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

The young man sighed with regret, then suddenly chuckled as if he was thinking of something.

"Of course, this also includes relationships between men and women!"

Volume 38: The White Moonlight of the Entire Seireitei: Chapter : Who is more beautiful, me or Narcissus?

The day before yesterday, Iori cooperated with the Revolutionary Army to launch a surprise attack on Sheila and his subordinates, successfully killing Enshin and Izo, and capturing Sheila and Cosmia.

Both prisoners were taken back to the Revolutionary Army headquarters. Sheela was to be used as a bargaining chip to negotiate with the minister. It was estimated that he would be abandoned by the minister in the end, and the Revolutionary Army would use his head to win over the people.

The fate of Cosmia seems to be still debatable. She was born in the Western Kingdom, and although she also committed serious crimes, she has no deep hatred with the revolutionary army. Some people think that she can be handed over to the Western Kingdom in exchange for support, which is more valuable than killing her directly.

But these have nothing to do with Iori. After receiving the agreed reward, he took the time to return to Soul Society, and then came all the way to the coast of the East China Sea.

It is said that there is no trade between the eastern island country and the mainland, and no one can cross this sea that is sometimes shrouded in thick fog and sometimes thundering and lightning. However, there is no doubt that Izang came across the sea from the island country, so there must be a way to cross the sea.

He searched for a long time in the villages near the seaside, paved the way with money, wiped out several pirates who were harming the area, and collected intelligence through various means. Finally, he obtained the nautical charts and necessary tools including ships and compasses.

To this end, he even specially learned how to drive a boat from an old sailor... Of course, as they said, it would take more than a few days to learn how to drive a small boat, and going out to sea alone is tantamount to seeking death. I sincerely advised Iori not to challenge the majesty of the sea.

But Iori had his own plans, and he did not explain the secrets to anyone else.

It is certainly impossible for an ordinary person to master the art of navigation perfectly in a month or even less, and it is even more impossible to cross the ocean alone.

But Iori is not an ordinary person, not even a "human"!

As a god of death, he didn't need to prepare a lot of food and fresh water on the ship, and he didn't need to worry about scurvy. Even if his spiritual pressure was insufficient, he could return to Soul Society to replenish it.

More importantly, he has the space imperial tool [Dimensional Array·Shangri-La] in his hand!

By setting up a mark on the seashore, if he took the wrong route and got lost at sea, he could simply return to land and prepare a small boat for going out to sea.

If he reaches the Eastern island country in the future, relying on Shangri-La, he can travel freely in the entire East China Sea and even skip the boat ride.

All that was consumed in searching for the Eastern island country was time and money, and Iori happened to have plenty of both.

The means to travel across worlds, plus an imperial tool that can teleport long distances within this world - with these two preparations, what is there to be afraid of?

In other words, he didn't know the principle of Shangri-La's teleportation, and was afraid that the special environment of Soul Society would affect its transfer function, so he would not bring back "Bleach" for the time being. When the matter in the world of Zanaka is over in the future, he must bring this thing back to test whether it can be used normally in Soul Society.

If it can be successfully activated in a lepton environment, and even be able to transfer freely between the three realms... there is a lot of potential!

In any case, after making "all preparations", Iori took advantage of the favorable wind direction and set sail in a fishing boat less than five meters long - but the mast was broken by a storm after only three days.

He then set sail twice more in half a month, but both times he failed, either because of a run-down on reefs or natural disasters.

Until the fourth time, which was almost the end of the monsoon period, he missed it and could only wait until next year. Faced with such pressure, he still set sail again with undiminished fighting spirit!

This time, the goddess of fate was finally moved by his persistence and placed her favor on Iori. Everything went smoothly and he soon surpassed the limits of the previous three explorations and successfully entered the unknown area.

Sailing with the wind on the boundless sea, what meets the eyes during the day is the endless blue, with occasional schools of flying fish passing by in the distance like silver threads, while at night the sky filled with stars and the bright moon reflect each other on the sea... It sounds like a very romantic thing, but in fact it is lonely and terrifying.

The weather at sea is more unpredictable than a girl in love. Sometimes it is stormy, sometimes it is cloudless, sometimes the sun is shining brightly, and sometimes it is bitterly cold.

What's even more terrifying is that there is no one to communicate with, and this is the only lonely boat in the vast ocean to stand on. If you are not careful, you will be doomed!

Iori was not greatly affected because he was a spirit, but during this time he had deeply understood the hardships of the sailors. The old fisherman who taught him was indeed sincere.

With the help of [Shangri-La], when Iori's spiritual pressure is low or he feels lonely and uncomfortable, he returns to Soul Society and finds a small shop in Rukongai. He doesn't drink, but watches the customers coming and going, and feels endless joy just by listening to them talk.

What is more troublesome is that the place where he traveled back is basically the "original place", while the ship is constantly moving forward. Even if the sails are retracted, the hull will be pushed by the ocean current.

Therefore, he could not travel back to Soul Society at any time. He could only control the loss of spiritual pressure accurately and wait until there was a deserted island to dock before going back. Otherwise, he would have to swim to the Far East by himself...

