Listening to Shinro Bansho's description, Makoto couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
What kind of bizarre analogy was this?
Zangetsu's description painted it as a king and his steed—so regal, so high-class.
But his was describe as a noble queen and her maid? Seriously?
How could they slander an innocent youth like him in such a way?
Every night, he would only dote on one maid with full dedication, completely ignoring the queen. Didn't that prove he was a man of unwavering focus?
What? It didn't? Who said that?
While inwardly ranting, Makoto smacked his lips, unable to refute the situation entirely. Then, he asked,
"So, all this Bankai training for over a year, all those countless battles and merciless kills, were just so I could hear your true voice?"
Shinro Bansho returned to its usual sweet-as-cotton-candy tone, laced with a hint of grievance.
"What else could it be? Whatever Goshujin-sama (Master) wills, I must obey."
"Under the influence of Goshujin-sama's subjective intentions, that maid was on the verge of taking over the main role! Only when you were on the brink of death, abandoning all subjective thought, or falling into a state of primal battle instinct, could you possibly hear my true voice."
Shinro Bansho paused briefly, its tone growing increasingly aggrieved.
"But outside, Goshujin-sama always keeps himself far from danger. You don't even seem interested in fighting."
"Well…" Makoto replied, deadpan, "Isn't it possible that my lack of enthusiasm for battle outside is entirely because you've drained me dry here in this mental space?"
Shinro Bansho's eyes widened in disbelief. "Huh?! Is that really the case?"
"What else?" Makoto replied irritably. "Even the strongest master needs a break after exhausting himself seven or eight times every single night. I need some time to recuperate and enter a serene, peace-loving sage mode, don't I?"
Hearing this, Shinro Bansho blurted out instinctively,
"Really? Could it not be because Goshujin-sama's personality is both cowardly and scheming? So you dislike solving problems through crude methods like fighting?"
What?!
Makoto froze.
"That's slander! A slander, I tell you! How am I cowardly or scheming?"
Desperately trying to salvage his image, Makoto protested.
"If my heart were truly so rotten, how could someone like Shinro Bansho, a noble blade spirit, ever be born from me?"
"Hmm…" Shinro Bansho sucked in a cold breath, as though struck by sudden realization. It lightly tapped its tiny fist against an open palm.
"Goshujin-sama, that's a good point. I have no counterargument to that."
Floating back in front of Makoto, Shinro Bansho crossed its nonexistent arms and declared,
"In any case, the fact that Goshujin-sama has finally recognized the real me instead of mistaking that maid, born of your subjective will, for the main role, is definitely a cause for celebration."
Makoto nodded slightly, his mind replaying the revelation of Shinro Bansho's true ability—"Spiritual Manipulation."
Though it bore some resemblance to the Quincy technique of "spiritual particle absorption," at its core, it was fundamentally...
Unique Abilities
The "Reishi Absorption" of Quincy involves forcibly gathering reishi (spiritual particles) from everything in their surroundings and weaponizing it for battle.
On the other hand, the "Reishi Manipulation" of Shinro Bansho—though its interference with reishi is far less forceful than the Quincies'—can achieve incredible and seemingly impossible feats through the controlled utilization of reishi.
While Shinro Bansho's analogy of a "main wife and her handmaids" may sound odd, it is not inaccurate.
Whether it's the grass-based healing abilities Makoto exhibits publicly, or the formidable wood-based offensive and defensive techniques he perceives as his own, they are all derivative manifestations built upon the foundation of Reishi Manipulation.
As for Shinro Bansho's remark that "the main wife brought a group of handmaidens to marry Makoto, but Makoto was so enamored with the most beautiful handmaiden that he devoted himself entirely to her, completely ignoring the main wife"...
It wasn't entirely wrong!
The only difference is that, in theory, the "main wife"—Shinro Bansho—can produce countless different "handmaidens" to fulfill any of Makoto's needs.
For instance, Makoto's initial misunderstanding of his wood-based abilities stemmed from Shinro Bansho crafting a derivative form based on his inner expectations and understanding of "Wood Release" using its Reishi Manipulation capability.
And it seems... it's not limited to constructing things based solely on his imagination or understanding.
With a single thought, Makoto willed the grass around his feet to decompose into reishi, which then gathered in his hands. Slowly, the energy coalesced into the shape of a spear—the unmistakable form of Ikkaku Madarame's Shikai, Hozukimaru.
But in the next moment, before Hozukimaru could fully take shape, it dispersed into countless fragments.
"Failed, huh? As expected, it's not that easy. I can't replicate other Zanpakuto? Looks like it's not as useful as I thought," Makoto remarked, somewhat disappointed.
Immediately, Shinro Bansho, feeling underestimated, bristled and retorted indignantly:
"Of course it's not that simple! That wood-based ability you're so proud of is just a derivative created by your subjective will. At its core, it's still an offshoot of Reishi Manipulation.
"But now you're trying to replicate a completely functional Zanpakuto out of nothing but reishi? Just making it look similar isn't enough for it to work!"
Makoto raised an eyebrow, catching a subtle implication in Shinro Bansho's tone. He asked, "Oh? Then what would it take to succeed?"
"At the very least, you'd need to fully record and analyze the structure and spiritual wavelength of another Zanpakuto, wouldn't you?" Shinro Bansho replied uncertainly.
Makoto's eyes lit up at once.
Zanpakuto are born from the soul of a Shinigami. Thus, in essence, they can be recorded and analyzed through the spiritual wavelength and structure of the Shinigami's soul.
And the Seeds of the Forest not only gathers residual spiritual energy to replenish Makoto's own power but also has some potential to reverse-record and analyze such data.
This idea... it might actually work...
Although Shinro Bansho seemed hesitant, Makoto's eyes gleamed faintly, recognizing the enormous potential hidden within this possibility.
A replicated Zanpakuto might not always be strong, but it could definitely make him an unpredictable wildcard.
For example: if a replicated Shinso were to assassinate a noble who stepped into the Seireitei with their left foot first in the dead of night, no one would question whether Gin Ichimaru was the culprit!
*(TL/N - bro is cooking something wild💀💀)
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