Today's update is here!
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In a world where everything was inverted, I was the only one standing upright. It was a bizarre place—a landscape devoid of people, filled only with empty, echoing buildings.
“Where the hell am I?”
“So, you have arrived.”
At the sudden voice behind me, I spun around. Standing there was a beautiful woman clad in striking red robes. She looked at me with eyes filled with a strange sorrow, yet her lips curled into a smile, as if she were genuinely relieved to see me.
“It’s a pity. If we had met under different circumstances, I would have been much happier.”
She approached me, her voice trembling with an underlying grief. Bewildered by the shifting world and the approach of this total stranger, I instinctively took a step back and demanded an answer.
“Wh-Who are you?”
“My name is ▉▉. But my voice will not reach you yet, Tatsuki.”
Just as she said, her name was muffled as if swallowed by some invisible static. Before I knew it, she was right in front of me. She reached out and shoved me backward.
“This is a trial. You must find your own power.”
“What are you—Aaaaargh!”
Hurled away by the woman’s hands, I lost my balance and began a blind plummet. My previous footing vanished like a dream. As I fell endlessly into the abyss, countless boxes manifested in the void around me. From each one, a thin white thread extended.
“Find it. The power within you, Tatsuki... Find the power of the Soul Reaper you were meant to be...”
Her voice echoed in my ears like a recurring ghost. Falling at such high velocity, I couldn't even process what she wanted me to look for. But amidst the descent, a man’s voice—cold and distinct—sliced through the chaos of my mind.
‘A Soul Reaper’s Spirit Ribbon is red.’
“Red... That’s the one!”
Among the boxes trailing white threads, I spotted a single container leaking a vibrant, crimson cord. I knew instinctively—that was the power the red-clad woman and that madman were talking about. My Soul Reaper power.
“Urrgh! Just a little further!”
I reached out, but the red thread remained frustratingly out of my grasp. I didn’t know if I could steer myself while falling, but I kicked the air as if sprinting and forced my momentum toward the crimson box.
“Got it!”
I lunged and gripped the box, ripping it open. Resting inside was the hilt of a Japanese katana. The woman’s voice drifted through the air once more.
“Draw it out. Only then can you become a Soul Reaper. But be warned, the man watching you is no ordinary soul.”
“Don't worry. Once I'm out of here, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!”
Flash!
I nodded at her words and drew the blade. Countless red threads erupted from the hilt, swarming and wrapping around my body like a cocoon. That was the last thing I remembered.
“Be careful, my Master. The one who sent you here is far too dangerous. I... I cannot protect you from him.”
Drip.
The woman in red—Tatsuki’s Zanpakuto spirit—stared at the empty space where Arisawa Tatsuki had vanished. Her eyes were heavy with sadness. Only after shedding a single, silent tear did her form finally fade into the nothingness.
“No change yet?”
Tatsuki had been deep in meditation, with barely an hour left before the Encroachment would turn her into a Hollow. Seeing her still devoid of any physical transition, I began to suspect the experiment had failed. The Encroachment was active, ready to finally consume the remains of her Chain of Fate.
“Hm?”
Just as I was about to write off the 'Soul Reaper Creation' experiment as a loss, a surge of heavy Reiatsu erupted from Tatsuki's body. A violent, red pressure suppressed the dark Encroachment gnawing at the Chain of Fate on her chest, and a blinding light exploded outward.
Vroooom!
“How about that! This is what it means to be a Soul Reaper!”
As the radiance subsided, Arisawa Tatsuki stood before me. She was clad in a black Shihakusho, her right hand resting her katana casually over her shoulder. Her left hand pointed directly at me, her eyes burning with defiance.
“Precisely. You’ve passed the first trial. Shall we move immediately to the second?”
Snap!
“Soul Reaper! Kill! Kill!”
It was time to put her newborn power to the test. This phase focused on fundamental combat capability. I signaled for three generic Hollows to be released into the testing chamber.
“Defeat them.”
“Once I’m done with these trash, you’re next, you crazy bastard!”
What an entertaining specimen. Despite this being her first time facing Hollows, she was overflowing with confidence. Karate, was it? She clearly had extensive martial arts experience, but the sword and the fist are entirely different beasts. I was eager to see how much combat prowess she could manifest despite having just touched a blade for the first time.
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Update! Update! Update!
The transformation of Tatsuki into a Soul Reaper happened just as promised! Now all that remains is rapid growth! Hehehaheha! I’ve actually already decided which Zanpakuto she’ll obtain. I’m torn between two—one of them is identical to a skill from the protagonist of my other work, 'H.O.D.', so I’m debating if I should go with the other one instead. Technically I wrote H.O.D. first, even if I'm focusing on this one now. I'll finish that one eventually too.
By the way, Tatsuki is... well, she's flat. Should I keep her that way? Or should she have a little 'growth' during the process? Maybe up to a B-cup?
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