wore this outfit was supposedly because she had been instilled with the knowledge by the Holy Grail that "this kind of attire can make men more energetic."

To prevent Iori from finding the learning process boring, the young and capable teacher Sera not only wore a professional suit, but also delicate black stockings and matching high heels, as well as a pointer with just the right firmness.

As it turned out, the knowledge of the Holy Grail was indeed reliable. Iori really became energetic, even overly excited, and forcibly changed the teaching location to the bed, turning the "physics class" into "health and physical education".

"Ms. Sera, please don't be angry... Could you please teach me properly?"

"...Hmph!" Sera bit her lip lightly. "You're a bad student, I'm going to punish you properly!"

"—!"

The gentle voice numbed Iori's brain, and her consciousness instantly flew to some unknown place.

When consciousness returned, what appeared in my field of vision was a woman's face that had been developed, gradually releasing her naturally alluring charm.

The woman with long, pure silver-white hair, her face flushed, stared at him in a slightly daze, her white arms tightly embracing him.

Although she is now a third-generation being, theoretically able to change her appearance at will, in terms of human consciousness and self-awareness, as long as she doesn't deliberately conceal anything, she will always show her "original appearance." In Sera's case, she is no longer an artificial human, but she has not deliberately changed or denied her previous life; her appearance has always remained the same.

However, as she matured in temperament and became more cheerful, she became an individual independent of the "Winter Saintess" template.

As for the individual "Serra von Einzbern", beneath her aloof and dignified exterior lies a softness and delicacy known only to Iori.

"..."

Slowly closing his eyes, the woman he called "teacher" parted her lips and extended a silent invitation.

The sound of a heartbeat echoed in my ears.

Not only his own heartbeat, but another heartbeat overlapped with it, even more chaotic.

-

Without realizing it, something changed.

The long, silvery-white hair disappeared, replaced by black hair that looked as if it had been soaked.

A delicate hand gently caressed the boy's face. With a light stroke, her sharp nails, like the tip of a knife, pierced his skin, and a bloodstain slowly appeared. Blood beads congealed on the girl's fingertips, spinning and dripping with the trembling of her fingers, like water droplets falling on a mirror.

The blood-stained fingertips lightly brushed across the lips, staining them with a color brighter than any paint, a makeup more striking than any rouge.

"hehe......"

A silvery laugh reached his ears, and the man suddenly realized that he was lying in an endless white world, and what had just happened seemed to be just an illusion.

There were no girls to be seen here, and it could even be said that there was nothing at all. The vastness of the world directly embodied the concept of "infinity".

Beneath her was solid ground. Iori turned her head slightly and noticed someone nearby doing the same thing as her—

This is not an ordinary floor, but a mirror that reflects his entire shadow!

A breeze carrying a hint of mist blew by, and the rising hazy white mist resembled a thin veil being lifted, or perhaps the soft strands of a young girl's hair.

The next moment, as if in response to Iori's imagination, the ever-changing white mist formed strands of hair, which fell like willow branches onto his chest, each movement like a tease.

"If you keep staring at me like that, I might just disappear like a bubble."

Even though he was pressing down on Iori, he could barely feel her weight; the girl's petite body felt as light as a feather.

The girl looked down at him, her smile more beautiful and dangerous than the flowers on the cliff, as if getting too close would plunge him into an endless abyss.

Even so, that delicate and gentle quality is still captivating.

—This is a rather troublesome guy. Iori instantly snapped out of his daze and went into alert mode.

The reason is simple: the girl's appearance is constantly "changing"!

Although at first glance she looks like an ordinary pretty girl, a closer look reveals that her features, such as her eyes, nose, and lips, are constantly changing in subtle ways, yet they are quite harmonious and do not feel forced or awkward.

If you observe her over a longer period of time, you will find that her "ever-changing" nature is not without clues. Generally speaking, she changes back and forth between a few faces that Iori is very familiar with.

Sometimes she resembles Esdeath, sometimes Sera, sometimes Akame—all youthful versions adapted to the current loli figure.

"Who are you? Where is this place?"

"That's really impolite. As an uninvited guest who barged in without permission, shouldn't you ask yourself that question?"

The girl, riding on Iori's back, scoffed at these words, her disdainful expression mirroring that of the Ice Queen.

Iori's eyelids twitched, a guess suddenly flashed through her mind, and then she couldn't help but relax.

"You are... [Mirror of Still Water]?"

"So you finally remembered my name, my master," the girl said, half helpless and half amused.

Iori took a deep breath:

Although the suddenness of the event surprised him somewhat, upon reflection, it wasn't unusual for a Shinigami with captain-level spiritual pressure to communicate with sword spirits... rather, it was a bit late.

It's worth noting that Iori has already accumulated over 150 points in "art style value" alone. In addition, with the addition of the Third Law, Holy Grail Protection, Dragon Contract, Mimic Reactor (Hado Zero Style), and other factors, her spiritual pressure value is approaching 2300, which is definitely at the level of a veteran captain!

Top players like Shunsui and Unohana, judging by their spiritual pressure alone, are estimated to be around 3000 (numerically two or three times that of an average captain, but in reality, the higher the number, the stronger the spiritual pressure. In actual use, it is at least five or six times that of an average captain).

