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

But since you came to Hueco Mundo, your strength has improved by leaps and bounds, especially after your Shikai... Now you can hear the 'sound' of your Zanpakuto, right? That is the sign of Bankai. When you can hear the name it calls out accurately, you have entered the realm of captain.

This leap forward in improvement is still astonishing, even with the life-and-death pressure in Hueco Mundo as a spur.

In the chaotic Soul Society a thousand years ago, people like you were extremely rare. I've probably only seen four or five of them."

Are there so many?

Iori was a little surprised, but when he thought about it carefully, there was nothing strange about it. After all, in the world view of "Bleach", some people are born with extremely powerful souls, or have fragments of the power of the Soul King hidden in their bodies.

People are born at the finish line, so it's normal for their growth rate to be a little abnormal.

Someone like Yamamoto, who doesn't have Soul King fragments, can just chop his way up with his sword, and reach the level of destroying a country or a world simply by practicing the power of the God of Death... That's the rarest thing!

"It's also thanks to the captain's good teaching." Iori said from the bottom of his heart, "These days, I've learned not only instant movement, but also Hakuto, Kendo, Kidō... Without your guidance, I would definitely not be able to improve so quickly."

"Humph, that's true!"

Saito accepted the flattery without hesitation: "You are lucky to have me teach you for such a long time!"

Iori smiled and nodded repeatedly.

This is absolutely true. Except for old man Yamamoto, the captains have no habit of recruiting students. At most, they will take their deputies or younger generations in the family. Saito is now more than a thousand years old, and the only people who have been taught by her are the "Four Heavenly Kings" of all generations.

"Although you have only been here for less than a year, you have already made great contributions, especially the killing of Yachukas this time. If you wish, the next time the gate is opened, you can end your dispatch mission early and return to Soul Society."

Saito gave Iori a very tempting proposal: "If you choose this, I will write a letter of recommendation to the old man and ask him to accept you as his apprentice."

"what?"

"Don't be surprised. I have been thinking about this for a long time."

Saito looked at Iori with deep eyes: "The speed of your improvement is exaggerated, but even so, it is not your full strength, right?"

"..." Iori remained silent, but he did not seem to be afraid of being exposed and remained calm.

"As expected." Saito nodded. "You must have used some means to conceal the fluctuations of spiritual pressure. If it was a younger captain, he would probably be fooled by you, but I have lived for so long, at least I have some skills."

"The captain is very observant~"

Iori smiled slightly, "But what does this have to do with the captain?"

"Humph!"

Saito curled his lips, but didn't intend to delve into it further. After all, there were too many people with secrets in Soul Society.

For any intelligent life form, hiding one's cards is almost instinctive and there is nothing to blame.

——Thinking of this, the one-eyed captain looked at Iori’s left hand again.

She knew that under the large Shinigami suit, Iori was wearing a lightweight wrist guard on his wrist, which was simple in shape but powerful in function.

Ever since Iori put on the wristband, the destructive power of the lightning-type ghost techniques he used has increased by more than one level!

He said that this thing was made by a good friend of his named "Kurobuta Mayuri", but Saito was skeptical because the 12th Division had never produced a similar device.

"Captain?" Seeing that she hadn't spoken for a long time, Iori reminded her softly.

"Tsk!"

The leader of the expeditionary army looked a little unhappy: "Why did I recommend you to find the old man on the mountain? Because I can't teach you anymore!

And judging from your fighting style, you have balanced development in Zhanbaizouki and are excellent in each aspect. You are following the "Yuanliu" path of the old man in the mountain. If you want to go further, the best choice is to receive instruction from the captain-general.

Besides... it would be good for you if you were valued by the old man."

Saito stopped there and didn't say much, but it was obvious that there was more to his words. It depended on whether Iori could understand it.

She is a person who acts on intuition and doesn't like to think about complicated things, but because of this, she can often see through illusions and grasp the key points.

Although Iori behaved kindly, respectfully, frugally and modestly, Saito always felt that he was restless at heart. If he was allowed to develop freely, it was hard to say what he would become in the end. It would be better to send him to Yamamoto for training.

Anyway, old man Yamamoto has been teaching for a thousand years and he will never mislead his students. He will definitely be of benefit to Iori and will not do any harm.

However, what Saito did not expect was that Iori hesitated about this proposal that could bring him instant success.

"It is of course my dream to be a disciple of the captain-general, but I have only been in Hueco Mundo for less than a year. During this time, I have truly experienced the difficult situation of the expeditionary force... Now that Seireitei is at war with the Quincy, it is impossible to send reinforcements above the vice-captain level to supplement the combat power in a short period of time.

If I leave now... the upper echelons of the expeditionary force will be even more strained. If we encounter another virtual tide..."

The black-haired boy looked extremely serious, and faced Saito's inquiring gaze with calmness.

"So, I want to stay in Hueco Mundo until the Quincy War is over, until new reinforcements arrive.

I'm really sorry to waste the captain's kindness, but this is my principle: never abandon my companions!

