"Sōsuke, you know how to make the spiritual body growth agent now. From now on, these Reigai need to be injected once every three days. You can teach Rii how to prepare the agent. If she has time, she can help manage it."
Sora planned to continue cultivating the Reigai he brought back from Miyamoto Tetsuya's lab using the growth agent.
These Reigai had been grown with the long-term use of the agent, causing trace amounts of Hollow spirit particles to accumulate in their bodies, which could be used for Hollowfication experiments.
However, Sora and Aizen had already verified that conventional methods of Hollowfying Shinigami Reigai simply didn't work. Sora planned to introduce a new variable for future experiments—the Soul King's fragment.
"Alright." Sōsuke Aizen nodded. The method for preparing the growth agent was simple for him; he had learned it after watching just once.
At that moment, the lab door opened, and Rii Hoshino entered.
She was amazed when she saw the large number of new Reigai and machines in the laboratory.
"Professor, I've brought the list," Rii Hoshino said, waving a piece of paper in her hand.
"Thank you for your hard work, Rii," Sora said as he took the list and began to read it.
"It was no trouble at all! I'm happy I can help you, Professor!" Rii Hoshino said. "But the Quincy extermination war was several years ago. The prognosis for the type of patient you're looking for is very poor. Not many have survived this long."
Aizen glanced over curiously. It was a list of disabled Shinigami.
The first thing Sora did after returning from the World of the Living was to contact Rii Hoshino and ask her to find patients from the 4th Division's files whose "Spiritual Pressure Cores" were damaged.
The most recent large-scale conflict in the Soul Society was primarily the Quincy extermination war in the World of the Living.
The Shinigami side also suffered considerable losses in that war. Sora had helped out in the 4th Division for a time and knew that some severely injured patients had damaged "Spiritual Pressure Cores" that, like Batsu'unsai Katori's, could not be cured.
Sora looked at the list. There were a total of nine Shinigami with damaged "Spiritual Pressure Cores" on it.
After follow-up checks, it was confirmed that six of them had already died due to "Spiritual Pressure Core" failure and the subsequent collapse of their spiritual bodies.
This was the ultimate fate for a Shinigami whose "Spiritual Pressure Core" suffered irreparable trauma.
Moreover, the strength of their spiritual bodies and cores was far inferior to Batsu'unsai Katori's. The rate of core failure and spiritual body collapse was much faster; they couldn't hold on for more than a few years.
"There are still three left," Sora said, relieved. It was good that there were survivors. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to find Shinigami with this type of injury on short notice.
Previously, there was no treatment. Now, with the spiritual body growth agent, it wasn't difficult to cultivate a Reigai with Spiritual Pressure reaching the standard of a normal Shinigami officer. He could then cure this injury by transplanting the Reigai's "Spiritual Pressure Core."
This treatment plan currently had no successful cases. Sora planned to practice on the three surviving Shinigami with damaged "Spiritual Pressure Cores" before attempting to cure Batsu'unsai Katori.
Sora wasn't worried that the three Shinigami would refuse his treatment plan.
If they were to reject this treatment, they would not be able to escape death either.
"I see these three surviving Shinigami have all taken medical leave from their squads. Can we still contact them?" Sora asked.
"It shouldn't be a problem. They still need to come to the 4th Division regularly for medicine. We also did a follow-up check on their condition last month. I asked the Shinigami in charge of last month's follow-up, and they are all still living in their respective division barracks," Rii Hoshino said.
Sora planned to visit these three Shinigami personally to invite them to cooperate with his treatment plan.
...
Sora brought Rii Hoshino to the 3rd Division, using the pretense of a follow-up visit to meet with the Shinigami with the damaged "Spiritual Pressure Core."
Sora had already seen the other two Shinigami with damaged "Spiritual Pressure Cores."
Those two were members of the 11th Division.
After checking their spiritual bodies, Sora found that their situation was not optimistic.
They had already fallen into a deep coma, and their spiritual bodies would not last much longer.
Even with the spiritual body growth agent, it would take about two to three years to produce a Reigai to the level of a Shinigami officer from scratch.
Sora judged that the "Spiritual Pressure Cores" of these two from the 11th Division had nearly reached their limit. They would soon enter the stage of core failure and spiritual body collapse, and they simply couldn't hold on for that long.
It could be said that the situation they faced was even worse than what Batsu'unsai Katori had initially encountered.
Batsu'unsai Katori at least had Katori Sora, who could provide spirit particles of the same origin and use the Nōreitan replacement plan to extend his life.
Sora could only give up on them and came to the 3rd Division to find the last surviving Shinigami with a damaged "Spiritual Pressure Core."
The 3rd Division Shinigami he was about to see was a former seated officer. Her spiritual body should be considerably stronger than that of a rank-and-file member.
The person who opened the door was someone Sora was somewhat familiar with, Akane Saitō.
"I am Rii Hoshino from the 4th Division, here for a follow-up check on Saitō Shizuku's condition," Rii Hoshino said. "This is my Professor. He is more skilled at dealing with 'Spiritual Pressure Core' issues, so I asked him to come and take a look."
"Katori-kun?" Akane Saitō was a little surprised to see Katori Sora here.
"Saitō-san, we meet again," Sora said with a smile.
Coincidentally, the Shinigami Sora was here to see was Akane Saitō's twin sister, Saitō Shizuku.
Saitō Shizuku was originally the 6th seat of the 3rd Division. It was precisely because she was injured in the war, leading to a decline in her strength and inability to hold a seated position, that the 6th seat became vacant.
The Shinigami who took over the 6th seat was Sora's disciple, Kana Azashiro.
"Please, come in," Akane Saitō said. Hearing that Katori Sora seemed to be skilled with "Spiritual Pressure Core" problems, she felt a glimmer of hope. Although her sister's injury was temporarily suppressed with medicine, it would inevitably worsen over time, which worried her greatly.
Akane Saitō led Katori Sora and Rii Hoshino to Saitō Shizuku's room.
Akane and Shizuku were twins, and they looked almost identical.
Shizuku's condition seemed stable. Her spiritual body had the foundation of a seated officer's strength, and the damage to her "Spiritual Pressure Core" was not as severe as that of the Shinigami who had already died. After treatment with medicine and Kaidō, her injuries were not apparent on the surface.
"Sister, who are they...?" Shizuku looked puzzled. She thought Katori Sora looked familiar and suddenly remembered seeing him during her treatment at the 4th Division. "Is this Professor Katori from the Spirit Arts Academy?"
"I came to check on your injury. There has recently been a breakthrough in the treatment of 'Spiritual Pressure Core damage'. It's possible your injury can be cured," Sora said, getting straight to the point without beating around the bush.
"I just went to see Captain Unohana for medicine yesterday... I didn't hear anything about this," Saitō Shizuku said, somewhat surprised.
In her view, Captain Unohana definitely had the highest level of Kaidō skill. If there was something Captain Unohana couldn't fix, she found it hard to believe Katori Sora now had a solution.
"This treatment plan does not rely solely on Kaidō methods," Sora shook his head gently. "This treatment involves a forbidden technique. I can only explain the plan to you if you promise not to leak any information."
Akane Saitō had interacted with Katori Sora several times and had some understanding of his character. She knew he wouldn't joke about such matters. She was even more anxious than her sister and said directly, "If there's a way to treat Shizuku, we will definitely keep it a secret! As long as it doesn't require us to betray the Soul Society, we'll do anything!"
Every time Shizuku went to the 4th Division for a check-up, Akane accompanied her. She had long since inquired with Unohana. The prognosis for the other Shinigami with the same injuries as her sister was very poor; they didn't last more than a few years before their spiritual bodies collapsed.
Unohana had said that although Shizuku's spiritual body was stronger than those Shinigami, it would only allow her to hold on for a longer period.
Currently, the 4th Division had no way to treat a damaged "Spiritual Pressure Core."
For them, Katori Sora's treatment plan was undoubtedly a lifeline.
"Don't be too hasty. This treatment plan is somewhat experimental, but I have a great deal of confidence that I can cure Shizuku-san," Sora said seriously.
"Although my injury is temporarily stable now, in a few more years, I might not be able to suppress it anymore," Saitō Shizuku said. "Since Professor Katori is very confident, I'm willing to take the gamble."
After the war, Shizuku had been hospitalized in the 4th Division for a period, so she had a relatively high level of trust in Katori Sora's Kaidō skills.
"Since neither of you has any objections, I won't be secretive. You should have heard about the frequent incidents of Reigai causing trouble in recent years, right?" Sora asked.
The two sisters nodded.
"Of course. Just yesterday, Captain-Commander Yamamoto ordered all divisions to conduct self-inspections to root out any Reigai hiding in the Seireitei," Akane Saitō said, remembering something. "I heard from my lieutenant that the mastermind, Miyamoto Tetsuya, has been eliminated by Katori-kun. Does Katori-kun's treatment plan have something to do with this?"
