More than half a month had passed.
Sean remained shut away in the forging room.
In the corner of the room, a dozen blades were piled up, looking exactly like the way ordinary swords were stacked in a weapon shop.
However...
If a true master of the sword were to step foot in this room, they would undoubtedly point at Sean and scream in rage.
Every single blade in that pile was of Skillful Grade Sword quality.
Some of them were even exceptional for their grade, and one had even reached the level of a Great Grade.
And yet, these eighteen swords had been tossed aside by Sean...
Piled there like common trash.
Hours later, Sean looked at the blade he had just finished forging.
He nodded in satisfaction.
This was the best sword he had produced so far.
Even without the system's multiplier, it was definitely capable of ranking among the Skillful Grade Swords, albeit at the lower end of that tier.
"System, begin today's Multiplication. The target is the sword I just forged. Multiply based on quality."
[Ding! Command confirmed. Beginning multiplication.]
[Ding! Multiplication applied. Gain category: Quality. Multiplier: 100x.]
'Hiss...'
A hundred times?
When was the last time he got a hundred-fold multiplier?
If he remembered correctly, it was half a year ago on that deserted island when he carved meat from Kuro's leg.
Sean took a sharp breath, his shock quickly turning into intense excitement.
The best sword he had ever forged, combined with a hundred-fold quality increase—what kind of spark would that ignite?
He was filled with anticipation.
In the next instant, the blade on the forging table began to shift.
It was a transformation; although the change was subtle, Sean was certain the blade's physical form had slightly altered.
He picked up the sword and examined it closely.
Sean confirmed that this blade far surpassed the one Gion had taken.
He could even feel a trace of elemental power emanating from the steel.
While a few blades in this world possessed elemental powers, they were incredibly rare. Furthermore, every such blade was ranked among the twelve Supreme Grade swords.
'Did I... actually forge something that can rival a Supreme Grade?'
Most importantly, this blade didn't resist him like the previous one had. It didn't try to attack him with Sword Energy.
Instead, Sean felt exactly what Gion had described earlier.
Yes, this was the feeling of a blood-bond.
'''
Just as Sean was sensing the sword in his hand, the door to the forging room was pushed open.
Sean frowned slightly.
"Didn't I say not to come in unless you're delivering food?"
"Did you ever say that to me?"
A voice, cool yet laced with a hint of allure, drifted from behind him.
Sean spun around.
"Vice Admiral Gion? What are you doing here?"
Right. He had only told Antonio that; he hadn't actually told Gion.
Who knew she would suddenly come looking for him?
"Something has been bothering me lately regarding this sword," Gion said, producing the blade she had received from Sean.
Although Sean had told her she could name the sword herself, for various reasons, Gion had yet to give it a formal name.
"What's the matter?" Sean asked, momentarily stunned.
'Did something go wrong with the sword I made?'
That didn't seem likely...
"Ever since I got this sword, I feel as though someone is whispering in my ear, repeatedly telling me its name. But every time the name is spoken, it's as if there is interference. I can never hear it clearly," Gion explained.
"At first, I thought I was hallucinating. But after two weeks, it hasn't subsided; in fact, it's happening more frequently. Therefore, I thought that as the one who forged it, you might understand what is happening."
Sean was completely floored.
This sounded far too familiar.
'Could I have actually forged a Zanpakutō?'
"Vice Admiral Gion, why don't you try some Sword Zen and see if you can communicate with the blade?"
"After all, this is a sword that chooses its own master. In other words, it possesses its own consciousness!"
Sword Zen?
Gion knew what that was. She knew that many swordsmen spent time every day practicing it. However, she had always believed that Sword Zen was meaningless.
"Are you sure this will work?"
"Just give it a try. You lose nothing by attempting it, right?"
"Fine. I'll try."
"Wait... no, you can go back and try it in your own room!!!"
Watching Gion sit down right there on the spot, Sean was speechless.
Gion ignored him, closing her eyes and concentrating her mind to begin the Sword Zen.
Sean sighed and stopped arguing, stepping closer to her.
'Hiss...'
Looking down from this angle, the view was truly...
'What a shame I don't have a camera. I could take a few photos as collectibles, or even pass them down through generations!!!'
And so, he watched.
Ten minutes passed...
One hour...
Two hours...
Sean didn't mind the passage of time at all. He even occasionally shifted his position to admire the rare scenery from different angles.
What he didn't realize was that Gion, deep in her Sword Zen, had long since stopped noticing the world around her.
Ten hours passed, and it was now midnight.
Gion remained motionless.
Then, suddenly...
"Sode no Shirayuki!!"
Gion snapped her eyes open and let out a sharp cry.
In the next instant, the plain-looking blade transformed.
A flash of pure white raced across the steel, turning the entire blade snow-white. Even the shape of the sword shifted slightly.
Ultimately, an exquisitely beautiful white blade emerged.
"First Dance: Tsukishiro!"
"Stop!!"
Hearing the words Gion shouted, Sean realized what was happening and screamed.
But it was too late.
In that moment, everything froze.
If Sean hadn't reacted quickly and used Shunpo to retreat over ten meters, he would have been either dead or crippled.
'Is this woman insane?!'
Looking at the frozen smelting furnace, Sean cursed internally.
If Antonio found out about this, he might actually try to fight Gion to the death. After all, Antonio had once told Sean with great pride that this furnace had not gone cold for over a century...
"Uh... did I do that?"
The Secret of the Blade
"What else? If I hadn't moved fast enough, I probably would've been taken out right along with them."
Gion had finally regained consciousness. Looking at the scene before her, she asked with a hint of uncertainty.
In response, however, she was met with a wave of complaints from Sean.
Truth be told, Sean was feeling rather frustrated.
If it had just been a Great Grade sword, he wouldn't have thought twice about giving it to Gion.
But now... this wasn't some mere Great Grade sword; it was clearly a Zanpakutō!
And not just any blade, but the one renowned as the most beautiful in the Bleach series.
'Pfft.' Whether it was beautiful or not didn't matter. What mattered was that if the Shinigami system were exposed because of this, he'd be in some serious trouble.
"Sean, tell me the truth. What exactly is the deal with this sword?" Gion asked from a short distance away, her expression deadly serious.