Kisaragi Akira is No Grim Reaper

Kido training dojo.

"Shakkaho, Hado #31, is one of the most commonly used Hado."

Hikifune Tessai spread his fingers, which were as thick as iron rods. A ball of crimson flame burned slowly in his palm, radiating waves of intense heat.

"Not only is its destructive power astonishing, but by controlling the frequency of Reiatsu output, it can serve different purposes in various situations."

"For example, illumination."

The curtains in the dojo fell, the lights were extinguished, and the room plunged into darkness.

Following this, a bright yet non-dazzling light erupted, instantly illuminating the entire dojo.

It reflected the surprised and stunned faces of the students.

"Of course, this requires exquisite control and an understanding of the essence of Kido itself."

Hikifune Tessai extinguished the Shakkaho in his palm. The action was so rough that it produced a sonic boom, making the onlookers' eyelids twitch.

Although everything he said was correct.

The way you look, however, has absolutely no persuasive power at all.

It wasn't just Kisaragi Akira who thought this; the other students shared similar sentiments.

Even the 11th Division, known for their bravery and ferocity, rarely had anyone who could compare to this Spiritual Arts Academy Kido instructor in terms of sheer physical stature.

Moreover, it was rumored that Hikifune Tessai would soon be promoted to the Great Kido Chief of the Kido Corps.

That was a position equivalent in rank to a captain of the Gotei 13.

Although when the news first broke, ninety-nine percent of the students were in a state of bewilderment.

After gradually accepting the fact, they suddenly began to worry about the future of the Kido Corps.

As the long-range attack specialists of the Seireitei, would they eventually turn into a bunch of brutes like the 11th Division?

"If you want to understand Kido, the first thing you must do is know its essence."

"From incantations to hand seals, to the method of Reiatsu release and the trajectory of Reishi flow."

"Regarding incantations alone, different versions exist for the same Hado. Generally speaking, we only need to master one."

"But if you want to achieve the precise control over Kido that I have, you need to have a certain understanding of other Kido incantations, and the same applies to hand seals."

If nothing else, Hikifune Tessai was peerless when it came to teaching Kido.

Even a student like Kisaragi Akira, who often dozed off in theory classes, was listening with great interest.

Of course, there were other reasons why he hadn't fallen asleep.

Hikifune Tessai's instruction continued. Once the main concepts were covered, the next step was to break them down into batches and levels for more detailed understanding.

He dissected everything about Kido from its very essence.

During the break, Hikifune Tessai allowed the students to try the Shakkaho in the air, supervising them from the side to prevent any accidents.

"So, Sosuke, what exactly was that method for getting stronger quickly that you mentioned before?"

Kisaragi Akira asked with great interest, "Didn't you say it had something to do with Kido? Can you tell me a little bit about it now?"

Aizen nodded slightly and said calmly:

"Do you remember when you used the ritual method to communicate with your Asauchi a while ago, injecting your soul's essence to transform it into your exclusive Zanpakuto?"

Kisaragi Akira nodded.

Although he still didn't understand what kind of ability his Zanpakuto had, or even know its true name.

But in his spare time, he would try to communicate with his Zanpakuto again using the ritual method and enter his inner world.

The result remained the same as last time: the moment he entered the Nikkotsu Shrine and was about to touch the statue, the Zanpakuto Inner World would shatter.

In Aizen's words, his Reiatsu level was not yet sufficient to support the next stage of Zanpakuto liberation.

Although Kisaragi Akira was already a genius compared to other students, he still needed to work hard for a while to reach the level of mastering its true name.

Apart from his daily check-ins, he had to rely more on grueling, hyper-competitive training.

Besides that.

Kisaragi Akira's spiritual body had also undergone significant changes.

"The bodies of Shinigami are composed of Reishi."

Aizen explained, "Countless Reishi are assembled into a perfect spiritual body without any flaws through a delicate structure, and finally, with the soul as the core, an individual known as a 'Shinigami' is formed."

"Don't look at me with that expression."

"That is a direct quote from the textbook."

"Ah, this..."

Kisaragi Akira suddenly realized that compared to Aizen, he was only slightly better than an illiterate.

Unfortunately, the theory class knowledge wasn't as interesting as the rituals, and he really couldn't muster any interest in it.

Fortunately, he had an all-knowing friend.

If he encountered any trouble he couldn't solve in the future, he would only need to rely on the invincible Aizen Sosuke to think of a way.

"What I mean to say is, once you complete the sacrificial communion, the very essence of your spiritual body undergoes a transformation."

Aizen continued his analysis, "Simply put, you are evolving."

Kisaragi Akira furrowed his brows.

Seeing his friend begin to attempt independent thought, Aizen felt deeply gratified; if this guy didn't start using his brain, that thing would surely rust.

"Since it is impossible to achieve a rapid, explosive increase in your Reiatsu level in the short term,"

Aizen voiced his thoughts, "then why not try to directly unearth the potential hidden within your spiritual body?"

"Because to a certain extent, Kido and the spiritual body share certain similarities and possess an extremely high degree of compatibility."

"You could try to imprint Kido into your spiritual body, and then release it through Hakuda. To put it even more simply..."

"Further reinforce your spiritual body!"

"Of course, this method carries a certain degree of risk."

"Therefore, it would be best if we only attempt this experiment once you have fully mastered a specific Kido..."

"Akira, you can understand that, right?"

Seeing the dazed state of this guy, Aizen frowned and asked.

"Huh?"

"I understand, I understand."

Kisaragi Akira grinned, "Isn't this just the conclusion I mentioned earlier?"

"As a qualified mage, one should first max out their health and stamina, then choose skills like Skull Splitter, Block, Critical Strike, Charge, Decapitation, and Armor Break."

"Finally, just put one point into Light Spell for utility."

Hearing this, Aizen was stunned.

It seemed that this time, he had actually stumbled upon the truth.

"I just don't understand one question," Kisaragi Akira said, puzzled.

"Speak."

"You just said that the essence of my spiritual body has changed."

Kisaragi Akira's expression turned serious, "Does that mean I am no longer of the Shinigami species?"

"And within the same level of Reiatsu, excluding all external factors, in terms of pure combat quality alone, even you might not necessarily be able to defeat me."

Aizen frowned deeply, momentarily unable to comprehend this guy's train of thought.

"Based on this deduction."

Kisaragi Akira slammed his fist into his palm, reaching a conclusion with a hint of excitement: "One of the ways to become stronger is—"

"Aizen Sosuke, I renounce my humanity as a Shinigami!"