Assimilation

After drawing his sword, Aizen did not attack immediately. He held the blade across his body, pressed the index and middle fingers of his left hand together, and slowly ran them along its spine. Wherever his fingertips passed, the space of the tea room began to peel away. The plain white walls, the low table, the tea set, the hanging scroll—all the furnishings silently shattered in less than a breath. The fragments scattered in every direction, then merged into a much larger expanse of ground before they could land.

Baiye instinctively lowered his center of gravity. The tatami beneath his feet had become smooth gray flagstones, and overhead was no longer the tea room's low ceiling, but an open, grayish-white sky.

Neither of them had moved—he still stood opposite Aizen, the distance between them still the length of that sword and an arm. But the space around them had changed completely. Stone pillars of varying heights surrounded them on all sides. In the distance, he could faintly make out the outline of Shin'ō Academy's Training Ground, but this place was larger and more open. There was no scent of tea in the air, only a clean, odorless breeze.

"Is this some kind of illusion?"

"Not entirely." Aizen looked around, his tone as calm as if he were introducing a freshly tidied study. "This is merely a kind of authority."

"Authority?"

"After I discovered that I was a 'creation' brought into being by someone else, I began exploring this world. Although I touched upon many taboos and had quite a few memories erased, I ultimately gained something from it: I was created by Them, which also means that I am a part of Them. In that case, it is hardly strange that I can wield some authority."

Though Aizen spoke casually, Baiye knew this was not something an ordinary person could accomplish.

This was not good news. The more Aizen knew about the "system," the lower Baiye's chances of winning.

For instance, ever since they had entered this space, the system panel had been stuck on its previous screen, as though suffering from a bad signal. The Zanpakuto abilities he had drawn from the system had turned gray, and he could not activate them at all.

But at this point, he had no other choice.

"Are you ready?"

"Please."

Aizen took a step forward. The instant their blades met, sparks burst between them. Baiye stumbled half a step back. Aizen had indeed suppressed his Reiatsu to the same level as his, but the angle of that strike had caught him precisely in the gap between one exertion and the next. The point where their blades met was off by less than an inch, yet it subjected his wrist to nearly twice the torque.

This was Aizen's swordsmanship. Even without relying on speed or strength, he could defeat his opponent through precise timing.

"What are you thinking about?" Aizen's voice came from behind his blade, his tone as gentle as ever. "Getting distracted in battle is not a good habit."

Baiye did not answer. He lowered his center of gravity, drew his Tachi back to his waist, and charged again. A second strike. A third. A fourth. Each one was blocked, deflected, or dodged by a hair's breadth. Aizen's feet barely left the flagstone beneath him, and his wrist turned only slightly. The blade in his hand was like an extension of his body.

There was no need to think, no need to anticipate. He simply sensed the course of Baiye's blade, then naturally appeared where he needed to be.

Baiye could feel the gap between them. Aizen had held a sword longer than the combined length of both his lives. Though he did not know what level the system would assign Aizen's swordsmanship, the difference was plain to see every time their blades crossed.

He retreated two steps to open some distance, raised his left hand, and pointed his index finger at Aizen.

"Hadō #4: Byakurai."

A bolt of lightning shot from his fingertip, aimed straight at Aizen's chest. Aizen did not dodge. He raised his left hand at the same time, extending his own index finger. The same Byakurai, on the same trajectory. The two bolts collided in midair and burst into a dazzling white light. The blast swept dust off the ground, forming a brief curtain between them.

"The essence of Hadō is the transformation of Reiatsu's form." Aizen lowered his hand. "Your timing when releasing Byakurai is good, but there is still room to improve your efficiency in concentrating it. For every ten percent decrease in the density of the Reiatsu compressed at your fingertip, its penetrating power falls by thirty percent. The density of your Byakurai just now was roughly seventy percent of mine."

Baiye did not respond. He raised both hands and aimed them at Aizen.

"Hadō #31: Shakkahō."

A Hadō cast without its incantation had only half its power, but it was faster. A crimson fireball shot from his palms and hurtled straight at Aizen, trailing scorching heat. Aizen still did not dodge. He simply spoke in a soft chant.

"Bakudō #81: Dankū."

A transparent defensive wall unfolded before him. The instant Shakkahō struck Dankū, the fireball was flattened into a thin disc of light before exploding violently. Yet not even the shockwave made it past the transparent wall.

Baiye's pupils contracted slightly.

A number eighty-one Bakudō, without an incantation.

With Reiatsu suppressed to roughly the same level as his, it was indeed possible to cast a number eighty-one Bakudō, but it should have been extremely difficult.

That alone showed that Aizen's understanding of Kidō had reached an exceptionally high level.