If we take into account the Third Law and numerous otherworldly skills, Iori is practically second only to the old man of the Seireitei.

Having reached this level, he has only just seen the sword spirit's true form, meaning his Bankai training has only just begun... If word got out, it would definitely attract a lot of incredulous stares!

"A clear mirror and still water..."

"What, is my attitude surprising you?"

The girl raised her head, her long hair cascading down like tassels, her face covered in a layer of mist, and then looked down at him condescendingly.

"Then you'd better be careful... What the mirror reflects is not just the appearance of the body, but also the truest self, the desires hidden in the heart, and the instincts suppressed unconsciously..."

Aizen Iori, if you want to tame me, it means you must overcome your own side and completely subdue your own desires.

If you can't do that, then you'll become my prisoner all to myself... Hehe, how exciting!

"Suppress your own desires?" Iori looked at the other person's already blurred face.

"You'd be so kind as to tell me a shortcut to mastering Bankai?"

"That's... up to your imagination~"

A slight upturn at the corners of her lips left behind a faint, almost imperceptible laugh, and the world once again became empty...

-

"Well!"

The sense of unease arrived as expected, and the feeling of weight on my body suddenly increased.

Familiar silver hair swept past the corner of her eye, and once her vision cleared, she saw a somewhat tired face.

It was completely exposed to him without any cover.

"call……"

Iori gently helped Sera up, then sat up halfway on the headboard, recalling the incredibly vivid dream she had just experienced.

"A clear mirror and still water... Is the key clue really just the 'true self'?"

Cultivating Bankai requires scheming against the sword spirit, what a hassle... I might as well accumulate 10,000 spiritual pressure, materialize her, grab her by the neck, and ask her if she'll submit!

-

Clang!

The crisp sound of their weapons clashing echoed far through the forest as two figures, one in black and one in gold, passed each other.

In an instant, they bypassed their respective trajectories and collided again. The powerful kinetic energy, combined with the brute force emanating from Iori, sent the blond figure flying like a rampaging monster.

The female elf Beatrice nimbly braced herself on the ground with one hand, spinning around in mid-air before landing steadily. But before she could assess the situation, a dark shadow flashed into her field of vision from the corner of her eye. In the blink of an eye, a sharp longsword slashed towards the Valkyrie.

--bass!

The two swords rubbed against each other, producing a teeth-grinding sound and sparking a series of dazzling sparks. Beatrice felt a slight stinging sensation on her cheek, unsure whether it was from the flying iron filings or the intimidating aura emanating from her opponent.

"drink!"

With force rising from the ground, the female elf skillfully deflected the blade of the Kusanagi Sword to the side. Her body then slightly lowered, connecting her waist, legs, and hips into a slingshot-like motion. She suddenly turned and spun around, kicking Iori.

With Iori's strength, he could have easily taken the hit and expanded his gains, but he chose to back down, giving the female elf a chance to disengage and regroup.

This is a match between Iori and Beatrice after Iori returns to "Shadow Reality" to fulfill their promise.

The female elf knew she was no match for Iori, so the battle focused more on technique. Iori didn't use any strange moves, but simply relied on swordsmanship and similar physical abilities to fight Beatrice.

"Alright, let's begin round two!"

A whistling sound rang out, and the slender blade transformed into a streak of light, instantly traversing the distance between the two!

Without warning or signal, the moment Iori assumed a fighting stance, the elven swordswoman with long gray-gold hair attacked without mercy.

A simple stab!

Although she cannot control her magic as freely as Iori, Beatrice possesses advanced combat skills. She can imbue her magic with properties similar to "flowing wind," which greatly increases her speed when applied to her body. Similarly, if she imagines her magic as a block of iron covering her body, she can greatly enhance her defense.

In the blink of an eye, its moving figure had already transformed into a phantom under the radiance.

The elven girl charged towards her opponent with unwavering determination and straightforwardness at a speed that was impossible for the naked eye to perceive!

Swift and fierce, without any fancy movements or probing, the air torn apart by the wind pressure showed the power of this strike, while the gleaming blade reflected the Valkyrie's unwavering belief.

Despite knowing there was a difference in strength between the two sides, Beatrice showed no fear and went all out from the start—she really wanted to win!

Chapter 212: The world is vast! (4.5K)

The God of War's sword did not touch his opponent.

The dragon-slaying blade, resembling an ancient sword, collided with the girl's usual movements. What seemed like a simple parry turned into a sudden loss of control over the weapon she had been with for so long.

Stab it!

An inconspicuous spark danced on the blade, but it only flashed briefly before being blown away by the ensuing wind pressure.

With a mere gesture, Iori effortlessly countered Beatrice's focused attack.

The girl gripped her beloved sword with all her might. The sword looked like a nodachi, but it was actually quite different from the swords commonly found in this world. It seemed "slender" but was no less heavy. It shouldn't be easy for someone to pull it, but Beatrice clearly sensed that if she relaxed even slightly, the sword might fly away.

It wasn't that Iori's power was overwhelmingly strong—in fact, he had restrained himself considerably—but rather that his martial arts transcended the realm of technique. It was as if an invisible "force" was following him, and Beatrice was also affected by it, involuntarily letting Iori control the rhythm.

Not good!