*Damien Pov*
Man, that was a good night's sleep. I woke up to see Ikkaku sitting at the entrance to the cave, just as he was last night.
"Morning, Ikkaku. Did anything happen last night?"
"Nah, nothing major boss."
Hmm, that seems fine. His calm voice and confident demeanor make it hard to doubt him, besides, if something could make him serious I would be mildly afraid.
"Hey boss, no offense man but your weak, too weak. I'd like to train you a bit."
Ikkaku was dead serious, I haven't seen his wield smile off his face till now, but this is what I wanted. I needed training, especially at this stage, I would be a fool to not make use of the Captain level individual in front of me. I quickly give my consent and explain my various abilities as they are now.
"Hmm, well first off don't use Hyorinmaru now, I've seen Toshiro and you don't have the Spiritual Energy to use it for more than one second. Show me Tyrant's shikai, let's see what you got.
We leave the cave and go to an adjacent clearing in the forest. Here we go!
"Suppress the world, Tyrant!"
I felt half my spiritual energy get sucked out of me and flow into Tyrant. A wild typhoon of spiritual energy erupts around me and Tyrant changes.
Its blade appears to be made of shimmering crystal, reflecting all the colors of the rainbow, giving it an ethereal and otherworldly look. Enigmatic symbols and runes are intricately engraved along the length of the blade, pulsating with spiritual energy. The hilt is wrapped in iridescent dragon scales, symbolizing the sword's connection to ancient creatures of great power. At the pommel, a mesmerizing gemstone glows with an intense, radiant light, signifying the sword's readiness to unleash its sealing power.
When drawn, the sword emanates a faint, haunting melody, as if whispering an ancient language, long forgotten. I slash at Ikkaku, cutting open his held-out arm, on the site of the cut a seal appears, an image of a lock with a broken chain. The lock symbolizes the act of sealing or closing something off, while the broken chain signifies vulnerability and weakness. As soon as the seal takes shape, almost all the rest of my spiritual energy empties, dispersing my Skikai and I fall, unable to move. The seal fades shortly afterward.
"Not bad, I felt the weakness and restraint on my power, it was about 1%, but not very noticeable. It would appear that the stronger the foe the more energy is needed to place a seal, though the seals persist after your Shikai fades. Not a bad power at all boss."
I take Ikkaku's praise silently, unable to respond. God, fuck all, the feeling of almost no spiritual energy sucks, it's like I weigh 10 tons. Status.
[Name: Damian Caldwell]
[Designation: Hollow, Fodder Soul Reaper]
[Forms: Human, Soul Reaper, Hollow]
[Spiritual Energy: 7th Tier->6th Tier]]
[Zampakuto: Tyrant, Hyorinmaru]
- Skikai: Suppress The World, Tryant!
- Shikai: Sit Apon the Frozen Heavens, Hyorinmaru!
[Skills]
{EX} Self-Sustenance
{B} Appraisal
{B} Zanjutsu
{C} Kido:
{D} Hoho
{D} Hakuda
[Inventory]
128 Lesser Souls, 1 Medium Soul, Tyrant, Hyorinmaru, 1x Building Ticket, Minor
Health Potion, Bakudo #61 Rikujokoro (One Time Use), Kisuke Urahara's Hat, Spiritual Gem, Sosuke Aizen Research Notes (Fragment), Gigai Creator.
Ikkaku takes me back to the cave as I contemplate what to do next. I should probably make Ikkaku a good Gigai, but it's so expensive! A basic one for him is 10 Lesser Souls, and a perfect Captain-level Gigai is 10 Medium Souls!
Whatever, I guess I'll make one that allows his Shiaki, it's gonna cost my only medium soul but ikkaku is important!
When we get back I insert the soul into the device and out pops a bead. I toss it to Ikkaku and explain its use.
"Thanks, boss, It's better than nothing."
He wears that signature smile, I can tell he's starving for a good fight, but he suppresses it for me. It's good, to have someone to trust and rely on. No matter what happens, I'll never abandon Ikkaku! That's my promise to the first guy I could trust in this cruel new world.
"We leave in one hour, get ready. Also, here's our story from now on, memorize it."
I explain that I'll be a young genius of the Soul Society, a secret land that has existed for thousands of years and will be my backing. I'm gonna make the soul society here anyway, so it won't be an act forever. He is the Vice Captain of Squad 11, sent out to keep me safe. His power and position should male people hesitate to offend the soul society, that's my hope at least.
After Ikkaku repeatedly tells me he understands, I send him out to scout around and steal a carriage or other transport. He is much faster than a carriage but I don't wanna be carried so that's that. I try to practice Kido in the meantime.
Bakudo and Hado feel easy and natural below #20, I don't need a chant at all. The biggest issue is my spiritual energy is just too weak right now, I can't do much of anything for a meaningful amount of time. It annoys me to no end, but all I can do is grow more or rely on the gacha. I could draw once from the basic gacha but I don't have high hopes, I need to keep my Souls for an emergency.
I guess I'll try my transformations, and see what's going on with them. I seem to be able to exert my full power as a human, but soul reapers are invisible to regular guys so that's a convenience, my Hollow form is what truly intrigues me. When I transform into a Hollow I understand it, and what it represents scares me a bit.
My hollow form is that of a menacing and imposing figure, my body is covered in jet-black fur, giving me a wolf-like appearance. My eyes glow a haunting crimson red, conveying my intense thirst for souls. On my head, there's a white, skull-shaped mask with sharp, jagged edges, symbolizing the remnants of my tormented soul. I can barely restrain myself from devouring the 128 lesser souls in my possession.
My mask features cracked patterns, representing the fragments of my past regrets and anger, anger at the absurdity of it all. A single large horn juts out from the top of my mask, adding to my fearsome presence. My arms are adorned with chains that symbolize my bondage to my lingering grudges, some I didn't even know I had, it all just...rushes to the surface.
I remember a girl who rejected me in 3rd grade, I remember a bird that pooped on my shoe as a child, I remember my mother yelling at me for getting a B+ in math, I remember the loud noises of the city plaguing me at night, I remember it all. and I HATE them. I hate every single one with a fury that astounds even me, and it feels suffocating. I can't help but roar into the sky, towering over my corporeal flesh. It feels good.
I feel good.
No, I feel fantastic! Incredible! I should just let loose and devour everything in sight! I can evolve even further and kill them all! All of them will be my food, and I'm sure they will taste like the greatest of delicacies!
...
Wha..What? Why am i...What's happening? Stop, STOP! SHUT THE HELL UP! GO BACK, TURN THE FUCK BACK RIGHT NOW!
I howl in pain, the voices urging me even fiercer, hounding me to fall and become something else. It hurts, it burns! FUCK IT BURNS!
...
After what seemed to be a long, long time, the voices fade and I'm back, flesh and bones, devoid of the pain and agony that afflicted me ere moments ago.
Never again.
NEVER! AGAIN!