[2] Makoto Fujimiya
Damn it!
Seeing her draped in that white coat, he'd thought she was one of the Gotei 13, here to conscript cannon fodder and finally offer a way out of this hellhole.
But no! She was just another soul from Zaraki?
Makoto Fujimiya narrowed his eyes, his lean frame tensing into a crouch. His right hand gripped the hilt of his blade, every nerve on edge, like a feral cat bristling with hostility as he faced the long-haired woman before him.
He'd been in the Soul Society for some time now, though Zaraki District's lack of sun or moon made it impossible to track the days. All he knew was that he'd already cut down dozens maybe hundreds of souls who'd tried to kill him.
Beyond that, his life these days boiled down to fighting and fleeing. With nothing but his own two legs and no landmarks to guide him, he couldn't escape this vast, desolate wasteland no matter how far he ran.
If not for that slightly unhinged cheat keeping him alive, he'd have long since become meat in someone else's mouth!
Only now did Makoto truly grasp the brutal reality of this place called the Soul Society.
It was precisely this relentless torment both physical and mental that had driven him to halt the moment he spotted someone in a white haori, someone who vaguely resembled a member of the Gotei 13, and called out to her.
But now, it seemed he'd misplaced his naive, youthful hope.
As the thought crossed his mind, a system panel flared to life before his eyes.
[The true essence of love between two souls lies in the fierce, passionate collision of spirit and tenderness, straight from the heart!]
[Don't stop!]
[Zanjutsu +3]
This crude flirtatious system spouting nonsense was his exclusive cheat.
Its words were lewd, tinged with a hint of yandere flair, but its name sounded deceptively normal.
The Love and Bonds System.
Makoto had relied on it to survive this long.
[Name: Makoto Fujimiya
[Reiatsu: Tier-7 Upper [1]
[Four Arts:
- Zanjutsu: Tier 4 (53/100)
- Hakuda: Tier 2 (29/100)
- Kidō: Tier 1 (35/100)
- Hohō: Tier 6 (20/100) [Talent Restricted]
[Zanpakutō: Unreleased
[Talent Points: 0
[Bond Traits: None
[Love Traits: None
[Note: In the current world, the highest recorded single attribute tier is Kidō: Tier 21, Possessor: Hyōsube Ichibē.
[Reiatsu, Four Arts, Zanpakutō release, and Bond/Love Trait limits are all constrained by innate talent, which can be transcended via Talent Points.]
This ridiculous?!
Makoto's heart jolted as he stared at the Zanjutsu stat ticking upward on the panel.
He'd fought over a hundred battles in this period. Aside from his Hohō, which he'd maxed out early on to escape with his life, Zanjutsu was his highest stat.
To reach this measly Tier 4 in Zanjutsu, he'd hacked through nearly a hundred foes. Yet even then, the most he'd ever gained from a single fight was five points—and the least, a pitiful one after killing his opponent.
But this woman?
A single clash of blades, and he'd jumped three points?!
Realizing this, and recalling the system's rule, the stronger the opponent, the greater the threat, the more points awarded, Makoto felt a sinking dread.
He was in deep trouble today.
"Not going to attack?"
As he locked eyes with the woman in a gaze that could almost be called longing, Unohana regarded him with serene composure.
A slow, gentle smile curved her graceful features.
"Then I'll come to you."
In an instant, a wave of overwhelming terror surged through Makoto. Her killing intent pierced him like a blade, sharp and cold, forcing him to choose between death and defiance in a heartbeat.
Clang!
The Asauchi in his hands sliced through the air like a ribbon of steel, driven purely by instinct as he breached the woman's domain.
His speed was blistering.
Yet, in the face of his assault, Unohana merely raised her small dagger with effortless grace.
A slight tilt forward.
In an instant, Makoto's blade path was utterly thwarted.
No matter how many times he swung, the outcome remained unchanged.
At the same time, system panels flared incessantly before his eyes.
[When you can't resist plunging deeper into that woman's core, only the most seasoned of women know the art of stopping just short for a boy's own good!]
[Zanjutsu +4]
[No! Don't! Don't stop!!]
[Zanjutsu +3]
Makoto had no spare thought to waste on the system's vulgar taunts. Only by pouring every ounce of his focus into the fight could he barely withstand the frigid killing intent radiating from the woman before him.
