"Move..."
"Move!"
"Why won't my body move?!"
Byakuya Kuchiki roared internally, but his limbs refused to respond. His entire body felt locked in place, weighed down by an invisible force far greater than himself. He stood there stiffly, like a puppet with its strings cut, completely helpless.
In front of him, Ran En calmly extended his index finger.
"Hadō #4: Byakurai."
The words were spoken with ease.
A crackling bolt of white lightning shot from his fingertip, splitting the air with a sound like thunder. The sharp roar shook the entire training ground.
Byakuya's pupils widened as the thunderbolt approached.
He gritted his teeth, mind screaming in disbelief.
"I'm the heir of the Kuchiki clan one of the Four Great Noble Houses!"
"And I'm about to lose… to Hadō number four?"
He clenched his fists inwardly, unwilling to accept such a humiliating defeat.
But it was too late.
The blast struck.
Ran En calmly lowered his hand, his expression indifferent. He didn't bother to look at Byakuya again.
Anyone defeated by him wasn't worthy of his attention.
Especially someone he had never considered a rival.
[Kidō is very pleased with your performance. It has now taken the initiative to further its training and has mastered double non-chant casting allowing simultaneous use of two Hadō or Bakudō spells.]
[Your Reiatsu, inspired by your display, proudly announces that it has achieved a spontaneous breakthrough equivalent to the height of Hachigen Ushōda.]
Ran En couldn't help smiling.
So even showing off had benefits now.
His Kidō and Reiatsu were too motivated. Not only did they train constantly, but they even took the initiative to grow stronger just to match his pace.
Truly, he was blessed with the most hard-working spiritual attributes imaginable.
But at this point, Ran En understood something clearly his own powers had minds of their own.
Reiatsu, swordsmanship, Kidō, even his Zanpakutō none of them would allow him to lie low.
Even if he wanted to keep a low profile, they would absolutely drag him into the spotlight anyway.
A dull thud echoed across the field.
Byakuya slumped to the ground, his face pale and drenched in cold sweat. His limbs trembled as he turned his eyes downward.
There, scorched into the earth, was a long crack that stretched from his feet all the way across the training ground.
Electric arcs still flickered along its edges.
That single blast just Hadō #4 had torn through over a hundred meters of ground.
And it had completely outclassed the Hadō #33 he had fired earlier.
Byakuya's heart sank.
Even with his noble blood and early training, his technique had been crushed with ease.
For the first time in his life, he felt something he had never known before.
Powerlessness.
"Talent...?"
Byakuya looked down at his clenched fists, now filled with dirt and gravel.
His pride had taken a deeper hit than any Kidō could inflict.
Though he would later suppress the feeling, the seed of doubt had already been planted in his heart.
"That was… Hadō #4?"
Tessai Tsukabishi stood frozen.
He had practiced that very spell just minutes earlier, using every ounce of control and precision he could muster.
But this?
This wasn't a spell. This was warfare.
"It wasn't just distance. The destructive power was... off the charts."
"It wasn't just a Kidō spell. It was as strong as a captain's full-force attack."
Jūshirō Ukitake's expression was unreadable.
As a veteran captain, he knew exactly what level Ran En's spell had reached.
Even he wouldn't dare to take that lightning bolt head-on.
This wasn't just Hadō.
This was a demonstration of pure control, overwhelming Reiatsu, and talent that transcended the norm.
"His Reiatsu has grown again."
"He's using Shikai."
"He's mastered every Hadō and Bakudō in the first section of the Kidō Encyclopedia."
Aizen pushed up his glasses, watching his brother with a flicker of admiration and urgency in his eyes.
His heart was filled with pressure, but also with resolve.
"This fight… told me everything I needed to know."
Ran En wasn't just strong.
He was accelerating.
" Ran En's Reiatsu alone pinned down Byakuya."
"And his Byakurai had the force of a high-tier Hadō…"
"Does his talent have no ceiling?"
Shihouin Yoruichi muttered under her breath, unable to find an answer.
She knew she could defeat Byakuya, even now, but she also knew she couldn't do it like this.
This wasn't just speed or strength.
This was complete, effortless dominance.
" Ran En."
Jūshirō Ukitake finally spoke, his voice filled with wonder.
"You've mastered all Hadō and Bakudō up to #60… and you can cast them without chanting, correct?"
Ran En nodded without hesitation.
"Yes."
His answer was calm. Almost casual.
But the effect it had on the crowd was explosive.
Everyone's scalp tingled.
They didn't doubt him. Not after what they just saw.
The damage was proof.
So was Byakuya, who was still struggling to breathe under the aftershock.
"I see…"
"You've already done it all. That's why you asked me to focus on other students earlier."
Ukitake gave a wry smile.
He had been prepared for Ran En to be impressive.
He hadn't expected him to be limitless.
A student like this was no ordinary genius.
He was already a front-runner to inherit a captain's position or even ascend to the Zero Division.
"Yes."
Ran En leaned casually against the tree again.
Technically, Ukitake wasn't wrong.
Although, Ran En hadn't expected Byakuya to be so quick-tempered.
He thought he'd taken enough care with his words, but apparently not.
"Well then," Ukitake said at last, composing himself. "Even if you've mastered everything in the first section, it's still class. Sitting around all day won't do."
"I'll have someone bring you the second volume of the Kidō Encyclopedia."
It was a bold move.
Volume two included Hadō and Bakudō from #60 to #99 high-level Kidō, the kind rarely mastered even by seated officers.
Originally, Ukitake had assumed Ran En would need six months at minimum.
Now?
He figured it was better to give it to him now and see what happened.