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

This Imperial Arms is imbued with a cursed poison that can kill even the user by accidentally cutting them, hence its name "Demon Sword." After Akame obtained it, she meticulously maintained it every day, risking death from the poison.

Yet it was this very demonic sword that sustained her through countless life-or-death battles… It was only natural that an assassin teetering on the edge of death would be wielded with a demonic sword capable of sealing a life with a single blow.

Akame is no longer afraid of any curses or poisons, and from a personal perspective, she certainly doesn't want to give up this "old friend".

Sitting next to the delighted Akame, Esdeath frowned slightly upon hearing this, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Asauchi is the highest level of the tools used to control Shinigami—I can understand that, and the more I think about it, the more reasonable it seems."

However, as you said, if Akame can use Murasame to replace Asauchi, then all Shinigami awaken using Asauchi... doesn't that seem a bit illogical, does it?

"Oh?"

"Does this mean that Soul Society has no other weapons besides Asauchi, and all souls can only use this one type of sword? Otherwise, they should be able to cultivate a more suitable weapon and then awaken their names."

"Hmm, that's a very insightful question, as expected of my Queen... But Esdeath, you must understand that 'habit' is a terrible thing. Just like after matches became widespread, no one used flint anymore."

Although a lightly forged weapon is a blank slate... that is, a basic piece of equipment without any attributes, its strength, toughness, and sharpness are far superior to weapons forged by ordinary blacksmiths. Not to mention its potential for improvement, its intrinsic value is also higher than that of ordinary weapons.

Such asaka-uchi are very common in Soul Society; every Shinigami has one, and many have been lost in Rukongai. For those with the necessary aptitude, obtaining an asaka-uchi isn't too difficult.

Iori pointed to his finger: "There is another very important factor - Asauchi has reduced the difficulty of naming Zanpakuto by several levels!"

Under normal circumstances, it requires immense spiritual pressure and superhuman willpower, guided by the correct training methods, and a specific opportunity to awaken a Zanpakuto... This level of difficulty is simply beyond the reach of ordinary members.

However, if one trains through shallow striking techniques, all the necessary conditions will be greatly reduced, especially spiritual pressure!

"...Is this knife really that amazing?"

"The craftsman who created this thing is known as the 'God of Knives,' and by all accounts, he is one of the few people standing at the very top of this world."

It should be understood that the raw material for Asauchi is a large number of 'bleached' souls of the mind, and injecting spiritual pressure into it is equivalent to dyeing a white cloth.

The traditional method we use begins with the silk reeling and weaving stage—

The difference in difficulty between the two is obvious!

"Forging a sword with a soul? Hmm!" Akame was shocked; such a thing was terrifying to her.

"All objects in this Soul Society are composed of spirit particles, and in terms of composition, they are no different from souls. Ordinary 'solids' are no different from plants, trees, jade, and stones here, while 'Hollows,' which are the opposite of Shinigami, are monsters that live by devouring souls. In the end, they no longer know what they originally looked like..."

Here, the views on life and death, and the understanding of the soul, are different from those in other worlds.

Iori shook his head slightly and said to the two of them, "Asauchi is indeed very useful for ordinary Shinigami, but that's because most people don't have enough spiritual pressure to spare enough soul power to shape the blade."

When I was forging this sword, my spiritual pressure had increased to a relatively high level, like that of a vice-captain, before I was able to successfully name it.

But this is naturally different for you.

Upon hearing this, Akame and Esdeath exchanged a glance and nodded in unison, finally understanding why Iori had waited until they had completed the "Third Law" before guiding them to Soul Society.

The materialization of the soul... This physique clearly has immense convenience and potential in the Soul Society!

"Don't worry about Akame. I think she'll be able to awaken her Zanpakuto soon once she gets into the swing of things."

Iori looked at Esdeath: "You might be a little slower, after all, you don't have any weapons you cherish. In your eyes, only your own strength is the most reliable. Everything else is just a tool to assist in the battle. It doesn't matter whether you use a knife, a sword, or even a battle axe."

Honestly, I'm very curious about what form your Zanpakuto will take.

“I’m looking forward to it too.” Esdeath looked at Iori with amusement. “The secret to your immense power has finally been partially revealed to me today. Just watch, I’ll catch up with you soon!”

