Soi Fon's Choice  

Hōmonka – a black butterfly-shaped mark left on an enemy after Soi Fon struck them with her Shikai-released Suzumebachi. If Soi Fon landed a second attack on the same spot, the overlapping Hōmonka would instantly kill the enemy.

However, this ability became ineffective against individuals with significantly higher reiatsu than Soi Fon. In fact, this wasn't unique to Soi Fon; almost all Shinigami Zanpakutō abilities were weakened or rendered useless when facing opponents with vastly superior reiatsu. Naturally, powerful abilities required even greater reiatsu to counteract their effects. This was what Aizen meant when he said a Shinigami's battle was a battle of reiatsu.

"If your Zanpakutō's ability truly is 'Nigeki Kessatsu' (Two-Hit Kill), then you should be able to kill an enemy by striking the same spot twice consecutively with lightning speed," Ailin explained. "But in reality, that doesn't work, does it?"

Soi Fon stared at Ailin in shock. After learning about her Zanpakutō's ability, she had tested it as Ailin described, but the results confirmed his words – rapidly striking the enemy twice wouldn't kill them.

"For your 'Nigeki Kessatsu' to take effect, you need to wait for your attack to form a complete 'Hōmonka' on the enemy. Only when your second attack hits the same spot, perfectly overlapping the two Hōmonka, will the ability kill them.

This is what I meant when I said it's not your Zanpakutō that kills the enemy, but the 'Hōmonka'."

In Ailin's opinion, Soi Fon's "Nigeki Kessatsu" wasn't even as strong as the ability of 3rd Division Vice-Captain Izuru Kira's Zanpakutō, "Wabisuke." After all, in Kira's hands, "Wabisuke" could stack its ability through consecutive attacks.

"Soi Fon, I speculate that your Zanpakutō's Shikai ability is the 'Nigeki Kessatsu' of Hōmonka, and its Bankai ability might be something that can achieve 'one-hit kill'.

However, just like your Shikai, your Bankai might have even stronger limitations. Mastering Bankai might be a burden for you right now."

In the world of Soul Society, if anyone understood Zanpakutō better, Ailin would consider himself second only to "Sword God" Ōetsu Nimaiya, who wouldn't even dare claim to be first. Indeed, Ōetsu Nimaiya was the creator who forged the prototype of Zanpakutō, "Asauchi." But Ailin, in essence, was a "sword" himself – a "Kenjin."

Furthermore, the Zanpakutō Ailin had forged over the years, and the memories he had absorbed from countless weapons, gave him unparalleled understanding in the realm of "swords."

Ōetsu Nimaiya created the prototype of Zanpakutō, "Asauchi." After obtaining an Asauchi, a Shinigami would cultivate its "spirit" through "Jinzen," nurturing it with their own soul. In Ailin's understanding, this was somewhat akin to cultivating a "second primordial spirit" in the world of Xianxia.

"Asauchi" was the catalyst. The "spirit" nurtured by the Shinigami could manifest certain traits of its owner into various abilities. By calling out the Zanpakutō's name and achieving Shikai, the Shinigami merged with the Zanpakutō's "spirit," boosting their reiatsu and granting them control over the Zanpakutō's abilities.

And Bankai, the final form of a Zanpakutō, in Ailin's view, was like the "second primordial spirit" growing up and maturing.

If one cultivated "Bankai" before the Zanpakutō's "spirit" was fully nurtured, it would be like forcing the "spirit" to mature prematurely.

If the abilities were of the same lineage, achieving Bankai prematurely wouldn't have much impact on future cultivation. As reiatsu increased, any slight developmental deficiencies would gradually improve. This could be seen in Tōshirō Hitsugaya.

Therefore, when Ginrei Kuchiki was on the verge of death, Ailin took Byakuya Kuchiki to Kisuke Urahara to borrow a Gigai, allowing Byakuya to complete his Bankai training prematurely. After all, Byakuya's Senbonzakura, like Tōshirō Hitsugaya's Hyōrinmaru, had a Bankai ability that was an enhancement of its Shikai ability. Prematurely completing Bankai wouldn't have any negative impact on their future cultivation.

However, if the Zanpakutō's Shikai and Bankai abilities differed significantly, the forced maturation of the "spirit" would result in a weaker Bankai compared to others.

Ikkaku Madarame, Renji Abarai, and Soi Fon all belonged to this category.

After Ikkaku Madarame's Zanpakutō entered Bankai, it needed battle to awaken its true power, and any damage to the Zanpakutō would weaken the Bankai ability permanently, rendering it irreparable.

Renji Abarai was slightly better off than Ikkaku, as his Shikai and Bankai had a relatively strong connection. After completing his Bankai training, his Bankai strength surpassed Ikkaku's.

