Chapter 20 – The Sword That Never Gave Up
At the exact moment the technique finished, Aike felt a sizable chunk of his life force get sucked away.
Roughly the total lifespan of an ordinary human.
For anyone else, that would have been instant death by total vitality depletion.
But Aike had life force to burn.
In the system, it was literally the most basic currency.
He could buy it by the truckload if he wanted, and on top of that, he had inherited Aizen's Shinigami template.
A death god's natural lifespan made the Rinne Rebirth's backlash feel like a paper cut.
When the Gates of the Yellow Springs finally vanished completely, every pair of eyes turned to the body on the ground, holding their breath for the miracle.
Koushirou had lost all of his usual composure.
His Observation Haki clearly told him:
The lifeless vessel that had been nothing but an empty shell now radiated warmth—life.
A familiar, beloved presence he had not felt in over ten years.
Then.
The closed eyelids trembled.
A second later, they slowly opened.
"Ku… ina!!"
Koushirou's voice cracked. Tears poured down his face as he rushed forward.
Nami, Carina, Kaya, Nojiko, Izumi, Hikari—even Tom—stood there completely stunned.
She… really came back?!
A miracle straight out of myth had just happened in front of them!
After the shock passed, the six girls immediately crowded around Aike.
"Boss, are you okay?!"
"There has to be a huge cost for something like this, right?"
Nami anxiously checked him all over.
"Just some life force. I've got more than I know what to do with."
Aike waved them off casually, then turned his attention to the father-daughter reunion.
At the same time, the contract inside the new body silently activated.
"Father…?"
That single word broke Koushirou completely.
He pulled his daughter into a crushing embrace and sobbed like a child.
"Give the two of them some space. Let's head back to the dojo."
Aike ushered the girls and one cat away.
Half an hour later, Koushirou returned with Kuina.
The moment Kuina saw Aike, her fair cheeks flushed bright red.
She clearly knew everything—about the custom-made body and the contract that now bound her.
Saved Aike a lot of explaining.
Koushirou walked straight up to Aike and bowed so deeply his forehead nearly touched the floor.
"This debt… I will never forget it as long as I live!"
"If you ever need anything—anything at all—I will give everything I have!"
His voice shook with sincerity.
Kuina hid her embarrassment and bowed as well, eyes full of gratitude.
"It was just a trade. No need for all that."
No matter how many times Aike downplayed it, Koushirou refused to stand upright.
Aike understood samurai pride and let him have it.
Free favor from a Great Swordsman? He wasn't going to say no.
Dinner that night was a full feast.
Officially to thank Aike's group, but really to celebrate Kuina's return.
Only their group attended.
A resurrection was simply too shocking to let leak.
If word got out, the Navy and the World Government would come running.
They would either try to seize the power—or seize Kuina herself.
So Koushirou sealed the entire dojo for the night.
Zero chance of exposure.
Night fell.
Kuina, reborn into the world, picked up a sword for the first time in over a decade.
Just like all those years ago, she refused to waste even a single second that could be spent getting stronger.
The dream of becoming the world's greatest swordsman had never died.
"You're adapting fast."
Aike walked into the moonlit courtyard after watching her swing for a while.
"Master Aike!"
Kuina's face lit up. She jogged over.
"Thanks to you, this body fits perfectly—and I'm way stronger than I was before."
"Of course. I put a lot of work into that body."
He meant it purely technically.
Kuina, however, remembered exactly how that body had been made.
Her cheeks went scarlet and she ducked her head like an ostrich.
Only then did Aike realize how his words had sounded.
He had basically just said, "I know every inch of you."
Crap.
He hurriedly changed the subject.
"Your old
sword, Wado Ichimonji, went to Zoro. Use this one for now."
He pulled a beautiful tachi from the system inventory and offered it hilt-first.
==============================================================
Support me and be 100 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/inkshield