Chapter 81: Imprint
What did it feel like to enter the Zanpakuto's world—
Suoh experienced it.
It wasn't the pulling sensation of traversing the Dangai, but more like his soul being gently extracted from its shell, cast into an unknown world.
Falling, constantly falling.
Without the sensation of feet touching solid ground.
When he opened his eyes again, Suoh stood at the core of another world.
An inner world.
The sky flowed with eternal twilight haze, like indifferent ink-colored silk slowly unfurling.
No wind sounds, no water sounds. Only tranquility.
The sole light source came from before Suoh—in the distance, a long serpentine dragon body winding like mountain ridges. Each scale like a bronze mirror, reflecting this desolate world.
Most striking was the majestic dragon head and a pair of tightly closed enormous eyes.
Just as Suoh focused his attention to observe, a low call came from ahead—dignified yet mixed with soul-deep intimacy.
"Tsukasa, what are you spacing out for?"
"Coming."
Suoh raised his hand and called out loudly, running quickly toward the other party with anticipation and joy.
White garment hems fluttering, each step creating rippling waves in this pitch-black world.
As he approached, the scales on the dragon body gradually reflected his blurred figure.
Suoh's footsteps stopped before the giant dragon.
His long calling had finally received response. This was an extremely rare opportunity.
So he kept observing and thinking, not daring to speak rashly.
After all, a Zanpakuto's personality was too difficult to fathom.
Whether he could successfully achieve Shikai this time remained an unknown.
If he couldn't achieve Shikai this time, when he might next enter this inner world—who knew how many years might pass.
As if sensing Suoh's inner anxiety, the low voice sounded again.
"Don't be nervous. Let's sit and talk."
"Before I tell you my name and release command, we still have plenty of time."
The giant dragon's voice carried reassuring steadiness.
"That's good."
His suspended heart finally settled. Hearing this, Suoh's body relaxed as he sat cross-legged without ceremony.
Simultaneously, the winding dragon body slowly moved through the air to encircle him. The flowing radiance on the scales gently enveloped his figure.
The dragon head lightly descended, quietly hovering before Suoh.
This is my Zanpakuto—
The giant dragon's divine appearance displayed before him deeply captivated Suoh's gaze.
Suoh suppressed the surging anticipation in his heart. Since his Zanpakuto said there was plenty of time, he'd take this chance to satisfy the doubts in his heart.
Just like casually chatting with a friend, Suoh's face carried a relieved smile as he spoke directly.
"I thought you didn't want to acknowledge me. I kept wondering when I'd achieve Shikai. Seems I misunderstood."
He could clearly feel the undisguised intimacy in the giant dragon's words.
"I am you. You are not me. What you hope for is what I hope for."
"I sent you messages twice. Once, your spiritual pressure was insufficient for me to convey enough information. The other time—you missed it yourself."
"The first time should have been when I awakened. When was the second?"
Suoh froze slightly, then asked curiously.
The spiritual thirst on the first day should have been a side effect brought by the Zanpakuto's awakening. The second time—he truly had no impression.
"The night you returned after receiving Hazy Night from Matsuzaki Yoshito."
"Your thinking was rigidified by this world's information."
"Before the Soul King's birth, everything in the world was composed of spirit particles. Aside from matter born in the World of the Living now, the most basic element of the Shinigami world remains spirit particles."
"Asauchi and Hazy Night are both essentially spirit particles. If Asauchi can serve as a Zanpakuto's vessel, why can't Hazy Night?"
"A soul's materialization merely requires a medium symbolizing the spiritual body. A Shinigami's symbolic object is their Zanpakuto. Asauchi is an iron sword, Hazy Night is a wooden sword. The difference lies only in spirit particle density."
At this point, the dragon's low voice paused, as if giving him time to digest.
"Initially, Hazy Night was more suitable than standard Asauchi as a bridge for communicating with me. It even saved you the process of injecting yourself and washing away imprints."
"However, by tonight, there's not much difference between the two."
The dragon's closed eyelids trembled, seemingly somewhat helpless, as it explained in detail.
"Inject myself, wash away imprints."
Suoh repeated these words in a low voice, touching upon truth he'd always overlooked.
In his memory and understanding, since Soul Society's establishment, no Shinigami precedent existed for awakening a Zanpakuto without going through the Asauchi forged by Squad Zero's "God of the Sword," Oetsu Nimaiya.
He'd naturally assumed he wouldn't be an exception, never thinking deeper about why he couldn't communicate with his Zanpakuto.
All Shinigami Asauchi originated from that sword god in the Soul King Palace, forged by his female guards—those spiritual entities who were both materialized Zanpakuto and living tool craftsmen.
Hitsudaima Mera was "Fire," Togawa Tokie was "Whetstone," Sagino Nozomi was "Chisel," Tsuchimiya Zaiko was "Hammer," Hashihara Renge was "Tongs."
These multiple spiritual entities inevitably left traces of their spiritual pressure during the Asauchi forging process.
"I see—"
Suoh raised his eyes toward the giant dragon.
"So-called Shikai training is essentially using my spiritual pressure to wash away the imprints left by these tools."
The dragon head lightly nodded, its tone carrying a trace of regret.
"Correct. Hazy Night was a blank slate from the beginning, naturally easier to bear your imprint."
"But later, when you gripped the wooden sword, your heart was already occupied by training and other thoughts."
"Aside from that night, I never again had opportunity to transmit messages to you through Hazy Night."
"So that night's sensation wasn't an illusion. The path was always at my feet—I just took a detour myself."
These words dripped like clear spring into his heart's lake. Suoh shook his head self-mockingly.
Thinking of daily gripping Hazy Night for morning practice, gripping Hazy Night for sparring, gripping Hazy Night for maintenance.
Then recalling that night's return journey under moonlight when subtle trembling came from his fingertips—that sensation he'd thought was merely an illusion from his joyful mood.
"Growth is inherently seeking direction forward through fog."
"Illuminate Ten Thousand Blades—Kikou. This is the liberation of my power and yours."
The dragon's voice grew increasingly gentle. Its eyes slightly opened a sliver. Its massive body began emanating fine light particles.
Those light particles flowed along dragon scale gaps, gathering in the air into a brilliant, straight light band that fell before Suoh.
"Illuminate Ten Thousand Blades, Kikou!"
Suoh stood, unhesitatingly grasping the light band's tail before him, calling out the Shikai command in a clear voice.
The silent, dim inner world lit up with light that had slumbered long.
The light band shattered on cue. The Zanpakuto's appearance clearly manifested completely before his eyes.
The sword's design differed slightly from Asauchi. The slender blade perfectly matched his form and arm span.
The hilt was wrapped with ink-colored cord. The guard featured openwork clawless dragon patterns, almost identical to the outline of the giant dragon before Suoh's eyes.
A warm power transmitted from the hilt, resonating with his own spiritual pressure.
Before Suoh could carefully examine this newborn power, the scene before him began rippling. The inner world swiftly dissipated like receding tide.