Anime/Manga: Bankai Starting with Demon Slayer

"Hey," Asuka called out.

The boy wearing headphones didn't open his eyes immediately, but slowly took off one of the headphones and hung it around his neck.

He turned his head slightly, revealing a smile that looked a little sleepy, yet also remarkably amiable.

"Oh, is there anything I can help you with? You're a deliveryman from out of town?"

Chapter 142 The Asakura Family's Spirit Medium

The boy's voice sounded refreshing, drawing the surrounding wandering spirits to look at the bird.

"You can see them?" Asuka pointed to the wandering spirits around him who were curiously observing him.

"Of course I can see it, we're all neighbors." The boy straightened up, jumped off the tombstone, and dusted off his pants.

"My name is Asakura Yoh, and I'm a psychic who recently transferred here, although my skill level is just so-so."

"A psychic?"

Asuka was hearing about this profession for the first time, which puzzled him.

Asakura Yo pointed at Asuka with a grin: "You were just handing out those calming talismans down there, right? I saw them all. You're a psychic too, aren't you?"

Asuka carefully examined the boy in front of her.

The other person didn't have that sharp spiritual pressure of a death god, nor did they have the malevolent spiritual pressure that Hollow possessed.

Instead, there is a kind of gentle, deep ripple, like the earth or flowing water.

This fluctuation was incompatible with the power that birds were familiar with, yet it made the restless souls around it feel unusually calm.

"You said those talismans are for calming the mind?" Asuka asked.

“Yes, I can feel the magical power on it. If someone who is feeling agitated wears it, they might be able to get a good night’s sleep.” Asakura Yoh put his hands in his pockets, slowly walked up to Asuka, and tilted his head to look at him: “But I’m more interested in you than the talisman.”

"Although you seem very similar to me, you also seem a little different..."

"Your soul... seems very mismatched with your body. Did the psychic communication fail?"

Feiniao's heart sank suddenly.

This was the first person, besides acquaintances like Urahara and Yoruichi, who could immediately see the abnormality in his body after he entered it.

"Don't be so nervous." Asakura Yo chuckled and pointed to an old locust tree not far away: "It's a rare opportunity to come to Tasho no Oka. How about we sit down, have a can of juice, and chat? The breeze here is very pleasant."

Asuka looked at the boy in front of her, and her shoulders, which had been tense all morning, inexplicably relaxed slightly.

This guy named Asakura Yo seems to have a kind of magic that can slow down the pace of the surroundings.

"Alright."

Asuka nodded in agreement and followed Asakura Yoru toward the old tree that had gathered the most souls.

The two sat side by side on a thick tree root, a spot overlooking the well-arranged street scene below and clearly seeing the peaceful spirits wandering among the graves.

Asuka clutched a can of cheap orange juice that Makura had given him, letting the coolness condensed on the edge of the aluminum can spread from his fingertips.

"So, you're saying my current situation is because of a 'failed psychic session'?"

Asuka frowned and turned to look at the boy next to her who was swinging his legs.

"Well, while it's not entirely accurate, that's how it seems to me." Asakura Yoh removed the earphones from her neck, her clear eyes revealing a serene understanding of everything.

“My feeling is that the spirit you chose to channel must be very powerful, so powerful that this physical body simply cannot fully contain it.”

"If you force an incompatible soul to possess you, or force its power on you when the compatibility is insufficient, you will experience the aftereffect of a sense of separation between your soul and body."

Yoh Asakura was unaware that Asuka's body was a specially made artificial body by Kisuke Urahara.

Little did he know that Asuka's soul was a stranger who had drifted from another world, and that his encounter with him at Tazhang Hill was a complete miracle.

In his mind, the boy in front of him was more like a fellow practitioner who had gone astray in his cultivation, resulting in the separation of his soul and body.

"...Is there a solution to what you're talking about?" Asuka asked after a moment of silence.

Of course, he didn't understand anything about psychic abilities.

“A solution…” Asakura Yo looked up thoughtfully, “How about trying our Asakura family’s introductory meditation method? Although it may be a little different from what you practiced before, the principle is the same.”

"Meditation?" Asuka was no stranger to this concept.

In that vanished world, he also spent countless hours in the deep mountains, honing his will through solitary meditation.

Asakura Yoh smiled and held up a finger, drawing a circle in the air: "It's not the kind of lifeless sitting, it's about learning to feel and acknowledge the magical power within you, instead of commanding it from a superior position..."

In the sunlight and breeze, Asakura Yo said a lot, but Asuka could hardly understand any of it.

What kind of magical power, relying on union, or mediums...?

Where am I? Is this still the real world?

"...In short, when you no longer feel like you are 'exerting force,' but rather feel that the force has always been flowing there, that strange feeling will disappear."

Asuka lowered her head, looking at her hands, which were covered with tiny scars from practicing hand-to-hand combat.

All along, due to the loss of spiritual power and being in an unfamiliar world, he had indeed subconsciously regarded this "artificial body" as a temporary tool that needed to be controlled.

He desperately wanted to "command" it, to "control" it, but never thought of "acknowledging" it.

This subtle deviation in mindset is like a swordsman wielding a sword; if he doesn't treat the sword as an extension of his arm, then the sword will forever remain just a block of iron.

"Acknowledge it...?"

Asuka closed her eyes and tried to feel the throbbing in this dull body, just as Asakura Yo had said.

One second, two seconds.

Gradually, the bird felt the wind in its ears seem to be getting louder.

The stinging pain in my lungs subsided with this rhythm.

The suffocating feeling of being tightly bound by some kind of shell was actually reduced a little.

