But now the proficiency of his Shunpo would probably surpass Kido and become the leading one among the four.
And from this point on, Zanjutsu (perceptive pre-reading), Kido (chantless casting), Hakuda (raw stats), and Shunpo (personally taught by Saito), the four fundamental skills of a Shinigami clearly all had suitable paths now. Once on the right track, with Iori's talent, his progress would likely only get faster and faster.
"With this kind of speed, if you really wanted to run, a lot of captains wouldn't be able to keep you… I originally thought you'd need at least ten years of training to reach this level, but now it seems I still underestimated you."
Saito Furofushi bared her teeth in a smile that mixed amazement and pride. "To do it in just one month… you really are a terrifying monster!"
Iori calmed himself and thoroughly honed his skills in Hueco Mundo. It had to be said, this really was a great place for grinding monsters and leveling up.
Although he hadn't managed to farm many CGs, his actual combat ability and spiritual pressure shot up rapidly, quickly reaching the current cap, and even showing faint signs of loosening.
At this rate, if he could continue training hard, then even without the help of "art-style value," Iori would still be able to break through his limits and keep improving, just not at the same speed as before.
According to Saito, if he didn't use Bankai, Iori was already roughly equivalent to captain level, at the very least no worse than idiots like the current Kenpachi "Kiganjo"…
Moreover, Saito had always believed that Iori was hiding some trump card, and thought she might be underestimating his true strength. Even if Iori said he had already mastered Bankai, she might very well find that perfectly reasonable.
In any case, this expeditionary force captain was extremely optimistic about Iori, feeling that he could completely take over her position in the future.
But if that really happened, it would actually be a waste of Iori's talents. Someone like him was destined to show his skills on the stage of Seireitei, not be abandoned in this desolate desert…
Setting aside Saito Furofushi's appreciation for the moment, Iori himself didn't have much feeling about so-called "prospects."
Because the moment names like Aizen, the Hogyoku, Yhwach, the Soul King, Ichigo, or the Eyed Monk popped into his head, all worldly fame and profit were instantly forgotten.
Even the lofty "captain" position, revered in the eyes of many Shinigami, was really just so-so to him.
Knowing the plot as well as he did, if he still treated "captain" as a life goal, that would be far too unambitious~
So Iori didn't become complacent just because of his leap in strength. He continued honing himself in Hueco Mundo, frequently traveling to Akame ga Kill to handle important matters, and at the same time continued his research into Imperial Arms.
Overall, his life was extremely fulfilling. Time passed day by day like this, and only after Iori felt his rate of improvement gradually slow down, having already passed his explosive growth phase, did he officially begin preparing to enter "Type-Moon."
Coincidentally, this period was also when the expeditionary force was receiving logistical supplies and replenishing combat personnel.
As a technician dispatched from the Twelfth Division, Iori watched the entire process of the interworld gate opening and recorded the quantity of supplies in the documents.
But when he took the paperwork to get it signed and archived, he was stunned by the other person's appearance!
It wasn't that they looked ferocious or frightening, on the contrary, their features were elegant and bright, their manner proper and graceful. A head of raven-feather black hair made them seem mysterious and refined, Aizen Yuki.
"Si... Sister, why are you here?"
Iori blinked. Seeing an unexpected person at an unexpected time and place made it hard for him to believe his eyes.
"This is Hueco Mundo. Aren't you stationed in the Thirteenth Division?"
"Don't look so incredulous. I came this time with a mission."
"Come on, come on, long time no see. Let big sister check if the feel of your head has gotten worse~"
Aizen Yuki, currently the Third Seat of the Thirteenth Division, smiled gently and reached out to ruffle Iori's hair.
The boy instinctively wanted to dodge, but in the end he pursed his lips and endured it, letting Yuki thoroughly indulge herself.
He had no idea that this scene, when it fell into the eyes of the surrounding Shinigami, would cause such different reactions.
The Thirteenth Division members were fine, in their eyes, Yuki was a very gentle person, and it was only natural for her to be a bit affectionate after a long separation from her younger brother on the front lines.
But the expeditionary force members were dumbfounded.
Iori might be easygoing in daily interactions, but as one of the "Four Heavenly Kings," he carried considerable authority in front of ordinary soldiers.
Especially after witnessing his heroic bearing on the battlefield, everyone knew that the delicate-looking youth was actually a terrifying Asura.
And yet now… the strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings was obediently letting someone pat his head.
'Heavens, what was going on…'
"Tsk!"
"Haha, sorry, sorry. I moved without thinking. Did I make you lose face?"
Yuki smiled mischievously. Though she said sorry, there wasn't the slightest hint of guilt on her face.
Iori sighed and asked irritably, "Care to explain why you're in Hueco Mundo?"
"The Thirteenth Division is responsible for 'purification' and cleanup. You know that, right?
A Shinigami's body is made of reishi. After death, it gradually disperses back into reishi and returns to the great cycle of reishi across the three realms.
However, the 'quality' of spiritual bodies differs, so the rate of dispersal also differs. You can roughly understand it as, the stronger the spiritual pressure, the harder it is for a corpse to naturally decompose."