"Only Kidō above number ninety can break through Dankū... With your current Reiatsu, you cannot cast one. In that respect, the Byakurai you used earlier was far more effective than Shakkahō. At least it was sudden enough."

Baiye did not reply. He knew Aizen was merely stating the facts.

He activated Shunpo.

His body vanished from the spot, appearing behind Aizen and to his side the next instant. He swung his Tachi across, the blade cutting diagonally downward from Aizen's right shoulder. Aizen did not turn around. At some point, his sword had moved behind his back, blocking the strike at an exceedingly awkward angle. The edges of the two blades locked together with a piercing metallic screech.

"Good Shunpo." Aizen glanced back at him. "But you have a habit when using it—you always begin swinging your sword an instant before you land. That makes your attacks predictable."

Baiye used Shunpo again to open the distance. His breathing had already begun to quicken. Repeated high-intensity Shunpo consumed a considerable amount of Reiatsu, while Aizen had not even moved his feet.

Next was Hakuda.

Baiye abandoned the sword draw and closed in directly. His right fist smashed toward Aizen's face while his left elbow struck upward at his ribs. Aizen caught his right fist with one hand, twisted his wrist to turn his entire arm outward, and simultaneously raised a knee to block the elbow strike.

Baiye's attack was neutralized in an instant, throwing him off balance. Aizen used the momentum to push him away.

Baiye took three or four steps back before regaining his footing, but he was unhurt.

"Your Hakuda has improved a great deal since you enrolled." Aizen straightened his cuff. "Close-range Hakuda can indeed shut down my sword... but it is still not quite enough."

Aizen made no move to attack, remaining where he stood. "Do you have any other methods?"

Baiye adjusted his grip on his sword and assumed an offensive stance again.

As expected of a man who stood at the pinnacle of the Shinigami, he was absurdly strong in every respect.

But there was one thing that bothered Baiye.

His Reiatsu Detection had been operating at full power the entire time. Under its scrutiny, Aizen's soul fluctuations had remained as calm as water, like a cup of tea without a ripple.

But in those moments when their blades crossed, he had caught something.

Aizen's soul was changing.

With each collision, Aizen's soul adjusted its frequency, and the changes were gradually accelerating. As the exchanges between them grew more numerous, the adjustments became larger and larger.

Ordinarily, a person's soul could grow stronger, but its fluctuations would not change.

But if that person was Aizen, Baiye was not surprised... To break through the limits of a Shinigami, he had done plenty of work on souls. His understanding of them far surpassed that of others.

Baiye used Shunpo to open the distance again, simultaneously extending his Reiatsu Detection to scan Aizen carefully.

Aizen's soul fluctuations were indeed changing. They were slowly drawing closer to another frequency, one Baiye knew all too well.

The frequency of Baiye's own soul.

Aizen was using this examination, every clash of their blades, and every contact between their Reiatsu to collect samples of his soul. Then he was adjusting his own soul's frequency, bringing it closer to Baiye's soul bit by bit.

Was that his true objective?

The examination was merely the container; the clashes were the content. Every sword strike, every punch, and every exchange of Kidō was a way for him to collect data.

Baiye tightened his grip on his sword hilt again. If that was truly the case, Aizen would certainly not end the fight quickly. Instead, he would want to prolong it enough to complete his plan.

In that case...

Baiye took a deep breath and changed his grip. He leaned forward slightly, placed one foot ahead of the other, and lowered his center of gravity.

Shunpo.

This time, he was a notch faster than before. His Tachi no longer sought an angle or calculated the moment to strike. He charged directly at Aizen from the front, leaving his chest completely exposed within Aizen's range, while bringing his Tachi straight down from above.

Aizen blocked the strike and looked at Baiye, who had left himself wide open. His brows furrowed slightly.

"You have completely abandoned defense?"

Baiye did not answer. His sword came down again, faster this time. Aizen sidestepped, the blade grazing his shoulder. But Baiye did not pull his sword back to defend. Instead, he turned with the momentum and drove his left elbow at Aizen's neck. Aizen raised a hand to block and pushed him away again. Without adjusting his posture, Baiye used Shunpo to reposition himself in midair and charged at Aizen once more.

One strike after another. Every one of them traded life for life. Several of Aizen's counterattacks came close to his vital points, but he dodged them all at the last moment. Compared with his composure before, however, he was now somewhat more serious.

Baiye's Reiatsu Detection was fully active, tracking the path of every sword strike Aizen made and every faint twitch of his muscles.

He put all his energy into attacking, abandoning defense and trading life for life.

Aizen's expression changed for the first time, and the path of his sword began to deviate from what he had anticipated. Baiye's desperate fighting style had disrupted his rhythm.