"That's great! Keep it up!"

Iori encouraged her without hesitation, but Esdeath, not seeing the reaction she wanted, became displeased.

"You're really that confident. Are you so sure I can't threaten you?"

No, I have never underestimated you.

The evaluation system for talent varies depending on the worldview. A genius who dominates in one world may be surrounded by geniuses like him in another.

However, one's state of mind and beliefs do not diminish in value due to changes in the strength of one's power.

Those who can uphold their beliefs and remain steadfast in adversity will achieve success in any environment.

—As a warrior and hunter, your spirit is incredibly pure and unyielding.

Although the Soul Society is far stronger than the Empire as a whole, I still have high hopes for you.

Iori smiled slightly, gazing into Esdeath's ambitious eyes: "After all, you are a woman that even I couldn't completely conquer. Just the sheer audacity and drive to push me back is something that ordinary people can't match."

"...Do we really have to bring that up again?" The Ice Queen's pride was shattered, and her eyes darted away.

Akame tilted her head: "Reverse rape? What do you mean? What are you talking about?"

"It's a sumo technique that can only be practiced at night," Iori smiled brightly. "I'll teach you another day."

"..."

The black-haired female assassin was stunned for a moment before her face suddenly turned red. She looked at Iori and then at Esdeath, and tried to speak in a flustered manner but could not make a sound. In the end, she could only hold back her anger with a straight face, her eyes blinking, revealing her chaotic inner world.

Although she had never experienced matters between men and women, Akame was not a sheltered young lady who never left her home. She still had some common sense, and she immediately understood when Iori teased her like that!

Then came astonishment, shock, and grievance... The girl, who was skilled at delivering a fatal blow, was unusually conflicted.

She was close to Iori, but this was the first time she realized that this man was already with Esdeath... But thinking back carefully, there were flaws everywhere in their daily lives. There were so many obvious signs, so why hadn't she noticed them before?

It's supposed to be a story about four people, but she's become an outsider, even less so than Sera, who's a reclusive scientist...

but!

She was the one who knew Iori the first!

How did things turn out like this? Where exactly did things go wrong, leading to this current situation...? Is it the lack of action?

Is it because she lacks initiative? She is slow to realize her true feelings, and even after she does, she doesn't know how to convey them to the other person, so she can only clumsily and slowly move closer to Iori.

However, this is the result of such a sluggish action... It's too late!

But if we start making efforts now, can we make up for this regret...?

—If this were a visual novel, Akame's character would already have a branching path flag set up, and all that's left is to collect the CGs, right?

Iori noticed Akame's change in expression and easily guessed what the girl was thinking. His smile remained unchanged, calm and carefree, but he was somewhat looking forward to Akame's next move.

Is there anything more interesting than watching an adorable girl who is a complete novice when it comes to love clumsily launch an offensive on her crush?

Yes, that is, from the perspective of the person you love!

Of course, that's for the future. Iori won't let personal matters interfere with public duties. Right now, she'll focus on teaching Esdeath and Akame how to train.

After most of the day had passed, the sun slowly and steadily moved behind the clouds, casting a large expanse of fiery sunset glow, which then gradually faded and dimmed... Before we knew it, the sky was a hazy gray.

When the cool moonlight parted the veil of clouds and cast its clear, soft light upon the earth, Esdeath and Akame finished their first formal meditation, and Iori's lesson for the day also came to an end.

As the three got up to leave, Iori intentionally or unintentionally lagged behind. Akame looked at him strangely, only to find that the man looked thoughtful, with a hint of loneliness inexplicably on his face... Akame swallowed back what she was about to say, quietly watching Iori's expression, and for no reason felt a sudden tightness in her chest.

She didn't know what was troubling Iori, but she seemed to have been unwittingly captivated...

Iori was unaware of Akame's changing state of mind. He was rather disappointed and not in a good mood, and there were two main factors contributing to this:

While instructing the two, Iori remained vigilant throughout and raised his perception to its highest level... This was not because he distrusted Esdeath and Akame, but because he was waiting for someone to intervene.

First is the Zero Division of the Spirit King Palace, which to be precise consists of the great monk "Hyoushube Ichibei" and the sword god "Nimaiya Oetsu".

