[Spirit Class 4 | Hazard C] Lord Sawachika [NPC]

Dignified, straightforward, and honorable. Those are the three traits that most would ever classify Lord Sawachika as. While he undeniably carries himself with the pride and composure that befits a man of his noble status, there is a profoundly grounded air to the man, a sense that the title of nobility doesn’t in itself mean very much to him. However, the Sawachika have nevertheless been a family in the Seireitei for countless generations, and because of that, Lord Sawachika is firmly dedicated to their role there, and in maintaining their position, for the sake of the Sawachika family name. It isn’t a matter of maintaining appearances to the other nobles; he would take that family name just as seriously if they were peasants in the furthest district of the Rukongai.


○ Hinamori Family: In the wake of Aizen’s betrayal, Lord Sawachika offered the unconditional support of the Sawachika family to Momo and her son for as long as she required. While the situation has certainly mellowed a great deal by now, Lord Sawachika is still a friend to the small household.

○ Kasha Koizumi (Elder): A former flame from his younger years, Lord Sawachika still respects Shouen no Kasha as both a warrior and a woman, and would fight alongside or against her without any hesitation.


The eldest son of Shou and Mina Sawachika, the boy who would go on to become Lord Sawachika was raised as every child of the Sawachika is raised. Trained from his earliest days in both martial technique and in architecture, it took little time before the young Ken had made a name for himself in the Seireitei as a premier designer and warrior both. By the age of 25, he had already graduated from Shino Academy, and had designed several buildings in the Seireitei still considered spectacular works, in particular the current building which houses the Onyx Fountain Inn. However, as any son of the Sawachika, he hungered for more, and was rigorous in his pursuits of growth, as a shinigami and as a builder.

Within another 50 years, Ken had climbed to the rank of 15th seat in the 7th Division, under Captain Love Aikawa. He certainly respected his Captain for his position and his strength, but Ken could hardly say he found the man especially agreeable. All of that said, however, it certainly did not make him happy to hear that his Captain had disappeared apropos of nothing. Going AWOL was a grave crime, especially for a Captain, and the loss of leadership only pushed Ken to train more intensely, focus more efforts on his work as a shinigami. After all, his prestige as an architect was unquestionable at this stage; focusing on this work, which needed far more attention, was certainly the right path.

His efforts brought him significantly higher rank, certainly, but perhaps of more importance was that they brought him to the attention of the man who took the position of Captain for the 7th Division. Sajin Komamura was, in all possible respects, a man that Ken considered an ideal to aspire to. He had taken his work seriously before, as a matter of duty; under Captain Komamura, however, it was a matter of genuine passion for the work. Honing himself as a warrior and as a man gave him no small amount of ability to grow, but more importantly, it brought him to the attention of a woman in the 11th Division, who’d heard talk of this new, more bold 7th Division.

A woman named only Ai, who came from the outskirts of the Rukongai. Ken was simply the first who happened to be present when she arrived, a ragged-looking and foulmouthed warrior who looked barely different from a stray dog. Her challenge was issued, and Ken, a man of pride, accepted without even a second of hesitation. The clash that ensued wasn’t one that could ever really be called “monumental.” Two seated officers battling was impressive, certainly, but they both were footnotes in the Seireitei on the whole. For the two of them, however, it was lifechanging.

Not because they fell in love at first sight. In fact, the two hated each other viscerally for the next two decades. To say they fought constantly would be an understatement, for Ken’s pride would never allow a challenge to go unanswered, and Ai simply refused to accept a defeat.

It was only many decades later, serving in the battle against the Arrancar, that the two came together. The story isn’t one either particularly likes telling, because the truth of the matter is that their marriage was issued simply as one more challenge like every other that either of them spat. In the din of war, it was simply the only way to ensure their most consistent worthwhile challenger stayed alive, wasn’t it?

