As Satoshi held the two newly forged Zanpakutō—one long, one short—everyone present was visibly astonished.
Shoko was amazed by how effortlessly the Zanpakutō had been born.
Satoru and the others, however, were stunned for a completely different reason, Satoshi had forged two Zanpakutō at once.
What's going on? Has the forging process evolved to the point where a single cursed tool material can now create two Zanpakutō?
Shunichi was becoming more and more shocked by Satoshi's forging skills. Although the two swords, crafted from the same Asauchi, seemed different from the others, their presence was imposing.
These two swords... they feel like a pair.
Meanwhile, Satoru held his Senbonzakura, watching with narrowed eyes. He didn't feel that his own Zanpakutō was inferior, but...
Is this the special Zanpakutō that Satoshi mentioned before?
Toji, on the other hand, already knew this pair of Zanpakutō was made for him. For the first time in a long while, his normally unshakable heart wavered.
Amidst the astonished gazes, Satoshi examined the swords in his hands and nodded.
Katen Kyōkotsu—a dual-blade Zanpakutō, consisting of one long and one short blade. The rectangular tsuba had its corners cut off, adorned with petal-like decorations. The hilt was wrapped in purple-red cloth.
At first glance, it didn't seem particularly special, but anyone present could feel that this wasn't an ordinary blade.
The forging process had gone incredibly smoothly.
Because Katen Kyōkotsu was unique, Satoshi had prepared himself for any complications.
In Bleach, Katen Kyōkotsu was a Zanpakutō created to hide the sacred Eight Mirror Sword (Shinken Hakkyōken).
However, in this world, there was no such sacred sword to conceal.
Would he even be able to forge Katen and Kyōkotsu together in the first place?
Fortunately, everything had gone perfectly. He had lived up to Toji's trust.
Opening his system panel, he saw Katen Kyōkotsu's name now displayed among the Zanpakutō he had forged.
[Zanpakutō: Sode no Shirayuki (Owner: Gojo Satoshi) (Borrower: None)]
[Zanpakutō: Suzumushi (Owner: Gojo Satoshi) (Borrower: Gojo Shunichi)]
[Zanpakutō: Senbonzakura (Owner: Gojo Satoshi) (Borrower: Gojo Satoru)]
[Zanpakutō: Katen Kyōkotsu (Owner: Gojo Satoshi) (Borrower: Zenin Toji)]
Satoshi lightly tapped Katen Kyōkotsu together, the crisp sound pulling everyone out of their daze.
Meeting Toji's expectant gaze, he extended the twin blades toward him.
"Here. This is the Zanpakutō I made for you. Have I fulfilled my promise?"
Toji took Katen Kyōkotsu in silence.
Holding both a katana and a wakizashi in his hands, he felt something he hadn't expected, a strange sense of familiarity.
And then... he saw him.
A middle-aged man, wearing a conical straw hat and a pink kimono, standing before him.
"Oh? Looks like Katen Kyōkotsu's new owner isn't bad. Take good care of Katen and make sure to play hide-and-seek with Kyōkotsu often."
The man smiled at him—then vanished, like an illusion.
With his absolute control over his body, he knew this wasn't some hallucination.
That man... he was real.
And from his words, it was clear—Katen Kyōkotsu had once belonged to someone else.
A part of him struggled to understand, how could a freshly forged Zanpakutō already have a previous owner?
Yet at the same time...
He felt something else.
Somehow, he and that man could have been good friends.
Zanpakutō have souls.
Now that the man had disappeared, the intimacy between him and Katen Kyōkotsu became even stronger.
Satoshi called out, but Toji remained frozen in thought.
"Oi, Toji, why are you spacing out?"
"Haha, I think he's just too happy," Satoru smirked. "Hey, Shoko, check on him. If he dies of joy here, the Zenin family might get the wrong idea."
"Oh, right! Satoshi, what's the name of Toji's Zanpakutō?"
Compared to Satoshi's mild concern, Satoru was as sharp-tongued as ever.
But Shoko ignored him. She wasn't worried at all, based on what she had seen of Toji, there was no way a mere Zanpakutō would shake him .
Finally, Toji snapped out of it.
Feeling the concerned gazes of those around him, he gave a small, difficult smirk.
Then, under everyone's eyes, he raised his katana and wakizashi, crossing them into an X-shape.
His voice was calm yet filled with power.
"Flower Wind Rage and Flower God Roar, Heavenly Wind Rage and Heavenly Demon Sneer"
As his voice fell, the blades transformed.
The katana and wakizashi elongated and curved, becoming two massive scimitars, one black, one white.
The hilt and tsuba remained the same, but at the end of the handle, long red tassels fluttered in the air.
The moment the transformation completed.
The entire atmosphere shifted.
Katen Kyōkotsu, now a pair of huge curved blades, radiated an untamed wildness.
Just a moment ago, Toji holding a katana and wakizashi had felt slightly... off.
With these twin scimitars, he looked like he was born for them.
Shunichi's eyes twitched with envy.
Sode no Shirayuki was elegantly white.
Senbonzakura could shatter into thousands of cherry blossoms.
Katen Kyōkotsu was dual-bladed, massive, and exuded untamed ferocity.
And his own Zanpakutō?
Suzumushi... a plain, ordinary sword.
Shunichi sighed. Why did mine have to be so normal?!
Satoru, on the other hand, carefully examined the black twin blades through his Six Eyes.
A flicker of admiration flashed in his gaze, but he quickly regained his composure.
Dual swords, huh? Not bad.
But not as refined as Senbonzakura.
After all, true elegance was about more than just having a flashy appearance.
Standing at the side, Shoko watched everything unfold, her eyes filled with anticipation.
Satoshi had promised her that he would forge a Zanpakutō for her too.
At that moment, she realized... she couldn't wait.
She didn't know what material Satoshi would use for hers.
She wanted a beautiful Zanpakutō like Sode no Shirayuki.
She wanted a stunning Zanpakutō like Senbonzakura.
And even if it didn't quite match her personality, she wouldn't mind something as wild as Katen Kyōkotsu.
She just wanted a Zanpakutō of her own.
Hurry up and make me one already!