Therefore, please allow me to continue to follow orders in Hueco Mundo, Captain!"

"……All right."

Saito's eyes changed. It was the first time in a thousand years that she met someone like Iori, and she couldn't help but nodded slightly.

It’s true that Iori is reserved towards others and doesn’t really open his heart, but he refuses a bright future and stays in Hueco Mundo where there is nothing but danger... How else can there be any explanation for this other than his sincerity?

There is no perfect person in this world, and there are very few people who can achieve what Iori has.

Saito doesn't think she is a good person, but she admires Iori, who cherishes his companions, and has made a decision in her heart:

It seems that there is no need to examine him further. Let's teach him the more advanced instant step techniques!

It's a pity that he is too young. Saito doesn't think he is a shotacon, otherwise his looks and personality would be really to her liking!

Volume 86: Death Comes to Holy Grail War: Chapter : Thunder Emperor's Cage

Why don't you return to Soul Society?

The main reason is that Hueco Mundo is a pretty good place for Iori. The concentration of spirit particles is even higher than that in Soul Society, and there is never a shortage of people to practice with. Although it is desolate and barren with few entertainment activities, he can completely travel to "Aka Kill" to relax.

This kind of training life that combines work and rest is unexpectedly suitable for Iori, and it is obviously more training than the Soul Society.

Besides, it is in this dangerous environment that it is easier to get the CG of the bond with your comrades...

Not only can you get basic attributes, but you can also save a few people at the critical moment. It can be said to be a great thing that benefits both yourself and others. Why not do it?

Finally, there is one more point, which is a trace of concern hidden deep in Iori's heart:

If he returned to Soul Society, as the war became increasingly intense, a first-rate fighter like him, above the rank of vice-captain, might be sent to the human world to defeat the Quincies.

This was nothing in itself, as Iori had killed humanoid targets before, and he wouldn't feel too much psychological pressure to take action against a Quincy who wanted to destroy the balance of souls, which was equivalent to wanting to destroy the world, not to mention that he was just following orders on the battlefield.

But a very subtle point is that, unlike wild monsters like the Hollows that have no human rights, each of the Quincies inherits the bloodline of the ancestor "Yhwach", and their power system is quite high-end, so it is not an exaggeration to say that they are direct descendants of the Soul King.

The direct manifestation of this bloodline advantage is that it gives them the ability to directly absorb spiritual particles from the external environment into their bodies!

The God of Death can also control free spirit particles outside, but cannot force them into the body, and usually absorbs them passively.

The difference between the two is like cotton that absorbs water and an electric pump that directly pumps water.

Elite Quincy can even strengthen their abilities further and decompose and absorb matter composed of spirit particles.

Essentially, the Quincy's "control over spirit particles" is stronger than that of the Grim Reaper!

Of course, the Quincies only have an advantage in this aspect, they do not crush the Shinigami in all aspects. In terms of combat power, the Shinigami are no worse than them. We can only know who is stronger and who is weaker after a fight.

With Iori's strength, the number of individuals among the descendants of the Quincies who can pose a threat to him should not be large, and they will be targeted by the captain-level strongmen from the Soul Society. In theory, Iori does not need to worry about anything.

But who can blame him for having a move called [Swallow] in his Shikai, which allows him to avoid damage by transforming into free spirit particles?

This move can almost make the player completely immune to pure physical attacks. Even when facing energy attacks such as Ghost Path, it only increases the consumption. It is still a rather buggy means of reducing damage.

Theoretically, the only thing we are afraid of is the annihilation of energy due to a huge gap (such as Ryujin Jakka), and some special moves, such as the sealing-type ghost way.

In actual combat, whether encountering a Hollow, a Shinigami, or a human, Iori is very confident in the effectiveness of this move.

The only thing he was a little hesitant about was dealing with the Quincy:

What if the Quincy's "Spirit Particle Manipulation" can affect his body parts after he becomes hollow?

Although Iori has a high level of control over the spirit particles that separate from his body, which is far greater than the attraction that the god of death has for free spirit particles...how does this compare to the Quincy?

Ordinary Quincy might not be able to do it, but what about the pure-blooded elite Quincy?

If it were possible to directly control the spirit particles escaping from Iori's body, then the [Lan] move would be useless, and might even reveal a fatal flaw!

Of course, Iori has more than one trump card, [Arashi]. Even without this, his strength is still strong.

But maybe it's the debuff that comes with the surname "Aizen", Iori is more or less a perfectionist, and can't tolerate himself having such a weakness, and is even more unwilling to put himself in a dangerous situation with "natural enemies" everywhere.

Therefore, he must figure out whether the Quincy can have an impact on him, or what level of Quincy can forcibly control the scattered spirit particles in his body!

This is not difficult. Anyway, the war has already started. For Soul Society, it lacks everything except Quincy prisoners - they will come to Soul Society after they die, and basically all of them will be prisoners.

Later I'll ask Kurotsuchi Mayuri for a few "experimental subjects" to test on, and then I'll probably be able to figure out what the Quincy can do.

