The Mage's Soul Burns

Elegant.

Too elegant!

This is a natural-born member of the Kido Corps!

Hikifune Tessai's eyes shone, as if he were admiring a piece of incomparable, exquisite art.

In his years teaching at the Spiritual Arts Academy, he had seen countless geniuses.

Those with immense talent for Kido, those born with overwhelming Reiatsu, those with terrifying cultivation speeds...

But rarely was there an existence like Aizen.

His observation of the battlefield was meticulous, and every Kido attack and defense was executed with perfect precision.

Even his Reiatsu output was controlled to a T; a fraction less would lack power, a fraction more would be a waste.

Coupled with near-perfect Shunpo footwork, Aizen strolled through the roaring explosions without showing the slightest sign of pressure.

Judging solely by his overall performance in this Kido combat exercise, Aizen had reached a state of perfection.

Even if he were to step in himself, at the same level of Reiatsu, he could not possibly perform better than Aizen.

If one had to find a flaw.

It was that his Reiatsu was too thin; placed in the elite-filled Class 1, it was merely at an average level.

A pity, such a pity.

If a genius like this could be just a bit stronger in terms of Reiatsu, he would truly have no defects.

Behind his narrow lenses, a look of regret flickered in Hikifune Tessai's eyes.

However.

When he turned his attention to the other person, his mouth couldn't help but twitch, and the corner of his eye began to throb violently.

He formed a stark contrast to Aizen.

Kisaragi Akira had completely cast aside all the teachings of the past, lacking any concept of Reiatsu conservation; his style was purely "full firepower."

The sound of his wild laughter mingled with the chanting of Kido incantations, driving the Kido barrier into a display of unprecedented brilliance.

Silver lightning surged violently, darting about with the speed of a ghost.

Flames, a mixture of red and yellow, erupted in constant succession, emitting deafening roars.

Piercing gusts of wind intersected and erupted, forming wave after wave of air pressure that rippled outward amidst the continuous, thunderous booming.

Watching the Hado and Bakudo constantly raining down upon him, a trace of helplessness flashed in the depths of Aizen's eyes.

Because he often spent time with Kisaragi Akira, he was well aware of the upper limits of his Reiatsu and strength.

But once they entered actual combat, he realized just how absurdly wrong his previous assumptions had been.

This guy, Kisaragi Akira, could not be judged by appearances at all.

His Reiatsu, which seemed to be only at the level of a seated officer, was in reality erupting with a force no weaker than that of an average Lieutenant.

Moreover, his combat performance was abnormal.

No, it should be called bizarre.

So bizarre that it completely defied common sense!

Not only was the power of his Kido extraordinary, but the sheer quantity was also absurd.

Even if they were all low-level Kido, it was still enough to make one's scalp tingle.

He had intended to take this opportunity to properly humble Kisaragi Akira, to let him know that there is always someone better and that he should learn to keep a low profile like him.

But at this rate, he would be the one forced to withdraw before a few more rounds of Kido bombardment.

"Haha, Sosuke, have you realized my mage soul yet?"

Kisaragi Akira laughed wildly, "A weakling like you simply doesn't understand the true essence of a mage."

"Try this Hado I recently developed."

Kisaragi Akira clapped his hands together, and a massive amount of red smoke instantly erupted from beneath his feet, flooding the Kido barrier and covering everything in sight at an incredible speed.

Because the coverage was so vast, Aizen had no way to dodge and could only watch helplessly as he was swallowed by the red smoke.

Once the onlookers' line of sight was completely obscured, an unexpected scene unfolded.

As if countless birds were emitting ear-piercing shrieks, blinding white light surged violently within the smoke, and streaks of brilliant lightning intersected, weaving into a net that submerged the barrier!

This was the result of Aizen's research: the ultimate fusion brought about by engraving Kido patterns.

Consuming only the Reiatsu of a single Red Smoke Escape, it was enough to unleash a massive-range Hado strike.

Hikifune Tessai stared at the smoke that had suddenly covered the area, a look of confusion in his eyes.

Yet, just as he prepared to terminate the exercise, the crackling electric arcs had already reached him.

"Wait..."

When he realized what this was, his heart skipped a beat, and his already narrow pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks.

The next moment, a brilliant radiance sublimated to its peak within the Kido barrier.

The students in the dojo bore witness to how a sun is formed.

BOOM!!

In a fleeting instant, restless thunder roared, sounding like a storm cloud compressed to its limit, unleashing endless white lightning with reckless abandon.

As if an iron plow were turning the earth, Byakurai took physical form amidst the brewing Red Smoke Escape, erupting from the haze to engulf the entire barrier, leaving countless scorched marks upon the sturdy floor.

The students stared in stunned silence at the scene unfolding before them.

They could not comprehend the composition of this Kido; why would this guy's Red Smoke Escape be laced with such violent currents of lightning?

Crackle—

A tearing sound rang out as the outermost Kido barrier was ripped open by the rampaging electric arcs.

Perhaps the power of a single Byakurai was mediocre, but when countless bolts were stacked together and connected by a medium, their destructive force underwent a qualitative change.

Aizen Sosuke watched the scene in astonishment; the defensive barrier left behind by Hikifune Tessai was disintegrating at top speed.

This development was something he had not anticipated.

He had assumed Kisaragi Akira would unleash a higher-tier Kido, or perhaps break the rules of the Kido practical exam entirely by choosing close-quarters combat to interpret his so-called "soul of a mage."

He never imagined that this guy had actually achieved a perfect fusion of inscribed Kido patterns, manifesting them in a way that defied conventional wisdom.

Akira, you truly are something else.

Aizen Sosuke's lips curled upward as he released a sliver of his hidden Reiatsu, bracing against the flock-like arcs of Byakurai the moment the defensive barrier shattered.

By the time he finished, the Red Smoke Escape and Byakurai erupted violently, burning through all the Reiatsu within, and the outer Kido barrier shattered instantly.

An unimaginable pressure suddenly blanketed the entire dojo.

When the red smoke finally dissipated, three figures appeared on the ruined, scorched floor.

Kisaragi Akira remained unscathed, just as he had been at the start.

Although Aizen Sosuke was no worse for wear, his defensive barrier had shattered and vanished, making the outcome of the Kido practical exam clear at a glance.

Hikifune Tessai, on the other hand, had been so confident in his own strength that he took no defensive measures, tanking the lightning with his bare body and absorbing the full brunt of the damage; he looked as if he had been crushed by thunder from head to toe.

A tall, charred husk stood rooted to the spot, with black smoke puffing from his mouth every now and then.

The sole victim of the entire Kido practical exam had been born...