Baiye's blade came closer and closer, nearly slicing through his collar several times.

"You noticed."

Aizen suddenly spoke. He raised his hand to knock Baiye's sword away while retreating two steps, then looked down at the hand gripping his sword.

"The changes in your soul fluctuations were too obvious, Teacher." Baiye stood where he was, breathing rapidly but keeping his gaze steady. "Are you trying to imitate my soul?"

"Imitate? Something like that." Aizen raised his head. The last layer of disguise fell away from the gentleness in his eyes, revealing a bottomless calm beneath. "It is not that my changes were obvious, but that your Reiatsu Detection is very perceptive. You have indeed grown considerably. As a reward, I will not conceal it from you—this is Assimilation."

Baiye tightened his grip on his sword hilt. "Assimilation? That doesn't sound like a good thing... It seems this examination gave you an opportunity. Ordinarily, I wouldn't give you a chance to clash with me using real swords."

"That is not the case." Aizen shook his head. "I told you that your application for the examination today caused me quite a bit of trouble. Assimilation could originally have been completed under more discreet conditions, without having to risk discovery with every clash of our blades as I am doing now. In fact, with a little more time, I could certainly have completed the Assimilation before the six years were up. Your application for early graduation did indeed disrupt my plans."

"What a rare piece of good news... Then what exactly do you intend to do by assimilating with my soul, Teacher?"

"That information falls outside the scope of your reward."

Aizen had played his hand first, and the situation was dire now, because time was on Aizen's side.

After Baiye discovered it, Aizen stopped hiding it, and the pace of the soul Assimilation accelerated. An ominous feeling settled over Baiye.

He could not let things continue this way. He had to break the deadlock.

Where was the opening?

Suddenly, Baiye remembered what Aizen had said before the battle began.

[Don't worry. I will fight using only the same level of Reiatsu as you, and I will not use my Zanpakuto's release ability... Otherwise, it would hardly be an examination, would it?]

[Hostility toward the host detected from an Illusion character. Preparing to forcibly intervene and alter the character's memories.]

Hostility? Hostility!

Why didn't Aizen crush Baiye with his true strength? Was it because he didn't want to? Certainly not.

Wouldn't it be better to simply restrain Baiye and slowly assimilate his soul?

There could only be one reason: he couldn't!

This was only an examination, not a fight to the death. If he used strength beyond a certain level, the system would judge it to be a hostile attack!

He had found the opening: make Aizen use far more Reiatsu than Baiye.

Facing Aizen, whose skills in every field far surpassed his own, could he really do that?

Baiye held his sword across his body, feeling the energy of that dark golden pattern flowing slowly within the scabbard. His Reiatsu sank into the blade and touched the energy of Shikai. The Reiatsu turned into Chakra and flowed back from the Zanpakuto into his meridians.

It was time.

Having fully absorbed the Shikai progress brought by Shukaku, Baiye had gained a new ability: converting his own Reiatsu into Chakra.

This ability instantly gave Baiye, whose own Chakra reserves were not very large, the means to use large-scale Ninjutsu, but that was not the point right now.

The point was that he could do it even at Shin'ō Academy.

For the first time, he had Chakra at Shin'ō Academy, which meant...

Eight Gates—first gate, Gate of Opening. Chakra burst through the gate deep within his brain. Agony spread from his spine to his limbs, and the limit on his muscles' output was lifted.

Second gate, Gate of Healing. The rapid recovery of his stamina began to overtake its consumption, and his breathing grew stronger.

Third gate, Gate of Life. The flow of Chakra surged, and the power coursing through his meridians pushed his speed, strength, and reactions to a new level. A pale blue Chakra aura rose over his skin, and the escaping energy made the surrounding air tremble slightly.

Shunpo, full power!

Baiye shattered the ground with one step and vanished from the spot in an instant.

A strike with no technique, only extreme speed, slashed toward Aizen with a terrifying howl.

"Boom!"

Aizen barely managed to bring his sword across to block Baiye's strike, but he and his sword were blasted backward, breaking through a stone pillar before coming to a stop. Broken stone pattered down from his shoulders, bouncing against the ground a few times before falling still. Aizen glanced down at the hand holding his sword. The impact had split the skin between his thumb and forefinger.

He transferred the sword to his left hand, shook the stone fragments and dust from his right, and studied Baiye anew.

"Ahem. Is this your trump card? A power that does not belong to this world?"

"I had no choice. With the power you taught me, Teacher, I really couldn't do anything to you."

Baiye did his best to suppress the restless Chakra inside him, keeping it from burning too fiercely, and raised his sword to point at Aizen.

"Then let's begin the second round, Teacher Aizen!"