"Especially corpses of third-grade spiritual might or above, without external intervention, they can basically be considered unable to disperse at all."
"Of course, that's by Soul Society's standards."
"Soul Society… Oh, so the standards are different in Hueco Mundo and the human world?" Iori raised an eyebrow, more or less understanding what kind of mission Yuki had come on.
"That's right. Because of the different reishi density, Shinigami corpses decompose even more slowly in Hueco Mundo, lingering in this desert for long periods of time…"
"If you've ever been on duty in the human world, you'll know that Hollows killed there vanish very quickly. But in Soul Society or Hueco Mundo, Hollow corpses disperse slowly, and sometimes even leave behind remnants, like masks and such."
Yuki gestured to the personnel she had brought with her. All of them were dressed in solemn white ceremonial robes and held strange-looking tools in their hands.
"When powerful spiritual bodies fail to return to the natural cycle for a long time after death, the reishi concentration ratios between the three realms will gradually be altered."
"Although it's not as fatal as soul imbalance, it still causes certain consequences. That's why Seireitei specifically established the Thirteenth Division, to patrol the three realms and use rituals to send those spiritual remnants back into the cycle."
"If remains at the level of third-grade spiritual might appear, it can even require nearly half of the Thirteenth Division to perform a requiem ritual. Otherwise, purification becomes very difficult."
"I see… In that case, you must be really busy lately, right?" Iori understood now.
"Seireitei is at war with the Quincy, so there must be plenty of corpses for you to deal with. Not just ordinary Shinigami and Quincy, there should even be quite a few at third-grade spiritual might or above, right?"
"And on top of that, since the two great enemies are too busy with each other, the Great Hollows over here in Hueco Mundo have been especially active."
"The expeditionary force has been running into Hollow tides far more frequently lately… The three realms are battlefields everywhere. The people handling the aftermath are bound to have a hard time."
"Exactly! Big sister here has been seriously sleep-deprived lately. That's why I came to Hueco Mundo to take refuge with you, you'll have to take good care of me. Any heavy physical work, you can do it in my place. No objections, right?"
Yuki hesitated briefly, then smiled and placed her hand on Iori's shoulder.
"After all, you're already a man who can stand on his own."
"…Alright, alright. I'll obey, big sister." Iori let out an apparently helpless sigh.
The siblings chatted as they walked toward the camp…
"Oh, right. I awakened my Shikai."
"Oh? That was fast. As expected of my little brother, I awakened mine in my second or third year too."
"I'll show you my Shikai sometime. It's very beautiful. It's called 'Kyoka Suigetsu.'"
"Oh? What a coincidence. My Shikai is also very beautiful. It's called 'Clear Mirror, Still Water.'"
"..."
Yuki fell silent for a moment, then said, "A good name… sounds like a very interesting sword."
"Really? I think it's just so-so, but it does sound pretty symmetrical with yours, big sister." Iori grinned.
"Symmetrical? Quite the opposite, actually!"
"Kyoka Suigetsu refers to an illusion that seems to exist but is actually empty, while Clear Mirror, Still Water refers to a mind and body that are crystal clear, calmly reflecting the true form of all things like a still water surface, facing everything with a detached, tranquil state of mind."
"Comparing the two, doesn't my Zanpakuto end up looking like it's deceiving itself?"
"How could that be? It's just a name. You're overthinking it."
Iori explained calmly, "People often say that married couples who live together for a long time start to look alike, what's commonly called 'couple's resemblance.'"
"Family members who live together also often develop similar habits and speech patterns."
"Similar Zanpakuto attributes among relatives aren't rare at all. The Shin'o Academy has recorded many such cases, especially among noble families."
"So, Zanpakuto names echoing each other isn't anything strange."
"It only shows that… there really is an invisible bond connecting us siblings, even without a blood relationship."
"Maybe…" Yuki thought it over and felt that wasn't bad either, then asked, "What kind of Zanpakuto is it?"
"Just an ordinary water-type. What about your Kyoka Suigetsu, big sister?"
"Also water-type. Its ability is to create water-mist illusions."
"Oh, I see."
"..."
After that, the two of them fell silent in unison. It wasn't until they were about to enter Saito's tent that they turned to look at each other, both wearing calm expressions, "Water-type?"
"What, you got a problem with that?"
———
When Iori returned to Type-Moon, he naturally appeared in Chaldea of some twisted worldline. It was still that Japanese-style room, but this time there were no other Servants present.
Iori didn't rush to look for anyone. He sat alone by the kotatsu, peeling mandarins while turning on the TV, only to find that what was playing weren't ordinary dramas, but small programs co-starring Servants.
Every program had Iori watching with great interest, feeling like he could casually throw out hundreds of comments.
[According to reports from frontline correspondent Saint George, as the Eastern New Year approaches, many Servants are in high spirits and have been holding various celebratory events, but this has also affected the rest of the Servants' rest.]
[A certain Persian great hero who wished to remain anonymous has lodged a protest, requesting a ban on eastern Servants setting off fireworks at night, as it seems to trigger a certain PTSD response in him…]
Iori was watching happily when the wooden door slid open, and Merlin, dressed in a gorgeous white robe, hurried in.
