Late into the night, the two of them talked for a long time.
They still couldn't figure out what had happened to Kisaragi Akira.
But one thing was certain: he was dozens of times stronger than he had been before completing his communion with the Asauchi.
A massive increase in Reiatsu alone was enough to let him graduate on the spot and even take up a Seated Officer position in the Gotei 13.
Moreover,
the changes to his spirit let him unleash fighting power far beyond what his current Reiatsu level should allow.
For the moment, Kisaragi Akira gave up on the brain-melting effort of trying to understand it all and started reviewing how much stronger he'd grown lately.
Lying flat on his bed, he stared at the colorful cloth ceiling. With a thought, his personal status panel appeared.
[Name: Kisaragi Akira] [Identity: Chief Priest of Nikkotsu Shrine, Rukongai commoner, first-year student at Shin'o Academy] [Reiatsu: Lv. 46 (Twelfth Rank)] [Kendo: Lv. 32] [Hakuda: Lv. 21] [Shunpo: Lv. 20] [Kido: Lv. 23] [Exclusive Entries: Reishi Affinity, Danger Instinct, Heart of the Divine, Miraculous Hands, Light as a Swallow]
Compared to the bare-bones panel he'd had when he enrolled, his current one was much more impressive.
His Reiatsu had skyrocketed, and even his basic combat skills—the Zanpakuto, Hand-to-hand, Hoho, and Kido—had all improved considerably.
Aside from the occasional lucky daily or monthly check-in reward, most of it came from Kisaragi Akira's diligent training.
Truthfully, his talent hadn't been bad to begin with. And with the exclusive entry [Heart of the Divine], his aptitude for cultivation had been pushed to its limits.
On top of that, [Reishi Affinity] gave him a boost to Reiatsu cultivation.
As long as Kisaragi Akira didn't give up on himself, he was sure to become at least a Rokusha-class powerhouse someday.
Of course, he would never let himself stop there.
Kisaragi Akira didn't know much about how the later stages of the Shinigami world would unfold, but judging by what he'd seen so far, even Rokusha-class powerhouses were little more than cannon fodder.
At most, they were slightly sturdier cannon fodder.
"Seems like I don't have any major weaknesses."
Kisaragi Akira rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
"I just wonder how I stack up against Sosuke."
"From what I've seen so far, that kid seems pretty average."
"His Zanpakuto, Hand-to-hand, Hoho, and Kido are all middle of the pack, and his Reiatsu is nothing special either."
"With strength like that, he doesn't deserve the aura he'll have later."
As he mulled it over, Aizen lay flat on the bed opposite him, hands crossed over his chest, gazing at the ceiling with a distant look in his eyes.
Countless thoughts churned through his mind. He compared, speculated, gathered evidence, and weighed one possibility after another.
Curiosity drove him to search for the real answer.
But just as his mind was running at full speed, a dull, rumbling growl broke the silence of the dormitory.
Grr, grrr—
Then came someone's cheeky voice:
"Heh, Sosuke, you think the cooks at the Shin'o Cafeteria are already asleep at this hour?"
The next day, at the Shin'o Cafeteria.
Kisaragi Akira listlessly fiddled with the rice ball in front of him, his gaze fixed mournfully on the pickled cucumber beside it.
He felt like life had lost all meaning, and death was the final destination of every living thing.
Aizen sat across from Kisaragi Akira with a tray in hand. The sweet scent of plum soup and the rich aroma of meat immediately caught someone's attention.
"Even if you owe the Spiritual Arts Academy 390,000 Kan, surely it isn't that bad?"
He glanced at Kisaragi Akira, who looked like he had one foot in the grave, and sighed. Once again, he realized that this guy's mind worked in a completely different way from his.
"Besides, even if you do this, it won't save you much money."
At that, Kisaragi Akira lifted his head from the plum soup and meat, his expression blank.
"You're right."
"I'm only a first-year student at the Spiritual Arts Academy, but I already have enough assets to live comfortably for the rest of my life."
"Unbelievable, isn't it?"
"I've made it this far at such a young age. I can eat whatever I want and buy whatever I want. If I died tomorrow..."
Aizen shook his head with a sigh, then began his meal with elegant movements, paying no attention to his friend's increasingly mournful gaze.
He knew perfectly well that Kisaragi Akira was only putting on a pitiful act.
After their conversation last night, the guy had dragged him along to sneak into the Shin'o Cafeteria.
After telling him to keep watch, Kisaragi Akira had gone straight into Gluttony State. His savage way of eating had been too awful to watch.
The reason he'd taken only two rice balls and a dish of pickled cucumbers
wasn't to save money. He'd simply eaten until he couldn't manage another bite.
As a Shinigami with high spiritual power, Aizen was still growing, and he couldn't get by on just a little water the way an ordinary Rukongai resident could.
In fact, because his spirit was so powerful, he often needed to eat more than the average Shinigami.
Kisaragi Akira was much the same.
Suppressing his nausea and sticking to his principle of never wasting food, Kisaragi Akira finished the rice balls and pickled cucumbers, then went with Aizen to class.
North Rukongai District 64, Silent Plain.
Fierce, chaotic Reiatsu crashed against itself, while a tense atmosphere spread through the air. Deafening cries of battle shattered the plain's century-long silence!
More than a hundred Shinigami were locked in a brutal melee.
Their eyes were bloodshot, veined with countless red streaks, and they seemed possessed.
Though they were only ordinary squad members in terms of strength, their ferocity in battle had already surpassed that of some lower-ranking Seated Officers.
Kido blasts went off one after another. Scorching flames raged through billowing clouds of dust, while the cries of the dying seemed almost insignificant amid the battlefield's chaos.
Among the fighting ranks, one figure stood out, shorter than those around him.
His gentle face was set with determination, and dark red blood stained his smooth, long black hair.
Compared to his days at the Spiritual Arts Academy, Kuchiki Sojun's whole presence had changed completely.
He gripped his blade in his right hand, while Kido light gathered in his left. He warily watched for every movement on the battlefield.
Yet even so, the unexpected still happened.
"Lord Sojun...!"
A cry came from behind. Kuchiki Sojun spun around, his Zanpakuto instinctively slashing toward the rear, but it struck nothing.
The next instant, a hideous face appeared before his eyes.
Squish—
As flesh tore, pain stabbed through his chest.
Kuchiki Sojun looked down in shock and saw a blade had slipped past his strike and plunged straight into his heart.
In that instant,
Reiatsu burst forth in a blinding pillar of light that shot into the sky, illuminating the heavens!
The entire battlefield seemed to freeze. Countless eyes turned toward the pillar of light.
Within its brilliant glow, a profound darkness began to seep out, like thick, viscous blood.
The darkness slowly formed a blurred, twisted right arm that towered over the battlefield.
Heaviness, fear, pain—the ink-black hue traced its way across the sky, spreading until darkness swallowed everything.
Silence became the battlefield's defining note.
The next moment,
a cold, solitary eye slowly opened on the back of the hand!
Thanks to the esteemed supporter Shanqian Yizhi Niu for the donation, and thanks to all the esteemed readers for your monthly votes and support!
Before you continue