"My treatment plan is indeed related to Reigai. I intend to produce a Reigai using Shizuku-san's spirit particles. This way, the produce Reigai's spirit particles will be of the same origin as Shizuku-san's. By transplanting the Reigai's Spiritual Pressure Core, we can treat her injury," Sora explained.
This treatment plan was actually the one originally proposed by Tenjirō Kirinji.
However, at that time, Reigai technology was not yet mature, and it was impossible to cultivate a Spiritual Pressure Core that could withstand Batsu'unsai Katori's spiritual body.
But now, with the spiritual body growth agent, this treatment plan had become feasible again.
"You need to create a Reigai of me... This plan does sound highly feasible," Saitō Shizuku said. She knew this would certainly violate the Central 46's ban on creating Reigai, but in the face of survival, such things were trivial.
"Then I'll be in your care, Katori-kun," Saitō Shizuku said seriously.
Even if it meant breaking a prohibition, she wanted to live.
"Please rest assured, both of you. I am very confident of success," Sora said with a smile.
By reviewing Miyamoto Tetsuya's experimental records, he believed that cultivating a Reigai capable of providing a replacement Spiritual Pressure Core for Saitō Shizuku was not a very difficult task.
Sora took a syringe from his spirit particle space pocket and drew a tube of blood from Saitō Shizuku.
"To produce a Spiritual Pressure Core that can withstand Shizuku-san's spiritual body, it is estimated to take one to three years. During this time, please take good care of your health, Shizuku-san," Sora instructed.
"No problem, I'll watch over her!" Akane said, putting an arm around her sister.
Sora and Rii Hoshino left the 3rd Division. Kana Azashiro seemed to be on a mission, as he didn't see her during this visit.
After returning to the lab, Sora immediately used the blood containing Saitō Shizuku's spirit particles to create a Reigai.
The blood taken from Shizuku was enough to cultivate several Reigai. To be safe, Sora chose to cultivate several of her Reigai simultaneously.
If an accident were to happen, causing a Reigai to fail in its development, Shizuku's spiritual body might not be able to last long enough to cultivate another one.
Rii Hoshino looked at the rice-grain-sized Reigai embryos floating in the nutrient pods and couldn't help but sigh, "Technology can be used to save people, but also to create chaos. The Reigai have caused quite a stir recently. Even our 4th Division received orders to conduct a self-inspection."
After Sora dealt with Miyamoto Tetsuya, Captain-Commander Yamamoto planned to completely eliminate the remaining Reigai to prevent Miyamoto Tetsuya's forces from re-emerging.
Sōsuke Aizen said casually, "Technology, like power, is neither right nor wrong. It all depends on whose hands it's in."
...
Before the start of the academic year at the Spirit Arts Academy, Sora had one more thing to do.
He had been so busy lately that he had almost forgotten something important.
While traveling and studying with Captain-Commander Yamamoto, Sora had promised Sajin Komamura that he would help him resolve the issue with the werewolves who were hunting him.
After Sora brought Komamura back, he had stayed in the dojo, and the werewolves couldn't find him at all.
However, Komamura would inevitably have to go out alone in the future, so Sora had to deal with this trouble first.
Sora and Sajin Komamura arrived at Inuyama.
Once they entered the Inuyama area, werewolves could be seen everywhere.
The residents here were all werewolves.
Sora even saw a marketplace here, but all the vendors in the market were werewolves.
The werewolf clan were not beasts; they also had needs for food, clothing, housing, and transportation.
"Professor, the orange wine here is very good," Sajin Komamura said, walking up to a wine stall and taking out a small purse with a dog's head sewn on it.
During his time at the dojo, Komamura had saved up some money by doing Isshin Shiba's homework.
Isshin, as a highly valued junior member of the Shiba clan, was still in his training phase and had a lot of homework to do every day.
By helping Isshin with his homework, Komamura could familiarize himself with Kidō, general Shinigami knowledge, and other subjects. Moreover, Isshin would pay him for it, so he was very happy to help.
"It is indeed delicious," Sora said, taking a sip and showing a satisfied expression. "The wine you were selling in the Suzuka district before, you bought it from here, right?"
"Yes, this wine shop's orange wine is very famous in Inuyama," Sajin Komamura said, licking his lips. He only had enough money to buy one jug of wine.
"Just a taste. We still have business to attend to," Sora said, tossing the wine gourd back to Komamura.
As the two were talking, several werewolves wearing bamboo armor had already surrounded them.
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