There are only three solutions:

Either kill all the Quincies, or never use [Swallow] in front of a Quincy, or strengthen your control over free spirit particles.

The first one is obviously not realistic, and the third one is beyond belief. After all, this thing is not taught in the Maou Spiritual Arts Academy.

The second one... is the easiest to achieve, but it cannot overcome Iori's self-esteem.

After thinking seriously for a long time, he made up his mind and felt that there was no need to stick to the power system of the god of death. Since the Spiritual Arts Academy would not teach it, he would study on his own how to actively absorb free spirit particles!

——After going around in circles, it seems that we are back to the path in the original work where Aizen broke the shackles of the system.

However, Iori's conditions are much better than Aizen Sosuke's, because he has the "plot CG" that can travel through the world and can access the power systems of other worlds, thereby achieving the effect of learning from all strengths and being inclusive, and it is easier for him to make innovations.

Once you decide to take the path of independent innovation, you must be fully prepared mentally and cannot just limit yourself to "actively absorbing free leptons."

Because this is about transforming and upgrading a system, if we only focus on one point, our vision would be a bit narrow.

If you want to do it, you have to show courage. Iori is also very aware of this!

After considering all aspects, Iori planned to start with the few imperial tools he had in his hands. He mobilized a large number of manpower and found a reference book called "The Complete Collection of Imperial Tools" in the royal library that had become ruins.

Judging from the content, this book is more of a biography than an encyclopedia, because it was recorded by the military secretary when the first emperor was conquering super-dangerous species and collecting materials for imperial tools. Naturally, it focuses on the emperor's great achievements.

There is no very specific process for manufacturing imperial tools, and most of the core technologies have been lost, but there are relatively detailed records of what materials were used for these imperial tools, what the properties of the corresponding dangerous types were, how the abilities were initially designed...

By combining the forging techniques inherited from the Oriental island countries and letting Mr. Fashion conduct research to fill in the gaps, the technical inheritance of the imperial weapon can be barely restored.

But this is not Iori's ultimate goal!

Before today, he had already immersed himself in "Zhan Aka" for a long time. While dealing with state affairs, he also put more energy into learning the technology seriously. He was absorbing the knowledge crazily at a speed that even the fashionable gentlemen were amazed!

It took him six full months in "Akagi Kill" to "make" some of the technical theories of the Teigu "compatible" with the spirit particle system. He successfully transformed the Teigu for the first time and brought it to the Hueco Mundo with the spirit particle conversion device given by Kurotsuchi Mayuri.

The super-dangerous species corresponding to this imperial weapon is naturally able to control the weather and can gather free electrons in the clouds to form supernatural phenomena. Iori started from this point and tried to influence the spirit particles using the same principle.

However, the first test was certainly not perfect. After the transformation, not only did the appearance of this imperial weapon shrink, its power was also greatly weakened. It was worse than the original version... and it would convert the absorbed spirit particles into fixed lightning attributes, making it impossible to release other ghost arts.

More importantly, this thing does not operate automatically. Iori must actively consume spiritual pressure to launch an attack. Its function is only to absorb free spiritual particles to increase destructive power... It does not greatly improve strength.

To be honest, this is equivalent to a waste of an imperial tool, but Iori doesn't care.

Leaving the imperial weapon in "Zanaka" will not cause any damage, but it will just be stored in a warehouse and collect dust. What's the point?

Whether it is [Supreme Throne] or [Shangri-La], their abilities are very powerful, but whether they are there or not, Iori is invincible in "Aka Kill", and their role is not even icing on the cake!

Using it as experimental material may seem like a waste of resources, but in fact it is a way of making use of waste!

——Iori is not a miser and does not feel any pain at all about the losses on the books.

How can you get an imperial weapon that can affect free spirit particles without paying a price?

You know, this thing inherited the property of the imperial weapon to absorb the user's physical strength, and there is a certain degree of "channel" between it and Iori, which can in turn directly infuse spirit particles into Iori's body!

(But the power is small, and because of the fixed properties, it is almost the same as directly electrocuting him)

Although this is still a long way from the ultimate goal - freely controlling the conversion of lepton inside and outside the body - it is undoubtedly an extremely important first step!

So he specially gave it a name. This wristband that can summon lightning was born from [Thunder God's Wrath·Adramile], and its name is——

【Thunder Emperor's Cage】!

Volume 87: Death Comes to the Holy Grail War: Chapter : Is Akame going to retire?

"Greetings, Master Chitong. Thank you for your hard work."

"Ah."

"Please come in. His Majesty has ordered that you may enter the palace at any time without any notification."

"Oh?"

Akame nodded in surprise and walked into the tall and majestic archway. The fully armored knights on both sides did not stop her and even ignored the magic sword on her waist.

Half a year had passed since the decisive battle in the imperial capital. It seemed like a long time ago, but from Akame's perspective it was just a blink of an eye, because since that day, she and her companions from the Night Raid had been attacking everywhere under the command of Nadezhda, eliminating the spy agencies left over from the old empire one by one, and killing many spies from other ethnic groups in the process.