"Are you going first, or should I?"
"You go first, I'll wait a bit..." Yoruichi puffed her cheeks, looking quite unhappy with Urahara's question.
"Stop dawdling, will you! It's not like we need to sleep tonight!" Kōe slapped his thigh and shouted. Though he sounded nonchalant, he was clearly eager to sit back and watch the spectacle.
"Blade name—Benihime!" Urahara didn't keep Kōe in suspense. He slowly drew the Zanpakutō from his waist and added, "She's an interesting girl."
Kōe felt a bit embarrassed hearing Urahara's words. Look at how he introduced his Zanpakutō—even if it sounded a bit perverted, he genuinely treated his blade as a partner! Thinking back to himself, it was truly shameful!
It was a bit strange to have such thoughts at this moment, but given Kōe's identity as a transmigrator, it was no exaggeration to say he understood the Zanpakutō known as Benihime even better than Urahara himself.
Benihime, a Kidō-type Zanpakutō. Its Shikai release command was "Awaken, Benihime." Once released, the blade could convert Reiryoku into a crimson light for offensive purposes.
However, unlike ordinary Zanpakutō, Benihime's Shikai could alter its attack modes through four different commands, sharing a similar concept with Kōe's Kōki.
"Sing, Benihime!"
As soon as Urahara spoke, a crimson light shield materialized from the hilt of Benihime, blocking the space in front of him. It was clearly a defensive form.
"This form is primarily for long-range attacks and defense—though mostly defense. I call this defensive technique Chikasumi no Tate. The reason I'm demonstrating this first is because it connects to the next form." Urahara didn't waste time and immediately called out another command, "Tear, Benihime."
Dense, tiny spikes instantly surfaced on the crimson light shield. Without pausing for long, these spikes detached from the shield's surface, transforming into countless crimson arrows of light that shot toward a distant boulder, instantly reducing it to dust.
Obviously, this couldn't be considered one of Benihime's primary forms, but rather a counterattack method utilized after deploying Chikasumi no Tate.
"Bind, Benihime." Urahara didn't bother explaining to the two of them; with a swing of his long blade, he directly activated the third form.
A dense array of crimson threads burst from the blade, crisscrossing into a net in mid-air. The shattered rock fragments from the previous attack were caught and suspended in the air by the crimson net before they could even hit the ground.
Urahara vanished from his spot with a Shunpo, appearing right in the center of the suspended debris in less than a second. He stabbed the blade into the ground and rested both hands on the hilt, looking like a magician performing a levitation trick.
"And the last one—Play with fire, Benihime!"
One after another, crimson fireballs bubbled up from the ground like foam, lining up and rushing toward the suspended debris.
Upon contact with these crimson fireballs, the rock fragments ignited like cotton, vanishing completely in moments without leaving a single trace behind.
*Clap! Clap! Clap!* Kōe sat on the ground, clapping frantically like a trained seal, acting like a child who had never seen the world.
He wasn't just putting on an act. For one, seeing it live was vastly different from watching it on a screen; even though he knew what to expect, he was still thoroughly blown away.
Secondly, Urahara hadn't held anything back, demonstrating his Shikai in its entirety. Offering a round of applause for such sincerity was the least he could do.
Like his Kōki, Benihime was a Zanpakutō that excelled in both offense and defense.
Although it was constrained by its release speed, unlike Kōki, Benihime's wielder was meant to attack from mid-to-long range. Coupled with the "Tear" mode to force back enemies who got too close, the release speed wasn't actually a significant drawback.
It had offense, defense, a counterattack to ensure a margin of error, as well as crowd control and area-of-effect damage! In a way, Benihime was an even more perfect blade than Kōki.
"What a great sword, Urahara!" Kōe praised, then turned to Yoruichi beside him. "Don't just stand there, hurry up, it's your turn!"
Yoruichi rolled her eyes at him, and a sudden chill enveloped Kōe. If he hadn't been genuinely curious, he might have chickened out and told her to skip the Shikai demonstration.
The main event of the night had finally arrived. He was incredibly curious about Yoruichi's Zanpakutō. In his past life, she preferred fighting barehanded even as a Captain rather than carrying her Zanpakutō. Just how garbage did this girl's sword have to be for her to go to such lengths?
"Yoruichi! Yoruichi! Yoruichi, boom boom boom!..."
"Shut up!" Yoruichi snapped, halting Kōe's idiotic chanting. Gritting her teeth, she walked over to where Urahara had been standing. Urahara gave her an encouraging look before walking over to sit beside Kōe, joining him as a fellow spectator.
"Blade name, Enshin!" Yoruichi drew her Zanpakutō and leaped high into the air, gripping the blade with both hands above her head. "Smash, Enshin!"
The Zanpakutō in her hands was clearly a short blade, but as the Shikai was released, it transformed into a burst of flames, resembling a burning, long-handled giant hammer.
The flames then retracted upward from the base of the hammer, eventually vanishing entirely into the hammer's head. What remained was a pitch-black, long-handled giant hammer covered in fiery patterns. One would never guess its original form was an inconspicuous short sword.
"Kidō-type Zanpakutō. Ability: Explosion!" Yoruichi declared, slamming the giant hammer heavily into the ground right in front of the spectating duo.
Her distance control was excellent; the kicked-up dust stopped right before their faces. Kōe silently gave Yoruichi a thumbs-up in his mind, but something felt off.
"Did she just say... explosion?"
"So, shouldn't we be... running right now?"
To run or not to run was indeed the question, but Kōe didn't have time to decide. Accompanied by a deafening roar, his vision was filled with crimson, and the ground trembled slightly. It really exploded!
