Chapter 7 Forging

Forging a cursed tool at the age of six—it seemed impossible.

Clang! Clang!

With a sharp exhale, Gojo Kensei swung his hammer down with force.

The Heaven and Cursed Binding granted him immense physical strength, allowing his six-year-old body to handle the intense forging process with ease.

"Not bad! But your rhythm is still off," Gojo Takaya observed from the side, nodding slightly. Though his words were critical, deep down, he was more than satisfied.

"Kensei, you need to speed up here!"

"Kensei, learn to control your strength!"

"Kensei, forging requires patience!"

Takaya continuously pointed out the flaws in Kensei's technique, but the more he watched, the more shocked he became.

— What's going on? How is his forging skill improving this fast?

Kensei remained completely focused, carefully following Takaya's guidance and adjusting his technique.

Unbeknownst to him, his forging proficiency had already reached the threshold necessary to unlock the Zanpakutō Forging Function.

[System Notification: Pre-requisites met. Zanpakutō (Cursed Tool) Forging Function unlocked.]

The system's voice echoed in Kensei's mind, but he was too engrossed in forging to notice.

With every hammer strike, his skill refined further. Guided by both his own instincts and the system's hidden support, his forging technique improved at an astonishing rate.

"Kids these days… truly terrifying. I can't afford to underestimate him," Takaya muttered, his expression growing heavier.

A nagging feeling arose in his heart. If Kensei continues at this pace… he might actually forge a cursed tool at just six years old.

Suddenly, Takaya's eyes narrowed.

He had just noticed something shocking—Kensei's hammer strikes were identical to his own forging technique.

— That shouldn't be possible! With Kensei's current body and stamina, he shouldn't be able to handle such a technique!

— If he keeps this up, his body won't be able to withstand it. I have to stop him before he overexerts himself!

Takaya stepped forward, ready to intervene. But in the next moment, he froze.

Kensei's sheer presence—his unwavering momentum—rendered Takaya motionless.

Clang—

Clang—Clang—

Clang—Clang—Clang—

The rhythmic hammering intensified. Sweat drenched Kensei's clothes, steam rising from his body as he poured everything into his work.

— What is happening?!

Takaya, still frozen in shock, activated his rarely used cursed energy, channeling a gray-blue glow into his hands to forcibly stop Kensei.

But to his utter disbelief, his attack hit nothing but air—completely ineffective.

He couldn't even slow Kensei down.

In the midst of this relentless forging, Kensei instinctively grabbed Yoru-Koori, a cursed tool Takaya had set aside, and embedded it into the weapon mold he was crafting.

— Wait… is he trying to forge a cursed tool by fusing it with an existing one?!

As a master blacksmith of cursed tools, Takaya had never seen such a method before. But he could immediately guess what Kensei was attempting.

And yet, witnessing it firsthand still left him utterly speechless.

As the molten metal glowed, Takaya felt something strange—a chilling sensation radiating from the tool Kensei was forging.

— Why… why is there frost forming?!

— I see! Yoru-Koori must be an ice-attributed weapon! That freezing effect that chills the blood must come from its innate frost energy.

Takaya's eyes widened in realization. Even as a forging master, he had never thoroughly studied Yoru-Koori before.

And yet… Kensei had merely touched the weapon and instantly grasped its nature? Was that why he dared to fuse it into his blade without hesitation?

— Unbelievable… have I been underestimating his talent all along?

Takaya's mouth hung open, but he dared not make a sound, afraid of disturbing Kensei's forging process.

A strange feeling took root in his heart—he was about to witness a cursed tool unlike anything the world had ever seen.

Meanwhile, Kensei was lost in the act of forging. His young face was drenched in sweat, yet he remained oblivious to the exhaustion creeping up on him.

In this moment, he had become one with the forge.

Or perhaps… at this very moment… he had become the incarnation of Oetsu Nimaiya, the God of Zanpakutō Crafting.

The icy energy from Yoru-Koori intertwined with the weapon mold, gradually shaping a new blade.

Strike after strike, time blurred away.

One hour later—

Kensei finally completed his first Zanpakutō.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for successfully forging the Zanpakutō: Sode no Shirayuki! The Zan-Ken-So-Ki function has been unlocked.]

[Zan-Ken-So-Ki: Zan (Swordsmanship), Ken (Hand-to-Hand Combat), So (Flash Step), Ki (Demonic Arts).]

[Host must train in each skill in sequence. Once a skill reaches 100% mastery, the next will be unlocked.]

[All system functions are now active! However, some features remain damaged. Please repair them before unlocking further upgrades.]

Hearing the system's announcement, Kensei finally allowed himself to relax. A wave of exhaustion crashed over him.

Even with the physical enhancements from the Heaven and Cursed Binding, he had drained every ounce of strength.

— So… the requirement to unlock Zan-Ken-So-Ki was forging a Zanpakutō…

— The system's damaged functions can still be restored? I wonder how… at least there's hope.

— I did it! My first Zanpakutō!

He gazed at his creation.

— As expected, Yoru-Koori infused it with ice attributes… Sode no Shirayuki, huh?

— It's not the strongest ice-type Zanpakutō, like Hyōrinmaru… but Sode no Shirayuki is still incredibly powerful! I'd love to see its full form…

Kensei wanted to admire his masterpiece, but fatigue overtook him.

Glancing at Takaya, he tried to speak.

But before he could utter a word—

He collapsed into unconsciousness.

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