That day, atop the walls of Orario, a golden-haired Elf leaned against the ramparts, watching the battle unfold below.
Or rather, it was a sparring match.
But the ferocity of the clash had reached the intensity of a life-or-death struggle!
"Sharpen your senses! Your movements are still hesitant. What are you hesitating about?"
Clang!
Gojouno Kaguya who's currently wielding a katana, slashed diagonally at a black-haired youth.
The blades collided.
Rayleigh shifted his sword to the right, using the force of the impact to maneuver around Kaguya.
Facing a Level 2 opponent, he could not hope to parry her weapon directly.
His only option was to redirect her momentum and slip past her defenses.
But Kaguya's kodachi already blocked his escape.
"Your intentions are too obvious! The angle of your foot betrayed your plan. Make your movements smaller, more subtle."
Swish!
The kodachi sliced across Rayleigh's arm.
Despite the sharp pain, Rayleigh kept his focus on Kaguya.
For the past two months, he had been training with her to improve his combat skills.
Their weapons were the same, and he had witnessed the sheer skill of her swordsmanship in battle.
Even in Orario, she was one of the best swordswoman.
Knowing he could heal himself with Kaidō, Rayleigh had insisted she hold nothing back, even if it meant drawing blood.
Once, his abdomen was pierced straight through!
Even more terrifying was that Kaguya did not stop even when Rayleigh, writhing in agony from the wound, dared to move.
In the end, he sustained twelve blade wounds.
From then on, even when injured, he never relaxed his guard, having grown accustomed to the pain.
Swords clashed repeatedly.
Rayleigh, distracted by the fight, tripped over Kaguya's foot as the battle ended.
Kaguya once explained why she would not stop even when she's fighting Rayleigh with a pierced abdomen, yet ended the fight simply because he fell.
"Even with a pierced abdomen, you will not die instantly. Your feet are still planted on the ground, your hands still grip your weapon, your strength has not waned, and your mind remains clear. In such a state, how can anyone claim victory?"
Rayleigh found her reasoning irrefutable and accepted it without argument.
Conversely, being tripped left him vulnerable.
A decisive strike from his opponent could claim his life.
Ryuu was present because she too was fascinated by Kaguya's swordsmanship.
Though the two occasionally bickered, their bond was strong.
"Well done, let's call it a day for now," Rayleigh said, using Kaidō to mend his wounds.
Kaguya paused as a flicker of unspoken reluctance crossing her eyes.
"Do you have something to do later?" she asked.
Rayleigh nodded. "It's about the workshop."
Kaguya blinked, then let out an "Ah," as if remembering something. "Right, is it finished?"
"It seems so."
Ryuu stepped forward with a smile. "Since the workshop is complete. Alise will definitely be happy."
Rayleigh chuckled, thinking of how hard Alise had worked these past two months to earn the hundred million Valis.
Even so, she never neglected maintaining order in the city, leaving Rayleigh marveling at her unwavering sense of justice.
After saying goodbye to the two women, he headed to the Goibniu Familia.
Like the Hephaestus Familia, the Goibniu Familia specialized in production and commerce, though on a smaller scale.
They also handled custom weapon and armor orders, repairs, and modifications, with quality rivaling that of the Hephaestus Familia.
In addition, they offered construction services.
Rayleigh's visit was to inspect the workshop built by Goibniu's artisans. Two months earlier, he had commissioned the project for 35 million Valis.
Today was the delivery date.
"See? This is the workshop our top craftsmen built together!" the Goibniu blacksmith announced.
Rayleigh stepped into his new forge and felt the warmth.
For a forge, sudden temperature drops could disrupt the forging process, even in the sweltering summer heat.
Rayleigh planned to forge items beyond Zanpakuto, making these features essential.
"The furnace matches your specifications, and here is the hammer. What do you think? Satisfied?"
Rayleigh exerted his strength to lift the massive hammer.
Over the past two months, his stats had improved.
His Strength had reached A-Rank, and his Endurance was just a hair's breadth away from achieving the same.
Once stats exceeded C-Rank, the difficulty of further advancement increased exponentially.
Sometimes, the sheer struggle to improve made him doubt whether his growth had stalled.
"This is excellent work. I'm satisfied," Rayleigh said, setting down the hammer.
The craftsman replied, "Of course! This is orichalcum you know. Do you have any idea how much effort it took to forge this into a hammer?"
Orichalcum, the hardest metal known, is typically used for safes, treasury doors, critical defensive structures, and equipment with indestructible properties.
Its extreme hardness makes it difficult to work with, making it a nightmare for blacksmiths and artisans.
"The upper floor is residential," the craftsman continued. "The isolation layer is excellent, ensuring your living and working spaces remain separate."
"Thank you."
"Ha, it's nothing, just doing my job. Here are the three keys."
Rayleigh took the keys and pocketed them.
After seeing the craftsman from Goibniu off, he took another walk around the house.
Now he finally had a place of his own in this world!
Though the purchase had drained a significant portion of his savings, he knew he would soon be receiving another hundred million Valis, so he wasn't worried.
Alise had already reached the maximum stats for Level 2, needing only to achieve a Great Feat to advance to Level 3.
Lyra had leveled up to Level 2 last month, making Rayleigh the only Level 1 member of the team.
Before they teamed up, Lyra had been stuck at Level 1 for nearly two years, so she was overjoyed when she finally leveled up.
For Alise, the Captain of the Astraea Familia, Rayleigh decided to forge Engetsu as her Zanpakuto.
This was his first attempt at forging a Captain-level figure blade .
Engetsu was a Fire-type Zanpakuto.
Wrapping its blade in flames to enhance its attack power was just the basics, it could also scorch and detonate opponents, perfectly complementing Alise's magic and skills.
Next, it was his own Zanpakuto.
Haineko and Ruri'iro Kujaku were blades he had forged over two months ago to meet specific needs.
Since neither blade excelled in raw attack power, he planned to forge a new one!
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Bonus chapter for every 100 stones!
And yes, there will be a unique zanpakuto that doesnt belong to bleach world.