Gradually, he began to get used to loneliness. Sometimes he would spend the whole day fishing on the deck, and sometimes he would stare at the moon for most of the night.

From the excitement and excitement of conquering the sea in the beginning, to the loneliness and boredom later, and then to the current state of being content with what one has, Iori has unconsciously discarded all distracting thoughts, and started to appreciate the scenery of the sea with a pure mind without any prejudice.

Perhaps the change in mood has changed people's perspective. Even the scenery that has long been commonplace seems to sparkle, and the whole world has become clearer.

He suddenly felt that this ship would probably never reach its destination and would sail forever in the boundless blue...and that was pretty good.

If he jumped off the deck, he would probably be able to truly merge with the sky, the sea, and the wind...

"How could I have such a stupid idea?"

Iori held the boom, stared at the rippling water, and said something in a self-deprecating manner.

[Maybe there's water in your brain. ]

"……Um?"

Iori scratched his ears and looked around subconsciously. Suddenly, he had an idea and looked straight at the sea.

The figure reflected in the undulating deep blue was shattered by the wind and waves, as if countless fragments of a mirror were shaking and changing...

Even so, it was clear that the figure did not match Iori.

"Are you talking?" The boy was unexpectedly calm. "Either I'm crazy, or something is finally about to begin."

[Don't you understand clearly? That's right, you are crazy. ]

"After all, normal people don't talk to their own shadows, just like the legendary Narcissus (the man who fell in love with his own shadow)... Alas, there's nothing we can do about it, this is the fate of handsome men!"

【…】

Iori held his chin with one hand and held the fishing rod with the other, and asked casually: "But then again, who are you to talk to a madman?"

[Me? I am you, and you are me! ]

“But it looks like a mosaic, not quite what I imagined – it’s such a shame that it’s not a pretty girl.

By the way, what do you think of me?"

[…At least not as beautiful as Narcissus~]

The reflection in the water said in a pleasant, neutral voice:

[And he doesn’t look very smart. ]

"Then I'm really sorry."

Iori laughed and said, "My name is Aizen Iori, what's yours?"

[Forget about this little trick. If you want to know my name, you have to call it out yourself! ]

Volume 39: The White Moonlight of the Entire Seireitei: Chapter : Super Dangerous Species: Dragon!

Iori was not surprised by the appearance of the "reflection".

With his level of spiritual pressure, he should have started nurturing his Zanpakutō or even developed his Shikai long ago, but he had been deliberately avoiding this process and had delayed it until now.

But as his state of mind was gradually refined and perfected by loneliness, spiritual transformation was about to come. Even though he did not have a sword in his hand now, a certain power naturally emerged in his heart.

This was very different from the normal process of awakening a Shinigami, but for Iori it felt like a natural progression. Even though there was no clear path ahead, he had an inexplicable premonition... This made the search for the sword blank seem more urgent.

Iori did not lose his composure because of this, and he still sailed on the sea patiently. However, he had to practice meditation every day to explore his inner self, which made him a little mentally exhausted.

After entering the deep ocean, they would occasionally encounter dangerous aquatic species that looked like strange fish or giant snakes, but Iori was not afraid of water battles due to the convenience of his spiritual body. All dangerous species with average strength were killed by him, and some stronger individuals, after realizing that there were hard nails on the ship, hid in the deep sea and would not launch a sneak attack again.

In this way, apart from meditation and fighting dangerous species, life is not so boring.

…On the forty-seventh day at sea, the young man was practicing Su Zhen on the deck. The weather was getting gloomy very quickly, and the air pressure was gradually getting heavier. The already humid sea breeze was mixed with an indescribable chill.

Iori, who already had some experience, smelled the scent of "storm". If the ship was destroyed by the storm during the voyage, all the previous efforts would be in vain. But Iori did not panic too much. He just followed the knowledge he learned from the old sailors, lowered the mainsail, and carefully controlled the direction of the rudder.

Now he seemed like a monk who had completed the hard practice of Zen. His mind was extremely peaceful and he showed no fear in the face of the impending natural disaster.

Not long after, the wind and rain arrived as expected, but for some reason, a strange omen flashed through Iori's heart.

He turned his head and looked in a direction slightly to the northeast, and did not see anything unusual, except that the rain clouds seemed particularly low compared to other places, almost falling onto the sea. From time to time, lightning flashed between the sky and the sea, making it look even more dangerous and terrifying.

Suddenly, a particularly bright lightning pierced the darkness, casting some vague black shadows scattered on the sea...

Is it... a living creature? No, that thing on the sea... is it a ship?

Finally found the clue!

Without much thought, Iori made a decisive decision with a clear mind. He turned the bow of the boat to meet the incoming waves, fighting against the violent current while taking advantage of the momentum to approach the dangerous area.

When there were about 500 meters left, Iori finally saw with the help of the lightning what the vague black shadows in the distance were - they were as many as twenty three-masted sailing ships!

Its tonnage was much larger than Iori's small fishing boat, but it was still unable to break free from the ocean currents in the storm and could only struggle.

