บท 74: Chapter 74 - Selfish bastards
Time passes by differently in Rukongai. A place made of semi-immortal souls that live for hundreds, if not thousands of years, expectedly has a time flow of its own. In a place like that, a decade feels like a blink of an eye, and that was exactly what happened with Ryu.
He was engrossed in his work. Up until this point, he always gained dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of years of experience in whatever he tried learning. But now? Now he needed to go through trial and error himself.
Ryu spent countless hours in his workshop, experimenting with different methods and materials. He would try different alloys, heating and cooling techniques, and a variety of special materials to help him capture and mold the souls to his desired shape. Though the original design of a Zanpakuto was based purely on souls, Ryu had access to otherworldly materials that the original blacksmith didn't have. But despite his efforts, he couldn't get the process to work the way he envisioned.
Over the years, Ryu went through a series of ups and downs in his journey to master soul forging. There were moments of great excitement when he felt like he was making progress, and times of deep frustration when he thought he had hit a dead end. But through it all, he persisted, driven by his passion for the craft.
In the first few years of his quest, Ryu made a lot of mistakes. He would often try to rush the process, eager to see the results of his efforts. But he soon learned that this was a delicate and complex process that required patience and precision. Even though he had control over the souls, seeing as how he created them, the souls were so mingled due to containing fragments from the dozens of people Ryu put into his amalgamation Shinobi.
As the years went by, Ryu began to develop a deeper understanding of the technique. He also learned how to control the heat and manipulate the metal to achieve some of the desired effects. He would spend hours studying the souls' properties, looking for clues on how to unlock their potential.
Despite his progress, Ryu was still far from mastering the art of soul forging. He had come close a few times, but each time he felt like he was on the verge of a breakthrough, the souls would slip away from him. However, the day in which he would finally succeed was not far. He could feel it.
As for the trio? They went through quite the undertaking.
At the beginning of their training, Nadare was the most level-headed of the group. He approached everything with a calm and analytical mind, always assessing the situation and finding the best way to deal with it.
Arashi, on the other hand, was impulsive and fiery. She had a natural talent for sword fighting, and her quick reflexes and lightning-fast strikes made her a formidable opponent. However, she struggled with discipline, resulting in Ryu's Shinobi having to teach her with more... Extreme measures.
Kettei was the shyest of the group, but he had a determination that was unmatched. He was the slowest to learn, but he never gave up. His skills in Reiryoku, or spiritual energy, manipulation were the strongest of the group, and he had started to develop a deep understanding of how to harness its power.
Over the years, the three kids trained relentlessly, pushing themselves to the brink of death on a daily basis. Due to Ryu's ability to warp reality and rid their body of any trauma caused by training, no matter how hurt they got, they were good as new the next day.
They learned new techniques and honed their skills to a razor's edge. Though Nadare was adept in swordsmanship, he became an expert in hand-to-hand combat due to having a surprising amount of talent in that field.
Arashi slowly became a skilled swordfighter, able to match the clones in technique.
Kettei's understanding of Reiryoku grew deeper and more refined, and he learned how to use it to perform a wide variety of spells.
Their training wasn't without its setbacks, however. Nadare struggled with maintaining his composure under pressure, and Arashi had a tendency to get overconfident and make reckless mistakes. Kettei developed a somewhat suicidal nature due to relying on Ryu's healing to support the reckless tendencies that resulted from his determination to improve.
Despite their struggles, the three kids continued to push forward. They grew stronger, faster, and more skilled with each passing day.
They became incredible fighters who could stand tow to tow with seated Shinigami, much less the grunts that infected the area. Whenever someone tried to rob or harass the trio in any way, they were taken care of without any effort. Naturally, that drew attention.
Other kids began to follow them, and those who showed determination and resolve were taken in by the trio and given a training regimen tailored to them by Ryu. As well as Shinobi who'd teach them all the skills they needed. In that short decade, the number of kids under Ryu's wing neared fifty. The extreme and deprived environment brought the worst out of some, and the best out of others. It was truly a fascinating effect in Ryu's eyes.
----
"Ryu!" Called Arashi. Although she still looked the same as she did a decade ago, she no longer wore rags. Instead, she wore the outfit that Shinobi wore back in Ryu's world.
A long-sleeved, dark blue jacket, with a high collar and flared lapels. The jacket had a zipper in the front and several pockets in various places. dark blue pants, tucked into Arashi's footwear, that were loose-fitting to allow for ease of movement. For footwear Arashi was fitted with High boots that covered his ankles and had thick soles for running, jumping, and fighting.
At her right hip rested a perfectly crafted Katana in a beautiful scabbard. Although it wasn't a Zanpakuto, there was no doubt of its quality.
Even if Ryu couldn't forge a Zanpakuto yet, nothing prevented him from making other swords for the kids' training.
"Yeah?" Ryu replied, tossing another failed Zanpakuto aside, though Arashi could see that its shape was unmistakably that of a sword. "You're getting good. It's actually recognizable now," Arashi chuckled as Ryu let out a sigh.
"Yeah, but each failure still stings a little. Anyway, what did you want?" Ryu asked. "I think we're ready to start doing real patrols around the district," Arashi proposed.
"I don't think this is a good idea. Sure, you can handle any idiot that starts trouble here, but you don't have enough manpower to do it consistently. If you start doing patrols you'll make the population here depend on you for order, and then if you can't deliver you'll create a worse situation than what was already present. I'm all for trial and error, but it doesn't fit stuff like this. Either you do it well, or you don't do it," Ryu said.
"But we're powerful, and we have the responsibility to use that power for those that don't have it! Unlike those Shinigami bastards," Arashi insisted. "And you will. But you have to be ready first. And let's not forget that those Shinigami from the Soul Society won't love the fact that you're acting on their territory," Ryu said.
"What territory?! From what I heard, they haven't been here for hundreds of years! And even when they come it's just for a stupid check or something. Why do they care?" Arashi questioned.
"Ego, it's as simple as that. And since I have responsibility for you, I won't send you into a dangerous situation. After you reach a certain level I'll allow you to patrol, but not before that. I don't want you killed in a skirmish with those selfish idiots," Ryu replied.
"...Fine. But if we wait, then you should do your best to prepare us. Can you take my training up a notch? I feel like I've hit a wall recently," Arashi said with determination.
"Gladly. Hopefully, by the time you finish training, I'll have your Zanpakuto ready. But then it'll all depend on if you're able to handle the sword," Ryu said.
"Don't worry, we'll handle it," Arashi said as she walked away to resume her training.
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