Chapter 123
What followed, naturally, was a speech by a leader that almost no one, except for the few on stage, would like.
Honestly.
Even without any preconceived negative impressions, these people's speeches were simply unbearable to listen to—if Principal Mitarai's version at the opening ceremony could be described as drowsy, these people on stage could even be considered to be defying the heavens.
"You must choose trusted partners to form a team..."
"To showcase the prowess of a young Soul Reaper, to set an example for the younger generation, and to let them know that real combat is the key to improving their own strength..."
His voice was loud and clear, full of imposing presence.
It must be said that their speeches were indeed very persuasive to students who were inexperienced in the ways of the world.
It's filled with the spirit of the Showa era... and the ignorance of the nuclear era.
"The Shin'ō Academy, which is becoming weak, must rediscover the pride and glory it once held as the Shinigami Academy!"
And so on.
"A-Qing."
There were only about fifty students from the academy in the audience. Haruto were standing in the most conspicuous first row, so of course they couldn't chat openly.
The Hell Butterfly perched on the cuff conveyed a message from Ayaka—
Using Hell Butterflies to pass notes—it's amazing she even thought of that.
"What's the matter?"
Haruto tried replying.
Indeed, the Hell Butterfly's secrecy was quite effective; no one around noticed anything amiss.
"From which era did these people travel back in time?"
"..."
No wonder Ayaka asked that.
When the Genji Academy had just expanded into an academy, its official name was still the former Shin'ō Academy of the Shinigami Academy, and it was greatly restricted by the nobles in all aspects.
However, this period lasted very short.
After Shigekuni Yamamoto beheaded a few "insignificant" nobles, no one dared to set their sights on the Shin'ō Academy anymore.
Now.
Someone actually dared to act arrogantly over Captain-Commander Yamamoto... Haruto even felt that their ideas about the Hollow Hunting Exam were probably just wishful thinking.
"Living in the secluded, Seijōtōkyorin every day, it's understandable that someone would be so mentally unstable."
Haruto casually made a comment.
At this time—
What are you whispering about?
"??"
Nanao's voice suddenly appeared in the Hell Butterfly's message.
"Don't pretend to be surprised, okay? You two are exchanging such obvious glances, do you think no one will notice?"
"No, we were just complaining about those idiots upstairs."
"How did you do that, Nanao?"
Haruto and Ayaka's voices rang out simultaneously.
"Reiatsu? I'm quite familiar with your Reiatsu, okay?"
"..."
Haruto and Ayaka exchanged a glance, thankfully they hadn't discussed any major revelations.
"Nanao, you're a fucking genius."
Haruto sighed.
The communication basis of the Hell Butterfly is to inject both spiritual power and Reiatsu into it; the farther the distance, the more Reiatsu is consumed.
Certainly.
Even when using Hell Butterfly face-to-face, the Reiatsu consumed is enough to unleash a full Shakkahō.
If it were Ayaka before her Reiatsu breakthrough, she definitely wouldn't have dared to do this.
"No, it's nothing."
Nanao blushed slightly at the sudden compliment.
"When I had nothing to do at home, I took some time to discuss with my uncle whether there was any way to improve the Hell Butterfly's abilities."
"After all..."
"That situation last time was too dangerous."
Nanao's improvement on the Hell Butterfly was due to the Konsō internship incident Nanao ago, but she never expected the research results to be so significant.
It's like creating a separate sub-local area network system within an internet where access is restricted by individuals...
I'm the kind of person who's also an administrator.
This is far more advanced than the Hell Butterflies, the creatures modified by the Twelfth Division, that float around the arena.
"At last!"
While the group was still whispering amongst themselves...
The last sage to take the stage rambled on for over twenty minutes before finally clapping his hands forcefully to grab everyone's attention.
"Classmates."
"These are the opponents you are about to fight!"
As the somewhat short and stout sage waved his hand toward the edge of the arena, ten enormous metal boxes brought by the Twelfth Division, separated by black cloth that suppressed Reiatsu, appeared before everyone's eyes.
"As a member of the Soul Reaper."
"Gentlemen, you must not fight because you know you will win, but because you are fulfilling your duty to protect Soul Society!"
