What is a True Mage

Two days had passed since the escape from the General Infirmary.

While the previous talent was still nursing his wounds, Kisaragi Akira had already made a full recovery.

Beyond Aizen Sosuke taking the liberty of selecting the highest-grade treatment plan for him, this was also largely due to the changes in his spiritual body.

After all, even with Unohana Retsu's exquisite medical skills and Kaido, severe injuries like internal and external burns typically require a period of recuperation.

Yet, as soon as the treatment concluded, Kisaragi Akira was free to move about.

After two days of rest, he was completely restored.

In Aizen Sosuke's words, the heartless and lungless always heal the fastest.

During this time, Kisaragi Akira also familiarized himself with the enhanced effects following the engraving of the Shakkaho patterns.

First, his Reiatsu had increased by one level, now at lv53, Spiritual Might Grade 11.

To be fair, this speed was already absurd.

One must know that Shinigami are a long-lived species with extremely extended lifespans.

Therefore, except for a very few monsters, increasing Reiatsu is a matter of slow, grinding effort.

Then, there was the addition of the high-temperature property.

Because the Kido pattern engraving for Shakkaho was incomplete, his spiritual body quality had not improved.

However, even so, it could be considered quite exaggerated.

Although his Reiatsu still hovered at the level of a seated officer, Kisaragi Akira was confident he could trade blows with certain "disgraces of the lieutenant rank" without falling behind.

With a bit of luck, he might even secure a first kill.

So.

Let us see who the invincible Kisaragi Akira's opponent is.

Oh, it turns out to be the even more invincible Aizen Sosuke.

Never mind then.

Might as well wash up and go to sleep.

At the command of Hikifune Tessai, the Kido practical exercise officially began.

Kisaragi Akira had no intention of holding back, nor did he understand the meaning of keeping a low profile; since he had already made a name for himself at the Spiritual Arts Academy, he might as well be even more flamboyant!

He opened with the very same Hado #31, Shakkaho, that had backfired on him two days prior.

The scorching flames condensed into a massive fireball, instantly igniting the air.

A crimson eruption.

Amidst a low roar, the searing heat wave suddenly expanded, forming visible ripples that surged violently ahead.

Hikifune Tessai was shocked, instinctively gasping in a mouthful of hot air, immediately feeling the heat enter his lungs and a burning sensation in his viscera.

He never expected that Kisaragi Akira, who had managed to blow himself up, could actually release such a perfect Shakkaho.

Whether in terms of power, release speed, or any other aspect, there was no fault to be found.

Even if he were to release this Shakkaho himself, it would at most be slightly more powerful.

"So, how exactly did this kid manage to blow himself up?"

Hikifune Tessai fell into deep thought. "Could it be some sort of unspeakable, special hobby?"

Just then, the fireball surged forward, carrying a violent heat wave directly toward Aizen Sosuke, the intense temperature even causing the surrounding air to distort.

Facing an attack of this magnitude, Aizen Sosuke stood calmly in place, his expression as still as an ancient well, composed to the extreme.

"Bakudo #21, Red Smoke Escape."

His calm voice rang out at the most opportune moment, and a large amount of crimson smoke erupted from beneath his feet, instantly shrouding the area where Aizen Sosuke stood.

The Shakkaho's momentum remained undiminished, plunging straight into the smoke, instantly sending waves of heat surging upward.

"Is, is it over?"

A student asked, stunned.

To their eyes, Kisaragi Akira's Shakkaho was flawless.

If they were placed opposite this guy, they would be blasted into slag in an instant and suffer a miserable defeat.

"Bakudo #4, Sek."

The calm voice echoed from within the red smoke, and a faint light-rope, like a hunting viper, lunged forward with lightning speed, crossing dozens of meters in an instant.

Kisaragi Akira naturally noticed an attack of this level and instinctively used Shunpo to move backward.

However, at that very moment, his Danger Instinct issued a warning.

His footsteps came to an abrupt halt, and his peripheral vision caught a flash of brilliant lightning from the rear right.

"Did you notice?"

Aizen Sosuke had emerged from the smoke, his steady footsteps perfectly synchronized with the beating of a heart, exerting an indescribable pressure.

"Hado #4, Byakurai."

Although it was only a fourth-level Hado, the timing and angle were so perfectly calculated that it posed an immediate and grave threat to Kisaragi Akira.

Considering Aizen's Reiatsu, even a simple Byakurai could easily shatter the defensive barrier protecting his body.

Consequently, Kisaragi Akira chose to dodge once again.

The speed bonus to Shunpo granted by [Light as a Swallow] was enough to allow him to maneuver within the relatively confined space, evading the incoming attacks as much as possible.

"Bakudo #9, Geki."

Aizen did not give up, instead choosing to apply even greater pressure on Kisaragi Akira.

He knew his friend's strength all too well; this level of intensity was nowhere near enough to defeat him.

Sure enough, the moment Kisaragi Akira dodged the incoming red rope of light and planted his feet, he grinned:

"Sosuke, you truly live up to your reputation."

"But you still haven't grasped the true essence of a mage. Let me demonstrate it for you personally."

"Watch closely, and learn!"

Under the stunned gazes of everyone present, the man decided to cheat.

"Disintegrate, you Black Dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat!"

"Bakudo #9, Geki!"

A crimson light erupted, spilling from his fingertips and surging forward to blanket the area.

And this was only the beginning.

"...Entwine, collapse, shatter, and sever."

"Hado #11, Tsuzuri Raiden!"

"...Write, burn out, and hang yourself."

"Hado #14, Zantetsu!"

"...Scorching heat and strife, surging across the sea to the south, step forward."

"Hado #31, Shakkaho!"

"...Truth and temperance, upon the wall of ignorant dreams, stand only atop it!"

"Hado #33, Sokatsui!"

Incantation after incantation, as if without limit, flooded the entire Kido barrier.

The Reiatsu, woven from Hado and Bakudo, surged like tidal waves, filling the space in every direction.

Brilliant light bloomed to its fullest, lashing the air like iron whips and emitting sharp, piercing whistles.

Thunderous roars followed, as if someone were swearing an oath within the barrier, with rolling peals of thunder echoing incessantly.

Bolstered by the [Kido Mastery] trait, Kisaragi Akira transformed into a spell-casting machine gun, recklessly unleashing all manner of Bakudo and Hado.

Every Kido taught at the Spiritual Arts Academy, or even those merely mentioned in passing, manifested one after another within the barrier.

On this day, the students witnessed what it truly meant to have—

Firepower saturation!

In contrast, Aizen appeared low-key and elegant.

There were no flamboyant Kido incantations, nor the grand, sweeping radiance of Hado.

He captured opportunities amidst the brilliance, using Shunpo to flicker at the perfect moment, launching Bakudo or Hado in the gaps of the spectacle to dismantle the onslaught.

Compared to Kisaragi Akira's saturation fire, Aizen perfectly embodied what it meant to have—

Precision strikes!