"[Bakudō #81・Dankū]!"
Urahara had just been about to deploy his Chikasumi no Tate, but Kōe acted a step faster, erecting an invisible wall in front of them that completely blocked the incoming tide of flames.
"Casting a level 80 Kidō without an incantation. As expected of our Kidō master."
"You scared the life out of me!" Kōe had no mind to respond to Urahara's praise. Was Yoruichi out of her mind?! The explosion wouldn't have critically injured him and Urahara, but if it weren't for him, they definitely would have caught some shrapnel.
"Oh, you two are perfectly fine, just as I thought!" Yoruichi said lazily to the unharmed duo. Kōe finally understood—she wasn't just careless; she had deliberately tried to blow them up!
"That's going a bit too far! Are you trying to silence us?!"
"Yeah! I should have just smashed it right into your face!"
No matter how dense Kōe was, he could tell something was wrong with Yoruichi now. But he didn't understand what the problem was, so he could only look to Urahara for help.
Urahara didn't say a word; he merely pointed at the Zanpakutō hanging at Yoruichi's waist. It seemed the problem lay there.
Kōe figured Yoruichi might be angry because she felt her Zanpakutō was too weak and embarrassing, so he tried to comfort her. "Even though your sword isn't as good as Urahara's, it's still really strong! It's nothing to be ashamed of, so don't be mad!"
"What do you mean 'really strong'?! What do you mean 'nothing to be ashamed of'?!" Yoruichi instantly turned into a lit powder keg, repeatedly punching Kōe in the shoulder.
"Yoruichi is from the Shihouin clan. This Zanpakutō is indeed a bit unsuitable for her..." Urahara explained, pulling the scuffling duo apart.
"What about the Shihouin clan?! Does being from the Shihouin clan mean you have to have the strongest Zanpakutō?"
"The Executive Militia..." Urahara continued to hint.
Right, Kōe had momentarily forgotten about that. The Shihouin clan commanded the Executive Militia. On the surface, it was a military force that executed punishments, but in reality, it was an assassination corps.
And Yoruichi, the future head of the Shihouin clan, was destined to become the Commander-in-Chief of the Executive Militia. For the leader of an assassination squad to have such a flashy, explosive Zanpakutō... it really was quite inappropriate.
"Uh, don't be mad. Even though your sword is a bit... artistic..."
"Artistic?! I feel like this sword is a total clown!" Yoruichi couldn't hold back anymore and burst into tears. "The future head of the Executive Militia is actually a fireworks master! Isn't that a joke?!"
"You don't necessarily have to be the head of the Executive Militia. Being a frontline vanguard is pretty good too!" Kōe continued to console her, but it wasn't very effective. Yoruichi just kept crying.
Kōe's head was spinning. Between his two lives, he had lived for nearly fifty years, but he was completely helpless when it came to crying girls. Who could have guessed that the reason Yoruichi never used her Zanpakutō in his past life was simply because it was too flashy?
*Wait, in my past life, Yoruichi didn't use a Zanpakutō at all,* Kōe realized. He quickly said, "Then let's just ditch this sword! Pretend it doesn't even exist!"
"Are you saying I'm not embarrassing enough?!" Yoruichi's barely extinguished anger flared up again. She lunged forward, grabbing Kōe by the collar. "What kind of Shinigami doesn't carry a Zanpakutō?!"
"What do you mean? Don't the... Kidō Corps... go without them?"
Hearing this, Yoruichi calmed down slightly, realizing Kōe wasn't just making fun of her, and loosened her grip. Kōe, having regained his life, took two deep breaths and continued, "Your Hakuda is so outstanding, and with the Shihouin clan's secret Shunpo, you can become a Captain-class figure even without a Zanpakutō!"
Yoruichi let go completely, deep in thought. Kōe had a point. The two leaders of the Kidō Corps didn't rely on Zanpakutō, yet they possessed Captain-class strength. This proved that having a Zanpakutō wasn't a strict prerequisite for becoming a Captain.
However, compared to Kidō, Hakuda had its limitations. In the nearly thousand years since the Executive Militia's founding, there had never been a Commander-in-Chief who reached that position without relying on a Zanpakutō. Because of this, Yoruichi felt uncertain about Kōe's claims.
"Is that... really possible?"
"Why wouldn't it be?" Kōe countered, then added, "If they can become Captains relying solely on Kidō, why can't you do the same with Hakuda, which is also one of the four major combat arts?"
"The limits of Hakuda are visible. Kidō has limits too, but those two have already developed higher-level Kidō..." Yoruichi still lacked confidence.
"Then you just need to raise the limits of Hakuda!"
"It's not the same." Yoruichi lowered her head, her confidence waning. "Creating a few new moves isn't hard for me, but that doesn't fundamentally elevate Hakuda."
"Then elevate it fundamentally!" Kōe grabbed Yoruichi's shoulders and said with absolute sincerity, "I believe you can do it!"
"You believe in me that much?"
"Of course. I came from the future, after all!"
"You're so bad at lying. 'Came from the future'..." Yoruichi looked at Kōe's earnest eyes and broke into a smile through her tears. Rubbing her eyes, she said, "I guess I'll have to help you cover up that lie. In the future, I will definitely break through the limits of Hakuda!"
Yoruichi didn't know that Kōe was actually a transmigrator from the future. But that didn't matter; she was genuinely inspired and resolved to walk an arduous path no one had ever taken before.
Perhaps in Kōe's eyes, he was merely stating facts he already knew. But in reality, because of him, the future he had seen was already quietly changing.
Kōe Shihouin, this butterfly from the future, had officially flapped his wings for the very first time.
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