"Splash."
The Reiatsu, belonging to the void, pressed down on all the students without reservation.
If it weren't for the cages attached to the Kidō Shibari their movements, the scene would probably be covered in blood by now.
"!?"
Haruto opened his eyes a little.
"These sages..."
He promptly concealed the murderous intent that seemed to be emanating from a drawn blade.
"Perhaps he's been in the Central 46 Chambers for too long, and his IQ has become unusable during his lifespan?"
The surrounding students erupted into an uncontrollable chaos.
Nothing more.
Ten cages, ten empty shells.
The weakest of them all possessed Tenth-Class Reii, and the strongest among them... was even a rank stronger than Haruto's Reiatsu!
Although it doesn't look like Giant Hollow, such a level of Reiatsu is definitely something that anyone without the Vice-Captain-level would have to handle.
Are they being used to assess students who haven't even graduated yet?
"..."
Haruto kept his head down, feeling several burning gazes fixed on him.
Such outrageous exam questions are probably half-targeted at me—although the wise men are incredibly stupid, they must have a good grasp of the overall strength of this year's sixth-year students, otherwise they would never have sent out such a lineup.
"Don't worry, everyone!"
The wealthy-looking sage on the stage quickly offered words of comfort.
"There's no need for worry or concern. If we encounter any insurmountable danger, the Vice-Captain Daijiji will be there to provide immediate assistance!"
The wise man's confident speech helped many students regain their self-confidence.
But such recklessness will only lead to unnecessary deaths. Although this deputy captain is not weak, he cannot possibly ensure the safety of every student in such a spacious examination area.
Among classmates.
Many of them are only at the sixteenth or Seventh Class Rei'i Grade.
Although the difference in Reiatsu after the tenth level is not as obvious as at Haruto's current level, it cannot be easily made up for by sheer numbers.
"..."
Is this the Tsunayashiro Clan's revenge for the noble massacre six months ago?
It doesn't seem like it.
Because of Haruto's activities, the Kuchiki Clan has been in the upper hand for the past few months, Tsunayashiro Clan should not provoke trouble at this time.
So--
"Pure ignorance and arrogance."
Haruto glanced at his mouth.
"I don't know how Captain-Commander Yamamoto can tolerate someone like that occupying a high position in Soul Society."
―――
The sage led the nobles who were watching the play, filling the audience seats to capacity.
The Twelfth Division set off to various parts of the forest to settle the Hell Butterflies and the cages containing the Hollows, with Daijiji and his team accompanying them.
"A-Qing."
The Isane sisters also came closer.
The sixth-grade students taking the exam were given a precious ten minutes to form teams—a process that was actually negligible, as everyone already knew and had made arrangements with each other; this was simply a matter of reaffirming their plans based on their perceived strength.
Have you made up your mind?
"Um."
Haruto nodded.
"The strongest Void here already possesses the Fifth-Class Reii, which is at the Vice-Captain-level. It's simply beyond the capabilities of a student."
"As planned, let's eliminate the classmates first... their Reiatsu is much easier to detect than that of Hollows."
Haruto raised his finger, and ink-like runes, like tadpoles, swam from his fingertip to the wrists of the other four people.
"Kakushitsuijaku and Tenteikūra."
"The Reiatsu coordinates of the other nine teams will be communicated to you in a timely manner through this system. Each person will be responsible for two teams."
The drawing of the Kidō was extremely rapid.
Modifying and combining over seventy advanced Bakudō is a piece of cake for Haruto now.
"This forest isn't small, so everyone try to move quickly."
"... Remember not to use Shunpo."
"Um?"
The others didn't quite understand Haruto's additional hint.
"Although I promised Ms. Mutsuki that I would bring them all back, to me, the combined value of everyone else is less than that of any one of you."
Haruto's remarks were quite implied, but fortunately, the timing was perfect, and the individuals he was alluding to didn't notice anything amiss.
"These Hollows are quite strong, and we can't determine what their special abilities are, so there's no need to waste energy using Shunpo."
Not everyone has enough Reiatsu to travel like Haruto using Shunpo.
"The Tenth Division needs to be given something to do."
Haruto added at the end: