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

【Individual】This is a general term for ordinary souls in Soul Society. Their spiritual pressure is extremely low, no different from bricks, stones, grass and trees. They don't even need to eat, just like objects in Soul Society.

Being written with this word means that Iori is defined as "just like an ordinary object". His originally incredibly powerful spiritual pressure is now as if it has been isolated from his body, making it difficult to mobilize.

"Well!"

The handsome young man knelt on the ground, his body trembling uncontrollably, while Hyosube Ichibei on the opposite side finally breathed a sigh of relief, and then burst into wild laughter.

"Hahaha... Arrogance is the reason for your defeat, Aizen Iori!"

"What's going on...why..."

"You only knew that the Zero Division could be resurrected by relying on the Soul King Palace, so you became careless after destroying the palace."

However, we do not merge ourselves into the palace—we are the palace itself!

Hyōjubu Ichibei proudly declared, "Each of us is equivalent to a 'King's Key,' a divine artifact that can only be created by sacrificing an entire Heavy Spirit Land. Based on this, we built our respective detached palaces, which are connected to the Spirit King's bedroom."

What you killed were merely our outward appearances. The true King Keys cannot be destroyed on a material level. As long as one member of the Zero Division survives, the remaining King Keys will automatically transfer to that person.

"...Then, you resurrected Nimaiya Oetsu in your own domain by 'calling his name'?"

"Haha~ You're so clever, that's it."

Hyosube Ichibei looked at the black swordsmith: "I may not be able to kill you, but he possesses the best 'sharpness' in the three realms, which can ignore spiritual pressure defenses!"

"Ignoring spiritual pressure defense? I see. So this is your personal Zanpakuto, Wang Yue?"

"I've always wanted to forge the perfect, strongest Zanpakuto."

Wang Yue did not give a direct answer—he felt like he was trying to subdue a tiger with a needle, as if he would be torn to shreds if he relaxed even slightly. He could only hold the hilt of the sword and channel his spiritual pressure into Iori while carefully controlling her and speaking slowly.

"I have never succeeded... except when I was forging this knife, I had an extremely strong premonition... but unfortunately, I still failed in the end."

"A failure? It's so sharp, yet it's just a failed attempt?"

"That's right, it's a defective product."

Wang Yue said matter-of-factly, "Indeed, this knife is very sharp. No matter how you swing it, it won't be damaged, and it won't even be stained with blood. If all the knives in the world were like this, then knife sharpeners would be out of a job."

However, because it was too sharp, a suitable scabbard could not be found, so it—[Sheathed]—was a defective product.

"To be able to forge a Zanpakuto with near-absolute cutting power, your skill as a swordsmith has reached the pinnacle, a level of perfection."

Iori praised Wang Yue appreciatively, but he could understand the other's thoughts.

In the philosophy of Japanese craftsmen, pursuing the highest performance is not the most important thing. Rather, it is to embody a perfect balance of style and belief in the work, possess unique spiritual value, and reach the realm of "Tao".

This is a rather paradoxical concept that is reflected in many places, and it is not just the so-called "craftsman spirit" (although this concept has been overused in the 21st century).

For example, in many light novel works, the protagonist, who is "without magic", "without ability", or has a huge flaw in a certain aspect, will be generally looked down upon by the outside world, even if the protagonist has talents that crush everyone else in other fields. Moreover, apart from the main characters, the general public even thinks this is normal.

There are countless examples of this...

This is because, in their view, "powerful" is not the most important thing; "perfect" and "universal" are what deserve the most praise.

Therefore, you can even see absurd situations in many works, such as "someone being ostracized because they are too good" or "a talented person who excels in one subject being kicked out of the team by a group of novices".

This kind of thinking is incomprehensible to the Chinese people.

For example, this sword, [Sheath of the Sword], is so sharp in Iori's eyes that it is absolutely perfect. After all, what more could you ask for in a sword?

But Nimaiya Oetsu, a craftsman, did not think so:

An oil painting needs a suitable frame to be considered perfect, and a knife needs a guard, a scabbard, and an inscription to be considered a "finished product".

"You...have you misunderstood something?"

The knife was created to cut something; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was born for the concept of slashing.

But you ignored this point and instead pursued wholeness and harmony—

This isn't some kind of artwork!

Iori clutched her chest, gently stroking the back of the blade, and sighed, "You forged it, but you are not worthy to use it... This is a tragedy, for both of you."

Is that why I didn't get a response from [Sheath]? — Nimaiya Oetsu felt a moment of disorientation.

But at that moment, a loud shout containing a spiritual energy impact forcibly pulled Wang Yue back to consciousness.

"What are you still standing there for?!"

Hyosube Ichibei's eyes widened in fury: "Why aren't you doing it yet?!"

"Yo!"

Nimaiya Oetsu gritted his teeth: "I understand! Aizen Iori... Although it's regrettable, there are things I cannot back down on. I absolutely cannot let you hurt the Soul King!"

"Ah……"

Iori scoffed and offered no resistance.

He watched helplessly as Hyosube Ichibei wrote a few more words on his body, which then gradually merged into his body. The [Sheath] remained piercing through his "Soul Lock" organ, just like a martial arts master whose collarbone was pierced, preventing him from moving freely.

"I sealed your Bankai true name a long time ago, and now I'm really glad. If your strength had increased further, there really wouldn't have been any way to subdue you."

Hyosube Ichibei stepped forward and pressed Iori's head down with his large hand: "Now, Nimaiya and I will extract your Bankai—your half-body—and seal it into the [Sheath] to make it into a masterless Zanpakuto."

Your power will be halved, and you will forever lose your memories of the Spirit King Palace... Just relax and be the captain of the Third Division in the lower realm.

Then, one day…

"Then I should thank you for sparing my life?"

Iori smiled brightly, revealing her gleaming white teeth.

Hyosube Ichibei lowered his head to meet his gaze, and suddenly his heart tightened: "You—"

Buzz! ! ! ! !

Heavy pressure!

The atmosphere transforms into the deep sea!

As if suppressed by millions of tons of cold seawater, every stone trembled, emitting a cracking sound as if it had a life of its own, unable to bear the weight.

The head monk and the swordsmith tensed their facial muscles, revealing the expressions of the deities in the Buddhist temple, seemingly furious but actually too shocked to think.

Mechanically turning around, a figure in white entered Hyonshube Ichibei's field of vision.

"No...this is impossible!"

The senior monk almost groaned as he said, "How could it not be the real body! I... I definitely saw it!"

"..."

"Although I can't see your true nature, what's here is undoubtedly your original form! No, there's no other possibility!"

My eyes—oh!

Suddenly, like a chicken or duck being choked, Hyosugi Ichibei, his face flushed red, stared wide-eyed at Iori, unable to utter a single word.

Right across from her, Iori was walking on the void, with each step she took creating clusters of spiritual particles that shaped into starlight-like flooring. She was playing with a small crystal ball as she walked.

That is--

"The Spirit King's eyes...you, who exactly are you!"

Why, why…

"Long-winded."

Iori shifted her gaze from the Eye of the Spirit King, giving it an impatient glance:

Bang!

Without warning, Bingzhubu knelt down on the ground, his veins bulging under his skin, clearly indicating that he was under immense pressure.

Upon closer inspection, his legs were severed at the knees, and the one wielding the knife—

"Wang Yue! What are you doing!"

"I!"

Bang!

The black swordsmith felt a sharp pain in his hand as all five fingers fell off—he had been injured by the [Sheath]!

"Well!"

Nimaiya forced back two steps despite the excruciating pain, while the [Sheath] had somehow slipped from Iori's (clone's) chest and landed naturally in the handsome young man's hand, just as if it had been drawn from its sheath.

Incredibly, Wang Yue, who held the knife strictly according to the normal method, was cut, while Iori, who held the blade with her hand, was completely unharmed!

"Could it be... that you betrayed me? [Sheathed]!"

"betray?"

Iori's clone dissipated like mist, while the unsheathed Asauchi was tossed high into the air and landed in the main body's hand.

Upon handling the blade, Iori felt an indescribable pleasure emanating from it, and smiled gently.

"When did you begin to have the illusion that this knife submits to you?"

Chapter 503 The Vision of the Spirit King.

Wang Yue was merely a swordsmith, not a true warrior. He couldn't offer a completely "subjective" evaluation of a weapon, which meant he couldn't gain the approval of the Zanpakuto.

In contrast, Iori has always appreciated pure strength and scoffed at so-called perfection.

Perhaps it resonated with his thoughts, because when Iori used the "Greedy Usurper" to take ownership of the sheath, the asagu unhesitatingly entrusted itself to Iori, swore allegiance to him, and did not resist when turning its blade towards its original owner.

This is not betrayal, but awakening!

"Alright, I'll use this sword to fight you."