As for what Ichibē Hyōsube said about Renji Abarai's Bankai name being wrong, Ailin didn't believe it one bit.

Shikai might have "incomplete Shikai" due to the Zanpakutō's personality, but Bankai was the full manifestation of the Zanpakutō's power; there was no such thing as "incomplete Bankai."

The more likely possibility was that Ichibē Hyōsube, in order to allow those entering the Soul King Palace to better resist the attacks of the Wandenreich Quincy, changed the name of Zabimaru, granting it greater power.

After all, it could be seen from the embodiment of Renji Abarai's Zanpakutō that the Baboon King was a sturdy woman with chains wrapped around her waist, while Zabimaru was more slender, with chains bound around its neck. It appeared that Zabimaru was the Baboon King's slave.

If Zabimaru were also a "King" of the same level as the Baboon King, then Renji Abarai's Zanpakutō should also be a "pair of Zanpakutō" like Jūshirō Ukitake's Sōgyo no Kotowari.

But it was evident from Renji Abarai's Shikai that the Baboon King Zabimaru wasn't a pair of Zanpakutō.

Whether in Shikai or Bankai, Renji used Zabimaru's body to unleash the Baboon King's immense power.

And Soi Fon was no exception. In Ailin's memory, in order to take over the position of 2nd Division Captain as soon as possible, she went to the Shihōin family for help and did indeed master Bankai in a short time. However, this ability also placed a heavy burden on her.

She could only use it once every three days, and after each use, she would be injured by the ability's recoil. Moreover, in Ailin's memory, Soi Fon's Bankai didn't achieve any significant results.

Now, Soi Fon hadn't gone to the Shihōin family but came to him for help. Ailin also hoped that Soi Fon could become stronger under his guidance.

"If you choose to increase your strength, I will teach you the technique 'Shunko,' which combines Kidō and Hakuda, mastered by Lady Yoruichi. Of course, if you choose to cultivate Bankai, I will also help you complete your Bankai training in the shortest time possible... Now, Soi Fon, tell me, what do you choose?"

Soi Fon raised her head and looked at Ailin. She wasn't an unreasonable person. She knew which of the two options Ailin offered was more beneficial to her.

But...

The 2nd Division belonged to Lady Yoruichi. Until Lady Yoruichi returned, she had to take good care of the 2nd Division for her.

"Captain Ailin, if I choose to increase my strength, will I be able to pass the captain's proficiency test before the 7th Division selects its captain?"

"Soi Fon, can I take that as you looking down on me?" Ailin's lips curled up slightly. "Don't overestimate the importance of captain-level, Soi Fon. Once you reach captain-level, you'll discover that there are even higher and farther sights beyond..."

"Alright, then I choose to increase my strength!"

"A wise choice." Ailin nodded in satisfaction.

Then, he turned to Haruko and said, "Haruko, I'm taking Soi Fon to train for a few days, at most half a month. I'll leave the house to you."

"Yes, go ahead, Ailin-kun."

Swoosh!

Two figures flickered, reappearing farther ahead with each blink. These two were naturally Ailin and Soi Fon.

With their Shunpo, many Shinigami couldn't even detect their movements. Only the captains standing at the pinnacle of Soul Society could capture their fleeting forms.

The moment they saw the two, everyone knew that perhaps soon, the "acting" part of the 2nd Division "Acting Captain" would be removed.

***

"We're here."

Arriving at a secluded location, Ailin stopped, and Soi Fon appeared beside him in the next instant.

Finding a hidden entrance, Ailin led Soi Fon straight down. A square black frame suddenly appeared in the blue sky, and the next moment, two figures fell from the frame and landed on the ground.

Thump!

Thump!

"Where is this?"

Soi Fon looked around, surprised to find such a large space underground. Moreover, the blue sky and white clouds above were almost real enough to be mistaken for the genuine article.

If Soi Fon hadn't remembered jumping down from the surface just now, she might have thought this was some secluded spot in Soul Society.

"This is the secret base of Lady Yoruichi and that guy Kisuke Urahara. Not long ago, they treated Shinji Hirako and the others here, then opened a Senkaimon from here to the World of the Living."

"What? Lady Yoruichi's secret base?"

Ailin had chosen Urahara's abandoned underground base as the location to train Soi Fon.

On the one hand, with Kisuke Urahara and the others gone, this place had become "unowned," and training here wouldn't cause much commotion or be disturbed.

On the other hand, Ailin also wanted to use this place to stimulate Soi Fon, keeping her motivated and energized for training.

As expected, upon hearing Ailin's words, Soi Fon's eyes lit up with excitement. As for Kisuke Urahara mentioned by Ailin, she had selectively ignored him.

However, Soi Fon then frowned and looked at Ailin. "Hey, since this is Lady Yoruichi's secret base, how do you know about it?"