Although it was only a tiny bit, it was a tremendous surprise for the bird that was stuck in a bottleneck.

"Thank you." Asuka opened her eyes, a hint of sincerity in her voice.

"Hehe, I'm glad I could help you. After all, we're all friends resting on this slope." Asakura Yo put her headphones back on, looking like she was about to fall asleep.

However, this peaceful atmosphere did not last long.

A deafening roar of engines, accompanied by arrogant laughter, shattered the tranquility of Tazhang Hill from the steps below.

Asuka stood up almost reflexively, her eyes instantly regaining the sharpness she had in battle.

He saw a group of thugs dressed in a shady manner, riding motorcycles or carrying sticks, swaggering into this sanctuary for wandering souls.

The leader is the most conspicuous.

He sported an exaggeratedly comical purplish-red pompadour, wore a magnificent long coat, and held a heavy wooden sword in his hand.

"Ah—! Found it! Is this the legendary 'best place' with a superb view that can lift your spirits?"

The man waved his arms, pointing to the silent tombstones, and loudly proclaimed.

"Hey! You over there with the earphone! And you brat who looks half-dead! This place is now under my control, Wooden Sword Dragon! If you know what's good for you, get out of here and don't bother us old men enjoying our lives!"

Asakura Yo sighed and climbed up from the tombstone with some helplessness: "This is a place for everyone to rest. If it's made so messy, it will bother the neighbors."

"Huh? Neighbors? What neighbors? You mean these weed-covered, rotten rocks?"

The man known as the Wooden Sword Dragon let out a burst of maniacal laughter, and the thugs behind him rose in unison.

Some people even started hitting the nearby tombstones with sticks, creating a series of ear-piercing noises.

The timid wandering spirits were so frightened that they trembled and hid behind the big tree.

As the bird watched these people's actions, its eyes turned completely cold.

Having lived through two lifetimes, he had met all sorts of people.

What he despises most is this kind of scum who recklessly destroys the peace of others and builds their own happiness on the suffering of others.

"This is really unpleasant," Asuka said in a low voice.

"Mr. Asuka, be gentle. They're just lost souls." Asakura Yo was trying to calm them down, but he himself had already silently walked towards the wooden sword dragon.

Asuka threw the baseball bag on the ground, her knuckles cracking as she spoke: "Don't worry, my sword won't kill humans."

"Enough with the nonsense! Anyone who blocks my way will be cleaved in two by this wooden sword!"

With a roar, Wooden Sword Dragon brought his wooden sword down with a whooshing sound, aiming straight for Asakura Yoh's head.

This blow was so powerful that if it were an ordinary teenager, his skull would probably have shattered on the spot.

"Since we can't reason with them, we'll just have to make things difficult for a bit..."

"Amitabha Pill, please!"

To Asuka's astonishment, a semi-transparent figure dressed in ancient samurai armor appeared out of thin air behind Asakura Yo.

The aura emanating from that spirit was completely different from what the birds were used to.

The samurai's spirit transformed into a golden stream of light and instantly entered Asakura Yoh's palm.

"Possession and Fusion - Amitabha Pill!"

Chapter 143 The Restless Dimensional Barrier

Asakura Ye gave a soft shout, and the golden light entered his body as he moved.

In that instant, Asakura Yoh, who had previously seemed somewhat lazy, underwent a dramatic change in his aura.

His body became unusually light. Facing the whistling wooden sword, he simply shifted his toes slightly and glided to the side of the wooden sword dragon in an extremely graceful arc.

"what?!"

Before Wooden Sword Dragon could react, Asakura Yo had already picked up a wooden branch from the ground and used it as a substitute for a sword, lightly tapping the opponent's wrist.

Bang!

A sharp pain shot through him, and the wooden sword flew out of his hand.

"Hey! What are you standing there for! You guys, get on him!" Wooden Dragon yelled as he retreated, giving orders to his men behind him.

Seeing that things were going badly, the group of thugs raised their iron bars and chains and surrounded Ma Cangye.

But the birds were not idle.

Although his speed wasn't exactly top-notch, it was more than enough to deal with a few thugs.

One of the thugs who charged at the front felt a blur before his eyes, followed by an irresistible force coming from his jaw.

Click!

Asuka delivered a powerful uppercut.

This punch sent the opponent flying into the air, where he crashed heavily into a pile of rubble and immediately lost consciousness.

"Quick! Take down that cold-faced brat!"

Three thugs flanked from the side and rear.

"A group of miscellaneous fish."

With a low murmur, Asuka lowered her body and swept her whip-like legs, which swirled around the wind, in a circle close to the ground.

Click!Click!

The sounds of bones breaking rang out one after another.

The three thugs felt as if their legs had hit a speeding train, and they screamed as they fell to the ground.

On the other side, Asakura Yo was also weaving through the crowd with a light and agile fighting rhythm.

Using Amida Maru's extensive combat experience, he continuously knocked down the thugs with his wooden stick, each move displaying the composure of a samurai.

"Amitabha, it seems like you used a little too much force." Asakura Yo muttered to himself as he dodged a metal pipe.

“Of course, Yoh! To deal with these rude scoundrels, we must make them feel the pain.” The samurai’s voice rang directly in Yoh Asakura’s mind.

In just a few minutes, the once arrogant group of people were lying haphazardly on the open ground of Tazhang Hill, their cries of pain echoing throughout.

Wooden Sword Dragon clutched his swollen wrist, his face ashen.

He looked at the two monsters in front of him.

One was a swordsmanship genius who seemed to be possessed by a god, and the other was a melee weapon devoid of emotion. Their inner pride was completely shattered.