The Best Actor Arrives with His Zanpakuto / This Illusion Is Very Realistic, Too Bad I Can't See It

Ōuna quickly led the students off to the side.

Was this a joke? No matter how he looked at it, Kidō in that form wasn't something people like them could withstand!

It was better to be careful!

Only after he thought they had retreated to a safe place did he swallow and speak, his face tense.

"Now, release the Kidō at the Sekkiseki. Slowly and carefully."

"Make absolutely sure you hit it!"

"Oh, okay."

Kyōsuke Kuchiki nodded and casually thrust his palm forward.

In an instant, the blazing sphere of light streaked through the air, leaving a black-and-red afterimage like an eclipse.

Boom!

The instant the spiritual power exploded!

A current of air surged outward, and even the air itself seemed to warp for a moment!

The students involuntarily held their breath. Their bodies seemed to sense some terrible danger, and spiritual power instinctively spilled out to block the frenzied gust rushing toward them!

Even the academy teacher's face had grown much paler!

He released a defensive Kidō, placing it in front of everyone.

Gin Ichimaru was doing somewhat better than they were.

But his foxlike eyes, usually narrowed to slits, had opened slightly, and his blue-green eyes silently looked ahead.

Yet no one could tell what the man was really thinking from his expression.

The dust and smoke slowly cleared, and everyone fell silent at the sight before them.

The Sekkiseki was still completely intact.

But directly in front of it was a huge, charred depression!

The academy teacher swallowed and couldn't help estimating its size by eye.

Without the slightest exaggeration, it seemed this depression could easily fit more than a dozen people inside...

How was this guy learning Kidō? He was practically out to kill someone!

If that had hit someone, there wouldn't have been a scrap left.

So attending Shin'ō Academy was actually this dangerous?

"That power is terrifying..."

"Is that really Kidō?"

"The gap is way too big. In his eyes, we're probably no different from ants."

Chapter 7: The Best Actor Arrives with His Zanpakuto

"..."

As the students talked, still shaken and bewildered, the looks they gave Kyōsuke Kuchiki grew very strange, like ordinary people suddenly seeing an alien.

Among them, though Gin Ichimaru wasn't looking at Kyōsuke Kuchiki, waves were still rippling through the depths of his heart.

He had always thought his own talent was dazzling enough.

He hadn't expected that... before someone like this, he could only be called outstanding.

Hadō #31, which he had learned on a whim, actually had the force to nearly swallow heaven and devour earth.

Then what about higher-level Kidō?

He imagined the scene for a moment.

Gin Ichimaru's fingers twitched involuntarily, instinctively wanting to tighten around the hilt of his Asauchi.

Slightly startled, he looked at his hand.

A few seconds later, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Just imagining it puts me on guard..."

"Young Master Kuchiki, the pressure you put on other people really is outrageous."

"I sure hope the person I have to deal with isn't a monster like you."

"..."

Gin Ichimaru's voice was low, buried beneath the students' chatter. No one could hear him.

Naturally, the academy teacher paid him no attention either. Instead, he couldn't help asking:

"Student Kuchiki... you, just now... it seemed like you hadn't even chanted, had you?"

"Uh, I hadn't gotten around to it."

Kyōsuke Kuchiki answered, looking a little surprised himself.

The Heaven Communicating Talisman Art's effect was far too powerful!

He hadn't even spoken the incantation yet, and it had already produced that effect.

A low-level Kidō with its incantation skipped had the destructive power of a high-level Kidō... didn't that make him a walking Kidō Gatling gun?

Just thinking about it was terrifying!

The academy teacher clearly understood that too.

Once he confirmed that Kyōsuke Kuchiki hadn't chanted, his face turned completely white.

He immediately used Shunpo to reach Kyōsuke's side and pressed his hand down, cold sweat covering his face.

"Student Kuchiki, you really are amazing!"

"Even the captains would probably need an incantation to produce a Kidō that powerful!"

"I... I have a very clear understanding of your talent for Kidō now."

"But..."

The teacher gestured toward the students huddled together more than ten meters behind him, his expression helpless.