"Ah, there you are at last! You showed your face once last time and then went back to training, and after not coming for so long, I almost thought you had… ahem~" Merlin spread his hands, indicating that he had always believed in Iori and had never suspected that he'd naturally dissipated.
"Anyway, welcome back to Chaldea, Phantom Spirit Iori~"
"Hello, Lord Merlin. We meet again." Iori smiled. "But this time it feels rather quiet."
"Well, we've detected a lot of worldlines lately, and everyone's busy 'destroying worlds,' so Chaldea has been much quieter."
Merlin scratched his head. "Actually, even I have to go mess around in some Singularity soon. If the central command hadn't detected an unknown magical reaction and insisted I come take a look, I'd already be…"
"That sounds like hard work." Iori replied perfunctorily, not showing much enthusiasm. From their last meeting, he had already seen through this Fou-fairy's delightfully troublesome nature.
"Gud, Miss Fujimaru Ritsuka is doing well, right?"
"Master is very healthy. Her condition has been quite stable lately, which has put the Servants at ease and made them even more proactive in their work."
Merlin also sat down by the kotatsu, happily peeling mandarins. "In short, Chaldea is in its 'busy season' right now. It's a time when help is needed everywhere, so having you back really makes everyone happy."
"After all, I already made a promise with Ritsuka." Iori's expression was calm, but his tone was especially serious. "Naturally, I won't go back on my word."
"Everyone in Chaldea thinks the same." Even Merlin's flippant tone became a bit more steady.
"To form bonds with all Heroic Spirits and honor the promises made between one another… Like countless stars, the Heroic Spirits are many in number, each with different personalities and interests."
"Yet Ritsuka can get along well with all of them and earn their trust. That's precisely what makes our Master so remarkable~"
For someone with Merlin's personality to praise someone so directly showed just how outstanding Gudako was in his eyes.
And what he said really did make sense. Fujimaru Ritsuka's performance in forming bonds with Heroic Spirits was truly exceptional, calling her one of a kind in all of human history wouldn't be an exaggeration.
One must know that a Heroic Spirit's true body is stored in the [Boundary Record Belt (Throne of Heroes)].
The form summoned into the present world, a Servant, is only a version of themselves from a certain period in life, strictly speaking more like a clone.
Therefore, for most Heroic Spirits, a Servant's experiences in the present world are like adventure movies, adding a bit of interest to their eternal lives…
In many cases, after a Servant dissipates, the main body on the Throne doesn't accept those memories, merely storing them like a movie rather than turning them into genuine personal experiences.
Under such circumstances, forming a true "bond" with them is naturally very difficult.
Only in very rare cases, when the memories with a Master are so profound that they touch the Heroic Spirit's soul, will the Heroic Spirit directly alter the data of their true self, turning those memories into treasured experiences.
That's why some Servants, even after being summoned multiple times, sometimes with different classes or worldlines, still remember things about a certain Master.
The time of Heroic Spirits is infinite. They have already seen all kinds of worldly turmoil, yet there are always some people and events they cannot and do not wish to forget…
Even when joining Holy Grail Wars again and again in different forms, they will always remember the person who moved them.
And what makes Fujimaru Ritsuka truly amazing is that she can make almost all the Servants she contracts with remember her, becoming someone they are unwilling to forget.
This bond even deeply moves the Heroic Spirits' true selves on the Throne, to the point that when she fell into despair in the Temple of Time, countless Servants turned into a meteor shower from the highest heavens to come to her aid.
This can no longer be described as mere talent. One can only say that her very existence is a miracle~
Although Iori wasn't a proper Heroic Spirit and had only met Gudako once, he had to admit that she left a very deep impression on him… Perhaps sympathy played a role, but in any case, he truly didn't want to go back on his promise to Ritsuka.
"Ah, you probably won't get to see Master this time. She's been devoting all her waking hours to a certain Lostbelt, causing trouble for another 'herself.' She really doesn't have the time… If you're free, I can take you around?"
"Alright, no need to hint like that. I was planning to help out anyway."
Iori smiled. "Is there any task within my capabilities?"
"There is, there is!"
Merlin didn't even bother checking and agreed immediately. It seemed that, just as he'd said, Chaldea really was in its "busy season," never lacking in tasks~
Without further ado, Merlin stood up at once and led Iori out of the room.
There was a huge contrast between the inside and outside of the room. Just moments ago, Iori had been sitting in a warm Japanese-style room eating mandarins, but in the blink of an eye he stepped into a sci-fi facility built of steel and composite materials, the polar observatory that was Chaldea.
He followed Merlin to the main command room, the place where Da Vinci and Romani would usually be stationed in the game and anime, providing the Master in the Singularities with all kinds of support and advice.
At this moment, Iori saw neither the shady merchant nor the doctor. Instead, there were only busy technicians and various machines in operation, especially the enormous globe suspended at the very center.
[Simulated Planet: CHALDEAS]!
With the help of magical lenses, technicians could use this gigantic globe to observe human history across different eras, locating the "points" that affected the continuation of human order, and thus providing spacetime coordinates for the Master's subsequent spiritron transfers.