Killing with a Borrowed Knife

"Class is in session!"

The Kido instructor, whose hairline had receded noticeably, walked into the classroom and swept an unfriendly gaze over the students in the dojo. "Today, we'll be covering the offensive and defensive techniques of Kido in actual combat."

The lesson began as usual. For the ten-odd minutes the instructor spent explaining, Lin Nan felt that the other man's somewhat sinister gaze had landed on him at least dozens of times.

"Something feels off..." Lin Nan murmured.

His two companions, Kyoraku and Ukitake, both turned to look at him. "What's wrong?"

"I can't shake the feeling this instructor is... kind of targeting me." Lin Nan scratched his head, his long silver-white hair neatly tied back.

"You've probably been trying so hard to keep up your tough-guy act these past few days that you're imagining things," Kyoraku whispered.

"Maybe you're just tired from spending so much time gathering information lately, Lin," Ukitake whispered reassuringly. "Why would the instructor target you?"

"...In short, the stability of the Reishi arrangement in a Kido spell depends on how steadily the caster outputs their spiritual pressure. Now, let's put that into practice."

The instructor looked over the students below, then asked, "Which one of you is Lin Nan?"

Lin Nan spread his hands toward the other two. "See? What did I tell you? It's called a sixth sense!" He stood, made his way past the students in front of him, and walked up to the platform.

The instructor gave Lin Nan a once-over, then spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear. "I hear you're pretty good at Zanjutsu. You even left Instructor Tanida injured and still recovering. I wonder how your Kido is?"

Instructor Tanida was the mustached teacher Lin Nan had sent to the infirmary with a single wooden-sword strike last time.

It seemed today's Kido instructor had come prepared, too.

"Sir, that was really just a misunderstanding..."

Before Lin Nan could finish apologizing, the instructor cut him off. "Tanida and I have been friends for years... I'm a teacher. I wouldn't take revenge on a student. But accidents during practical training are unavoidable...

"Get ready! We're starting Kido practice."

Lin Nan's heart sank. If the instructor himself joined in, Lin Nan would absolutely choose to close his eyes and take the beating. He needed to act hot-tempered to mislead the enemy lurking in the shadows, but he couldn't let another accident like the last one, when he knocked out a teacher, happen again.

Otherwise, he'd have taken out half the teachers for the four main subjects—Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Kido, and Hoho. At that rate, Captain-Commander Yamamoto might personally give him an Ittō Kasō.

The Kido instructor's narrow eyes shifted slightly as he chose Kyoraku to pair off against Lin Nan for the practice match.

The students quickly moved aside, leaving a circular patch of empty space in the middle of the dojo.

"Three-minute time limit. Use the techniques I just taught you to simulate actual combat. Cast Kido at a fast pace, without incantations, and focus on offense and defense.

"For everyone's safety, I'll set up a small barrier around the practice area to protect the students watching." The instructor recited the rules at a leisurely pace.

Lin Nan cautiously raised his hand. "Sir, I understand using a barrier to separate us from the spectators, but what about our safety?"

The instructor shot him a sidelong glance. "Don't worry. I'll supervise from inside the barrier. If either of you is in danger of getting hurt, I'll step in and stop it."

As he spoke, he raised his left hand. A spiritual-pressure shield the size of a cup lit up on its back. "At your current level of spiritual pressure, even Bakudo #8 would be more than enough."

Kyoraku hesitated. He'd started learning Kido earlier than the others present and knew how dangerous it could be. "Sir, why don't you put a separate protective barrier around each of us, too? Kido's not like Hakuda..."

"I'm here. It'll be fine." The instructor waved a hand dismissively and urged the two to get started.

You hurt my friend. How could I let that go? he thought, looking at Lin Nan. Just wait, kid. You're in for a rough time!

He'd picked Kyoraku, the second-highest-ranking person in the room, to help set a trap for Lin Nan. The highest-ranking person there was Tsunayashiro Tokinada, of one of the Four Great Noble Houses, so he couldn't ask him. That left Kyoraku, an upper-class noble, as the best choice.

If Lin Nan lost, he'd suffer for it. If he won, he'd be in trouble for accidentally injuring an upper-class noble. Even though they were all students under Yamamoto, nobles were still nobles. No one would let him off the hook for hurting one. Brother Tanida, I'll be able to avenge you soon!

Just then, an unfamiliar voice from below shattered the instructor's daydream. "Could I try, too?"

Everyone turned toward the voice and saw Tsunayashiro Tokinada, usually a man of few words, raising his hand with a smile.

Lin Nan looked surprised. Then he shifted his gaze slightly and spotted Amamiya Keiji nearby, watching him with an eager expression.

Lin Nan immediately realized that Amamiya wanted to join his side and hurriedly signaled him to stop with his eyes.

Tsunayashiro politely raised his hand, then stood and slowly walked up to the instructor. "I'd like to join as well. Please allow it, sir."

The instructor was at a loss. What was he supposed to do now?

Using an upper-class noble to teach a commoner a lesson was one thing, but involving one of the Four Great Noble Houses was another matter entirely. If he accidentally injured the young master of the Tsunayashiro Clan, he'd be done for.

But he didn't dare refuse Tsunayashiro's request, either.

As he hesitated, another voice spoke from beside him. "In that case, please let me join, too, sir. That way, the teams will be more evenly matched."

Ukitake Jushiro stood up, looking at the instructor earnestly.

The Kido instructor's eyes lit up. "Good! You'll team up with Lin Nan. Tsunayashiro, you'll team up with Kyoraku!"

Commoners against nobles. If the nobles won, Lin Nan would still suffer. If the nobles lost... the Captain-Commander Yamamoto could take the blame. Either way, Lin Nan wouldn't get off easy.

Accidents during class were unavoidable, after all. He just had to make sure none of the nobles were seriously injured.

The practical began. The other students retreated to the walls, leaving as much room as possible in the middle. The Kido instructor stood beside the four, and the barrier was already in place.

He was ready to stand by and watch, waiting for one side to injure the other.

All the students watched the four with eager anticipation. One scion of the Four Great Noble Houses and three students of the Gen Style; two nobles and two commoners. Their status differed greatly, but the outcome was hard to predict.

No matter how strong or weak their bodies were, it wouldn't affect their ability to use their spiritual pressure to manipulate the Reishi in the space around them and secure victory.

The unpredictability was what made Kido so compelling.

At the instructor's command, light filled the barrier and Kido spells flew in every direction.

"Hadō #4: Byakurai!"... "Bakudo #8: Sek!"

"Hadō #31: Shakkahō!"... "Bakudo #39: Enkosen!"

Kido spells flashed and burst one after another inside the barrier.

The dojo floor shook. The wooden boards within the barrier gradually splintered, then were ground to dust by the Kido. Billowing clouds of dust slowly spread until they filled the entire dojo.

The students at the edge of the room were so stunned by the flashes, tremors, and dust that they couldn't speak. Who could've guessed that these four, who seemed so ordinary in their daily lives, could unleash such powerful Kido even without incantations?

Feeling the surging spiritual pressure inside the barrier, the instructor regretted his decision. He hadn't expected the four of them to already have spiritual pressure on par with a seated officer. If all four cast high-numbered Hadō at once, he might not be able to control the damage.

He could only hope they wouldn't take things too far...

Lin Nan knew that after his time at the Spirit Hot Spring, his spiritual pressure was now far higher than the other three's. To avoid accidentally hurting Kyoraku, he kept suppressing it and held back, using only Bakudo to ease the pressure on Ukitake and provide basic defense.

But after a minute of exchanging attacks, he still noticed something was wrong.

First, the two teams' total spiritual pressure was unbalanced.

Ukitake's spiritual pressure was slightly stronger than Shunsui's, and Lin Nan's was now probably greater than the two of theirs combined. Tsunayashiro Tokinada's spiritual pressure, meanwhile, was a little weaker than Kyoraku's.

It was practically an invitation for their side to beat the other team. And none of the four had any protective measures in place, so whoever lost would get hurt.

It was a no-win situation. The local instructor had no manners at all.

Lin Nan had no choice but to give up on attacking and focus on defense while he searched for a solution.

Second, as the stalemate continued, the other three gradually started getting carried away.

Even Ukitake, who was usually gentle and refined, was now clearly putting more power into his attacks.

Amid the thick dust, the four dodged and maneuvered around each other. Their Kido attacks grew higher in number and came faster and faster.

Inside the barrier, the Kido blasts grew more and more violent. Both inside and outside the barrier, everything was shrouded in thick clouds of sawdust.

The Kido instructor felt his way through the smoke, now regretting his decision completely.

The combined destructive power of the four students had exceeded his imagination and his ability to control it. He couldn't escape the barrier, but he didn't dare rush in and stop them, either.

The watching students struggled in fear against the force of the blasts. The heat and tiny sparks of electricity mixed into the air made it almost impossible to breathe.

Even the entire classroom seemed on the verge of collapsing.

As time passed, more and more Reishi dispersed from the Kido blasts.

Lin Nan helplessly realized that Reiryoku Affinity had developed a side effect: his body was absorbing the dispersed Reishi!

His Rei-Pressure Concealment could normally hide his true spiritual-pressure level, sending out the false impression that his spiritual pressure was weak. But as his body continued absorbing Reishi, even his "false signal" was gradually growing stronger!

Now, to the other three's hazy senses, he stood out as clearly as the moon in the night sky.

The other three were hampered by the dust and couldn't make out their directions. They were aiming at their targets using only their faint spiritual vision. When they suddenly sensed a sharp rise in spiritual pressure, all three had the same thought:

The other side's about to unleash a powerful attack.

Then, from three different directions, three voices called out the strongest Kido each could use at the same time. "Hadō #31: Shakkahō!"

Three red fireballs, each the size of a volleyball, glowed brighter and brighter amid the billowing clouds of dust. Then they broke through the smoke and shot toward Lin Nan!

Lin Nan clicked his tongue. The combined attack was too powerful for the Bakudo he'd mastered to stop. He had no choice but to meet it head-on.

His spiritual pressure erupted, sending the dust around him scattering. He raised his right hand toward the three incoming fireballs and parted his lips.

"Hadō #63: Raikōhō!"

A golden beam of light tore through the thick dust. A massive bolt of lightning shot toward the three fireballs, colliding with them in an instant.

The instructor and students suddenly saw a sun appear before them. It seemed to smash straight into them, and then they knew nothing more.

After a deafening boom, the entire Kido classroom broke apart and flew into the sky.