"Could I trouble you to avoid using Kidō as much as possible while you're at the academy?"

"Classes still need to continue, and the academy can't withstand that kind of destruction."

"Okay, I understand."

Kyōsuke Kuchiki nodded.

Actually, he simply hadn't expected the Heaven Communicating Talisman Art to make Kidō instantaneous too.

Otherwise, he could have perfectly controlled the Kidō's power.

But since the teacher had brought it up, he didn't mind hiding his strength a little.

Looking at the huge depression in the academy courtyard, the teacher had something of a headache.

He wanted to continue the lesson, but after seeing Kyōsuke Kuchiki's Kidō, he had suddenly become rather jumpy, constantly afraid that something would explode somewhere. For the time being, he didn't want to go near the stuff again.

"Let's stop today's Kidō practice here."

"Everyone, spend some more time getting familiar with Shunpo."

The academy teacher clapped his hands, intending to lead everyone to the other side.

But just then, a gentle male voice, tinged with puzzlement, suddenly reached them.

"Hm? You're not continuing Kidō practice?"

"What a shame. I was hoping to watch Student Kuchiki use Kidō some more."

His heart gave a slight jump. Kyōsuke Kuchiki turned around, a trace of surprise flashing through his eyes.

The man before him wore large glasses and had a refined, mature appearance. His gentle, cultured manner made him look like a textbook example of a thoroughly nice guy.

Sōsuke Aizen, lieutenant of the Fifth Division.

But as someone who knew the original story well, Kyōsuke Kuchiki was all too familiar with this guy's true face.

What surprised him was this.

When had this guy arrived?

How long had he been standing there watching?

He hadn't noticed him at once!

At that thought, Kyōsuke Kuchiki quietly glanced at Gin Ichimaru. The latter showed no reaction, as though he knew nothing about Sōsuke Aizen.

All right, this was a fox.

Before his eyes, two foxes, one big and one small, had already begun pitting their acting skills against each other without anyone noticing, putting on an Oscar-winning performance.

Kyōsuke Kuchiki felt a little itching in his heart too.

With two divine skills in hand now, what did it matter if it was Sōsuke Aizen?

The current Aizen wasn't yet the man who would become one of the five special threats.

It was time to show them what real acting looked like.

In the Kidō practice grounds, Gin Ichimaru seemed to notice Kyōsuke Kuchiki's gaze and looked up at him.

Kyōsuke Kuchiki smiled faintly and looked away without any explanation.

Just then, the academy teacher also spoke up.

"Lieutenant Aizen?"

"Why did you come so early?"

He adjusted his glasses.

A perfectly gentle smile rested on Sōsuke Aizen's face.

Noticing the huge depression in the ground, a barely perceptible look of scrutiny flashed through his eyes.

Even his unchanted Kidō has this much power. This guy's strength really is extraordinary. I'll have to pay more attention to him from now on.

"I finished taking care of everything, so I came early."

"I thought I'd also observe everyone's studies and see if there was anything I could help with."

"I see... We trouble you every year. I'm truly sorry."

"It's a small thing, not worth mentioning. Besides, I'm the calligraphy teacher and a member of the academy too. It's part of my job."

"..."

Listening to their conversation, Kyōsuke Kuchiki suddenly had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, the next second, the academy teacher turned around and spoke with a delighted expression.

"Students, let's head back to the classroom first."

"Lieutenant Aizen will demonstrate his Shikai for us."

"I hope you'll all gain some insight from watching."

At his words, the students returned to the room and sat cross-legged on the floor.

Most of the looks they gave Aizen were filled with longing and admiration.

After all, in their eyes, this lieutenant was both gentle and powerful. He also came to the academy regularly every year to help, tirelessly demonstrating his Shikai over and over in the hope of giving the students some insight.

He was simply the most approachable person in the Gotei 13, so it was only natural that they wanted to get close to him.

Considering how conspicuous it would be to find an excuse to leave now,

Kyōsuke Kuchiki followed them over.

He found a place to sit and looked ahead.

Chapter 8: This Illusion Is Very Realistic, Too Bad I Can't See It