One of them forged all the Zanpakuto, and the other claimed to know the true names of all objects in Soul Society.

To put it bluntly, these two can easily manipulate the strong members of the Shinigami system, especially the Great Monk, even Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni is no match for him.

Iori had been wary of them since the beginning, to the point that she even had to go to another world to forge and awaken [Mirror of Still Water], all in order to escape the great monk's "sight".

This time, he wanted to see if the great monk could "see" the situation here, and whether he would take action, since he had brought two "travelers" to the Soul Society and then brazenly taught them to bypass Asahi's Zanpakuto training method.

Iori was always ready to escape with his people. After all, time travel only required a buffer of less than ten seconds, and with his abilities, he could easily buy that time by saying a few words. Even if they encountered an insurmountable enemy, he would have a way to deal with it.

But it seems that the other party is more likely to remain indifferent... Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. Apart from the Spirit King himself, the Great Monk only cares about two types of people: those who "threaten the Spirit King" and those who "can become the Spirit King".

The three of them, including Iori, do not currently possess the necessary conditions. Even if the Great Monk notices Iori's unusual behavior, he has no reason to take action.

As for the future? Once Iori levels up a few more times, the head monk will have to be on guard against him!

Besides the head monk, Iori has another person she's wary of, but this isn't someone she's guarding against as an enemy; rather... it's a bit of a shame.

Aizen Sōyūhime, his sworn sister, has had her spiritual pressure fluctuations detected from 300 meters away.

Although she concealed her form using the Kido technique, Iori's perception was already incredibly sharp. Yuuki thought she had disguised herself well, but in reality, Iori had already noticed her long ago.

He certainly wouldn't doubt Yuuki's stance. Even if that person wasn't involved in his plans, at least she wouldn't be secretly playing dirty tricks as his sister.

He expected Yuuki to be intimidated by the two beautiful girls and take the initiative to come to his door to ask who Iori and the others were... but in fact, Yuuki did not do that!

Yuuki knew perfectly well that he had brought back two great beauties, and had even met and greeted Akame, but she never questioned Iori about anything and readily accepted the backstory that Iori had initially fabricated.

It seems like a good thing? But Iori only felt regret.

"I would have told you everything if you had just asked... Why did you leave without saying a word?"

Do you mean you'd rather believe information obtained indirectly through [Mirror Flower Water Moon] than what I say myself?

If that's really the case... then it must be incredibly lonely.

Chapter 274: I'll never set a flag again (4K)

Iori accepted the "recruitment" mission, but was not in a hurry to immediately sweep through the lawless zone.

Because this is not a simple and straightforward job like "killing," on the contrary, Iori must be extremely restrained in this process to avoid causing large-scale deaths of souls.

Seireitei now needs to absorb strong individuals from Rukongai to replenish its fighting force, so as to free up manpower as soon as possible to form an expeditionary force, reduce the "population" of Hueco Mundo, and thus put the tilted balance back on track.

If a massacre is carried out in lawless zones in order to select the strongest, further exacerbating the imbalance of the three realms... wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?

Therefore, the person carrying out this mission must possess the martial prowess to subdue numerous local heroes, a rational and resolute character, and most importantly—the charismatic leadership to win over even the most unruly individuals!

This task ultimately fell to Iori. His volunteering was just a catalyst; the real reason was that the current Gotei 13 didn't have many qualified personnel.

Yamamoto's inner conflict at the time was not feigned; the claim of being "old, weak, sick, or disabled" was not unfounded!

Compared to the captains who each have their own shortcomings, Iori is the most ideal candidate.

Of course, the predicament of Team Thirteen is only temporary. It just happens to be a time of transition between generations of talent. At most, in another fifty years, young talents such as Shinji Hirako, Rojuro Otori, Kensei Muguruma, Kisuke Urahara, and Yoruichi Shihouin will take the stage.

After this batch, there will be rising stars like Soi Fon, Daihaku, Shiro, Komamura, and Tosen.

Yuuki, Hibiki, Amagai, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Zaraki... these troubled children, including Iori herself, will become the backbone of Seireitei at different times—or major threats!