...It ended quickly, or rather, the moment Iori's true form appeared and [Sheath] voluntarily submitted, Hyosube Ichibei and Nimaiya Oetsu were utterly desperate and no longer had the courage to fight against Iori.

The Great Monk, in particular, always considered himself the "trustee" of the Spirit King. After the Spirit King was turned into a human pillar, he was the one who oversaw the operation of the three realms, and his status was even higher than that of the five noble families. Moreover, he performed this task brilliantly, ensuring that nothing went off track for millions of years. Even Yhwach and the Quincy were actually part of his plan.

He was the most outstanding being in the Three Realms in terms of both strength and wisdom, and he was proud of this.

But Iori's appearance completely shattered his worldview, telling him that there are not only things in this world that he cannot control, but also that their power and wisdom are insignificant in front of Iori...

It was Iori himself who defeated Yhwach, but the one who later appeared above Seireitei and ascended to the Soul King's Palace was just an avatar, albeit one whose power was much greater than that of the one who led the Shinigami in battle within Seireitei.

Just to be on the safe side, this clone carried the most powerful weaponry, and in fact, it did use the power of the Savior Blade to push the Zero Division to the brink of defeat, successfully extracting their last trump card.

—To be honest, it's quite disappointing.

Iori had overestimated Hyosube Ichibei's abilities, making thorough preparations, including deliberately creating a clone just in case. However, in the end, Iori's only reliance was the White Ichimonji and the Sheathed Sword…

But thinking about it carefully, Iori might be a bit too much like Versailles:

The reason why the great monk was reduced to using only these two as his trump cards was because Iori's strength was too great, rendering many of his methods ineffective.

Spiritual pressure, true fighting, the ability to conceptually modify true names, and the Bankai of all Zanpakuto... These are the trump cards that allow Hyosube Ichibei to control all Shinigami, but they are completely useless against Iori!

Without these special abilities, if we're talking about raw strength, the Great Monk isn't even as good as Yhwach, let alone Iori, who could crush the Quincy King.

In the end, it all comes down to this—he came too late!

If he had come to the Spirit King's Palace earlier, before he obtained the Savior Blade, or before he acquired [Existence Power] and [Spirit King's Eye], and before he raised his spiritual pressure to this level... he probably could have had a truly evenly matched battle with the Zero Division members.

As for now? This battle is completely one-sided; they have absolutely no chance...

So why do the weak fight?

"What a waste of time! But I'm a magnanimous person and won't do anything to the Spirit King, so don't worry... Ah, can't you hear me anymore?"

Even though there were no enemies left standing on the field, Iori muttered to himself in the void. He didn't know if the members of the Zero Division still had any senses, but those guys were one with the Spirit King Palace and would be resurrected sooner or later.

"By the way, you want to turn me into a Zanpakuto? Although it's annoying, I have to admit it's a good idea."

Iori's heart stirred, and a mysterious smile appeared on her face. Then, she gathered arc-like spiritual energy fluctuations at her fingertips. With a wave of her hand, she flicked her five fingers, and the shining spiritual energy sphere entered the great monk's mangled body. A pentagram array unfolded, and wisps of surging "black" energy were extracted from Hyosube Ichibei's body.

This is Yhwach's "Usurpation of the Altar," the prototype skill of Seisho, which is not limited to taking over the opponent's Bankai and has a wider range of applications. Iori also tried using it, but he didn't expect it to go so smoothly, as if he had already learned it before.

Speaking of which, after acquiring the "Hallucination to Seize the Altar," Iori now possesses a multitude of stealing abilities, including the [Greedy Usurper], the [Divine Artifact of the Azure Cloud], and the [Prometheus's Secret Manual]... It's truly frustrating for his future opponents!

Of course, the Kusanagi Sword and the Fire-Stealing Tablet are more suited to dealing with "gods" and are not very useful against ordinary enemies. The "usurpation of the altar" also has some ominous signs. In the end, the "Greedy Usurper" is still the best option.

No barriers to entry, no side effects, no pre-cast delay, no conditions—so even now, with so many skills and weapons, Iori still values ​​this highly, only the number of opponents who can make him use his trump cards is decreasing.

"Hmm...it is indeed a very peculiar energy, not just simple spiritual pressure, but more of a conceptual kind...hmm~"

Iori sensed it roughly, then raised an eyebrow, but did not explore it further. He gathered the ink-like "black" into a small ball, then used Kido to fix it in a static spacetime and then ignored it.