The One-Eyed Gaze Watches All in the Darkness

Deep into the night, the two discussed for a long time.

They still could not figure out exactly what had happened to Kisaragi Akira.

But one thing was certain: he was dozens of times stronger than he had been before establishing communication with his Asauchi.

The sheer surge in his Reiatsu alone was enough for him to graduate on the spot, or even take up a seated officer position within the Gotei 13.

Furthermore.

The changes in his spiritual body allowed him to unleash combat power far exceeding his current Reiatsu level.

Unable to make sense of it for the moment, Kisaragi Akira simply gave up on this brain-draining activity and turned to summarizing the growth in his strength over this period.

He lay flat on his bed, staring straight at the mottled fabric ceiling, and with a flick of his mind, his personal panel appeared.

[Name: Kisaragi Akira]
[Identity: Nikkotsu Shrine Priest, Rukongai Commoner, Shin'o Academy First-Year Student]
[Reiatsu: lv46 (12th Grade)]
[Zanjutsu: lv32]
[Hakuda: lv21]
[Hoho: lv20]
[Kido: lv23]
[Exclusive Traits: Reishi Affinity, Danger Instinct, Heart of the Divine, Miraculous Hands, Light as a Swallow]

Compared to the simplicity of when he first enrolled, his personal panel was now far more luxurious.

Not only had his Reiatsu skyrocketed, but the levels of his basic combat skills—Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, and Kido—had also improved significantly.

Aside from the occasional lucky daily and monthly sign-in rewards, most of this was due to Kisaragi Akira's own diligent practice.

In truth, his talent was never poor to begin with, and with the [Heart of the Divine] exclusive trait, his cultivation potential had been maxed out.

Coupled with [Reishi Affinity], a buff that boosted Reiatsu cultivation.

As long as Kisaragi Akira didn't give up on himself, he would at least become a Rokusha-class powerhouse in the future.

Of course, he would never allow himself to stop there.

Although Kisaragi Akira didn't know the late-stage trajectory of the Bleach world, judging by the early performances, even a Rokusha-class powerhouse was purely cannon fodder.

At most, a slightly stronger piece of cannon fodder.

"Doesn't seem to be any major shortcomings."

Kisaragi Akira rubbed his chin, thoughtful:

"Just don't know how I compare to Sosuke."

"Based on his current performance, the kid seems just average."

"His Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, and Kido are all middle-of-the-pack in class, and his Reiatsu is nothing special."

"With this level of strength, it doesn't live up to his future aura at all."

Just as he was lost in thought, on the bed opposite, Aizen was lying flat as well, hands crossed over his chest, his gaze fixed gloomily on the ceiling.

Countless thoughts surged through his mind—analogies, deductions, evidence, and various possibilities being cross-referenced.

Curiosity drove him to seek the true answer to the problem.

However, just as his brain was running at maximum speed, a dull hum broke the silence of the dormitory.

Gurgle, gurgle—

Following closely behind was a certain someone's cheeky voice:

"Hehe, Sosuke, do you think at this hour..."

"The cooks at the Shin'o Academy cafeteria are probably asleep, right?"

The next day, Shin'o Academy cafeteria.

Kisaragi Akira listlessly toyed with the rice ball in front of him, his eyes fixed mournfully on the pickled cucumber beside it.

Right now, he felt that life was meaningless and that death was the final destination for all living things.

Aizen sat down opposite Kisaragi Akira with his tray; the sweet scent of plum soup and the savory aroma of a pork chop immediately caught the other's attention.

"Even if you owe the academy 390,000 Kan, it shouldn't be this bad, right?"

Glancing at the miserable Kisaragi Akira, he sighed softly, realizing once again that his thought process was completely out of sync with this guy's.

"Besides, even if you do this, you won't save much money."

Hearing this, Kisaragi Akira looked up from the plum soup and pork chop, saying expressionlessly:

"You're right."

"Although I'm still just a first-year student at the academy, my current assets are already enough for me to live a life of comfort for the rest of my days."

"Isn't it incredible?"

"To reach this point at my age, to eat whatever I want, to buy whatever I want—if I were to die tomorrow..."

Aizen shook his head with a sigh, then began his meal with elegant movements, completely ignoring the increasingly sorrowful gaze of his so-called friend sitting across from him.

He knew very well that this guy, Kisaragi Akira, was only acting pitiful on the surface.

After their conversation ended last night, this guy had dragged him along to sneak into the Zhenyang cafeteria.

After instructing him to keep watch, Kisaragi Akira had immediately activated his Gluttony State, his brutal way of eating being something one could hardly bear to look at.

The reason this guy had only taken two rice balls and a dish of pickled cucumbers was not to save money, but simply because he was too stuffed to eat another bite.

As a Shinigami with high spiritual power, Aizen, who was still in his growth phase, could not survive on just a small amount of water like the commoners in Rukongai.

Moreover, because his spiritual body possessed such high spiritual power, he often needed to consume even more food than the average Shinigami.

Kisaragi Akira was a similar case.

Suppressing his nausea and adhering to the principle of never wasting food, Kisaragi Akira finished off the rice balls and pickled cucumbers, and then the two of them headed off to class together.

North Rukongai District 64, Silent Plain.

Violent and chaotic spiritual pressure collided wildly, the scorching aura spreading incessantly through the air, and the deafening shouts of battle completely shattered the silence that had reigned over this plain for a hundred years!

Over a hundred Shinigami were locked in a fierce melee.

Their eyes were bloodshot, filled with countless red veins, as if they had been driven mad.

Although their strength was only that of ordinary seated officers, the scale of their slaughter already surpassed that of some lower-ranked seated officers.

The light of Kido exploded one after another, scorching flames burned wantonly amidst the rolling smoke and dust, and the shrill cries of agony seemed particularly insignificant on this battlefield.

Within the ranks of the fighting, a figure slightly shorter than the others was particularly eye-catching.

The face that should have been gentle was now filled with determination, and his smooth, jet-black medium-length hair was stained with dark red blood.

Compared to his time at the Spiritual Arts Academy, Kuchiki Sojun's temperament had undergone a earth-shattering change.

He gripped his blade in his right hand while the light of Kido surged on his left, vigilantly watching for any movement on the battlefield.

Yet, even so, an accident still occurred.

"Young Master Sojun..."

A cry of alarm came from behind. Kuchiki Sojun spun around abruptly, his Zanpakuto instinctively slashing backward, but it missed its mark entirely.

Immediately following, a hideous face appeared in his line of sight.

Squelch—

As the sound of tearing flesh rang out, a sharp pain radiated from his chest.

Kuchiki Sojun looked down in astonishment, only to discover that a blade had bypassed his attack and struck directly at his heart.

In an instant.

A burst of spiritual pressure erupted, a massive, dazzling pillar of light shooting straight into the sky, illuminating the heavens!

The entire battlefield seemed to have been hit with a pause button, and countless gazes turned toward the direction of the pillar of light.

Within that intense radiance, deep darkness, thick as viscous blood, gradually began to flow out.

The darkness slowly coalesced into a blurry, twisted right arm, standing tall over the battlefield.

Heavy, terrifying, painful—the pitch-black ink outlined and stained the sky until the darkness covered everything.

Silence became the primary color of the battlefield.

The next moment.

An indifferent, solitary eye slowly opened upon the back of the hand!