Chapter 72: Man and God

Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Man and God Kan no Ki Homura’s* back turned cold at the horrifying sight before him. "Nukui Hidetaka! What the hell is going on?!" he demanded loudly. Nukui Hidetaka had never mentioned that this Divine Blade could be so dangerous! "Relax. It’s only because their Reiatsu wasn’t strong enough—they couldn’t withstand the backlash. Your Reiatsu is more than enough to nurture it," Nukui Hidetaka reassured him. He stepped forward and examined the three Divine Blades lying on the ground, discovering cracks had formed on all three of them. ’Couldn’t forge them... What a waste of three blade embryos... The success rate is way too low. I just need at least one to succeed!’ he thought. He only had four blade embryos in total. If the last one failed too, all his efforts would be in vain. Turning to Kan no Ki Homura, Nukui Hidetaka spoke with Patient Guidance in his voice. "Look—those inferior souls couldn’t even handle the embryo of the Divine Blade. But you’re different. The Kanno bloodline is noble. You’ll be able to birth the Divine Blade soon." "It’d better be as you say!" Kan no Ki Homura muttered, half-convinced. "If anything happens to me, the Kanno family will not let you off!" Despite his lingering doubt, he was like a gambler who had already invested too much. After experiencing the thrill of getting stronger, he couldn’t bring himself to give it up. "Homura, keep injecting Reiatsu. I can feel it—the Divine Blade is almost ready to be born! Once it is, you’ll gain power comparable to Shikai!" As Nukui Hidetaka gently caressed the sword in Kan no Ki Homura’s hand, a trace of intoxication surfaced in his eyes. Kan no Ki Homura also longed to see the Divine Blade ’s true form and continued channeling Reiatsu into it. After a moment, the blade began to change. The tsuba transformed into a circular disc with a mirrored surface embedded in it. The hilt morphed into a red tentacle that swallowed Kan no Ki Homura’s wrist. "What is this?! Nukui Hidetaka, what’s happening with this sword?!" Kan no Ki Homura panicked and tried to cut off the Reiatsu flow—but the sword continued draining his energy, wrapping tighter around him, impossible to shake off. On the other side, Nukui Hidetaka was trembling with excitement. "It worked... It worked..." "Make it stop!" Kan no Ki Homura lunged at Nukui Hidetaka and easily knocked him down. Both were shocked. Kan no Ki Homura had always been significantly weaker, yet now he had overpowered Nukui Hidetaka without effort. Nukui Hidetaka hadn’t expected Kan no Ki Homura’s strength to grow this much in such a short time—he hadn’t even had time to dodge. Kan no Ki Homura’s face twisted with rage as he roared, "Nukui Hidetaka! Stop it now or I’ll kill you!" "Stay calm..." Nukui Hidetaka was panicking now. Realizing he couldn’t break free from Kan no Ki Homura’s grip, he quickly tried to reassure him. "This is normal! The Divine Blade is evolving! You’re about to gain power on par with a Seated Officer... even a Captain!" "Bullshit! It’s draining me dry!" Kan no Ki Homura could feel his spiritual body hollowing out, the pain like his body being torn apart. He no longer believed a word. The power he was displaying wasn’t his own—it was all from this cursed blade, and he couldn’t sustain it much longer. "Nukui Hidetaka, if you don’t stop this thing right now, I swear I’ll kill you!" "I can’t! There’s nothing I can do!" Nukui Hidetaka was telling the truth. During the forging process, the blade embryo had to consume a soul body with Reishi aptitude. This step was irreversible. Even cutting off the hand now was too late. "Then go die!" "NO—WAIT—!" The sword came down. Nukui Hidetaka’s head rolled to the side. Even after being decapitated, his eyes remained open, staring in despair at his now-headless body. He never imagined that, at the very moment of reaping his success, he would be killed by Kan no Ki Homura. In his eyes, Kan no Ki Homura was just a useless failure who couldn’t even graduate to become a Shinigami. ’The Divine Blade really is incredible... To think it could make trash this strong—even able to overpower a full-fledged Shinigami...’ ’Too bad I never got to use it myself...’ ’Or maybe... I already have...’ A moment later, Nukui Hidetaka fell into eternal darkness. When Nanatsuki and Aizen arrived, they found Kan no Ki Homura lying on the ground, most of his body already wrapped in red tentacles extending from the hilt of the sword. "He’s completely spent," Aizen said, seeing his condition at a glance. A black shadow spread rapidly through the forest, staining every blade of grass, every tree, every grain of sand. Nanatsuki cast Shadow Bind across a hundred-meter radius, targeting everything except Aizen and Kan no Ki Homura. It was a method he devised to flush out hidden enemies. When targeting high-Reiatsu individuals, Shadow Bind consumed far more energy. But when used on the environment—ordinary trees, rocks, soil—it barely cost any Reiatsu at all. So by gauging the Reiatsu consumed, he could judge whether someone cloaked in invisibility was lurking nearby. After a quick confirmation, there was no one else hiding. Nanatsuki stepped toward Kan no Ki Homura, the black shadow disguise peeling away from his form. "Kan no Ki Homura." He could tell Kan no Ki Homura was beyond saving, but still used Kaido to ease his pain. Under the effects of Kaido, the intense pain Kan no Ki Homura felt eased a bit. "Katori-sensei...?" Kan no Ki Homura opened his eyes wide, thinking he was hallucinating. "It’s me. Why are you here?" Nanatsuki asked. "Katori-sensei... Am I going to die...? Please save me... I don’t want to die..." Kan no Ki Homura clung to him like a drowning man grabbing driftwood. "I can only ease your pain," Nanatsuki shook his head. Tears trickled from the corner of Kan no Ki Homura’s eyes. He hated himself for trusting Nukui Hidetaka. "It was Nukui Hidetaka!" He had to make him pay! Even though he had already killed Nukui Hidetaka with his own hands, it wasn’t enough to quell his hatred. He wouldn’t stop with just him—he wanted the entire Nukui clan to pay with their lives! Using his final moments, Kan no Ki Homura poured out everything he had been through, begging Katori Nanatsuki to relay it to his family. Soon, the red tentacles that had spread across his body fully engulfed him. "Please... Tell my family... It was Nukui Hidetaka who did this to me!" His final plea reached Nanatsuki’s ears. "A bitter fruit, born from greed, ambition, and desire," Aizen concluded inwardly. "Long ago," Nanatsuki said flatly, "I believed human nature feared loneliness, while godhood longed for it..." He looked to Aizen. "Sōsuke, what do you think—how different are we, who carry the name of Shinigami, from ordinary humans?" Aizen pushed his glasses up slowly and replied, "Sensei... I’m not a Shinigami yet." Under the moonlight, his lenses flashed pure white—masking the expression behind them.