Ryu had spent another decade honing his craft and perfecting his skills in order to create his first Zanpakuto. His dedication and patience had paid off, as he was extremely pleased with the results of his work.
The Zanpakuto was a sight to behold, with a blade that shimmered with an unearthly light. Its edge was so sharp that it could slice through even the most formidable armors in Ryu's arsenal with ease, and its tip could pierce through the hardest of materials.
The grip was a piece of the Yggdrasil's wood wrapped in a smooth, black, leather that felt like velvet to the touch, and was adorned with golden tassels that sway with the slightest movement.
The guard of Zanpakuto was a masterpiece of craftsmanship, crafted in the likeness of a fierce dragon with outstretched wings encircling the blade and his neck and head wrapped around the base of the blade. The dragon's scales were intricately detailed, and its eyes were set with two brilliant rubies that gleamed in the light.
As Ryu drew the Zanpakuto from its scabbard, a gust of wind rushed forth, carrying with it a faint whisper of power. The blade sang as it sliced through the air, creating an enchanting melody.
And while the Zanpakuto was breathtaking, the sheath didn't pale in comparison to it.
The sheath was made from the wood of Yggdrasil and had a breathtaking engraving of an eastern golden dragon wrapping around it
The golden dragon engraving on the sheath was incredibly intricate and detailed, featuring scales and the creature's defining features. The dragon's long body wrapped around the sheath, and its claws, and teeth appeared sharp and distinct.
Overall, the sheath had a royal and imposing appearance, combining the natural beauty of the Yggdrasil wood with the powerful imagery of a golden dragon. It was a magnificent sight to behold and complemented the Zanpakuto perfectly.
Ryu looked at his creation with a satisfied expression. While it took him a lot of time to make it because the materials were tricky, those exact materials were the ones that gave it its strength.
The soul of a god, a true god, was unimaginably more potent than that of a Hollow or a Shinigami. The arrogance the Soul Society had to call its members gods irked Ryu. The more he learned about them, the more he found them to be an eyesore.
But that wasn't relevant for now. It was time to test his new creation out. "Arashi!" Ryu called out to the early-teen-looking soul who was hanging out outside his smithy.
"What's up?" Arashi asked as she entered the smithy. Over the past two decades, her swordsmanship became the stuff of legends. She was the best swordswoman he saw by a landslide. In terms of technique, she even surpassed Ryu's Shinobi. It was only fitting that she'd be the one to receive a Zanpakuto first.
Arashi had a fiery soul like her personality, so Ryu infused the breath of Muspelheim into her Zanpakuto to make it stronger. Resulting in a much quicker imprinting process as the Sword Spirit would be formed quickly. And due to the fact that the spirit itself will be strengthened, communicating with it will also be easier.
"Take this Zanpakuto, it's my reward for your efforts," Ryu said as he handed Arashi the newly made weapon.
"You finally succeeded?!" Arashi said in excitement. "Yup," Ryu said with a prideful smile. "You're awesome!" Arashi exclaimed as she examined the Zanpakuto in awe.
"Hahaha, I am, aren't I? Anyway, this Zanpakuto will be your weapon from now on. I modified it a little for you so that it won't take you long to imbue your soul onto it, but you should still spend every second you have with it for the time being," Ryu recommended.
"You can modify Zanpakutos?" Arashi asked curiously. Seeing Ryu avert his gaze, Arashi sighed. "Sure, I'll hold onto it every second of the day. So will I have harder training now?" Arashi's eyes sparkled as she thought about the battles she could have now.
"I don't know if more, but I'll have to adjust your training for you to be able to use your Zanpakuto. By the way, how many new ones did you bring this time?" Ryu changed the subject.
"Ten promising ones. All in all, we have about two hundred people currently in training," Kettei replied with a more serious attitude. "How strong are they?" Ryu inquired.
"Nadare is keeping track of that as the leader of the group, but I heard him say that the new batch of trainees can already flatten the surrounding area when exerting Reiatsu, so they probably have average-high spiritual power," Kettei said.
"I see. And you, Kettei, and Nadare are already at the stage of great spiritual power, correct?" Ryu asked. "Yup. Nothing gets results more than pushing yourself to the brink of death," Arashi chuckled, though Ryu had a feeling she wasn't being sarcastic.
"You do know that you'd be dead a million times over if I didn't heal you every day, right? If you train like that and I'm not around to heal you, you'll die for real. Don't act like a suicidal maniac in a fight where I'm not present," Ryu said.
"I'm not stupid, I know how great of an opportunity this is better than anyone! That's why I'll use your healing for as long as I can. Good progress can only be made once you push yourself to your limits, and going beyond that will bring even better results. With you around, I can do that with no risk and all the rewards.
Do you think I could've gotten to this level in only two decades normally? It takes centuries for talented people to reach this stage, so for a bunch of nobodies from the 80th district? We would have never made it this far under normal circumstances," Arashi said with self-deprecation evident in her voice.
"Alright, let's get a couple of things straight," Ryu said as he put his hand on Arashi's shoulder. "You guys are incredibly talented and strong-willed. My healing helps you with speed, sure, but it does nothing about the difficulty of the task. You're the one who pushes yourself to the brink each and every day. Your success is the fruit of your labor, don't attribute it to me," Ryu cheered Arashi up.
"...Thanks, Ryu. I needed to hear that. What do you plan to do now that you succeeded in making a Zanpakuto?" Arashi inquired. "First, I'll make one for each and every person that joined us. Then, I have something that'll keep me busy," Ryu smirked in anticipation.