Two days later, in a double ward within the Fourth Division.
"An unfamiliar ceiling..."
Soifon stared at the ceiling for a while. The faint, bitter scent of medicinal herbs wafted into her nose, gradually clearing her mind and bringing back memories of what had happened.
"Are you awake?"
In the next moment, the ceiling in Soifon's vision was obscured by a tall girl with short white hair.
Glancing at Isane Kotetsu's attire, Soifon nodded sheepishly. "Yes... I've caused you trouble, Officer Kotetsu..."
"No, no, not at all!" Isane waved her hands frantically. "It was no trouble. The only injured parties were you and 3rd Seat Ōmaeda."
As soon as Isane finished speaking, Soifon's expression stiffened. She looked away, feeling a wave of guilt.
"Ōmaeda... how is he?"
Soifon's voice sounded a bit weak. However, considering she was a patient, Isane didn't suspect anything.
"It's actually quite strange; 3rd Seat Ōmaeda's injuries are even heavier than yours." Isane gently pulled back the covers on Soifon's bed, using green Kaidō spiritual energy to inspect her spiritual body. "As for you, Vice-Captain Soifon... your injuries are almost fully healed."
Toward the end, Isane felt a sense of awe. Her entire network of spiritual vessels had been torn apart by rampaging spiritual power, yet she only needed two days to recover.
Was this the power of someone who had mastered Bankai? Truly terrifying!
Considering the patient had just woken up, Isane gave a polite bow and quietly left the ward, but not before instructing Soifon to rest well and not leave the room.
"You absolutely must not leave without permission! Captain Unohana will be very angry."
Those were Isane's final words before the door clicked shut.
Finally, Soifon was left alone in the large ward.
She turned her head to look at her Zanpakutō, Suzumebachi, which was resting quietly on the bedside table. Suddenly, her vision flickered as if she were seeing floaters, and a translucent panel manifested before her eyes.
[Mission Triggered: Execute a Bankai]
Immediately after, those large characters dissolved like smoke, replaced by new text.
[Mission Completed]
[Mission Reward: Obtained Yoruichi Shihōin's development experience for Shunkō. Automatically learned new technique—Shunkō.]
In the blink of an eye, the technique known as 'Shunkō' became an instinct carved into Soifon's body, as natural to use as her own limbs.
After spending a few minutes digesting the knowledge in her head, Soifon felt a slight tinge of regret—it was only the basic version of Shunkō, not the 'Eternal Shunkō' developed later in the story.
But it was enough. As the saying goes, 'a house built on a weak foundation will collapse.' This knowledge granted directly by the 'cheat' system was surely more solid than what she could achieve through self-cultivation. She could slowly trigger more missions later.
Though she really wanted to try activating Shunkō right then and there, she decided against it, realizing the technique would shred the clothes on her arms.
She was still lying in a Fourth Division bed. If she accidentally trashed the room, Retsu Unohana would likely want to 'tutor' her in swordsmanship.
Subconsciously, the uneasy Soifon grabbed the Zanpakutō from the bedside and began to toy with it.
"Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi."
A flash of golden spiritual energy passed. The Zanpakutō transformed into a stream of light, covering Soifon's right hand. It eventually became a sharp, black-and-gold stinger-ring encasing her right middle finger, with a golden chain connecting it to a gauntlet on her wrist.
Stroking the metallic, needle-like tip of Suzumebachi with her left hand, Soifon could feel the dangerous power known as 'Death in Two Steps' within it.
Whoosh—
With a casual swing, a sharp whistling sound accompanied a strong gust of air, causing the curtains in the room to flutter wildly.
She felt an itch to find someone to test the damage limit of her 'Death in Two Steps.'
But who?
That 'Conceptual God,' Momo Hinamori, hadn't even joined the Gotei 13 yet; there was truly no suitable target to test her blade on.
Sigh, it's all the fault of that 'Reiatsu Logic'—it turned a sword with such a powerful mechanic into a mere sacrificial tool for the plot.
Furthermore, the contrast between her Shikai and Bankai was simply too vast. Was that really the true form of her Bankai?
No, she had to have a heart-to-heart with the spirit of Suzumebachi.
Releasing her Shikai state, Soifon sat cross-legged on the bed holding the Zanpakutō. She laid the blade across her knees and closed her eyes to meditate.
Sensing her master's desire to enter the inner world, Suzumebachi—who had been bursting with things to say—couldn't wait. Before Soifon had even fully entered a meditative state, the spirit pulled her in.
Simultaneously, Soifon's vision blurred shortly after closing her eyes. She found herself standing in the middle of a forest.
"Is this... my inner world?"
The soles of her feet pressed against lush green grass. The scent of earth after a light rain filled the air, and towering trees seemed to blot out the sun overhead.
"That's right."
Dressed in yellow and black patterned clothing, with her Shikai blade equipped on her right arm and brown twin-tails, the Zanpakutō spirit Suzumebachi descended from above, landing on a tree trunk in front of Soifon.
In short, she was an anthropomorphic bee-girl.
With a light tap of her toes, Suzumebachi dropped from the branch. Water droplets clinging to the leaves fell with her, creating ripples in the small puddles on the grass.
"Though I don't know how you found out my True Name..." Suzumebachi pointed a finger toward the clearing sky. "The rain that's been falling for over a month has finally stopped."
"Rain..."
Soifon followed the spirit's finger and looked up. The raindrops on the leaves reflected brilliant light under the sun.
Step, step.
Suzumebachi walked forward, leaving small imprints on the muddy grass.
Seeing this, Soifon subconsciously raised the Asauchi in her hands to guard herself, taking a wary step back.
Did she realize I'm not the original Soifon? Is she going to attack?
"There's no need to be so cautious."
Seeing her reaction, Suzumebachi stopped and laughed helplessly.
"Regardless of how you learned my True Name, the point is that I answered your call, didn't I?"
"Speaking of which, the reason I didn't tell you my True Name before—besides your spiritual pressure being insufficient—was because I was afraid you'd hate my Bankai form."
"However..."
Suzumebachi put her hands behind her back and tilted her head playfully at Soifon.
"Soifon, you really are a genius! In just one month, you've trained up to the Third-grade Reii."
"As expected of my master."
"It would be even better if you weren't constantly obsessing over that woman, Yoruichi Shihōin, every single day."
What? So she doesn't want to fight...
Relieved, Soifon lowered the Asauchi from her chest. "Sorry, Suzumebachi. I was a bit sensitive."
"Hmm? Soifon, you're acting strange."
In a golden flash, Suzumebachi flickered right in front of Soifon, staring directly into her master's amber eyes.
"Uh... why bring that up suddenly?"
"I just called her 'that woman, Yoruichi Shihōin,' and you didn't get angry?"
"I..."
"Very good, very good! My master, the master of Suzumebachi, cannot be some love-struck fool."
Just as Soifon was about to argue, the spirit of the blade patted her shoulder with an air of satisfaction.
It seems she's already rationalized my behavior for me.
"Jashaku Raikōben... is that really the True Name of your Bankai?"
Seeing how easy-going her Zanpakutō spirit was, Soifon didn't plan to beat around the bush. She stated the purpose of her Jinzen meditation directly.
"Soifon, what are you saying?!"
Suzumebachi took a step back, her face contorted with the disgusted expression one might give a heartless woman.
____
New Story: Bleach: Dominating Soul Society in One Sting
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