Omniverse: The Martial Artist

According to the Kaidō theory Unohana had explained earlier, Kaidō was the art of repairing spirit bodies with reishi. But Hao wasn't a spirit body. When he first learned the principle, he had assumed the technique would be useless to him.

Yet Unohana had successfully healed his wounds—

which forced him to reconsider:

What exactly is the difference between a physical body and a high-density spirit body?

If he used some of the scientific knowledge from his previous life to frame the question, could it be that reishi were simply another form of matter—like molecules or atoms?

Or, perhaps… the disguise created by the Terminal Space was so flawless that it had allowed him to temporarily exist in this world as if he were a spirit.

---

The rest of the class was soon handed a small white mouse each, and everyone began practicing Kaidō.

After all, not everyone could perform Kaidō successfully. If they practiced by injuring themselves, most of the class would probably need Unohana's help just to stay standing.

Hao gave his own mouse a shallow cut, then tried to recreate the sensation he had felt when Unohana healed him.

As expected, Kaidō wasn't something that could be learned so easily.

Hao failed his first attempt.

He tried over a dozen times before he finally captured the correct feeling and managed to manipulate reishi to close the wound on the small creature.

After a while, the mouse's injury healed—though it left behind a visible scar.

Clearly, his Kaidō level was still far below Unohana's. Not only was his healing slow, the result wasn't clean either.

"You need to visualize the body in its original, undamaged state—

and guide the reishi to restore it accordingly."

A soft voice whispered beside him.

At some point, Unohana had made her way over and was now observing Hao's progress.

Looking at the mouse on his desk, even Unohana couldn't hide a glimmer of surprise. She had substituted in this class many times, but never had she seen someone successfully use Kaidō on their first lesson.

By the standards of Shin'ō Academy, Hao had already earned a passing grade in Kaidō. With more time and training, he'd easily qualify as a proper medic for the Fourth Division.

Does this kid even have a weakness?

She'd heard that Hao had already driven the swordsmanship and hakuda instructors into despair. Behind closed doors, those two teachers had even admitted that they couldn't teach him anything—and they weren't complaining; they were simply at a loss.

At this point, Unohana could only be thankful that her skill in Kaidō was profound enough that she could still teach Hao something.

---

Under Unohana's watchful eye, Hao gave the mouse another cut, then followed her advice to attempt Kaidō again.

This time, the wound healed rapidly—visibly, and the resulting scar was much less obvious.

Unohana's eyes lit up. She leaned in a little closer, staring into Hao's eyes.

"Let me ask you something—

Why do you want to learn Kaidō?"

Still immersed in the feeling of performing Kaidō, Hao answered instinctively, without even thinking:

"Of course—so I can enjoy fighting more."

The moment the words left his mouth, Hao felt a shift in the atmosphere around him.

Unohana's eyes were suddenly brimming with excitement.

Hao immediately realized he'd said the wrong thing.

He shouldn't have blurted out what he was really thinking.

He'd almost forgotten—

Unohana was a battle maniac.

She only gave up her position as captain of the Eleventh Division after meeting Zaraki Kenpachi, moving instead to the Fourth Division to serve in support.

But in reality, her thirst for combat had never waned. She just hid it exceptionally well.

Before joining the Gotei 13, Unohana had once been known as the most fearsome criminal in the history of the Soul Society. Only after the Head Captain took her under his wing did she restrain herself.

The gentle, graceful image she now presented to the world… was nothing but a mask.

"Is that so...

Stay after class."

The excitement in Unohana's eyes was quickly and expertly concealed, replaced once again by her usual gentle smile. Her eyes curved into soft crescents.

"Since you like Kaidō so much, I'll give you some special one-on-one guidance."

A chill ran down Hao's spine for no discernible reason. Still, he knew very well—being personally taught Kaidō by Unohana was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There was no reason to refuse.

If you're that eager to find someone to fight, surely you won't kill me while teaching Kaidō, right?

Thinking of Unohana's former opponent, Hao felt a little puzzled.

Where exactly had Kenpachi Zaraki gone?

He had asked Aizen about it. According to him, the current Captain of Squad 11 was Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, and there was no such person as "Zaraki" enrolled in the academy.

While Hao was still thinking about this, the bell signaling the end of class rang.

Most of the students left, visibly disappointed—clearly, they hadn't succeeded in healing their mice.

Hao didn't have to worry about his next class; this afternoon only had electives scheduled, and it was fine if he only attended one.

After the last student walked out, a faint breeze stirred by spiritual pressure shut the classroom door.

What made Hao uneasy was that… he thought he heard the door lock.

He looked up at Unohana-sensei.

She was still wearing her gray-pink inner-lined haori, and was now standing a short distance away with a cheerful smile, her elegant hand resting gently on the hilt of her zanpakutō.

"Hao-kun… now it's just the two of us~"

Her pale hand gripped the sword's hilt, and under Hao's confused gaze, she began slowly drawing her zanpakutō—Minazuki—inch by inch.

"Unohana-sensei…?"

A danger alarm blared inside Hao's head.

"What… what are you doing?"

With the gentlest smile—like a big sister next door—Unohana replied softly,

"Why, I'm letting you experience advanced Kaidō, of course."

Hao instinctively raised a hand, about to say "wait a sec," but before he could speak—

A geyser of blood shot into the air, splattering the ceiling scarlet.

The light reflected off the blood in his eyes, staining his pitch-black pupils red.

Then came the pain—delayed, sharp, and sudden—finally registering in his brain what had just happened in that flash of a second.

And yet, following the pain was… an uncontrollable sense of excitement.

Hao wasn't a masochist. But it was the first time he had ever witnessed such speed.

Even his enhanced dynamic vision hadn't caught the blade's motion.

The slash was so fast that his senses hadn't even had time to sound the alarm.

From his left shoulder, a diagonal slash had cleaved through flesh, bone, and heart.

His heart—like a dying engine—was still struggling to beat, trying to keep his ruined body alive.

But no matter how it pumped… it only made the fountain of blood rise higher.

His body was beginning to shut down.

Hao started falling backward—but never hit the ground. A soft hand caught him mid-fall.

In his still-clear vision, he saw Unohana's smiling face—still like that gentle big sister.

"I'll use your body… to teach you."

Hao gave the slightest nod.

Though on the verge of death, he remained calm. He now understood what Unohana intended—

To let him experience firsthand how advanced Kaidō could heal life-threatening wounds.

Summoning what little strength he had, Hao forced himself to stay conscious—ready to observe Unohana's technique in detail.

---

He watched as a soft pale-blue light once again bloomed in her palm—brighter and more widespread than what she had shown earlier in class.

Strangely, even though he was near death, Hao found his mind unusually clear.

His perception felt heightened, sharper than ever before.

Even with his eyes closed, he could vividly sense every nuance of Unohana's healing Kaidō, as if silken threads were gently gliding across his ravaged chest.