The strange thing is that in such a chaotic ocean current, the fleet is too densely distributed, which makes it very easy for collisions to occur... It's like a school of sardines gathered together because they are afraid of something.

But…if that’s the case, then where is the predator?

Just as this thought flashed through Iori's mind, a strange tremor suddenly swept through his body, causing him to slowly and stiffly raise his head:

Is it a cloud? Is it a mountain?

No, it's a dragon!

A huge, sinuous body poked out from the dark clouds, swimming as if endlessly. Thick lightning struck from the clouds, illuminating the blue-black scales that shone with a steely luster, and the silver-like mane.

Although the whole picture was not seen, even just a glimpse of it could make everyone think of the legendary creature at the first moment -

dragon!

At this moment, a powerful existence that only appears in myths is circling in the clouds less than two hundred meters above Iori's head!

Rumble…

He didn't know if it was an illusion, but even the deafening thunder sounded like the majestic roar of a dragon to Iori.

"Divine beasts... no, in this world they should be called 'super dangerous species'!"

Iori watched this scene in shock, and only breathed a sigh of relief when the dragon's body completely disappeared into the clouds with a flick of its tail.

Unrivaled power!

Just by looking at it from a distance, you can feel its amazing vitality. Even thunder cannot compare to it. It is hard to imagine that this is a creation of nature!

It is said that the imperial weapons are made of materials from extremely dangerous species, which is why they have various special abilities.

But obviously, there are also differences in strength among super-dangerous species, and the performance gap of the imperial weapons proves this.

The inferior Imperial Gear are not much different from ordinary cold weapons, they are just stronger or sharper, but the excellent Imperial Gear can "control the undead" and "teleport through space". What's more, some, like Queen Esdeath's [Demon Appearance], can control the weather and freeze time and space when developed to the extreme!

In the original work, Kuronetomi once controlled a super dangerous corpse puppet, but Iori is sure that even if that puppet is still alive and in its prime, it will not be a match for this giant dragon!

If there were a conflict with something like this natural disaster...

Iori actually simulated it and found that he had no chance of winning at all!

If we don't consider the consumption of spiritual pressure, the strongest means of attack he possesses is nothing more than the fully chanted 78th Hado. This is already very exceptional for a candidate Shinigami who is not even in the third year, but it is probably not enough to pose a fatal threat to such a transcendent creature...

If converted into the Great Hollow in "Bleach", this thing would definitely be at the level of Achukas... As for Vastrod... It's hard to estimate based on Iori's strength.

Damn, how did the first emperor thousands of years ago defeat this thing? The humans in "Zhan Aka" don't seem to be so fierce!

Could it be like the Souls games, constantly using lives to fill in and rolling on the ground to fix the feet...

Forget it, there's no point in worrying about this. Creating an imperial weapon only requires materials, and you don't necessarily have to kill them. Maybe they just picked up some relics or something like that.

Today is really an eye-opener - just as Iori was thinking this, the thick clouds were blown away by the strong wind, and an invisible shock wave blasted towards the fleet in the distance!

Bang!

The sturdy hull that could withstand the storm became as fragile as rotten wood. The powerful impact force immediately broke the keel, and the whole ship split apart. Then a towering column of water surged up, sweeping the "little black dots" into the chaotic and violent ocean current.

Next, Iori was surprised to see beams of fire shooting out from the other large ships. It seemed that something like a siege crossbow was installed on the hull, and the arrows shot out were as thick and long as lances, shooting towards the gaps in the clouds.

Immediately afterwards, a long dragon roar was sounded, and flaming spears fell from the sky. However, this fleet had obviously been trained in advance, and they fired round after round without any gaps, like a rainstorm.

"Roar!!!"

The angry roar stirred the clouds, and the tall figure appeared again. Invisible wind blades swept past, cutting nearly a hundred meters of sea surface and two large ships in one breath.

However, this also brought it closer to the sea surface. Suddenly, there were flashes of fire on the ship, and flying rocks like meteors were thrown into the sky, and then exploded like fireworks. The strange purple flames immediately dyed half of the sky.

Roar~~!

This time, the roar seemed to contain a hint of pain in addition to anger.

"Are these people... hunting this dragon?" Iori was shocked. He was not surprised by these people's courage, but was puzzled as to why they were doing this.

To collect materials for imperial equipment? But if your skills are strong enough to slay dragons, why would you care about imperial equipment?

The next moment, the dragon completely emerged from the clouds. Its true form was tall and majestic, and its mane and long beard fluttering in the wind added a touch of sacredness to it.

It is estimated to be at least three or four hundred meters long, and part of its winding body is difficult to identify in the clouds.

The only minor flaw is that its body is covered with hideous scars crisscrossing each other, and in many places even scales cannot grow back, making its supposedly beautiful body appear weird and sinister.

However, Iori was keenly aware that those scars were not left in the previous battle. Many of them were obviously old injuries over the years, and they might even have been damaged and healed again and again, thus forming irregular wounds...

It is hard to imagine how many battles such a powerful creature must have gone through to have so many scars.