His entire attention was riveted on the short dagger in Unohana's hand.
It loomed like the Sword of Damocles, poised to fall.
The Asauchi in his grip danced faster and faster, guided wholly by instinct.
[Zanjutsu +2]
[Zanjutsu +3]
[Zanjutsu +4]
Unohana, however, seemed to treat it as a game. Her dagger flicked like a pair of chopsticks, intercepting his every strike with unrelenting precision, parrying without a hint of counterattack.
But as time wore on, a faint crease formed between her brows, as though something had piqued her curiosity.
A puzzle had presented itself.
Abruptly, her dagger twisted in her hand, darting toward Makoto's chest.
A move as fluid as an antelope's leap, seamless and natural.
It carried no killing intent, no warning, an almost whimsical strike.
Yet Makoto, as if blind to it, twisted his body and took the blow on his shoulder. In the same motion, he thrust his Asauchi, its blade far longer than her dagger, straight along the path she'd opened.
Clink!
Unohana's wrist turned, her small dagger pressing his blade aside with a delicate nudge. Her brows furrowed fully now.
He hadn't used his full strength from the start?
Was he testing her?
No... not quite a test, but rather…
As if uncovering something delightful, a brilliant gleam flashed in Unohana's eyes. The speed of her dagger doubled in an instant.
Slash!
In that accelerated moment, the fabric at Makoto's shoulder tore beneath the razor-sharp edge. Even his desperate dodge spared only his muscle, his skin split open in a gaping wound, blood spraying into the air.
[Deeper! Keep going deeper! Only the depth she carves into you can measure how much she loves you!!]
[Zanjutsu +8]
[Ding!]
[Zanjutsu: Tier 5 ↑]
In the fleeting instant his stats broke through, Makoto's body and mind seemed to transcend their limits.
The dagger, once a blur too fast to track, now traced clear arcs in his vision, every movement laid bare.
He could feel it... the unrefined, scattered reishi coursing through his frail frame. He could sense the tearing ache ripping through his wrists, arms, shoulders, waist, and legs as he swung his blade at breakneck speed.
And he realized, too, that the poised, elegant woman before him hadn't so much as altered her breathing amidst this ferocious clash.
Fleeing meant certain death.
She was merely toying with him.
His only path forward was to satisfy her.
At this moment, his mind was crushed beneath her killing intent and had no room for further deliberation.
All Makoto could do was one thing:
Swing his blade!
Unohana, as if oblivious to his resolve, thrust her dagger once more, mirroring her earlier strike.
A sudden surge of reiatsu erupted.
Winds howled, kicking up the yellow sand beneath their feet. Makoto's body shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, his Asauchi flashing out in a single, explosive step, grazing past the short blade in her hand.
Clang!
A strike equal in force and speed to the one that had torn his skin moments ago was deftly deflected with a flick of his blade.
In that same breath, the tip of his Asauchi aimed straight for her heart.
His pupils reflected the face of this woman, her delicate beauty now alight with a growing thrill. Amid the high-speed slaughter, her expression bloomed with an unearthly allure, a magnetism laced with the promise of death, beyond what any mortal could fathom.
After two probing exchanges, certainty settled in Unohana's mind.
This boy wasn't holding back.
He was…
Improving!
Advancing at a breathtaking pace!
Her eyes narrowed, fixed on the half-grown youth before her.
A bewitching, radiant smile crept across Unohana's faintly pale face.
---
[1] Reatsu rank: The density of Reiatsu within the Reishi of a given individual determines their spirit class, ranging from 1 to 20 starting with the densest Reishi and consequently most powerful individuals; Lieutenants of the Gotei 13 are of Tier-4 or 5, while Captains are of Tier-1, 2, or 3.
However, the Reishi comprising the bodies of those with a spirit class of Tier-3 or higher are too dense to break down and return to the soil of Soul Society after death as the bodies of Souls normally do, and since it would be too risky to leave such strong Reishi remaining indefinitely in Soul Society, the Konsō Reisai ceremony is performed to cast captains who had such spirit class at the time of their deaths into Hell.
When Kaien Shiba entered the Shin'ō Academy, his spirit class was recorded at Tier-6, which was comparable in strength to a Lieutenant. (Canon Information)
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC