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Chapter 68: Soul Reaper x Yoriichi Tsugikuni
🕑 Added 2025-07-07 15:03:15 +0000 UTCWhen Russell heard that there was another reward coming, a genuine jolt of excitement shot through him. All his careful planning and risk-taking had paid off, and it felt good.
"By the way, Uncle Marcus, what is this book about?" Now that he had secured his benefits, he was ready to satisfy his curiosity.
Marcus stared at the screen for a long moment, his face unreadable, before he finally fell into a thoughtful silence. After what seemed like an eternity, he whispered, "If I were to tell you now, it would only bring you harm. You will know what it means, later."
"?" Cryptic until the very end, Russell thought, rolling his eyes internally. He couldn't help but feel a flicker of frustration, but he quickly calmed himself. After all, promises and secrets were just words. Only the rewards that were actually in his hands were real.
Seeing that Russell had no intention of pressing the issue, Marcus seemed to let out a quiet sigh of relief and muttered a name so softly Russell almost missed it: "Regent Jin." He then took a spare, untraceable mobile phone from his pocket and began importing the information from the computer. After a while, the transmission was complete, and Marcus stood up. "No need to see me off. You did a good job this time."
Leaning against the wall of his study, Russell asked the most important question. "When will I get the reward?"
"We have to wait until the Society's leadership receives and verifies these things," Marcus said as he walked out of the room.
Watching him leave, Russell finally let his body slump onto the sofa. "It's finally over," he sighed. A feeling of accomplishment washed over him, quickly followed by a new, more exciting thought.
"Next, it's time to make the card."
That's right, he was going to attempt the advancement of Yoriichi Tsugikuni. But before that, he had to buy one more piece of material, just to be safe. This was his first attempt at a custom advancement like this, and he was mentally prepared for the possibility of failure. He currently had 1.6 million credits in cash, and once the extra materials from Sword Lake were sold, his total capital would be around 2.5 million.
Opening his phone, Russell began to look through the appropriate materials online. For the body of a Soul Reaper, I can use the [Ghost] material, he planned, mapping out the components in his mind. And for the Zanpakutō, the soul-sword, I can use the [Heart of Reflection]. But I still feel like something is missing.
Just as he was thinking hard, trying to pinpoint the missing element, an idea suddenly flashed through his mind. Of course. Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō—swordsmanship, hand-to-hand, movement, and magic. Those are the four basic combat forms of a Soul Reaper. Originally, he had been looking at materials related to magic or spiritual energy. But he just realized that the most striking thing about Yoriichi in his original story was his terrifying, unparalleled talent in swordsmanship. The Yoriichi card he currently possessed did not perform very well in this aspect because of the poor quality of the initial materials used to create him. And besides, many of the strongest Soul Reapers in the stories barely used Kidō at all.
In that case, it would be better to continue strengthening Yoriichi's greatest strength. "In this case, there's no need to look for new materials anymore," Russell muttered to himself, stroking his chin. As luck would have it, his trip to [Sword Lake] had dropped a purple-quality [Sword Seeker] material, perfectly suited for this purpose.
Holding the [Sword Seeker] (Purple), [Heart of Reflection] (Gold), and [Ghost] (Gold) in his hands, he summoned the card of Yoriichi Tsugikuni. Focusing his mind, he channeled his mental power, tightly entwining the three materials with the card.
The next moment, the world dissolved around him, and he arrived in the familiar, mysterious space of creation.
It worked! A thrill of validation ran through him. As expected, you can try to advance a card even if it doesn't have a pre-defined route! Seeing that he had really succeeded in initiating the process, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
【Please begin compiling your story.】
The familiar, ethereal prompt appeared in his mind, and Russell began to write.
【On his deathbed, the old swordsman, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, seemed to see the figure of his late wife, Uta, beckoning to him from the darkness. He tried hard to open his eyes, but he couldn't, and his consciousness gradually faded.】
【When he opened his eyes again, he found himself on a somewhat desolate street. "Where is this?" Yoriichi wondered, looking at his own hands, which had somehow become young again. Just as he was trying to understand, a sinister laugh came to his ear. "New here?" The next moment, a blade whistled past his ear. But Yoriichi's fighting instincts were absolute. He dodged the attack and, even with no weapon in his hands, easily defeated his attacker.】
【Under his questioning, the defeated soul explained his new reality. This world was called the Soul Society, the destination for all human souls after death. And the place they were in now was the worst of it, a hell for new arrivals: the 80th District of the West Rukongai. In theory, souls that come to the Soul Society are issued "sorting tickets" and distributed to the eighty districts, but Yoriichi had appeared here directly. However, he didn't care about these details. He just thought absentmindedly, "If this is so, then Uta must be here as well."】
【For some time, he traveled through the lawless 80th District, searching for any trace of his wife. But everyone he met told him the same sad story: it was normal to be separated from your loved ones after arriving in the Soul Society. During this process, he became a well-known "villain"—a powerful soul who had made a name for himself in the district. With his terrifying swordsmanship, he never met a worthy opponent.】
【Until that day. He met a woman with long black hair, wielding a power unlike anything he had ever seen before. "I am the captain of the 11th Division of the Gotei 13, Retsu Unohana." After severely wounding him, the cold, bloodthirsty woman said, "If you want revenge, come to the Seireitei and find me."】
【At that moment, lying in a pool of his own spiritual blood, Yoriichi had no thought of revenge. He just whispered, "Gotei 13? Can you help me find my family?" The woman's face was expressionless as she turned to leave. "Fine," she said.】
【After recovering, Yoriichi set out on the journey to the Seireitei. Along the way, he learned more. The Gotei 13 was an army of spirits called Soul Reapers, and due to a previous war with the Quincy—a clan of demon-slayers from the living world—there were many vacancies in their ranks. It was precisely because of this that any wandering soul with even a little spiritual talent could now join. Thinking of this, Yoriichi touched his own hungry stomach and said, "I think I have some talent."】
【After a not-so-long journey, he arrived at the registration office of the Shino Academy. After a long wait, it was finally his turn for the talent test.】
The story is almost complete, Russell thought, focusing his will on the final, crucial detail.
【Accompanied by a dazzling light flashing from the testing instrument, Yoriichi's results appeared.】
【Spiritual Pressure: Level Eight.】