Looking at it this way, it becomes clear that the Seireitei will soon experience a surge in talent, with an average quality that is quite good. This demonstrates the high value of the Shinigami Academy, considering that even Aizen, the main antagonist in the original work, was a formally trained graduate and a disciple of the emperor.

The lower the ranking of the Rukongai, the worse the security, but the larger the area becomes. The lawless zone perfectly combines the words "desolate" and "vast," as if an ancient battlefield has been moved here and expanded infinitely, providing the best arena for those Shura who are intoxicated with killing and bloodshed!

Finding at least a hundred people who can be recruited in such a chaotic place is as difficult as sifting through sand in a great wave; it cannot be accomplished in a day or two, and normally it would take several years or even ten years.

In fact, when the Gotei 13 was first established, the first Kenpachi led a team to clear out lawless areas. At that time, her mission was simpler, which was to suppress dissent, or in short, to kill people.

But even this job, which was as familiar to her as eating and drinking, took her more than a decade to complete (of course, it's also possible that she deliberately dragged it out to find an excuse to go hunting more often).

Given the current urgent situation in Seireitei, it's impossible for them to give Iori that much time. But even if they're incredibly unreasonable, they should at least give me a one or two-year grace period.

In that time, Iori could send Esdeath and Akame to the lawless zone to make a name for themselves, then "accidentally" encounter these two wild powerhouses and recruit them into the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force. They could even get into the ranks without even having to enter the Shinigami Academy!

Regarding the expeditionary force, Iori intends to take the lead without hesitation, and currently no one in the entire Thirteen Divisions can compete with him.

After Saito was seriously injured, the most suitable leader in theory was the current Kenpachi, but everyone knows that he is a brainless brute and his strength can only be described as barely passable... Once they arrive in Hueco Mundo, it is hard to say whether they will be fighting monsters or being fought by monsters.

Iori has experience fighting in Hueco Mundo, his strength is among the top ranks of the captains, and a large portion of the future expeditionary force will be recruited by him personally. Considering all these factors, Yamamoto has no reason not to let him lead the team.

He believed he had reached an extremely high level within the "Shinigami" system, but to surpass that pinnacle—Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni—with pure Shinigami power, it seemed the only way was to gradually accumulate art style and overwhelm the opponent in terms of "quantity."

In addition, there is theoretically another way to reach an even higher level, which is to break down the barriers of the system and absorb the power of the "Hollow" or the "Queen".

The Quincy faction has a deep connection with Yhwach, and even someone as resilient as Ichigo Kurosaki has suffered from it. It could become a source of trouble at any time.

However, researching "the Hollowfication of Shinigami" or "the Shinigami transformation of Hollows (Arrancar)" is not possible in Seireitei.

After all, his "Mirror of Still Water" doesn't have the convenient ability of "complete hypnosis." If he wanted to do something like Aizen in the original work and cause trouble under Yamamoto's nose, it would be almost like courting death.

Once Iori arrives in Hueco Mundo as the "Captain," he will be unstoppable, like a fish leaping in the vast sea or a bird soaring high in the mountains!

Unlike Soul Society, Hueco Mundo has virtually no threats to Iori. As long as he can fool his subordinates, capturing a few Hollows for experiments is a piece of cake.

This is why Iori volunteered to take on the challenge when the head of the Shihouin family proposed the Rukongai recruitment plan.

Raising favor with the captains was one thing, but more importantly, he immediately thought of the connection between the recruitment plan and the reorganization of the expeditionary force, and keenly realized that this was a good opportunity to openly and legitimately go to Hueco Mundo!

The plan had to be implemented step by step, and time passed day by day. Iori selected eight reliable, capable, and skilled Shinigami from the Third Division, entrusted the team's affairs to Rojuro Ootori, and then led his men to Rukongai, heading towards the legendary Shura Field.

The so-called "lawless zone" is not a single entity, but rather the last of the four Rukongai (southeast, west, south, and north) districts, totaling about a dozen or so areas that can be called lawless zones.

The environment here is extremely harsh, almost like a vast desert of yellow sand. The occasional forests are just a mix of gnarled and dead trees. Clean water is hard to find, and there are no villages or settlements to be seen. This contrasts sharply with the resource-rich and densely populated area surrounding Seireitei.