It wasn’t long after the war that Shou Sawachika passed away, and Ken took the position as family head. At the same time, his wife had come to be expecting soon, and the war on Earth had left the 7th once more without a Captain. Unlike before, however, Ken could not afford to redouble his dedication. This time, the Sawachika family needed him more than the 7th Division, and so he retired from Gotei Service with his wife. Still, he has never stopped his training, and has maintained contact with those he knew from his days in service. After all, he’d never be the man he is today without those years in the 7th.


○ Zankensoki Expert: As 3rd Seat of the former 7th Division, Lord Sawachika can be considered an exemplary shinigami in all respects. He is certainly not the greatest practitioner of any of the shinigami arts on an individual level, but his ability to utilize all of them in sync over the course of combat is quite exceptional, and he is certainly at a level well above “competent” in each.

○ Architectural Eye: Lord Sawachika is currently considered the foremost architect in the Seireitei, and that prestige was not given to him simply on account of his family name. With little more than a cursory glance, Lord Sawachika is generally capable of understanding the general construction of any given building, and can easily envision modifications, improvements, or even how to most quickly destroy it.


○ Zanpakutо̄ Name: Kouzanshi (皇斬獅, lit. “Emperor-Beheading Lion”)

○ Zanpakutо̄ Spirit Appearance: Kouzanshi’s spirit takes the form of a stone buddha statue, with one eye of ruby and the other of amethyst. It never moves when speaking, but should it require, it can shed its stone shell at any time, at which point its form becomes made of clear water.

○ Inner World: Kouzanshi’s inner world takes the form of an endless temple hall, massive pillars spaced every 10 meters and with a wooden ceiling preventing any light from entering.

○ Zanpakutо̄ Appearance: While sealed, Kouzanshi takes the form of a fairly unremarkable katana, with a simple circular guard and deep crimson cord around its hilt.

○ Sealed Zanpakutо̄ Power: Kouzanshi has no sealed powers.



○ Shikai Release Phrase:


○ Shikai Release Action: Kouzanshi requires no significant action to be released apart from speaking its release phrase.

○ Shikai Abilities: Upon making any injury on an opponent, Lord Sawachika is capable of choosing that strike as the “Method of Execution.” So long as his shikai remains active, any further strikes he makes against an opponent will not only act as normal, but will also cause the Method of Execution to once again be made against the opponent. Because of this, Kouzanshi is a shikai that requires one to remain on exceptional defense, Lord Sawachika can turn even a single good hit into a swift death with minor cuts. As this attack is still treated as the original one Lord Sawachika made, however, it does not inherently bypass any durability or regenerative ability, and it will only occur again if the opponent is struck by Lord Sawachika’s zanpakuto, not any other means of attack.


○ Bankai Name: Tenkyuuhashi Shukousei (天球破獅朱鋼製, lit. “Celestial Sphere-Destroying Lion Built of Blood and Steel”)

○ Bankai Release Action: Much like shikai, Tenkyuuhashi Shukousei requires no significant action to release, apart from speaking the word “Bankai.” Upon doing so, however, the blade of Lord Sawachika’s zanpakuto melts into a red liquid pooled at his feet, while the hilt places itself over his heart, as if stabbed into his chest.

○ Bankai Abilities: So long as his bankai is released, any wound which Lord Sawachika receives will immediately unleash a blade visually identical to that of his sealed shikai, directed toward the person who unleashed the attack. This blade attacks as if Lord Sawachika himself had made the strike, and will fly in a straight line toward them at a speed equal to Lord Sawachika’s own. However, this has the rather obvious detriment of causing Lord Sawachika himself to take rather serious injury, as this blade will always pierce out through his flesh even for fairly minor wounds, and does not take into account the distance his opponent is from him. As such, this is a fairly situational release, one which can easily be an active hindrance against some foes.




General Skills

• Durability: B
  
• General Speed: C
  
• Strength: B
  
• Soul: C
  

Shinigami Skills

• Hoho: Advanced
  
• Kidō: Advanced
  
• Zanjutsu: Advanced
  
• Hakuda: Advanced
  

Will Skills

• Willpower: Adept
  
• Mental Deduction: Elite
  
• Focus: Adept